Blue Waltz

Chapter 2 - Warning

We gathered at Mari's house in order to plan our trip and decide who is in charge of which task. We decided to split into two groups on the trip: myself, Mari and Quinn - in charge of one car, a tent, food and water for everyone to last the weekend; Oliver, Maeve and Lyr - in charge of another car, a tent, music, alcohol of their choice and a sea of batteries so we can document all the fun. Each one, of course, will bring themselves whatever they personally need for the duration of the trip. We agreed to drive to one of the parking lots next to the entrance of the forest, from there we will have approximately a 30 minutes walk until we get to a small waterfall - there we will set camp and start getting ready for the rest of the activities planned. 

We had a week to get everything done and make sure we hadn't missed anything. Even though we'll be there just a bit more than 2 days, forgetting things might ruin the fun and the whole purpose we're doing this in the first place. After such a long time filled with stress, it's hard to believe we even have time to relax. Up till now we had not a moment to breathe. The moment we had finished all the test, we were thrown back to a new semester, so hoping for a short break was basically like praying for a miracle. 

My group went on a couple of shopping sprees to but all the necessities and to just hang out a bit, a little quality girl time. "Girls, do you believe we actually have time to breathe for once? I never thought that day would come," said Mari, ecstatic. "Actually, no. I was sure we are going to be enslaved to these test until the end of our days, like it was until now," Quinn answered her and continued, "why do you think they gave us a break this time?" she sounded confused. "I don't know, but who am I to complain," I laughed in return. 

Meanwhile, at the other group, "do you want to get some coffee, before we get back home?" Oliver suggested. Maeve and Lyr agreed and so they proceeded to walk with all of their shopping bags towards the nearest coffee shop. At the coffee shop they bumped into a few fellow students and exchanged greetings among themselves. "So many mags, are you flying abroad?" one of the guys chuckled and looked at the large bags the group held. "Close, we are going camping this weekend," Oliver answered. "Camping? Are you sure?" a weird look appeared on the face of the guy they were conversing with. "What's the problem?"

"Didn't you hear? The biology professor went to the forest a week ago, to gather samples for his research."

"OK, I still don't seem to see the problem in that."

"He hasn't come back," silence fell for a few moments. No-one knew what to say, "that is the reason they postponed the beginning of the semester. They are looking for a substitute, at least until they figure out what happened," he continued. 

"Wow. OK, but it might be just a coincidence, Maybe he simply went too deep in the forest, we are staying on a known trail," Oliver said, albeit with a sneaking concern to his voice.  "Thanks for the warning, though!" he smiled. Oliver, Lyr and Maeve looked at each other and decided to call Marigold. "Hey, Mari?" he said. "yes?" she answered. "Can we meet at your place in approximately 2 hours?"

"Sure, I'll let the girls know. Did something happen?" she sounded worried. "We'll talk about it soon," he said and they finished the call. After they finished their coffee, they gathered all their bags and drove to Mari's. When everyone arrived Oliver told us about the conversation they had at the coffee shop. "Maybe we should wait with the trip?" Lyr suggested. "I think that it's just a coincidence. Besides, we'll be at a very known and popular spot. Many people go there," Mari said. "I said the same thing, but it supposed to be a mutual decision, so here we are," Oliver answered. "I'm sure it'll be totally fine. If we see something suspicious on the way, we would turn around and go back home," Mari added. "I'm in, what about you, guys?" I asked and leaned against Mari's shoulders. "Alright, let's just make sure we bring something for protection with us, just in case," emphasized Lyr whilst looking at everyone. We nodded in agreement and decided we would meet on the weekend's morning and drive from there. 

A few days later, we all met again at Mari's house, the time was 7 a.m. Mari was the chosen driver in our group and in the other group it was Meave. We checked we hadn't forgotten anything and set to go in the forest together, when everyone gets there. It took about 40 minutes to get to the forest from Mari's house and at around 8:15 we met at the parking lot. "What took you so long? I asked Maeve. "We stopped to get gas and bought some snacks and coffee. No worries, I bought you some too," she said and took out 3 cups full of coffee. "Shall we?" I suggested and we started to walk into the forest. 

We didn't come across anything suspicious or strange on our way, I guess it really was a coincidence. We talked and laughed for the whole walk. By the time we got to the small waterfall, we have forgotten all about our worries from a few days prior. The view was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed in my life. Suddenly, a place where I hung out so many times throughout my life looked as if I visit it for the very first time. It was awe-inspiring. I looked around me a few long minutes before I heard Mari call me, "Keana? Keana! Planet earth to Keana!" I snapped back to reality. "Ah? Yeah? Sorry," I said, still a bit confused from what just happened. "Are you okay?" she asked, "you seemed hypnotized," she laughed at me, at this point. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What do you need?" I asked her. "I'm almost done with connecting the tent's rods. I'd love some help, so we can finish faster with all the technical business," she said and looked at me with a smile, her head tilted to the side and her hands on her hips. "I'm coming," I skipped towards her.