The sunlight through the bus window was warm on my skin. Tobias sat beside me distraught, his own ray of sunshine was kilometers away in the other camp. The outlines of various creatures washed over me, I observed them in great detail through the veil. The bus couldn't move fast enough, strangely enough when I sat in this seat this morning the usual melancholy was nowhere in sight. The further we got from the city the greater my excitement grew.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the trip as much as I did. Today Tobias and I's roles had switched, he was still smiling and talking with everyone he could, but the smile dimmed the further we traveled. Being away from Rebecca alone did not warrant his falling mood, Tobias wasn't one for wilderness. Although he had no issue with wildlife and insects, sleeping under the darkness of night brought back an unpleasant memory.
The trip was almost perfect, almost. *Sigh* my enjoyment was limited by the stifling insidious presence at the back of the bus. DeLark was here, luck wasn't on my side it seemed. But I promised myself as the trip progressed that I would thoroughly ignore him, I was not inclined to forgo my adventurous excursion simply because he was present.
The only other thing that bothered me were the looks Jess kept throwing my way. Her eyes and body language said it all, she wanted to tell me something. She had tried to speak to me while boarding the bus, put the line of impatient students behind us made it impossible. Every few minutes I would catch her staring, she wasn't aware that I was observing her with even greater detail than she did to me. Truthfully, I wasn't sure I was ready to deal with her, to let her in just yet.
Even now that the rumors about me continued to spread, she was the only one that made an effort to deny them, apart from Tobias and Rebecca. Sadly her voice was drowned out by DeLark's lackeys, they took joy in fanning the flames. I wondered how she would react if I told her the rumors were true. Would she be disappointed, would she be accepting, would she take DeLark's side or mine. Somewhat, against my better judgement, I believed she would take mine.
The campsite was expansive, large enough to accommodate everyone and many more. Outlines and paths were clearly marked by previous inhabitants. I performed long stretches, the long drive had left me sore. I could have taken some weight of my back with some effort, but in my excitement I used the veil solely to observe my surroundings.
Two teachers had accompanied us. They wouldn't be doing much though. They were simply here to supervise and make sure we were safe. It was our responsibility alone to take care of ourselves and organize all we would need to survive the week. "Alright everyone gather around. Let's divide the tasks properly and finish them before the sun sets." Who made him boss, without notice Jonathan's tall muscly friend took charge.
He and another of my female classmates were given the mantle of leadership. As it turns out he was a boys scout and had plenty of experience camping out with his family, the same could be said about the girl. As the most charismatic and experienced they took control without effort or so it seemed. Tobias informed me that the discussions began since we departed.
The teachers barely gave us any attention, without a word they took their supplies and left to set up their tents leaving us in the hands of the new unelected authority.
They were more skilled than I expected. Without wasting any time we were permitted to ground up in fives and made to set up our tents. Each tent housed exactly five people so that made the people in your group your roommates. I grouped up with Tobias and a few of his friends. After a quick peruse of the instruction manual the tent was up in no time. Next tall muscly boy who I now knew as Delan selected people at random to gather firewood. I was one of those people, while Delan and one other fellow took the only two axes we had and began working on a fallen tree they found close by.
Finding sticks and fallen branches was easy enough, in fact it was effortless. With a quick stretch of the veil, I found them with ease. Each of my steps where made with purpose, I didn't waste a breathe searching around aimlessly like the others around me. I also used the time to take in the wildlife around me, nothing really big wandered close, the presence of multiple people had scared them off. Now only smaller animals and multiple insects remained, the squirrels perched in their trees observing us.
After an hour of search and gather I returned to the camp with my haul. I carried a large stack, in fact it should be impossible to carry such a large stack in my hands. That's were the beauty of my ability really shined through. I used it to keep the wood together and lift them, I just placed my hands beneath them to sell the illusion. I got many curious glances when I returned, they were quick to whisper among themselves.
My epic tale of smiting the dubious snake with my bare fists brought me more attention these days. Rumors were a strange thing, at this point I'd heard the story off there lips daily. But with a few modifications, some spun false tales of my motivations. I even heard a version were Jonathan and I were fighting over Jess. That particular one brought a very bitter taste to my mouth.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with movement and preparation. I was assigned other tasks and also volunteered myself to the kitchen. I began tinkering with the others in the kitchen once the water had arrived. Unfortunately, the closest water source we had was a stream and lake few kilometers aways. At least we brought enough buckets and water filters. This would prove to be especially challenging considering a lot of people would be using the supply at once. The chaos that would ensue during bath times was sure to be enjoyable.
Unlike everything else kitchen duty wasn't split evenly between the males and females. Most of the boys didn't know a single thing about cooking, the best they could do was make a bowl of cereal and microwave leftovers. It was sad and disappointing, how they would survive in society remained a mystery to me.
Today the kitchen was crowded, there was no room to safely display my abilities. I didn't need it though, I new my way around a kitchen—the current setting was just a bunch of tables arranged roughly with different stacks of firewood burning around— so I planned to do my best. The area was a hive of activity, numerous people clambering around to deliver ingredients or dump them in the pots. I did my part, using the spatial awareness the veil gave me to navigate the space and respond to any orders that were barked at me.
Night had settled in camp. A large fire was lit in the common area. People gathered around it, using logs, sleeping bags and clothes for seating. They conversed amongst themselves, holding warm bowls of food. I gazed at the fire, my mind skirting around the heat, testing it. She approached from behind, a thick cotton shawl drapped over her shoulders. "How have you been Jess? We haven't had the chance to talk lately." She sat beside me and smiled, it was warm, playful, relieved.
"So you're done avoiding me." There was no accusation in her tone. "I was never avoiding you. I just needed time to think things through." I finally turned to her and returned the smile. Her gaze faltered for a moment, "Of course, you deserve that much." Her cheeks warmed up a bit, the light from the fire played well with the tones of her skin. "Are you enjoying the excursion?" I wondered if she was having as much fun as I was. "Oh yes, very much. I love nature. I've never gone camping, my father always promised to take us, but he was always busy."
We spoke for hours, until the fire died out. Both smiling we left for our tents. I decided I wouldn't let DeLark influence all my decisions, wouldn't let paranoia stop me from being happy. Jess was a good person, no she was a great person and she would make a wonderful friend. Just like Mr Janeb said it was a okay to change, it was part of growing up and maturing. It was time I grew past this obsession, the fear would only eat at me till I collapsed.
Jonathan was exhausting, but I never planned to make the first move. I went to bed in high spirits and for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to truly fall asleep, to dream again.