One Way Ticket
Split Up
Rachel woke the next morning to angry voices. She sat up, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked around the camp. Cian was tossing more branches onto the fire and she could see Paige disappearing into the trees, apparently looking for more fuel. Meanwhile, Turner and Taylor were exchanging angry words.
"It wasn't me," Taylor snapped. "Why are you blaming me? It could have been anyone." She barely looked around as Rachel approached them.
"I wasn't blaming anyone," Turner was clearly trying to to remain calm. "I was just trying to say-"
"What happened?" Rachel interrupted him, raising her voice. She must have been tired if she'd been able to sleep through an argument like this.
"Our food is gone. Of course, you know, that means I must have eaten it while everyone was sleeping," Taylor rolled her eyes. "I'd rather starve than eat anymore of those nasty granola bars anyway."
Rachel frowned, reaching down for the backpacks. She dug through a few of them, finding most of the wrappers of the granola bars scattered around the ground. Whoever had eaten it hadn't made a very good effort to hide it.
"Wait," she suddenly spoke up, remembering last nights events. "It might not have been anyone. I heard something moving around in the bushes last night; it could have been a wild animal."
"Yeah, that's likely," Taylor replied sarcastically as she turned away. "Well if you don't mind, I'm going to go find someone else to steal their food off of."
"What are you talking about?" Turner asked curiously, turning to Rachel. "You saw something last night?"
"Yeah," Rachel felt stupid, as if she was unsure on if she really did hear anything. Now that she was fully awake, she was starting to doubt that she'd heard anything at all. She could've fallen asleep and been dreaming. "I thought I heard something moving around but I didn't actually see it."
"I'll go take a look around," Turner was frowning slightly as he turned away and walked off into the trees. Paige returned with an armful of branches and tossed them onto a pile near the fire.
"What happened?" Paige asked, brushing the dirt off her hands as she turned to Rachel. "Taylor just went storming off, I don't know where she's going."
Rachel shrugged, feeling tired and irritable. "So what are we doing today?" she asked, trying to ignore how empty her stomach was.
"I was thinking some of us could stay behind, keep the fire going, and a couple of us look for some food," Paige suggested. She didn't seem to be in a bad mood, unless she was trying to hide it. Rachel grunted, unable to show any enthusiasm for the plan. She looked up, seeing that Turner had returned with Taylor wandering behind, arms folded.
"I found some tracks in the ground, it looks like something was around here last night," Turner announced. "I'm going to try to follow them, see if I can find some food as well. I was thinking we could have someone stay behind and keep a watch on the fire, and we could split up and look for food and water. Does anyone want to stay behind?"
There was a silence. Everyone glanced at one another to see if someone else would volunteer. Finally Taylor spoke up.
"I'll stay behind," she said with a sigh. She looked clearly annoyed as she walked over to the fire and sat down, arms folded and a scowl on her face.
"Great," Turner replied enthusiastically. He looked at the remaining three, as if waiting for someone to volunteer to go and look for food or water. Rachel was hesitant on volunteering to go with him; if tracking down some unknown animal was anything like following Turner on the previous hike, she would only be slowing him down.
"I'll come with you," Paige finally volunteered. "How far will we be going though? We won't get lost, will we?"
"As long as the fire is still going we should be able to find our way back," Turner explained. He turned to Rachel and Cian. "Do you want to come with us or split up so we have two groups looking for food?"
"Er...split up, I guess," Rachel didn't mind going to look for food, but if Turner was setting the pace she wouldn't last the first hour. She was in decent physical shape, but with the lake of food she felt like she had no energy and didn't want to slow anyone down.
"We'll split up the water bottles; if any of us find water we should fill our bottles and bring some back to camp," Turner suggested.
"So is this like, an all day thing?" Taylor finally spoke up sullenly from where she was sitting by the fire.
"Well, we need to find food. There isn't much fruit around here; we picked most of what we already saw around here and we can't even guarantee we can eat it," Paige spoke up. "We should probably return before nightfall, even if we don't find anything. We've gathered enough wood that should last the day for the fire, but if not it won't be hard to find more."
Taylor looked skeptical but didn't answer. It didn't take long for the four to get ready to leave; they had very little supplies. Rachel reached for her backpack, first opening it and checking to make sure there wasn't any unnecessary weight added before swinging it onto her back, forcing a smile at Cian, who looked no more enthusiastic than she did.
"We'll head along the ridge down that way," Turner pointed down through the trees to an unknown spot Rachel couldn't see. "And look around down there. Well, see you guys later then."
Turner and Paige set off through the trees. Rachel was wishing she'd gone in a group with her friend; at least Paige always seemed to be in a good mood.
"Let's go this way," Cian suggested as Rachel was standing there staring off after Turner and Paige, deep in thought. She let Cian lead the way through the trees that were starting to seem familiar after scrounging around for dead branches and logs for the fire.
"See you later," Rachel turned and called to Taylor, who had her back to them. The young teen simply raised a hand without looking back in farewell and Rachel turned back to Cian who had surprisingly covered quite a lot of ground already. She jogged a bit to catch up before falling behind him; he seemed to know where they were going.
"It wasn't me," Taylor snapped. "Why are you blaming me? It could have been anyone." She barely looked around as Rachel approached them.
"I wasn't blaming anyone," Turner was clearly trying to to remain calm. "I was just trying to say-"
"What happened?" Rachel interrupted him, raising her voice. She must have been tired if she'd been able to sleep through an argument like this.
"Our food is gone. Of course, you know, that means I must have eaten it while everyone was sleeping," Taylor rolled her eyes. "I'd rather starve than eat anymore of those nasty granola bars anyway."
Rachel frowned, reaching down for the backpacks. She dug through a few of them, finding most of the wrappers of the granola bars scattered around the ground. Whoever had eaten it hadn't made a very good effort to hide it.
"Wait," she suddenly spoke up, remembering last nights events. "It might not have been anyone. I heard something moving around in the bushes last night; it could have been a wild animal."
"Yeah, that's likely," Taylor replied sarcastically as she turned away. "Well if you don't mind, I'm going to go find someone else to steal their food off of."
"What are you talking about?" Turner asked curiously, turning to Rachel. "You saw something last night?"
"Yeah," Rachel felt stupid, as if she was unsure on if she really did hear anything. Now that she was fully awake, she was starting to doubt that she'd heard anything at all. She could've fallen asleep and been dreaming. "I thought I heard something moving around but I didn't actually see it."
"I'll go take a look around," Turner was frowning slightly as he turned away and walked off into the trees. Paige returned with an armful of branches and tossed them onto a pile near the fire.
"What happened?" Paige asked, brushing the dirt off her hands as she turned to Rachel. "Taylor just went storming off, I don't know where she's going."
Rachel shrugged, feeling tired and irritable. "So what are we doing today?" she asked, trying to ignore how empty her stomach was.
"I was thinking some of us could stay behind, keep the fire going, and a couple of us look for some food," Paige suggested. She didn't seem to be in a bad mood, unless she was trying to hide it. Rachel grunted, unable to show any enthusiasm for the plan. She looked up, seeing that Turner had returned with Taylor wandering behind, arms folded.
"I found some tracks in the ground, it looks like something was around here last night," Turner announced. "I'm going to try to follow them, see if I can find some food as well. I was thinking we could have someone stay behind and keep a watch on the fire, and we could split up and look for food and water. Does anyone want to stay behind?"
There was a silence. Everyone glanced at one another to see if someone else would volunteer. Finally Taylor spoke up.
"I'll stay behind," she said with a sigh. She looked clearly annoyed as she walked over to the fire and sat down, arms folded and a scowl on her face.
"Great," Turner replied enthusiastically. He looked at the remaining three, as if waiting for someone to volunteer to go and look for food or water. Rachel was hesitant on volunteering to go with him; if tracking down some unknown animal was anything like following Turner on the previous hike, she would only be slowing him down.
"I'll come with you," Paige finally volunteered. "How far will we be going though? We won't get lost, will we?"
"As long as the fire is still going we should be able to find our way back," Turner explained. He turned to Rachel and Cian. "Do you want to come with us or split up so we have two groups looking for food?"
"Er...split up, I guess," Rachel didn't mind going to look for food, but if Turner was setting the pace she wouldn't last the first hour. She was in decent physical shape, but with the lake of food she felt like she had no energy and didn't want to slow anyone down.
"We'll split up the water bottles; if any of us find water we should fill our bottles and bring some back to camp," Turner suggested.
"So is this like, an all day thing?" Taylor finally spoke up sullenly from where she was sitting by the fire.
"Well, we need to find food. There isn't much fruit around here; we picked most of what we already saw around here and we can't even guarantee we can eat it," Paige spoke up. "We should probably return before nightfall, even if we don't find anything. We've gathered enough wood that should last the day for the fire, but if not it won't be hard to find more."
Taylor looked skeptical but didn't answer. It didn't take long for the four to get ready to leave; they had very little supplies. Rachel reached for her backpack, first opening it and checking to make sure there wasn't any unnecessary weight added before swinging it onto her back, forcing a smile at Cian, who looked no more enthusiastic than she did.
"We'll head along the ridge down that way," Turner pointed down through the trees to an unknown spot Rachel couldn't see. "And look around down there. Well, see you guys later then."
Turner and Paige set off through the trees. Rachel was wishing she'd gone in a group with her friend; at least Paige always seemed to be in a good mood.
"Let's go this way," Cian suggested as Rachel was standing there staring off after Turner and Paige, deep in thought. She let Cian lead the way through the trees that were starting to seem familiar after scrounging around for dead branches and logs for the fire.
"See you later," Rachel turned and called to Taylor, who had her back to them. The young teen simply raised a hand without looking back in farewell and Rachel turned back to Cian who had surprisingly covered quite a lot of ground already. She jogged a bit to catch up before falling behind him; he seemed to know where they were going.