Henry laughed, shooting me a look of understanding. “Like a gift from heaven,” he said with a smile.
“Exactly,” I replied.
Caitlin smiled at me. “Part of it is that we don’t realize how many calories we’re burning riding our bikes all day. You really work up an appetite.”
Zoe took a big bite of her hot dog. “That’s one good thing about this tour: I can eat this hot dog and simple carbs with no guilt!”
Bess laughed. “Exercise does have its rewards, Zo!”
Zo? Bess already had a nickname for her new BFF?
“It almost makes up for missing Revenge tonight,” Zoe went on. “But not quite.”
“Omigosh, I love that show.”
Bess and Zoe immediately huddled to discuss the last season, throwing out character names and plot twists like they were discussing the trials and travails of their closest friends. I glanced at George next to me; she was staring at Bess’s back with a dismayed expression.
“I think we’ve lost her,” I whispered, leaning over to give George’s arm a playful squeeze.
“I’m beginning to think we lost her when I asked her to come on this trip,” George muttered. “I thought she’d at least try to have fun, but . . .”
“She is having fun,” I pointed out, nodding at Bess, who was giggling hysterically at something Zoe had said about catfights.
George frowned. “Maybe I should rephrase that,” she said. “I hoped we would have fun together.”
Popping the last of his hot dog into his mouth, Henry suddenly stood up and stretched his arms, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “Well,” he said, looking around at all of us, “I’m really tired. I suppose it’s time to retire to my not-tent.”
Dagger chuckled casually, and even Zoe flashed a smile in our direction, but Caitlin’s face suddenly went cold.
“Very funny,” she said, shooting a glare up at her brother.
Henry smirked. “Come on, Cait,” he said. “Don’t be a spoilsport just because your first tour isn’t up to your usual perfect standards. It doesn’t hurt to laugh at yourself once in a while, you know.”
But Caitlin’s glare didn’t lessen. “You can laugh at yourself,” she said, her tone turning cold. “In fact, that’s all you ever do. But some of us have responsibilities. Some of us need to pay for books for college.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “I’m sure Adventures and Company will hire you next summer even if there was a tent snafu on your first trip. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to pay for books, sis.”
Caitlin was silent for a moment, and I thought she might have calmed down, but then she stood up so suddenly, her paper towel fluttered off her lap to the ground.
“Can I speak to you privately?” she hissed.
Henry looked a little surprised, but nodded. “Um . . . okay,” he said, glancing around at the rest of us. “Excuse me.”
We all watched silently as Caitlin marched off into the woods, Henry trailing reluctantly behind her.
“She seems a little stressed out,” Dagger said, leaning forward to grab a piece of potato and pop it in his mouth. “She should meditate with me tomorrow. You all should.”
George asked Dagger about his meditation practices, and soon even Zoe and Bess started taking part in the conversation, Zoe gushing about the Bikram yoga class she was taking. I tried to follow along, but my brain was buzzing with all the strange events of the day. I thought back to the moment when the tents went missing—there seemed to be some tension between Caitlin and Henry then, too. It was clear from the moment that had just passed that Caitlin was pretty upset about the tents going missing, even if she tried to hide it from those of us paying for the tour. What had she said just now? Some of us need to pay for college? And Henry had said something about Adventures & Company hiring her anyway?
So maybe this little tour was like a tryout for Caitlin—if it went well, they’d hire her next year?
I tried to remember more about what she’d said when the tents went missing, but my eyes were beginning to droop, and my brain was filling with the fog of exhaustion. I didn’t know what time it was, but it had been at least an hour since the sun had dipped below the horizon, and it was dark enough that I couldn’t see much just a few yards beyond the fire.
“Right, Nancy?”
George suddenly poked me, and I realized that my eyes had been closed. Had I been sleeping? “What?”
Bess looked at me and giggled, her blue eyes twinkling in the firelight. “Feeling a little tired, huh?”
I shook my head. “I guess so. We did do a lot of biking today.”
George nodded. “Well, I was talking about my favorite part of our ride today, but maybe we should turn in instead. I have to admit, I’m pretty worn out too.”
Zoe nodded and stretched, yawning the same kind of exaggerated yawn Henry had faked earlier—except hers seemed real. “Yeah, let’s say good night,” she agreed. “Our cozy tent beckons.”
Bess glanced at George and me uncomfortably, like she was feeling a little bad about the tent situation. But I shook my head at her.
“And my cozy sleeping bag beckons,” I said. “Honestly, I’m so tired tonight, I don’t think it matters whether I’m in a tent or not. I’m going to be out cold as soon as I’m horizontal.”
Bess smiled, looking a little relieved.
We all stood—Dagger, too—and Bess and Zoe walked over to their tent on the outskirts of the clearing, while George and I grabbed our sleeping bags to set them up just outside the fire circle. Dagger said good night to all of us, took his sleeping bag, and started walking down the rocky slope to the lake.
“I saw a little flat area down here to set up my sleeping bag on,” he said, when he turned and saw me watching him curiously. “I love the sound of water lapping the shore.”
That sounded nice. I nodded. “See you in the morning, Dagger. Sleep well.”
As George and I went to leave the fire circle, a figure suddenly came bursting out of the darkness—Henry!
“Hey!” he said, looking around at the empty fire circle. “Everyone going to bed?”
George nodded apologetically. “We’re pretty tired,” she admitted. “You and Caitlin have been gone awhile. What happened to her?”
Henry’s face started to tense, then stopped abruptly, like he suddenly thought better of it. He made his face neutral. “Oh, she went to bed,” he said. “Said she was feeling tired. Our sleeping bags are set up in the meadow, right over there.” He pointed only several yards away, but it was so dark that I couldn’t see much of anything beyond his fingertip.
“Okay,” said George, nodding awkwardly. “Well, good night.”
Henry smiled. “Sleep tight,” he said, walking over to the fire and starting to push some rocks over what remained of the embers. “Hope the mosquitoes don’t bite.”
As I shot George an alarmed look, Henry turned back around with another smirk. “Just kidding,” he added. “The mosquitoes made such a buffet out of my legs, they must be full by now. Unlike the bears.”
George shook her head. “Such a joker,” she muttered, picking up her sleeping bag and stepping over one of the big logs that circled the fire pit. “Ha-ha.”
I followed George sleepily about fifty feet away from the fire pit, then did as she did, spreading my bag on the ground. We went together to use the makeshift bathroom Caitlin had dug out near an old oak tree in the woods, then came back and settled into our nice, cozy sacks. The air had gotten a little cool, and the flannelly warmth felt really good.
I settled my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. “The air smells nice,” I said. “Kind of misty and piney.”
“I know,” George agreed. “Tents or no, I’m really enjoying this trip.”
“It just got a little breezier,” I said, turning over onto my side and hugging my pillow. “It feels good.”
I settled into my favorite sleeping position, letting my jaw drop open on the pillow, and felt that del
icious I am in the perfect position, about to drift off feeling spread over my body.
That was when the first drop hit me on the shoulder.
I blinked my eyes open, surprised, just in time to see the sky open up as it started to pour.
CHAPTER FOUR
Too Close for Comfort
I SHOT UP INTO A sitting position. Rain poured down onto my hair and dripped into my eyes, and the driving streams and the dark made it hard to see George’s face just a few feet away.
When I finally could see her, she didn’t look happy.
“Son of a biscuit!” she hissed.
At that moment several things happened at once. I heard Caitlin let out a little yelp, presumably as she woke up and took in what had happened. I saw Henry run over from where he’d been lingering at the fire pit, I guessed to help his sister. And then, after a moment, a small but blinding beam of light hit me right in the face. I squinted, trying to see where it was coming from, and saw that a dark figure was shooting a flashlight out the front flap of Zoe’s tent.
“Guys, come in here!”
It was Bess’s voice.
I squirmed out of my already-soaked sleeping bag and looked at George.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked, already on her feet and shoving her folded-up bag under her arm. “Let’s get in there!”
I pulled my sleeping bag off my feet and balled it up into something small enough to carry, then sprang up and darted across the meadow toward the flashlight beam. I pushed into the narrow fabric entrance, and I immediately felt the slick, squishy feeling of a sleeping bag beneath me, followed by a yelp from Zoe: “Hey, watch it!”
George pushed in right behind me, knocking me off my feet and sending me sprawling over Zoe’s head.
“Arrgh!” she whined. “Guys! It’s pretty tight in here.”
Bess had pulled the flashlight back inside, and now she aimed it at the wall so we could all see one another in the ambient light. Whoa! Zoe was right—the tent was teeny, a little tight for two people, really. For the four of us (and our sleeping bags) to fit in there, we were going to have to sleep practically on top of one another.
I pulled myself back into a crouch and crept over Zoe, trying to settle myself in a little pocket of empty space by the door. “Sorry, guys.”
“Don’t be sorry,” said Bess, but I heard Zoe sigh loudly. “We couldn’t leave you out there to get soaked,” Bess went on. “This is, like, the worst bike tour ever! Did you guys see Caitlin and Henry?”
“No, but I heard her yell.” Like me, George was clearly struggling to find space in the tiny shelter, and now she swung her rear end around and settled it on Bess’s sleeping bag. Bess wordlessly scooched back to make room. “I’m sure they’re used to bad weather, but I don’t think anyone’s very happy about this shower.”
Bess glanced at Zoe and bit her lip. “They’ll just be stuck out there getting soaked. Should we invite them in?”
Zoe widened her eyes. “Are you kidding? I didn’t bring an extra tent to try to fit everyone in. Where would we sleep?”
Bess shrugged, looking frustrated. “We wouldn’t all fit in here to sleep. But maybe they could at least get out of the rain.”
Zoe shook her head forcefully, and George sighed.
“Never mind,” she said, moving toward the entrance. “I’ll check on them.”
Before any of us could stop her, George was outside the tent, running through the rain. “Caitlin? Henry?” I heard her calling. “Dagger?”
Silence fell in the tent, and I looked awkwardly from Bess to Zoe. “I hope they’re okay,” I said.
“I’m sure they are,” Zoe said quietly, the annoyed edge fading from her voice. “They’re the gung-ho nature people, remember? And it’s just rain, after all. They’ll dry.”
Bess and I were quiet for another minute, neither of us sure what to say, when George pushed her way back into the tent.
“They say they’re fine,” she said. “Caitlin and Henry are trying to rig up a tarp she brought to block the rain. And Dagger says he likes it—it makes him feel ‘closer to nature’ or something.” She shrugged, sitting back down on Bess’s sleeping bag and running a hand through her soaking-wet hair.
Bess squealed. “Hey, watch it!” she said. “I invited you guys in here to keep you dry, not to make me wet.”
“See?” Zoe asked, turning to Bess and me with a satisfied smile. “All the people left out there are the dedicated nature people. It won’t hurt them to get a little wet.”
George looked at her and frowned. “I think you can enjoy nature and still not want to get wet.”
Zoe rolled her eyes. “I guess,” she said, and sighed. “Listen, your sleeping bags are soaking wet. Can you throw them outside to make more room?”
George’s frown deepened. “And where will Nancy and I sleep?”
Zoe shrugged, as though the answer didn’t matter very much to her, but Bess spoke up before she could reply. “Maybe Zoe and I could climb out of our sleeping bags and unzip them,” she suggested. “We could sleep on top of one and share the other like a blanket.”
Zoe looked distinctly unexcited about this idea, but George spoke before she could say anything. “Great. Let’s do it.”
Bess jumped into action, and Zoe hesitated only a moment before wriggling out of her sleeping bag too. It took some maneuvering, but soon we had Bess’s sleeping bag unzipped and spread out on the tent floor. We all got on it, trying to negotiate a way for all four of us to sleep in the small space without being on top of one another. In the end, we ended up sleeping side by side, all lined up like railroad tracks.
We were so close that when I tried to snuggle into the sleeping bag beneath me, Zoe yelped in alarm.
“Ouch! You just kneed me in the butt.”
“Sorry,” I murmured, trying to get comfortable in the position I was in. It was tough—I felt all stretched out and unnatural. For a second, I thought longingly of that moment just before the rain had fallen when I’d been about to fall asleep out in the cool, misty air.
That would have been nice.
Bess groaned. “Cuz, stop shaking your leg, please.”
George stopped abruptly. We were close enough that we could all feel it. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m a little uncomfortable.”
Zoe snorted. “You’re uncomfortable?” she asked. “Because I was a lot more comfortable before you guys showed up. No offense.”
George sat up, and even in the darkness I could see her eyes shooting daggers at Zoe. “No offense?” she asked. “Gee, Zoe, I was a lot more comfortable before we came in here too. No offense.”
Uh-oh. “Guys,” I began, trying to use my most diplomatic tone. “We’re in kind of tight quarters here, so . . .”
Now Zoe sat up too. “Why don’t you go back out there?” she asked, pointing to the closed door of the tent, outside which the rain poured down with a constant rat-a-tat-a-tat. “After all, you voted to keep going even knowing we had no tents, right? I mean, it must have occurred to you that it might rain?”
George set her jaw. “It did,” she said, “but I thought the risk was worth it to enjoy the trip I’d been dreaming about for months.”
Zoe groaned. “You outdoorsy people,” she said with a sigh. “All about experiencing nature, until it gets a little uncomfortable, and then you’re just like us.”
“Us who?” George asked.
Zoe smirked. “Us, like me and Bess,” she said, looking back at Bess, who was on my other side. “The reasonable people, who like shelter and good sheets and bring extra tents to save your butts.”
Even in the dark, I could tell George was more than miffed at that, but Bess just giggled. “Can we just go to sleep, guys?” she asked. “The sooner we go to sleep, the sooner we wake up in the morning, and the sooner this whole experience is over.”
“Amen to that,” Zoe agreed, and settled back down on her pillow.
Everything was silent for a moment. I hoped, desperately, that
the conversation was over and we could all go to sleep. I closed my eyes.
But George wasn’t finished yet.
“Gee, cuz,” she said after a moment, a chill creeping into her voice. “I’m so sorry that my dream trip has been such a nightmare for you.”
Bess was silent for a moment, then let out an awkward laugh. “Come on,” she said. “You don’t agree that this trip has been kind of a bust so far?”
“I’ve seen some amazing scenery and met some really cool people,” George said. “I’ve seen more wildlife in one day than I’ve ever seen before!”
Zoe snorted. “And I’ve noticed that someone stole our tents two hours in, and things have just gone downhill from there!” she cried. “Come on, George. You haven’t noticed that our leaders don’t seem to agree on anything? And that Dagger is a total weirdo? And that we got a total downpour tonight and we’re all packed in here like sardines?”
“Yeah,” Bess added quietly, before George could respond. “This hasn’t exactly been my dream vacation, cuz.”
George was quiet for a few seconds. When she spoke, her voice was full of barely restrained anger. “I’m so sorry I inconvenienced you by wanting to share my trip with you,” she said sarcastically. “I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal for you to go outside your comfort zone for three days, to celebrate my birthday.”
Bess didn’t move, but when she spoke, her voice was angry too. “I came for you, cuz,” she said. “But this isn’t my thing. You can’t make me like it.”
“I only came for my friend too—for Gemma,” Zoe said with a sigh. “Stupid mono.”
George lay back down on her pillow. Again, I hoped the conversation was over, but George fired one parting shot:
“Bess, for your thirteenth birthday, I went to a ‘makeover slumber party’ for you. You decided I would look better blond, and we snuck out to the drugstore, and I let you bleach my hair—remember? It was orange for a week.”
Bess hesitated a second before responding. “I remember.”
“But I never complained,” George went on. “That party was, like, the best night of your life. And that made me happy. Because cousins make sacrifices to make each other happy.”