by Barb Shuler
“Let's just focus on the good things then. You've graduated. Lucky duck. Carter and I still have to make it through more of that place,” she said as she looked the other way.
“Hey, it'll be okay, butterfly,” I gave her hand a squeeze and pulled off onto the road that led to Gramp’s house. There were a few cars behind us, so when I pulled up to Gramps I moved my Jeep over under the big maple tree. I hopped out quickly. I moved around and helped Lana down, and interlocked our fingers. I could smell the smoke of the cedar and other wood chips Gramps had on his big wood fired grill. We walked along the path, stopping so I could scoop up Tyler as she ran towards us, a baby doll in her arms.
“Looks what Gampy gots me!” she giggled and curled into me.
“That's a cool baby doll, Ty,” I said kissing her cheek softly.
“Her name’s... um…” her nose wrinkled as she thought it over. There was a ‘thud’ against my leg and I stepped back slightly, rocking when another little body slammed into my leg. “Hey!” I called out as a hand grabbed my shoulder.
“Taylor James! Stop running into people before you hurt someone!” I heard Kristol’s voice and then the tears started. I squatted down and gave Taylor a one armed hug and lifted him up into my arms.
“Hey, it’s okay, buddy,” I gave Kristol a look, only to have her glare and put her hands on her hips. There was a tug at my pant leg and I looked down to grin at Ryan. I squatted down and kissed her cheek. She was clutching a new baby doll in her arms too. I looked around and grinned. “Who wants to play tag with me and La La?” A chorus of me’s rang out and I sat both Tyler and Taylor on the deck.
“Don’t forget me,” Carter said, scooping up a now toddling Robbie. “Who else is in? We have more toddlers than teenagers,” he said looking around.
“It’ll be an hour or so before we eat so, everyone go play,” Gramps said as he brushed some kind of sauce over the ribs. Damn, they smelled good already.
“Come on, we need some old people to play with us,” I said, ducking when I heard someone come up behind me. I scooped up Ryan so I didn’t step on her and turned to find Dani Lynn glaring at me.
“You’re going down, kid,” her lip curled up and I smirked.
“Bring it on, lady,” I said bouncing Ryan a little. “Ready Rybread?” she giggled and clapped her hands.
“Come on Jacks, Drew, time to take the kids down,” Dani Lynn said.
“Kristol is on our team,” Lana called out. “She’s not old yet.”
“Uh… I-” she stuttered and we all stopped to look at her as she gave Jacks a look. His grin said it all. “I’ll keep score, not in the mood to run around right now,” she said as she moved to sit in the grass, off to the side.
“Come on, already, let’s take the old people down,” I said, laughing as I moved out into the yard.
7
Camping Plans
Derek
Two days after my graduation party we (Lana, Carter and I) sat around the table looking at a map, marking out a trail for our camping trip. There would be nine of us in total, so we had to have everything planned out to make sure we had enough room to camp and enough supplies. Especially food. Each person was to have their own pack of course, but in general, we still needed a plan. We’d be starting in Apple Springs and hiking to Ratcliff Lake. Six days in the woods. It was going to be amazing.
“Dude, there’s no trail through that thicket there,” Carter said, pointing at the outline the marker made on the paper map. I looked up at him and shook my head. “You sure we want to go that way?”
“Yeah, we can handle that. It’s only a couple of miles, and by the time we get to this point,” I moved my finger to point at the starred point on it before I spoke again. “We will be close enough to the lake that no one will care. As soon as we get there we can drop packs and dive in,” I said, chuckling. Lana elbowed me and I faked an exaggerated grunt. “Hey, what was that for, Butterfly?”
“I’m not walking through that!” she all but shrieked. Her face wrinkled up and she bugged her eyes at me. I had to grin as I patted her knee. “I’m sure it’s full of icky spiders and snakes and ticks...” she shuddered as she curled into me more. I snorted, earning me a scowl. I wrapped my arms around her so I could kiss her head.
“I won’t let them get ya, Butterfly. I will kill them all for you,” I puffed my chest out a bit and grinned as she shook her head at me.
“Lana, you do know that the woods are full of bugs and creepy crawlies, right?” Carter said. He raised his brow and looked at her, wiggling his fingers towards her. “Did you sleep through Science class?” My girl was tough with most things - but spiders were a big no go. She would go into a full blown panic attack if you didn't get to her fast enough.
“Spiders are not bugs! They are the devil!” she shrieked. Her breathing had changed. If she didn’t relax she would have an attack now. I ran my hand over her back before I cut a look at Carter.
“Uh, okay, let me phrase it this way. You know that the arachnids and bugs will be in the woods, right? Why go if you’re gonna squeal and act like a ninny each time you see one? You're such a girl, Lana,” Carter said, his face pulled down in a frown as he stared at her.
“Don’t make me kick your butt, Carter Wayne!” she snapped. Her face was beet red. I looked back and forth between them and chuckled.
“Children,” I said, resting my hand against her hip. “We will kill any spiders we see,” I whispered against her cheek as I pressed a soft kiss there. I looked over at Carter. “Stop harassing my girl, Cart. If I remember correctly the last time we went camping it was you that was freaking out over a bug. What was it… oh, a praying mantis. Didn’t it land on your back, which sent you into a tizzy, spinning around and shrieking?”
“Dude, that thing was the size of a bird! It was stuck to me,” he scowled.
“You showed your girly side, Cart,” Lana said, laughing. I laughed too and shook my head at them both picking on each other.
“You both suck,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Hopefully we don’t have a repeat this go round. Timothy and Devon will be there, let’s not give them a show. They don’t forget things,” I chuckled again and looked back at the map.
“What's with all the loudness coming from in here?” Anna said as she came in, Robby nestled in against her shoulder. She dropped her bag on the table and moved to give Lana a kiss to her head.
“Y'all sound like a bunch of toddlers in here,” Carter glared at Stella as she walked in, bags in her hand. Her grin met his glare as Trace and Jacks came in behind her. She went and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and gave him a squeeze.
“Your brother is being a butt head,” Lana said, crossing her arms over her chest again.
“You got a trail mapped out, kid?” Jacks asked. I nodded.
“Yeah, I think it'll be a good trail. Lots of woods. You sure Kris will be ready for this?” I asked.
“Affirmative. She is more than ready to get out and get some fresh air. So far, no morning sickness. I think that is the best we can ask for, after last time,” he said a slight grimace to his feature. “Decided who all is going yet?”
“Yeah. You and Kris. Stell and Trace. Us three, Timothy and Devon. No one else has said anything about it. Dani Lynn and Drew are working at the center and playing babysitter for you and Kris,” I said, grinning. “Plus morning sickness is kicking her butt.”
“I still find it odd that Kris and Dani Lynn are preggers together. You and Drew use your freaky ass twin mojo to plan it that way? Hmmm?” Stella asked snorting out a laugh. There was a loud “thwack” and a screech when Trace’s hand landed on her ass. Stella snarled something at him as she spun and punched Trace in the arm. He winced and we all laughed.
“That's a TMI moment I don't need to know about, thank you very much. Can we focus on the camping trip and not my parent’s and uncle’s.. adult life?” I pointed at the map before us as I spoke.
“Stella, can y
ou behave yourself for one night?” Anna laughed as she walked back in the kitchen without Robby. “And keep it down. If you wake up the demon toddler you're taking him home with you.”
“Uh..I love him, but no,” Stella said.
“He's not a demon toddler, sissy,” Lana said, turning to face her. “He’s a sweet, cuddly little bear. How’d his appointment go?”
“He's healthy, no worries. Perfectly normal, he's just teething again and well, a typical toddler according to Doc G.,” she said. “You guys should take Trev and Peter with you, they're both good hikers and make good pack mules.”
I coughed as I choked on the water I was swallowing. “Damn, that's harsh,” I shook my head and watched as Anna’s face reddened.
“They can come as long as Kris and Lana don't mind being out numbered-”
“Lana, you're really going out in the woods for a week? Willingly? It's not like just playing in the woods,” Anna asked a concerned look on her face.
“Come on, Anna, I'm not a baby. I can do this. I like camping. It’s no different than the last time I went with Daddy.”
“Dad took you to the cabin. You were not sleeping in the woods, in a frigging tent. You say you’ll be fine, and you might be until you see a spider and flip out and have a panic attack. You’ll have your meds with you, right? Inhaler? Epipen too? Do you need a new one?” she asked before turning to look at us all. “Her asthma could flare up. You all know she's allergic to bees, fire-”
“Anna, relax,” Stella tried to sooth her.
“She’ll be fine. I won't let anything happen to her,” I said scowling at her over protective sister. I mean, I get it, but damn. I wasn’t going to let her do anything that would put her in danger.
“Yeah, we know what to do,” Carter sighed, a frown marring his face. “We’ve been through all of this before, ya know.”
“I have to make sure. Until Dad and Kelly get back I’m the one responsible if something gets stuffed up. Sue me,” she said, her glare meeting mine.
“I’m not stupid! I can take care of myself!” Lana hissed as she got up and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the back door. I heard boots scuffing the floor from the front as I stood up. I nodded at Charlie and Trevor as they came in.
“What just happened?” Trevor asked. Charlie’s brow furrowed and I shook my head.
“I”ll go-”
“No,” I said to Anna. “Let me. If you go out there now she is going to get pissier and we don’t want that. Just, relax. She’s not a kid, give her some credit to be able to make the right choices for her.” I nodded to the door and Carter followed me out. I heard Charlie talking to Anna but I ignored them all and went to find my girl.
Lana
I was so mad. Why does she always have to remind everyone that I’m a freak? Poor little, helpless Lana. Allergic to this. Panics at this. Meds for this. Shots for that Ugh. Stomping out to the back yard I paced and let out a loud shriek of anger as I punched at the flowery tree she planted by the garden. It hurt when I hit it but, fudge it. I don’t care. The tears started about the time I felt strong arms wrap around me. I let out a strangled sob and turned to bury my face in his chest.
“Hey, no hitting things that can’t hit back. You wanna be a bully now?” I ignored his attempt to make me laugh as I pushed at his chest. “Butterfly, come back here. You can’t go hitting things. You could break your hand. Then what would you be able to do?”
“She could get matching casts,” Carter said, laughing as I huffed out a not so nice word at him.
I walked over to the flowers and looked out over the back yard. I let out a long breath before taking in another. When I let it go I felt calmer, but I was still mad. I was always being treated like a fragile doll and I wasn’t. I made it through so much and now, now that I am looking forward to having fun like normal people do, she wants to ruin it. “Butterfly, come on, don’t be mad at her,” Derek said as he once again wrapped his arms around me. This time I couldn’t push back from him. I didn’t want to.
“I know,” I whispered.
“She’s trying to act mad. See her cheeks puffing out? That’s what an angry chipmunk looks like,” Carter said poking me in the cheek. I slapped at his hand and we all laughed, which I am sure is what he had in mind. I looked at him and shook my head.
“Butthead,” I sighed out the word. Carter stood there with his hands in his pockets wearing a goofy grin. His head shifted and he looked up at the porch as the screen door shut with a squeak. My eyes followed his and I saw Anna standing there with a look on her face that tightened my chest. I once again sighed. After a moment I patted Derek’s arms and he released me so I could step away from him.
“Come on, let’s go for a walk,” I said, taking his hand with my free hand and wrapping my casted arm around Cart’s when he held it out. We had always walked like this and now it meant more than it used to. My two best friends were always there for me, no matter what.
“You know she means well, right? Stell does the same shit to me,” Carter said and I nodded.
“I know but - I’m not stupid. I know I can’t have peanutss or I swell up like a freaking balloon and can’t breathe. I know I’m allergic to fire ants. I know I’m allergic to bee stings. I know I have flipping asthma. I know to take my meds with me. And a second set will be given to someone else, just in case. It’s not like any of this is new to me. Stella will be there too. She’s gonna hover as it is. If Trev goes I will have no peace. Well, that’s not fair. He isn’t as uptight as she is. Most days,” I prattled on as we walked. They didn’t say anything, just let me vent.
When we got to the playground I pulled away and moved to sit on one of the swings. I watched my sandal clad feet as I pushed against the ground. The guys stayed quiet as they surrounded me. Carter got on a swing of his own while Derek moved behind me to push me slightly. I smiled to myself. I was one lucky girl and I knew it. I needed to get my stuff together and go tell Sissy I was sorry for being a brat. I was missing Mama and Daddy, that wasn’t helping my attitude.
I loved Anna, but she could be overbearing to say the least. My brother Charlie was the same way. I was surprised they hadn’t followed us here, to be honest. I sighed and leaned back slightly so I could see Derek. I made a fish face at him and relaxed when he laughed. His hands pushed against me and I went higher and higher. This camping trip was going to be good. I needed to get away. We all did.
8
At First Light
Derek
The alarm went off at four o’clock, but I was already up and packing the last of my things in my pack. I was beyond ready to get this adventure started. I mean, it’s frigging camping. What’s a better way to relax than to trek through the woods, do some fishing and have scary campfire stories? Uh, nothing. I tell ya that with a straight face, too. Walking out of my room towards the front of the house I made sure to stay as quiet as possible. If I was to wake either Tyler or Elijah, Dani Lynn would skin me. After sitting my pack by the back door I moved into the kitchen and chuckled, seeing Drew standing with his hand out to me. I took the offered cup of coffee and took a hesitant sip. It wasn’t too hot so I took another.
“Got everything you need, kid?” Drew asked as he grabbed a cookie from the plate on the counter.
“Yeah, I think so. I triple checked my pack, it seems to have it all. The emergency kit is ready and already in the Jeep. I used the fluorescent orange bag so we can all see it no matter what. Anna gave me an extra kit with all of Lana’s meds and a list of instructions. Like I don’t know what to do,” I said, finishing off my coffee.
“Don’t be hard on Anna, she’s having a hard time right now. She’s still feeling bad about being away and missing so much. She thinks she let Lana down with all the Conner shit.” I turned to see Dani Lynn come in, her hair all over the place, her skin looking almost green. Morning sickness must really be kicking her ass already today. She moved to wrapped her arm around Drew and I nodded.
“I know. I get it. She jus
t forgets I was here when she wasn’t. I know what to do for Lana and when to do it,” I said, stealing one of Drew’s cookies.
“You need to eat real food, old man. This is not a good breakfast,” I stepped back and moved to grab the cooler packs so I could fill them. “You sure I can use both of these?”
“Yeah, I know you won’t have ice but those should keep the water bottles a little cooler. Plus, they will go all the way around whoever for easy carrying,” Dani Lynn said.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling out a few of the bottles from the fridge’s bottom drawer and filling both packs quickly.
“I think your Gramps will be meeting you up at the station,” Drew said. I nodded and grabbed a bottle of Mountain Dew from the other drawer. We had to hide it from Tyler. That kid on a sugar rush was - well, nerve wracking that is. “He didn’t say whether or not he was going yet, though,” Drew continued as I stood back up with the two bags and the soda in my hand. “Your rifle and two boxes of ammo are under the back seat. I wrapped it in the big blanket, so don’t let Carter step on it.”
“Roger that,” I said, grinning as I moved to the back door. I grabbed up my pack and we all moved out to the Jeep. I took in a deep breath of the already hot morning before I put my pack and the cooler bags in the back seat. I moved to hug Dani Lynn’s neck and kissed her cheek. “See you guys in a week.”
“Be safe, and have fun. And, uh, don’t let Stella shoot anyone. I hate paperwork,” Drew said, chuckling.
“Andrew, really,” Dani Lynn said, affronted by his words. I just laughed them off because we all knew Stella, and anything was possible with her around. “Stay safe and don’t forget to be nice to Anna when you get there. I’m sure she will remind you of all the instructions she wrote out.”
