Camp Liberty, California

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Ari was slowly but surely regaining composure, life ebbing back in to her body, warmth to her cheeks as she took a deep breath as everyone began to introduce themselves. She smiled to herself and her recovery. She could count on one dainty hand the weeks she would have just had a breakdown right then and there.

She didn’t listen during introductions, as per usual. They were just protocol, but she did listen as an unfamiliar voice introduced himself. The boy didn’t look much like red, but who knows, she could have been judging too hard. Maybe he had been sorted wrongly, but how would she know?

The last person concluded introductions, and Adam explained they were walking up Mt. Vuena. Ugh, really? It’s the hardest one!, she placed her face into her palm as he prattled on about safety. She felt Lacey squeeze her hand as it was notified they were in the same group. Her eyes danced and one corner of her mouth perked up.

”I’ll meet you at your cabin,” Lacey spoke, and Ari nodded and waved her off, not speaking a word. She figured she’d used them up for a few minutes, but it didn’t bother her.

Ari made her way to the pink cabin, the nearest to the media room. She brought her suitcase into the room, inhaling sharply as she remembered the mixtape. She’d just have to get through it. The girl placed her belongings on the bed which was hers, and zipped open the black suitcase that shone patent in the sunlight that streamed through the large window beside her bed. She opened the suitcase and brought out leggings and a thick woollen sweater, along with a black bobble hat and her favourite hiking boots. She took out of the drawer under her (bottom bunk) bed, a small backpack adorned with badges and patches from days past. Out of the suitcase she saw a box of cookies that her mom had made. Exactly half were cinnamon (special request from Ari as she knew cinnamon was Lacey’s favourite, and honestly Ariadne herself loved cinnamon) and the other half were classic chocolate chip. Among cookies she brought some medical supplies, water, crackers, and her phone. A few minutes, and she was ready to go. Ari made her way out of the pink cabin, where she saw Lacey.

”I brought something!” Ari smiled, shaking the box of cookies, ”But we’re getting to the totem pole first, I think we’re late” She was always one to fret about being late.

It wasn’t long until they arrived at the totem pole, where Adam was just beginning to talk.

”Okay everyone, I want you to get into your groups” Adam raised his voice so it could be heard throughout the group of kids milling around, and the kids followed, arranging themselves into their groups.

”Each group is getting a map, and you will all be going different ways that are the same difficulty level. I’ll be going up the lets say, easy way, that you don’t need to know about. The first group to the top is the winner, getting a point for their color each. Last one to the top- well, lets say there will be a forfeit. A bad one. So, don’t be last, okay?” He paused, handing out maps to one person in each group.

”Leader of group one is Eddie Andrews. Group one will be going the west route.” He pointed exactly west, to a rather dry, dusty path up the mountain, only rocks and bushes at each side of the path signifying life.

”Leader of group two is Daniel Bailey. You will be going the forest route.” He pointed directly above to a path snaking in between the tall evergreens, wildlife sprouting from every corner of the walk.

”Leader of group three is Emily Willis. You will be going the west route. Adam pointed again to a slightly more mountainous route that stayed next to the roaring waterfall. Everyone knew it lead to rivers and a few lakes that would unfortunately need crossing.

”One. Two. Three- go!”

”Well,” Ari smiled to Lacey while walking next to the rest of the group. ”Do you want a cookie? They’re cinnamon.”

Connor Tanabe sighed as he got into his group, but he laced his arm around his girlfriend’s waist as they walked.

”So, Daniel, do you have any idea where we’re going?” He asked the boy, genuinely of course. (Well, half geninuely) I mean, it wasn’t a secret ol’ Dan wasn’t the most well, sweet of people, so he treaded lightly, making his way up the forest path.


Nate felt a figure collide with his chest. Emily, it was. Emily something.

”Are you really? Sorry, I mean?” He growled, waiting for a response. ”Thought not. Just watch where you're going.” He dismissed the girl, walking off until Adam spoke up and said his share. Apparently, the routes would be the same difficulty level, but how does a bare path compare to a trek up the forest, or even a near gorge-walk through rivers and lakes? He was just lucky he was in group one. Hm, lucky. For once.

He just tried to walk at the back of his group as they began to take the path. Oh, and it was a race. Fuckin’ great.

James laughed sarcastically at the question, "Looking forward to it? I think I'd rather sleep in red cabin then do this walk." He said mockingly, just loud enough for the two of them to hear. He looked around the group as everyone arrived. "I'll talk to you later I guess, looks like Adam is about to speak up." He said as he seperated a little from the group to listen in better, A race? he thought to himself, looking at the paths a small grin crept onto his face at the mention of equal difficulty levels. "I'll takes rocks to rivers anyday." He said to his group. Eddie was appointed leader, he was glad that it fell in the roles of everyone but Nate, nothing good would come from his lead.

He started a little off towards the trail and turned back. "Let's go guys, purple is winning this and you slacking isn't gonna stop me!" He laughed as he turned and set into a light jog down the path. He fit his headphones back into his ears as they had fallen out in his trot. Getting a slight distance from the group he stopped and waited, deciding to take a seat on the ground he pulled out his wallet. Thoughts of his brother had been streaming in his head most of the day, he loved the camp, he just hated being so far from him. He never knew what his brother might get into and it scared him to leave him an open chance to do it. He shifted a picture of his brother out of his wallet and took a moment to stare at it. Looking back to the others he shook his head. "Keep it together James, he's smarter than that, I know he is." He said to himself as he stood back up waiting for the group. Adam has a secret path, I'm sure there will be clue to it somewhere, I'll keep an eye out and go for it if I can. I'm not finishing second for an eighth and final year. Especially not to the blues again. He thought to himself as his rap music blast into his ear, with each bass beat he felt his heart pumping in his chest. The jog gave him a slight warm up before he had to endure this long walk. He hadn't exactly conditioned himself for anything like this over the year. Infact since he got his license and new car he barely walked anywhere and was sure he'd probably pakced on a few pounds out of shear laziness.

Eddie remained quiet as the other gathered and everything was coming together. He listened to the chatter around him and made mental notes of things that people were saying. Yes, Eddie was an eavesdropper, but it was with a pure intent. He hated drama and gossip, so he avoided those sort of things, but he did listen in on what was going on in general. It was nothing too serious, just a way that he got to know people better without them really knowing.

There wasn't anything particularly interesting, beside the spat between Coby and Audrey, but then again it wasn't uncommon for Coby to be starting tizzies. Ignoring whatever was happing over there he looked between people talking and the scenery. It was a truly beautiful camp and just standing there looking around made him feel nostalgic and little anxious. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of this being his last year.

When Adam began to speak Eddie focused his attention on him. He spoke about the trails and the groups. Eddie just simply nodded his head when Adam said that he was the team leader. Though he wasn't expecting it, nor did he care too much, Eddie was a fair leader and most people liked him for that. Before beginning Eddie thought it would be best to have a small meeting with his group, but it was too late for that. James was already jogging ahead. Forgetting about his initial plan he chuckled at James' enthusiasm and took to a slight jog after him. A couple yards later he slowed down, making sure that everyone in the group was catching up.

It was then that Destiny came up to him. He gave her a genuine smile before responding with and laugh and a "I know just about as well as you do." He of course was joking a bit. It wasn't unknown that Eddie liked hiking on his own and he had explored some of these paths before. Whether or not he got to the top is another story, but the way was familiar enough.

Eddie nodded at her next question before looking over his shoulder to see if the rest of the gang was coming. Feeling the sting of the black eye he lifted a hand to gently press his cold fingers against it. "Things have been just fine." He said confidently, then he turned the question around to her. "Is life treating you well?"

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Lacey was bored as she waited for Ari to get ready. As always, she was on her phone, which surprisingly, still had a good amount of battery despite how long she fiddled with it in the car. Just as she was ready to look at a few more images through her Tumblr app, she heard the doors to the pink cabin and out came Ari, ready to go with a small box and a few supplies. She smiled brightly and put her gadget away, falling into step with her friend.

"I got something," Ari announced and wiggled the box. From the sound, Lacey practically squealed excitedly. Ariadne had a few cookies left one day last year; it had to be during the third week here. She came over and offered Lacey one and ever since, Lacey had become...well, rather addicted to Ari's mom's cookies. But only her mom's.

"Oooohhh!! Gimme!" She exclaimed only for her face to fall at Ari's next words.

"But we’re getting to the totem pole first, I think we’re late.” Lacey pouted and stomped behind her, all under extreme exxageration.

"Uuugghh,you are no fun," Lacey groaned, pouting even when they made it over to the group of campers at the totem pole. They waited for Adam's announcements and her frown grew when she realized where their group was going. Don't get her wrong; she loved the water and being near it. But also, it was water. Let's just say she had a few issues with keeping balance last year and she got wet more times than she would have wanted to. She'd rather not relive those moments.

Finally, when the group dispersed and they began following Emily, Lacey turned to Ariadne her best puppy dog eyes, leaning on her best friend in order to convince her to give her cookies.

"Well, do you want a cookie? They’re cinnamon.” Her face was rather comical at this point. Lacey's mouth was wide, her eyes lit with glee and hunger, and she clapped her hands enthusiastically. She even bounced on her toes for a moment.

"You are God-sent and I love you," Lacey exclaimed and gladly took a cinnamon cookie, taking a bite into the moist, chewy goodness that danced across her tastebuds. "Just so you know, your mom's adopting me. I can transfer and live out my life with cookies and bliss." Yeah, she was a dork, but who cares? She's got food!

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If anything, Oliver's grin would have reminded anyone of a cheshire cat, pleased and rather prideful at the shy smile on Molly's face. Her answering blush just caused the grin to widen and he chuckled slightly, somewhat amused. Something told him this walk would be more interesting than he originally thought.

"Thanks, that's...that's nice of you," Molly replied. She seemed like she had more to say judging by the expression on her face and Oliver would have waited. But she didn't. He only smiled at her.

"No problem." And of course, like an idiot, he practically forgot that there was someone else here because Avelyn did not hesitate in adding her two cents.

"Are you sure her back is the only thing you'll be watching? I'd keep an eye on him, Molly." Molly wasn't the only one whose cheeks flushed. It had been awhile since Oliver actually blushed and he rubbed the back of his neck while pretending to slightly stretch just to play it off. But the color rose to his tanned face and if one looked close enough, they would have seen the slightly rosy tint.

"Haha, Avelyn," he said lamely, not even in any way refuting her statement. It wasn't like he wasn't going to watch out for Molly during their little hike, but that didn't mean his intentions were too innocent. It was selfish really. Watching out for her meant spending more time with her and subsequently, seeing her smile more. Instead of riddling his minds on the should's and shouldn'ts, Oliver listened on.

He laughed at Avelyn's complaint, surprised at how carefree he felt. This was why he loved camp. He didn't have to worry about whether or not he was going to have to tell his classmates at school that the black eye wasn't from his father, but from some random fight on the street. He didn't have to pretend that the only reason why he didn't wear the jersey during practice was because he had a few new bruises and a part of him still wasn't comfortable with having to explain the numerous scars on his chest and back. He could act his age and have a little fun. He could live.

When the groups finally went their separate ways, Oliver decidedly stuck with Molly, following the others behind Daniel, who happened to be their group leader and well, seemed rather competitive. He glanced over at Molly.

"Someone's in a rush," he commented, gesturing to a slightly irritated and frantic Daniel. "How was your year, anyway?"

Still blushing slightly after Avelyn's comment, Molly directed her attention to Adam as he addressed the campers. "Leader of group two is Daniel Bailey. You will be going the forest route." Molly looked in the direction Adam had indicated, picking out a dirt trail that began between two towering evergreens. Only a few feet of the path were visible before it disappeared into the overgrown forest, and Molly bit her lip, picturing the things that awaited them in the thick of the wild woods. Beautiful as the forest was, Molly knew the lush greenery could paint a much rosier picture of the wooded area than what actually lurked in the thick undergrowth. No doubt the trail had been checked ahead of time, and Adam would certainly never endanger a camper, but that didn't mean the path would be without its challenges. Summers in California were pleasant, but Camp Liberty's high elevation meant it often received several feet of snow in the winter. There was no telling what winter snowfall or spring rains might have done to the forest trail, and Molly wondered what obstacles awaited them beneath the shade of the pine trees. Felled trees? Poisonous vegetation? Wild animals? She wasn't scared, but she was cautious, as those aware of their surroundings generally are.

She would have preferred the group create a plan before setting off on their trail, but, as Adam had declared their hike a race, most of the campers were eager to begin their walk as soon as possible. James in particular seemed excited to get going, and took off at a jog, calling over his shoulder to his group as he went. You could call James many things, but unenthusiastic wasn't one of them. Meanwhile, Dan, the designated leader of group 2, had set off quickly and quietly into the woods, setting a brisk pace for the group. Behind him were Connor and Lilly, walking hand in hand an looking quite at ease. Connor already seemed to be testing Dan's patience, which wasn't a good sign, and Molly silently prayed the group would make it through the hike without incident. “Come on guys, keep up!” Daniel's rough call from up the trail jarred her from her thoughts, and she readjusted her backpack on her shoulders before heading out onto the trail, walking quickly to insure she wouldn't be left behind. Molly wasn't particularly competitive (at least, the competition between cabins had never been her primary reason for attending camp), but she was a team player, and the last thing she wanted to do was aggravate Dan by letting him down. If that meant walking a bit faster than she'd planned, so be it.

Oliver fell into step beside her as they headed into the forest, and this time Molly couldn't conceal the smile that spread across her face. Though she and Oliver had never talked at length, his presence put Molly at ease; there was something disarming about his friendly smile and kind nature. "Someone's in a rush," he commented, gesturing to Daniel, who was yards ahead of them with his face buried in the map. Molly nodded, wondering how long she'd be able to sustain the rapid pace Dan had set. If her assumptions about the forest were correct, they wouldn't be able to maintain this pace for the whole hike; some obstacle was bound to get in their way. "How was your year, anyway?" She was sure his question was meant as a casual conversation starter, but Molly had never been very good at answering personal questions. Ask her opinion on post-impressionist art or how she felt about 19th century British literature and she could talk for hours, but a question about herself was another matter entirely. Her isolation throughout high school had convinced her, at least to some extent, that she just wasn't really worth knowing about.

In truth, her school year had been many things: confusing and demanding and difficult and, if she was being honest, overwhelmingly lonely. But how could she say all that? "Long. Very long," she answered, smiling wearily. "Junior year is..." she paused a moment, searching for the word, "Hectic. You're expected to have all these plans, you know? Where you want to go to college, what you want to study, where you're going to live, and with who. How much money you'll make and where you'll work and how many kids you're going to have and-" she caught herself rambling and blushed, suddenly self-conscious. "It's all a bit...overwhelming," she finished, looking downwards as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Eager to get the attention off of her, she re-directed his question, looking over at him as they walked. "But what about you? You've graduated, right? What are you going to do?" Molly had always thought herself a much better listener than speaker. She liked to hear people's stories, and she particularly wanted to hear Oliver's.

Grayson wasn't opposed to drama (god knows he'd been mixed up in plenty of it in high school), but he didn't like it to interfere with his relations with women (past, present, or potential), especially not at camp. Typically found in the center of a large group, he generally made it his goal to surround himself with as many friends as possible, but Coby's attitude could make that a bit difficult. As wild and fun as she was, she could just as easily turn snarky and nasty, and not everyone could handle the derisive girl. The heated exchange between Coby and Audrey left him with little to do but stand there looking pretty (which, let's be honest, was really what Grayson did best), and as the two swapped pointed remarks he ate a few more jellybeans, waiting for the spat to fizzle out.

"It's alright; I'll manage. You two can have your own little feast. I'll come back and get some jelly beans off of ya' some other time, 'mkay?" With wink and a smirk, Audrey flounced off, her head held high. Grayson watched her go, shaking his head as the British girl strode over to the totem pole and sat herself down. "Don't take this the wrong way, Coby," he said, turning to his friend, "but you need to work on your people skills." The smile on his face indicated he was teasing, but there was a part of him that was dead serious. It wouldn't hurt Coby to be a bit more friendly (with the female campers, anyway; she'd never struggled with the males). Sure he admired her tough attitude and unwavering confidence (among other things), but he couldn't help but feel she'd enjoy camp a bit more if she was a little less...hostile.

He didn't get a chance to say more, for at that moment Adam arrived at the totem pole and began to speak. Grayson listened as the first two group leaders were called out and given their route, impatiently waiting for Adam to get to group three. He was fairly confident he'd be chosen as group leader, and his mind was already working out all kinds of tactics and strategies. Blue had to win again this year; they just had to. He refused to lose his last summer of camp. ”Leader of group three is Emily Willis. You will be going the west route." Grayson's plans came to a screeching halt as Adam spoke. Had he heard that correctly? He couldn't have. Perhaps Adam had misspoke. Yes, he must have, because his group leader couldn't be Emily Willis; it just couldn't be. But as Adam finished calling out instructions he made no corrections, and in the ensuing silence it became clear to Grayson the counselor had meant what he said. This was it; he was completely and totally fucked. He looked to the trail Adam had pointed out earlier-- a perilous path that ran along a roaring waterfall as far as the eye could see. He seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick in every sense.

One thing was for certain; he sure as hell wasn't taking directions from Emily. Without waiting for his obnoxious group leader to assess the map (which Grayson doubted she could read anyway), he headed off onto the trail, his face set in a determined expression. The hike, which had seemed distasteful when he'd seen it printed on his activity schedule this morning, was even less appealing now that he was actually walking. The trail was on a slight incline and was rocky in places, forcing Grayson to set a slower pace than he would have liked. To make matters worse, the roaring waterfall created a heavy mist that dampened not only the person hiking the trail, but the rocks on the path as well. If you weren't paying attention, it would be easy to lose your footing. Pulling up the hood of his jacket to block out the worst of the offending mist, Grayson picked his way up the rocky trail, pausing only briefly to look over his shoulder at the rest of his group. "Watch your step," he cautioned, calling down to them, "I don't want to be carrying anyone the whole damn hike."

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Apparently, for some odd reason, it was Grayson that began leading the pack, not Emily. Lacey and Emily weren't the closest of the campers, but from what she surmised of the girl, the redhead would not take that too nicely. She walked closer to Ari, mindful of their rocky path.

"Something tells me the people in this group are gonna be more dangerous than this path," she said quietly to her friend. Coby could be rather intimidating at times, Emily was...Emily was Emily, Grayson was an arrogant hottie, and then there was Ari and Lacey. A group filled with girls and only one guy. "Adam and I are going to have a serious talk about these numbers."

Grayson was a head of the pack, walking a good few feet away, possibly to give himself some distance from Emily. No doubt, if they were as thick as theives as Lacey thought them to be, Coby would be behind him in no time. However, Lacey found herself frowning just a little when he called over his shoulder.

"Watch your step, I don't want to be carrying anyone the whole damn hike." Lacey rolled her eyes at his attitude and huffed, swiping at stray strand of hair; though the majority of her hair was in a braid, a few strands framed either side of her face. She gripped Ari's arm helpfully, this time managing to keep her balance on the slightly slippery rocks. She bought new hiking boots and actually wore them; last year, she wore converse.

"Slow down, Flash," she replied, giving Grayson a small and easy smile. "I know it's a race, but we've got one of the harder trails. And not all of us are blessed with long, strong legs like you."

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"Long. Very long. Junior year was...hectic," Molly admitted and Oliver nodded, agreeing. Junior had been filled with a lot, though her issues were more normal than his. Not wanting to delve into his own past at the moment, he continued to listen to Molly speak. It was refreshing, listening her put words to her emotions rather just fade away. It was nice.

"You're expected to have all these plans, you know? Where you want to go to college, what you want to study, where you're going to live, and with who. How much money you'll make and where you'll work and how many kids you're going to have and-"

She blushed again, a thing she seemed to do a lot. Oliver only gave her a silent, encouraging smile as Molly appeared to struggle wording her thoughts and emotions. But he liked listening to her vent. Again, things like this were refreshing. There were no concerns about...other, unmentionable things; just normalcy. He found himself actually envying her for that simplicity.

"It's all a bit...overwhelming." Oliver nodded again, glaring up ahead at Dan who appeared unwilling to lessen his pace. The idiot acted like this hike wasn't going to be strenuous in any way or that there should be some kind of caution when entering the woody areas. Oliver was mildly surprised the others weren't complaining yet.

"Well, you made it. That's a plus." Oliver winked in good nature, grinning.

"But what about you? You've graduated, right? What are you going to do?" Molly asked and Oliver exhaled deeply, rubbing the back of his head. He even averted his gaze momentarily. He had not talked to many people about his post-graduation plans. Other than a counselor and a guy who wanted to follow in his footsteps, Oliver didn't know how to actually break it down without...without being completely honest. Sure, he could say that he wanted to join the army because it's in his blood, but then there was always this pressure in his chest...some part of him dying to let it out, to tell the truth.

"Uh, well...I honestly haven't really thought of college," he replied, being more truthful than he originally intended. No point in lying now, he told himself mentally. "I'm actually considering joining the army, right after we leave from here."

Molly was amazed she'd talked as much as she had. Even topics as superficial as how her school year had been had a way getting her flustered, and it was only Oliver's gentle smiles and patience that had gotten her through it. Truth be told, her social awkwardness had always made her question whether there was something wrong with her. She remembered one day from fifth grade in particular. Each student had been assigned a topic to research and was supposed to read their paper in front of the class. The report was on something silly (manatees or sea otters or some other aquatic creature), but Molly remembered being terrified. The anxiety she experienced as she waited her turn had been crippling-- her heart had raced; breathing had become difficult. When it was her turn to present, 10 year old Molly managed to stand in front of the class for approximately 7 seconds before panicking and running from the room. Her teacher had later called her parents to express his concern, but Molly's father, who, after his wife's miscarriage, wanted nothing more than to have a healthy, normal child, dismissed the issue as "a bit of stage fright". And that was that. Molly continued to spend copious amounts of time alone, and her parents continued to pretend that everything was fine. Maybe, if they'd done something earlier, Molly would've turned out more...well, normal. But there wasn't anything to be done now, was there?

"Well, you made it. That's a plus." Oliver's playful wink brought a smile to Molly's face, and she nodded in agreement. He was right, sort of. She'd won the battle against junior year, but she still had to win the war. She'd face many decisions in the coming year, but she didn't want to think about them now. Many campers viewed Camp Liberty as their escape from reality, and Molly was no exception. Things were different here, different and better. She was more sociable here, more adventurous, more...normal. Here no one ridiculed her for her oddities or whispered things behind her back. Here people paid attention. Here she was visible.

She listened for Oliver's response to her question as she walked beside him, careful to avoid the vegetation and gnarled tree roots that littered the trail. Was it just her, or was the trail already becoming more challenging? She looked towards Oliver as she heard him sigh, but he looked away from her, seemingly at a loss for words. Had she said something wrong? "Uh, well...I honestly haven't really thought of college," he began. That couldn't be what was troubling him, though; she knew plenty of people who didn't have their post-graduation plans worked out. He seemed to have something big to say, but was unsure of how to say it. "I'm actually considering joining the army, right after we leave from here." Surprised by Oliver's answer, Molly failed to notice a particularly large tree root jutting up from the damp earth. Her foot caught on it and she stumbled, only just managing to regain her balance and avoid getting a mouthful of dirt. The army? Right after camp? She didn't know what to say. How did you respond to something like that?

"Oh...wow..." (She wasn't off to a very good start, was she?) "That's really...I mean, if that's what...If that's what you want to do, then I'm happy for you." And she meant it. Really, she did. She wanted him to be happy. Sure a part of her had always hoped that the two of them would...that they could...well, never mind that. She didn't need to address those delusions as the moment. That's what they were, really: delusions. It was silly of her to think of them as real possibilities. Oliver was a friend, one of her only friends, and she needed to be grateful for that. Expecting anything more was as dangerous as it was impractical. For the moment she decided it was best to focus her attention on surviving the rest of the hike.

As the group approached James got to his feet and fell back into the crowd. His idea was to find Eddie and make some sort of gameplan for this hike. "He didn't intend on staying completely on track, but he also didn't plan on being a forfeit. Purple cabin was winning this year no matter what he had to do to cause it. With most of the group now ahead of him he positioned himself beside Eddie. "Hey man, you ready for the trek?" He asked jokingly with a chuckle. He looked ahead at the others walking and let out a sigh of relief. It was great to be back here. and He couldn't wait to see what would unfold during the summer. His last summer of freedom and camp. Something he couldn't help but think about.

He knew the camp had its trouble makers, but he was excited to see what Coby and her crew would stir up this year. They always managed to cause some laughs with their antics. and it was something James missed most about being away from the camp. The fact that is was so carefree and relaxed, aside from the occasional grump. Was what lured and trapped James here oh so many years ago. Now with it coming to a close. James was prepared to make the most out of his time here and to create as many memories as he can this summer. So he'd be able to look back at where he came from and keep on his proper path. Away from the trials of his brother. Then came that, the thought of his brother, something that jerked him back to reality, something that brought out the fear of the future that he had. With the thoughts flooding into his head he stopped walking and just stood there, millions of thought running through his head all at once began to overwhelm him. He fell back from the group as they continued to walk ahead and down the rocky path. Slowly starting to walk James worked his way back to the group, he walked towards them with concern written all over his face. The path was noticeably drier now that he wasn't in his own little world. This walk was going to be long, and he was now jsut realizing how long it was going to be. Atleast he could look forward to free time later tonight.