Lost and Found

By Lady Violu

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Chapter 2

I scowled at the charred remains of my previous marshmallow as they burned away into nothingness. I spitefully grabbed another marshmallow and held it much farther from the fire than my previous attempt. I glanced around to see that almost everyone else was already eating their s’mores.

“What’s everyone planning on doing after summer?” Bella asked the group. “What with us having graduated this year, school isn’t the only option anymore.”

“College,” Owen answered. “Still not sure what school, though; I got into my top two, but I haven’t decided which one yet.”

Charlie tossed a small hunk of chocolate that hit Owen square in the nose. “C’monnnn, we both know you really want to come to Seaside, and then we can be roommates”

Owen rolled his eyes. “Yes, that is one of the reasons that I’m considering Seaside. But the physics program at Aurora is supposedly the best in the country, and that’s not something I pass on lightly.”

Charlie scowled and stated his own answer to the question. “As I said, I’ll be going to Seaside Culinary and hopefully I’ll see him there.” He pointed an accusatory finger at Owen.

Grace scoffed, “Alright guys, we get it, kiss already.” She smirked as Owen and Charlie both stared daggers at her. “I’m going to Greenridge. I got a scholarship for soccer and I’d be crazy to pass that up.”

Toby cocked his head at that. “Oh! You got the scholarship? That’s awesome! Good for you!”

Grace nodded and shot him a toothy grin.

Toby shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll go next. I’m not actually sure yet, but I submitted my portfolio to SIFA, I haven’t heard back yet, but I’m hopeful! and also horribly nervous.”

“SIFA? Which one was that?” I asked. “Sorry, all these college names get so hard to keep track of.”

“Oh, right. The Starlight Institute of Fine Arts.”

“Wait… like… that Starlight?” Bella piped up,

Toby nodded.

“Wow… I never thought you’d move somewhere like that. I always imagine you in a little cottage somewhere, painting the landscape or something. Definitely not in some big, busy city like that.”

“Well, it’s just for school; I have an aunt who lives there and she’ll be letting me live with her,” Toby explained. “Granted, that’s if I get in at all.”

“I’m sure you’ll get in. Your art is amazing,” Ross reassured him. “And even if they don’t take you, they’ll be missing out,” Ross continued. “And for me: I’ll be taking a break from school for at least a year. I want a bit of time to myself before I throw myself back into school again. I’m definitely going to be doing some traveling in the meantime, though.”

Bella laughed. “Of course you would, nature boy.”

Ross frowned a bit, but shrugged off the joke. “Okay, well then, you’re the one who asked, what are you going to be doing, then?”

“I’m glad you asked! I’m also not going back to school next year, maybe to never go back!” She put on an overly dramatic face and tone. “I’m working on producing my first legit album!” She quieted down. “And if that doesn’t pan out, then I’ll go back to school.”

Suddenly, the weight of six pairs of eyes fell on me. Everyone else had gone, I was next.

“Alright, Patrick, you’re the only one left. What are your plans?”

I laughed nervously. “Well, uh, I actually don’t have any plans as of right now. I really don’t know what I’m doing.” I added another laugh to the end of my confession; it sounded too depressing without it.

“And that’s perfectly fine,” Owen said. “Everyone knows that college is a scam anyway; it’s best to not go unless you know for sure. The debt is hardly worth the degree unless you really need or want it.”

I shrugged off his pity and finally got to eat the perfectly made s’more that I’d been carefully preparing during the conversation. I supposed that was true. I wasn’t fortunate enough to get a scholarship, so it didn’t make any sense to go to college.

But still… I couldn’t help but still feel a bit envious of my friends. They’d spent so much of the night excitedly talking about all their unique plans. I wanted something to look forward to, something to be passionate about, but I had nothing. Although I couldn’t help but feel like that was my own fault.

As we all finished the last bites of our s’mores, the chilly night air began to close in, drawing us all closer to the warmth of the fire. It was a safe haven from the cold darkness that had settled all around us.

Ross perked up. “I think now is the perfect time for a story.”

The flames danced playfully at the prospect, painting lively shadows all across the rest of our campsite.

Ross cleared his throat as he began to preface his story. “This is a story that my mom told me the first time I ever went camping with her.”

Ross’s story was short; it only took a few minutes to tell in its entirety. It was about a girl who was around our age who lived on the edge of “these very woods” who ended up exploring too far into the woods and supposedly meeting some horrible supernatural fate at the hands of a witch. It was clear that Ross wasn’t quite practiced on his storytelling, but it was fun to listen nonetheless.

As the fire began to die, we began to pack up our things for the night. Bella spoke up. “So, who’s sleeping where?”

“I say the guys take the bigger tent,” Owen suggested. “We should all be able to fit comfortably in there.”

“Yeah, and the girls can take the smaller one,” Grace added.

“That works for me,” I said, nodding in agreement.

Ross looked a bit uneasy. “Are you sure? I don’t mind joining the smaller tent with the girls. It might get cramped with five of us in one tent.”

“Nah, it’ll be fine,” Charlie said with a grin. “It’ll just be cozier than their tent.”

Toby shrugged, seemingly indifferent to either choice.

Ross still seemed hesitant, but he ultimately relented. “Alright, if everyone else is okay with it, I guess it’s fine with me too.”

We all wrapped up for the night, packing up the food we didn’t eat in the car and dropping off our belongings in our tents on the trip back. We each used a tiny bit of water to brush our teeth. Once we were done brushing our teeth, us boys waved goodnight to the girls and zipped up our tent behind us.

Despite Ross’s concerns, the tent was not cramped. We didn’t have much extra space, but we had enough to all have a decent bit of personal space.

We got all our sleeping bags up and Charlie, Owen, and Toby all started chatting quietly. I decided against joining in; I was tired and wanted to go to sleep.

Just before I climbed into my sleeping bag, I saw Ross pull out a pill bottle and quickly pop two small blue pills into his mouth.

Curious, I asked, “What are those for?”

Ross jumped at the interruption. “What?”

I repeated my question: “The pills? What are they for?”

He hesitated for a moment. “Antidepressants. Yeah… They -- they’re my antidepressants.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you needed those, I hope they’re working out for you.” I paused for a second. “And sorry for asking; what medications you’re taking is definitely none of my business.”

“I didn’t know I needed them either, not until recently, but I do think they’re working. And I don’t blame you for asking, I’d be curious too.” He readjusted his glasses. “I’m gonna step outside for a bit.”

He crawled over to the entrance of the tent and unzipped it.

“Okay, see you soon.” I couldn’t help but feel awful. I internally scolded myself for intruding on him like that.

He stepped outside and zipped up the tent behind him.

Owen shot me a puzzled look. “Where’s he going?”

I sighed. “I think he wants some privacy for a bit.”

“Is it really a good idea for him to be alone in the woods?” Toby sounded concerned

Charlie shrugged. “Well, it’s Ross, I’m sure he’ll be fine on his own for a bit.”

I nodded; that was true. I decided not to think about it and just went to sleep instead.