---

”I’ll be fine. I’ll call you.” Quinn glanced at her parents over the rolled down window with her bright grayish blue eyes. ”I promise.” she gave a cheerful smile as her father leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. ”Have fun and be safe kiddo, we’ll see you in a week and we better hear from you tonight.” Giving a small wave from the steering wheel, Quinn pulled out from the driveway with her parent’s mini van. It wasn’t the coolest ride, but it would fit everyone comfortably for the long trip they had in store.

After picking up all her friends, the adventure began. Several bathroom breaks, changing of drivers, and crying with laughter as they debated whether it was a stunk they smelled or a loose fart of one of the people in the car- the group was having a wonderful time traveling up north and enjoying the open road.

---

A little over nine hours into their journey, the group arrived at the Lost Lake Lodge with a still bright sun in the sky, and very hungry stomachs. Pulling into a parking spot, the group got out and made their way into the lobby to check in. They decided it’d be best to just eat at the little restaurant inside the lounge that night, and start cooking some of their meals for the rest of the week starting tomorrow morning.

After grabbing a meal, the group got back to the car to start lugging all their supplies deep into the woods to find their campsite. Even though they weren’t very far from the lodge, the darkening sky and heavy wooded area did set a bit of an eerie mood. Laying out the two tents, they decided to split the girls and boys up during the trip, placing them right next to one another. The boys were going to be in the larger yellow tent and the girls in a small grey tent. Near by a fire pit with six folding chairs was not too far from the tents. Exhausting as it was, the group was all settled in and happy that the trip had been safe, and that they had finally arrived- they had been talking about this since the beginning of senior year and had been planning and re-planning for weeks on end.



As one of the boys started up the fire, Quinn dug around in their food supply, ”S’mores anyone?” she sang out in a playful and excited tone, opening up the bag of marshmallows and popping one into her mouth. She opened some of the other supplies for the delicious campfire treat and passed them around, including long roasting sticks that she put on her several lists and made sure to bring with. The night was winding down for the long day, but it was only the start of a week of fun for the group of friends.

Harry smiled, rather creepily might I add, as he took the supplies from Quinn. While she moved on to the next person, he looked at her behind only to turn away a moment later. Wouldn't be good to get punched by Booker on the first day of the trip, especially considering that a black eye could demolish his already low chance to get a girl. He stuck a marshmallow on the roasting stick, then stuck it near the fire, rotating it to toast it evenly on all sides (do marshmallows have sides? Hell if I know). As he did this, he looked at the other members of the group. "So, there anything to do here other than sit around?" Strangely, although he was born in Chicago and never left, his voice had a hint of cockney in it.

"Alright, I've got some food in the tupperware in the fridge for you. Don't forget to eat it on the right time and...-"

The boy watched with a tired expression, as his sister scrambled around the kitchen showing him the various foods within the fridge and cupboards as if he had never lived in his own home before. However, he didn't bother commenting, instead, he let the girl fret as she listed out the items and when they should be eaten and how they should be eaten.

"-id you get all that?" The sister turned around to face her brother, and Nate would've laughed at the way Amy's face scrunched up if he hadn't known what was going to happen next.

"Nate! You need to listen to me," Amy sighed, leaning towards the counter in front of him tiredly, "I'm going to be gone a week and you're going to be all alone-"

"I've still got mum and dad." Nate reminded her.

"Yes, you have mum and dad," she gave him a pointed look, "but what if something happens to them? You still need to take care of yourself regardless."

"You're only going for a week! C'mon, loosen up!" Nate pouted, sliding off of his seat as he followed his sister to her room. "You're going to end up being a sourpuss!"

"Ha ha." Amy scrunched her face again, and Nate laughed as he launched himself onto her previously made bed. "Hey! Careful!"

"Sourpuss!"

"Shut up!"

---

Sitting on the other side of Quinn, Amy waited for everyone else to grab the snacks first before she took a marshmellow and a stick. "Thanks," she gave Quinn a bright smile and a nod, and she began sticking the marshmellow onto the stick before directing it towards the fire, leaving enough space between her stick and the fire. "We could try with the cheesy old scary stories 'round the campfire." Amy suggested as a joke.

Gathering his supplies and re-rolling his sleeping bag, Booker was making sure he had everything he needed for his trip. "Sleeping bag...check. Clothes that will last me a week and extra...check. Insect repellent...check. Personal hygiene supplies...check. where's my football....damn!"

Coming down the hall with a cup of coffee in his hand, Uncle Virgil came to check up on Booker. Standing at the doorway, leaning on it, he took a sip. "You got everything you need?" he asked. Booker was looking through his closet, throwing his things on the floor "I would have everything if I can find my- nope never mind, found it." grabbing his football. "Yeah I'm good Unk."

Virgil looked on "I know you and your friends wanted to have a good getaway but i want you on your best behavior, okay? Not only being with Quinn but not getting yourself into trouble." Booker looked at him bewildered "Unk...I'll be fine...". Virgil stood up off the door frame and walked into the room feeling Booker wasn't taking him serious. "I'm serious, boy. I don't want you being easily provoked and loosing your cool because of someone being ignorant and spouting words at you. I don't need to be searching for dead bodies in the woods."

Booker looked back over "Uncle Virge, I'm gonna be cool. It's a vacation and these are my friends. I'm sure there's nothing I can't handle on my own out in the woods. You don't have to worry, ok?" With a stern look on his face, Virgil nodded taking his nephew's word for it. "Okay...well you be careful and enjoy yourself. But you call me when you get there alright?" Booker nodded to reassure him that he'd call.

---

Booker was fiddling with the campfire trying to keep it going, adding wood and pine cones. "Thank God for lighter fluid and matches..." he said satisfied with the fire. Hearing Quinn asking if anyone wanted S'mores, Booker looked over at Quinn, switching his eyes over at Harry, who was looking away. Booker stood up and walked over, grabbing a marshmellow and placing his on a stick so to hear it up. Hearing the question that Harry said and Amy, mentioning the ghost stories thing, Booker thought for a moment, sitting next to Quinn.

"Hmm...we could play night time hide and seek, I can put on some music, um...-" According to what he heard about the area they were staying, there was a lake not far from them and they could go for a night swim but...he felt that would be asking for trouble. So...he kept his idea to himself unless someone else knows about it and mentions it.

9:30 AM

"Did you remember the charger? You always forget it." Sean's mother was standing in her normal pose, leaning towards his doorframe slightly with her arms crossed. Perfect for someone trying to act determined but still casual.

"Yes, mom. I got it right here." Sean opened one of the duffel bag's compartments and dug around, but with no luck. He closed it and looked in another where he finally found it and showed it to his mother as proof. Not impressed, her mother straighten her pose, meaning she was starting to get worried. And since it had taken Sean a while to convince her to even go on this trip, this was not good.

Sean grabbed some last, random items chaotically scattered in his untidy room and, with force, pushed it in his bag. He quickly hurried over to his mother, gave her a kiss and squeezed his way through. She turned around. "You know, I keep telling you to make a checklist so you don't forget anything."
Sean smiled reassuringly at his mother. "And I keep telling you, It's just a week. Everything a human needs is food and water, right? And we got both, so I'll be fine." His mother looked worried as Sean happily dissapeared out the door to the car waiting outside.

---

Now

After using the long roasting stick Quinn handed him as a sword in an imaginary fencing match (he won), he sat down close to Booker. While listening to Amy's suggestion, Sean was already filled with enthusiasm. After nine hours in a car, he could almost do anything as long as something happened. He had barely begun toasting his first marshmallow and already he was getting restless. When Booker suggested hide and seek, Sean was about to open his mouth to answer when Harry offered a suggestion of his own. Despite rejecting Booker's idea which Sean actually liked, Harry's wasn't that bad either and Sean wondered why the group hadn't discussed if booze would be a part of the trip or not. Since not everyone enjoyed drinking and partying as much as the others, one would think it would have come up during the planning.

"Well, I didn't bring any. How about you guys?" Sean looked to the others.

"Hide and seek?" Harry asks, looking at Booker. "What are we, four?" He pauses for a moment, before asking: "Does anyone have any booze? We could get wasted and," he pervily looks at Quinn and Amelia, "anything could happen... Heheheh. If we don't have any booze, then I don't think that there's much of a point to this vacation; I mean, why would high school kids like us go out into the middle of the woods if we're not going to party and drink alcohol, am I right?" While waiting for an answer, he pulls out a cigarette and lights it.

Before

Ryan leaned against a wall, holding the phone up to his ear. A large grimace plastered on his face. "Yes, I-yes...Look it'll be fine. The worst thing that can happen is I disappear and am never found again. So, if that does happen. Then, look in a cave. I might become the country batman." Ryan bit his lip. "It's possible and you know it"

---

Now

"Marshmallows, My ultimate weakness" Grinning, Ryan began to playfully wave his stick around.

Glancing between the group, Ryan smirked "Oh, I would go for a game of Hide and seek. That game never grows old." Looking over to Harry, Ryan waggled his stick at him. "Don't be a debbie downer."

Plus, Ryan thought. Some people get murdered when they go on road trips... Of course, long ago..Ryan had thought about what would happen if they were in a horror film. He looked at Quinn and Booker. Those two die first while they're off picking flowers, Ryan shrugged to himself. No offence,but someone has to die first. And not for any other reason, Ryan thought. Sean goes next because his music is too good for this world. Then I die in a heroic sacrifice because I am of course me. And then between you two. Ryan paused inside his thoughts, for dramatic effect perhaps. Towards no one. Harry would be the survivor because as we all know, He pointed his stick once again absent-mindedly. 'The virgin always lives'

"Anyhow if you really want to know...I have some, but hold your horses. That stuff is....in limited stock"

Placing another marshmallow in his mouth, seemingly skipping the whole camp-fire experience, Ryan seemed rather entranced by another marshmallow he held in his hand. As if the marshmallow was the most interesting object in the entire universe.

Returning a cheeky grin, Quinn nodded at Amy's suggestion. "Yes, scary stories sounds like a good idea, but let's wait until it's really dark so we get extra scared." she let out a small giggle as the others talked and suggested ideas. Quinn wouldn't tell anyone about it, but she had made a list last night while she couldn't sleep of all the things they could do while they were there for the week. Watching her marshmallow become a ball of fire, she quickly pulled it out and blew on it rapidly to put the flame out. She kind of enjoyed them a little burnt. She continued making her s'more, the graham cracker balanced on her knee as she made the sandwich. Drinks now, with music, then hide and go seek, then scary stories, then bed time! Tomorrow we can swim and hike and do other stuff!" Quinn exclaimed, taking a big bite of her s'more the mess oozing down her lips and chin. Disgusting, but tasted so good.

Getting up, Quinn went to go find the roll of paper towels to give out to everyone. She ripped three off for herself, shoving them betwen her thighs to hold them still as she passed the roll to her right, into Amy's lap. "Here, I know you're gonna get messy with it!" she teased her friend, taking another bite of the s'more. Looking to Booker she gave him a warm smile, "Put some music on baby? Not too loud though, I don't wanna get kicked out our first day here." she asked him politely, barely loud enough for anyone else in the group to hear her.

"Booze? T-that already sounds like a bad idea." She gave Harry a pointed look, one that said 'you're being you again' before bringing her flaming marshmallow to her lap over the tissue. "And we definitely cannot go hide and seek after drinking! Who knows what'll happen?" Amy directed that to the whole group, concerned as she began entering - what the group jokingly called - 'mother mode'. "What if someone trips?" She started, counting down on her fingers, "o-or what if a snake bites you? Or worse, you get lost...?" Amy's voice slowly lowered as she realised she was being a 'sourpuss' again. Embarrassed, her cheeks flushed and she looked away from the group, mumbling a quiet apology.

Sean went over to Amy and sat down next to her, excited and with the same reasurring smile he used on his mom the day before. "Don't worry A." Calling everyone in the group by only their first letter was something Sean did from time to time. It was after he had heard Quinn's nickname "Q" years before and decided it worked for everyone in the group. Especially since they all had names beginning on different letters.

He put his arm around her and started swaying slightly back and forth while smiling his contagius smile. "And nobody will get lost, I promise. And even if we would, we have phones. I even put all of you guys on speed dial on my phone like you wanted."
Sean dragged Amy up to her feet and began to dance, not waiting for the music to start, instead reckoning it would follow when Booker started it up. He tried getting Amy to dance as well, doing his best to loosen her up.

Booker looked over at Harry turning down the dark hide and seek "Dude...don't knock it until you try it. I mean look at the terrain...once it's pitch black, you can only play with flashlights. but fine don't get involved. And yeah I guess we could get drunk so you can take advantage of the situation" he said staring at him knowing what he's wanting out of that.

Booker looked to Amy about her concerns. "I kinda agree with you on the booze but don't worry so much on the game, I have flashlights and Sean will have you covered. It's not like sasquatch or a grizzly is going join us."

Grabbing the paper towel for his marshmellow which was now burnt, he blew at it, attempting to eat the marshmellow by itself, since he's not a fan graham crackers. When asked to turn on some music, Booker leaned in to Quinn so no one else could hear "Babe, be careful not to get too messed up drinking...well, if any of us have booze. He said standing up to get the radio, turning it on and looking over "What do you guys wanna listen to?" he asked

Amy nodded at Sean, gratefully. She laughed as they began swaying even without any music on, but her worries never quelled. She knew that her worrying could get quite annoying, especially in situations like these where everyone just wanted to have fun. "But what if-" Amy, who tried responding to Booker, sighed instead, deciding it was best to just meet with them halfway. She didn't want to be the one to ruin their last outing together.

Amy focused on dancing with Sean instead, relaxing her slightly tense shoulders with a few synchronised steps with her little brother friend.

Quinn hadn't thought about snakes, bears, or tripping before Amy mentioned it. This was a common occurrence between the two friends, not only did they support one another's goals but they often supported and encouraged one another's worries. "Oh geez, I didn't think about any of that.." Quinn, stated, a worry sweeping over her face. Sean and Booker seemed content however with the idea still, and promised that nothing bad would happen, so Quinn felt a bit better. Watching the two of them dance, Quinn couldn't help but laugh. The two of them would make a perfect couple! Think of all the amazing double dates they could go on too.

With the warning Booker whispered into Quinn's ear, she decided it was best they leave the booze for another night. "How about we leave the alcohol for another night, we have a week and it won't go to waste. Okay?" she sounded strict, but didn't want to seem like she was dampening the mood or not wanting to have fun with everyone. "As for music, something we can dance too!" Quinn exclaimed popping up from her chair and budging herself into the dance with her two friends, grooving to nothing.

"Booze is never a terrible idea" Ryan muttered under his breath. Hearing Amelia worrying, Ryan shrugged. "Or what if someone trips, then gets bitten by a snake mid fall, and then a bear jumps out and mauls them to death. Think about the big stuff if you're going to worry" Smiling when some of the group got up to dance, Ryan commented "It does look like a bunch of chickens without heads with no music"

"Oh, just put any music on. Feel the mood...or something"

Harry just continues to puff on his cigarette. "I see we've decided against getting drunk. We doing hide and seek or are we just gonna dance to no music." He laughs, looking at the few members of the groups who did start dancing. "But anyhow, put something good on. And it better not be pop," Harry pauses to puff on his cigarette again, "I hate pop."

Sean did a dramatic dance turn so he was facing Ryan. "Would a headless chicken do this?" He grabbed Amy and dragged her along on an improvised, badly performed waltz around the campfire. The only knowledge he had about waltz was the little he had learned from his parents when he was little and some fragmented scenes from tv-shows, so it looked anything other than good. It would actually not be too farfetched to say that if the headless chicken was talented enough, it might actually be capable of keeping up with Sean. But he didn't care, having too much fun. He laughed as he continued dancing. He pointed at Ryan. "C'mon and show me some better moves...if you have some." Sean teased.

Booker pulled the radio out and started changing stations a little bit of hip hop was heard, pop, rock, and then Booker smiled at what came on next. Hearing the request from his friends and watching Sean and Amy dance, he smirked "Alright we'll start off with this. You guys may have to up or change your rhythm...."

Sean Paul- Get Busy

"If we drink, let's not get carried away with it alright, guys? Ryan, you have one of the most interesting but yet morbid mind I know...but it would get boring if you didn't bring that kind of spontaneousness. Is everyone ok with just having one beer tonight?" looking at everyone. He was still wanting to do the dark hide and seek...or explore a little more for the night. It was whatever but he did care about everyone's safety and he wanted everyone to still have a good time.

"Don't tempt fate Ryan!" Amy pouted, "it could still happ- whoa!" Amy was cut off as Sean turned her around so he could face Ryan, laughing as she allowed herself to be dragged around in some variation of the waltz with Sean. She gripped onto his shoulder tightly, to keep herself balanced until the music changed. She shuffled over to where Quinn was dancing to herself and tugged her closer towards the group to join in with the dance.

"One beer should be okay, I don't think anyone over here will get tipsy with just one can." Amy said, in response to Booker as she danced (terribly) to the music.

As Amy started moving towards Quinn, Sean chose Booker to be his next victim. Sean started dancing his way to him and as he rounded the campifire he mixed his moves to a weird mix of tribal and the jumping headbanging mostly seen in clubs. A wide grin was spread across Sean's face. He was already enjoying himself. His dance moves became wilder the closer to the radio he got. He continued moving his body as he danced next to Booker. Sean raised his voice to be heard over the music. "Spare the others my lame ass moves and show us how it's done!"

---

After letting loose with dancing and a few beers between them, the group slowly decided that they would start up their game of hide and go seek. "We probably should do one round or so before climbing into bed, we have tons to do tomorrow and I'd hate to spend it sleeping." Quinn admitted, as she moved towards the small tent where her luggage had been placed. She dug through her bag for a flashlight and after finding it, gripped it tight between her fingers as she left the tent and walked back to the group.

Slipping her arm around Booker's waist gently she clicked her flashlight checking it a few times to make sure it worked. "Okay, so since it was your idea Booker, you can tell everyone how we're going to play." Quinn announced, looking up slightly up at him as she embraced him lightly.

Getting in a drink, Booker was making sure that he was not too messed up so he could keep watch over the group. Having Sean trying to join him in dancing, Booker shook his head chuckling and smiling at Sean's attemps to dance. For the most part, Booker was dancing with Quinn, having her grinding against him. An occasional kiss on the cheek, Booker smiled, enjoying his quality time with his boo.

With Quinn's suggestion about the hide and seek game going one or two rounds and the fact that it was Bookers idea, he thought for a moment "It's nothing that different from playing regular hide and seek....but alright." looking at the others while the music was still going on.

"Alright guys...the rules are simple. It's the same as regular hide and seek. Everyone's gonna need a flashlight and basically...don't run off too far and get lost. I think their are markers in this camp site...if I'm correct. Everyone keep their phones on and if you're gone too long, we will call you and stop the game. Any questions?" Booker asked everyone.