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Lost in the Woods Ch. 2 © 2011 All Rights Reserved Willow woke the next morning and was disoriented by the blue-gray ceiling. Then Ivy snored and Willow looked over at her friend, wrapped in her sleeping bag, and remembered. The park. Earth Day. Lost in the woods. No, she hadn’t been lost, she corrected herself. She’d been less than a hundred feet away from a dozen people and could have called for help. When she’d stepped out of the portable bathroom, she’d been stunned to find herself alone. She had her flashlight, but even so, the surprise had disoriented her. As usual, Willow sighed, she’d let her fear of being lost overrun her common sense, and had frozen, unable to get her bearings or call out. Luckily Ivy had come to find her, and had had some choice words to say about Holly while they walked back. Willow had agreed, but was glad Ivy had finished before they got back. Having Ivy and Holly at each other’s throats would not have made for a good group dynamic. “Good morning.” Willow reached over and poked Ivy’s side. “Happy Earth Day.” “What? What!” Ivy tried to sit up, but was hampered by the bag. Willow couldn’t hold back a laugh as Ivy twisted and turned, looking for all the world as though she was struggling with an alien worm made of nylon. “Hey, no fair.” Ivy narrowed her eyes. “No laughing at me before coffee.” “Not sure we’ll get coffee. We’re in the park, remember?” “Oh, there will be coffee, or there will be blood.” Willow pretended concern. “Easy now, Ivy. You’re off your meds. Don’t worry, it’ll all be fine.” Ivy tried to throw a pillow at her, got tangled again, and then they both fell back laughing. “Okay, I can manage without coffee for one day. Grudgingly.” Ivy stretched. “Well, guess we’d better see what the great outdoors looks like in the morning, huh?” They dressed as quickly as they could, threw on their jackets, and stepped outside. Willow couldn’t resist laughing at herself a little. Everything looked so different in the day time, and she wondered why it was that night often made things so ominous. From her spot she could even see the porta-johns through the trees. God, I’m such a wuss. “Good morning!” Clay called. “We have coffee!” “You are a god!” Ivy dove into the tent to dig out her cup and all but ran over. “Dibs!” “You’ll have to excuse her.” Willow rolled her eyes as she followed. “She’s addicted to the stuff.” “So am I.” The younger girl, whose name was Fern, took some as well, thanking Clay. “I can’t tell you how much of this stuff I drank to get through finals last year. I probably ruined my stomach lining.” Willow waited until the rush was over and held out her cup to get some for herself. “Thanks. This seems like a real treat, you know.” “No problem.” Clay raised his cup to hers in a toast and she reciprocated. “Trust me, I need the coffee as much as anyone.” Willow took a sip and closed her eyes as she let the hot liquid roll over her tongue and down her throat. “I probably sound like Ivy, but I do think this may be the best coffee I ever tasted.” “I’m flattered. You should try my lasagna.” Clay grinned. “It’s my mom’s recipe, but I do okay.” “I’d love that.” Willow blushed as she realized what she’d said. “I mean, I bet it’s great.” Clay was about to take the opening and ask her our when a voice sounded in his ears and made him grind his teeth. “Clay, is that coffee?” Holly come over and stepped in front of Willow, just missing her foot. “Oh, my goodness, that’s wonderful. I’d never make it through the day without it.” She stepped back and hit Willow’s arm, sloshing the coffee onto the ground. “Oh, I’m sorry, Willow.” No, you’re not . “That’s okay. I was done anyway.” Willow wondered if she could dump the rest on Holly’s head, but decided against it. Clay turned to the group and called for their attention. “When you’re ready, let’s fix up the site before we go out on cleanup detail. Happy Earth Day, everybody.” x-x-x-x Willow hummed to herself as she cleaned up a vacant camp site. With the sun shining, the breeze whispering by, and the smell of the grass and trees, she almost forgot about the previous night’s anxiety. It had also helped, she thought, that Clay had talked to her quite a bit. She found herself hoping he’d ask her out, then berating herself for expecting him to do it when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. But why, she wondered, would he want to go out with a woman who couldn’t seem to stand up straight around him? “How’s it going?” Clay came up. “Oh, fine, thanks.” She turned and smiled, ignoring the twist in her stomach. “Just about done here and then I can do whatever you want.” She blushed to her roots when she realized what she said. “I mean, whatever the next project is.” Clay took a minute to make sure he didn’t actually tell her what he wanted her to do, or more accurately what he wanted to do to herand nodded. “A couple more sites here, then we can break for lunch.” “Sounds great.” Willow took a breath. “Um, Clay. I wanted to ask—” “Oh, Clay, there you are.” Holly came traipsing through, her red t-shirt tied tightly at her waist to emphasize her chest. Willow didn’t know whether to laugh or scream in frustration. “I was looking all over for you. Could you please come back to my site? I’ve found something and I’m just not sure what to do about it.” She didn’t even look at Willow. Clay gave Willow an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I’d better go see what this is. Just come on over when you’re finished here.” He started away and turned back, ignoring Holly’s impatient glare. “Sorry, you started to ask me something?” “It’s all right.” Willow shook her head. “It’ll keep for a while.” Clay nodded and resumed following Holly, turning around once to mouth kocaeli escort Help me! and forcing Willow to clamp down on a laugh. She was still giggling when Ivy found her, and her friend joined in after Willow told her what had happened. “Holly’s one of a kind, thank God.” Ivy drank some bottle water, then held it out for Willow. “Poor Clay. I saw him earlier and he looked like he was getting a root canal.” “Oh, stop.” Willow laughed again. “Clay will have to hold his own, and give her credit for going after what she wants.” “Please.” Ivy scoffed. “You have to take away her credit for not realizing that the man isn’t interested. Which is the way it should be, since he likes you, and you’re tons better for him than she is.” “I was about to ask him out,” Willow confessed. “What? That’s great!” Ivy beamed. “Way to take charge of the situation!” “I was about to. Then Holly came in and Clay went to help her. I’m not sure I can do that again.” “Of course you can.” Ivy was firm. “Just think of that as a dress rehearsal. A bad dress rehearsal means a good performance. And I’ll bet Clay is a great performer.” “Ivy!” Willow blushed and shook her head. “You’re—” “Insatiable,” they finished together with a laugh. “No, I’m really not.” Ivy helped her finish up and they started walking to the next site. “I just know when two people are good for each other, and you and Clay are good for each other. So is that guy Adam, for me.” “Adam?” “Adam Fossey, the other ranger. Clay introduced us and hoo boy.” Ivy fanned herself with her hand. “That man is hot stuff. I am not leaving this place without a phone number.” “Go get ‘im, tiger.” x-x-x-x Clay was dying to know what Willow had been about to ask him, and he felt like someone up there was having fun at his expense. No matter what he did, he was unable to break free even for a few minutes to find out her question. The best he could do was steal the occasional glance and give her a smile; the smiles in return made him feel better, but he wanted more. He had determined that he would ask her out, and was just waiting for the right time. No matter how he planned it, Holly seemed to have a sixth sense and was right there with a question, or request for help, and he couldn’t get away. He thought Willow noticed, and her friend Ivy, since they both shot sympathetic looks his way. A question—this time from Fern—provided a welcome distraction. As he’d been doing for much of the excursion, he told her the names of the nearby plants and trees. After a bit, he guided them along the trail and they collected more litter as they walked along. “It’s such a shame.” Clay looked over, saw Willow talking to Ivy, and broke away before Holly could snag him again. “What’s a shame?” The two women looked up and Willow answered. “Just how people drop things here without even thinking of it. I mean, just because a paper cup is biodegradable doesn’t mean they should leave it any old where. It’s not like it’s going to degrade in the next day.” “True, which is why we appreciate you all helping out this weekend.” Clay couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her arm, and she blushed. He saw Ivy fail to hide a knowing grin. “If you two will excuse me,” Ivy said, “I’m going back to the group. I need some water.” She waved and walked away. “Now she is a perceptive woman.” Clay turned to Willow. “Why’s that?” “Because she knew I wanted to be alone with you.” “Ivy can be kind of…loud, but she’s great.” Willow gave him a shy look. “So, I’ve been wondering, what is it you wanted to ask me earlier? When we had coffee?” Clay studied her, taking in her eyes, green like English grass in the spring, and the rest of her, which looked soft and round and…He cleared his throat before his thoughts went any further. “Oh, I, um….” Willow took a deep breath and let out a nervous laugh. “Well, okay. I was going to ask if you wanted to get together. Later. After the weekend, I mean. But not if you don’t want to. I mean, you don’t have to….” It was her turn to clear her throat. “Wow, I’m really bad at this.” “You’re doing fine. And I’m glad you asked, because I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance.” He took her hand in his. “I’d like that a lot. I like you a lot.” “You…um, hardly know me.” She blushed. “Well, that would be the point of going out, wouldn’t it?” Willow nodded, lost for words now that she’d managed to ask him. “I think we’d better…seal the deal.” Clay’s sea-blue eyes were mischievous. “Seal the deal?” Willow was puzzled. “How?” “Like this.” He stepped to her, leaned down, and kissed her. Willow jumped slightly but then sighed. He had one hand on her shoulder, and his free hand still held hers. His fingers tightened on hers and she responded in kind, otherwise afraid to move and break the spell. She didn’t know how long they would have stayed there had not a shrill cry cut the air. “Claaaaaaay!” He pulled back with a sigh and they shared a rueful smile. Clay kept her hand in his as they started toward the group. x-x-x-x Willow saw Ivy’s none-too-subtle thumbs-up when she and Clay joined the group again. He’d held her hand until just before they were in view of the others, then had given her a quick squeeze before stepping away. He moved to address the group, and she walked over to Ivy. Willow shushed her when her friend began demanding details. “I’d like to thank you all for all the work you’ve been doing,” Clay began. “I know you must be beat, and you’ll be glad to know we’re nearly back at the campsite. I suggest we take a rest, have some water, and then we’ll move on.” “So what happened!” Ivy bumped Willow’s shoulder with her own, causing the blonde-haired woman to bobble her water bottle as she tried to take a drink. “Come kocaeli escort bayan on, come on, spill!” “I just did.” Willow pushed back and wiped at her mouth. “Calm down, Ivy. It’s not like I’ve never been on a date or anything.” “I know, but this is so great! He’s cute, you’re cute, and it’ll annoy the hell out of Holly.” Willow rolled her eyes. “Yes, that’s always one of my considerations when asking a guy out: Will Holly be pissed off?” “You asked him?” Ivy beamed and gave Willow a high-five. “That’s my girl!” Willow chuckled. “Well, it didn’t seem fair to leave it all up to him. It’s the twenty-first century, right? Women can do that kind of thing.” “Amen, sister.” Ivy grinned again, then took a long drink from her own water bottle. “So, I wonder if I’ll have to ask Adam, or if he’s the kind of guy that likes to make the first move.” “Should be fun to find out. I’ll just stand to the side and watch the fireworks.” Willow winked at her friend. “Oh, there will be fireworks.” Ivy wiggled her eyebrows. “You just wait.” They looked up when Fern came over to chat. It turned out that Fern was attending Ivy’s alma mater, and the two had fun comparing notes on professors and classes. Willow listened with half an ear, but was still buzzing with excitement inside about her impending date with Clay. “Okay, everyone! Let’s grab our stuff and move on. We have less than a mile to go, then we can just hang out for the rest of the night.” Clay stood and put on his pack. “I like it.” Fern grabbed her own back pack. “Tonight, I want s’mores!” “A girl after my own heart,” Ivy said with approval. They traipsed through the woods, keeping up a good pace despite everyone being tired, and reached the camp site in about an hour. “I think we made it just in time.” Ivy nudged Willow and they both looked up at the sky. “Looks like it might rain.” “They did call for some light rain,” Clay broke in. “That’s why we suggested everyone bring ponchos. Still, it shouldn’t be too bad, according to our last report.” “It might be nice,” Willow said. “I mean, a little rain never hurt anyone, and on Earth Day, we can’t begrudge the plants some water, right?” “Stop it, Willow. You’re scaring me. You’re…giddy,” Ivy murmured. “Maybe a little. So what?” Willow grinned. x-x-x-x Everyone stretched and sat down to relax for a bit with more water or snacks. Clay pulled out his walkie-talkie and checked in with his other rangers. No one reported any problems, which was a relief. After the checks were completed, Clay tried to get over to talk to Willow, but ended up talking with Ash, Adam, and a few other men. “Oh, no!” Holly’s dismayed tone caused more than one person to roll their eyes. “I lost my cell phone! I must have dropped it on my way back here. I really need it!” “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Ivy asked. “I mean, it’s not likely someone will steal it, right?” “I’d rather not have it ruined by the weather or the animals.” Holly glared at her, then seemed to recover herself. “Could someone go with me to find it? Willow? Fern?” “Um, sure.” Willow and Fern both agreed. “I’ll come, too.” Clay stepped up, remembering Willow’s reaction the first night. “We should keep an eye on everyone. Besides, more eyes are always better. Adam, you okay if I go with them?” “You bet.” He nodded. “I can come.” Ivy stepped up. “Thanks, Ivy, but I’d feel better if you stayed with Adam. You’re an experienced camper and it’d help to have you here.” “All right.” It was grudging, but she agreed. “Okay, ladies, let’s go. We can’t go too far, Holly, since it’s getting dark, but we’ll give it a shot.” Clay grabbed his flashlight and the four of them left. x-x-x-x Willow picked up her own light and saw Ivy engrossed in conversation with Adam. She smiled to herself and followed Clay, Holly and Fern back along the trail they’d taken. “Willow, thank you so much!” Holly gushed and Willow fought not to react. “I know it must seem silly but I just got it and you know how warranties are. They cover everything except what actually happens. It was a gift from my mom, you know, so my brother and I can keep in touch and I just hate to tell her that I lost it already.” Willow nodded. “It’s okay, Holly. I’m sure we’ll find it.” They walked in a mostly single file line, sweeping their flashlights along the ground. Willow looked up and was surprised at how quickly the sky was darkening, and had to force herself not to swing her light too fast in case she missed the phone. She was hoping Clay would call a halt to their search when suddenly there was a yelp and a cry from Fern. “Oh, ow! Oh, shit.” Fern squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced. “Sorry, guys. Pardon my French but my ankle hurts like a son of a bitch.” “Hold on, now.” Clay was calm and soothing. “Here, I’m going to move your leg, but just a little and slowly, okay?” Fern nodded and hissed out a breath. Willow knelt next to her and took her hand. “Squeeze if you need to.” The younger woman nodded her thanks. “All right. I don’t think it’s too bad but it is swollen.” Clay patted Fern on the shoulder. “We need to get you back to camp, and we’ll put an icepack on it. Think you can lean on me?” “Sure.” Fern was still a bit breathless, but her face wasn’t as pale. “It doesn’t hurt quite so much now. Damn, I’m sorry, guys.” “I’m sorry, too. Holly, we’ll have to go back. I’ll get up early and look again tomorrow.” Clay stood and with Willow’s help, got Fern to her feet. He slid an arm behind her and pulled her arm over his shoulders. “Oh, no!” Holly wrung her hands. “Please, Willow, could we look a little longer? Just a few minutes? I know it can’t be far.” “Hey.” Fern looked up. “I have an idea. Duh; why doesn’t someone call Holly’s izmit escort phone? Maybe we’ll hear it ring.” She gave Willow a rueful smile. “Some college student, huh? Overlooking the obvious.” “It’s a good idea, no matter when you thought of it,” Willow assured her. “It is, but I set the phone to vibrate.” Willow almost bit off her tongue in her effort not to respond. Of course you did. “Please, Willow?” She sighed. “All right, just a few minutes. It’s getting dark, Holly. We need to get back soon.” Clay’s eyes darted between the other two women. “All right, but just a few minutes, Holly. I don’t care where the phone came from or how much it cost; it is not worth getting lost or hurt over.” Holly gave him a grateful smile. “I promise, Clay. We’ll practically be right behind you.” Clay and Fern walked back towards the group, and Willow watched for a moment. Then she turned and ran her flashlight over the ground again. Holly did the same and then began walking forward. Willow stayed to Holly’s side, trying to help cover as much ground as possible. She got so involved in her search that she didn’t realize Holly had gone until she turned to say something. Oh, shit. I’m lost. Willow’s blood went cold and her chest tightened as she tried to figure out what to do next. “First off, relax. You’re not that far away from anyone,” she told herself. She spoke out loud in hopes of calming herself done, but it only emphasized the fact that there was no one else around. A few drops of water hit her arm and she fought back the urge to panic.” Okay, okay, think. You’re not that far. You followed the trail. You still have your flashlight, just turn around and follow the trail. After a little bit, give a yell. Clay said sound will carry. After a few deep breaths, she turned around, aimed her flashlight at the ground and tried to ignore the dread she felt when she realized she couldn’t see the trail. The rain wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to dampen her clothes. Her hands were shaking and she forced them to be steady as she held the flashlight and walked. Willow checked her watch, realized she’d been walking less than five minutes, even though it felt like at least fifteen. Walk some more, and if you don’t see the trail, stop and try calling out. Having a plan, even a small one, made her feel a little better, and she felt her heart rate return to closer to normal. After another five minutes, Willow felt even more lost than before and still didn’t see the trail. Deciding it was time to try calling out, she took a breath. Her first tries weren’t much more than whispers, and it took an effort to get a shouted “Hello?” No answer. The rain sounded loud, although she was sure that was just her imagination. This is a little more time with the earth than I wanted today. She tried again. “Ivy! Clay!” No response. “Ivy! A noise like a snapping twig startled her. She whirled around, slipped on the wet grass and lost her flashlight when she went down. She saw the circle of light and started to move toward it, but it rolled away and she was left in the damp dark. A lump of panic rose in her throat and Willow was afraid she’d hyperventilate. She forced herself to breathe slowly, counting the inhales and exhales. Next she stood, trying to see if she’d injured herself but aside from an ache on her rear end, which even in this situation was more embarrassing than anything else, she decided she was fine. The rain let up and a small shaft of moonlight came through as the clouds passed by. Willow saw a tree, went over and sat down. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked, resigning herself to waiting until morning. x-x-x-x When Clay and Fern arrived back at the campsite, Ivy hurried over to help the young girl sit down. At Clay’s request, she dug in his bag for the first aid kit. Others gathered around to help, providing bags to prop up the girl’s ankle. One man said he was an EMT, so Ivy stepped back to let him attend to Fern. Soon the younger woman was comfortable and everyone moved back to their tents and food. It started to rain but no one seemed to mind. Ivy dug out her poncho and resumed her talking and flirting with Adam, who was talking and flirting right back. She found herself thinking she couldn’t wait to tell Willow about it and reflexively looked around for her friend. When she didn’t see her, Ivy stopped and took careful count of the people around the campsite. No Willow. “Ivy? Ivy, is something wrong?” She stared at Adam and realized she hadn’t heard anything he’d said in the last couple of minutes. “No, I…I mean, I’m fine, but I don’t see Willow anywhere. She went with Clay and Fern and Holly but….” Her eyes narrowed as she saw Holly return and stand next to Clay, then Ivy stalked over. “Oh, Clay, she’s so lucky you were here to help.” Holly looked appropriately concerned. “Fern, I’m so sorry. If you hadn’t been out looking for my phone….” “It’s okay, Holly.” Fern’s voice was strained. “Just an accident. Could have happened any time. I’ll be fine.” Ivy saw Clay scan the group and then get to his feet. “Where’s Willow?” Clay and Ivy ended up speaking at the same time. “Willow?” Holly blinked. “Why, I’m not sure. She was right behind me.” “Well she’s not now!” Ivy glared at her. “Holly, how long ago did you leave Willow?” Clay stepped in, his voice serious. “Oh, I don’t know.” Holly waved a hand. “It couldn’t have been that long ago. I didn’t come back too much after you and Fern did.” “Why did you leave her alone?” Ivy demanded. “She’ll probably be here in a few minutes.” Holly rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re so worried about. We didn’t go that far.” “Adam.” Clay looked over and gestured to his coworker. “I’m going to find Willow. She probably isn’t far, like Holly said, but she’s likely scared and she might have tripped or something.” “Want me to come?” Ivy asked. “No, thank you, Ivy.” Clay shook his head. “The rain will make things slippery and we don’t need anyone else hurt.

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