I grinned at him sheepishly. "You couldn't expect me to trek through this terrain with my tennis shoes on," I said, trying to defend myself.
"Evidently not," he responded in a way that would have sounded sarcastic coming from anyone else but him.
"Besides, everyone decided that boots were the only way to go," I said, indicating the boot covered feet of all my friends. The whole crew had immediately jumped on board when I noticed a billboard advertising the REI store on the way here. We all made quick work out of finding the right boots and heavy-duty socks. Even the guys, with their tough attitudes didn't want to have to deal with bugs climbing in their shoes.
"I see. A wise decision," Haniel said, dishing out rare praise.
"Exactly," I said impishly before heading off to help my friends divvy up the supplies.
The weight of the food, water, tents and backpacks filled with clothes was distributed evenly between the Protectors. They left the lightweight sleeping bags with shoulder straps for us "delicate Guides," as John put it, to carry. The wise crack of course earned him a firm sock in the arm from Kieran.
"I'll show you delicate," she taunted him, dancing away from as he tried to grab her. "No, way, I'm much too delicate for a big strong man like you to touch," she added, using her supernatural speed to keep herself at arm's length.
"Okay guys, we got a change of plans. The girls will get the heavy stuff," John joked, making a grab for the sleeping bag I had cradled in my arms.
"Uh oh, no way am I lugging all that stuff up the mountain. I'm a delicate girl for sure," I said laughing.
"Me too," Sam chimed in, raising her hand in the air.
"Um, smart move girls," Kieran said, finally stopping long enough for John to catch her. "Whatever would I do without my handsome stud to carry my heavy belongings," Kieran said from the security of John's arms in a voice dripping with southern charm.
"Playing with fire there my dear, you know I can't resist that sweet honey-filled voice," he said huskily before dipping his head down to claim her eager lips.
I turned away quickly, telling myself it was rude to intrude on their intimate moment, but to tell you the truth, I felt a little jealous. Not because I had a thing for John or anything like that. I lusted after the tender, intimate embrace they shared. My friends had been careful about their displays of affection when I was around over the summer, so seeing Kieran and John locked in each other's arms made my knees threaten to buckle. I closed my eyes and forced my emotions back under control.
When I opened my eyes again I saw that Sam was studying me, well aware of what I was feeling. I turned away and pretended to sort through the rest of our provisions.
"Hey, Haniel, how about you teleport our stuff up to the campsite for us," Shawn joked as he threw one of the oversized backpacks onto his back. The two small aluminum pans we had hooked to the side clanged together as he adjusted the straps so the pack would set flush against his back.
"Teleport?" Haniel asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah, you know that whole beam me up Scotty thing."
"Scotty?" Haniel asked, more baffled than ever.
"Shawn, isn't that way before your time? As a matter of fact, that's almost before my time too," Jacob added laughing.
"You wish old man," Shawn said, pretending like he was walking with a cane. He chuckled when Jacob let out a fierce growl and tried to snatch the invisible cane from Shawn's hands. "Kidding man, seriously though, I've been a "Trekkie" for ages. Of course, the last movie didn't do the classics their due justice."
"Hey, I liked the newest one," Sam said, raising her eyes suggestively. "Captain… whatever his name was is hot," she added mischievously.
"I'm sure," Shawn said, swooping her up into his arms.
Sam giggled as he dangled her upside down. "Stop," she gasped, trying to keep her shirt from sliding up.
"Shawn, we could use your help when you're done screwing around," Jacob called from the back of the van where everyone had finished loading up the gear.
I adjusted the straps of the sleeping bag on my back and pulled my iPod out of my pocket. I slipped on my headphones, letting the music drown out my friend's voices. I was overjoyed to be with all of them, but after almost four hours in a van, I craved some space and this was the only way I knew how to get it while being surrounded by so many people.
Chapter 5
It took us most of the day to hike to the temporary campsite Haniel had chosen beforehand. The hiking wasn't as bad as I had originally anticipated although the throbbing blisters on my heels would beg to differ.
The terrain of the mountain slowly changed the further we hiked. The trees now seemed larger and more forbidding. There was a tranquil beauty to the vast wilderness that surrounded us and yet, an eerie feeling that something unexpected could happen at any moment. Strangely though, the weight that had been sitting on my chest for the last two months began to ease and I wasn't sure what to make of it. Was I getting closer to Mark? Within the cloud of unease that had each of the Guides on edge as we trudged along, I could pick up the slightest flicker of pure goodness shining in the midst of it all. Maybe it was coming from our missing pair, but somewhere in my heart of hearts I wanted to believe it belonged to someone else.
Haniel stayed by my side the majority of the afternoon and after several hours I removed my headphones so I could chat with him.
"You are done with your instrument?" He asked, indicating my iPod Touch. >"Hi John, it's good to see you too," I said, allowing myself to sink into his embrace. If you would have told me two months ago that I would consider John one of my closest allies, I would have scoffed at the idea. Especially since he had once berated me in front of everyone for falling in the ice cold ocean at the most inopportune time. All of that was forgotten though once he and Kieran returned home and made it their personal mission to see who could text me the most in one day. What started out as daily antidotes quickly turned into long humor filled messages about pranks he and Kieran would play on each other. When I first met them shortly after graduation, I had no idea they would turn out to be so witty. I loved my band members dearly, but John and Kieran had become my sounding board, always willing to lend an ear.