The Challenge. (Started; accepting w/permission)

zohan

I lied to them, the reason i was pretending to be a boy. i couldn't really tell them the real reason. It felt weird at how andy just burst out that i was a girl. Was it really because of the fact that I screamed, and cried. If you asked me it would take some time for one to really put Two and two. It seemed way to quik that Andy noticed, did he know something?... Maybe not because Andy could have been a quick thinker.
I pretended that i got over the incident, I didn't want them to know that i was completely freaked out so i faked laugh, and made it seem like nothing went wrong. Then i remember that my camera fell on the ground, i went back to pick it up.
When they werent looking i let out a bit more of my tears that began to well up in my eyes.

Rosette| Woods
I set a pace, walking a bit slowly. I don't want to look like I'm rushing along. Bridgid looks at me, and I return the look.
"I'm kind of getting hungry... How about you?" I say.
"Yeah... I'm kind of hungry." She replies. Then, she hears my stomach growl. "Yeah, lets sit down. Your stomach sounds like a lion roaring!" When she says that, we both burst into laughter. I take out some of the plants that I had picked this morning, and offer Bridgid one.
"Here. It doesn't look good... At all. But it's yummy. It's kinda sweet." I say smiling. She takes a bite, then, gobbles the rest up.
"Yummy!" she says through bites. I take out my big bag of dried fruit. Taking a few pieces of dried prunes, mangoes, and a few other things, I give them to her. "Thanks" she says. Then, I see another cute-looking squirrel in the tree above us. Sitting down, I take out one of the saved nuts that I had in my bag.
"Bridgid, please don't say anything loud. I'm going to lure this cute squirrel down." It comes down, and sits quietly on my lap, munching on the nuts.
"Aw. It's so cute!"
"I know. They seem to like me. Pet him. I don't think he bites." We giggle. I like Bridgid. She's nice...

Brigid|Woods

I had to admit, the squirrel was cute. A little weird, but cute. I took another bite of the strange plant. It tasted kind of like spongefruit, something Dad and I would eat back on the island, but it looked...fuzzier. It was about the size of a grapefruit, and it was bright yellow, and I had seen more of them as Rose zipped up her backpack. How many did she have in there? She must not have had space for much else. I preferred to catch my food fresh. It would get squished in my pack, with all the other stuff I had brought with me.

I glanced casually at Rose as I ate. She was a nice girl, and she seemed to like me. Maybe she'd stick with me once Andy came back. I liked the idea of a team of three--not too few people, but not too many, either. Too many people would be cumbersome, but with three, I could ditch one and keep the other if I had to. And I would--I would ditch one of them if I had to. I liked both of them, but this was a competition. Perhaps we could be friends afterward, but for now, we were allies. Allies weren't the same as friends. Allies were dispensable.

But they didn't have to know that. "So, Rose," I said. "Ever seen a spongefruit?"

Mario

I hated walking. The nice thing about Italy was that there was always some way to catch a ride unnoticed. Also, I was so tired, and sick of Teal. She seemed to be the only one without a group of friends. It was weird being the "outcast", I was used to being the one everyone loved to be around. Then again, I'd been a bit exaggerated with Teal, and I guess it had affected everyone.
I noticed people turning to the woods and stopping in little groups. Obviously something was going on. Then I realized the benefit on not having any friends here. I had no one to worry about, and no reason to stop. I sped up, heading faster up the mountain, eventually slipping deeper into the trees. If there was one thing I could do, it was to become invisible. As long as I could stay hidden and avoid any obstacles, I could do this.

Noah~

Rylet led me to the top of a nearby tree. Showing me the beauty from a higher vantage point.

"It really is beautiful,"

Hm, and so is Rylet now that I think about it

"Yeah, somethings that are the most dangerous have the most beauty" she said, admiring the volcano in depth. I looked at her for a slight moment,

"Do you think that you're dangerous?" I ask her, trying to be subtle.

"I'm pretty dangerous if I do say so myself, but I guess we'll have to see." she said, beginning to climb down the tree.

I climbed down after her, we returned to the group.

This isn't the place to have crushes, this is a place to show what you're made of. - I thought to myself as I followed Rylet back into the group.

Rosette/Woods

We have just eaten. Brigid loved the food, and I was happy to share. Just then, I take out the zip lock that has all of that weird plant, unzip it, and take out the squished ones. I give the squished ones to the squirrel that is still on my lap. It bites into it, then gobbles it up. I watch him run away, and I follow him.
"Hey Brigid. I'll be right back. This guy is going to show me some food... I think." The squirrel makes munching sounds, and it starts scampering away. I follow it, and it leads me to a large tree. I look up, and don't see anything. It makes munching noises again. It climbs up the tree. I can follow it... I should be able to. I grab the lowest limb and start climbing. It seems a long time before I'm up, but I somehow make it. I see a few shiny red apples hanging. Grabbing one, I bite into it. It's delicious juice spurts into my mouth. I grab a lot of them, and take another big zip lock out of my bag. I toss them into my bag, and climb down. I find my squirrel friend waiting. I walk back to were Brigid was, but she's not there. I see her walking ahead already. I jog, and catch up with her... I hope she doesn't ask me where I was....

Warren - In the woods
Zohan's a girl. Didn't see that one coming, I mean, wow! We head back to the group (thank goodness Andy knows the way back, because I would be lost) and I see Rosette talking with Brigid.
Of course I'll keep Zohan's secret, I mean, he, err, she maybe saved my life. Still, there seems something fishy about it, like she's still keeping a secret. I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid.
"So, umm, is it just me, or does it seems like it's going to rain?" I say, looking up at the sky and the darkened clouds that are gathering.

Brigid|Woods

I heard a few people clumping through the woods, making no effort to be quiet whatsoever. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and turned around. Andy had reappeared, with Warren, Zohan, and Rose in tow. I sighed again. I was fine with being on a small team, but five? That was a bit much.

"So, um, is it just me," Warren began, "or does it seem like it's going to rain?"

"Yeah, it's gonna rain," I said. "We've been walking through a low pressure system all morning. I hope you brought your coats." I set my pack down and pulled out my rain suit. I slipped into the pants and zipped the jacket up. The suit covered everything but my face and my shoes, and it folded up to the size of a hardcover novel.

I glanced up at the clouds. Over the course of my many years of flying, I had developed a sensitivity to weather and air pressure--really useful out here in the wilderness. "We can expect rain in about half an hour," I said. "Come on, let's hurry up. I don't want to fall too far behind Katherine."

Katherine|Trail

It's raining hard now. Lightning lights up the volcano and thunder rumbles in the distance. It's almost seven o' clock and the kids are far behind. I decide to wait...

When they arrive I say, "Ok everyone! We're stopping here for today. We didn't make it to the river but it's too dangerous now. No tents tonight sorry! Do what you can to stay dry. Good luck and be careful. Feel free to wander around a bit but don't get lost. We're starting again at 5 a.m. Don't be late! Goodnight everyone!"

Mario

I had made it to Katherine before the others. The rain was pouring, but I was able to find a fallen tree. The trunk was just big enough to keep me mostly dry. I realized one more person could fit if they wanted, so I decided to wait and see if anyone would come and seek shelter.

Brigid|Trail

"Goodnight, everyone!" Katherine said, quite cheerily for someone getting soaked by a thunderstorm. I had been smart to bring a full rain suit--most people just had a jacket, and their pants were sopping wet.

I pulled the ball of twine out of my pack, and started working my way up an elm tree. It was shorter, out of the way of any lightning strikes, and the thick canopy provided at least partial relief from the downpour. I picked two branches that were close together, and started unraveling my twine. With a grid of simple knots, I could make a hammock. I looped the twine around the branches a few times, and started on my first row of knots. This was the most basic design I knew; the slip knots were easy to tie, very secure when anchored and strung together, and would come apart with one tug when I went to take hammock down.

I tied my hammock off to one of the branches, looping the ends through the straps of my pack to keep it stable, and pulled the end tight. Only a few of the others had climbed up into trees; most had hunkered down on the ground, huddled in tiny balls to keep warm. I hadn't realized how much my island lifestyle would come in handy--there were things I took for granted that the others hadn't even thought about. I lay back in the hammock, sighing contentedly. I hadn't slept very well in the tent; growing up, I'd always slept in a hammock. It felt good to be swinging gently in the air again. I adjusted the hood of my rain suit and closed my eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Rosette/Woods

Rain pours down on me. I look in my pack, and remember that I had forgotten to bring a blanket. I look around, seeking shelter. I see a fallen tree. That could keep me dry... I look in, but see Mario already in there.
"Oops. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here." I say. He sees my soaking state. "I'll look somewhere else... Sorry." I say frowning.
"Wait," he says. I look at him inquisitively.

Noah -


She tells us there wouldn't be tents tonight. I had a spur of brilliance, I found a tree, I snapped a couple branches off of it. And I made a small shelter up against the tree with my jacket. I sat cozily under my little shelter, hoping to fall asleep soon. I saw that some people were having trouble, there was room for another person under my little shelter. If anyone wanted to sleep next to me, they' were able.

But for now, I would sit and watch the rain.