It’s strange how time passes by so quickly when one is having fun. For instance it’s been three days since our trip began, and the time has flown by. I know Raylen wasn’t that excited about being the student representative but she did seem to be enjoying the power that came with it since it pretty much just meant we got to boss the others around and make sure they were following the rules and such. That didn’t mean that she was being amiable to me by any means though…

“Are you freaking serious? No of course you aren’t...you wouldn’t joke about something like that but I can’t believe you got us stuck. Stuck! In some random log shed of all places! Without cell service and no one knows where we’re at and there’s no cat. You just had to be interested in the cat. I told you there wasn’t a cat!...”

So we’re stuck in the middle of a blizzard. It’s our third day here, and just like the other days it ended all too soon, except this time I’ve messed up a bit. I said that time passed by fast here right? So, how’d we get stuck in a log shed in the middle of a blizzard exactly? Well, the weather had been relatively clear since day one, but today we’d gotten an advisory warning of a storm heading our way, so the chaperones told us all to stay inside. So, Raylen isn’t too far off when she blames me for this. We were supposed to be inside with the rest of the students on account of the storm warning and all.

But I swear I saw a large white cat wandering outside. I just wanted to bring it into the shelter before the storm hit.

We’d just finished our rounds to ensure all the other students were where they were supposed to be and as we walked through one of the pathways that was floor to ceiling windows I saw the flash of white against green. It looked like a snow leopard but it was too small. It was sitting in one of the trees, staring in at us. I’d called to Raylen but by the time she turned towards me with an exasperated look the cat had shot off towards the woods. Admittedly I wasn’t really thinking when I ran out the closest door to follow the cat. With the way the sky’s were darkening I was positive that a small cat wouldn’t be able to survive. I’m sure most animal lovers would do the same thing, but there were a few things that I didn’t expect to happen.

1. I didn’t expect Raylen to follow me. She did.

2. I didn’t expect the cat to pull a disappearing act. It did.

3. I didn’t expect the weather would take a sudden turn for the worse…alright that last one I was already warned of but I thought I’d have enough time to find the cat and bring it back before that happened

I was wrong.

I’m not sure how long we were searching, but it seemed almost as if merely seconds passed when we must’ve been out for at least an hour. On the downside I didn’t find the cat, being caught in the storm is probably going to get us in trouble, and Raylen isn’t too happy with me.

On the plus side, I found a log shed that we can take shelter in until the weather clears and of course there’s plenty of wood for a fire so we won’t freeze to death.

“Why’d you go looking for a cat in a snowstorm…better question why did I follow you…and why am I babbling like you? And you…” She looks over at me. The realization that she’s growing hysterical must have just registered. All that pacing and counting doesn’t seem to be helping her to calm down either. She starts breathing deeply and kicks at the door.

“Aether what are you doing? You’re not even paying attention to me!”

I give her a reassuring smile even though it seems to send her over the edge. She grabs the nearest thing and launches it at me. “You dare to smile. This is all your fault. I could have been spending time with my dog but no! Now I’m stuck on a mountain, in a shed, with YOU!” Raylen really reminds me of my brother Colton when she’s angry. I grab the log before it hits me and give her another smile. She reacts just like Colton and charges toward me. Before she can start swinging I run my best interference.

“This is just what I need. I was thinking we can build a fire to keep warm and wait out the storm. I’ve got snacks in my bag and oooh we can tell ghost stories! I love ghost stories. I’ve got a really good one that my brother—” Raylen cuts me off with a shriek and throws another log my way. I’m thankful my parents made me do little league now.

“Aether,” she says my name through gritted teeth. Her dark brown eyes blaze behind her glasses but her dark skins gone pale, she actually looks a bit sick. She reaches up and runs a hand through her curls, I’m a little fearful she’s going to start pulling her hair out. So, I’m about to distract her when she cuts me off.

“I don’t want to tell ghost stories. Nor do I plan on bonding with you. Figure out how to get the door open and get us back to the sleeping quarters.” I glance up. There’s a small window too small to crawl through and too high to reach but I can’t make out anything. The winds picked up and all I see is a blowing sheet of white. I pull a canteen from my pack and hand it to her in the hopes that it’ll distract her from the situation.

“I don’t think we’re getting out of here anytime soon. You hear that?” The howls of the wind sound almost like an animal. I wish I could record it! “Here eat something. You don’t look too good and eating might help you calm down. I’m going to start a fire.” I hand her my pack and move towards the logs.

“Why do you even have this with you? We were just doing nighttime rounds.”

“I’m glad you asked. Since we had free time this afternoon I was exploring around the mountain and had just gotten back, and since we were told to round everyone up and make sure everyone was present I didn’t really have to go back to my room and just brought it with me. Lucky for us, right? You know there are some amazing views out there and there’s a frozen pond nearby. I think that’s on the plans for tomorrow actually. Hopefully the storm doesn’t continue throughout the week. Did you know—”

“Aether I swear if you start spouting off facts I’m going to kill you using the supplies in this pack!” I shrug and turn back to the logs. I think the best way to deal with Raylen’s insults is to just pretend I didn’t hear them.

“Well anyway why’d you follow me? You could have gone back to your room. Not that I mind your company but you following me does seem a little out of character and—”

“Believe me I wasn’t planning on it but since we are “partners” for this trip and all I figured I’d get into major trouble if you died and I didn’t at least try to stop you but you see where it got me. So, definitely not planning that again. You got any blankets in this bag?” She flips the pack upside down and topples everything out. “You call this food?” She picks up an oatmeal bar and a bag of dried out apple and banana chips.

“Yeah I love those. Healthy and delicious. My family buys them in bulk, you can have some. I still have tons of snacks in my suitcase.”

“I just have one question. And I don’t even know why I’m asking but did you bring more snacks then clothes because this is our second night here and I swear you’ve been wearing the same shirt.”

“No but I have a bunch of shirts like this, although I did bring lots of snacks. Do you want me to give you some when we get back to the main cabin?”

Raylen tosses away the oatmeal bar and dried fruit and hunts through the rest of the snacks.

“I think I’d rather try to eat that wood that you’re playing with.”

“Oh well, you could try but I wouldn’t recommend it and you might get a splinter in your—”

“Aether enough talking already! Either break down the door or make a fire and just, please, shut up!

Twenty minutes later with a fire made I sit beside the doors listening to the winds. Raylen’s huddled across the room from me, wrapped in my emergency foil blanket.

The winds are almost musical. I can imagine they’re singing a song for us. Something like a Celtic folk song, filled with a somber flute.

Raylen’s been ignoring every attempt at conversation I’ve made and she refused to eat anything saying the garbage I brought wouldn’t even be eaten by starving beasts. Oh well, that just means more for me. Maybe she’s more of a trail mix fan instead of oat meal bars and fruit? At her insistence, I’ve tried to get the door open a few more times but it was firmly stuck. Must be some combination of the piled up snow and the mountain winds blowing right into the door.

After 30 more minutes of silence I’d eaten at least three oatmeal bars and two bags of apple chips, and Raylen isn’t giving me the silent treatment anymore. Now when I try to engage her in conversation she just mutters that we’re going to freeze to death and that it’s my fault. She’s as far from me as she can possibly be while still being next to the fire.

“I’m sorry Raylen.” I say, unable to bear the tension. “I just thought the cat was in here. I didn’t mean for us to get stuck. Hey, what if this was like Alice in Wonderland but instead of a white rabbit leading us down a hole we chased a white cat into a shed! Kind of funny when you think of it huh?” Raylen turns to glare daggers at me. I give her another smile. I know normal people don’t smile at someone that’s possibly plotting their death, but hey I’ve never been considered normal.

“Raylen?” I try a different tactic. “You know you’re not the only one stuck in here. I’m sorry I got us into this mess but I don’t think it’s fair to place all the blame on me since I didn’t ask you to follow me and—” She cuts me off with a stare that says her apology without words and then she sighs.

“Oh fine. I like you better when you aren’t standing up for yourself so babble about plants are something and I’ll pretend to listen while I ignore you.” Her lips tilt up at the corners, a small smile. A small victory.

“Ah so you do like me! You just admitted it,” her eyes widen in horror and she turns back to the fire. I continue before she can retort. “I’m growing on you aren’t I? Kind of like moss on a tree.”

“Or mold in the walls,” she mutters under her breath. I pretend I didn’t hear her.

“And here I thought you were barely tolerating me since you always like to say you don’t like me.” I smile when she glances over.

“I am barely tolerating you fungus boy.” She chimes in. “And you always act like you don’t hear me say that. I knew you could hear me! I changed my mind. I think we should wait for morning in silence, so shut it.”

“Nope,” I shake my head, “let’s share stories. Let’s see…oh I’ve got a good one. This one time my brother and I got trapped in a tree house. He was thirteen and I was eleven at the time. We’d been building the house for the past month in the woods behind our house…” I continue telling the story and even though she’s looking in the fire I can tell that Raylen’s still listening. She has a habit of pretending that she’s not listening but she always remembers the things I say so I know she hears me but she likes to fake disinterest. Raylen’s yawning by the time I finish the story with us managing to climb down the tree using some of the rope we had with us.

“And after we pigged out on peanut butter and banana sandwiches until Mom came home from work and scolded us for tracking mud into the kitchen. We had to clean and wax the floors after that but it was still…” I trail off. There’s been a shift in the wind. And the noise has changed. The howls sound even more like music. I swear I can hear the tinkling of bells and…singing? No it’s chanting. I can hear chanting. But I can’t make out what’s being said.

“Raylen? Raylen do you hear that?! Raylen there’s chanting outside.” I turn towards her but she’s gone to sleep next to the fire. I tuck the edges of the foil blanket around her and then lean back, listening to the voices in the wind. From the window I can see the stars now. There’s an odd red tint to the sky but I pass it off as being tired.

Morning comes quickly along with numb limbs and a crick in my neck from sleeping sitting up. I blearily open my eyes to see Raylen standing over me with a branch. She looks down at me and tosses the branch away.

“I was about to test to see if you died in the night but looks like you survived. Get up so we can get back. The sun just rose and we can get back before anyone notices us missing.” She hands me my bag as I stand up. At some point she must have stuffed everything back inside of it, including the blanket. There’s something off about the shed, but it was dark before, maybe that’s why it looks different in the daylight. I hadn’t realized there was shelves and cabinets on the far wall, and I hadn’t noticed the strange drawings on the floor.

The door pushes open easily which is strange considering it wouldn’t budge last night. There should still be a pile of snow in front of it. Raylen shoves me out of the way, but we both stop in our tracks. What meets us isn’t blinding snow and bitter winds but…

“Aether am I hallucinating or is this some weird tropical rainforest?”

“If you’re seeing things then I’m having the same illusion…”