Chapter 2 (A week later) Moriah woke up on an early April morning, stretching sleepily. She blinked open her eyes, deciding to stay in bed and draw since it was her Easter break and she didn’t have to go to school. She opened her sketchpad to draw a hippogriff when her mom called her. “Moriah, we’re going to be late!” she yelled, “Your sister already has her things at the front door!” Moriah jolted awake, remembering that they were going on their first camping trip that sunny April day. “Coming!” she yelled, then instantly remembered that she hadn’t packed her things the night before. She had been up until two in the morning, unable to sleep, then had taken out her dusty notebook and written a journal entry. She had gotten so carried away that it was almost three-thirty when she was done. Snapping out of her thoughts, Moriah began rushing around her room, packing her sketchbook, journal, a few books, and a few blankets and pillows. Her parents had already packed the necessities: things like toothbrushes and a first aid kit, so Moriah didn’t have to pack too much. “Hurry up Moriah!” Autumn shouted with mock annoyance, “I got up early for a reason!” “I’m coming!” she shouted back with a small smile, excited for what was to come. Quickly, Moriah flipped her old computer open and typed in the coordinates of the location they were going to be driving to. It showed that they were going to have to travel for five hours to get to the beautiful, secluded place. Closing her computer, Moriah grabbed her bag and headed toward the kitchen. Once she was there, Moriah quickly made herself tea in a travel cup and a sandwich and filled a water bottle to bring in the car. She quickly packaged her food into a paper bag and ran to her room, where she quickly brushed her hair and tied it into a single braid that ran almost halfway down her back. After quickly getting changed, eating breakfast, and brushing her teeth, Moriah grabbed her drawstring bag, with the paper bag inside it, and jogged over to the family’s car. She seated herself in the back after grabbing a pillow and blanket from the storage compartment in the tent-trailer and placing her things at her feet. A few minutes later, Autumn got in as well, sitting in the middle. Moriah grabbed a book and started to read while her family got into the car. After what seemed like forever, Moriah’s parents got into the car, Layla hopping in after them and settling curled up in Moriah’s lap. As the drive went on and Moriah got more and more bored, she looked out the window and watched the scenery go by. Layla woke up from her doze and joined Moriah in peering out the window. Moriah opened the window and stuck her head out, feeling the wind whip her face and her hair being blown backward. Layla immediately stood up on Moriah’s legs and shoved her head out the window beside Moriah’s, her tongue lolling out. “We’re almost here!” Moriah’s mom called cheerfully to Moriah and Autumn. Moriah’s thoughts immediately left the book that she was reading and turned to camping. She thought of walking Layla through winding paths, boating with Autumn by her side, and just watching. Watching squirrels dart through the trees and the birds twittering above her. Quickly snapping out of her thoughts, Moriah unbuckled and climbed out of her car with Layla’s leash in hand. “Wow…,” Moriah breathed as she took in her surroundings. It was beautiful; they were in a grassy mountain range, strewn with trees and shining puddles made from melted snow that had run down the mountains. She knew that in order to get to their campsite, they’d have to drive for a few minutes, but since there was no path and they would be driving slowly, Moriah’s parents had allowed Autumn, Moriah, and Layla to run along beside the car. After about ten minutes, they made it to the secluded campsite. It thrived with life; birds and squirrels peeking out of every corner. Moriah and Autumn got started on building a campfire since it was getting dark; her parents were busy setting up their rented tent-trailer. Layla was tied to a tree, barking exuberantly at any bird or squirrel who dared come close to her. Half an hour later, Everyone was gathered around the campfire, roasting and eating hot dogs. Moriah was perched in a nearby birch tree’s thick boughs and Layla’s soft snores filled the air as she snoozed in Autumn’s lap. As Moriah looked at Autumn, she thought of how unbearable it would be to lose her. Autumn was her twin sister; they had done everything together from birth and would protect each other at all costs.
“Okay, time to get our beds set up,” her dad said, getting up and stretching after a while of them sitting and talking. Moriah quickly scrambled down from the birch tree and started to head toward the trailer. “You and Autumn will share the double bed, and your mother and I will take the bed on the other side,” he continued as Moriah and Autumn entered the camper. Below the loft was storage, where several pillows and blankets laid. Moriah took some of them and arranged them in a nestlike shape around where she would be sleeping. After brushing her teeth outside and getting changed, Moriah settled into her bed beside Autumn and stared at the ceiling. Layla, who had been pacing around the camper anxiously, eagerly hopped up onto the bed in between them and settled by their faces, licking them both in turn. “Lights out in fifteen minutes,” her mom called from across the tent-trailer with a yawn. Moriah checked her watch, which showed that it was 10:40 p.m., and took out her sketchbook. She began to sketch a blue jay that was nibbling at a seed outside of her window, capturing the blue-tinted feathers in the light shining through the trailer’s windows. “Time to turn the lights out,” Mrs. Stone called as Moriah finished the initial sketch of the beautiful bird. Quickly placing her sketchbook in her bag, Moriah curled back up in her blankets and prepared to stare at the ceiling for a long time while she waited to drift off into sleep. Running her fingers through Layla’s soft, silky fur, Moriah let out a long sigh; she couldn’t believe she had convinced her parents, who didn’t like the outdoors, to go on a camping trip. It had taken years of begging, but they had finally done it. Moriah lay there for a while, and deep in her thoughts about what the camping trip would be like, she drifted off into sleep surprisingly quickly. Chapter 2 part 2:
