Lost In Time

Chapter 13

Juliet's POV

"Marie, did you sign my permission slip for the hiking trip today?"

"Yes, dear," she smiles, "it's by the sugar," she motions with her head as she prepares breakfast.

Faith appeared and took a seat by the table while yawning, followed by Jack. I shook my head with a smile and picked up the slip.

"Thank you, Marie," I said, my eyes twinkling with delight. I am so excited for the hiking trip today that I skipped breakfast and headed straight for school. Everyone was already there, the whole g**g in a circle, gabbling away.

"Morning," I say, greeting everyone with a smile.

"Hey," Preston mumbles. I came and stood beside him, joining in the conversation.

David inquires, "Did anyone bring snacks?"

Preston and I laughed, shaking our heads while Pat answered him. "Of course, we have snacks."

"Let's go hand in hand in our slip; the teacher should be outside by now with buses waiting for everyone." As soon as Josh said those words, we all immediately perked up, feeling a sense of anticipation and joy at the thought of our adventure ahead.

We all excitedly ran outside, eager to get on the buses and begin the field trip, which is a hike. I adore the smell of nature. Something about it is so magical.

We form a line to the bus while the teacher collects our permission slips at the door. I can already feel the freedom and joy radiating from each of my classmates as they eagerly await their chance to explore nature.

After handing in our slips, we entered the bus and found the back empty, so we made our way there, claiming it as our own for the trip. We all laughed, talked, and made fun of each other on the way to our hike. Being with them made me forget about my life and the fact that I didn't belong here.

~~~

I take a deep breath of the crisp morning air, scented with freshly fallen dew, and can't help but smile when I exit the bus.

Everywhere I look, I'm surrounded by beauty, from the dark green hills rolling around me to the bright yellow sun streaming through the clouds. I can tell already that this is going to be a day full of laughter and adventure.

I start my journey up the hill, eager to explore the world around me as I take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Preston says while catching up with me.

I nodded, smiling at the scene. "It really is," I replied.

Halfway up the hill, the teacher called a break. Everyone and anyone who is a friend gathers in their own circle. Michael noticed a large rock on the left side of the hill and went to check it out. After he called us over, each of us took a seat, and the boys took our snack and began sharing it with everyone.

"Check it," David said, grabbing Michael's bag and opening it enough for us to see. We all lean in, spotting beer.

"You bought beers?" Pat and Jessica both looked at Michael in surprise, while I gave a slight smile and shook my head; after all, boys will be boys. I wasn't too surprised, and I knew that this kind of mischief was all in good fun.

"Shh, not so loud," Michael whisper-shouted, glancing around to make sure nobody had heard Pat's question.

Josh laughed at his girl, throwing his arm around her while she cutely pouted.

We all began to chuckle, and I knew that this light-hearted moment was one that we would all remember for a long time.

Though suddenly rain began pouring, everyone began looking for shelter. Luckily for us, a few feet away was a huge tree. Jessica shrieked as raindrops hit her and ran to the tree, brushing off the rain while the rest of us followed in pursuit.

We all huddled underneath the tree and looked up at the sky as the rain continued to pour. "Kids, it will be alright; it was a passing moment," she shouts.

"Yes, miss," we answer, unable to truly say if it will pass in a moment.

We stand there, uncertain and anxious, our gaze alternating between the heavy clouds in the sky and Miss, who is so full of optimism.

"That beer would be good right about now," Michael mumbles, and the boys nod in agreement.

Miss abruptly turns to face them, a shocked expression on her face: "How dare you think that way at this time! It's inappropriate, and you should be ashamed."

Pat and I stifled a laugh at Michael's expression; it was one of shock, surprise, and seeing a ghost.

He had not expected Miss to respond in such a strict manner and the rest of us couldn't help but to see the humor in it

Pat and I exchanged glances, both of us trying to contain our laughter.

Nonetheless, Miss Optimism won in the end because the rain stopped falling before we knew it, but the downside is that the hill is so muddy. How are we supposed to reach the top?

Even though the thought of going through a muddy trail seemed daunting, Miss Optimism's optimism did not waver, and we trudged forward with her leading the way.

Pat and Josh move ahead of me and Jessica while holding hands. Preston, Michael, and David were in front of us. My foot accidentally stepped into a hole before I could even process what had happened. My other feet began to slide forward when I took it out, and I almost fell over the side of the slope if Preston hadn't raced up and extended his hand to catch me.

"I got you," he says, tightening his hold on me.

I heaved a heaving sigh and nodded before turning around and looking down to realize I was standing right on the edge of the mountainside. When I realized how nearly I had fallen into its depths, I glupped, and my eye widened in terror.

"What are you doing? Pull her up!" Miss Faith yells, darting her gaze between me and the deep seep.

"I'm trying," Preston grunted out, glancing at his slipping feet in the mud. He was struggling to keep a firm grip on me as I too fought to hold on and not fall down the side of the hill.

My heart raced, and my hands were aching from holding Preston's hand in such a position.

I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I could barely muster the courage to look at Miss Faith's anxious face as well as my friend's one.

But I did!

When Preston slips unexpectedly and the two of us fall down the mountain's slope, I watch their terrified expressions and eyes widen. I felt a rush of adrenaline as we tumbled down the steep mountain, the rocks and pebbles scraping my skin.

My heart was pounding as we continued to tumble, with no way of knowing when our descent would end. We eventually came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain, both of us breathing heavily and exhausted from our fall.

I looked at Preston, his eyes still wide with shock, and realized how lucky we were to have made it down the mountain in one piece. I had no words to describe how relieved I felt that we were both safe, but I could see the same relief mirrored in Preston's eyes.

Coming back to his senses, he jumped up and rushed over to me before helping me to my feet and giving me a tight hug. A few moments later, he pulled away and began checking me for any injuries that I might have sustained during the fall.

Though I had suffered a few scratches and bruises, I assured him that I was fine and asked if he was fine.

"I'm fine," he mumbles, his eyes scanning my face.

I nod and scan him briefly when I notice he has a cut that runs from under his knee to the middle of his leg and appears to be bleeding heavily based on the blood on his pants. Immediately I gasped in shock and asked him why he hadn't told me earlier.

He seemed hesitant to answer, but finally said he had been too busy worrying about me and my injuries that he hadn't noticed his. I was taken aback by his gesture and felt a little guilty for having him worry about me more than himself.

Quickly looking around, I spot a rock a few feet ahead of us and ask him. "Do you think you can walk there?"

He nods and hobbles over to the rock, the pain engraved in his face. I hold onto his hand and do my best to assist him. I sat him down when we were close to the rock and made a cautious attempt to pull his pants up.

He clinched his teeth and moaned in agony as I attempted to move his pant leg. I gently held his hand in place and insisted on helping him despite his attempts to shove it away. When he eventually gave in, I was able to see the suffering that he was attempting to conceal as I carefully tucked the fabric over his leg.

His face was twisted in a grimace, and his knuckles were white as he squeezed them tightly together. But finally, the pants were pushed up and away from the cut.

He let out a long breath, and I could see the relief on his face. The cut was not that deep, but it was long and bled a lot.

I searched my surroundings for anything I could use to treat his wound, but I couldn't find anything. I then realized I was wearing a cotton top, so I slipped it off, leaving me in another top, and began wrapping it around his leg.

I was careful not to make the bandage too tight, but I made sure it was firm enough to stop the bleeding. Once I had finished securing the bandage, I inspected it to make sure it was secure. I then looked up at his face and saw a hint of a smile as he thanked me.

With a newfound sense of confidence, I smiled back, relieved that I had done my best to help.