CHAPTER 1 “Come on, let’s go—we're gonna be late!” Farrah was running around the house like a headless chicken, looking for her flashlight. The morning of her summer camp trip, Farrah found herself not packed yet. It was beginning to feel like a hen house as Farrah darted across the hallway and her mother squawked, “You were supposed to be packed last night!” Farrah did her best to stay on track the night before, but she wound up on a phone call with her three best friends, Lily, Rose, and Maya. This was their big summer trip before the start of high school. Instead of packing, they chatted the entire night about all the thrilling adventures their two-week canoe trip would hold. “Perhaps we’ll run into coyotes and have to fight them off,” Lily jokingly suggested.
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At the shocked expression in Farrah’s voice, Rose and Maya quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, there aren’t any coyotes or wolves in the area, so we definitely won’t run into them.” “At most a bear might stop by,” Maya joked. “But don’t worry, we tie our food high up in the trees, so no bears will come to our campsites.” Until sunrise, Maya and Rose prepared the other girls for camping by explaining what portaging was—carrying all their belongings in heavy bags called Duluth packs and their canoes over land to get from one lake to another. And then there was the camp drama between the counselors that they needed to explain. After all, this would be their third year attending Camp Blythe, so they were well versed by now in how the camp ran. Maya explained, “There will be four other canoe groups, but since the lake system is so vast with many portaging paths, it’ll be very unlikely that we’ll run into another group.” As the hours passed, Lily’s eyes sparkled more and more. Lily just wanted an adventure, but Farrah couldn’t help but worry that her lack of outdoors experience would slow the group down. As the girls chatted, Maya, Rose, and Lily were able to turn Farrah’s nervousness into excitement. Farrah eagerly swung her bags into the family’s SUV, and within minutes she and her parents were barreling down the road headed to Camp Blythe. The slow transition from the city streets to the highway to the winding roads of the North Shore brought a grin to Farrah’s face, and she eagerly bounced her legs up and down, her knees bumping into the seat ahead of her. Farrah had never been so far up north. -2-
Farrah, with mid-length shiny black hair, and much shorter and more petite than Maya, Lily, and Rose, was always considered the runt of the group. At barely five feet, she was hoping for a growth spurt before high school started. Lily, once Farrah’s height, had grown during 8th grade and now matched Rose’s height. Lily had a strong built frame with short black hair. Rose, with her long black locks and narrow frame, was much stronger than she looked. These three friends met and became close through a monthly adoptee group hosted by their parents. Once forced to hang out, they found that they could share experiences with each other that their parents couldn't understand. Maya, who first became friends with Farrah in elementary school and eventually became close with the other two girls, found a spot within the group as well. Although Maya's life experiences were different from the others, that didn’t stop them from all listening, supporting, and loving each other. Farrah braced herself against the car window, her nose smudging the glass, as she watched the sea of green pass by. A totally new world was awaiting her, and she couldn’t wait to be a part of it! She couldn’t wait to go canoeing with her friends and hike around the woods together and collect firewood, but as she thought of these activities more, without her friends to calm her worries, Farrah started to fret again. The smile dropped off Farrah’s face and her knees stopped bouncing. What if she wasn’t strong enough to do any of those things? What if her arms were too weak to move the canoe oars or she was too slow to keep up with the group? What if she collected the wrong type of firewood? Was there even a wrong kind of firewood? Farrah shook her head to clear her thoughts. She shouldn’t worry about these things, Farrah thought to herself, trying to dismiss her fears. If she messed up, her friends would -3-
help her out. Maya and Rose had a ton of camping experience and Lily’s determination could get them through anything. She could always rely on her friends in times of trouble. Despite this, a seed of worry sprouted in Farrah’s heart. Even if her friends did help her whenever she messed up, would there come a time when they would get tired of it? Would they eventually get tired of her, too? Farrah always feared being too much of a burden, whether it was for her parents or her friends. She wanted to do well in school and help out her friends. Farrah’s thoughts occupied her attention for the whole car ride, and before she knew it, the car was pulling up to the camp. As they drove toward the camp, two rows of counselors were lined up on either side of the road, cheering for the campers. Campers unloaded their luggage, with some of the returning girls greeting the counselors. Farrah peeked through the window at the towering trees with their bristling pinecones. The air had a fresh crispness that Farrah had never felt in the cities, with sweet birdsongs and the honking geese calling nearby. Maya and Rose, who had arrived at camp earlier, rushed over to greet Farrah and help her with the bags. Farrah’s mom and dad got out of the car to hug Farrah and say their goodbyes.
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A counselor asked where Farrah’s parents were. Farrah gestured directly behind her back, as her parents were standing less than a foot behind her, the counselor was first confused, but was able to quickly compose herself and put on a big welcoming smile. “My name is Farrah Shū Smith, and these are my parents.” The counselor replied, “Looks like you’ll be in Cabin 12, please head over and wait for your counselor,” as she checked off Farrah’s name and quickly turned to the next camper. Farrah had grown use to this confusion, because her parents didn’t look anything like her, but she learned to not let it get under her skin with the help of Lily and Rose. As Farrah started heading for her cabin, her mom pulled her in for one last hug. Excited to join her friends, Farrah wriggled out of her grasp and bound off to join them. Farrah’s mom leaned into her dad and whispered, “I hope we made the right decision letting her come here.”
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CHAPTER 2 The cabin was unimpressive from the outside, but as Farrah, Rose, and Maya entered, it opened up into a massive room with bunk beds climbing the walls. “We’re already set up over here,” Maya gleamed as she gestured to Farrah toward the left side of the cabin. Farrah began to unpack, and gently brought Panda out of her backpack. Panda, who went with her everywhere, was a stuffed animal given to her during the adoption process by her orphanage—creatively named by Farrah at age 2. Farrah wondered to herself if she was too old to bring a stuffed animal along, but she couldn’t bear to leave Panda behind, sitting on her bed alone—she didn’t want him to feel abandoned. While the group was waiting for Lily, Farrah finished unpacking her bags.
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Lily was never on time, but when she did show up, everyone would know it. Lily managed to demand attention with her energy and fearless attitude. The girls, by now fully unpacked, met the other two as they came in. Emma, with two large pink suitcases, was fully decked out in high-end camping gear and a stylish look, from her waterproof boots to her brimmed, UV-shading hat to her bright bandana. Even though all the girls received the same packing list—toiletries, clothing, sleeping bag, and hiking boots—the size and number of bags each girl brought differed drastically. Robby, another camper, strolled in, introduced herself, and proudly stated, “I was told to grab everyone who has arrived for our camp checks.” She was the first to arrive and had spent the past two hours trying to chat with all the counselors. Although too young to be one yet, she took it into her own hands to act like a counselor whenever she could. “One, two, three… we seem to be missing one person… there are only five of us here,” said Robby. She tried to make the executive decision to head out, proclaiming, “If you’re late, you miss out.” Farrah, not wanting to leave out Lily, tried to find the words to ask Robby if Rose, Maya, and she could wait, but she couldn’t seem to muster the courage. Just then, Lily burst in. “You’re here,” Farrah squealed in excitement as she, Rose, and Maya, ran towards their tardy friend for a four-girl bear hug. Lily tossed her belongings to the side, and swooped the girls up. “Let’s go now, you can hug and unpack later,” Robby demanded. -7-
Lily looked directly at Robby, smiled, and gave the girls one more squeeze. She wouldn’t let anyone boss her around, especially not another camper. Although the entire encounter only lasted a few minutes, Robby was visibly annoyed. The group hurried along the dirt path with cabins and trees scattered around the lake’s edge to a stout log house. A tall, lumbering counselor, who introduced herself as Tate, peered over at the trembling group of campers, asked where their counselor was and what their cabin number was. The second she heard Cabin 12, she scoffed and murmured under her breath, “I can’t believe she left the campers unsupervised—they should fire her.” “Okay, well come in, we need to check your temperatures and see if you have lice, even if your counselor isn’t here,” she barked with annoyance. Robby chimed in, “I made sure all of us got here and on time too.” Even though there was no direct schedule for the health visit, Tate thanked her and asked Robby to lead the girls inside, which she proudly agreed to do. As the girls waited in line for their heads to be combed through and their mouths stuck with thermometers, they all started asking where their counselor was. More and more cabins were showing up, each led by a counselor who had neatly lined up the girls from their cabins–very different from the unorganized, leaderless group from Cabin 12.
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The girls turned to Robby and asked where their counselor was, since Robby had been told to gather the group. Robby was delighted to have information that the other girls didn’t share, “She has personal business to attend to,” she spouted. As the camp medical checks were wrapping up, the hardy bunch from Cabin 12 followed the rest of the cabins to a large open field. Robby, their self-appointed leader for now, explained to the other girls that they were headed to the camp's opening orientation. Signs were lined up with bold black letters announcing cabins numbered 1 to 15. Each cabin grouped together near their designated spot and sat down to await the opening speech. With promises of life-changing events and everlasting friendships, camp director Margaret ended her speech with reminders that they should always listen to their counselors and that cabins 10 to 15 would be heading out for their canoe trips early the next morning. Each group would be canoeing and portaging in similar areas, but their paths would not intersect. “Just remember to check yourselves for ticks–it is July after all,” Margaret declared. Led by Robby, the Cabin 12 girls strolled back to their cabin. Ready for a rest, they were met by a red-headed girl, who turned out to be their counselor, Jasmine. “I’ll be your counselor! Sorry, I wasn’t able to be here earlier, girls–I had personal business to attend to.” Jasmine thanked Robby for stepping up, which brought a proud smile to the younger girl’s face. -9-
That night after they packed up their gear—clothes, sleeping bags, food, tents, cooking supplies, etc.—for the canoe trip, the counselors from Cabins 10-15 hosted a bonfire to roast s'mores, get to know each other, and tell scary stories. Robby, who was perched on a nearby tree stump, took advantage of a lull in conversation to offer, “Have you guys heard about Old Man Joe, who lives in the creek? The story goes that one summer, many years earlier, Joe took his family up to the Boundary Waters, but his wife and kids mysteriously drowned during the full moon. He told everybody that it was a canoe accident. But before anyone could look into it further he had packed up his car and disappeared. In the years since, there have been many sightings of Old Man Joe in the Boundary Waters during a full moon, and people think that some of the other campers who have gone missing are his other victims—drowned just as suspiciously as his wife and children.” Silence resumed, and as the fire crackled and sparked, Farrah’s eyes darted around the surrounding trees, tracking every shifting shadow.
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CHAPTER 3 6 AM Call Time! Jasmine opened the curtains, and the fresh rays of the morning sun hit the girls’ faces. Begrudgingly, each one woke up and, with a little prompting from their counselor, got ready for the first day of their canoe trip. All of the food, sleeping bags, tents, and other supplies for their two-week trip were packed into four large canvas Duluth packs. Emma insisted on bringing along an extra pair of hiking boots in case her first pair got dirty or wet. She also snuck in enough clothes to last her an extra week. They ate breakfast in the dining hall and then grabbed the rest of the gear for the send-off ceremony.
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Cabin 10, led by Tate, was the first group to leave from the Lake Feat shores. The whole camp waved each set of canoeists goodbye. Cabin 12 was the next to leave. As the girls excitedly hopped into the canoes lined up on the shore, Jasmine moved over to Farrah and said, “Since we have an odd number of people, we’ll need one person to sit in the middle of a canoe with the bags. Are you okay with taking that position for now?” Farrah managed to plaster a cheerful grin on her face and give Jasmine a nod, but she couldn’t help the wave of disappointment that washed over her. Although she was nervous about not being strong enough to keep up with the others, she had resolved to give it her all and do her best to show everyone that she could be just as strong as everyone else. While Jasmine had probably picked her at random, it still felt like a confirmation of her fears: that everyone else thought she would be dead weight. The Cabin 12 group of seven girls—Farrah, Lily, Rose, Maya, Emma, and Robby, and their counselor, Jasmine—had three canoes among them. Three canoes held two campers each, and the third one held Farrah, Lily, and Jasmine. Farrah’s worries about not contributing enough began to creep back in, but she couldn’t help almost feel relieved to have been given the middle seat - at least she knows she won’t be able to slow the group down. Jasmine steered from the back and led the other canoes, pointing out the various wildlife to the girls, all of them hoping to see the elusive bear, moose, or beaver. Farrah, already self-conscious about not contributing, wanted to learn whatever she could. She not only looked for wildlife, but also asked Jasmine how she to use the map to navigate. In between rows, Jasmine passed the map to Farrah, who then unfolded the paper to take a better look. Equal parts blue and green, the map was filled with squiggly - 12 -
circular lines, topographical marks indicating what areas were lower or higher in elevation. Farrah quickly picked up how to tell where they were based on the location of the sun and the compass on the map. The next few hours, led by Farrah’s directions (with Jasmine checking up to make sure they were going the right way), the group arrived at their first portage. Crossing over from lake to lake meant taking a three-mile trek over forested terrain between them. As the girls docked, Jasmine tried to give them a pep talk, saying, “This is the longest portage of the trip! If you can do this, you can do any of them!” Three canoes, four packs, and seven girls. It was safe to say that even Jasmine’s words of encouragement didn’t stop Farrah from feeling intimidated by that math. How much weight was she going to have to carry? The 65-pound aluminum canoes required a combination of strength and balance from the girls to stabilize them on their shoulders. Lily eagerly grabbed one of the bulky canoes to carry along with Robby, boasting to the others how easy it would be for her. Wanting to pull her weight, Farrah asked if she could carry one, too. “One, two, three, rock up,” they counted, as Farrah and Jasmine balanced a canoe on their knees and rolled it up over their shoulders onto Farrah’s back. Farrah could feel the weight of the canoe pushing her into the ground while simultaneously throwing her off balance. She tried to stabilize herself by taking a few
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steps, but wobbled and began to tip over. Jasmine quickly angled the boat and took on more weight to allow Farrah to escape from beneath it. “Maybe you should start with one of the packs,” Jasmine assured her. “I’ll take the canoe for this portage.” That left Farrah, Rose, Maya, and Emma to each carry a pack that weighed around 35 to 45 pounds. Their second job was to support the canoes if those portaging them needed a break. They all set off on the long path ahead. After just minutes had passed, they were already exhausted. Robby was the first one who asked for a break; she needed to pause for five minutes before continuing. After another 10 minutes passed, Robby and Maya both needed a break from the weighty aluminum canoes. Feeling the girls’ energy diminish and their tiredness rise, Farrah started to sing one of the camp songs they had learned in an effort to bolster their spirits. Soon all the girls began to chime in, and the group got to the next portion of the portage in seemingly no time. During this period, the group ran into a few other groups coming from the opposite direction. Finally, an hour and a half and many breaks later, they began their descent to their destination. Once the water was spotted, the girls quickened their pace in their eagerness to drop their heavy loads. The canoes were placed in the lake, the packs nestled inside, and the group began to paddle the short distance to their first camping spot.
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Once they arrived, Jasmine directed the girls on setting up the tents, gathering kindling for the fire, and cooking dinner. Robby made sure the girls were following their assigned roles, and she scolded anyone who was out of order. The camp was set, the fire was made, and dinner was served. The girls hurriedly ate some soggy pasta with metallic-tasting marinara sauce. Even though their spaghetti dinner was arguably one of the more lackluster meals she’d had, due to her exhaustion and hunger, it tasted heavenly to Farrah. And she should know a thing or two about pasta quality, having had many such dinners to compare it to. After she had arrived in the U.S. from her orphanage in China, noodles had been one of the few foods she would eat. Her parents once told her that she had eaten everything put in front of her for the first few weeks in the States, but then, perhaps because of an overabundance of food choices or just a need to control something after such a major life shift, she became the “world’s pickiest eater.” Once the meal was over, Jasmine put out the fire, showing the girls how to ensure that it wouldn’t flare up again during the night—and hung their food bag high in a tree to keep it away from unwanted visitors like bears or raccoons. The group, exhausted from their long day, got ready for bed and stowed themselves away in their tents. Under the reassuring covering of canvas and the warm environment of their sleeping bags, the girls cozied up with each other and fell asleep. After an uneventful and restful night, they were awoken bright and early by Jasmine, who produced their breakfast—cereal with dehydrated milk.
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Farrah, Lily, and Rose were all lactose intolerant. This was an unfortunate side effect of their Asian genes, and one never properly understood by their adoptive parents. If it was up to them, they would have chosen to avoid having any dairy, as one too many upset stomachs tends to leave a lasting impression. But, more often than not, they would accept the glass (or in this case, bowl) of milk just to avoid upsetting the person who offered it. Rose’s parents always served her a glass of milk for dinner, and, too polite to refuse, she drank it and faced the consequences later. Lily remembered her mom always saying, “Drink your milk—it builds strong bones!” And Lily, who never wanted to be weak, would drink it up eagerly, too embarrassed to say what was supposed to make her strong instead made her sick. Farrah’s Dad had thankfully stopped serving it when he saw she only ever took sips, leaving the glass almost full. With a long day ahead and not wanting to cause a fuss, they dove into the meal alongside the rest of the girls. They spent the rest of the day gritting their teeth and clenching their paddles as they pushed through their stomach cramps. Three more days passed, and the girls grew closer as friends—seemingly never running out of songs, games, or stories to share. Farrah became the expert navigator and carried the heaviest pack during portages. “Tonight’s a full moon,” Robby gushed. “Just think how pretty the lake will look in the moonlight!” The day only included a short half-mile portage, so the girls even had time to dock and make PB&J for lunch.
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When the crew arrived at their fifth campground, they set up camp like a well-oiled machine and Robby expanded on the story of Old Joe making it more gruesome, this time under the full moon. Too scared to spend time outside, they quickly got ready for bed and hastily swung the food up the tree and put out the fire. That night, outside their tent, they heard a loud noise. Too afraid to move, they huddled together and Maya tried to assure everyone that it was just a fallen tree. The next morning, when the girls rose and looked around, something felt off, Farrah thought to herself. They began rolling up their sleeping bags and then went outside. It was too bright out and there was no breakfast waiting for them, but worst of all, Jasmine was nowhere to be seen. Farrah asked Emma—the proud owner of a waterproof smart watch—what time it was. “It’s 10:48 am!” she piped up. “So…where is Jasmine?” Farrah asked in fear.
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CHAPTER 4 Farrah walked over to Jasmine’s tent and called loudly for her. No answer came, so the girls unzipped the tent and peered inside. Jasmine was nowhere to be found, though her sleeping bag and personal items were still inside. Emma began to panic and, with a frantic look in her eyes, turned to the others and wailed, “What are we going to do?” Robby, for once, was too stunned to take over, and the other girls were too overwhelmed to think clearly. “Let’s just look around and try to figure out our next move,” Farrah suggested. They formed two groups: the first was made up of Emma, who demanded to stay with her belongings; Rose who was nervous about going away from camp; and Robby, who insisted on staying because the others would need a leader (though in reality, she was also too frightened to leave the camp’s “safe” grounds). - 18 -
Farrah, Lily, and Maya agreed that they would explore the surrounding area to gather any clues that could be found. The campsite group went to check the canoes, thinking that Jasmine had maybe taken one out for a morning trip but they found that all four were still right where they’d left them Robby advised the others, “Let’s just go back and wait for the others to return–there’s nothing to find here.” Although always reserved, Rose piped up, “But what about the food bag?” The girls all looked over to where the food bag should be hanging—12 feet away from the campfire and 12 feet off the ground—but it wasn’t there. Instead, strewn across the ground were a few empty food wrappers. The girls followed the trail of empty packaging and found the large food bag nearly empty. Emma shrieked, “What if a bear ate Jasmine too?” Rose, who was already rummaging through the nearby shrubbery in the hopes of finding some open food, mentioned, “We don’t even know if it was a bear.” Robby butted in, “Well of course it was a bear, that’s probably the only thing that could have reached all the way up there. Besides, what else would be big enough and smart enough to reach it?”
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At that unsettling thought, the girls went quiet. A half mile into the woods, Lily led the other group in their search for Jasmine, parting the branches for the others. The group stayed close together, flinching at any noise that filtered through the foliage around them. Not far from the camp, Farrah spotted dark red specks that contrasted glaringly with the green thickets surrounding it. She beckoned the others toward the spot. Maya, whose family members had long been hunters, groaned, “That’s blood.”
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CHAPTER 5 All six girls gathered around the firepit and shared what they had found. There was still no sign of Jasmine. Lily protested, “So…is our conclusion really that a bear ate her?” “You did find blood,” Emma chimed in. Rose mumbled, “It was the full moon last night, you don’t think…” Suddenly there was a loud crash, and the girls huddled closer together. “Old Man Joe?” whispered Robby, as the girls shuddered. The wind was picking up, and the trees continued to bend and wave.
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“We have to make a plan,” pleaded Farrah. “How long can we last with our current food supplies?” she asked Maya and Rose. “At least all of the iodine tablets are here, but without all our food…two, maybe three days if we really stretch it,” Maya said. Rose interrupted, “And that’s really pushing it.” They all concluded that they either needed to get back to base camp or find another group before they ran out of food. Either way, it was critical that they tell somebody about Jasmine’s disappearance. Farrah pulled out the map from her pack, and they all gathered around. “We know the other groups are in this general area,” said Farrah, circling a 50-mile radius with her finger.” But we were never told which campsites or lakes the others could be found in.” If they retraced their steps, it would take them five days to get back to the main camp, but as Farrah pointed out, there was a more direct route they could take. The main problem, however, was that it involved taking a long uphill portage making it more difficult to move quickly e. If they took this route, it would take them three full days of strenuous portaging and canoeing to get back, with barely any time for breaks. Emma interjected, “Or we could just wait here. I’m sure they’ll come looking for us soon—they wouldn’t leave us stranded.” “We’re in the senior camping group, so the counselors only check in with the camp at the halfway mark and at the end of the trip,” says Lily. “No one will even know we’re missing for five more days, and it’d take them a few more to be able to even reach us” - 22 -
A moment of silence ensued as the seriousness of the situation sunk in further, and Emma began to cry. As the rest of the group consoled her, Farrah couldn’t help but wonder if her overprotective parents had been right. They had been nervous about allowing her to go on this trip, miles away from the nearest hospital and with only a few other girls for company. Instead, they had suggested that she attend an academic camp—something more controlled, and more importantly, less dangerous. It also didn’t hurt that an academic camp would help further her education. Her mom, who was a doctor, and dad, who worked in technology, often joked about what career path Farrah might take. They frequently engaged in lighthearted ribbing over whose field of study Farrah would take interest in, and although it was just banter, Farrah understood that there was still a genuine expectation that she would either go into either the medical or computer science fields. Farrah had felt a lot of pressure from them to skip the canoe trip in favor of a science camp in the cities. Farrah reviewed the websites and “testimonials” and discovered that each camp had a rigid schedule, with the hours planned from the moment they woke up until the moment when they closed their eyes to sleep. While that might sound appealing for hopeful future medical students or budding coders, it did not appeal to Farrah— especially when her best friends would be going on an exciting and adventurous canoe trip, and she’d be left behind. When Farah had first brought up the idea of the canoe trip to her parents, they were a bit doubtful about her ability to handle the excursion, given her lack of outdoor experience. It took a detailed PowerPoint presentation and passionate debate by all four girls to get - 23 -
them to agree, which they did only under one condition: that they go into the Boundary Waters with the camp’s most experienced counselor. Although Farrah knew her parents would love and support her no matter what, that didn’t mean they hadn’t blown a fuse at her a time or two. Although she’d gotten into minor trouble before, this was the first time she had ignored their wishes and prioritized what she wanted—-and, given the danger of the situation, this definitely qualified for fuseblowing She always wanted to make her parents proud, but the strain of trying to be perfect all the time was tough to handle, and she felt the burden of having to demonstrate her gratitude towards them—especially as an adoptee. And here it was: The first time she had pushed back and gone against their wishes—disaster! Her counselor goes missing, their food is mostly gone, and the girls were left alone to find their way back to base camp. But now it was important that they decide what to do. “We have to make a decision,” Farrah announced. Robby spoke up, saying “Well, unless we want to go hungry for a few days, we really only have one option, don’t we?” As Farrah looked around the circle of faces, a sense of grim determination seemed to come over the group. “Alright then. Let’s get packed up and head out,” Farrah replied.
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CHAPTER 6 As the girls began to pack, Robby reminded them that they needed to move lightly and quickly if they wanted to make it back before their food ran out. The moment Robby looked away, Lily rolled her eyes, making Mya let out a small snort of laughter. But Robby had a point---if they wanted to make good time crossing the steep terrain, they were going to have to get rid of unnecessary baggage to lighten their load. Notably, Emma's additional items–an extra pair of hiking boots and an overabundance of sweaters, socks, and even a pillow–would have to be left behind. As the group went through the packs to identify any other unnecessary baggage, they also came across some overlooked items that could be of help on their detour. Rose pulled out her sketchbook, and suggested that they could use it to keep track of important information. She also fished out her camera, which they then used to take pictures of the
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campground-–focusing on the scattered food site and the specks of blood in the nearby woods. After fishing around in her bag for a bit, Emma let out a triumphant yell, holding up a walkie-talkie. “We might be able to use this to contact the other counselors!” she beamed. “Boy am I glad I had that. It had completely slipped my mind!” As she passed the device off to Rose and Maya to tinker with, Lily squinted at Emma. “That walkie-talkie had the Blythe logo on it, which means it was camp-issued. Only the counselors get to have them.” Emma looked like a deer in headlights as the rest of the girls paused to stare at her. "Where did you get this?" Robby demanded. Emma, looking more flustered by the second, said “I found it laying on one of the benches at base camp! There was no one else around and I didn’t think anyone would care too much if it went missing.” “UGH!” Maya screeched as she threw the walkie-talkie to the floor. “The walkie-talkie isn’t working! The stupid batteries are probably dead.” Rose patted Maya’s clenched hands soothingly before reaching down to pick up the discarded device. “We should still take it with us, just in case we find a way to get it working.”
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The group continued to sort through their bags, with Emma producing not only a camplabeled first aid kit, but another camp-standard compass as well, prompting more sideeyeing by the rest of the girls. As Farrah got to the bottom of her backpack, she pulled out her stuffed animal. Panda had been with her through thick and thin, and had never been far from her side. But with the difficult trek ahead of them, they needed as little baggage as possible. How could she ask the others to carry even a little more weight than necessary, knowing that they would already be struggling? Farrah squeezed Panda tightly, and with a brief moment of hesitation, tucked it gently back into her bag. After removing the last of the dead weight, they consolidated their belongings so the bags weighed less – with the heaviest items in the bottom and evenly dispersed, just as Jasmine had taught them. Then they dragged their packs to the canoes and hopped in, with Farrah as the navigator in the middle seat, Maya steering from the stern, and Rose at the bow. The second canoe had Lily in the front–the powerhouse, Emma in the middle, and Robby in the back, steering. This configuration allowed them to leave one canoe behind, making portaging that much easier. After traversing a short distance across the lake they reached their first portage. This one was short, just half a mile, but with tedious, inclined terrain. Lily, the strongest member of the group, grabbed a canoe, as did Robby and Maya, both of whom had the most experience balancing a canoe. The rest of the girls each grabbed a Duluth pack. The rocky path required that they watch their steps carefully, so they kept their eyes on the ground as they walked. The girls chatted as they moved with the topic of conversation - 27 -
inevitably returning to their missing leader. “Well if it wasn’t a bear that got her, there could have been some kind of accident,” Farrah said. “I did see a creek near our campsite,” Maya offered. “Jasmine told me that she might go wading over there before we moved to the next portage site, and there has been a lot of rainfall in the past month. It’s possible that she may have fallen in and gotten swept downstream, and could have washed up safely on shore somewhere.” Lily wasn’t convinced. “It hasn’t been raining that much in the past few weeks. Besides, I doubt the creek is really all that deep. Jasmine probably would have been able to get out safely even if she did take a fall. Plus, what about the blood we found?” “Well, what do you think happened?” Maya quipped, turning around briefly to glance at Lily bringing up the end of the line. “Well,” Lily mused, shifting her canoe on her shoulder, “nothing looked out of place in her tent, so if somebody rather than something had a part to play in her disappearance, the struggle probably took place when she was somewhere else. I think it’s more likely that—” Lily's words were cut off by her own gasp as her foot slipped out from under her, her canoe sliding off her shoulder to tumble down the hill below. Just as quickly as she had fallen, she braced herself on her elbows and pushed her upper body off the ground; however, as Lily tried to stand up, she let out a hiss of pain. “Oh my gosh, Lily!” Farrah shouted, as the rest of the girls came to a stop with eyes wide with concern. “Are you okay?” Maya called out.
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“I’m alright, but my ankle isn't doing so great” Lily replied, as the two people nearest to her, Farrah and Rose, put down their bags and rushed down to check on her. "I think I just need a little break to rest it, but then I should be able to keep going," Lily insisted, but as Farrah leaned over her friend, she noted that Lily’s ankle was already swelling. Robby wedged her canoe between two nearby trees and joined the growing crowd around Lily Farrah expected her to make some snarky comment, or that she would push them to keep going, but instead Robby helped Lily sit down and began to wrap her ankle with some bandages from the pilfered first-aid kid. "This will help with the swelling." Robby said as Lily leaned on her shoulder. “We should all take a breather for a few minutes.” Rose and Emma joined the others gathered around Lily and they all stopped to take a rest. To pass the time, Farrah and Maya took out the camera and began flipping through the photos, stopping when they got to the pictures of the wrecked food bag. "It couldn't have been a bear," Maya declared, to which Emma replied, “Why do you say that?” Maya gestured toward the camera, which was currently displaying a shot of the remains of the food bag. She then asserted that, because the material was light but not durable, like canvas would be, a bear would have torn it apart rather than causing one clean rip. Lily leaned over to look and said with a wince, "Do you think it was cut by a knife?"
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An uneasy silence ensued. Farrah coughed, and deciding they were in need of a lighter topic, asked Lily, “So how do you feel now?" Lily, not one for asking for help, said, "I think I can walk…" but then hesitantly added, "I might need some support, though." Shouldering one of the packs, Robby leaned over and brought Lily's arm over her shoulder to help get her to her feet. After reaching the top, the group began to tread down the path slowly, with Emma moving ahead to help spot them as Rose brought down the canoe Lily had once held, which she had retrieved from where it had fallen. The team made it down to the lake and placed Lily in the middle of the canoe, with her foot elevated. Emma agreed to be in the front and Robby in the back. The rest of the girls got into their canoes and began the trip to the next portage. Farrah and Rose, in an effort to raise the group’s spirits, started to sing camp songs, to which the others quickly began to sing along Hours passed, and the girls finally decided to take another break and have some lunch– more somewhat bland sandwiches–which seemed an even more tragic undertaking because they had no more jelly. “No more PB&J’s” Lily sighed, “just PB’s” After gulping down lunch, the girls continued to their next portage: a flat, heavily trafficked path during high season, but at this time of year the only other visitors they had to share the trail with were squirrels and chipmunks.
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Although it was more accessible terrain, this portage was also much longer than the previous one–a full two miles to the next lake–and Rose volunteered to take over for Robby in supporting Lily down the path. As they were deciding who would carry the canoes and packs for this next leg of the journey, Farrah stepped up to the plate. “Since I’ve just been carrying a pack during the previous portages, I’ll take one of the canoes this time.” “Are you sure?” Rose asked. “You don’t need to push yourself if you don’t feel up to it. “No,” Farrah responded firmly. “I can do it. I want to do my fair share.” The rest of the group needed no further convincing, and helped Farrah hoist one of the canoes onto her shoulders; however, just like before, her knees began to buckle as soon as its weight started to press down onto her. But unlike before, this time she strained against the downward force, mustering the strength to stabilize her legs. She managed to take one step forward and then another, and then several more after that. And with that, the group continued on its way Even with a few breaks here and there, they were making good time, but Farrah could feel each step getting harder. With the longer-than-normal paddling day, and only a few rations to eat, the weight of the canoes seemed to multiply. The rest of the group noticed that Robby and Farrah appeared to be struggling with their respective canoes, and so without speaking, Maya and Emma moved to help the two girls with the weight, each shouldering part of the burden of one of the canoes. With their joint efforts helping to minimize the exhaustion of the canoe-bearers, the group made it to the next lake with fewer breaks than before.
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After one more short paddle across the lake, the girls reached their campsite for the night. They all had a simple dinner of dry cereal, thanks to them running out of their dehydrated milk rations (a fact that made Lily, Farrah, and Rose feel secretly relieved ) and promptly went to bed.
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CHAPTER 7 BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! . Emma's alarm went off. Everybody but Lily was already wide awake. They took turns peering out of their tent, but nothing had changed other than the fact that the sun was peeking out over the horizon. Robby lifted her arms over her head in a prolonged stretch, and asked the others “How did everybody sleep?” “I slept pretty soundly,” Lily said, yawning, “but even though I’m not tired anymore, my ankle still hurts, not to mention the muscle aches.” A chorus of assenting groans rose up as the rest of the group similarly stretched out their arms and legs, and massaged their aching joints.
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“I think my messed-up sleep schedule is getting to me,” Rose added. “I had some really weird dreams last night. In one of them I was getting chased by a figure through the woods, and in another all I could hear was this weird crackly voice that almost sounded familiar.” “Do you think that was your subconscious dredging up thoughts of Old Man Joe?” Maya joked, nudging Rose with her elbow. “Oh gosh I hope not,” Rose said, frowning. “I would hate to have that weirdo pop up in my dreams.” After making another simple meal of dry cereal, they packed up the tent and belongings and prepared to head out. They all knew another long day was ahead. and after looking around at everyone’s slumped shoulders and weary faces, it was obvious to Farrah that they wouldn’t get far without a good energy boost. She put on a brave face, choked down the public-speaking jitters, and gathered the girls together before they set out. "Okay guys—I know pep talks can sometimes feel a bit cheesy, but I think we need one after the day we had yesterday. Just keep telling yourself: today will be a good day, and if we work together, we can make it through anything," she rang out with confidence. “I know we can do this!” The girls did their best to shake off their fatigue, with their responses to Farrah’s speech ranging from a halfhearted thumbs-up from Emma, to a beaming smile from Lily. Farrah grinned back in response, flexing her fingers to cover her shaking hands.
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When she was in kindergarten, she always stood out because she was one of the only Asian kids in her school. Anytime the attention was on her, it was for a "bad" reason. For example, once a boy had chased her around the playground with his hands stretching his eyes, yelling, "How can you see like this?" Or in middle school, she was noticed during drop-off and pick-up when the kids saw her white parents, and bombarded her with questions like, "Are you their real kid?" Whenever she would speak to her parents’ friends, they would often suggest how lucky she was to be adopted and how thankful she must be, something she was sure they would never think to suggest to kids who were biologically related to their parents. So while Farrah really hated to put herself forward, she had felt strongly that this occasion called for it. While she had always been close to Lily, Maya, and Rose, the strain of this experience had made her feel closer to them than ever before. She was even starting to feel a close bond with Emma and Robby, both of whom had started the trip out as strangers. Beyond being just friends, this group of girls had begun to feel more like family—so although public speaking still made her nervous, the fact that they were the ones she was speaking to made it way less intimidating. Lily blared out, "Hands in!" motioning the girls together. As a group, they shuffled forward and gathered in a circle, placing their hands in the center. Led by Lily, they all chanted "One, two, three… go team!" Then they all threw themselves into packing up once more before heading to the lake to start the last leg of their long journey.
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Like a well-oiled machine, they chugged along for two hours before they hit the first portage of the day, which went by quickly. Although her ankle was still injured, Lily had found a walking stick to support her weight and was able to limp along without anyone’s help. The other girls once again moved into the formation of dual-person canoe support, which also helped to speed up their pace. After arriving at their lake destination, they lowered their canoes into the lake and took a breather to admire the view. Glancing around, Rose called out, “Anyone know where Emma is?”
The group, starting to panic, began to look around for her frantically. They all started to shout her name, fanning out from the canoes. Thankfully, before long, one of them spotted Emma’s head poking out from behind a tree, a half-eaten granola bar in her mouth. Robby's face turned red, and in a rage she yelled, "You're taking food from the group?" Lily angrily stated, "We're all hungry and tired. Why would you do this?" Before the rest of the girls could start in on Emma, Farrah quickly jumped in to remind them that everything would feel heightened right now. "It's a good time for us to take a break and eat something," Farrah said. They finished the snack and set off again.
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The group's energy changed, and instead of joking or singing camp songs, they were silent.
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CHAPTER 8 The silence continued until the second portage of the day, when the girls needed to communicate while they were unloading and piling the canoes back onto their shoulders. Emma took Farrah aside and said, “I feel really bad about sneaking food from the group, I just got anxious about the limited food supply.” “Do you have the other granola bars in your bag?” Emma inquired. “Yes,” Farrah replied. Emma asked if she could have the leftover bars. Hesitant, but appreciative of Emma’s apology, she handed them over. Emma went to each girl individually, apologized for her behavior, and handed them each two bars, leaving none for her. Rose gave Emma a smile, and all the girls except for Robby thanked her for apologizing.
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It had been hours of intense paddling since their last meal. The girls broke off pieces of their bars to give to Emma. Robby refused to join in on the act, and instead turned away and continued to eat, facing away from them. Emma thanked them wholeheartedly for their kindness, but refused to take any food from them. So, the group finished the snack, and as they were getting ready to continue on the path, Robby handed one of the granola bars to Emma, saying, “I’m not hungry; you take it.” Emma tried to refuse, but Robby was too quick and was already headed down the path. The girls continued, and their chatter began to pick back up. They made it to their campsite a few hours past the hour they had intended, due to their slow and uncoordinated start, but make it they did! One more day, they told themselves, and they would be back at camp.
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CHAPTER 9 Farrah, Lily, and Rose hummed a lullaby they learned in their monthly middle-school Chinese adoptee meeting, called the Northeast Cradle Song, 东北摇篮曲. They all slept soundly, despite Lily’s constant snoring. Whether it was the song or pure exhaustion, no one knew, but they were glad to sleep well. After an early morning wake up, the girls ate their hardiest breakfast yet by polishing off the cereal. Their bellies almost full, they headed out in their canoes. The now livelier group had only one final portage to complete before reaching camp, but they faced a good six grueling hours of canoeing as well. After stopping for lunch and eating the last of their peanut butter sandwiches, they returned to the lake until they reached their final portage.
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This portage, just a mile long, somehow felt so much longer and more tedious than any of the previous ones; each step seemed harder than the last–maybe because they knew they were only an hour away from camp. Rose spotted a shiny cylindrical item next to the path. “Batteries,” she exclaimed, and rushed to pick them up. She pulled the dead walkie-talkie from the pack and loaded the batteries inside. The other girls put down their packs and eagerly listened as Rose flipped the device on. They heard a buzzing; it was working! They celebrated. But disappointedly, no one answered the first channel they tried.They continued to flip through channels until someone answered back on the other end. “Hello, who is this?” asked the crackly voice. Farrah briefly explained what had happened–that their counselor Jasmine had disappeared. But Farrah, as the group’s navigator, was able to tell them exactly where, only needing to finish one final portage and cross Lake Feat. “We’re so relieved you're safe, this is the camp director, Margaret, we’re headed over right now to pick you up at the end of the portage.” The girls, so relieved, knew that soon they would be safe with counselors and other campers. They just had to walk a final half mile with bags and aluminum weighing them down. But, the sound of the crackly voice, sparked Rose’s memory. She realized that it wasn’t just a dream, but her half-awake memory of hearing Jasmine talking to someone on the walkie-talkie the night she disappeared. - 41 -
Before Rose could say anything to the group, Lily picked up her walking stick and howled, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” She began quickly hobbling down the path, and the others followed. Suddenly the trees parted and they saw a very welcome sight: a motorboat at the lake’s edge, captained by Margaret and two other counselors. Margaret bundled them up with blankets and gave them each a snack, and the group sailed back to camp.
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CHAPTER 10 The girls were brought to the cafeteria, where a warm meal was waiting for them. Margaret explained that Jasmine had an urgent family matter and was picked up early in the morning by another camp associate who had been nearby. Jasmine has asked Tate to combine groups and pick her campers up around 7:30 AM. Tate insisted that Jasmine asked her to arrive at 1:00 PM, by the time she had arrived at the camp. Farrah, Mya, Lily, Rose, Robby, and Emma were long gone. Tate had called into base camp to report the missing girls. The camp had sent out search parties, but since the girls did not come back the way they came, and instead took a route assumed to be too difficult for them to take, the searches came up empty handed. Margaret was already inclined to believe Jasmine had stated an earlier time, because Tate should have known that the groups always start their days off early. - 43 -
Although Jasmine was still away with family, they pulled Tate up on the walkie-talkie to discuss the matter in more detail. “Why would Jasmine ask you to pick them up past noon?” Margaret asked Tate over the walkie-talkie, “Don’t you know the camper’s daily schedule?” she huffed. The sound of Tate’s voice on the walkie-talkie sparked Rose’s memory even further. Tate’s voice matched the voice on the other end of Jasmine’s conversation before she left. Rose was able to confirm that Jasmine did indeed ask Tate to cover for her in the morning, which Tate had agreed to do. “I remember why Jasmine sounded so distressed on the call–something about her dad’s cancer turned for the worse” This information had not been given to the group, so it confirmed that Rose must have overheard the conversation. Rose and Maya, who had been attending the camp for years, mentioned the longstanding rivalry between the two counselors. Jasmine, who had always been considered the “most experienced counselor,” always got first pick of canoes and portaging paths. But this rivalry didn’t truly explain why Tate had been willing to leave some inexperienced campers alone in the woods to find their way back without a leader. It could have been a deadly decision, made purely out of spite. Tate pleaded, “I didn’t think they would actually leave.”
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CHAPTER 11 And as for the ruined food bag? It turned out that two of Tate’s campers had stolen a pocketknife and snuck out of camp during the full moon. Tate mentioned to her group that the campers from Cabin 12 were also sleeping on the same island, just on opposite sides. Young and mischievous they thought they wanted to prank Cabin 12. The girls’ suspicion of foul play with the food bag was finally confirmed. "So childish," Emma said, while the others nodded in agreement. “We've called your parents, and they should be headed to camp to pick you up,” Margaret told the girls.
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But the girls looked at her and began to plead, "Please don't send us back! We want to spend more time together! Please!" Margaret seemed shocked that they would choose to stay at camp after their scary adventure, “I’ve spoken to all of your parents, they’re very eager to have you back” she insisted. Farrah had arrived at camp eight days earlier with three best friends–Lily, Maya, and Rose–but when she left it would be with a larger group of friends–Emma and Robby– who now felt more like family than friends. They weren't all easy to love at every moment, yet they had all found ways to support and nurture each other during an incredibly stressful and challenging few days. "If you’re coming back next year, put your hands in," Robby demanded. And one by one, each of the eight girls placed her hands together and shouted, "One, two, three… go, team!" The girls in solidarity, demanded lactose-free powdered milk, for next year, after all, it was the least Camp Blythe could do.
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