Day 1—Squirrelflight

If there is one thing I hate more than anything else, it's when someone says I can't do something.

You can't stay up until midnight; you have school tomorrow.

You can't go outside; it's raining.

You can't join the school's baseball team; it's boys only.

You can't hang out with him; he's going to get you in trouble.

You can't leave home to go on a summer road trip with your friends; you're only sixteen.

Bullshit.

It's all bullshit.

So that's how I ended up squished in the backseat of Brambleclaw's car, sitting next to the only other kid my age. Crowfeather is an annoying brat who's only tagging along because he and Feathertail are friends and she refused to leave him out. Stormfur and Tawnypelt are coming along because their respective siblings are, and they refuse to be separated.

I guess I should explain what's going on, huh?

My name is Squirrelflight. I'm sixteen years old and I'm from ThunderClan Township. My dad's actually in charge of the whole thing; his name is Firestar. Everyone says I look like him—bright red hair, green eyes, pale skin. Well, more specifically, I look like a perfect mix of him and my mom. I have Mom's pretty face but Dad's overall coloring. My sister, Leafpool, has brown hair and amber eyes, but she's got Mom's face, too. She and I have always been close, but lately, something's been going on. We don't talk much, and Mom and Dad have been policing me way more than usual. I'm talking about asking for all my passwords, putting in a strict 10 PM curfew, and tracking my phone.

I don't know what's going on, but it's annoying as hell.

Anyway, after a month of that, I decided to go on the road-trip Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt had planned with Stormfur and Feathertail. Brambleclaw was completely against me coming, but Tawnypelt, Stormfur, and Feathertail were all for it, so yay! I left a note for my parents, telling them not to worry and that I would be back in a month. Leafpool knows I'm going. She figured it out before I even told her what was happening. She's creepy and cool at the same time like that, but she gave me a gift after I told her—this journal. She suggested that I keep a travel diary, and that I should get the rest of the group to write in it too.

So… I don't know what else to say, really. We're three hours into the trip from Maine to San Francisco and I've done nothing but take a nap, listen to music, and write in this journal. I'm definitely taking Leafpool's suggestion of getting everyone else to write in it. It's… oddly calming. To be honest, we all have a reason for taking this trip. Mine is to get away from my family, just for a little while. I promised Leafpool that I'd send her a postcard whenever we stopped somewhere, so that's going to be interesting. I'm not sure what everyone else's are, but I'm sure they'll write them down. This is supposed to be some kind of bonding experience, right?

I guess I should give my thoughts on my traveling companions, then. Just first impressions and things like that, nothing big.

Let's start with Tawnypelt, because she's honestly my best friend besides my sister. She's seventeen, a year older than I am, and one of the coolest people I know. Her hair is dyed orange, black, and white, which you think would look totally weird but looks amazing on her. It accents her eyes, which are as green as mine. She was born in ThunderClan Township, but she moved to ShadowClan Township in an effort to be closer to her dad. I guess that's a big part of the reason she's so cool—she just does things without worrying about what other people will think.

Onto Stormfur. I don't know much about him. He's eighteen with dark gray hair and golden eyes and you'd think he'd be this tough guy who plays sports and picks on other kids, but he's a real sweetheart from what I've seen so far. He opened the car door for me when he saw that I was struggling with my suitcase and car-bag, so I know chivalry isn't completely dead. I guess I'll learn more about him as we go, but he's a real gentle giant. He's also pretty cheerful, which I'm sure will be a benefit down the line. Tawnypelt told us that it's a forty-nine hour drive to San Francisco and we'll need a lighter mood once we hit the Midwest.

Next up is Feathertail. Like Stormfur, she's eighteen—in fact, they're twins! Their dad is my dad's best friend. According to Graystripe (their dad), she looks just like her mom—slender and pretty, with long silver hair and blue eyes. Pretty girls like her make me nervous because in every high school movie, it's pretty girls like her who try to dump pig's blood on girls like me. But, no. Feathertail is probably one of the nicest people I know. She and Stormfur were born in ThunderClan Township, like Tawnypelt, Brambleclaw, and me, but they live with their grandfather in RiverClan Township now. I know it makes their dad really sad, but they visit as often as they can.

As for Crowfeather, I don't know much about him, either. We're in the same grade, but he's pretty closed-off to most people. He has dark gray—almost black—hair and blue eyes. I know for a fact that he runs track at school and he's one of the fastest people on the team. As a result, I know a bunch of girls have crushes on him, but I don't get it. From what little interaction we've had, he's rude, standoffish, and quiet. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we weren't shoved in the back together, but as it stands, I'm not looking forward to sitting next to him.

Finally, let's talk about Brambleclaw. He's pretty tall, with dark brown hair and amber eyes that kind of remind me of Leafpool's. I've known him and Tawnypelt since they were kids. I know he's had it rough, but that doesn't excuse being a pain to me! He treats me like I'm six instead of sixteen. Like I said earlier, he was the one person in our group who was completely against me going on the trip. Tawnypelt said it's because he's afraid of my dad finding out. I find that idea weird because despite the fact that Brambleclaw's father is an absolute fucking asshole and hates my dad, Dad's always kind of liked Brambleclaw, to be honest.

So, yeah. We're six teenagers going from Maine to San Francisco and back over the next month with no parental supervision. As someone who's never gone any farther from home than Boston, this is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to see more than I ever have before!

-Squirrelflight.

Squirrelflight set down the travel diary on the seat next to her. It was the only thing separating her and Crowfeather, which she was grateful for.

"What's that?" Crowfeather asked her.

"A travel diary. Leafpool said I should keep one and get the rest of you to write in it."

"Uh, no!" called Brambleclaw from the passenger seat. "And a hell no!"

"You're no fun. Isn't this trip supposed to be a bonding experience?"

"Yeah, it could be fun to get all our thoughts down throughout the trip," Feathertail agreed.

The car they were traveling in was a van with four rows of seating. Currently, Tawnypelt was driving and Brambleclaw was riding shotgun. In the second row of seats was Stormfur and Feathertail, along with the Bag of Snacks (as Squirrelflight had dubbed it, earning a groan from Brambleclaw). Row three consisted of Squirrelflight and Crowfeather. As for the back row, it was full of their luggage, tents, and sleeping bags. The six planned to spend as little money as possible on the trip, intending to camp when they could.

"I'm open to it," Tawnypelt admitted.

"Can we play my music now?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Set it up and pass up your phone."

"What's happening?" Brambleclaw asked.

"I'm letting Squirrelflight take over music for an hour. She spent days making a playlist for the trip, so it's the least I can let her do."

"Here!" Squirrelflight handed her phone to Feathertail, who passed it up to Brambleclaw. He reluctantly plugged it in and pressed play. Soft guitar music filtered through the speakers before a man began singing.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way. New friends and new places to see!" Squirrelflight joined in.

"With blue skies ahead, yes, I'm on my way! And there's nowhere else where I'd rather be!" Feathertail and Stormfur decided to sing along, too, as did Tawnypelt.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way. And I'm lovin' every step I take! With the sun beating down, yes, I'm on my way! And I can't keep this smile off my face!"

Brambleclaw was beaten by the infectious combination of Squirrelflight being cute, Tawnypelt actually singing in the car, and the beauty of a Disney song. He was powerless to fend against it, which made him give up and join in. Crowfeather did, too, once he saw how much fun everyone else was having.

That night, they ended up going into a wooded area, where they set up their tents and made a fire, swapping stories about their respective lives. Squirrelflight ended up telling a story about the time she'd tried to sneak out of the house when she was six and had been caught by her mother. Sandstorm had thought it was funny, but that didn't stop her from withholding dessert from her daughter for a week following the incident. The redhead was giggling in a way that made Brambleclaw want to sit next to her, but he refrained.

If anything happens to her, it's your ass on a platter. You're the only one on this trip that her dad really knows and the only one who lives in ThunderClan Township. He will make you miserable if you touch his daughter.

And thus, day one of the trip to San Francisco drew to a close.