Day broke over the grassy field gently and with ease. Not a single cloud obscured the rising sun as it made its daily debut. The first to wake was Brian, and just as well. He needed the most time to absorb the shock that last night wasn't a bad dream. He got up and stretched, looking down at the circle of friends at his feet. He snickered to himself. Andy and Allison were both sleeping under his sporty jacket, Allison's head was on Andy's shoulder, and his arm was a cushion underneath her neck. Meanwhile, Bender was sprawled out on the floor, facing Claire, who in turn was curled up in a fetal position between his leg and arm. Brian had to whiz, and then he knew he had to wake everyone up, or else they'd lose time. Time, in this case, was more precious than money if they wanted to be in Shermer by Monday.

Brian answered his call of nature in a small grove of maple trees growing behind the museum. By the time he got back, Allison and Bender were stretching awake. Andy and Claire still were out cold. Brian felt glad; he'd probably be beaten senseless if he woke up Bender at daybreak.

"Morning, Brian," said Allison. "It's real…it wasn't a dream!" she remarked.

"This still sucks," Bender hissed, staring at Claire. "Better wake up the slugs," he said. Allison nodded. Bender started kicking the sole of Claire's boots. "Common, up and at 'em, Cinderella!"

Allison took a more subtle approach and leaned down close to Andy. He had such a round face with perfectly pink cheeks! She gently shook his shoulder. He gently fluttered his eyes open to reveal Allison's face surrounded by a halo of morning sunlight. Andy grinned. Seeing Allison's face first thing in the morning certainly made him feel ready for the day!

"Morning, sunshine!" he said. Oh god…did he REALLY just say that?

Allison didn't seem to mind. "Up and at 'em, Sporto! It's gonna be a long day!"

"Even more long if Sleeping Beauty over here won't get up!" said Bender. Claire still hadn't moved. He leaned close in to Claire's ear (amazing how she's spent the night on the ground and yet her hair still smelled like citrus shampoo) and snickered. "WAAAAAAKE UUP!" he hollered, sending Claire springing to her feet screaming. After she found her sense, Bender began laughing. Claire dealt him several feeble slaps, which didn't seem to bother him.

"You jerk! You pig!" she said. Everyone was cracking up.

"We're gonna start our trek as soon as we can, alright?" asked Brian. "I think there's a gas station a mile or so up the road. We can eat and get a map," Brian suggested. Andy nodded.

"Let's get going now!" said Allison. Bender nodded, and the group made their way to the main road and began heading east. The morning was cool and bright, which made for an easy walk. Andy, Allison, and Bender walked in front, Claire and Brian followed close behind. They were still tired, and Andy's back did hurt a bit, so it was a good hour before they found the gas station that Brian estimated to be only a mile down the road. It was a small little shack with a single gas pump.

Allison and Brian decided to stay outside. "I'll just eat whatever you get…but I'm allergic to peanuts," Allison said. Andy nodded. Allison and Brian sat down on the curb as the other three went into the store. A young man was at the counter with a missing front tooth and a huge zit on his eyebrow, tapping his finger.

Bender went for the maps along the back wall and began looking through them. Claire and Andy started looking at prices on bags of chips and protein bars, which could give them more strength. The protein bars were too expensive for each person to have one. Andy found a discount rack against the back wall, where old damaged boxes of glazed donuts were being sold for a dollar a dozen. It WAS carbohydrates, and a dozen would give each of them two and a half donuts…filling. Andy showed the box to Claire, who nodded. Claire had a gallon of water that was a dollar fifty. Water was important, so Andy agreed. Bender met them in front of the register with a map in his hand.

"It's of the area, and Shermer's right on the edge of the map, so it'll work," he said. The ugly cashier rang up the purchases. The total came $3.25. Bender had 33 dollars. $29.75 was enough to get them bus tickets if they were sold here.

"Does a bus to Chicago come by here, pizza-face?" asked Bender. The dimwitted boy shook his head.

"Nawh. The only bus out here runs through Hillsdale, I think," he said with a weird accent. Bender felt he was trapped in an episode of Green Acres, and he was talking to Ebb!

"How far down the road is it?" asked Claire.

"Ma'am, I think it's about 20 miles east of here," said the boy, giving Bender his change. "You all related?"

The trio ignored the boy and went outside with their loot. Bender sat down on the curb next to Brian and unfolded the map and whipped out a Sharpie he'd lifted from the gas station (it was a run down place managed by a teenager…who'd know?) and started plotting routes with him, while Andy, Allison, and Claire divided the donuts. The five ate their donuts in silence. By the time everyone finished, and took a sip of the water, they were full enough to start walking to Hillsdale, and Brian had found the quickest route.

Once on the road, things got boring quickly. Not a single person was on the road, on car or on foot. Brian didn't think they could make 20 miles in a day, not at their crappy pace. Bender kept himself busy by telling dirty jokes to Claire…

"A pirate with a steering wheel over his crotch walks into a bar, and the bartender says, 'Why do you have a steering wheel over your crotch like that? And the pirate goes, 'Ar! It's driving me nuts!'" Bender cracked himself up (Allison too, who was snickering to herself), but the joke had failed to amuse anyone else. "What's a zit on Dick Vernon's ass? A brain tumor!" Bender and Allison were again the only ones to laugh at the jokes, although Brian tried to hide the fact he cracked a smile. "Dick used to be a terrorist, you know. He got fired because one day his mob boss told him to go blow up a car, and he burned his lips on the exhaust pipe!"

This time Bender, Allison, and Brian all cracked up. Andy and Claire still refused to laugh. Bender kept it going.

"A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two-foot salami under the other. She lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says 'I suppose you won't be needing a drink?" The naked lady says—"

"—could you shut up for awhile, PLEASE?" asked Claire. Andy nodded.

"It's bad enough we're wandering around in the middle of nowhere after being abandoned by a school bus, but we don't need you shitty sense of—" Andy silenced himself after Allison gave him a pleading look saying "Remember last night…"

As noon approached, the group of five stopped to take sips of water, which was no longer cold…but a little under room temperature. Andy had been carrying it and using it as a surrogate dumbbell as he walked and doing reps on both arms with it. The gallon was half-empty, and it was lunchtime. Only Allison, who'd intelligently saved one of her donuts from the morning, ate anything. There weren't any buildings around, just the occasional barn and silo. At about one o'clock, Claire couldn't stand walking in her heeled boots anymore, so she took them off and slung them over her shoulder and walked barefoot. Brian had tripped over a rock while studying the territory and not looking where he was going, and walked with a slight limp in his left leg. Bender's forehead was lined with beads of sweat. Allison looked at the ground as she walked. Her ankles were blistering, but she didn't dare say a word, because no one had spoken since Andy told bender to stop telling bad jokes. Even Sporto Andy admitted to himself he needed a break. They refused to stop.

The sun began to dip lower in the sky, and Brian's watch read 2:34 PM. He sighed woefully and looked at the small set of clouds starting to build to the west. No, it couldn't rain now!

A sudden noise broke his train of thought. It was whistling sound coming from Bender's pursed lips. He almost immediately recognized it as the marching tune from "Bridge on the River Kwai" that they'd been whistling the day they all had detention together while waiting for lunch! Brian smiled to himself and picked up the harmony from where he'd joined in before. Andy and Claire joined in during the next refrain. Allison couldn't whistle, so she just blew air out of her mouth and picked up a twig on the side of the road and twirled it like a baton with a goofy grin on her face. Claire laughed at her random enthusiasm, especially how she was such a great twirler. Claire had twirled batons at cheerleader camp in 7th grade, but no one in the entire camp…even the counselors, were as skilled and coordinated as Allison was. The group didn't realize their feet began walking in unison with the beat of the song.

And so the five students walked along, whistling marching songs and slowly but surely made their way down the road towards Hillsdale.