Chapter 1
Travel
"Alex, wake up. We have to pack." Fox shook him.
"I don't wanna." He rolled over.
"You can sleep on the plane, dear. Get dressed so we can finish with your clothes." She walked over the suitcase on the ground.
Alex got out of bed and chose his clothes. He wore jeans and a tee shirt. He grabbed another shirt and a couple pairs of underwear. Fox searched for his swim trunks. Alex knew they still fit since he had tried them on yesterday. They finished packing his suitcase. Alex then started to pack his entertainment bag. He packed his laptop, the blanket from Serena, a travel pillow, his beloved stuffed panda, and his headphones. He packed a few books then frowned.
"What're you- Alex, you can only bring one." Fox told him.
"I want all my games." He whined.
"We're only going to be there a few days." She said.
Alex wrinkled his nose. "Fine."
He chose a few games for his PS4 and put it in the bag. Then they went to breakfast. His father and Owen were talking. There were eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Alex poured maple syrup on his stack of pancakes. He ate while Owen goes over the list of things they're bringing. They've packed several pairs of clothes, swimsuits, and shoes. They'll buy food when they get Oregon. Once that is settled, the dining room is quiet for a moment.
"What do you want to do when we get there?" Xanatos asked Alex.
"Food." Alex replied.
"After food." Fox chimed in.
"I dunno." He shrugged.
"It'll be too late to go into town. A bike ride?" Xanatos suggested.
"Hmm." Alex hummed, suddenly smiling.
"No racing. There will be other people about." Owen told him.
"Pfft!" Alex stuck his tongue out.
"We can race when there's less people out." Fox smiled. Alex grinned at her. Owen sighed.
Everyone finished breakfast soon after the conversation. They brushed their teeth and packed their toiletries. Alex and his family went to say goodbye to the gargoyles. They wished them a happy vacation. Then they went to the limo. The bags were in the trunk. Owen drove them to the airport. It was fairly early in the morning so traffic wasn't the worst.
When they got to the airport, they unloaded their bags and took them to the plane. It was a red and black plane. Fox inspected the plane. The baggage handlers dragged the suitcases into the plane. Alex looked at his phone. He scrolled through his messages. Fox gave it the all clear. The pilots taxied to the runway. Then the ramp was brought out. Alex walked up the ramp. The interior was white with dark blue seats. He found his bags and got out his pillow and blanket. He got himself situated. The rest of the family soon followed. Fox sat next to Xanatos. Owen was next to Alex. The captain told them to buckle their seat belts.
As they took off, Alex got his panda, Pandy, out. It was a gift from Lexington when he was a baby. Alex liked to sleep on long trips, but he got cranky when he wasn't comfortable. His parents gave him blankets and pillows, but he still wasn't happy. Owen decided to bring a toy for him to snuggle with and that solved the problem. Alex fell asleep to the sound of his parents talking.
When Alex woke up, he was in a rental car. The sun was up now. He rubbed his eyes. He was still holding Pandy. Nobody else was in the car. It looked like they were at the airport again. He put Pandy down and got out. He looked out into the parking lot. Owen was coming toward him.
"Ah, you're awake, Alexander. Your mother and father will be here shortly." He said.
"Where are we?" Alex asked.
"Atlantic Aviation. The pilots will stay at the Oregon branch of Xanatos Enterprises until we return." Owen told him.
"Why're we all the way up here?" Alex frowned.
"The plane has to refuel." He answered.
"Good morning, Sweetpea." Fox said.
"Hey, Mom." Alex hugged her.
"Your father wants to get out of Portland before lunch rush. We'll get you a snack when we get for groceries." Fox explained.
"Ok." Alex nodded.
"Alexander, do you need to use the bathroom?" Owen asked.
"Yeah." He said.
Owen took him to the bathroom inside the airport. When they came out, Xanatos was waiting for them. They all went to the car together. Then they drove out of Portland. Portland was built on the Willamette River and was spilt between east and west. Atlantic Aviation was in Northeast part of Portland so they had to cross the river. Alex got to see the boats on the river as they passed. The city was big enough and Alex watched the people. The city passed by quickly. Soon they were at the tunnel. It led into and out of the city. Alex saw there was a zoo, but Owen said they couldn't go.
They stopped at a Fred Meyer because they because the other stores didn't have what they wanted. Fox drove the cart as they looked at the food section. They got some bread, condiments, pickles, chips, cookies, a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, and pop tarts. They also got a case of water and two cases of soda, one of root beer and another of 7 up for Owen. Alex went to the deli and bought a quarter pound of potato wedges, the lady called them Jojos, and popcorn chicken.
They hit the road again. Fox tuned the radio. They were on I-5. It was boring to look at. Owen saw Alex had gotten two things for snack and made him choose one. He ate his Jojos. After he ate, he took out a book he brought and read for a bit. Video games in the car made him motion sick.
He was half way done when they took the exit to Bend. Alex looked around. He could see the backs of stores near the highway. The scenery soon turned to farmland. It turned into a forest of evergreens with a river after that. They passed a welcome sign shaped like a buzz saw blade. Owen parked the car at the Subway in an old gas station.
"Alexander, we are getting food now. If you don't want eat yet, we'll save it for later." Owen got out.
Alex unbuckled. He got out and stretched. The Subway was painted white and kept the covered area for the gas pumps intact. He went inside. There were tables and chairs as he expected. The soda fountain was near the cash register.
Owen got a 6 inch turkey sandwich, Xanatos and Fox split a Spicy Italian, and Alex got a foot long chicken bacon ranch. After they chose their toppings, Owen paid. Fox and Alex used the bathroom. Then they went back to the car. Alex walked to the trunk and opened it.
"We're saving the chips for later." Fox reminded him.
"I know." Alex said as he dug out a can of root beer.
"Owen, you want anything?" Xanatos walked over.
"My sunglasses." He answered.
"Anything else?" His father opened his suitcase.
"Water will be fine." Owen replied.
"Get in Alex; we still have to drive awhile." Fox told him.
"But we've been in the car forever…" He whined.
"We'll stop at Detroit Lake." Owen soothed.
"Can I play in it?" He asked.
"Yes, Alexander, you may play in the water." Owen added.
Alex got in the car. The rest of the family did too. Xanatos drove. It took a good 30 minutes to get there. Alex watched for a sign of the lake. He wiggled excitedly as it came into view. They pulled into the Mongold Day-Use Area. Xanatos barley parked the car when Alex dashed out in fox form.
"Alex, no!" Fox yelled.
He ran across the beach and into the water. There were a few people also on the beach. He yipped as he splashed about. His family got their sandwiches out and took them to the picnic area. Owen watched over Alex as he played. Alex swam out a bit. He saw some boaters fishing. He went a few more minutes before he got hungry. He swam back to shore.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Owen asked.
Alex shook his body and barked. Owen frowned. He ran and sniffed around for a minute. Then he and Owen went to the picnic table. His father and mother were eating cookies. Alex looked around and turned back to human. He sat at the table, unwrapping his sandwich.
"Did you like your swim?" Fox asked.
"Yeah." He nodded, smiling.
"I didn't think we'd have a picnic yet." Fox said.
"Alex slept on the plane ride. He was bound to get restless soon." Xanatos said.
"Hey!" He protested.
"You have lots of energy, Sweetpea." Fox told him.
"There is a store out on the Metolius we may stop at. It's an hour away." Owen chimed in.
"I wanna go!" Alex cried.
"Isn't that a bit out of the way?" Xanatos asked.
"Alexander will not be still now that he has known freedom." Owen ate his sandwich.
"I suppose so. But after Sisters, we're going straight to Bend." Xanatos said.
They ate and talked until Alex was done. They threw their trash in the dumpster. Everyone went to the car, buckling in. After they passed Detroit, named after the city in Michigan, Fox pointed out the window.
"That's Mount Jefferson, Alex." She said.
"Uh huh." He nodded.
"We'll see Mount Washington and the South Sister a bit later." She told him.
"Do you want to go hike, dear?" Xanatos asked.
"Perhaps tomorrow." Fox answered.
"Very well." Owen said.
The drive was quiet. Xanatos couldn't find any radio stations. The road soon became hilly and windy. There was a large section of burnt trees. Alex saw there were little trees to replace the old ones.
"What happened? Isn't this a national forest?" Fox furrowed her brow.
"This was caused by a forest fire, not a burning." Owen corrected.
"Why are the burned trees still up?" Alex asked.
"I don't know, Alexander." He said. "Leave it be."
"Ok." He hummed.
Alex picked up his book again. His parents talked about what to do after they settled into the house. After awhile, they turned off the highway. Alex looked up. The trees were red-ish. He looked up front. Owen seemed not to be concerned. It was probably fine. As they got further, there were cabins. Wooden cabins; some were old fashioned, others looked modern. A few of them were near the river.
"Is that a fire station?" Alex asked.
"Yes, Camp Sherman has its own volunteer fire department." Owen told him.
"It's a community, people live all year round." Xanatos added.
"Oh, I thought it was campsite." Alex nodded.
Soon, they were at the footbridge. It was right over the river now. Owen parked the car in the middle of the lot. They got out. The store was brown and looked almost like a house if it weren't for the neon signs and antique gas pumps. There was an outdoor picnic area to the left of the building. Alex saw the wood bear statue.
"Take my picture." He pointed.
"Very well, Alexander." Owen got out his camera.
Alex stood next to the bear and Owen took a picture. Then they went in the store. On the left was the front counter and lots of candy. Fox guided her son away on the promise they would buy some after they looked around. The first aisle had grooming stuff on one side and toys like checkers and plastic buckets on the other. Owen noticed a Gumby figure and Alex had to take a selfie with it. Fox looked at dishware. It was for camping. Alex looked at the gift mugs. Owen found a hat with the Metolius river logo he liked. After the dishes, there were sweatshirts.
At the back of the store, there was fishing gear. There wasn't anyone at the counter. They passed by the other aisles. It was food and stuff. They walked up the beverage aisle to get back to the front. Xanatos grabbed a bottle of local beer. Fox realized that the counter they were coming to was the deli. Alex looked at all the treats in the glass case.
"They have cake, and brownies and-" He grinned.
"Alex, you can't have all of them." Xanatos said sternly.
Alex whined.
"You need money for other treats." Fox reminded him.
"I want… the frosted brownie." He pointed.
"What do you want?" Xanatos asked.
"I'll have a scone." Owen said.
"A slice of cake for me." Fox answered.
As Xanatos paid for the desserts, the rest of the family went to the front counter to look at candy. Alex got distracted because he noticed there was a freezer for ice cream. There were Air Heads, Nerds, M&Ms, Dum dums, and Zotz.
"What are Zotz?" Alex asked.
"They're hard card with sour powder in middle." Owen grabbed the apple flavored one.
Alex took a few, watermelon, cherry, orange, and a thing of M&Ms. They paid for their things. Xanatos put their desserts in the back. Fox wanted to look around before they left. They walked past the fishing deck.
The Metolius was wide and deep in some places. Alex found a spot where he could crouch down to touch the water. It was cold. They walked for a bit. Owen took a picture of the family together. Xanatos found a spot without the cabins in the background. Owen got in a picture as well. After the photo shot, they went to the fishing deck next. It was nice; let everyone see the river a bit better.
They walked back to the car. By then, Alex had to go to the bathroom again. His parents looked at each other slightly exasperated, but went to the restrooms. To the right of the store, there was a post office and beyond that were the restrooms. Alex went to the restroom. Owen had him hold his hand out for hand sanitizer. Then they officially left Camp Sherman.
The drive to Sisters was short. Much quicker than Alex thought it was going to be. It looked like a nice place. They were in the middle of town when Owen pulled onto a side street. He decided to park the car. They got out again.
"There is a store I thought you would want to see." Owen explained to Fox.
They walked into The Hen's Tooth. It was a gift shop full of ornaments and other things. Alex groaned. He wandered a bit. He found a shirt that said "Sorry I'm late, I didn't want to come." He found the biggest size he could. He spent the rest of the time sniffing the lotions and cream samples. His mother found a lace table runner. She paid for the items. Then they went to the store next to it. It was called Paper Place. It had cards and toys for kids. Alex bought Artus a stuffed sloth and Tachi a kitty.
They left and made their way to Bend. Alex was getting sleepy and a bit hungry so he drifted in and out. He remembered seeing lots of desert and farms before the city came into view. The car stopped at one point. He fully woke up when they were in a roundabout.
"We're getting to the house now, Sweetpea. You'll be able to eat some Chinese and then go to sleep, ok?" Fox smiled at him.
"Kay." He rubbed his eyes.
They went through a couple more roundabouts before they pulled into a street and parked. Alex got out and grabbed his stuff. His father went up the stairs and unlocked the door. The front door opened to a small landing with a staircase going to the living room and another down. Alex dragged his stuff to the downstairs. He chose the room with two beds. It took a bit before everything was unloaded. Fox plated up some fried rice, noodles, and broccoli chicken for Alex. He ate it hungrily. His father and Owen were watching TV. He was allowed to half his brownie, it was big, for dessert. Alex sat with them until he was tired. He brushed his teeth and went to bed.