Good Morning, my dears! Welcome back to Lockdown! Let's jump right in it this morning!

Thank you to Fran S. Sunflower & DaniDarlingxx.

Day 7: March 19, 2020

Emmett

9:23 PDT

Los Angeles, California

"Let's go!" I shout up the stairs.

"Fuck you, McCarty!" Bella screams back. I snicker and turn to Rose, who rolls her eyes.

"If she tries to kill you and ditch you out in the hills, I'll leave you there," she says dryly. I smirk and lean down to kiss her. She doesn't fight me, which means she's probably joking.

"She'll have to keep up with me to kill me," I point out when I pull away. "And I doubt she'll be able to."

Bella comes downstairs then and flips me the bird. I snicker again and open my mouth to provoke her further when Alice comes in and interrupts me. "All right," she says, holding up a bag. "Everyone gear up!"

We stare at her. "What the hell are you talking about?" Bella asks.

Alice reaches into the bag and pulls out paper masks. I lean forward, curious to see she's also got gloves, sanitizer, and a few other things in the bag I can't quite make out. "What is this?"

"COVID bag," she says. "We need it when we go out."

Everyone stares at her, but then her eyes narrow and none of us fight her. We each grab a mask as Jasper comes out of the kitchen. When we're all situated, I nod.

"All right, let's go!"

…

The worst part of lockdown so far has been being stuck inside. I mean, yeah, I go outside to jog, but that's hardly any time outdoors. I don't actually know if any of the foothill paths are technically open, but no one tries to stop us when we drive there. We're in my SUV because it's the only car that will fit us all comfortably, and the closer we get, the happier I feel. When I finally climb out of the car, I feel like I'm home.

Outside is where I'm happiest. "Oh, man! Look at all the nettle," I say, sprinting from the car. It's early spring, and nettle is everywhere. It's a bitch to get caught on, but the plant itself is amazing. "Don't touch this one, guys. It'll bite back," I call out to them. No one is listening. I shrug and look around at the other plants. "Oh, look, there's…"

Bella cuts me off. "Is this going to be a fucking botany class?"

I look at her and smirk as I stand. "Yup."

She looks like a pissed-off kitten. "So I have to hike and learn?"

Everyone laughs at her. "Get used to it, Kitten."

She tries to punch me when I come into range, but her tiny little fist bounces off me. I laugh at her, and she flips me the bird. When I turn away, I can see her shaking her wrist out of the corner of my eye, and I snicker to myself.

"All right, guys! This way!"

Whew, these 5 in the nature? Something's bound to go wrong, right?

At the very beginning of lockdown here in Southern California, a lot of outdoor areas were left questionable. People wanted to do things like go to the park, go hiking, go to the beach, but there was so much confusion as to whether these things were open or not. Some were, and some shut down pretty quickly.

Did you have a favorite outside activity to escape cabin fever?

Part 2 of their nature walk, coming your way tomorrow!