Disclaimer: I do not own the Higher Ground characters. I just made up the plot, Janey, and Keith. That's all!
Breakfast was an early affair, and the Cliffhangers, sans Scott, ate together before the other groups even got to the dining hall. Peter entered as they were in the midst of eating. Keith got up solemnly and handed Peter two sheets of paper.
"I couldn't find a stapler," he said.
Peter glanced at the title at the top of the paper. Justifications of the Rules and Regulations of Horizon, it read in tidy handwriting. Peter read over a bit of it. The rules and regulations of Horizon exist for good reasons. Physical, emotional, and mental wellnesses are protected by these rules. The breaking of such rules can result in an unsafe situation. It went on.
Folding the papers neatly, Peter tucked them into the back pocket of his jeans. He had been sure that Keith would choose this topic for his essay.
"Thank you, Keith," he said. "You can take your seat again." The boy obeyed, and Peter raised his eyebrows at the rest of the group. "I'll be taking you up to the starting point in bunches, so you can all fit safely in the jeep. Be ready in fifteen minutes."
Everybody either groaned or nodded, acknowledging the order in some manner. Then Peter left to gather supplies for the hike-back, and the kids went back to their food.
By seven-thirty, Sophie, Shelby, Daisy, Janey, Ezra, and Keith lounged around in a small clearing. The five students all wore blindfolds. Shelby, Daisy, and Ezra were complaining.
"Sophie, none of us really want to be doing this right now," Ezra said.
"Funny," Sophie said humorlessly. "I don't remember asking you."
"Harsh," Shelby commented.
"Couldn't we, like, put it to a vote?" Ezra persisted.
"Nope," Sophie said. "We can't."
"Can we at least take these blindfolds off?" Daisy asked.
"No," Sophie said, glancing at her watch. "Hold on a minute, gang."
Right on time, Peter's jeep pulled up, and he turned off the motor, helping Juliette, Auggie, and David—all blindfolded as well—out of the car, spinning each one around several times to increase their disorientation. David flopped over dramatically.
"All right," Peter said. "Blindfolds off." Everyone was happy to comply. "Okay, for you newbies, this is the game. This is a buddy hike-back. Sophie and I'll be tying you together—two to a team—and you'll have to find your way back to campus from a specific location."
"We'll be keeping an eye on each pair," Sophie added. "To make sure that you don't get too lost…or act out of line. And remember that if the tie gets broken, you're honor-bound to retie it."
"Can we pick our buddies?" Juliette asked, shooting a furtive smile at Auggie.
"Nope," Sophie said, catching the surreptitious motion. "We've got it all picked out for you."
"First team," Peter announced. "Juliette and Ezra."
The two moved forward to have their ankles loosely tied. Keith saw Juliette glance longingly at Auggie, and he hoped that by some miracle, he would be paired with Shelby.
"Next are Janey and Auggie." They stepped forward as well, and Janey frowned tightly at the ground, nervous at being attached to Juliette's boyfriend. What if he were as frighteningly energetic and freakishly happy as her? She didn't think so, but one never knew.
"Daisy and Keith." Keith felt slightly disappointed, then he realized that if bound to Shelby, he would not know what to say. So it was with a feeling of relief that he allowed Peter to tie his ankle to Daisy's.
"And the last two. Shelby and David." Shelby glared at David furiously, as if it were his fault that they were stuck together. David grinned cheerfully. He knew that he would have fun.
Sophie passed out one compass and one whistle to each team. "You've all been out further than this before, with the exceptions of Janey and Keith, but you two are paired with someone who has. It should be tricky to find your way back, but it should be entirely do-able."
"Use the compass, but be sure to get your bearings first," Peter advised. "And if there are any problems, blow the whistle, and Soph and I will come running."
"Have a seat, folks," Sophie said. "You'll be leaving in fifteen minute intervals of each other, so get comfortable." She paused. "Any questions?"
There weren't any.
"In that case," Peter said. "Daisy and Keith, you may leave."
The two stood, and Daisy pointed confidently in a direction. "Let's go that way." And they were off. Sophie followed at a slight distance.
Peter jogged over to his car and pulled out a deck of cards. He returned to the remaining Cliffhangers, shuffling the cards.
"Anyone up for a game of poker?"
They circled up and began a lively game. Fifteen minutes passed, then Peter released Auggie and Janey. Fifteen minutes later, Juliette and Ezra left. Fifteen minutes after that, Peter turned to Shelby and David.
"Behave," he said. "I mean it, you two. I'm going to be keeping very close tabs on you."
Shelby smirked at him, and David wrinkled his nose. Sophie had been unsure about this particular pairing, but Peter had been adamant. He wanted to see how they worked together.
"You can go."
They left in the same direction as every other group. Peter chuckled to himself, knowing that it was not the best and quickest route, but they would all realize that in time. He put a rubber band around his deck of cards and jumped back in his jeep, ready to take it back to campus before jogging back out to keep an eye on the teams.