II
The next morning, as the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains, the Cliffhangers gathered at the picnic tables once again.
Shelby, Scott, and Daisy were already waiting for their day of hiking to begin; their breath visible in the air. Shelby leaned against Scott trying to keep from shivering. Auggie was approaching the tables with Juliette; Ezra and David straggling behind them. Sophie and Peter were also approaching the tables, from the direction of the administration building.
As Juliette approached the group, she was already complaining about the cold and having to go on quest so early in the morning. "Aw, Queenie, is this too early for you?" asked Shelby. "Maybe we should let you sleep and wake you up when we get there." "Step off, Shelby," said Auggie, siding with Jules. Daisy mentioned that Peter and Sophie were approaching.
Peter, meanwhile, hadn't missed the interaction between the two girls. When he reached the group, he asked, "Shelby, Juliette, is there a problem?" "No," replied Shelby, and Juliette said nothing. "Good," Peter did notice, however, that Juliette and Shelby didn't meet each other's eyes. He addressed the group as David and Ezra reached them, explaining the day's activities. They would hike to the first campsite by midafternoon and set up camp, then have dinner and group.
As they left Horizon, Shelby and Scott walked in front, their hands entwined. Juliette walked with Auggie, at the back of the group, keeping Daisy, Ezra and David, in between her and Shelby. Peter and Sophie brought up the rear of their procession. Periodically, they stopped to rest as they made their way through the forest.
When the camp was set up, the group gathered around the fire pit, the fire ready to be lit. The afternoon was warm, with the sun filtering through the branches into the clearing. Sophie addressed the group, "As most of you have probably realized by now, this quest is about healing. There are many different types of healing. At Horizon, we heal by asking you to talk about what you're feeling, and what's bothering you so you can bleed off the poison of its memory, burn it away so it's not taking you away from living." "Aaron spoke to you yesterday about aboriginal healing, to restore your mind, body and spirit," Peter added. Peter continued, "For the rest of the afternoon, take some time to look inside your closet. Figure out what your shoeboxes are, and how you can empty those shoeboxes. You don't have to solve your problems today, we aren't expecting you to. Just think about what you can do to clean out that closet, so you can heal." Sophie interjected, "You might want to start by taking some time to experience your surroundings, and watch the animals. This will slow you down so that you will be able to spend some time thinking without worrying about coming to a conclusion today. You don't need to make any definite plans today, but if you do that's great. Spend some time with a scene or environment you enjoy, and come up with some ideas."
The teenagers all moved off in their own directions, to find their space, leaving Sophie and Peter alone at the campsite.
The next morning, as the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains, the Cliffhangers gathered at the picnic tables once again.
Shelby, Scott, and Daisy were already waiting for their day of hiking to begin; their breath visible in the air. Shelby leaned against Scott trying to keep from shivering. Auggie was approaching the tables with Juliette; Ezra and David straggling behind them. Sophie and Peter were also approaching the tables, from the direction of the administration building.
As Juliette approached the group, she was already complaining about the cold and having to go on quest so early in the morning. "Aw, Queenie, is this too early for you?" asked Shelby. "Maybe we should let you sleep and wake you up when we get there." "Step off, Shelby," said Auggie, siding with Jules. Daisy mentioned that Peter and Sophie were approaching.
Peter, meanwhile, hadn't missed the interaction between the two girls. When he reached the group, he asked, "Shelby, Juliette, is there a problem?" "No," replied Shelby, and Juliette said nothing. "Good," Peter did notice, however, that Juliette and Shelby didn't meet each other's eyes. He addressed the group as David and Ezra reached them, explaining the day's activities. They would hike to the first campsite by midafternoon and set up camp, then have dinner and group.
As they left Horizon, Shelby and Scott walked in front, their hands entwined. Juliette walked with Auggie, at the back of the group, keeping Daisy, Ezra and David, in between her and Shelby. Peter and Sophie brought up the rear of their procession. Periodically, they stopped to rest as they made their way through the forest.
When the camp was set up, the group gathered around the fire pit, the fire ready to be lit. The afternoon was warm, with the sun filtering through the branches into the clearing. Sophie addressed the group, "As most of you have probably realized by now, this quest is about healing. There are many different types of healing. At Horizon, we heal by asking you to talk about what you're feeling, and what's bothering you so you can bleed off the poison of its memory, burn it away so it's not taking you away from living." "Aaron spoke to you yesterday about aboriginal healing, to restore your mind, body and spirit," Peter added. Peter continued, "For the rest of the afternoon, take some time to look inside your closet. Figure out what your shoeboxes are, and how you can empty those shoeboxes. You don't have to solve your problems today, we aren't expecting you to. Just think about what you can do to clean out that closet, so you can heal." Sophie interjected, "You might want to start by taking some time to experience your surroundings, and watch the animals. This will slow you down so that you will be able to spend some time thinking without worrying about coming to a conclusion today. You don't need to make any definite plans today, but if you do that's great. Spend some time with a scene or environment you enjoy, and come up with some ideas."
The teenagers all moved off in their own directions, to find their space, leaving Sophie and Peter alone at the campsite.
