Kira
I had never seen Kendra like this before. What on earth had happened? Bethany seemed a bit shell-shocked and wouldn't tell us what she'd read.
We did find Kendra sitting against a tree in the bush behind our tent. Her eyes were red and puffy but her expression at seeing us was unreadable. Her mouth moved into a crooked grin.
"I knew you'd find out sooner or later." She said.
"What? We haven't a clue what this is all about." Marissa said, as confused as Tammy and I.
"I'm adopted." Said Kendra with a shrug.
"Oh, Kenny…" I didn't know what to say or do. I put my arms around her, not sure if my hug would be accepted. Us five just don't touch each other, but when I heard Kendra's muffled sobs any awkwardness melted away.
Back in the tent Kendra told us everything she knew, which wasn't much.
"How long have you known?" Tammy asked.
"Two months, three weeks and one day. I guess Mum and Dad just decided it was time I was told. I was so angry at first. Why did they have to tell me? My life was fine until now. Sometimes I feel okay, like, yeah, some other woman gave birth to me but Mum and Dad are my parents, this is my family and my life and this is who I am. Being adopted doesn't change anything. But other times I wonder if my whole life has been a lie."
"Are you going to try find your biological mum?" said Bethany.
"No. She is not my mum. I don't know who she is. She's not the one that raised me, cared for me, fed me, helped with my homework, drove me to soccer practice, and taught me not to track mud inside or slam the door. Mum is my mum. And how would she feel if I dumped all that aside and went running to some stranger?"
"She risked it all when she told you."
"I know. Maybe I will look for her one day. But right now I am trying to figure out who I am."
"And who are you?"
"I am not Libby. Libby does not exist. I am Kendra."
Tammy
We all gained a deeper understanding of Kendra that day. Since then she's coping really well, but sometimes I see a crack in the strong front she puts up. We've never talked about it since.
Anyway, today we piled into the van and started off again. We've really loosened up since we first began; now we don't even bother to roll up our sleeping bags, we just chuck them in the back. Last night's meal was pasta in mushroom sauce with dehydrated peas, a common occurrence now.
We sang to the radio as we passed through town after town. We often stop and go for a stroll or window shop or do touristy stuff, as much as we can on a limited budget. I counted our cash this morning and we are down to thirty dollars. Just enough to buy us petrol to get home. I haven't told the others about our meagre finances yet, but I guess we won't be sleeping in a camping ground tonight. I haven't showered in two days either.
After a couple of hours of driving we stopped for our lunch of tinned fruit and I discussed a plan with the girls. If we started now, we could hike up a bush track I had seen in the information centre. We could camp up there for the night and figure out tomorrow morning what we were going to do.
It was agreed. We packed food and a sleeping bag each into our small packs and off we went.
Kendra
Half an hour into the walk and I was tired already. My backpack, which was fairly lightweight at the start, seemed to get heavier with each step. I was sweaty and my ankles hurt.
The track cut through the beautiful green bush, going steadily uphill. Bethany told us the names of some of the birds that were contributing to the cacophony of birdsong. Wood-pigeons, grey warblers and fantails. She surprised me.
We plodded on and on. We had a muesli bar each to keep us going. Conversation waned and was replaced with panting.
About one and a half hours into the walk, half an hour from the top according to Tammy, I stopped. I could hear running water. I was so very hot and sticky that my legs seemed to gain a mind of their own and lead me off the track towards the sound. A backwards glance told me that the other four were following.
I felt like I had entered paradise as I brushed a fern aside and saw a deep pool of water nestled in the bush. It looked so cool and inviting that before I knew what I was doing I was stripping off and sinking into the refreshing water.
"Kendra?" Kira called. Soon they emerged from the bush.
"Kendra, what are you doing?" said Bethany, looking at my clothes discarded on the grass beside the stream.
"Cooling off." I replied, dipping my head back into the water and smoothing my hair. They all looked so hot and sweaty. "Come in. It's so cool… and refreshing…"
"I think I might." Tammy said stepping behind a bush. "No looking." She said as she slipped into the pool. "That feels so good."
Soon Kira and Marissa had joined us. "Come on, Beth." We called to her. She was still standing on the bank looking at us as if we had lost our minds.
"You guys are crazy." She said, slightly embarrassed.
"At least take your shoes and socks off and put your feet in." Tammy implored. Beth did just that.
"Never did I ever think I would I bathing in a creek when we started off!" Marissa laughed, resting her elbows on the bank. "Anyone bring the shampoo?"
We chatted as we cooled off and eventually we climbed out of the secret pool and made our way back through the bush to the track. Luckily it wasn't far and we had no trouble finding it!
With renewed energy we hiked the rest of the way with ease. The path forked and Tammy led us on the left. The track was narrow and overgrown and more than once I got slapped with a fern to the face. But soon the bush thinned and cleared out onto a large grassy ledge. From there we had an unspoiled view of the 'flats'; the lake and the towns and the highway that snaked between them. Looking past all the farmland we could even see the sea in the distance. We were so high up that we could see everything for miles.
"What an amazing view." Kira breathed.
"This is just a look-out." Tammy explained. "But I thought we could camp out here tonight."
The view became even more beautiful and the sun set and the stars came out. Snuggled in our sleeping bags side by side as we watched the towns light up and the moon come out. As I lay next to my best friends in the world, I wished that I would never have to go back home.
Marissa
I think that there's nothing better than waking up to the sound of cheerful birdsong and seeing the sun shine through the leafy roof and then sitting up and gazing at the most magnificent view that is exclusively ours.
The thought that this may be our last day of freedom and adventure made it bittersweet.
I think it was on everybody's minds and we tramped back down the mountain. I savoured every moment and tried to remember the careless abandon of travelling each day with no real goal or deadline or place to be. I dreaded going home.
"Let's take a different route back." Kira said when we were back on the road as she turned onto the eastern highway. "Our journey isn't over yet."
Kira
All was silent in the van but for the sound of the road beneath the tyres. The muffled roar was beginning to consume me.
Tammy had relieved me from driving an hour or so ago. Kendra and Marissa had fallen asleep, and Beth was totally zoned out, like me. Even Tammy seemed to be in a state of unreality as we drove on and on under the cloudless blue sky.
I leaned my head on the window and watched the world whizz by. Marathon drives didn't seem so fun any more. It was just stretch of road after stretch of lonely road. The roar echoed in my head, getting louder and louder and louder…
I must have fallen asleep, woken by my head getting knocked against the glass. The scenery outside looked the same as before.
Beth heaved a huge sigh. I looked over at her and gave her a wry smile. I knew how she felt; this was a very long drive.
Tammy
One stop for bathroom and we were off again. After I found myself crossing the centre line for the third time I decided we had driven far enough and everyone would appreciate a rest.
We pitched the tent in a rest stop on the side of the road, on a patch of ground with as least amount of gravel as possible. The wild chickens quickly welcomed us in hope of some scraps of food.
"Sorry, we have barely enough for ourselves." I told them. Beth was mixing something in an ice cream container, stopping every so often and grimly looking at the contents.
"We're pretty much out of everything except flour." She said. I wandered over and watched her pour some white goop into the frying pan.
"Pikelets!" Kendra exclaimed.
"I don't think they'll taste quite the same as pikelets." Beth laughed. "But its all we've got. Marissa, can you grab me a plastic plate out of the van? Thanks."
We watched Beth turn 10 'pikelets' out onto the plate before she replaced the pan with a pot already full with liquid. "The other cooker ran out of gas." She explained, stirring slowly.
"What's in there?" asked Kendra.
"You don't want to know." At the sight of our worried faces, Beth chuckled. "Just bit and pieces of this and that."
"Is there a chicken in there?" Marissa cried.
"I wish. But you try and catch one of those things."
We sat down half an hour later to homemade 'tortillas' and the mystery soup. We laughed together over how we used to think we were really roughing it when we were eating cereal for dinner. I can't say the meal was delicious, but it was better than going hungry. Beth's resourcefulness saved us again.