The next morning, I jumped out of bed and got ready in an excited daze. And before I knew it, I was in my car on my way to school.

    Just like for Justin's Ferry, my dad dropped me off at the school. After helping me take my bags to the parking lot, he gave me a big hug.

    "Text us when you reach, okay?" he told me. "And have fun!"

    I smiled. "Thanks Dad. And don't worry, I will."

    I watched him walk away, getting smaller and smaller until he seemed to disappear. With a sad smile on my face, I turned back around to see Clary setting down her bags.

    "You ready?" she asked, a grin across her face.

    "Absolutely." I replied, with a smile blooming across mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Mr. Cardinal carrying a heavy box of who knows what. "Mr. Cardinal!" I called. "Do you need any help?" He gave me and Clary a loud grunt, which I interpreted as a yes and ran over to help him.

    "There will be a bunch of silverware in the Greenhouse," he choked out. "Put it in the red box with the black lid and bring it out. It shouldn't be too heavy."

    I nodded and waved my arm to Clary, signaling for her to follow. We jogged into the Greenhouse and scanned the storage room for what Mr. Cardinal was talking about.

    The Greenhouse was usually extremely neat and tidy, not to mention organized. It had to be with the fish tank and various types of plants there. Just from the storage room, I could spot about five types of flowers and maybe seven other plants that were not yet blooming. The aquamarine waters of the fish tank were filled with a few clownfish, dianos, and a few others I couldn't name. The whole building was just blooming with life.

    Shaking my head, I turned to the rusty walls of the storage room. A wooden picnic table was littered with so many supplies, I could barely see the table itself. At one corner of the table, all piled together, I spotted some silverware. From spoons to forks and serving spoons, there was pretty much any serving item one could imagine. Together, Clary and I threw all the silverware into the black and red box on the concrete floor. With a final clatter, the last knife fell in and Clary closed the box, snapping the large lid on.

    With a soft grunt, I attempted to pick up the box. Immediately, I could feel the effects of gravity as my arms snapped straight and my back was pulled. My eyebrows knit together and my face contorted. After a moment, I couldn't do it anymore. My fingers gave way and the plastic box dropped to the floor with a loud thud.

    Clary bit back a laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked teasingly.

    I rolled my eyes. "You try and pick it up!" I challenged.

    Almost effortlessly, she picked up the box by the handles and carried to the parking lot. As I ran after her, I let an annoyed sigh escape my lips.

    My thinness had resulted in one more side effect... being pretty weak. I always hated Gym class, as I was the last runner or the last one picked for teams. It was the worst. My face brightened when I realized that it would be soon over.

    Clary set down the box on the hard asphalt road and pushed my shoulder. "You know I was just kidding," she told me, concerned.

    I grinned. "Yeah, it's cool. Physical activity is definitely not my strength."

    "Yeah but mental is," she laughed. "Miss I-have-straight-A's."

    I gave an embarrassed laugh. Those grades had taken a lot of effort to achieve... but not as much effort it would take me to run a mile.

    Carrying another heavy box, Mr. Cardinal walked over to us. "Great job girls," he complimented. "You want to help me pack up the food?"

    We followed him back into the Greenhouse as he tossed various foods into a large, tan-colored, plastic box. One after another. Oranges and apples flew by me, followed by pancake mix and bread. I even spotted every type of cheese imaginable. Finally, came the meat.

    Mr. Cardinal turned to me. "You're a vegetarian, right?" he asked, glancing at the chicken patties in the second box full of meat.

    I nodded. "I don't mind," I assured him. "I mean, I don't really eat fake meat either, so I'll just stick with the tomatoes and lettuce!" I grinned.

    "Well, we do have Tofu Patties," he offered, holding up a packet labeled "Fake Meat." He threw in into the meat box. "Mrs. Callie is also trying to reduce on how much meat she's eating, so we're packing a bunch of fake meat for the barbecue."

    I tilted my head to the side. "Mrs. Callie is going?" I asked, smiling at the thought. "And we're having a barbecue?"

    He nodded. "I mean, you don't have to roast anything, but the fake meat is there if you'd like to."

    I crinkled my nose at the thought of eating tofu. "No thank you," I declined politely. "I'll find something."

    He nodded, tossing more meat into the box. Soon, both boxes were filled with their lids snapped on. Mr. Cardinal carried one while Clary and I carried the other. Well, mostly Clary.

    "You ready?" she asked excitedly as the green van pulled in. Mr. Marvin stepped out, wearing a deep cobalt visor. He walked into the parking lot and clapped his hands.

    "Are you guys ready?" he asked, helping Mr. Cardinal load the luggage in. The reaction was unanimous, a single loud "yes" echoing throughout the empty lot. He grinned and we began loading our bags in.

    As I walked to the building to retrieve my bags, the room door banged open. Behind it was none other than Jessica and Lina.

    "Are we too late?" asked Jessica, breathlessly. Then, she spotted me and Clary. Both she and Lina ran over to us and gave us big hugs.

    "Have fun guys!" bid Lina, smacking me a high five. "Don't come back too stinky!"

    I laughed. "I'll make note of that." I turned to Jessica, who was watching us intently.

    "Send us pictures," she advised, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "And have fun."

    Clary grinned. "We will. Miss you guys! Don't get too lonely!"

    They laughed at that and gave us one last wave, disappearing into the brick building. I turned to Clary and let out a deep breath.

    "Can you believe we're already leaving?" I asked incredulously. She shook her head, her eyes widening. Carefully, we lugged our bags to the van. Soon, too soon, everything was loaded and we were boarding onto the bus.

    I sat down on the cold green seat and looked out the window, watching as Prestwall High got smaller... and smaller... and smaller, until it disappeared into a tiny speck in the distance.

    Tall, lush trees filled my view and I heard a song being chanted. I turned around to see a few girls by the aisle singing a song I heard far too many times. Shaking my head, amused, I lay my forehead against the cool glass of the window and drifted to sleep.

    "Anasika! Anasika! Wake up!" A voice that I recognized from somewhere brought me out of my sleeping daze, shaking me awake. I turned towards the voice, seeing a cap of blond hair and gleaming blue eyes. Shaking my head, I saw Clary's face come into view.

    "We're passing over the bridge," she pointed out. Sure enough, I could see the glittering blue waters below us as we passed over the red bridge, held up by thick cables. I rubbed my eyes, blinking when I realized I still had my contacts in.

    "Are we almost there?" I asked, stifling a yawn. Clary shook her head.

    "Not just yet," she told me, pursing her lips. "We're going to a pit stop."

    It was hard to believe we weren't at the island yet. As our bus rolled to a stop, I spotted a small beach with waves lapping over it and wooden benches, that really were swings, by the seashore. A large information building stood at the end of a narrow stone pathway.

    A rush of air signaled the complete stopping of the bus. Removing his orange seatbelt, Mr. Cardinal stood up.

    "Okay everyone!" he called. "This is a pit stop. Go to the bathroom, wash your hands, eat your lunch, et cetera. Be back by the bus in one hour so we can get a move on. You can leave your backpacks on the bus if you want."

    I grabbed my Ziploc bag with my reusable lunch containers and we filed off the bus. After washing our hands and using the restroom, Clary and I sat on one of the bench-swings, accompanied by a few other students. We talked for a bit, when I spotted Matt, Zach, Aiden, and Brett walking down the stone pier, balancing carefully. When they reached the end, they whooped in success and raced back.

    One of the girls sitting with us, Nicole, watched them intently. "That's so awesome," she muttered in awe after they jumped onto the sandy shore. I raised my eyebrows and looked down at my finished lunch. Suddenly, the daredevil part of me burst out.

    "Oh really?" I asked. "Is that a challenge?"

    Clary gave me a look that said "I know what you're going to do and don't you dare do it."

    Nicole grinned. "Do you want it to be?"

    Before she could say another word, I was dashing down to the pier and stepping on the first rock. I had done this countless times before. Of course, the last time I did it, I fell in...

    Pushing the thought out of my head, I gracefully leaped from one rock to another. Behind me, Clary and Nicole, along with her twin brother Rick, were halfway across the rocks when they had stopped.

    "Anasika!" Clary shouted. "Come back! You're going to fall in!"

    I gave her a sneaky smile and continued hopping. The rocks became steeper and I almost fell in, catching myself in the last minute. Only three more rocks before the end.

    I hopped onto a large, flat rock and whooped in joy. I carefully turned around and heard a bunch of clapping and cheering. That loud noise couldn't belong to just three people...

    I scanned the shoreline to see at least half of the Global students watching me. Clary and Nicole were grinning, giving me a thumbs up. Grinning, I confidently hopped back to shore.

    I wearily accepted many congratulations and looked off into the ocean. Only now, I spotted there were two rocky piers. And mine was the longest.

    With a knowing smile across my face, I walked back to bus area and tried to listen to Mr. Marvin giving instructions. But all I could remember was the crowd of people by the shore.

    Soon, we were boarding the bus. Time passed by fast with games of Charades and singing songs. But it still felt like a long time. Finally, I gave into my childish urge and turned to Clary.

    "Are we almost there yet?"

    Surprisingly, she nodded, pointing to a sandy speck in the distance.

    "I think that's the island," she guessed. "Sure looks like it."

    In front of us, Mrs. Callie turned around, wearing her dark green Global T-Shirt. "It is!" she agreed excitedly. "And we're almost there!"

    Sure enough, as the bridge ended, the island came into view. Light prarie grassses fluttered in the wind, while chocolate brown horses chomped on them. The strong waves carried white-yellow sand with them, reflecting the bright noon sun. Suddenly, I felt a strong breeze caressing my hair, which I had let down. In the seat in front of us, Mr. Marvin had opened the window. I heard the soft sounds of birds chirping and the bellowing noise of cars rolling down the asphalt road. It was a perfect mix of nature and humanity.

    The island grew in size as we approached. Suddenly, the smell of sea water grew stronger and a sign flashed across my view.

    "Welcome to Assateague Island."