THE FEAST-slash-dance-party lasted for two more hours until we left. 

We all stumbled back to our site, feeling good after the huge feast and the impromptu dance party. We were sad that we had to leave at barely even ten o'clock in the night, but we had to wake up early tomorrow, so I was actually secretly happy Yumi had prepared for it even though none of us wanted to leave. 

We all did our nightly routines and everything outside, each having our own privacy behind trees. It was weird and hard and frustrating and slightly embarrassing, but it was a wild experience, and I took it for what it was...even when Bryon kept chattering through it all about a cool flower that resembled brightly coloured parrots in flight. 

I barely managed to stop myself from pelting Bryon with pine cones I found nearby. I had to channel my inner peace and realign my chakras but all in all no one was hurt. Still, I figured Bryon would go on about the health benefits of pine-cone-rain otherwise.

The next day, I woke up to find Jolene's position upside down with her feet on her pillow and her head where her feet would be. She must have turned at some point during the night; it was eventful to say the least. I'd slept like a log because I didn't want to somehow summon rabid chipmunks that had a penchant for kidnapping science students, or something equally scary. 

I carefully unwrapped myself out of my sleeping bag, chancing a daring look to assess the potentially traumatizing situation outside (hey, rabid chipmunks could be downright sinister!). 

...And, wow. 

No, there weren't any rabid wild animals, thankfully.

Instead, the early morning sky looked like something out of a magical fairy tale, what with the sun just peeking over the horizon and fluffy clouds starting to float lazily like giant cotton candy puffs. Species of birds that I didn't even know of started to chirp cheerfully, their songs harmonizing with the gentle rush of the river nearby. The air was crisp and cool, and it was just the kind of morning that made you feel like anything was possible, like the world was full of adventures just waiting to be discovered. 

Too bad my name wasn't Christopher Columbus or Vasco da Gama or Marco Polo...or even Finneas Ryder for that matter. I was just an amateur adventurer named Cora Turwal, alias Almond Baba. Sigh. 

As I started to step out of my tent, everyone else also started to wake up. I saw Finn and Renzo's tent open, and the flaps parted. Inside, I saw Finn shove at Renzo to wake up only for the latter to immediately just roll over and put a pillow over his head. Finn rolled his eyes and kicked at Renzo's leg before deciding to stick his head out the tent. He did so, squinting sleepily into the morning sunlight, hair tousled a great deal. I bit back a smile at the sight, and when he noticed me, he waved like we were long lost friends stranded on separate islands. The smile I'd been holding back now graced my lips and curled them upwards, and upon seeing it, Finn grinned back. 

And then I saw Priscilla stepping out of her tent, stretching, and that reminded me of the whole Miss Priss thing yesterday, so I hurried away.

After completing our, um, morning duties and routines, we all came back to sit around the bonfire to have breakfast, which was a bunch of colourful fruits that Yumi had picked but I didn't even know the names of. Still, they were delicious, and I could barely keep track of the names Yumi was explaining to us. 

This was supposed to be the end of this site, and we had to walk to our next destination, which was actually a small local hotel instead of an outdoor camp like this. I felt like I could definitely use some water from a tap and a mattress that was not a sleeping bag, and, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't have to worry about Bigfoot or rabid squirrels, so I was glad. Of course, I didn't mention this out loud, since this was a nature-loving trekking group after all; who knew, maybe they were secretly friends with the rabid raccoons. Unfortunately, however, I was not.

"Alright, guys," Yumi said to us as we finally finished our food. "Let's pack up, and get a move on!" 

We all whooped and cheered, and I think I might have been the loudest of all. Oops.

Jolene had gone back to the river to wash herself off so I had the tent to myself for a while. And that was when I remembered my little fortune-cookie-like message paper, and I quickly searched my bag. Carefully, I pulled the crumpled paper out, and read it again.

An adventure awaits you just beyond your comfort zone.

This was that adventure. This was not in my comfort zone, at all, and whoever who wrote the message was right. Even though I missed my bouncy mattress and clean tap-water, I would be lying if I disagreed that this experience really was amazing. Sleeping outside, eating wild berries, trees for privacy, all of us waking up at the same time because we had a destination we wanted to get to together...this was something else entirely, something bigger than me and my Bigfoot theories. There was a certain togetherness to it all, and I realized that this was exactly what I'd been cocooning myself from because I didn't know how it would be. Well, it was turning out to be quite lovely. 

When I heard Jo's voice in the distance, talking to Isla about "Spidey senses" (what?!) or something, I put the paper back and quickly got dressed. I pulled on some comfortable yoga pants, since we would be walking for quite a while, along with a graphic tee that had a picture of Yoda in a yoga pose (it had been a silly gift from an art club friend, and it was too cute to give away, so I'd kept it). 

I then poked my head out of the tent, swiveling my head like a deranged owl as I looked for Jolene. I grinned when I found her near Renzo, both of them doing some weird but cute handshake thing, and I waved to catch her eye. 

"I love your shirt," Jolene practically sobbed when she was at our tent and she saw what I was wearing. "I love it so much. I love Yoda. I love you."

I laughed, hoisting my bag onto my shoulder, stepping out of the tent as she stepped in. "I love you too, Jo."

She blew me a kiss before the flaps closed after her, and I started making sure I had zipped all of my bags' pockets. 

Soon after, we'd all packed up, tents dismantled and stored away, and we headed onto a new path toward our new destination. 

This time, I made sure I wasn't last, all the way at the end, because I had already missed out on too much of the cool information Yumi had been telling us about. I walked with Jolene and Isla this time, since this time Bryon and Abigail had selected Finn and Renzo to be their victims― I mean, uh, gardening-101 conversation partners. 

I turned around subtly and saw Finn paying deep attention, and it looked like he was super invested. But from the slight widening of his eyes, I could tell that he was working hard to even understand what on Earth they were talking about. Still, he didn't ignore them or rudely interrupt. He just listened patiently and seemed to ask the right questions. I admired him for that. 

Meanwhile, Renzo looked downright heartbroken, like someone had taken the last cookie without telling him or something, and he kept giving Yumi wistful looks. I held back a laugh, feeling sympathy for my friend. 

We walked along the path, with Yumi explaining to us how different groups of people have been living peacefully here in Anaril for years. I was super absorbed in the history of it all that I didn't even notice when we'd stopped to look at something. Lost in my thoughts, I'd kept walking on by myself like a hobo until Jolene ran forward and dragged me back. Sad times, really. 

When I'd finally gotten over the fact that this tiny mountain town's history was almost a thousand years old, I noticed that we'd stopped by a school. It was a middle school, judging by the board outside. There was a metal-twined fence separating the school's property from the forest, and we saw a bunch of kids wearing shorts and t-shirts running past the school. Some of the kids stopped to wave at us, some waved while they were running, and all in all my heart was filled, and I waved back excitedly (I really must have suffered from a lack of connection). 

"I remember those days," Yumi sighed wistfully, and then turned to us. "Does anyone know what these kids are running for right now? Some of us might have done this when we were in school too."

Everyone racked their brains, but when someone guessed "Phys. Ed class" and it was a wrong answer, they seemed to be a stump.

But based on the time of the year it was and the way all of the kids were wearing matching red t-shirts, I knew exactly what it was.

"Cross country," I blurted out. "They're running for cross country."

Yumi thumped me on the back cheerfully. "Yes, correct! Cora is right. These students are running for cross country, which is a running sport where runners will run across open terrain and through the woods and mud and water, rather than on the road or on a path. Tests your endurance and agility, you know?"

Renzo let out an impressed whistle. "Well, sounds like it's not for me. I'm allergic to that kind of fun," he joked, earning amused chuckles from the group. When he saw Yumi shaking her head amusedly, he grinned, looking like he had enough energy and strength to handle a hundred more of Bryon's gardening conversations. 

Jolene turned to me and her eyebrows moved up and down curiously. "Did you used to run cross country in school, Cora?"

I bit my lip. "No. I didn't really...um, I didn't really do any extra curriculars like that. Only art club."

Jolene nodded, looping her arm through mine. "The boys' loss," she grinned, and I blushed and chuckled (as soon as I got the joke, which took, like, two full seconds).

"Alright, guys," Yumi said again, catching all of our attention. "We've planned it so that if anyone wants to join the students in their running practice, the path is directed so it loops around to where we'll be heading right now. Feel free to join, any of you guys."

 And then we started walking down the path, and it seemed that no one was making a move to join the kids. 

I kind of really wanted to. 

But of course, I didn't just want to turn around and jump over the fence and join them all, because...well, that would be slightly strange. I walked on with the rest of the group, slightly downcast, watching if anyone else would go back. But no one was. 

By now, I was desperate. I really wanted to run again. And running to the next site seemed pretty fun, even if it meant missing more history lessons from Yumi, but I could deal with that because choices had consequences, so be it. And I could always ask her again anyway.

And so, I slowed down, letting the rest of them walk ahead of me (Bryon and co almost trampled me because their discussion was so deep), before I turned back around and went through the gate, joining the students. 

And they were all so cute and welcoming, happy to answer my questions and ask me their own about Bayport and where I went to university. I was super glad I had chosen this path.

As I started jogging, I got lost in the feeling of it all, and it was a few minutes before I realized that I had ended up ahead of the students. Luckily, there were bright arrows and trails drawn on boards and in the grass, so I wouldn't get lost. 

There was a  burn in my legs that I'd missed, and it reminded me of how I didn't join any school running clubs, not because I didn't want to, but because I was hesitant. None of my art club friends wanted to do it, and no one else I knew was on the team. Of course, that wouldn't matter since we'd all be running anyway, but damn if I still felt like I couldn't join. It was that stupid cocoon again. I felt upset just thinking about it.

Suddenly, I heard another pair of footsteps, and I turned my head to see none other than Finn slowly but surely catching up to me. I slowed down a bit, and then he was beside me. 

"I asked the kids," he told me, both of us breathing heavier than usual, "and they said you'd zoomed up ahead obliviously."

I rolled my eyes and started running again, but not before catching Finn's surprised expression, and I laughed to myself. 

I didn't look up but I heard him keeping up beside me. And then, because I have a motor-mouth, I looked up at him and blurted, "Race me?"

He shot me a challenging look back, grinning. "You're on, Carol."

"It's Cora!" I huffed with a laugh, and that seemed to be our 'Ready Set GO' of some sort because we both suddenly took off. 

And for most of it, I was just slightly ahead of him. Finn tried to slow me down with random jokes ("Hey Cora, remember this: 'Road work ahead? Uh, yeah, I sure hope it does'"), which didn't really work (pun not intended) but made the whole ordeal much more fun. The only thing was that at the end, it was a tie, since we'd both ended up at the curve at the same time. 

"You cheated," I cried, gasping for breath. "There's no way you tied against me."

"Sorry, Carol, but there is no way these swimmer's muscles were going to let me down."

"Mmmm, swimmer muscles," I deadpanned. "Why didn't you mention that earlier, Finneas? I would have told Miss Priss to get in line."

Finn grinned. "Your sarcasm is what keeps the passion running, babe."

"Really? I thought it was my super cool Archimedes trivia that kept you up at night."

"Oof, that too." Finn fanned himself exaggeratedly. "Are you trying to seduce me on this lonely path so you can kidnap me and sell my left kidney?"

 "Yep, Miss Priss is my first client. She has a shrine for all the guys she's liked before."

"...That's quite...unsettling. May I ask who your second client is?"

"Bryon, of course. He suggests you'd make a good fertilizer."

"I see. Cora, will you still love me if I exist with one less kidney?"

"Maybe. Slim chances, Finneas."

"Hey!" Finn pouted, looking offended. "This is revenge because I forgot your whipped cream that one time, isn't it?" 

My laughter filled the forest air and Finn joined in. We had our hands on our knees as we tried to catch our breath, and he just continued to laugh when I shoved his shoulder. 

We started walking along the trail, and a comfortable silence filled the air. Finn nudged my shoulder, pretending to bump into me, and I did it back, and it went on for a while like this in the silence, each of us holding back a laugh.

And then Finn broke the silence with a question that made me want to cartwheel back to the middle school down the trail so that I could ask the front desk lady for an ice pack to nurse my sad heart. 

"How come you didn't join your school team for cross country, Cora?"

I looked up to see Finn looking at me with an open expression, and I held back a sigh. Whether he knew it or not, this guy's questions forced me to face reality. And this was obviously a good thing, a completely normal thing, really. But my reality was kind of pathetic, so obviously talking about it made my esophagus hurt. 

"Oh, I don't know," I said softly, shrugging. I cleared my throat. "It's not that I didn't want to," I admitted to him. "Just...I don't know. But I can't cry about something I didn't even try for, right? It's whatever. Really."

"Right. But wait, don't these types of things have scholarship potential? Like when you win the regionals and district competitions? Seems like something you would go for."

Smart guy. "I've thought about that too. But my grades were good enough for a scholarship, so I guess that was another reason for...you know, forgetting the running thing."

"Well..." Finn's eyes chanced a quick look at me. "It's not like it's over, right? I'm sure your university has a sports club or running team or something, with a spot that has your name on it."

 I felt the blood leave my face at the prospect because that was automatically my first reaction. Would I have room to fit it in my schedule? Would they allow me to join? Would I even enjoy doing it with other people? 

But then a fluttering excitement filled my veins because the answers to the questions above are yes, yes, and yes. I mean, the thought still made my knees shake because I'd never thought about it or done it before, but there was hope. It was a nice thought. 

"I mean, not to, like, dole out advice to you on your own life or anything," Finn continued obliviously. "Take notes while I tell you how to live your life. Ha." He shook his head, frowning. "I don't want to intrude―"

I cut his rambling off with a quick side-hug-type thing that instantly shut him up. "Thank you, Finn."

He didn't ask what I was thanking him for. He knew, and I knew. That was enough for the both of us, because he nodded, and then I let him go. 

We continued down the trail, talking about random things, when suddenly we noticed another person on the trail, just standing off to the side, in the grass. He seemed to be a shaman of some sort. He wore a patchwork cloak made of various animal hides and feathers, draped over his short frame, and he had long hair that was stringy, woven with beads and tiny bones that clinked softly with his movements. When he spotted us, a crooked smile played on his lips, revealing teeth that looked more like jagged stones than anything else. 

"I'm going to turn around any second now. The guy looks kind of buff, plus if he's also magical..." I heard Finn mutter from beside me, and I shot a glare at him. 

"Be nice," I frowned back, and he started to protest but I simply grabbed his hand and pulled him along with me. 

"Greetings, travelers!" the shaman exclaimed, clutching a staff covered in bizarre symbols and dangling trinkets. "I have just the thing for your journey!"

Finn and I exchanged a glance, knowing this was going to be interesting. 

The shaman started pulling out all sorts of weird stuff from his bag: a dried-up frog, a suspicious-looking jar of what he claimed was "magic dust", and a charm that looked like it had seen better days. 

"Only five dollars for this amulet of protection!" he claimed, waving it front of us like he was a psychologist trying to hypnotize us before a truth-revealing session or something. 

"Uh, no thanks," Finn said, trying to be polite. 

"Okay, okay! How about this potion for endless energy?" he continued, shaking a bottle of something that looked like swamp water. 

"We're good, really," I added, trying to move us along while Finn stared at the relics with wide eyes.

After several more attempts to sell us his 'magical' wares, the shaman finally sighed and said, "Fine, take this. A token of good luck." He handed us a small, strange-looking charm.

"Thanks?" Finn said, unsure of what to say. The shaman gave us a crooked smile before he walked back through the forest all mysteriously. Well, it wasn't too mysterious because I saw him trip over a random pebble, but other than that it was pretty strange.

We walked away, chuckling about the encounter when suddenly, out of nowhere, we heard a rustling behind us. We turned around to see an unusually large and very curious raccoon-looking animal heading straight for us. 

"Is it me, or is that raccoon getting closer?" Finn asked, squinting.

"It's definitely getting closer," I swallowed, my heart starting to race. We tried walking faster, but the raccoon picked up its pace, too. 

"Okay, now it's running," Finn said. His eyes then narrowed, and he looked thoughtful for a second. He gently pried the good luck charm from my scared-stiff fingers, and then he held it up. He walked over to the left of the trail.

The raccoon followed.

He then stepped over to the right of the trail.

The raccoon followed.

Finn then stared in horror at the strange black charm in his hand. "I think it's attracted to this 'good luck' charm," he whispered in dread, and I wanted to go back to that shaman and pelt him with pinecones for giving us something absolutely devious like this. 

We just stared at the little thing for a second before we startled out of it. "Well, then," I stammered. "Why are you still holding it? Drop it, and let's just run."

"Oh yeah," Finn said, blinking. And then, to my absolute shock, he tossed it to me. Little old Cora Turwal who had a penchant for choking on nothing and whose most impressive combat skill was sarcasm.

"Finn! I don't want it," I cried in horror, gasping when I saw the raccoon turn to me. "Take it back!"

I tossed it back to Finn, who blanched― not like he'd seen a ghost, but like he was a ghost himself. "I don't want it either!" He tossed it back to me, and I fumbled with it. 

The raccoon watched on. 

I tossed it back to Finn in fright, but my hand slipped and the charm didn't reach Finn. The three of us (raccoon included) watched in horror as the charm pirouetted in the air in slow motion before gravity happened and then it simply fell to the ground between us with an unsatisfying little thump.

The raccoon stared at it.

"What do we do?" I whispered loudly.

"We have to run." Finn whispered back. "Okay, three, two, and..."

"Come on, Finn. Just say the word. I was born for this. Born for this!" I muttered, getting ready to turn around and run as I kept my eyes trained on the raccoon.

"..."

"Anytime now, Finn."

"..."

I turned around slowly, only to see Finn already hightailing it down the trail like he was Usain Bolt or someone. I cursed under my breath and then took off after him, not sparing another glance at the animal (the raccoon, not Finn).

And apparently the raccoon wasn't satisfied after stopping to chow down on the 'good luck' charm, because it was soon in hot pursuit. 

"Holy sh- Oh, hells. It's still running after us. Run, Carol!"

"Shut up! Don't say a word, Finneas! You totally ditched me back there, didn't you?"

"Wha- No? I said 'Three, two, and...RUN!' Didn't you hear me? I totally said the last part!"

"..."

"...Didn't I?"

"Finn!" I practically sobbed as we kept running. Hand in hand, we zigzagged through trees, jumped over logs, and even did a ridiculous hop-skip-jump routine when we nearly tripped over each other. Finally, we burst out of the forest trail and found ourselves at the hotel, panting. 

"We lost it," Finn gasped, leaning against the hotel wall. 

As we caught our breath, we took one look at each other and started laughing hysterically. 

"I can't believe we just got chased by a raccoon," I cried, clutching my sides from laughing so hard. 

"A seemingly rabid raccoon at that," Finn grinned. I watched as he shook his hair out and pushed it back with his fingers. 

My hair, on the other hand, probably looked like a hot mess. Like a bird's nest―no, a raccoon's nest. Did raccoon's even live in nests? Probably not, but one could imagine.

Just then, the rest of our group showed up, looking at us like we'd lost our minds. Finn and I couldn't stop laughing enough as we tried to explain. Tears were practically streaming down my face and it wasn't even that funny. Something was most definitely wrong with me. Ran-away-from-a-rabid-raccoon-now-I-will-die-of-laughter syndrome, anyone? It's totally a real thing, and very contagious, obviously. 

The group walked into the hotel together, and I tried to quell my giggles. They soon just turned into mostly-silent hiccups as we signed in and went into our rooms.

Even though we could have gotten separate rooms if we'd wanted, Jolene and I decided to share a room. She let me shower first since I'd been running. After we were both done, we both had fun jumping on the super-bouncy bed just because we could.

I almost fell off three times but who even cared? 

I was the life of the thrill now anyways. Who would'a thunk a rabid raccoon could do so much to you?!

A/N: When they're not being cunning thieves, raccoons can be cute sometimes 👇

Also, me when I see your votes and comments and love👇

Anyway that's enough raccoons for now

Expect some (not so) Kardashian-level drama in the next chapter
(trust me its like a small petty but valid fight, please don't expect some good tea)
😏☕🚫

But here's to hoping you'll stay tuned <3

"..."

Who am i kidding
PLEASE stay tuned <3

;P