Page 3 of Entangled in the Woods
“I’ll be fine, Mom. People got along just fine without cell phones back in your day.” It was my mom’s turn to roll her eyes as she let me escape her embrace.
To be honest, I was looking forward to the lack of cell service deep in the woods where I was going. There was something about being disconnected from the world and getting connected with nature that had always brought me peace. I wouldn’t miss my phone at all. I didn’t have anyone that I texted with daily anyway.
As I sat on the couch to say goodbye to my dad, Bessie gave me the stink eye. “I’ll miss you too, old lady,” I said as I scratched under her chin. She submitted to my attention, lifting her head to deepen the scratch.
“Be safe out there, Elise,” my dad said with teary eyes.
“Don’t get all emotional now,” I said, giving him a big hug. “Take care of yourself. Don’t be afraid to call if you need anything.” His head nod told me he had agreed.
Mom opened the door and walked me out to the Subaru that was now mine. I made quick work of detaching the trailer.
“Drive safe! Watch out for wildlife!” Mom said.
Now that it was dark, she had a good point. I would have to be extra cautious if I didn’t want to end up in a wreck like we almost had earlier today.
I waved at my mom standing on the porch as I backed down the driveway and into the road. Thinking ahead, I had printed out turn-by-turn directions from my parents’ new house to the cabin I would be living in. About an hour into the drive, I would lose all service and my GPS would be useless.
As I turned out of Fenrirton and onto the winding highway headed north, I let out a huge exhale. Letting my hair down from the clip that had been holding it up, I took a moment to breathe and settle into the freedom that was now mine. I had taken care of my parents and was now on my own journey toward “the next part of my life,” as my mother had referred to it. After the hospital visit and the chaos of moving, it was nice to be on my own again.
Tucking my long brown hair behind my ear, I turned on the radio to listen to some music before I lost signal. I let myself fall victim to highway hypnosis as my car traveled deeper and deeper into the forest.
CHAPTER THREE
After one missedturn and the constant dodging of critters that scurried right in front of my moving car, the Subaru pulled up in front of a simple log-style cabin. This was just about as remote as you could get. My headlights illuminated a generator that sat beside the structure and a basin that collected rainwater for the cabin. Luckily we’d have toilets that flushed into a septic tank, but that was it for modern conveniences. For years now Northwind University had managed this cabin that served as the research base for graduate students studying the forest, and judging by the state of things, it had seen its fair share of students. Grabbing my two bags, I made my way up the gravel sidewalk to the front door of the cabin.
Surrounded by evergreens, the air had the scent of pine. I took a deep breath before climbing the stairs that led to an oversized porch with two rocking chairs. Overgrown plants climbed up the porch, covering the railings and some of the wood planks in purple flowers. As I lifted my hand to grab the door, someone flung it wide open, letting a musty smell out of the cabin. The screech of a small female as she grabbed me in an embrace bombarded my senses. Unable to use my arms becauseof the bags I was holding, I awkwardly stood there, my face smothered by her curly blonde hair.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I’m so glad you’re here! I’m so glad you’re a girl! There’s a guy here already, and I was so worried that I’d be the only girl. Can you imagine? The bathroom would be a war zone.” The woman let go of me, and I finally got a look at her face. She was a petite girl with petite features. Her curly blonde hair framed her face and fell just past her shoulders. Her blue designer sweat suit matched her eyes, although her eyes were lighter.
“I’m Jenny. Leo, the guy, is in his room unpacking. I think he said he was from Canada? I don’t know,” she said, barely pausing to take a breath. “I’ve just been so excited since I got here. I’m having trouble focusing.”
Setting my bags down, I looked around the interior of the cabin. Simply constructed, it was the epitome ofrustic. A small kitchen with a stove, oven, and refrigerator opened to a cozy living room with a fireplace. The living room had minimal furniture, only two couches and a coffee table. Shelves stuffed with books lined the walls on either side of the fireplace. I walked over and ran my fingers along the spines. Most were local topics ranging from flora and fauna to tourist destinations. Jenny vibrated in the small space with a smile on her face as she watched me explore.
The light in the cabin came from the fireplace and the few electric lanterns scattered around the room. A small round table had been placed between the kitchen and the living room, surrounded by four wooden chairs. I could see myself having my breakfast at the table before setting out to explore for the day. Instead of art on the walls, pieces of iron hung as decoration. Some were twisted and manipulated into artistic swirls. Others looked like rudimentary weapons with points that had once beensharp and blades that would have been deadly had orange rust not formed on them.
Stepping back—and feeling thankful for my mother’s insistence that I keep up to date on my tetanus shots—I turned to the only part I had yet to explore, a narrow hallway in the back.
“Sorry, but you get the last room,” Jenny said, following my eyeline. I picked up my bags and followed the bouncing blonde through the living room and down the hallway. The first room to my right had the door open and was already decorated with pink bedding, and the closet was already full of mostly pink clothes.
“My friends all say I’m obsessed with pink, but I just like to wear what makes me happy!” Motioning to her blue sweat suit, she said, “This is about the only thing I have that doesn’t have the color pink somewhere on it.”
Across the hall was a small bathroom with a simple sink, toilet, and shower.
A couple of steps later, we paused at another room on the left side of the hallway. The door stood cracked open, and I could hear music coming from the room.
Jenny knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “The last roommate has arrived!” she announced, swinging the door open.
A man wearing a T-shirt and jeans turned around quickly, surprised at the loud intrusion. His shoulder-length brown hair that had been tied back came loose with the sudden movement. A sly smile crossed his lips as he walked over to us. Deep brown eyes glanced between Jenny and me. He was good-looking in anature, folk, granolakind of way. Not my type, but I could appreciate an attractive man when I saw one.
“Wow, a blonde and a brunette. How’d I get so lucky?” he asked. Jenny giggled as she looked at me. My eyes did a complete rotation in their sockets. A guy this eager to live withtwo girls was not an ideal roommate. This wasn’t summer camp—it was supposed to be a professional environment for students.
“Hi, I’m Elise,” I said with an outstretched hand.
He took my hand and shook it. “Leo.”
Our eyes made contact, and I could tell from the look he was giving us he was interested in getting to know his new female roommates further. I wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone while I was here studying. I was here to study forest conservation, and trees were the onlywoodI was interested in. Lucky for Leo, it seemed he might have a willing participant in Jenny, who was standing there like a nervous schoolgirl meeting a boy for the first time.
When I turned to look at her, she snapped out of her trance and smacked me playfully in the arm. “Gosh, I’m such a talker that I didn’t even ask you your name. Elise. That is such a pretty name,” she said. “How did you end up stuck in a cabin with us? You’re pretty enough that you don’t need to rough it out here.”
