Servants of the Living Forest (3 page)

"Joey!" Cameron called.

Jocelyn burst from the water with a loud gasp, thrashing as she fought to escape the force beneath her, but its grip was too tight and kept pulling her down. It crawled over her body, between her skin and the lake. She sputtered and choked, unable to stop the water from entering her mouth and powering down her throat with each attempt she took at taking a breath.

Cameron swam toward her as quickly as she could. "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

She got alongside Jocelyn and helped her above the water. They steadily swam back to the beach together and clambered across its surface until they were under the trees again.

"Are you all right?" Cameron asked.

Jocelyn nodded, coughing harshly. "Yeah." She coughed more. "I don't know what happened. Something just..."

Then someone shouted, "Excuse me!"

They both looked back and sprang up, dripping wet. A lank man dressed in pine green approached them, wide-eyed and smiling. The patches on his uniform indicated he was a forest ranger.

"I heard some shouting," he said. "Is everything okay here, ladies?"

"We're fine," Jocelyn said, sounding hoarse. Cameron's worried expression, though, signaled otherwise. "We were just fooling around. I'm Jocelyn and this is Cameron."

"Hello," Cameron said, giving him a small wave with a weak smile. She cradled her soft, pale body, feeling naked in front of the stranger.

Jocelyn, in contrast, stood confidently, with her hands on her hips, despite her ordeal.

"Nice to meet you," he said to them. "And who is this fellow?"

The man bent down and scratched vigorously behind Sancho's ears. Cameron marveled at how calmly the Labrador behaved.

"That's Sancho," she said, quietly. "I mean, that's what we call him. We found him this morning. Do you know if anyone's missing a dog? He has a collar, but there's no tag or anything."

"No. Nobody I can think of," he said. "But we get campers and weekend hikers up here all the time, so who knows? I'll put up a post at the office and call the animal warden. He can come up and take this guy off your hands for you."

Cameron shook her head, horrible images of doggie prison filling her mind. "No, that's okay!" she said. "He's fine here. Honest."

"That's good, too. Good protection, aren't you?" he said to Sancho. "Are you two staying at the cabin on Quiet Ridge?"

Jocelyn and Cameron exchanged uncertain looks.

"Um, yes?" Jocelyn said.

"I saw a blue van there, about a quarter-mile away."

"Yes, sir. That's ours," Cameron said.

The man laughed. "Oh, I'm not a 'sir.' I'm James. Ranger James, if you like," he said. He stood, smoothed his uniform. "Anyway, I left my card at your cabin. It has all of my contact info on it in case you need anything. Cell, radio, office. The works! And there's a service station up the road, too."

"We stopped there this morning," Jocelyn said.

"So you got to meet George!" James said. "Mister Jepson there, he's the owner."

Jocelyn smiled widely. "Yep. We met George Jepson," she said. "His boy, Elroy." Cameron jabbed her hard. Jocelyn, still smiling, mouthed, "What?"

"Okay, well, if you need anything, I'm always around. Just like the trees," James said. "Take it easy, ladies."

"Thank you!" Cameron said. Once Ranger James was gone, she gave Jocelyn a stern look.

Jocelyn grinned, chuckled. "Come on! You know that was funny."

"It was. But still!" she said and sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just swallowed some water," Jocelyn said. "You want to go back to the cabin? I think I'm done for the day."

"I think that's a good idea."

Cameron grabbed her towel, wrapped herself, and they headed back with Sancho following at their side.

They both looked into the forest, searching in all directions, but there was no sign of the park ranger.

*~*~*

The sky was perfect black.

Sancho rested outside, ahead of the cabin door, keeping guard over the entrance and the old blue van.

Inside, Jocelyn and Cameron lay together, holding each other under the sheet, on top of the sleeping bag, naked and cool on the warm summer night.

"I've never done that before," Jocelyn said. "Made love twice in one day."

"How was it?" Cameron asked.

"Awesome," Jocelyn said. "Ha! I'm even saying 'made love' instead of 'fucked.' That's the kind of effect you have on me, babe."

Cameron smiled. "I never thought I'd do something like this. I mean, I wanted it. And I'd fantasize about it. But I never believed it was possible, that I would be special enough for someone to love me and want me like that, the way you do."

"We sure are something, aren't we?" Jocelyn said. "Two educated young women in a wild, interracial romance, and it's all because you're so damn wonderful. And sexy as hell."

Cameron nuzzled against Jocelyn, swooned. "I was so scared. When I heard about that girls-only meeting, I thought, why not just paint a target on my back?" she said. "But then, I met you."

She glanced up as she exhaled, and in the dark, lightened by her adjusted vision, spotted something large skittering along the ceiling. It was the size of her hand and as black as the shadows around them. She stiffened, clutched the sheet.

Jocelyn noticed and sat up. "Hey. Is something wrong?"

"There's a huge bug," Cameron said in a whisper.

"Probably. We are in the woods."

"No, I mean really huge!"

She pointed at the ceiling and Jocelyn looked upward, searching amid the darkness. After a second, she scoffed and turned to Cameron. "You seriously need to relax," she said. "And I know just how to help you with that." Jocelyn leaned forward and licked along Cameron's collar and neck.

Cameron moaned and shuddered in Jocelyn's grip. "Joey! I love that so much!"

Jocelyn giggled. "Just remember to keep your mouth closed, or else it'll get filled up with bugs!"

"Oh, you jerk!"

Cameron, smiling, shoved her and they laughed together. After, they snuggled and kissed, holding each other so closely they could feel their heartbeats calm as one.

A strong breeze buffeted the cabin, the slight rustle outside creating a dreamy white noise. As the minutes passed, Cameron began to relax. She tried not to move. Jocelyn had fallen asleep on her and was breathing gently against her soft body. In that moment, she felt so loved and blissful she could write a song about it.

It was how she had always wanted her life to be.

She gazed at the ceiling. Something glistened above her. Her brow furrowed, certain the large insect was still there, at the fringe of the shadows, invisible in the night, and looking down, watching them. She soon began to drift, though, and forgot about it as she finally fell asleep.

They awoke to a world bathed in golden light and ensconced in quiet, holding each other. A nice breakfast of kielbasa and scrambled eggs followed. Jocelyn gave Sancho some scraps, not sure what he ate, only that he hadn't had anything since yesterday. Cameron was happy to see that she had warmed to the Labrador and envisioned a future replete with puppies.

By mid-morning, they were ready for the centerpiece of their trip, a hike through the woods. They dressed in long pants and sturdy shoes and covered themselves with repellant. Before setting out, Jocelyn made doubly sure their packs contained everything they needed, especially her nature guide, compass, and first aid kit.

Then, she put a teal bandana on Cameron to make her look sportier.

"Now you're ready," Jocelyn said.

"Aw, thanks," Cameron said, adjusting it.

They set out, heading north into the endless forest, amid bristly spruce and firs, tall cedars and towering redwoods, through the diffuse shade and rows of obstructed light. As they progressed, the peak neared, looming over them like a monolith. Behind them, the cabin was blotted by an emerald-green wall specked with brown-black.

Cameron, with Sancho trotting at her side, followed a step behind Jocelyn, who held the compass in her raised palm.

"I knew this would be awesome," Jocelyn said. "Blue sky. Green trees. All this shade and fresh air. Back in the city, they're all melting. Like so much wax! And it's so quiet, too. Here, it's just us and nature."

"It's very nice."

Cameron looked away, still reserved and content to remain quiet even when surrounded by such splendor and alone with the girl she adored.

Jocelyn turned and set her hands on her hips. Cameron halted, smiled weakly. "You're not enjoying this, are you?"

"I am, really. It's pretty," Cameron said. "I just don't have much to say, you know."

"You don't seem happy, though. Like, I can see your expression and hear your voice. And I can't always be imagining it."

Cameron shrugged, shrinking with her shame and becoming annoyed. "What do you want? This is where I want to be. It's beautiful out here, and I love being with you. If I wanted to be somewhere else, I would say so. I wish I could do a better job of expressing myself. I'm just not good at it, that's all."

Jocelyn sighed, let her hands slide to her sides. "I'm going to pee," she said, dropping her pack to the ground. "You really need to relax, babe. I love you. Just, be happy."

Cameron winced, the words stinging as Jocelyn walked away and disappeared behind the trees. Alone, she stepped over to a fallen tree, sat, and clasped her hands, doubtful that this would be the last time she would feel so hurt, and uncertain if she could endure it.

Sancho followed after her, standing at her feet.

"Just relax, huh? How am I supposed to do that when everyone keeps telling me to relax? I mean, right?"

Sancho harrumphed and scampered off then, to the crook of a nearby tree. It whimpered as it sniffed and pawed at something.

"What have you got there?"

Cameron skipped after the Labrador, grateful for the distraction, and crouched at its side. Sancho had found a patch of mushrooms, like the kind found at any grocery store, white spotted with gray and yellow, and thick and bulbous.

She picked one and smirked. "Sure, I'll relax. I'll show you I can get into it and be more spontaneous." She bit into it and chewed, chuckling. "Ha! Take that, Jocelyn! Nom, nom!"

"Cameron!"

She swallowed hard, nearly choking as she stood and turned. Jocelyn raced up to her, alarm written across her face.

"What are you doing? Don't eat that!"

Cameron gulped. "What? Why?"

"You don't know if that's safe to eat or not!"

"Is it?" Cameron asked.

"Yes. But you didn't know that!"

Cameron tossed the stem to the side and shrugged. "Sorry," she said. "I was just trying to relax."

For a long moment, they stood in silence, calming as they looked into each other's eyes and forgot their animosities.

"So. I guess that was our first fight?" Jocelyn said.

"I don't think so," Cameron said. "We're just two different people and not used to sharing our lives with someone else yet. That's all."

"It's kind of scary, isn't it?"

"There are worse hells," Cameron said. "I'm still excited about us."

She held out her hand, and Jocelyn took it. They smiled together.

"Come on," Jocelyn said. "We're only a few miles away from the peak."

"Right!"

*~*~*

They continued their trek, side-by-side, with Sancho ahead of them. As they neared the base of the peak, Sancho turned, and they walked away from it, following the dog deeper into the woods instead.

The minutes passed, and they were no more concerned about the deviation than they were with time, their location, the rising heat, eating. Anything.

Cameron heard a prolonged rumble then, soft and far away, different from the crack of a tree, and slowed. And as she looked around, had an epiphany.

"Hey, you know what? I haven't seen any animals today. Not even an insect," she said. "Have you?"

"No. I haven't," Jocelyn said, searching. "I thought for sure we'd be neck-deep in all sorts of lovable critters. That's so strange."

She checked her compass then, and, waving it around, began to despair. "Oh, no!"

"What is it?" Cameron asked.

"It's not working," Jocelyn said. "Here, look."

They stopped, and Cameron watched as the compass needle swayed but never pointed to north. "How long has it been like that?"

"I don't know! It was working all the way up to the peak." Jocelyn looked upward, behind her. "Oh, man. I can't even see the peak anymore. But weren't we just there?"

Cameron bit her lip. She didn't want to say it, but knew she had to offer the suggestion. "Do you think we should start heading back the way we came?"

Jocelyn scowled. "We'll have to, won't we?"

They turned and started walking back. Jocelyn gave up on her compass and pocketed it, instead examining the verdant surroundings.

"Come on, Sancho," Cameron called.

The Labrador, with seeming reluctance, caught up to them and followed.

After an hour, they were still wandering through the forest, unable to find the peak. The ground soon flattened, and the grass thinned until there was only the soft black soil. The trees became more numerous, forming slender rows around them.

Cameron wiped the sweat from her brow, brushed it off her lip with her thumb, amazed it was so hot even under the continuous shade. She glanced to her side. As always, Jocelyn looked cool and composed.

"Are we lost?" Cameron asked.

"That's the thing. I can't tell," Jocelyn said. "We've been going in the right direction, but it's like everything got moved around." She looked up, but the thick foliage offered only spots of blinding white. "I can't even find the sun."

"The peak didn't just disappear."

"I know!" Jocelyn shouted. She took out her compass, but it was no less broken, and she groaned in frustration. "I just don't get how we could be lost."

They slowed, tiring. Cameron heard more distant rumblings, as though the forest had an upset stomach. As she searched for its cause, she spotted dozens of large black beetles swarming from beneath the soil across from them. And with each step forward, more seemed to appear, following them from a distance like a living shadow, never moving nearer.