Chapter 11
I poured myself a big glass of milk when I got home and looked over my assignments. Most of it was pretty easy, what my mom called “busywork,” so I got it out of the way right then. I also had some chapters to read for physics and lit, but I figured I’d do that later in bed. After being pent up inside all day and having to meet so many new people, I was feeling twitchy. I really needed to get outside, go for a long run.
I changed clothes and headed out, deciding to go in the opposite direction I’d gone last time. I definitely wasn’t in the mood to run into Coach Thorn twice in one day. She’d said I should consider trying out for track, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to have to spend that much time around her. As it was, I was sure I’d have to see her enough. Besides, if I did track, I’d be stuck running in circles all the time.
I pushed the issue out of mind, and concentrated on my pace, just running and breathing, step after step. I’d noticed a small nature trail a mile down the road a few days before that I wanted to check out. Within a few minutes I arrived at the small dirt pull-off where there was just enough room for three or four cars to park. The trail was blocked by a single wooden lockgate so that vehicles couldn’t go off-roading down the trail, complete with a large red and white “no vehicles” sign, though I could see some tire marks from dirt bikes that had snuck around the gate recently. There was a small trail map posted by the entrance, too, designating this area as “Mine Creek Preserve.”
I walked over to it and did a few lunges and stretches while I studied the trail system. According to the map there was a small creek that led to a beaver pond, and the main green trail looped around both for about four miles. There were also a couple of little trails that led off the main one, one of them leading to an old garnet mine and another one marked in yellow that seemed to follow the edge of the preserve along some of its boundaries. If I wasn’t mistaken, that path actually would run through the woods right behind our home. I decided to run to the pond, then double back and take the yellow trail to the end to see if it went all the way to our house.
I took off down the trail at a fast pace. After about half a mile the woods became denser, the path more rocky and rough. I started looking at the trail less like a road and more like a cross-country obstacle course, jumping from rock to rock as I went, bouncing through the woods on the hard packed dirt. I was so happy I had bought the new Asics, they were awesome. Every rock I bounced off of felt like a cloud, seriously.
A huge old tree had fallen across the trail, but that didn’t faze me. I cat vaulted over it parkour style to gain maximum distance over the obstacle without slowing down. Whenever the path went to curve around a boulder, I would tic tac off the side of the stone, leaping and pushing off with one foot to change direction and follow the trail. At one point the trail split and I saw the yellow trail go off to the right. I made a mental note of where I was so I wouldn’t miss it on the way back, and continued to the left. After another mile I came to the pond, a beautiful clearing in the woods complete with a cute little bench facing west so you could watch the sunset over the water if you were here at the right time.
I stood for a moment, catching my breath and marveling at the vivid reflection of the trees on the surface of the pond. The fiery reds and sunny yellows were so bright, the water looked practically black by comparison. The pond must have been really deep. The water looked super clear right by the shore, but after just a few feet I couldn’t see the bottom. Far across the way I could see a huge pile of sticks that I could only assume was the beaver lodge, but I couldn’t see any inhabitants at the moment. Some geese swam by and honked a few times at me, apparently outraged that I was invading their afternoon swim, and floated closer to the lodge. I took a deep breath, inhaling the clean, fresh air. It tasted like pure sunshine and fallen leaves. Perfect.
I turned around and went back the way I came, ready to tackle the yellow trail. The map indicated it was less than a mile long, and that it ran behind some houses by the main road, so I was hoping I could link up to my back yard from it. How cool would it be to have access to my own private running trail?
I hadn’t lived in such a rural place for years. While I ran at a more sedate pace, keeping an eye out for the trail split, my mind wandered. What was Rowan doing right now? Rose had mentioned at one point during the day how having a boyfriend that practically ran Giovanni’s would be soooo awesome (“imagine all the free pizza!”) so I guessed he worked most days after school. He hadn’t mentioned getting together for another date before the following Friday, so he was probably pretty busy. That or he was taking it slow. Or he just wasn’t as into me as I thought.
I didn’t really know for sure how to tell with these sorts of things. We’d just met, really, so I figured it was actually a good thing to have some time to myself. I mean, he seemed awesome, but I didn’t really know him at all. Not to mention the fact that he was friends with Emelie. That wasn’t exactly a great recommendation. Not that it was his fault, I mean, she was his sister’s friend, really. And Holly seemed nice enough.
If I didn’t get to go out with Rowan again right away, it was probably a good thing, I decided. I could take it slow, get to know the school better, take some time to settle in. I mean, hey, it’s not like he was even my boyfriend. Maybe I’d date someone else, too. Have a whole posse of boys. I laughed at myself. As if that would ever happen. This was my senior year, and I was only just now getting my first real kiss. I started thinking about that kiss, the way my stomach had somersaulted again and again, the firm press of his lips against mine. Totally not paying attention where I was going, I stumbled over a root in the ground. I caught myself before I actually hit the ground, and it was just in time, too, since I looked around and there was the trail split.
I veered off to the left, following the yellow patches of paint on the tree trunks that appeared every twenty feet or so. The trail grew narrower – obviously this path wasn’t used nearly as often as the main routes. Leaves and small branches were everywhere, hiding smaller rocks and divots. I increased my focus and got back into parkour mode, becoming more springy and ready on my feet as I took in every detail along the way. After a while I started seeing the occasional house or barn on the right through the trees. The trail seemed to follow the boundary of the preserve, with small buffer zones of twenty to fifty feet of woods before reaching people’s lawns. This looked promising. I jogged past several more places, and then saw our multifamily converted farmhouse through the trees. Curious to see how much further the trail continued, I kept going, only to stop in front of a sheer rock face another quarter mile down the way. There was an old fire ring a few feet in front of the cliff, with some logs nearby and crushed, faded cans on the ground. It didn’t look like anyone had used the spot for at least a year. It seemed like a really good, quiet place to hang out, minus the old beer cans. I picked them up and put them over by the cliff face, resolving to bring a small bag next time I came so I could clean the place up. I saw some small dead branches nearby that has fallen, so I broke them up and put them by the fire ring. Sitting on the logs by the ring, I gazed around.
It was so peaceful here. Huge white quartz boulders surrounded the area. The birds seemed quieter here, and the rocks had an ancient, knowing feel to them. Like if I sat long enough, they would tell me something special, impart some indigenous wisdom or something. Whatever, I shook my head. Where did that come from? What a weird idea.
Still, I could see that this would be a great place to come to think and read as the days started turning colder. Maybe I’d even bring Rowan here. Just the thought of it made me feel as if I had already lit the sticks in the firepit.
The light was starting to fade, so I got up to make my way home. It seemed even closer on the way back than it had the first time down the path. The undergrowth wasn’t too thick by our yard, so I was able to easily pick my way between the trees to reach the lawn, exiting the forest next to a huge old sycamore tree. Awesome. I would be able to find my way back
to the trail anytime with no problem, and the trail complex would insure that I could do any length run I wanted, or just sit and hang out by the rocks again. No way was I going to join track now, not when I had my own wonderland to explore until the snows came.
Chapter 12