The autumn air tugged on my loose black shirt as I stood at the front of the school. My bags were in a pile at my feet and in my hands I held a small giraffe pillow pet. The weekend had breezed by and I was surprised by how excited I became about the trip. Now, standing in front of the Peter Pan buses, I wasn't so sure. Why didn't I tell my mom I would be homesick? I watched my mom's silver car drive away from the school, zig-zagging between incoming vehicles. She had took a few pictures, then left. The only other person who decided to come as early as me was Amy. She sat on the other side of the stairs writing in her notebook. Her pencil raced from line to line, the pages turning.

Ms. Isola strode out of the building with a black duffle bag. Instead of her usual silk shirt embroidered with designs, she wore a plain cotton t-shirt with torn jeans. The door swung closed with a clang behind her. I forced a slight smile, unsure of how to react to her entrance.

"Morning, girls," she said, smiling back at me. "Are you guys ready?"

"Of course!" Amy slid her notebook and pencil into her suitcase.

"Kind of," I said. I wasn't used to having a one-on-one conversation with my teacher. Especially at six thirty on a Tuesday morning. I stepped backwards, closer to my luggage.

"Ms. Raven will be out soon to join us and we can begin packing," Ms. Isola explained. She stepped down the rest of the staircase and stood towering over me.

"Hi, Ms. Isola! You look ready for today."

I squinted to see Avani and Leila making their way through the parking lot.

Ms. Isola chuckled. "Thank you very much, Avani. You do, too."

"Hey, Lucia," Avani called, skipping over to me. Leila followed more slowly. "Do you want to see the new headband my mom made me yesterday?"

She wore a plain white headband. The left strand was longer than the right.

"Cool," I said, unsure of how I was supposed to react. Did I go on pretending nothing changed or did I have to push her away? Life can be so confusing. In frustration, I began fiddling with the ends of my shirt.

"Well, thanks for the compliment!"

Leila giggled, her cheeks flushed red.

The school doors opened to let Ms. Raven through. She dragged a big, purple suitcase with one hand and her crutches with the other.

"Okay, girls," Ms. Isola said from where she stood by the bus doors. "We're now able to start heading into the bus."

Avani and her headband were erased from my mind as I watched flaps rise from the sides of the vehicle. Five cubbies were now visible from under the bus with plenty of room to fit our luggage.

Amy had already begun placing her suitcase into the bus and the other two girls followed her example. I slid my bags beside Avani's and laid my giraffe on top.

"I wouldn't put that there if I were you," sounded Ms. Isola. "It will get lost in the chaos of everyone's items."

I nodded, but couldn't help feeling a little offended. I should be able to put things where I wanted to. I moved my pillow pet to the side of my bag and headed to the doors of the bus. Ms. Isola scooted over to allow me to step in.

The air conditioner was on and I shivered. I hugged my bare arms tight, wishing I hadn't worn just a t-shirt. Sadly, my coat was in one of my bags.

I smiled at the lady behind the wheel. Her lips parted into a smile and she nodded her head. I hoped she would notice how cold I was and turn the air conditioner off.

I continued down the aisle, amazed by how every seat was cushioned. The whole set-up looked like a small plane. There were rows of seats on either side and a port-a-potty in the back. Amy was sitting in one of the left front seats, once again writing in her notebook. I saw Avani and Leila sitting next to each other on the right, chatting. Avani nodded her head to me and Leila smiled. I slowed down as I neared their bench. Is Avani making fun of me? I wondered. It didn't seem like something she would do, but then again, Leila could be poisoning her mind.

"...Lucia?"

My thoughts were shot out as my name echoed through my ears. I was positive Avani had said something about me. Without looking at the two girls, I quickened my pace and slid into a bench five seats away. She was probably asking Leila if she wants to draw a silly picture of me. I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, letting my body relax. The soft, light blue cushions of the seats were quite comfortable. When I was outside, the windows were so dark that I couldn't see in. Now, light from the morning sun fluttered through, allowing me to see everything. I don't need to know what Avani said anyways, I told myself. With a sigh, I watched as more and more fifth graders walked to the buses.

"Hey, Lucia."

I twisted around to see Isabelle moving in beside me. She held a book in her hands and her smile was wide.

"I'm so excited for this trip. I've been looking forward to it since that woman came last week. I can't believe it's here!"

I nodded in agreement. I once again found myself forcing a smile. "Yeah, me, too. I hope we're in the same cabin."

"I'm sure we are. I don't see why not. I've been asking God every night." Isabelle's eyes turned stern. "I hope you've been doing the same."

I gave a groan. "Unlike you, Isabelle, I don't go to church every week and feel the need to stop every two seconds to pray."

My friend glared at me. "First off, I don't stop every two seconds to pray. Second off, I sometimes I don't understand how your family can claim you're Catholic. When was the last time you've seen a mass? When you were two?"

"Pretty much."

"How are we friends?" Isabelle turned away from me.

I sighed. Isabelle and I argued countless times about how Catholic I was. Each time, it always ended with no clear answer.

I glanced around the bus to see more than half class there. Lincoln and his friends were talking to each other, their mouths moving two miles-per-second. Amy showed off her notebook to Kaya. Plenty of other people were roaming around the bus trying to find a seat with their friends.

A few more people filed into the bus with Ms. Isola and Ms. Raven on their tail.

"Okay, class," Ms. Isola shouted over all the ruckus, "Everyone should be seated by now. Anywhere is fine. During the ride, we are going to watch The Giver, a book written by Lois Lowry, an author with a story we'll soon be reading. If you need anything, I'll be stationed at the front and Ms. Raven at the rear."

She sat down in the seat a row up from Kaya and Amy. Ms. Raven made her way to us, using her crutches. The rest of the class sat and began murmuring to one another. From above our heads, little screens rotated down from the ceiling. Soon the movie began and everyone quieted.

"Lucia," Isabelle hissed.

"What?"

"I think it's time I tell you why it's important to go to church."

I groaned and turned away, letting her begin her argument.

~~~

"I think we're here."

I looked up from my lap to see Isabelle. It was the first time I had heard her say something different than "church" the whole ride. Her eyes shone with glee and her lips broke into a smile.

I twisted around to see out the windows. Sure enough, a wooden sign, tinted yellow, read "D. Smith Nature Center" in black letters. My stomach twisted inside of me and I began to feel light-headed. We really were there. I glanced out the window to behind the bus. No houses were visible and if there were any, they were covered by the vast amount of trees. The trees ranged from all different sizes. The taller ones swayed in the breeze, rustling the others below, their multicolored leaves drifting to the ground.

It was all so beautiful, but where was my home? Home. I leaned back into my seat, breathing heavily. It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay.

"Is everything alright, Lucia?" Isabelle asked. She sounded concerned.

"Uh, yeah." I smiled at her. With a deep breath, I peered out the window again. The trees were beginning to thin and the noise of my classmates rose to a climax. The trees opened up into a clearing with a semicircle of cabins ringing the outline. A larger lodge lay in-between the two sections of the semicircle on the other side of the opening. The bus jolted to a stop and my knees slammed into the seat in front of me. Slight pain sprouted along my legs and I massaged them, the rough fabric of my jeans calming my shaky fingers.

"Okay, everyone, please stay seated until I've finished counting," Ms. Isola's voice rung through the chatter. People halfway up, dropped back down on their seats and the noise quieted.

The doors of the bus opened with a soft ching and two people came in. A female with black hair and hazel eyes was the first one to come into view. The other was a man with dark brown hair and eyes. My breathing calmed and I felt more comfortable.

"Never mind, then." Ms. Isola said and sat down in her seat.

"Hello, campers," the woman said, her voice echoing through the bus. "My name is Evelyn and this is Sawyer." She nodded to the man. "I'm going to read the list of people in each group. There will be two groups of three, the others will be in fours. When your name is called, make your way to the front of the bus and Sawyer will organize you outside. Here we go!"

Names rung through the bus and people stood up after they were called. Amy was the first to go, followed by Kaya, Summer, and Ayana. Their names were followed by four boys, then... "Lucia, Isabelle, Avani, and Leila."

Isabelle and I rose at the same time. I flashed a nervous smile at my friend. We made our way through the aisle and to the doors. "Thanks," I whispered to the driver who nodded in reply.

Avani and Leila were already waiting outside next to Sawyer.

"You must be Isabelle and Lucia." Sawyer smiled at the two of us. I winced.

"Her name's pronounced 'Loo-see-uh'," corrected Isabelle for me, "but, yeah."

"Lucia," he repeated, still smiling. "Thank you, Isabelle. You four can get your items from the bus and then head over to Mykayla over by the tree stump."

He pointed to where a dark-skinned woman stood in front of a cabin, holding a sign with the word "three".

The four of us gathered our luggage from the cubbies and walked across the circle. Dust rose from the ground as our sneakers shuffled along the floor. The air was cool, but after being cramped inside a bus for a few hours, the temperature was soothing.

Mykayla waved to us as we came close. "Hey, girls. Head right inside and make your beds. When you're done, come out again so we can go to dinner."

The bags in my arms felt even heavier as I stepped up the stairs to the cabin door. There was no going back now. Avani elbowed the door open and the four of us slid in.

Inside there were two bunk beds opposite to each other. At the end of the room was a door which led to a bathroom. The bunk beds were put together by white poles. Dark green mattresses lay on the springs. There were no dressers or closets, only empty space to put our items.

"Hey, Isabelle," said Avani, "do you want to share the bunk on the right?"

"Sure," Isabelle agreed. Her lips parted into a smile and she followed Avani to the bunk.

"That leaves the two of us," Leila said.

"Right." I walked over to the left bunk bed and placed my giraffe pillow pet on the bottom. "I'll take this bunk."

"That's fine." Leila slid her suitcase into the corner of the room. "I prefer the top anyways."

I was surprised by how she agreed to everything I decided. Did she feel any tension like I did with Avani?

Soon all four of us had mattresses covered by sheets and blankets. We headed outside without a word to where Mykayla waited.

"Wow you girls are quick!" She gave us a big thumbs up. "The dining area is the big lodge on the right of your cabin. During the night, if you ever need something, walk over to the lodge and you can find me on the second floor."

We all nodded and followed her as she led us through the open doors of the big lodge. The salty aroma of miso soup stung my nose and I breathed in deeply. Six tables lay in three rows, two in each. Their surfaces were empty and I wondered if it was a mistake. Maybe they forgot to put out the meals. I shuddered at the thought.

"Our table is the one at the very end on the left." Mykayla explained, bringing us over to our spot. "We get in line over there to get our food." She pointed to the kitchen area on the opposite side. A silver counter divided the two parts of the room. Bowls steaming with soup littered the counter already. A "Vegetarian and Vegan only" sign stood on the left of the soup. A few bowls were there.

Loud chatter rose through the room as the other groups streamed into the dining area. They all wore wide smiles and their eyes shone.

"Let's go," Mykayla said.

As we headed forward with me holding hands with Isabelle and the sounds of cooking ringing through my ears, I felt I was at home.