The buzzing feeling set a fire to Milo's legs, her body practically jumping in the air as soon as the hostess gave the signal to begin getting off the jet. Her legs felt like jelly from not standing for so long, Milo shifting her weight to re-orient each foot. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she busied herself in tugging down her precious cargo free from the passenger overhang, her giddiness nearly toppling the luggage onto her head.

The people originally behind her seat were equally energetic in wanting to get off the plane, the blonde 'accidentally' bumping into Milo multiple times with her comically large carry-on. Between her and everyone else rushing to get off the aircraft, the cramped space was beginning to feel suffocating. Milo glared at her after the third time, choosing to distance herself from her before she ended up rolling over the blonde's foot with her own luggage.

Didn't the airline have regulations on the carry-on size? Milo was sure of it- she vividly remembered buying exactly a 22x14x9in luggage bag off Amazon months in advance (perhaps even buying smaller in fear she wouldn't pass inspection). She rolled her eyes, continuing her check to see if all the bags and her phone were accounted for.

"Can you help me get my bag down?"

The feminine voice next to her made Milo's head twist to the left, only to meet barely the top of the girls head. Looking down her nose, the girl's eyes were creased and cheeks flushed in embarrassment and awkwardness, all while looking up at Milo hopefully. She couldn't have been taller than 4'10, considering Milo wasn't the average height either (even though 5'3 is the height most women are in the American population, to Milo anyway).

"Yes, which bag is it?" Milo asked, tilting her head up and reaching her arms up into the overhang.

"The red one, with fishes on it." She laughed lightly, watching as Milo barely managed to hook her fingers around the luggage's red handle before pulling it back and onto the floor in a loud clack. In her peripheral, Milo noticed how the fishes on the luggage, a beta variety, matched the fish on the girl's oversize sweater.

"Thank you!" The girl smiled widely, grasping the handle and pulling it next to her. Milo smiled back, grasping her own luggage decorated with different species of snakes. Although it was strange, Milo loved to study reptiles in the lab. Something about the scaly skin and endless possibilities of genetic variants brought on a spark of curiosity.

Though Milo was only wearing a plain purple t-shirt, she found it funny how both of them chose a design on their luggage compared to everyone else on the plane who didn't- Milo's eyes straying pointedly on the bright barbie pink luggage belonging to the obvious.

"I'm Kim by the way, sorry if I stopped you from getting your belongings." She combed her fingers through her straight black hair nervously.

Milo smiled in reassurance, "You didn't! I already got all mine down. It's nice to meet you, I'm Milo."

"Good! I'm so nervous about the expedition- I feel like I'm going to be in the way more than being of any help. When I got the invitation, I was sure it was addressed to some other Kim and not me!"

"I'm sure it was intended," Milo said earnestly, "Honestly, I was surprised too about getting an invite. I remember applying but I didn't get an immediate response, so I assumed the worst."

"Oh, you're so sweet." Kim smiled even wider, her teeth perfectly straight and slightly tainted a dull white. Perhaps she was an avid tea or coffee person, Milo mused, but either way you couldn't really tell the slight discoloration due to her already tan skin.

Milo wouldn't know- her skin was on the paler-borderline ivory/anemic end thanks to her father's genetic pool. Needless to say, Milo's addiction to coffee was not hidden from the world due to the more prominent discoloration on her teeth, despite her strict dental care schedule.

The flight attendant's static voice on the intercom redirected everyone's attention while people continued to gather their things. "If you would all begin filing out of the plane, the camp is right outside the aircraft in the cleared out field. I hope to see you all soon!"

With that, another attendee opened the door and held it open, everyone filing in a semi-straight line given the small size of the walkway. Milo followed suit, shuffling her feet forward with her bag beside her and Kim directly behind her.

The stuffy atmosphere of the jet made the revelation outside like a literal breath of fresh air. Milo gulped the air greedily, savoring the pure bliss encoated in the fragrance of nature itself. Back home, Milo had a beautiful greenhouse connected to her quaint two bedroom, one and half bath home. Frequenting the garden always brought a warm gust of vegetation to her nose, a variety of crisp florals, minty leaves, and earthy soil.

Here, the fragrance was loudly pungent- hitting her in the face like a ton of bricks... but in a good way. The mix of those wispy flowery scents was quickly shooed away by the pure aroma of the jungle wood itself. Even more so, the humidity in the air stuck to her like a second skin, a sheen of sweat already dotting her forehead and upper arms. The warm air seemed to magnify the loud odors of the woods, yet Milo was awestruck by it all.

Her eyes quickly turned every which way to soak up as much as the scene as she could. The tree line surrounding the freshly cleared area for the jet was like a wall of thick vegetation, the vines and weeds already trying to take back the area humans tried to settle into. It was like an animal in its own respect, one of deep pride and possessive nature for its beauty bestowed upon Milo's greedy eyes.

As she slowly stepped down the ramp with a purposely slow pace, the collage of voices from people talking was nothing compared to the thousands of birds chirping loudly and softly into Milo's ears. She could see the leaves shake as they bustled about like people themselves, a few lizards climbing up and down the branches with even a few more colorful, larger birds entangling themselves into nests above them.

'Where on earth would I start?' Milo contemplated, equally excited to begin and nervous she would miss something extraordinary if she blinked.

Her vivid plans to conquer were interrupted by a voice wining in the short distance in front of her, both of them on the ground yet the line had come to a complete stop. Looking up with annoyance, Milo spotted the blonde again, but this time she was angrily speaking to another hostess, pointing at her shoes which were now caked in mud.

"Why didn't you tell me that there wouldn't be a cemented walkway to camp! My shoes are now ruined."

Who in their right mind invited this chick? Milo scoffed, quickly moving out of the line and around the two pairs, her sights set on the camp a short walk away.

She wouldn't let some spoiled imbecile ruin her plans.