Chapter Two - Icebreakers

The bus slowed to a screeching halt. The crackle of crushed gravel and stone under the wheel echoed through the interior. It mixed with the conversation that had started back up as people began to wake up from the long trip.

A few moments later, the occupants of the vehicle were busy exiting the bus and forming a loose collection of young-bodied individuals. Jaricko gave a short thanks to the upperclasswoman that had driven them all here.

The teenager looked around, taking note of the towering cliffs that surrounded the hidden crevice nestled in the Rocky Mountains. Luscious vegetation covered every inch of the area and Jaricko could see an abundance of wildlife skittering among the trees. Jaricko watched a bird hop along a tree branch, cock its head, staring straight at him in almost humanlike curiosity, and then fly away. He shuddered at the strange avian but didn’t place much thought on it.

His attention was drawn to Clair, the supervising professor on the trip.

“Okay everyone, let me be the first to welcome you to Camp Grizzly!” The upperclassmen hollered and cheered, which forced the more reluctant students to join in. Jaricko settled for clapping and smiling.

“We aren’t going to do anything too strenuous today unless you count icebreakers during dinner tonight stressful. I know I do,” the crowd tittered at her words and Jaricko could feel his stomach twist in anxiety.

“I have a list with me that I’ll use to assign cabin rooms,” she waved a crinkled white piece of paper in the air and gestured toward the dozen wooden log cabins a hundred yards away. They were arranged to where they circled a large totem pole in the center. The statue appeared to be of indigenous make, expertly crafted with flowing lines and fierce imagery. It depicted numerous animals, seamlessly joined together.

A few different firepits surrounded the centerpiece, along with what appeared to be black-stained metal grills. Said grills were extremely rusty and Jaricko doubted that cooking on them was sanitary.

“When I call your name and number please find the others with the same number. Your group leader will then find you and lead you toward your cabins where you can drop off your stuff and settle in. We’ll meet back up in a couple hours or so to go over some rules! And for dinner!” Clair shouted with joy and the others joined her for a round of applause.

“Simon Clemens, one. Abigail Stevens, two. Jasmine Creeks, two…” Clair went down the list. Jaricko dazed off until he heard his name.

“Jaricko Peterson, four.” He gripped the shoulder strap and looked around the crowd. While Jaricko wasn’t vertically challenged, for some reason it appeared as if the local residents that decided to attend the University, which was the majority of them, were taller than average. Jaricko muttered something about cowboys and farmers under his breath.

Clair soon finished shouting out the names and the students scattered to find their group. Jaricko luckily heard someone shouting “Fours!” off to his left. He moved to join them and wasn’t surprised to see Briar waving him down with a wide smile.

There were three other boys that were engaged in light conversation. Briar waved him in and Jaricko awkwardly joined the circle. He was relieved when they opened up a spot for him. A second later another boy appeared, totaling the group up to five freshmen with the designation of four.

“You have two hours!” Jaricko heard Clair shout. Briar took that as his cue to start talking.

“Hey dudes, my name’s Briar, I’ve talked to a few of you already. I’m gonna be your group leader for this camping trip and I’m excited to be here!” Briar seemed to have mastered the art of saying he was excited while still being calm.

“I think before we go drop our stuff off we should do a short introduction. Just a quick where you’re from, your name, what your major is, and something about yourself. I’ll start us off and then we can move on to you,” Briar pointed at a mousey boy that seemed to shrink slightly at the sudden attention.

“I’m Briar! I’ve been doing this for a few years and I’m from local here from Montana. I’m majoring in Wilderness Biology and something about myself is I’m hoping to intern on a farm next year!” Briar looked to his left at the other boy.

“H-hey. My name is Timothy, I usually just go by Tim. I’m from Texas and I’m majoring in computer science. And, um, something about myself is I like video games,” Timothy said. He was met with a round of nodding and the group moved on to the next.

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“Jack. I’m from here and I’m majoring in economics. I like fishing.” A large man with a bulbous nose and wide eyes said. He was a person of few words and Jaricko appreciated his curtness. He was heavily muscled and Jaricko wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the football team.

“My name’s Blake, nice to meet everyone. I’m from just a bit West of here, Washington, but I’ve lived here on and off with my grandparents. I’m majoring in English and I guess something about myself would be that I’m writing a mystery novel.” A tall and thin man wearing a sweatshirt said. He had long hair with sharp features. He smiled softly at the group.

“I’m Tatum. I’m looking forward to getting to get to know you all! I’m from here too, just like Jack. I’m majoring in journalism and I love taking pictures!” Tatum flashed the gray camera in his hands. The device looked vintage and cheap and Jaricko worried about its lifetime this deep in the mountains. It was one that spat out the image after a short time. Tatum was taller than average and had a dark complexion with a bright smile. He seemed energetic and happy.

It was finally Jaricko’s turn and he gave a brief summary of what he told Briar.

“I’m Jaricko. I’m from Mississippi and I’m undeclared right now. I guess I like reading books and such.” Jaricko felt included with the small nods he received from the others. He felt a glimmer of hope that it might be possible to make friends with these boys.

Briar clapped his hands and grabbed their attention.

“Great! Now that’s out of the way we can go to the cabin. I’ll warn you that it’s not the cleanest. Clair and the rest of us came up a week or so ago to make sure everything was here, but the University skimps out on cleaners each year. It’ll be up to you five to get it up to standards.” Briar explained as he walked towards a cabin.

The structure was in the middle of the others and had a metal “4” nailed to the front door. Its wooden exterior was weather and worn, with vines and vegetation growing along the outside.

Two windows on each side of the door gave a glimpse inside. They were dirty and smudged, their panes covered in dust and chipped paint.

Briar fiddled with a set of keys and unlocked the entrance. It opened with a rickety creaking, revealing the cobweb-covered interior.

The group leader ushered them inside. Jack took the lead, ducking slightly under the doorframe. Jaricko was right behind him and raised an eyebrow when he saw the state of the room.

As one stepped inside, the musty smell of neglect hit them. The air was thick with the scent of mold and mildew, and every surface was covered in a thick layer of residue. The cobwebs that covered the corners of the room looked as though they had been there for years.

There were six empty beds, three on each side, along with a small lounge with a few chairs and a sofa in the back of the cabin. The furniture was old and worn, and the cushions of the couch and chairs were stained and discolored. The hardwood floors were now warped and creaky, with dirt and debris ground deep into the grooves. The curtains hung limp and yellowed, the lace edges now tattered and torn.

There was a furnace near the furniture along with a couple split logs. An aged rug was trampled underfoot as the rest of the freshmen funneled in and hovered near the door. An ancient clock that looked like an antique ticked softly above one of the beds.

Jaricko could almost feel the disappointment in the air as everyone took stock of the situation. This wasn’t exactly what they had been sold on.

“Well, this is it gang! I’ll admit it isn’t much to look at but give it a couple days and it’ll feel like home. I’ll go grab the bedsheets and pillows. Feel free to choose a bed and make yourself comfortable,” Briar announced before he retreated back outside. The door was left ajar and the five teenagers were left by themselves.

Jack was the first to make a move by tossing his bag onto the nearest bed. The spring-filled mattress buckled under the weight. Jaricko took the one next to him, which was under the clock. The order was quickly decided, only leaving a single empty bed in the corner.

Jaricko dropped his duffle bag and backpack onto the ground. He looked under the bed and noted the cobweb under the wooden frame. He couldn’t help the grimace that formed on his lips.

“The conditions aren’t the best, but I wasn’t expecting a five-star treatment,” Tatum joked. He earned a couple chuckles and dispersed the silence that had formed in the absence of Briar.

“They look nothing like the pictures on the website,” commented Blake. The man twirled his long hair in his fingers and hummed a tune. “They need to update their page.”

“It’s good enough,” Jack declared and collapsed onto the bed. Jaricko thought he saw the wood bend slightly and held his breath in anticipation for it to break. He let it out when it remained whole.

The group chattered casually while they waited for Briar to return. The man came back with a bundle of pillows and bed sheets that he handed out. He also deposited a broom and roll of paper towels on a shelf near the front that Jaricko had noticed at first.

The upperclassman gave them a brief tour of the area and pointed out the small kitchen cabin, the girls' and boys' showers, and to Jaricko’s horror a handful of outhouses. Briar warned them to stay out of the girl’s showers on the threat of expulsion. Apparently, there had been a bit of a scandal a few years back.

Jaricko was still busy lamenting the outhouse while Briar showed them a couple cool spots, along with a nearby river that had Jack’s eyes alight with stars.

The time passed by quickly and while Jaricko wouldn’t call himself friends with the people in the group, we didn’t feel like an outsider anymore. They were all surrounding one of the campfires as the fleeing sun and towering mountains covered the area in shadows. A bit of a chilly wind picked up and Jaricko huddled deeper into his baggy sweatshirt.

The upperclassmen had handed out hotdogs and buns after starting the fires. Jaricko was currently nibbling on the storebought meal which had been layered with ketchup and mustard. A part of it was a charred mess, a testament to his subpar roasting skills. Jack had shown him how to slowly spin the wiener for maximum effect. This set off a muffled round of laughter at the immature joke.

Jaricko was busy roasting some marshmallows when he saw Clair stand at attention.

“Okay, gang!” Jaricko flinched at the sudden shout and the camp instantly ceased their talking.

“Now that everyone has some food in them I need to go over some rules. You all signed your waivers and such before this trip but it's good to go over some of the more important stuff now that you’re here.

“First off there will be no-” Her shouts were cut off by a flash of light in the night sky. It was as if a gigantic firework had gone off in the air, and for a moment sun-like radiance shone upon the land. Erratic screams erupted around Jaricko and he shot to his feet.

The light only lasted a few moments, and after it receded Jaricko looked upwards and gasped. Similar reactions surrounded him.

The moon was in the sky. In addition to another.

The second moon blinked.

Jaricko saw words crawl across his vision.

Terraforming initiated. Realm altered. Planet acknowledgment complete. System integration in progress…

System integration complete.

All hell broke loose.