Standing under the trees, watching the others having fun turning the sausages on sticks over on the fire, Bevis felt ...she stilled. Frowned. Surprised at herself, ever since dating Brad, she had not felt anything. Here she felt ... left out.

"Not hungry?" Jason asked, startling her, "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

"Hmmm, it smells so good," Bevis said, "I'm starving ..." she hesitated, "I have no idea how to do any of what we learnt today ..." she shook her head, "...you said to ask questions ..."

"But?" Jason prompted.

"How do you ask people who clearly know what they're doing how to cook a sausage, or build a fire or ... anything without being judged?"

"Like this," Jason said, taking her hand and pulling her along, "Hey everyone ... having a good time," a loud, joyful, positive reply met him, "wonderful ... pop quiz," he waited. Everyone turned to look at him, "What is the first rule we learnt today?"

"No judgment," Chelsea fired back.

"Correct, and the second?"

"No one is left out," one of the men said, glancing at Bevis, "both of which have already been broken."

Jason nodded, "No one noticed Bevis standing in the tree line ..." he sighed, " ... you're a team, you have to watch out for each other. If no one notices Bevis has not returned from ..." he waved his hand in the air, "collecting wood ... and something happens to her, and we go on our way, we will be a man short, and she or anyone of you could be left behind ... unprotected and possibly in danger."

A murmur rumbled around the group before he continued, "This trip is about a lot of things, but firstly it's about learning and extending yourselves, and Bevis here is trying to do that but feels unwelcome ... rule number three also broken."

"You're right," one of the women nodded, "we could add a log to the circle ..." she looked at Bevis, "I have your sausage here with a stick already attached," she smiled, "I was going to cook it for you and give it to you on the boat ... I didn't know if joining us was something you wanted to do."

Chelsea looked astonished at the woman, "Really, Jo? Not five minutes ago, you said you would eat it because the standoffish woman in the trees was too lofty to join the group."

Everyone turned to look at Jo as her face flamed a deep red. Sighing, she handed Bevis the sausage on the stick and smiled tightly. Bevis took it and started to move around the circle to squeeze in beside Chelsea; before she sat, Jason whispered close to her ear.

"There are no free rides," he said, "that is your one pass ...from now on, ask questions."

Nodding, Bevis sank to the log and slowly extended her sausage into the flames. Could this trip be something more than making her feel out of her depth and inadequate? It could be the beginning of taking back pieces of the destruction Brad had left in his wake. Straightening her shoulders and inhaling, Bevis drew on a long unused pool of determination and began to watch the people around her. Chelsea interacted with everyone, but she noticed some of the couples were different; from the little she had heard, she hoped this week would not turn into something from one of those survival shows you saw on TV. She knew they were scripted, but the shows looked scary, making her fear the wild and outdoors even more.

Fear.

That was her problem. The x factor of doing this kind of stuff. She needed to sort through what she would allow; her activities list would be a survival point. Jason had made a point when he said that afternoon it's a mindset. If she was going to survive, hers would have to change.

Lunch ended, and she still had not been spoken to by anyone, but at least she was part of the group. Jason joined them as they cleaned up and headed towards the raft. He started to call out the points in the boat that each person would be taking, who was rowing and who would be in charge of the luggage and gear. Everyone enthusiastically clambered into their positions, waiting for the next step. Jason stood silently beside an uncertain Bevis, watching everyone and couldn't help grinning.

"Glad you're all wanting to get started," he said, glancing at the unpacked luggage and gear bags, "I'm guessing everyone forgot about the endpoint of the journey downstream."

Confusion and nervous chuckles flittered across the group as they climbed out and waited for instructions. Jason remained silent; instead of barking orders as expected, he looked over the group before turning to Bevis.

"What do you think should be the next course of action?" he asked, meeting her surprised gaze with one of expectation.

Swallowing hard, Bevis looked around, "Well, we need to load the luggage in the raft, but ..." she paused, emphasising the word as their others blindly started to move into action; they waited, "the raft will be too heavy to carry to the water with everything in ..." she said, pointing at the distance between the raft and the water, "it would be more practical to carry the raft to the water before loading the gear into it."

"Carry the raft to the water?" one of the women scoffed, "you have to be crazy."

"If the raft is dragged," Chelsea said, pointing at the stones and rocks along the way, "the bottom could be punctured or torn, then we don't have a vessel at all."

"Any suggestions on how it could get done quickly," Jason said, waiting as the group looked at each other, "anyone?"

Sighing, Bevis frowned, "The raft is large, and there are eight of us," she said, indicating the others, "if the four men take the outer corners of the boat, the rest of us can fill in the points around it making it easier to lift and move."

"Huh," Jason said, "and this is from someone who hasn't done anything like this ever in her life," he looked at the others, "there is no right or wrong, just common sense and practicality. To survive out here, you must work together and think before blindly following others into action. Chelsea and Bevis noted their surroundings and considered the consequences of what you all wanted to do."

"How do you know what we wanted to do?" one of the men asked,

"You climbed into the boat before it was at the water," Jason said, "the gear wasn't packed, and neither were your bags. There is no bellboy to lift and carry out here, and since you expected others to do it for you, I could guess you expected to be dragged into the water. Now, everyone takes up a position around the boat, lifts and carries it into the water."

Chelsea and Bevis waited for the others to move into position before taking up their own and felt surprised at the weight of the boat as they all lifted at Jason's instructions; their progress was slow but steady, everyone making sure the bottom of the raft remained raised from the ground and above anything that could tear or puncture the bottom or sides. Finally getting to the water, each person returned to the pile of gear and luggage, taking their own and moving back to the raft. It was a workout Bevis had never experienced, and she sensed they would sleep well tonight. The stretch of river they took to the campsite marked on the map was easygoing, and the four men rowed in as much unison as they could. Each group member attended to their tasks until Jason called the location of the campsite, and they propelled onto the bank of the river. Everyone bailed out into the freezing water pushing the raft onto the sands. Bevis watched as the gear bags and luggage were removed, leaving the raft lighter. If she took her bags out, they would lose the raft.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Looking around, Bevis opened her mouth to speak; however, no one was nearby. Sighing in resignation, Bevis moved to the front of the raft, grasping the front handle and tugging as hard as her slight build could; at first, the raft refused to move. She pulled harder, landing in the sand, and the raft returned to its original position. Resigned to doing this all night, Bevis stood and began again. Straining every muscle as the raft inched up the sand. Chelsea appeared beside her, giving a small smile; looking at the boat's position, she moved to the end, still tugged by the water and began pushing. Slowly the girls moved the raft further up the sand until it no longer moved. Carefully Bevis lifted her gear bag and luggage out of the boat. It stayed. They sighed in relief and moved toward the camp. The other pairs were already doing their couple's tasks, ignoring what happened, or didn't care; whichever it was, no one would know. Bevis and Chelsea found a space further up the beach, opened their gear bag and began putting up their tents for the night.

"Do we have things we're supposed to do as a couple?" Chelsea asked.

"Look in your folder," Bevis said, grunting as she pushed a stake into the ground, "how deep do you suppose these have to go? "

"No idea," Chelsea said, "the picture has the lines taught, so either you need to move them out further to hold up the tent or drive them deep ... would be my guess."

Bevis looked at her tent lying on the ground, "Yeah, I think I need to attach the ropes first to get it ... doing its standing thing."

It took a while to figure out how to get the tent up, but finally, Bevis managed after several attempts to raise it and remained up. Bevis blew a breath out through pursed lips. Check 1 – tent raised.

"What is next?" she whispered, looking at the list in the folder, "firewood ... gather wood."

Looking around, Bevis saw a few wood items you could use for a fire. Her gaze moved toward the thick forest at the back of their campsite.

"Chels," she whispered, "do you have the wood collection on your list?"

Chelsea pulled her last rope tight, knocking the spike into the ground and looked at her tent, "It's up ... not exactly perfect, but it'll do for tonight," she glanced at Bevis', "How did you get it so perfect?"

"Perseverance," Bevis murmured, "wood collection ... do you have it on your list?"

Chelsea frowned at Bevis, opened her folder, and looked at her list, "Yes, I do."

"Great," Bevis smiled, "let's get wood," she pointed at the forest.

"In there?" Chelsea asked, looking nervous.

"Where else are we supposed to get firewood?" Bevis asked, looking at her friend, "there are no stores near us."

"Fine," Chelsea sighed, "let's go."

Walking toward the forest, the two looked around. It was tranquil, chilly and dim. While finding and gathering firewood, Bevis and Chelsea stayed close to each other.

"How much do you think we'll need?" Chelsea asked.

"I have no idea ... since this is the first time I'll be making a fire ... and gathering wood ... I'm guessing," Bevis said, "I think we have the same tasks, Chels."

"Why would you say that?" Chelsea asked as she picked up another large piece of wood.

"Since the others have couples tasks to do," Bevis said, tugging at a branch under a heavy pile of leaves, "I'm guessing we're the ones doing our couples thing by gathering woods and the like."

"Could be," Chelsea said, finding a long branch and dragging it behind herself, "I'd rather be doing something than gazing into your eyes."

Bevis chuckled, "That is very true ..." looking at her bundle and Chelsea's, she sighed, "I cannot carry anymore ... let's head back."

Turning around, they headed back the way they came. It seemed to take ages to get back to camp when they broke through the forest edge and into the campsite; it surprised them. Bevis hesitated at the edge of the forest, looking around. Would she ever get used to this? No one had noticed they had disappeared, and they found the couples wondering how they would do their meal for the night. Moving to an open spot in the middle of the area, Bevis and Chelsea dropped the bundles of wood, surprising everyone.

"Does anyone know how to build a fire?" Bevis asked, looking around; no one met her gaze, "If we cannot figure it out, we go hungry and stay cold. It's logical."

Still, no one said anything; instead, they moved away from Chelsea and herself leaving them with a large pile of wood and no assistance or input.

"Well, that is rude and selfish," Chelsea said, glancing at Bevis, "we're going to die," Chelsea whispered, "and no one cares. Maybe we can find a video on how to do it?"

Bevis turned to look at her best friend, "Good idea. Do you have coverage and a signal?"

"Oh," Chelsea gasped, looking guilty, "nope."

"Then we figure this out ourselves," Bevis said, "it's obvious that no one else is going to lift a finger if they have to ..." she sighed, "... it kind of feels like when I was dating Brad."

"If he could see you now," Chelsea said, as she started laying branches over each other, "I think this is how they do it in the movies."

Bevis stared at Chelsea, making a layered octagonal out of some branches. Suddenly the ridiculous nature of what they were doing and saying stuck a chord in her imagination, and she giggled; slowly, it turned into a full-blown laugh. Chelsea glanced at her, seeing the twinkle in her eyes, and grinned before joining in. The pair sat on the sand, among the twigs and branches, enjoying the release of a good laugh, oblivious to the frowns and stares directed at them.

Stepping from his tent, Jason followed the sound of infectious laughter. Surprise fluttered through him at his discovery; standing out of sight, he took in the campsite taking in the places various group members had chosen, seeing the multiple states of each person's areas. The only ones who had their tents up were Chelsea and Bevis. Looking at the tents, he chuckled. They may not stay up all night, but they had managed to raise them. He was impressed and made a mental note to give them a few pointers. Tracking them to the middle of the clearing, he found them sitting in the sand among a pile of wood, laughing; his eyes caught Chelsea's actions and frowned.

"What is she doing?" he whispered, fascinated as she seemed to be making some sort of a circle with the wood. Bevis' smile and how her face lit up as she laughed caught and held his attention. He acknowledged she was pretty but now laughing in this abandoned fashion ... she was beautiful, "what is wrong with Brad?"

Glancing at the raft, he noted it was further up the shore than the group had left it and wondered who had thought of dragging it higher. It came to his attention as he moved into the area the sudden activity from the other couples as they saw him and sighed in the realisation that it was going to be another trip where the beginners re-enacted some version of a survival show except here no one got sent home or made to do demeaning tasks or lost privileges. Walking toward the women who quietly discussed the best way to make a fire, he stopped short of the most immense pile of wood he had seen.

"This is an impressive collection," he said, surprising the pair, "need some help?"

"A little guidance would be nice," Bevis said, chuckling, "right now we're discussing how they got it right in the movies, but I see the shadows are getting longer, and we will need to eat sometime before tomorrow."

Nodding and grinning, he moved into their circle, "First thing you need to do is make a pit," he said, "see, Chelsea got it right with the circle of sticks, but you need a sand hole at the bottom."

"Ahh," Chelsea nodded, "we were sort of right, just not all there," she shook her head, "I can fix that."

Quickly she made a hole at the bottom of the circle of wood. Moving the bottom layer into the hole, Bevis added twigs and leaves she had found on the branches into the bottom and began to pile the wood on top.

"Not bad," Jason said, nodding, "that should be plenty, put the rest to one side and see what else you need to complete," he stood glancing around and, seeing the raft once more, asked the girls, "who pulled the raft higher?"

Bevis suddenly looked away, but Chelsea answered without hesitation, "Bevis started, and once I put my gear and luggage down, came to help her."

"Why didn't Bevis put her gear and luggage down before moving the raft?" Jason asked.

Chelsea shrugged, "No idea ... it was still in the boat."

Jason looked at Bevis, who sighed, glancing around and pushed to her feet before moving closer, "Everyone did exactly as Chelsea did. If I had taken mine from the raft, it would have floated away," she whispered, "it made sense to pull the raft up first before ..." she waved her hands expressively, "you know ... taking it out."

"Chelsea was the only one helping you?" Jason asked, frowning.

Bevis nodded, "It's okay; we did it."

"Good for you both," Jason said before checking on the other couples. This was going to be a long but exciting few days. He was concerned about why the others were reacting like they were and knew he would need to address it if they were to enjoy this trip.