Gap Year Project Page 4

  “What are you talking about, Dana?” asked Michael, sounding perturbed for being interrupted at work.

  “Hey, Dad. Look, Campbell is a complete jerk, and I’ve pretended to like him for years. He’s always hitting on me, and I can’t stand him. Now he’s volunteered for my unit. I don’t want to be anywhere near him. Please call Bill and ask him to transfer Campbell. Please, Daddy,” asked Ashlyn, almost whimpering.

  “Has he done anything to you? Because if he has, it’s going to be more than a transfer,” replied her dad angrily.

  “No. Nothing like that. But I refuse to be alone with him,” replied Ashlyn with conviction.

  There was silence for a few seconds as her dad thought about the best way to approach the situation. He knew Campbell’s uncle was Bill Williams and not going to like hearing about his nephew’s inappropriate behavior.

  “I’ll call Bill, but I wouldn’t count on him making any changes. I’ll talk to you tonight at dinner,” replied Michael, hanging up without saying good-bye.

  Dana reached for Ashlyn’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Ashlyn began to tear up and squeezed back, knowing that in a few days she wouldn’t have the safety of her home and her parents. She would be on her own and forced to take care of herself and figure out how to handle Campbell.

  “I love you, Ashlyn. We will always be a family and there is nothing that we can’t work out,” replied Dana, as she brushed Ashlyn’s hair from her face and looked into her daughter’s beautiful blue eyes.

  “I love you too, Mom. Hopefully, Dad can get Bill to transfer Campbell and I won’t have to deal with him ever again,” replied Ashlyn, trying to smile through her tears.

  Chapter 6. Roll Call

  Ashlyn’s parents wanted to fly her to Orick on their private jet, but she was required to fly coach along with several other recruits from the East Coast. In her mind, it was just one more thing that she couldn’t control. She was already sick and tired of being told what to do, and it hadn’t even really started.

  She had never flown coach and only rarely commercial. Ashlyn didn’t want to have a long drawn out goodbye with her parents. There were reporters and photographers snapping away from the moment she exited the car. She had said everything she needed to before she left for the airport. With one last lingering hug with her mom and dad, she took the handle of her carry-on and walked away without looking back.

  Ashlyn Waters was on her own for the first time without the safety net of her family and friends. It was terrifying. She didn’t have a clue what to expect or with whom she would be trapped in nature jail.

  As she waited in line, Ashlyn checked her phone hoping for some texts from friends. As she looked at her blank screen, someone from behind leaned in close and whispered, “Well, if it isn’t the traitor who pretended to be my friend. You are heartless, Ashlyn. But don’t worry, I never forget when someone tries to mess with me. Just watch yourself or I will make this a living hell for you.”

  Ashlyn tensed but continued looking at her phone and hissed back, “Well, Campbell, it’s already hell, and you are just the cherry on top. And I never forget, either.”

  This was definitely not starting out well. Her dad had tried even harder to get Campbell moved to another job site, but it was all for nothing. Bill Williams wouldn’t budge. Molly and Campbell persuaded Bill to keep them together. Molly was still under the illusion that Ashlyn was just so distraught over having been drafted that she was lashing out at friends and family.

  So, here they were about to start another chapter in their lives together. They could make it miserable for each other or not. Only time would tell how this would play out.

  Luckily, Ashlyn was seated next to Bethany instead of Campbell, or so she thought at first. Bethany was a petite, copper-haired girl who was a complete mess. Her wavy hair stood up in odd angles, her eyeliner was smeared, she wore two different socks, and as soon as she opened her mouth to speak she didn’t stop for the entire six-hour flight—not even to drink her Diet Coke.

  Ashlyn quickly zoned out but did the occasional head nod and “yes” and “oh” to seem as if she was completely engaged in the one-sided conversation. Her mind drifted to the Cala Luna beach where Stephanie, Logan, Nicole, Chris, Elizabeth and Evan were spending the first few weeks of their vacation. Ashlyn loved the pale blue water and white sand of this Italian paradise. A small beach in Sardinia was always a place she thought of when she wanted to find her quiet place. In the summer it was packed, but in the off-season, it was truly amazing.

  She tapped into her memories and felt the warm sun cover her body like a thin silk sheet and felt the smooth sand shift beneath her body. She wore her cutest navy polka dot bikini. It was so peaceful there with the slow lap of the waves as they rushed ashore to crumble and take a little of the sand back to the sea. She was so in her own world that it was a jolt to have Bethany throw a magazine in her lap. Ashlyn jumped and so did Bethany.

  “Well, you just said you wanted it. Are you okay? You look kinda out of it,” asked Bethany, with a trace of concern.

  “No, I mean yes. I’m fine. Thanks for the magazine. I think I’m just tired. I’ve been so stressed out about this,” replied Ashlyn.

  “We’re about to land. I’m really stoked to see what we’re gonna do. I just love being in nature. I’m so glad you’re really into it too. I saw you in the paper, but I never would have guessed you loved nature as much as I do. We are going to have so much fun! I hope we’re roommies. Wouldn’t that be great? We have so much in common already. It’s only been a few hours, but I feel like I’ve known you my whole life. You’ve got to read the article on page ten about using coffee grounds to exfoliate your face. It really works. Look at me. Not a single wrinkle. My skin glows. Yours does too. I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of amazing skin care products. But you’ve got to try this. I wonder if they have coffee there and if I could get the grounds. I wouldn’t want to take too much ‘cause I’m sure they use it for compost. But a little wouldn’t take away from the health of the soil. You should put your seat up. Here comes the flight attendant. Do you want to throw away that can? I hope they recycle. It drives me crazy when they don’t recycle,” Bethany said as one long sentence.

  What is worse: Campbell or Bethany? What did I do in a past life to deserve this? Ashlyn’s mind was racing on how to ditch them both when her name was called as she exited the plane and was given a card with a B on it. A line of recruits was already waiting. She was the last to exit the plane.

  Off they went one-by-one to nature jail, she thought gloomily as they boarded the bus headed to the park.

  There was a flurry of activity and the anxiety was palpable as everyone disembarked from the bus onto a large flat area in front of the main hall. There once had been grass but now just a few green blades were hanging on for dear life in small patches along the edges. The ground was hard and compacted from all the hundreds of footsteps pounding on it every day.

  Ashlyn thought about how many people had served before her. Who were they and what happened to them? How did they survive?

  There were about eighty people waiting with their bags in tow—more women than men. All the women were on the right side and the men on the left. A tall muscular man in a dark olive-green uniform stood in front inspecting the crowd.

  With a deep boom that scared Ashlyn, he began a long speech about the rules, etiquette, and expectations. Then he began sorting the large group into smaller ones. Using the cards that each recruit had been handed as they exited the plane, he began calling out letters. As the letters were called, he directed those recruits to another area where even more stern and military-type people in uniform waited.

  Ashlyn was in B Unit, short for Birch Unit. And to her great happiness, Bethany was assigned to Sycamore Unit. And to her even greater happiness so was Campbell. She couldn’t believe it. Somehow her dad must have been able to convince Bill to separate them into different units. She wanted to jump up and down and scream “yes” at the top of her l
ungs. Instead she just looked right at Campbell and saluted him with a smirk on her face. She couldn’t wait to thank her dad for this miracle. Her mood was instantly brightened.

  She looked around at the twenty or so people in Birch Unit and then it hit her again that she was living her worst nightmare even without Campbell around her all the time. She let out a long sigh. She didn’t recognize anyone, but they all looked like normal people. Most of them were smiling. What could they possibly be smiling about? Did they know something she didn’t? Or did they truly want to be here and in Birch Unit?

  “I am Ranger Jefferies,” barked a short stocky man in his late forties. His bronzed skin was leathery, and gray hairs poked out beneath his hat. On his small head, the wide brim of the hat made him look like Saturn.

  “I will be your biggest nightmare or your sweetest dream. The choice is yours. You will report to me. You have a problem. You see me. You don’t have a problem, you still see me. And I will always see you. Birch Unit is the most coveted unit here. We are the Mother Tree protectors.”

  “You will take your card and go to the Registration Office behind you to sign-in, collect your belongings, and report to your yurt ASAP.”

  Everyone in the unit beamed with pride as they hustled to the office. Ashlyn stood still for a second to take it all in and wonder what the heck a Mother Tree protector was.

  Ashlyn trailed behind two women in deep conversation about making it into Birch. They looked like twins with their black Patagonia puffy jackets, dark gray pants with a zipper just above the knee, and dark hair pulled back in low ponytails.

  “Leave your card here. Write your name, clothes and shoe size. Sign here after you pick up your clothes. If you lose anything, replacements will be deducted from your pay check. I can’t answer any of your questions. Your ranger will give you all the information you need. Follow the rest to Yurt B,” said a monotone voice that came from a pale older woman with Cheetos colored frizzy hair and bangs that hung below her piercing blue eyes.

  Ashlyn picked up a duffel bag, uniforms, boots, hat, and towels. The uniforms were jumpsuits in a lighter green than the rangers. And the last item placed on her pile was her name badge—Waters.

  She had the sudden urge to do anything to get out of this. Maybe she would faint or have a panic attack. Maybe she would not so accidentally trip and break an ankle or knee cap and be unfit for duty. She looked around trying to find a way to escape when Ranger Jefferies loomed behind her startling her once more.

  “Get a move on it, Waters. Now!”

  Ashlyn grabbed her bag and rushed to catch up with the rest of the Birchers. Is that what they were called or maybe Birches or Birchens?

  “Hi, I’m Matt. I saw you on the plane from New York. Are you from there? I’m from Willow Bay.”

  “Hi, Matt, I’m Ashlyn. Yeah, I’m from Manhattan. Where is Willow Bay?”

  Matt replied, “It’s a really small town about forty miles northeast of the city. Most people have never heard of it. I guess I traded one small town for a smaller one. It is beautiful here. Look at that forest. Those redwoods are magnificent. Have you been to this park before?”

  “No, nature is not really my thing. The trees are beautiful,” she said, looking up at the trees for the first time since she had arrived. She was immediately struck in awe at the tallest trees she’d ever seen. They loomed in every direction surrounding the camp.

  She looked back at Matt and continued, “But I was gapped. I’m not sure what I’m doing here. Did you volunteer?”

  “Yeah, I came here when I was ten. My family loves camping, and my parents wanted to visit every national park before I was eighteen. I’ve been to every state park in New York. I always wanted to come back, and now I get to live here for a whole year. I’m stoked.”

  Matt was a few inches taller than Ashlyn, maybe five eleven. His white t-shirt glowed against his mocha colored skin. His eyes were deep brown with the longest black lashes that any woman would pay to have. He had a sincere but tight grin and sparkly white teeth. He lit up like an LED light when he talked about living here. It was infectious.

  Ashlyn couldn’t help but smile and want to share in his happy moment. There was definitely a connection, as if they were long lost friends. She knew immediately that he would be a big part of her new life.

  Yurt B stood before her. It was a large round two-story structure whose “siding” was dark green but shiny. The top floor was like an upside-down cone with what looked like a skylight at the top. There were several small windows on each floor. There was a thick wooden front door with “Birch” engraved in large block letters. It was hideous. It truly felt as if she was entering nature jail. The roughness of the canvas and the drab green made her so homesick that she had to stop and look beyond the yurt into the giant forest so that she wouldn’t start crying.

  Matt opened the door for her and waited for her to enter. He didn’t notice her discomfort.

  “It’s really cool, isn’t it?” he asked, as she walked through the door.

  She couldn’t reply because of the huge lump in her throat from holding back tears. She looked down to see unpainted wood floors marked and scuffed from years of wear and tear. Yurt B was two levels, first floor for men and second floor for women. There was a dorm style bathroom on each floor and rows of bunks around the perimeter. Rows of dented, scratched metal bunks with twin mattresses that sunk in the middle and whose blue and white strips were faded and tattered. She could barely look at them let alone let her mind picture herself sleeping on one. Each bed had a set of sheets, a mattress cover, and one lumpy looking pillow.

  “You have ten minutes to dress and make your beds. When you are done, you are to stand in front of your bunk ready for inspection. Do you understand?” barked Ranger Jefferies.

  A chorus of “Yes, Sir,” was the reply from everyone but Ashlyn who looked completely at a loss.

  She stared with her mouth open. What the? She wasn’t in nature jail. She was in nature military jail. What was this place?

  “Do you want to say something, Waters? I suggest you close your mouth and get to work.”

  Ashlyn looked at her new clothes and just wanted the floor to open-up, so she could slip into the underworld and never return. She looked at her sheets, and fear gripped her. She had never made her bed let alone put on sheets. Everyone around her was busy making themselves at home. She just stood and stared blankly at her bed. The screech of the bunk bed next to her took her out of her trance, and she looked to see her neighbor put away her clothes and suitcase and begin making her bed.

  Ashlyn decided to pull herself together and make it look as if she knew what she was doing. Confidence—whether acting or not—always works in difficult situations.

  With her head up and back straight, she glanced at her neighbor again who now had a beaming smile and watched her every move, then followed it as though she put sheets on beds every day.

  She quickly undressed and put on her drab olive uniform and then carefully pinned on her name badge. After she folded her favorite blue sweater, already missing its softness, and carefully placed it on the shelf in her locker along with her jeans, shoes, and other clothes, she slowly walked to the end of her bed for inspection. She tried to remain still even though the stiff jumpsuit scratched her skin, especially around the neck. The boots where black and shiny but certainly not chic. They too were stiff and very heavy. She had some difficulty walking in what felt like concrete blocks on her feet.

  She felt like crying again. She could feel the warm tears build up in her eyes. She fought against her urge to break down. If she were going to survive a year, she knew she needed something to dream about to erase her current reality. She decided when this was all over that she would travel to Cala Luna and play in the warm Mediterranean Sea for an entire month before doing a single thing.

  She would be waited on and order anything she wanted to eat and drink. She’d wear her cutest bikinis and lounge by the pool and on the beach. She’d have mass
ages and facials and go shopping. Just thinking about the white sand beaches, warm breeze and scuba diving put her in a much better mood. She stood a little straighter with a smile in her heart. She knew she would get through this one minute at a time.

  “You will be ready at 6:00 a.m. EVERY morning with your bed made, all items neatly stored in your closet, and ready for roll call. Breakfast is at 6:30. You will report to your first duty at 7:00 sharp prepared to learn and work. At 12:30 you have lunch and at 1:30 you will report for second duty or class. At 5:30 physical training will be held at the gym. Dinner is at 7:00. Lights out at 10:00. There is no leaving the premises except for off-duty days. You will get three days off every quarter. Do you understand?” barked Ranger Jefferies. A resounding, “Yes, Sir!” followed.

  As Ranger Jefferies walked briskly to the end of the room to start inspections, Ashlyn began repeating a mantra in her head, “I am happy. I am healthy. I am here to help. I am happy. I am healthy. I am here to help. I am happy. I am healthy. I am here to help.”

  When Ashlyn stopped reciting her mantra, Ranger Jefferies was two bunks away from hers. A very petite girl with blond bobbed hair, a nervous smile, and a jumpsuit one size too big was trying not to fidget as Ranger Jefferies looked her up and down, then proceeded to inspect her bed and closet. “Simmons, your bed is sloppy. I expect better—much better,” said Ranger Jefferies condescendingly, eliciting complete mortification and embarrassment from the girl whose already slightly pink cheeks turned a crimson red of ahi tuna sushi.

  Simmons stood out like Ashlyn. While all the other girls looked confident, relaxed and enthusiastic, they were the complete opposite—anxious, awkward, and impatient. Ashlyn had not even noticed the girl who took the top bunk above hers. She had been so immersed in her own world and thoughts. But now Ashlyn glanced over and saw a toned girl maybe five feet five with dark brown kinky curls pulled into a low ponytail. Her whole being exuded fiery energy as if she was waiting for a fight and would be right in the middle of the action. Ashlyn couldn’t see her name badge but quickly learned that Nash was her bunkmate.