Chapter Five
Only Fallon’s concern about getting lost if Ranger Reva got too far ahead kept her from stopping to admire the view at each turn along the winding dirt road.
The trees were much taller here, the ground covered with pine needles and scattered cones, the air cooler.
Occasional rocky outcroppings showed an incredible variety of geology that she couldn’t begin to identify but still found exciting to look at.
The snowcapped mountains looked even more magnificent than they had in Ranger Reva’s photos.
When they began passing through a remote residential area, a twinge of apprehension tempered her exhilaration.
How would she perform on their first job?
Jade had explained they’d start by cutting trees that were growing too close to the narrow roads in the community before thinning forty yards into the forest along the perimeter of the development to accommodate firefighting equipment.
A few folks who were out walking or working on their property waved as they passed, and Fallon waved back.
“You’re such a nerd,” Gwen said from beside her. Tina laughed from the back. Fallon glanced in the rearview mirror. Delores and Kennedy were both asleep.
Jade had assigned seating for the ride, probably to encourage new friendships, but Fallon already knew friendship wasn’t going to happen with her and Gwen.
Or Tina. She bit back the retort that came to her mind: I’d rather be a nerd than a bitch.
Instead, she asked, “Why are you here if you hate everything about it?”
Gwen pulled her sunglasses down and looked over them. “Some of you volunteered. Some of us got drafted.”
“What does that mean?”
Gwen sighed as she turned to the window, keeping her voice low. “Never mind. But remember our deal. Tents are even easier to hide shit in.”
Fallon gritted her teeth. Everything about Firecamp was great, except for Gwen’s threat.
She’d spent some of last night trying to think of a solution that wouldn’t risk any of the others, but drugs could already have been planted in someone’s gear for all she knew.
Maybe she could find time to talk to Jade about wanting to be a crew leader and present the situation as a hypothetical. Like, “What would you do if…”
After another twenty minutes, Reva’s brake lights came on.
The road ended in a wide turnaround at the edge of a dense forest. Fallon waited to pull in until Reva had maneuvered the truck and cargo trailer to make unloading easier.
Everyone climbed out, and Reva directed them to begin with kitchen equipment.
No sooner had they started than Gwen announced she needed to go to the bathroom. “Me too,” Tina chimed in.
Reva gestured toward the forest. “There it is. Don’t get lost.”
Working alongside Delores and Kennedy, Fallon carried coolers and cookstoves and boxes of pans and utensils to an area where Jade was standing.
Pulling out a tarp, Jade indicated three trees that made an almost perfect triangle.
“This will give us shelter when we cook and eat and keep things covered at night.”
Fallon was tying one corner of the tarp high on a trunk when she felt the other side lift.
“I see you got tall duty,” Nora said. “Can’t let you have all the glory.”
Fallon grinned. “I don’t mind sharing with you.” A light blush showed on Nora’s cheeks, and Fallon realized her comment might be misinterpreted. Time for a subject change. “How was your ride over?”
“Fine.” Nora secured the last side of the tarp. “Ranger Upshaw is quite impressive. I can see why you like her.”
“She is, and I do,” Fallon remarked. “She told me about this program and encouraged me to come. But I don’t like her, like her, you know?”
Nora didn’t react. “See you later,” she said, walking over to where Reva was sorting out the rest of the gear.
Fallon could have kicked herself. They’d had a nice moment in the equipment hut, but Nora repeatedly made it clear she didn’t care about anyone else.
Fallon needed to keep that foremost in her mind.
Kennedy and Delores brought in another load, and Kennedy pulled on Fallon’s arm. “We want to talk to you.” Delores nodded.
Hannah was helping Jade arrange the kitchen supplies while Nora and Reva organized the tents and bags. “Let’s go get another load,” Fallon said.
At the truck, Delores looked around, checking that the forest was clear before speaking. “I heard part of what Gwen said.”
Fallon stiffened. “Oh, that. Uh, I…” She couldn’t think of what to say that wasn’t a lie.
“When she talked about hiding shit, she didn’t mean bathroom shit, did she?” Kennedy asked.
Picking up another container from the cargo trailer, Fallon shook her head. “I can’t talk about it now. Please. It’s…we could all get in trouble.”
Delores and Kennedy exchanged glances. “Uh-huh, yeah,” said Kennedy, lifting a box. “But we’ll get back to this later, understand?”
Fallon swallowed. “Okay.”
When the unloading and sorting was finished, Ranger Reva called everyone together. Looking over the group, she said, “Where are those two nitwits who went to the bathroom forty-five minutes ago?”
The whole crew formed a search line, walking into the forest as they called out, staying within sight of each other.
They’d walked only a few dozen yards when Fallon heard a sharp whistle.
She angled in that direction and came upon Nora glaring at Gwen and Tina, who were perched on the side of a large boulder.
“What the actual fuck?” Nora was saying in a stage whisper.
“We got up and couldn’t get down,” Tina explained. Gwen giggled.
Even from where she was, Fallon could tell they were high.
“You guys better unfuck yourselves real quick, or your asses are going to be kicked out.” Nora didn’t sound the least bit amused.
“Yeah, shit,” Gwen said. “Well, at least help me.”
“No,” Fallon said, walking toward them. “Jump.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Best case, you’ll hurt yourself and have an excuse for not making it to camp.”
“Ooh,” Tina said. “That’s smart.” Standing, she launched herself off the rock, lighting on her feet in catlike perfection. “Stuck the landing,” she announced, arms above her head.
“Well, hell.” Gwen stood but lost her balance almost immediately and slid down the rock on her backside. Her screams alarmed the rest of the crew, and by the time they arrived, Gwen was sobbing, propped between Nora and Tina as they tried to help her walk.
Fallon made it a point not to look at Delores or Kennedy as Tina said, “Gwen got hurt, and we made a wrong turn. Then we heard you calling and saw that we’d nearly made it back to camp. I’m sorry if we worried you,” she added, looking at Ranger Reva.
Reva studied them critically before stepping forward and hoisting Gwen over her shoulders.
“This is something you all need to learn, but not tonight,” she said, oblivious to Gwen’s cries.
“It’s called the dead man’s carry. Jade, you’re our first aid expert, so you follow me.
The rest of you, get your tents up before the sun goes down. ”
* * *
From her campsite, Fallon watched Nora pitching her tent under a huge Douglas fir. “There sure are a lot of dead branches in that tree, Nora.”
Nora gave her a look. “I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry about me.”
Fallon sighed. Of course Nora would take her concern the wrong way.
At least she was happy with her site. Situated in front of a good-sized rock that offered shelter from the wind, it only needed a little grooming to be level.
But after unrolling her new tent, she realized she should have asked Hal for instructions.
It was hard to know which end was up. She set the stakes aside and tried holding the poles with one hand while raising the tent with the other, but the canvas was too heavy.
Not knowing how the whole thing should look when it was assembled made it difficult to determine where to start.
After a while, she gave up and wandered over to where Jade was chopping something in their group kitchen, having already finished with her tent.
Hannah, Delores, and Kennedy all had single tents too.
Gwen and Tina were sharing, and their setup resembled a high-tech pup tent that looked big enough for four.
They were farthest from the rest of the group.
Appropriate, given all the trouble they’d already caused.
What would it would take for Jade to get involved in disciplining them?
“Can I help you with something?” she asked Jade.
Jade smiled at her. “That would be great, thanks. Did you get your tent finished?”
“Not yet. I, uh, I haven’t quite figured out how it goes.”
“Hey, I can help you.” Kennedy poked her head out from the bright orange dome she’d set up close to the kitchen.
“Thanks. But finish what you need to do. I’m in no hurry.” Fallon stretched her arms over her head, breathing in deeply. The smell of pine and clean mountain air was invigorating.
“I’m through.” Hannah appeared from behind her. Her mustard-colored tent had a slightly more elongated shape. “And you won’t believe how quickly it gets dark once the sun goes behind that mountain.” She gestured up the hill. “Let’s take a look.”
The three of them walked past Delores, who was setting poles on an extra flap in front of her tent, giving it a covered porch entry. “That’s really cool,” Fallon said.
“Thanks. Where’s everyone going?” Delores asked.
“Falcon needs some help with her nest,” Hannah said, giving Fallon a wink.
They all laughed, but it seemed congenial, not like mean, derisive teasing, so she grinned at them. Nora was wiping dirt from her hands as they passed. She eyed the group and looked up the hill where Fallon’s tent was unrolled. “Having trouble with your adventurous model?”
Fallon shrugged, and Kennedy waved Nora off. “Thanks for offering, but we got this.”
Nora gave a huff and went into her tent.