Chapter 2

Along the way, Josiah and Meredith kept up a lively conversation.

They talked about shooting angles, drone flight paths, which stretches of highway were best for sunset shots, and what they should title the documentary if they turned this trip into one. They decided on "Escaping Into the Wild Before Graduation".

I sat in the back seat with my tablet on my lap, reviewing the itinerary I had put together.

I had every detail down—our departure and arrival times, where we'd stop for gas and meals, which stretches of the drive would have no cell service, and which guesthouses required a call ahead to ensure the hot water would be ready.

I tried to speak up several times. "The owner of the guesthouse tonight said that the road up ahead will be narrow. We need to get there before dark."

But nobody heard me.

…

As we were stopping for lunch, I sent Josiah a restaurant I'd looked up in advance. "This place has a lot of bad reviews. Many people complained about its hygiene. Let's go to the one next to it instead."

Meredith took one glance at the signboard and said, "I want to have lunch here. Bad reviews just mean it's authentic. Popular spots are usually disappointing."

Josiah laughed. "Alright, your call."

I frowned. "But you've been having stomach—"

"Calliope, can you not be so high-strung when we're out having fun? It's just a meal. It's not that big of a deal," he said with a hint of impatience in his voice.

In the end, they ordered a bunch of spicy and greasy food, and Josiah devoured them with obvious enjoyment.

Half an hour later, his face went pale from gastricitis. I fished out antacids from my bag, poured him a glass of water, and handed them to him.

Meredith sat beside him, chin propped on her hand, and chuckled. "Calliope, you're really acting like you're his mom."

Josiah paused mid-sip. Then he laughed too. "Yeah, she's always been like this. I guess she's gotten used to taking care of me."

My fingers froze mid-air. I was just concerned about Josiah, but coming from them, it sounded like some out-of-place joke.

…

We pushed on in the afternoon. The weather turned bad and fog rolled in along the mountain. I reminded Josiah, "Don't drive too fast. There are sharp bends up ahead."

Meredith, adjusting her camera settings, said without looking up, "Calliope, if you're scared, just close your eyes and sleep. Don't mess with Josiah's focus."

Josiah chuckled and added, "You heard her. Close your eyes."

I gripped the seatbelt and stayed silent.

The fog thickened as we went, and my carsickness got much worse. My stomach churned violently, and cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

I rummaged through my bag for motion-sickness pills, only to remember that when I'd sorted out the meds that morning, I'd put them in the front storage compartment.

I called out to Josiah, "Hey, can we pull over at the next rest stop? I need to get some medicine."

He grunted in acknowledgment. The music in the car was loud, and Meredith was excitedly showing him the photos she'd just taken. "Look at this one! It has such a cinematic feel. If we edit this trip right, it's definitely going to blow up."

Josiah leaned over to look. "Pretty impressive, Ms. Sloan."

The two of them burst out laughing together.

I leaned back in the rear seat, closed my eyes, and tried to endure the waves of nausea rolling through me.