As the sun started to near the horizon once more, I knew we had to quit and make a camp of sorts. I spotted a small clearing through the trees not too far from the road ahead and I thought that would be a good place to spend the night. I once again slowed my pace to drop back to Zac. He had been tiring for some time, but I had made sure that I didn't pull too far ahead of him, which wasn't difficult for I too was tired. He was strongly muscled and in shape, but was not used to this sort of exercise of all day walking. I wasn't either, but I was more prepared than he.

"I think we'd better make camp for the night." I stated then walked to the clearing leaving a very puzzled Zac behind me. He hadn't quite grasped the significance of what had happened to us. We were no where near any modern facilities. We weren't going to find any of those. Somehow I knew we weren't anywhere that I knew about, had ever been or even heard of. Zac knew it too, he just didn't want to admit it. As I had before realized, there was definitely something wrong with Zac, he was disturbed and distracted.

As I entered the clearing I was in for a pleasant surprise. There, hidden from sight of the road by the massive trees was a cave with a small clear spring running from behind it. The mouth of the cave was large, and the fading light illuminated all it's depths. It was not a large or deep cave, but clean and dry. The domed ceiling was high and the flooring smooth, it was almost a perfect circular shape. I was wary though, a cave this good most likely would have an inhabitant of some sort. And yet I found no traces of any form of creature except for the droppings of a few rodents, and those were easily handled. It was a perfect place to spend the night, especially in case it rained,. Glancing up at the sky, I realized that that was precisely what was going to happen. There were monstrous thunder clouds to the east, coming our way.

I set down my pack and stretched out my tired muscles, making sure to cool them down before sitting. Zac came up behind me, plopped onto the ground and grabbed my water bottle.

"You're going to be sore" I warned him. He hadn't bothered to cool down at all and his muscles would stiffen. He just looked at me and shook his head so I shrugged and continued doing my stretches, him watching.

Once I felt I was done, I righted myself and walked over to my bag. There I pulled out matches, and various bags of dehydrated food, my mess kit, a couple nutrition bars and my flashlight.

"Could you got find some tinder and wood for the fire?" I asked of Zac, "here's the flashlight just in case, but it shouldn't take that long." I handed it to him and turned back to the food.

"Uh . . . sure." It was the first thing he had said in many many hours.

He was back in ten minutes or so with an armful of wood and tinder. I had cleared a space at the entrance of the cave to put the fire. I arranged the tinder and lit the fire, breathing life into it. Once the fire was built the warm glow that ensued warmed my spirit and lighted the darkening night. I took the pans I had put the rehydrated food into and started cooking them.

"Grab a bar while this is cooking. There isn't a whole lot of it because I don't know for how long my stash will have to last us." I directed at Zac getting a bar for myself. He got one and then settled down near me by the fire. It wasn't so much for warmth yet as the heat of the sun was still warming, but for comfort. We were in a strange place and we both knew it. It seemed he had finally accepted that fact, even if he didn't like it. I could only guess what went on in that head of his.

"I'm sorry I was being so rude earlier." I glanced up at him surprised. The statement was very unexpected. "I . . . I don't know what has been wrong with me lately. Even before this . . ." he trailed off and said nothing. I wanted him to continue, I once again had the urge to help.

"It's okay, I understand." I said softly. It was not an empty statement, but I guess he thought it was.

"No, you don't" It wasn't filled with anger, just conviction and what almost seemed loneliness. He thought he was alone.

I took the food off the fire and squatted right in front of Zac and looked directly into his eyes searching. "Zac, I may not be able to know or compare to what you are going through, but I DO understand. Believe me Zac, I do." The words had a ring of truth and conviction in them. I then turned away from him, "and I don't know why." I then tried to change the subject, "here eat up" I handed him half of the potato goop which I poured into another tin.

"Ugh! This tastes awful!"

"I know. But it's all we've got. I wasn't planning on eating this stuff, I just packed it for weight."

"Why DID you pack all this stuff anyway?" he asked then tried to stuff the food in his mouth and swallow without having to taste it too much.

"Oh. Practice for the two week survival hike later this summer. I get out there on my own, with a planned path and only what's on my back to last me through the two weeks, or less if I do well. It's my last year so I want to do extra well and make good time. So today was my first practice run. I wasn't planning on walking this far or using my supplies . . . . but here I am! Eating this stuff!" I grinned at him and he returned it. That just made me smile even wider. It was the first time I had seen him smile that day since I first met him and I hadn't really seen him then. THERE was the zany Zac I knew from videos and pictures, the Zac I knew from the news the Zac the public knew. But I didn't want to see the Zac of the news and the videos and the pictures and the public, I wanted to see the Zac that was there underneath all that. In that smile, that is what I saw.

"I guess this would be your last year if you were to go on a hike like that." I continued referring to Zac.

"Really? You're my age?"

"Yep! I'm 17! Big coincidence!" I grinned.

"Well, you can have the sleeping bag." I got out my nearly double width sleeping bag and rolled it out, with only the light of the fire to see by. It was a more compact lighter material, but still comfortable and warm. It's compactability and weight allowed it to be larger and still be carried with ease.

Zac saw the one and only bag, "It's yours, you can . . ."

"No, you take it. Don't worry I'll be fine." I told him, and it wasn't a total lie. I would be fine, not comfortable, but fine. He needed the bag more than I did, I hoped. I laughed, then I lay down on the stone relatively near the fire with a wad of clothing under my head facing away from Zac.

He stayed standing, "Well at least take the pillow. Please." I turned over and looked at him. Because the fire was behind me, his face was illuminated. He looked very majestic standing there, his face glowing and his loosened hair a shining gold. His pleading eyes, slightly shadowed, shimmered metallically with the reflection of the fire, light and dark at the same time. They pierced right through my soul when our eyes met and I imagined I saw his own soul there reflected. He was beautiful, inside and out, I knew it in that moment with absolute certainty. And yet he was human, flawed in ways, but it made him all the more beautiful. My resolution failed and I nearly broke down in tears.

"Okay," I said softly, barely getting the word out through my tight throat. I gave him my clothes and took the small pillow. I then quickly averted my face and eyes from him, turning my back. I huddled close to the fire for warmth and comfort, both which I desperately needed. For me, the night had chilled and gotten darker.

I lay for a long time, just breathing and thinking. I was very confused about a lot of things. The whole day was screwed up, so much had happened and I was just now letting the pressure get to me. I had no other task I felt I had to do, no other responsibly for the night, I was able to let my mind wander and I didn't like the places it was going. There were no answers and it bothered me. I knew I wouldn't get to sleep with my mind in such a turmoil, and it didn't help that I wasn't comfortable at all.

I sat up and huddled into a ball looking outside. That's when the rain started. It wasn't hard but there were large drops. I couldn't resist myself. I glanced over at Zac, he appeared to be asleep. I went over to my pack and ripped out a page of my Journal. I got my pen and wrote:

Zac, I went for a walk. I won't go far. Don't worry. ~Melli

I then lay the note by his head and made my way outside. I took out my ponytail and let down my hair, putting the tie on my wrist. I absolutely loved the rain and whenever I could I went out in it. I didn't mind getting wet, it was such a wonderful feeling TO get wet, that was the whole point. It was a bit cold but I didn't mind that either. When I was out of view of the cave I turned my face up the the sky and just stood there. All my fears and worries and confusion was just washed away by the rain and ran into the ground at my feet. I felt lighter and happier than I had in what seemed a long time. For the second time that day, even though it didn't seem like the same day, I had the urge to break into song.

When at home and various pressures were too much, I would go into my 1 acre forested backyard and just sing. Sometimes I would even dance. It was just a way to be one with the wild around me, to let things go, be it raining or not. Sometimes just gazing at the stars was enough for me, just like the writer Thoreau said. Always afterward I would miraculously feel better, more at peace. That was what I was doing now. It was something I had to do.

"Midnight . . . .Not a sound from the pavement . . . Has the moon lost her memory, she is smiling alone . . ." The song "Memory" from the musical "Cats" just popped into my head and I had to go along with it and sing. It wasn't really appropriate as there was no moon in view, but somehow it was appropriate. I had always loved the song, it's lonely tones, it's yearning, it was just beautiful. I didn't care whether Zac heard or not, I wasn't singing for him or anyone else. I was singing for myself and the nature around me. Tears started to stream down my face for absolutely no reason, but you couldn't distinguish the tears from the blessed rain. I just sang the song with all my heart and soul.

"Touch me . . . It's so easy to leave me all alone with the memory of my days in the sun . . . If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is . . . ." I felt someone gently grab my hand and hold it firmly, almost as a reassurance. I didn't stop my singing but as I finished the last line of the song, I glanced briefly at Zac with my tear filled eyes, "Look a new day . . . has . . . begun."

We stood together in the rain, hand in hand for a long time, just looking at the clouded the sky and the wet forest, content. Eventually the rain eased and I came back to reality from the carefree place I had been, even though a great part of the peace was still with me while the confusion and stress were left behind..

"I . . . I'm sorry I woke you up" I finally spoke softly, breaking the silence. I didn't look at Zac, I couldn't.

"I was already awake. I couldn't sleep. I guess you couldn't either."

"No . . .no I couldn't."

"The note was considerate."

"Oh . . . thanks." I was feeling decidedly awkward. "Maybe we should go back to the cave . . ."

"Yeah."

"You look wet." He said laughing at me once we got back in range of the firelight.

"You shouldn't be talking." I replied laughing back. Both of us just the realized we were still holding hands. We let go and I went back over and built up the fire which had burned down considerably. Zac went outside once more to fetch some water from the stream. I then put it on the fire to boil. While I was waiting for it I went and got my brush to see if I could put my hair in some semblance of wet order.

"You're lucky I grabbed so much stuff for extra weight." I commented, smiling, as I mixed some hot chocolate, "These, though, I was actually planning on using . . . . when I'm not exactly sure, but I was planning on using them." I grinned and handed him some in the compactable cup my dad gave me. I took mine in the water bottle, which was a little awkward but I managed. We sat for a little while just gazing into the fire and drinking our hot cocoa, at least that was what I was doing.

"You have a beautiful voice." I glanced up at Zac sharply. It just connected for me. He practically sang for a living, was as close to a professional as I had ever met and there I had been, singing my heart out in front of him. I felt like an idiot.

"Thanks . . . so do you." I didn't know what else to say. I didn't think my voice was all that great but I wasn't going to tell him that. So I shifted the focus to him, or tried to. He really did have a beautiful voice.

"Thanks, I think." He looked uncomfortable, "You must really love to sing to put that much . . . . . emotion in it."

"Yeah I do. . . . love to sing I mean. Music is my passion . . . ." I once again reminded myself who I was talking to. My mind didn't seem to want to hold onto that fact.

"That's good . . . . ." he looked at me with understanding in his eyes. What he didn't know is that I couldn't play an instrument, even if my life depended on it, though I had a peculiar passion for the bass guitar.

I had been unsuccessful in my first attempt at shifting focus so I tried once more, this time to an important subject. "Zac? What was bothering you earlier? There was something wrong." I realized that I was possibly digging too deep but I wanted to know, and I got the feeling he needed to tell someone.

"I . . . I'm not ready to talk about it." I looked at him uneasily. He wanted to talk about it all right, he didn't deny it, but I understood the need for time and space.

"Okay. Well, whenever you are ready . . . I'm here for ya bud." I smiled. I had finished my hot cocoa and was actually kind of sleepy. "Well, I'm ready for bed now. Would you . . . would you mind turning around while I get into some dry clothes?" I blushed.

He smiled, "No problemo." he turned and I changed as quickly as I could.

"You can borrow a shirt to change into if you'd like. You're almost as wet as I was. I don't think any of my shorts would fit you though" I grinned evilly, "Anyway, I only brought one extra pair for weight, plus the cloth pair I have on" I tossed him a large shirt. He didn't ask for me to turn but I averted my eyes anyway to be polite. Actually it had nothing to do with being polite, I was embarrassed.

He grinned at me realizing exactly what he was doing, making me uncomfortable. He then softened his expression. "This time you can have the sleeping bag. I want to stay up a bit longer anyway."

"Well, then . . . then you get the pillow." I was too tired to argue much. I crossed over and got into the sleeping bag. I huddled into a corner of it with the rest of the dry clothing under my head.

"You know Melli, for some reason, I trust you." It was a plain statement, one that once again surprised me.

"Zac? You don't know how much that means to me." I paused, then continued softly, "I trust you too." I then relaxed and let my thoughts drift. The last thing I remember was Zac's voice singing softly, lulling me to sleep, and then an exclamation.

"Melli! The moon! It's out . . . and full . . ."