between fact and fiction

ultimate!

"Catie, wait up!" Sam's shrill voice accompanies the incessant rings of the school bell. He runs past me, and I hurry to catch up with him. We exit the front door of Iwerks Middle School, heaving a collective sigh of relief.

"It's Friday!" I cheer.

"Three more weeks until we get out of this blasted prison," Sam groans.

"It's not really that bad - " I attempt to counter, but Sam scoffs.

"Listen. I've got another one of my awesome plans! We've only got a few weeks before summer and a few days before we both turn fourteen. After the holidays end, it's off to boarding school - " he lets out a disappointed groan - "for us."

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. Sam continues, "Therefore, we must create an ultimate to-do list. We'll finish it before school ends!"

Sam shuffles through his messy backpack and procures a sheet of paper. I look at the list, already littered with Sam's sloppy handwriting. It writes:

Catriona Chen and Samuel Éanlaith's Ultimate To-Do List!

1. Grow Venus Flytraps!

2. Stargaze!

3. Hike to the summit of Chernabog Peak!

I nod enthusiastically and high-five Sam. "Let the fun begin!"

*

Two weeks have flown by in a blur. There are five more days until school ends - Sam and I are both dreading it and loving it. Venus Flytrap sprouts are busily growing in my backyard. We've got a scrapbook full of incredible photos of the night sky when we went to Blair's Rock to stargaze.

Today, we will conquer the summit of the rockiest, most formidable mountain in Meihana, our town in Urbem State: Chernabog Peak.

We stare up, up, up at the rolling clouds, the bright almost-summer sun...and the ominous mountain. Boulders twice the size of humans lean unsettlingly off small cliffs. Dark forests litter the peak. However, we've heard of a beautiful lagoon at the summit, so we've packed swimsuits.

"Ready?" Sam looks at me, an expression of half-trepidation, half-excitement on his face.

"Ready."

We start at a steep uphill, which brings us into a dark forest. The path branches into a clearing, but we don't stop for long. We eat our sandwiches on the go as we hike up some stairs.

The rugged terrain makes it feel like we're going on an adventure. It brings me back to when Sam and I ran around freely when we were young, pretending to be bandits, fairies, or royalty. I suppose we've never lost that imaginative spirit. Sam is swinging his Swiss army knife like a pirate, slashing plants away.

"ARRRRRRGH!" He shouts. I burst out laughing.

I can feel the shift in the air - the sun is setting. Then, I see the edge of a pool.

"We're almost there!" I cheer. Sam runs ahead of me in pure exuberance - he also sees the lagoon.

Minutes later, we dive into the lagoon. We've finally reached the summit of Chernabog Peak!

Sam, sopping wet, pulls out the to-do list from his bag. He marks off the last item, and we high-five each other excitedly.

"These three weeks were ultimate!"

Word Count: 496