Amy Flemming | Moves to Hemmingway Boarding School

Twenty (part II)

During the lunch, we discussed the plan for today. The teachers had set out a sort of quest for us. "The quest will be set up through the woods. please stay together." Mrs. Wilson reminds us.

We each get a map that will lead us the way back to the house, plus a bottle of water and some sandwiches and granola bars for when we get hungry.

The cold air hits us as we exit the house. This time Heather actually wore some sneakers instead of bright pink wedges. I adjust my backpack straps so that it hangs tighter on my back as we walk.

"Knowing Mr. Rutherford, he has given us questions about the subjects that we have. The questions might be about random topics that we had to learn for." The questions will first be easy ones and then will get harder each time. That is how it always goes. We have one envelope with a hint for the first location. We open it and see what is written on it:

On a tree with a white star, hangs the first question. Pick the first answer, go right. If you pick the second answer go left.

"They are serious about this. There are a millions of trees in this forest and we have to find one specific tree." Valerie mutters. After half an hour of looking for the tree and not finding it, Heather squeals being very proud as she runs towards the tree.

"Got it." She says laying her hand on the branch. "Are you blind?" Elijah asks her looking dead serious. "No, why?" She asks him. "What do you see on the tree?" Elijah asks her. "A heart." We all roll our eyes since that is not the right one. "It is supposed to be a star painted on the tree." I tell her and she frowns. "Well, at least I found one with a painting on it." Her hair is being flipped behind her shoulder as we walk further in to the forest.

"Look." Lucy yells as she sees a tree with a white star on the side. "Good job, babe." Mason says and kisses her cheek. "The envelope." I say as I untie the rope it is attached on. When I have opened it, I read it out loud.

359 × 600 =

1. 215,400
2. 227,700

Tip for the next clue: If you know the history of the school well. It will be easy.

Heather was already reaching for her phone in her bag to use her calculator but I already know the answer. "214,400. We need to go right." I tell them and they all look at me. Ethan as well since he was still busy with thinking of the answer.

"She is just like Matilda. She can solve all of the equations we get given up." Brooke whispers to Paige. I smile since I heard it anyway. We walk into the right direction.

As we walk, everybody holds their own conversations about different topics and tries to find something that looks like a next clue. It is getting a lot colder at this moment and secretly I feel pretty stupid for not bringing my thicker scarf that is still in the bedroom. "Are you cold?" Chester asks me and I smile. "I am fine." He looks at me. The backpack on his back is taken off and he sets it down while opening the zipper. "I do know that you get cold pretty easily." A big jacket comes in to my view as he takes it out of his bag and gives it to me. I give him a kiss. "Thank you." I put it on and feel like I drown inside of the big sweater. 

After an hour, we decide to sit down for a moment on the bench and eat something along with drinking something since we are hungry and thirsty. "Look that is so cute." Brooke says as her eyes fall on a bridge. I walk over to see what she is looking at. Couples have hung different varieties of locks on the bars of the bridge. "That is adorable." Heather agrees as stands next to us. "That is so not cute. They didn't even put there initials on the lock like all the others did." Brooke says as she points towards a golden lock that sometimes hangs on a locker at school. We finish our sandwiches. Ethan stands up and looks at the lock that Brooke pointed out. "This is not a lock that a couple hung up. This is a clue." I walk over to him and he points at the small box that is attached to the lock. "If we unlock this lock, we will find the next envelope and can walk further." Elijah explains. "The letter said that we needed to know the history of the school to make it easier." Chester says as his arm is draped around my waist. "1830 was the year but I don't know the date." We know the date when they finished building the house. "Let's try the date first." I tell Ethan. The lock does not open. "The year?" Heather asks. "1830." Ethan mutters as he tries unlocking it again. 

* * *

After hours and hours of walking, we finally made it back to the place we are staying at. "They are here!" Mrs. Wilson says happily. We hadn't lost the way which I am so happy about. We have dinner and get ready for the night by taking a shower. In the living room, the volunteers have made hot chocolate milk and they made some treats when we were gone. "This is really good, thank you." I say when Mrs. Wilson hands me a mug. "You all deserved it, you guys have been working hard today and will have another day tomorrow." She smiles.