Kadic Academy Kids

CABIN IN THE WOODS

Ulrich Stern Kadic Academy Ninth grade student

"This place," I set my bag down, turning to look at Jeremy. "It's creepy. I don't remember it being like this." Tovah added, "when we used to come here it was so beautiful, what happened?" She laughed, finishing my sentence. We all ventured through the house, our nerves somewhat uneasy after what we had experienced last week. We had all seen something we hadn't wanted to see in the factory, but I guess I hadn't seen anything, but I had just had to face my fear of heights. "Why do you think it's creepy? I think it's nice," Jeremy defended his choice he sat down on a dusty couch, soon after he stood up, dusting off his pants, "Okay, maybe it isn't exactly how I remember it..." he shrugged, looking down at the pamphlet in his hand the pamphlet showed the cabin in it's prime it made it look like a sparkling oasis and not the old cabin it was now.
We all went to our rooms and started unpacking, there were three rooms, Odd and I shared a room as usual and Jeremy was bunked with us, although things were a bit tense as of late, I think he was upset about me 'dating' Tov, but I didn't know how to tell him that we weren't really dating. Yumi, Aelita, and Tovah were sharing one room as well and Jeremy's parents had been gracious enough to take us up to the cabin. They were staying in the master bedroom, this was the first time we had all been in the same place as in such tight quarters.
"Uncle Mike," Tovah went outside to where her aunt and uncle were unpacking the car, Odd leaned out the window to look at her and I grabbed him by the back of the hoodie, "what are you doing?" I asked crossing my arms as Odd turned to look at me. "Getting some air," he smiled awkwardly brushing himself off, "hanging halfway out the window?" I asked tapping my toe on the hardwood floor. "Yes, I don't have to answer to you Ulrich, just because you guys are dating doesn't mean anything you big shot," he jabbed his finger at me, "what do you mean by that?" He asked pushing his hand away. "You know what I mean," he turned on his heel and went into the common area. I slumped back on my bed and thought maybe I didn't want to be in a fake relationship anymore.

Tovah Pressman Kadic Academy Ninth grade student

"You guys ready for the hike?" I asked as I pulled my hiking boots on, Yumi and Aelita came out the door down to the porch. "Yeah, let me get all bug sprayed up," Aelita said as she coated herself in a layer of bug spray. "Are you that scared of getting bug bites?" Yumi asked nudging her playfully, they skipped forward together towards the path, my aunt and uncle came out to me. "Jeremy isn't feeling well, he said he's going to stay in his room, for now, we're going to run to town to get things for dinner. I leave this hike in your capable hands, Tovah," my uncle gave me a wink and pat my head lovingly, I loved being around my aunt and uncle, they were more like my parents than my own parents were to me.
"Ulrich, Odd, come on, we're going to the trail," I yelled into the house, they walked out both looking annoyed at each other. But I decided 'not my problem,' I wandered further up to the path where Aelita and Yumi were waiting. "Uncle Mike said that Jeremy wasn't feeling well and was gonna be resting while we went on our hike," I explained. "How strange, Jeremy isn't one to actually lay down and rest," Yumi chuckled. "Maybe he just isn't feeling well and it's a good time to relax, I suppose," Aelita looked over her shoulder at the others "are you coming?" She called. They hurried to us and when they got to us Ulrich grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side, "can we talk?" He asked biting his lip. "Can it wait, we have to go on this hike before sundown," I pulled my arm away and walked back to the group, what was his deal? We walked down the rocky path and looked at the birds and tall trees, Odd walked next to me not saying much, "hey remember the last time we went on a hike?" I asked, "oh yeah, at the beach house?" He asked. "That was crazy, we almost got squished," he laughed softly. "Yeah good thing we have fast reflexes," I giggled shoving him playfully. "Oh, who wants to go up this path?" Yumi asked pointing up some steep terrain. "Hm, maybe not," I shook my head, "I hate to be a naysayer but it's getting dark and quick so we should just stick to the marked path for now," I suggested, I had been on all sorts of hikes through these woods through the years, mostly when my family would come to visit Jeremy's, so I would go on these walks to get away from my father or Jeremy and his disdain for me, but luckily these days I didn't have as much to run from. "Tovah, haven't you ever heard of...I don't know going down the unbeaten path?" Odd suggested, "I suppose, but-" I was cut off as the others started down the steep rock covered incline, I followed at a short distance behind. Ulrich lingered behind for a moment and grabbed my hand once more, "What's your deal? What do you need?" I asked stopping as the others continued up the hilly incline. "I just need to talk to you," he rubbed his arm and looked at the ground, "about what?" I pressed on, "About us," he shrugged, "Really? This so isn't the time, " I shrugged him off, "Talk to me about it after dinner," I hurried up to where everyone else, "Sorry," I apologized as we made it up to everyone else. "it's okay, but look what we found," we all went into a cave and I ran my fingers over the carving into the wall, "Oh, I remember this place, I used to come here to read, well when I was older but when I was younger Jeremy and I would come to play spies here, this was our secret base." I reminisced on my fond memories of the dark cave. "Maybe we should go though, it's a long way down, and my aunt and uncle said that they would be making dinner soon." I looked at the others who were still wandering around the cave, "Maybe we could stay a little longer, I mean we know the way down now, plus this trip was about bonding after all," Yumi smiled, "So, Odd what happened with you and that Jasmine girl?" Aelita asked as she sat down on the somewhat damp cave floor. "Oh, Jasmine? She's last week's news, literally." he laughed, "She turned out to be a little too clingy for my taste." I decided that I wasn't going to be able to sway them so I should just join the party and have a little fun while I was here. "Who's Jasmine?" I asked playfully, "Some girl," he said nonchalantly, "So," Aelita started, "What about the last XANA attack?" We all went tense as she brought it up, "Do you think that was a new kind of attack XANA was trying?" She suggested but none of us said a word, finally, Yumi peeped up, "We know that XANA can stimulate a false sleep in you so why wouldn't he be able to do the same thing while we're awake?" Yumi suggested, "But not all of us saw visions," I thought out loud, "I saw something that I thought was real," I thought back to seeing the floating figment of my mother and thought of what she had said to me, "I saw wolves chasing me," Aelita blurted out, "I mean it felt so real and Odd, you saw them too," She nodded justifying herself, "Yeah, I mean I didn't see anything really I just had some sort of vision of death," Yumi shook her head and we all went silent for a moment, "I don't know if it counts but I had to face my fear of heights, maybe XANA was just making us do what we fear?" he suggested, "I saw my mother and she said something to me..." I looked down into my lap and then up at Odd who was staring at me, "What did you see?" I asked him, "Rats," He said grossed out, "Wait I thought you said you saw spiders?" I asked tilting my head curiously, "I saw...both," he shrugged and then got to his feet, "It doesn't really matter what we saw, just that we saw it. Come on guys we should go, I'm starving." On the walk back I walked next to Aelita who leaned over to me, "Is Odd being weird?" I looked at her and thought of all he had said in the cave, "I suppose so, I mean how deathly afraid of spiders and rats do you have to be for that to be your biggest fear? We've fought against both and he never bats an eye when we see either, what's next he's gonna say he's afraid of birds?" I laughed, as we kept walking Aelita tripped over a rock and skinned her knee, I helped her up, brushing her off, "Watch your step, like I said it's a tricky path...also are we going the right way? I swore we had come from that way," I looked behind me resting my hands on my hips, "We better not be lost," Ulrich said as he proceeded to kick a rock, "Well this wasn't exactly my idea, I just wanted to take the marked path and now it's getting dark," I protested stepping past an ant pile, "Maybe we should go this way," Yumi pointed down a branch covered path, "Seems worth a try," Aelita smiled and slid down the rock to the other path, I followed suit as did Odd at the same time, he fell on top of me as I laid in the dirt, he smiled awkwardly looking down at me, his knee in my side, "Odd-" he stood up and held a hand out to me helping me up, "Sorry space-girl," he giggled rubbing the back of his neck, "You haven't called me that in an age," I said as I kneeled to see through the thicket of trees, "This way," I gasped, "I can see the cabin, come on," I pushed the trees to the side for the others to pass by, we walked back to the cabin the sun finally set and we made it back just in time for my aunt and uncle to return, I let out a sigh of relief, but I still thought that this trip would lead to some sort of complication.