In the forests, the strong smell of pine sap mingled with the fragrance of healthy soil and rainbow of wild flowers. I lay on my back looking through the tamarack trees to the vivid blue sky. Chipmunks scurried along the branches angrily informing each other a stranger was among them. Closing my eyes, I listened. Listened to the wind move through the trees, making their leaves shuffle against each other. Listened to the water from the lake lap against its silver shore. Listened to the hawks cry as they circled above the trees. I was home. That brief feeling of peace was a Godsend. It had been three days since Thayde and the others had left and my heart was an empty casket. The feelings of deep depression and loneliness haunted me. For a few moments, concentrating on being one with my surroundings brought an immense feeling of relief. Digging my fingers into the earth, I reminisced about the previous days. The day the guys left, Mom and I packed our things and booked tickets for the next morning flight to Boise.
