Arctic Trek 2004

[renaissanceman3]

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[Sweetp4u]

Amy Jones

"This is the last year." It played over and over in her mind as she stood freezing in silence. She'd volunteered to go, wanting to prolong the time as much as possible from the inevitable.

Marriage.

She feared the unknown, being a good girl she never so much as dated as did some of her friends in the neighborhood. She was graduating with honors and yet she would go no further. She wanted more than this out of life but would not shame her parents by pouring out her troubles on their shoulders.

It wasn't that she was not attractive or plain, nor was she overly 'sexy' and brought all sorts of attention to herself. She just did not want to marry some inexperienced chosen young man her parents had picked out. And she knew they'd picked someone out, sooner or later they'd be introducing her to one after another until she picked from their list of acceptable, suitable husbands.

She was average height, 5'6" to be exact. Exactly one-hundred and twenty pounds, she'd say ten pounds of it was chest but it was an exaggeration. She had a cutesy nose, blonde hair and baby-blue eyes. But she was no model, which would be Becca who attracted all the men.

So why was she here? To get away from it all. All the expectations, the stress her parents were pressing on her, just to escape and dream a little longer before her time was up. She'd been in the school two years, by her twentieth birthday her parents wanted her to settle down and make plenty of babies.. go to church.. bake cookies... "and not use my brain!" She hissed softly to herself.

And that brought her here, to this frozen tundra of land in 'god's country' in sub-zero weather. Maybe she was a bit dramatic, it was dramatics that brought her to suddenly jump on the 'band wagon' and go camping in an area where a bear could very likely eat her alive.

"We're going." Becca nudged her a little to get her attention back on the teachers. With a slight nod and a desperate need to control her shaking, she hefted her two bags and began to follow the procession of classmates and supervisors.

She halted a few steps, watching each hunched form trekking slowly across the snow, "My last great adventure.." It was saddening really, but she was determined to have fun if it killed her! Becca turned with an impatient glare motioning her friend to hurry her ass up.


ooc: closed thread

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

Becca could do nothing but bitch the entire hike. It was either too cold, or too dry. The snow was too deep or too slick. Then there were the boys along with us on the trip. Not only did she get them to carry her packs for her, but managed to set up a 'hidden meeting' in the woods after lights-out.

She had to bite her tongue and not say anything, instead keeping her eyes straight ahead and more often than she should have noticed, Mr. Hodges' bottom. After ten minutes she tuned Becca's complaints out and wondered about that butt in front of her.

She'd been in his classes now for two years, seen him coming and going for the entire time as well. She knew he was single, soft spoken and quiet unless crossed or caught cheating... So when did he develope such a tight ass?

She had nearly stumbled at her own thoughts, knowing those words weren't her own but those of her corruptor, Becca. Becca's terminology really was some what vulgar but she was well off enough to remain at St. Jude's. Her parents assured that much.

But still, when and where did that happen? He wasn't old really, but he wasn't young either. He always wore appropriate clothing for classes.. slacks and sweaters, that type of combination. Obviously the jeans were the give away.

And why was she still focused on his butt?!

White clouds of air puffed from red lips, the hike was strenuous and the air seemed a bit thinner, whatever the cause she was panting for air when they finally stopped.

"Nice job with that heavy load, Amy" She met his brown eyes with a smile of her own, "Thank you Sir." regardless of what she thought of his butt, he was still to be respected and treated thusly.. If Becca ever caught onto Amy's thoughts, there would be hell to pay. Becca would never let her live it down, and it was another thing Amy knew she'd have to keep quiet.

She set down her bags, her smile broadening with his new offer of chores. "Fire, Sir." She flashed a dimpled smile at Becca who was groaning aloud. She was certain she'd get stuck with digging out bunks, she'd heard time and time again how hard that chore was. She'd much rather gather wood and build a fire.

Being organized and orderly, she had everything packed one could ever need while 'roughing it'. She even had this little guide book to camping handy as well for consultations. Not to mention she was a Brownie when she was younger. So camping wasn't anything new to her, but different in the winter.

Becca got assigned with one of her 'mules' to dig while Amy grabbed her thinner gloves. "Where would be the best place to get firewood?" Turning towards Mr. Hodges she hoped for some guidance since he'd been here many times and this was her first trip.

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy Jones

This was beginning to look like a bad idea. Every time she turned around, someone was in prayer or talking about salvation. On a camping trip all anyone could do was think 'school'. Even Becca was hard pressed to supress her urges to curse as she fought with a folding shovel. She'd been tempted to assist her friend with the contraption, but thought it was more amusing to watch Becca fight with it.

Turning away from her bag she about ran over Mr. Hodges whom she hadn't heard approaching. With wide eyes she shot her gaze to his face and flushed, "Sh-Sorry." was muttered quickly. This was a going to be a bit harder than she thought. Curbing her tongue quick enough, she flashed him a bright smile and nodded her head.

"New but I was told very sturdy for wandering around in winter conditions." She glanced down at her brown leather boots, that was a very stupid comment to make. She shouldn't be flustered he offered to help, he was a teacher after all and paid to do just that. Only trouble was she was too distracted to remember this was a St. Jude's outting. Which meant following all the strict rules pressed upon them day in and day out.

She was really beginning to hate rules.

"Would love some help Mr. Hodges, but you should know this is volunteer labor... No pay." She winked and started off towards the pile. Miss Lewis had already informed her where to locate the pile, but she failed to mention an icy drop off. The dried up old bat probably never even seen the woodpile. Amy smirked with her thoughts wondering what else the old gal hadn't seen before, even though she hadn't seen much in this life, she had years to explore before she became as old as Miss Lewis.

Winding carefully around the trees, she stopped and let Mr. Hodges go first along the icey trail. The wood pile wasn't more than five feet from where they stood, but four of it looked dangerous. "We should have brought some rope." She muttered to herself. She really had a strong fear of heights, even if it wasn't too far down the slope, it looked like miles to her.

"M-Mr. Hodges?" She halted and stepped back from the edge. There was nothing to hold onto, and that worried her. "Is it safe?" It sure didn't look it to her!

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

A leap of faith. That's what she had to do, but damned if she wanted to do it!

She was tense but hiding her fear remarkably well. She met Mr. Hodges' eyes and stayed focus there. Her mind whispering to her over and over again, "trust him." She opted to take a step back, then another, but halted after two. She couldn't very well get a huge running start, she might slip.

Sucking in a deep breath, she left his eyes, focused on his hand and took two running steps, leapt... and came crashing into his solid frame! With a yelp she felt the impact of his body against her and felt them both slipping.

"SHIT!" She cursed as she tried to get her feet under her a second too late. Uncaring of her language, she was horrified to find herself sprawled out on Mr. Hodges' chest.

Not that she had to worry about slipping any where, his hand was firmly planted in her lower back, keeping her anchored to his body, but the position they were in was anything but proper!

Her eyes were wide, tearing up too, but she surprised them both by bursting out laughing. She should have been mortified, apologizing and getting herself untangled from his person, instead she lay there, her face buried against his chest, shaking with laughter.

It only took her a few minutes to get ahold of herself and crawl on her hands and knees, very carefully, towards the wood pile. Planting her butt on the ground and safety, she swallowed her laughter to get out an apology for crashing into him.

Clumsy was an understatement, and the look on his face when she made contact! Oh, she'd have this memory for a long time. For a little thing, she obviously packed some kind of oomph to knock them both to the ground.

She sat, breathing deeply, trying to get some control over herself and take inventory of all her parts. Make sure nothing was broken or sprained... not likely since she felt no pain anywhere. But was he alright?

"You okay, Mr. Hodges?" and then a softer, "Thank you."

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

It took a lot of self control not to scream as the wolf lunged for them. She was certain it was total and complete shock that held her frozen to that spot, not daring to breathe or move.

She knew she was close to passing out, or fainting rather, but some how managed to keep conscious. Not that she wouldn't have minded passing out, it might have saved her from the long moments of fear that crept over her. Wondering when she was going to die was worse than anything she'd ever experienced.

Her hand locked on Mr. Hodges' for dear life, every nerve in her body poised, captive while her mind screamed at her to run, she couldn't make her legs obey her wishes.

The incident was over, her body still refused to move. She had to gain her feet with the help of Mr. Hodges and even then she was frozen with a fear the wolf would jump from the thick brush any second and finish what it started. It was all so much of a blur, did it really happen?

The significance of the wolf making their hands join escaped her notice, she saw nothing more into it other than a lucky moment. He hadn't eaten them alive, nor broke the skin, and left them alone.

Still she yanked off her gloves to check her hand for blood and found none.
"I n-need to s-sit down!" She whimpered a little and sat down on a large splitting log. That was so damned close! "God, we could have died..."

If she wasn't so damned afraid still she'd probably throw up! Mr. Hodges said nothing, or if he had, she was too lost to pay attention to it. Instead she bundled up wood and carried it with her, following mutely, automaticly behind Mr. Hodges back to camp.

She said nothing to anyone the rest of the evening. She ate in silence, she helped clean up and skipped the fireside by claiming to have a head ache. She just wanted to be inside her tent safe and warm. Crawling into her bedding fully clothed, she didn't even bother with removal of her boots. In the faint light from her flash light she stared at the pattern of fang marks on her hand still. It looked a lot like a star, and it still did not make sense to her what it was doing nor why it did what it did.

She needed to ask some questions, read a book, something to figure out why she was still alive. With those thoughts came the tears and thought of all she wouldn't have experienced if she had died today.

She knew one thing. Life was far too short to be a prisoner under strictest of rules. She knew enough about marriage and the things behind closed doors from Becca to know she didn't want just an obligatory situation. Now how did she go about getting out of it?

It was hours later, after the camp became as silent as death that Amy awoke with jolt. With a groan, her eyes closed a moment, wishing sleep to reclaim her but knew that her body had other ideas of what she needed to do right that minute.

Careful not to wake her bed mate up, she grabbed her gloves and coat. Grabbing a flash light and tissue she peeked out over the silvery snow. She could hear nothing nor see anyone moving around outside, nor in their tents. She heard no wild life near by, which she hoped was the correct sign there weren't any and set off through the trees. She needed to find a private spot, some where no one would ever have a chance of seeing her..

"This is the worst part!" She muttered under her breath, stopping to make sure she left prints in the snow to follow back, she turned and kept walking. She hiked for awhile, privacy being so damned important to her for modesty sake, she didn't pay close attention to what she was doing. She went over fallen trees, down a ravine and across a frozen creek where she stopped to peer at a frozen trout in the ice. Up the other side and through more trees where she finally stopped.

"Three in the damned morning and I am off in the boonies to pee!"

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

"Damn it!" She had only wanted to have some privacy to go to the bathroom and ended up lost! She banged her dimming flash light against her gloved hand one more time to try and get it brighter before the bulb went out.

"Just great.. Just freakin' great!" She glared, her hand fisting around the smooth grip handle, temptation eating at her to throw it as hard and as far as she could. Maybe it would ease her frustration, but she knew it was a childish impulsive behavioral problem to throw a flash light.. and so she did not.

Instead she hiked in the inky darkness, hoping no wolf.. OR bear would find her before she found camp. She was skittish when she wanted nerves of steal, that too infuriated her, but her anger soon died down as the wind began to howl from the north.

Bitter biting wind slapped at her face, causing an instant reaction of loss of breath. Gasping, she whirled around to keep her back to the wind and in doing so, missed her earlier trail of foot prints.

She had no idea how long she wandered the forest, time seemed to drag on until she was too numb to move. Something tickled at the back of her subconscious, something about being lost?

"Think Amy!" She scolded herself, pressed against an old tree trunk. "Think! Think. THINK!"

Never. No. That's not it. Don't what? Shivering she huddled against the tree trunk, sitting down hard on her rump as she rubbed her hands over her arms. Peering upwards, past the canopy of tree limbs, she could see no signs of dawn approaching, it meant it was still well before six. She hadn't been out here too long, but long enough to lose sense of direction.

"When lost.. When lost you..STAY IN ONE PLACE!" She all but jumped for joy that she could remember the simple instructions. She'd only really read it once. So why had she forgotten? Probably the cold, her mind deducted.

Since she was sitting, she figured this was as good a place as any to sit still and wait for a rescue team. Surely someone would notice she was missing? She hoped they would anyway..

She sat awhile, but then knew it was making her sleepy, so she got up and paced around the tree. She could dig into the deep snow banks and make a haven to sleep in.. being as she was so damned tired anyway.. but then a rescue team wouldn't see her. No, it was best to remain moving and alert...

Hours later she was once more huddled under the tree, resting her back to the bark and silent both in mind and body. She was just too cold to keep moving, so she sang hymes awhile. When she ran out of those, she recited whatever she could remember from school. Dawn came finally, but still she did not move, hovering between reality and unconsciousness.

It was some time later a shadow fell over her, unfortunately she couldn't manage to lift her head to find out who it was, but they had nice shoes. Blue lips trembled from the cold and her body felt as stiff as the ice cicles hanging off the near by pine, but she was still awake enough to mentally smile at the tidiness of those shoes.

 

[renaissanceman3]

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[Sweetp4u]

Amy

Coming out of the dazed state took a lot less time than it did to warm up. And when she did start to warm and her blood flow, which is when the sharp pains began all over her trembling body.
No matter how many times she tried to pull away from the source of that pain, she was held fast to her position.

Now and then small whimpers would pass through tense lips, but her eyes remained closed. She longed for something else to focus on, something other than the little pinpricks of pain on her skin. Her eyes opened, staring a little unfocused at the chest in front of her, but it was all an euphoric like dream. Surely she wasn't laying against a bare man's chest?

Vague thoughts came and gone, the only one to remain screaming in her mind was the need to be warmer, and so she burrowed closer to the heat source now.

Slowly the shivering stopped, her teeth stopped rattling together and her body eased from the tension vanishing. There was a soft glow from an unseen corner, a light of some kind, which didn't help mask her eyes from viewing a very nude male chest. Too cold, or perhaps still in shock, she didn't feel or think anything of it nor try to pull away. This was her only source of heat currently, and she was bound and determined never to feel that cold again.

Brows drawn together in thought, she could clearly remember getting lost and pacing, but after that things became too foggy for her to remember. Obviously someone had found her, a man. She tensed up then, sucking in a deep breath as she pulled herself suddenly away from the heat of said man.

Her eyes were wide with fright and too many imagined horrors before it registered who was with her.

"Oh! Thank god!" She gasped out when she realized it was Mr. Hodges. Not caring if she was foolish or not, she flung herself against him, her arms snaking around his neck and hugging him tightly. She had to bite down on her lip to stop the urge to cry with relief, and she certainly didn't want to be a blubbering idiot now!

"I never thought that.. That I'd get lost." It came out pitiful sounding, she was so embarrassed for so many reasons she couldn't even begin to apologize for it all. And she still hadn't noticed her state of dress.... and lack there of.

 

[renaissanceman3]

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[Sweetp4u]

Amy

When reality began to come back to her and the shivering stopped, she did take notice of her lack of dress. Feeling very embrassed about it she had said nothing for fear of calling more attention to herself than was needed.

After all he had apologized for her clothing, but she wasn't a twit, she understood why he had to remove her clothing. She was grateful to feel that he'd left some parts of her covered.

That only added a little discomfort, what made it worse for her was the undressed manner he was in! She couldn't seem to stop staring at his chest, marveled mostly by how hard his chest was for a man his age. Her father was older, but even at Mr. Hodges' age her father had a pouch. It fascinated her more than she wanted it to, several times she'd snuggled closer just to feel the texture of his skin against her own.

It wasn't really sexual her thoughts, just a whole lot of curiousity. When he moved outside the bag to find her a drink, she'd nodded in agreement, not daring to tell him she wasn't very thirsty, just tired.

Her eyes followed their natural curiousity and roved over his bared chest and lower. A little shyness came back, she skipped the boxers and what might be under them to look at his legs.
Her eyes widened a little before she burrowed back under the shelter of the sleeping bag. Her cheeks were flaming red as her imagination went into over time. It wasn't like she hadn't seen a naked, nearly naked, man before. Becca had shown her a few 'magazines' last year, but in the flesh! Lord she was definitely going to hell for her thoughts.

She'd been real tempted to see if He'd remove those boxers and show her a bit more..

He was speaking her again and she'd only half heard what he said, so she gave a little nod under the covers and tried to think 'pure' thoughts.

"Qu-Questions? Oh.. ok.." She wet her lips and shifted a little to sit upright and keep covered at the same time. She really didn't want to ask questions, not with her mind wondering the things it was.. But how could she talk him out of it? And what was worse, he was a teacher, authority.

"Three things I want?" How to answer that one? Should she just say what was expected? It would be what Mr. Hodges was expecting, if she knew anything, she knew how St. Jude's girls were supposed to behave.

"I want...... Freedom of Choice. Success in something worthwhile.. And a real love.." Her brows furrowed a little, trying to figure out the right wording she was looking for to express what she had meant by those answers. "I want something not forced, nonconventional, and certainly something I choose for myself, not by those who think they know better than I." She flushed a little as he stared at her. He did really looked a bit shocked at her answers, but by damned she was not taking it back! She was tired of being a puppet.

So she folded her arms and gave him a steady stare right back. Almost daring him to laugh or chastise her for her answer.

 

[renaissanceman3]

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[Sweetp4u]

Amy

It really was bad manners to keep staring at him, but she couldn't seem to help herself. A nagging thought kept coming back time and time again, but she pushed her thoughts aside and ignored the warning signals.

Surely no harm could come from just looking.

She flashed a little smile, taken aback a little by the 'beautiful' comment, but he cleared it up right away. That even made her feel a little more 'weird'. He seemed to be covering up, but maybe she was reading more into his actions and his face?

"Can I call you Paul?" It was blurted out suddenly, without thought of reason, she just asked the question. And his smile and nod put her quickly back at ease.

"Well..." What could she ask a teacher? Maybe if she stopped thinking of him as a teacher, it would be easier? He did say he was leaving St. Jude's. "Why are you leaving St. Jude's? Too stuffy?" She gave a knowing smile and slipped on her shirt.

"Why aren't you married?" She asked quietly, not giving him a chance to answer the first one just yet. Climbing onto her knees, she reached for the offered cup of hot chocolate. She wouldn't argue about drinking it, obviously it'd help distract her from being tired.

"Why are we stuck together? Why is there no rescue team coming?" She queried and finally stopped her rapid firing of questions.. for the moment. Again she let her gaze drift over him, waiting to see if he'd turn around.. She really did like a man's bottom in jeans... To cover her flush and smile she quickly drank down some of the chocolate.

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

Recently? Her mind mulled over his admission, wondering if perhaps Miss Lewis had sparked another glame under Paul? She would never understand the dating scene like Becca. She had no understanding of what attracted the opposit sex, well anything she would do to attrack them. She certainly wouldn't parade around nearly naked in a room full of men just to snag one who probably had a drinking problem and control issues.

Hell boys her age wanted nothing more than sex anyway, how was she supposed to find a decent marrying kind in that pitiful selection? Briefly she wished she was a little older, but then again, who said she couldn't find an older man for herself?

All good questions, but no answers forth coming.

"I am sorry to hear that the relationship went sour. But taking a job at St. Judes? That's a little extreme if you are not raised to believe things about life as we are brought up." She flashed a little smile and stretched out, she was doing pretty well at staying awake. Not to mention she had a nice view, only she wouldn't dare say so aloud.

"I wouldn't know 'wild' if it sat on me." a light chuckle followed her comment and then silence for a long moment. Wondering how rough it was going to get? If it were a serious concern wouldn't Paul be trying to hike them out of there? For some reason she did trust him to know what he was doing. After all he took this trip yearly, this was merely her first.

"You know what you said earlier? About possibly forcing me to come? Well.. you didn't. I wanted a taste of freedom before the end of the year since this is my last at Jude's." She was sure that news would shock him some what. Technically she had two more years alotted at St. Jude's, but her parents wanted grandchildren, a son in law and more importantly someone to learn daddy's business. A son was more important than their daughter's wants and desires.

I shouldn't think these things! It's being unfair to them.. A small amount of pain in her heart hit her, she always did her best to make them proud of her.. And she'd most likely to her best to continue that cycle the rest of her life. A rebel without a real drive to be one.. That's what she was. A fake or perhaps weak? She'd say chicken and scared before fake.

"Do you have a girlfriend then?" Her eyes didn't meet his, she was having a hard time asking questions she should be asking, not leading questions she had no business knowing. "If I am prying just say so Mr. Hodges. I am just curious about all these rituals I hear so much about and haven't tried." Another paused moment to think and, "Becca says I live through her experiences, she's right." A brief smile as her eyes caught him watching her again.

"I do wonder when we can move on? This is rather tiny accomidations.. for two.." She halted, getting a few visuals in her mind that were anything but chaste.

What would her parents think if they knew she'd spent the night in an ice hut with a grown man? She knew what Becca would say, ask and insinuate.. A secretive knowing smile appeared.

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

"Oh, I'm sorry Amy, I got a bit carried away...you also asked about moving on...you're right, it is cramped in here...at sunrise we should be able to use snowshoes and make it to some hot springs...there's a little cabin there...and they keep it stocked with good food, which I could sure use right now..." He hurried to ramble that on, it did look to her as if he was flushed a little by his earlier comment, and that was what played over and over in her mind.

"You don't understand your own beauty, and your wildness, and the freedom that is right in front of you! Becca has the kind of beauty that attracts boys in the woods, you have the kind of beauty that inspires poets! If I was 20 years younger..." He had halted there, but what had he wanted to say? That he'd be after her? The thought should have made her uncomfortable, shocked maybe even a little wary of him and their close confines.. but remarkably it did not.

The thought of him chasing her.. HER! was very..... appealing for lack of a better term. And she did want a better term, she hunted through her mind for something more sensual but found nothing. It was like drawing a blank card.. Amazing, she'd never ran out of something to say or do and here she sat, lost.

"Food does sound very good right about now. I am hungry." Lame, completely lame response! She scolded herself mentally, watching him stare off into 'space'. She felt something stir inside but didn't want to examine it just yet.

So to put them both at ease, she smiled and said, "If i was twenty years older, I would be tempted too." And that did make her blush hotly, because she was being very very honest right then.

"Can we sleep yet?" She yawned to cover up her nervous behavior, averting her eyes again to study some flaws in the sleeping bag material.

 

[renaissanceman3]

*

 

[Sweetp4u]

Amy

"No thank you Paul." She felt her heart hammering in her breast, knowing that shortly he'd be pressed up against her in the tight sleeping bag. It was roomy for one, but two? She felt a little warm so she opened up the bag zipper a little further down.

"I don't mind, I understand completely." She gave him an encouraging smile and rolled to her side, scooting to make room. He now had to squeeze in between her and the bag that didn't give. Would he curl against her or remain on his back?

She held her position, waiting and wondering. Did she want him laying against her? She felt a shiver pass over her, anticipation.

Good lord! how bad can I be? Waiting for him to press against me because I know it's the only comforable position.. And forcing him to do so because I'd be on top of him the other way...

She actually grinned and was glad her back was to him. She was becoming a wanton little hussy! Becca would be proud. And she was curious about that part of him.... Did he undress? She'd been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard any clothes being shed. She was still in her shirt and panties, they both would have to know that. Probably being decent as possible he would be fully clothes.. She almost pouted. What kind of thoughts are those Amy?

He slid in behind her and settled, for a long moment everything was quiet until she spoke softly, "Are you comfortable?" She was worried that he wasn't and after all he'd done to save her, she couldn't very well ignore him.. It just wasn't right.

 

[renaissanceman3]

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