Eq's Plots -- (3/6 Taken) -- (New Plots Added!)

Anderson was writing on the board as Jade entered the room. He was preparing notes for his next class and turned around, surprised to see her. "I did it because I can see that you're a bright girl and might benefit from someone your own age tutoring you. Liam is one of my best students and has experience with tutoring, so I thought you too would make a good match," he teacher said, setting his piece of chalk down.

He put his notes on his desk and turned to her. "Now, it seems you have a problem with this arrangement. And, although I can't force you to continue, I believe it would be beneficial for both of you to continue this. Liam has already told me that he thinks it will work out well with the two of you if you continue," he said. Anderson straightened out a pile of papers and say down at his desk, watching the girl.

Once Kyle had returned from changing his clothes, Bri dug through the bag and went to go change her own clothes. Unfortunately she had grabbed a boy's bag, but Kyle didn't seem to want to dig through the bus anymore than she did. Which meant they'd have to survive on what they had. She came back dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a gray tshirt with the faded logo of a local restaurant.

"Sounds good," Bri said. She found one sweatshirt in the bag and figured they'd find a way to share it before shoving it into the backpack she was carrying. Inside was the sweatshirt, a few bottles of water, and a pack of granola bars. Also thrown over her shoulder was the bag with the tent. "Alright, I think I'm ready," she said, nervously putting weight in her ankle. She knew she could use it, but she was afraid to use it and re injure it. "You ready?" She asked.

Bri noticed the sky gradually darkening. They could camp out here, but the girl decided against it and didn't mention the idea to Kyle. Yes, they were sore and tired and injured and that would give them a chance to relax and calm down, but there were more reasons why it would be a bad idea. First, Bri didn't want to camp so close to their bus. She felt like the situation hadn't sunk in yet, but sleeping here would only make things worse. Second, the more time they wasted, the longer it would take to get home. The longer it took to get home, the better chance there was of her or Kyle either getting injured or dying. That was something they couldn't risk.

"I say we don't push ourselves too hard because of what just happened. I think we should walk along this way a bit and stop when we find a way to either get to a higher point or get to the road. And if we don't we should stop and sleep anyway. We need light to set up the tent and I don't want to waste the lighter on making a fire when we don't need it," she said, stating her mind on the opinion. She hoped Kyle would agree. She wasn't really in the mood for arguing. And she didn't want to sound bossy.

She looked as far as she could in the direction they'd be walking, but could only see trees. Not that she had expected it to help, but she had looked anyway. Sighing, Bri began walking in that direction, just wanting to get as far away from the bus and crash site as soon as possible. When she got out of view of the bus, Bri noticed her hands were shaking. She stuffed them into her pockets, not wanting to Kyle to see how scars and upset she really was.

Anderson sighed, shuffling some papers and adjusting his glasses before he spoke again. "Well, Liam seemed to believe the opposite. He seemed to believe that the two of you would learn a lot from each other. However, I can't force you to do this. If you're so against the tutoring, I'll talk to him. But you should know, I highly advise you continue. I offered extra credit but he already has a 102.3% in my class," he said, hoping that last chunk of info would help hr.

Anderson wasn't exactly sure why he was so invested with these two, but he truly did want Jade to succeed and he didn't think she getting much from his teaching methods. Clearly, she and Liam had something going on and that's what was forcing them apart. If it wasn't for some kind of shared history, the two would make an excellent pair. And he assumed Liam felt the same, since the boy was working extra hard to fit her into his schedule.

(Sorry, it's hard to make Anderson posts long)

Colter was distracted through all of homeroom, unable to keep his mind off of the girl he had thought he would never see again. She was supposed to be back home in Minnesota, not sitting in the back of his class in Cali. What was she even doing here?

Homeroom finally ended, releasing Colter from his thoughts. His friends immediately surrounded him, taking his mind off of Elizabeth for at least a moment, until one of them brought her up. He should have known they would, she was a pretty new girl. Pretty girls were what they talked about.

"Did you see the new girl? She's pretty cute, yeah?" his friend Ethan said. Colt clenched his jaw for a second before shrugging.

"Yeah, she's alright I guess," he replied shortly. He looked around to see if Elizabeth was leaving the room.

As soon as the bell rang, Ellie was the first one out of the classroom. She ran into Kohl by his locker and the boy laughed. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said as the two began walking towards their shared class.

"You remember Hawaii? When I met that guy and you kept making fun of me for it?" She asked. Of course, the first guy Ellie liked, and her brother had been teasing her nonstop about it. He had given up when they went home and he had seen that his sister really was upset about leaving this guy.

"Yeah..." Kohl said, unsure where this topic was going. They walked into the math class and took a pair of seats in the back.

"Well, he's here. He lives here. He was in homeroom with me. Kohl, it was so awkward. We looked at each other once. And then I didn't know what to do so I just ran when class was over," she said, shaking her head. Kohl laughed a bit and patter her on the back. While Ellie was awkward around guys, Kohl was the complete opposite with girls and didn't understand his sister's embarassment.

"Sounds like you should be happy. Just talk to the kid. I'm sure he's happy to see you," Kohl advised as the bell rang. Ellie looked around, curious to see if Colter would be in this class as well. At least this time she had Kohl with her. The siblings were best friends, and it made her more confident to have her brother there, even if he was just a junior.

"Hey, Jade. Giving me another chance?" Liam asked, smiling as he adjusted his grip on the books. He wasn't sure why he was so happy to see her. Half of him still never wanted to talk to her again. The other half wanted to keep tutoring. Liam didn'tt even know what his motives were behind this, or if he should be doing it, but he continued. "My mom's already at work and I don't have plans till five so we got like an hour if you wanna come over to study,"'he said.

Tired of holding the books, Liam took his backpack off. It was ripping at the seams, but he ignored that as he managed to shove the books in with his folders, notebooks, and pencil case. He only had to finish senior year and then he'd let himself buy a nice new backpack for college. Or one he found at a yard sale. Whatever he could afford, he'd buy.

(Sorry this is late, I've been busy)

"Good idea." Kyle agreed. He had taken two duffel bags of supplies in addition to his backpack. He was sure there was food and water in there, and probably a sleeping bag too. He followed after her, starting the long, long trek that he hoped would lead them both safely home. "Don't worry...we'll be alright." He told her, trying to be reassuring. He had composed himself since the accident, but he could see that she was still visibly shaken, and he wasn't surprised. The forest was denser than he had thought, and the trees seemed endless.

As time passed along their path, the terrain seemed to grow rougher, with more dips and climbs and large roots blocking their way that they had to crawl over. He paused to wipe the sweat from his forehead. They had been walking for about an hour, and there was no break in the trees. However, what he could see in the distance was a rise, a sloping hill. "Over there. If we can reach that by tomorrow, we should be able to see where we are." He pointed out. He said tomorrow, because the sky was now a soft, velvety purple, and it was clear that darkness was going to set soon, and they would have to set up camp now.

"I think this is a good place to stop." He suggested. "As much as I hate to say it, there's no way we're getting out of here tonight. And like you, we need light to set up camp. He also wanted to keep as much pressure off of Bri's ankle as possible, and they had walked long enough today. He sat down on a log to catch his breath as he watched the slowly darkening sky. It was a little jarring to be in the wilderness during this time. He had been camping before, but it had been in an enclosed, secure campsite with no uncertainty about his future. He was sure it would feel even more lonely when it darkness set it in, and he was glad that Bri was there with him. Having someone else around was certainly comforting. 

He opened the two duffel bags, and sure enough, found a sleeping bag in it. It looked like that was the only sleeping bag they had salvaged, but thankfully, it was big enough for them to share. No one had to sleep on hard rocks tonight. "Right. I'll get started on the tent, can you get a fire started?" He offered. He had never started a fire without a lighter or matches before, and he guessed she knew how to do so. It was a much better effort for him to start setting up the tent, something he had done before. It also kept Bri moving less than him, giving her ankle more time to heal.

(It's okay, Eq. We understand. Take all the time you need. ^^ )

(No problem, so have I)

The walk was hard for Bri. Normally it wouldn't be. But with her ankle, the supplies they were dragging, and how tired and shaken she was from the accident, it was hard on her. When Kyle suggested they stop, Bri gratefully dropped the bags she had been lugging along with them. She cleared out a patch of dirt to make a fire, digging a little hole to act as a fire pit. After a few tries, she had gotten a small fire started. She lit a stick on fire, grabbed a bottle of water, and turned to Kyle. "I'm gonna go scouting," she said. Though it probably wasn't the best idea right now, Bri couldn't stay still.

Without waiting for an answer from Kyle, she took her torch and bottle and headed in another direction, careful to stay straight so she wouldn't get lost. The further she got, the more she realized it and been stupid to split up. But right as she began to turn around, something caught her eye. A house. A small house. Bri approached the little building,looking at the overgrown grass and faded tire tracks in the driveway. Most likely someone's cabin, though they clearly weren't visiting at the moment.

Bri walked closer and stuck her eyes close to the window, holding her torch up to help her see better. As she was staring at the couches (and missing soft furniture), the wind blew her small flame out, leaving Bri in the light of the setting sun. She turned around, still carrying the warm stick, and ran back the way she came, not caring about her ankle at the moment. She stopped when she saw the light of the fire and began to walk slowly, noticing some soreness in her ankle.

"Kyle! Pack everything up. I found a little cabin. No one's home. And as much as I hate to do this, I think we should break in. They have beds, probably clothes. There might be food. And there's gonna be some basic survival stuff. I don't know about power or phones or anything, but it's our lucky day. We can spend the night there and then decide what to do in the morning!" She said, looking happy for the first time since the accident.

Yes, she was still terrified about the accident and not knowing if they'd survive this, but her discovery of the cabin could have dramatically increased their chances of survival. Or it could be abandoned and untouched for years out in the middle of nowhere with nothing inside, but that was a chance that Bri was willing to take.

"A soft bed. A warm shower. Running water. A fridge. Maybe even a phone. Kyle, this could be it!" She said. It was doubtful that they had a phone, due to lack of service. Whoever vacationed out here must like being in the middle of nowhere, because that's where they were. On the bus ride, Bri hadn't seen an actual town for at least an hour. But that didn't matter right now. It was possible they'd even have a vehicle.

Of course, knowing Bri's luck, there escape wouldn't be this easy.

"Be careful!" Kyle called after her. He didn't want her to get lost, or injured. Once she had disappeared through the undergrowth, he began the tedious task of unloading the tent from the bag and unfurling it. Taking care to keep clear of the fire, he spread out the tent and began to set the ropes and weights. Then, he began the actual raising of the tent, which came quite cleanly. He was just about finished when he could hear the sounds of ferns rustling, and he turned to see Bri walking back. "Find anything?" He asked, only to widen his eyes in surprise at her next words.

"A cabin." He mused. "Yeah, that does sound great! And I'm sure even if people come back, they wouldn't object after everything that's happened." He agreed, although he doubted anyone would be coming back, not in this thick forest at this time of night. "Alright, let's do it!" He said with a grin. He began to hastily dismantle the tent, which took a lot less time than having to set it up, and folded it carefully back into it's bag. Using the light of the fire as a guide, he quickly began to put everything else back into the bags as well.

When everything was finally packed up, he got to his feet and dusted off the back of his jeans. "Alright, we're good over here." He said. The only thing left was to stamp out the fire. He paused and relighted Bri's branch to give them some source of light, before turning to the fire. He didn't want to waste their precious water, so he kicked dust over it and stamped it out until he was sure it was dead. Almost immediately, he felt the rush of wind, and was acutely aware of how dark it was. In the time it had taken for Bri to find the cabin and get back, night had fallen, and without the light of the fire, the two of them were standing in the darkness, and the woods were quite spooky at night. "Lead the way." He invited, hefting two of the bags. He was excited to see this cabin as well. Hopefully it could accommodate them well for the night.

It's fine, Eq. Take as long as you need!

After Bri made sure they had grabbed everything and completely out out the fire, she threw a bag over her shoulder and held her flaming branch out in front of them as she led the way. She turned right, just like she had the first time, and continued walking. She ended up near the side of the cabin this time, but turned and went to the front. She tried the door handle, but it was locked. She didn't know how to pick a lock, so she told Kyle to take cover. After that, she grabbed a rock and chucked it at the window, ducking down to protect herself.

"I didn't want to do that, but we can put a towel or something up over the hole. And leave the owners an apology letter," Bri said. She tossed her bag in through the whole in the window before using a rock to knock out some more glass on the bottom of the window. Satisfied that they could both fit without cutting themselves, Bri jumped through the window, landing on a couch underneath. She stuck her head out through the window and smiled at Kyle.

"Come on in, but be careful of the glass," she said. The jump had made her ankle sore, but the girl ignored it. She needed to see what they had to work with and take a warm shower before she could go to bed for the night. Bri used her stick to find a light switch and turned it on, blinking as the lamp in the corner of the room turned on. "Yes!" She shouted, before heading to the kitchen and putting her flaming stick out. She put it in the sink and turned on the faucet, slightly disappointed when it didn't turn on. Digging around, she found a flashlight and went to go unlock the door.

She went outside and walked around the building, discovering a water pump in the back of the cabin. It looked just like the one that Bri had at her cabin, so she turned it on and went back inside. This time when she turned in the faucet, a stream of water came out. It out out the fire effectively and Bri went back to find Kyle.

"I'm gonna shower super quickly cause I got the water turned on. I promise I'll be quick so you can have a turn," Bri said. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag and tape to put around the deep cut on her arm like she had when she showered after wrist surgery last year. The plastic bag had been effective for keeping her cast dry, so she figured she'd try it with her cut.

Though she wanted to just stand under the stream of hot water, Bri was out in seven minutes. She dressed in the clothes that she had stolen from the bus, reminding her to look trough the bedrooms and see if she could find new clothes for her and Kyle. Find stuff that didn't belong to one of their classmates. Shaking her head and bringing herself back to reality, Bri pushed the thought of the bus and accident and their classmates from her brain. She found a brush and brushed her hair before heading back out of the bathroom. The hot, soothing water had calmed her down and bit and eased her soreness, but reality hit when she was out of it. They were still stuck out in the middle of the woods with no idea where to go or what to do.

"If you wanna take a turn in the shower, I can start looking for stuff that may be useful," Bri offered, heading into the kitchen. Even though her hair was still wet, she put it in a ponytail, unable to deal with how hot it was making her. "I'm also gonna look for air conditioning and see if I can make it cooler. If not, I'm sure there's fans in here," she mumbled the last part, half to herself as she thought. Again, she was worrying if she was being too bossy. She didn't want Kyle to be angry or bitter if she took too much control. They needed to work as a team to survive this.

Bri went I to the kitchen, digging through the drawers. She put anything she found to be useful on the table and by the time she was done, her list included a flashlight, matches, scissors, twine, a pocket knife, pain pills, water, and a screwdriver. And that was just from the kitchen. She wondered what else they could find, especially in the he bathrooms or garage. They could wait to check out the garage until later. The last thing they needed was to be attacked by a rabid raccoon in the middle of the night.

Heading down the hall, Bri found the air conditioning. She looked at it, pressing a few buttons and turning a few dials before she heard it kick it. Apparently they did have running water and power here. That would just make it harder for them to leave. Bri began to wonder if it might be better to spend a day or two here before moving on. Yes, it would take longer for them to get home. But it would also make them better prepared and calmer when they set out for good. And that would give them a better survival chance, right?

(Sorry, I just started writing and couldn't stop)

So I'm working on my reply (after working summer camp all day) and I just wanted to say if you wanna make your replies longer, don't be in a hurry to post. Spend a little time going back to it while doing other things and it'll be longer

That's what I do when I write really long posts

It's fine! Plus some scenes are harder to write, like the studying thing

Just try going more into her head. If I'm struggling with length in a plot similar to this, I usually describe a memory my character has and how it connects to their current situation or habits and stuff. Just a couple tips if you need them