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smelled in contrast to how Todd smelled. And when the other two arrived and gathered around the fire pit while Todd cleaned the fish, Christy realized how pointless and rather agonizing it was to be the only clean, sweet-smelling person in a group.
    She apologetically told Antonio what had happened with the fish and the sweater.
    He laughed. “You should have held out for five fish, minimum. My grandmother made that sweater. Next time, hold up your fingers like this and say, ‘ Cinque .’ ”
    â€œYour grandmother made it? Antonio, I feel so bad.”
    â€œNo, don’t. It was an old sweater. She makes me one every Christmas.”
    â€œIt’s actually a God-thing, Christy,” Katie said. “Can you imagine how long it would take us to catch some fish for dinner? This is perfect. We get back, and dinner is waiting. Well, almost waiting. Provided, at least.”
    Katie continued to talk, bubbling over with stories of their beautiful hike, how she was certain they must have walked at least thirty miles, and that she would never agree to go anywhere with those two again.
    â€œBelieve me, Christy, you made the right choice to stay here and sleep all day. I’m exhausted. And starving. This living off the bounty of the land takes time, doesn’t it? Is there any beef jerky left?”
    â€œNo, I ate it.”
    â€œHow long before the fish is ready?” Katie asked.
    â€œNot long,” Tonio said, fanning the fire and feeding it more of the twigs Christy had collected.
    â€œYou know, you guys, we could just find something to eat along the way,” Christy suggested. “The raccoons would be happy if we left the fish for them.”
    â€œAlong the way where?” Katie asked.
    â€œAlong the way to wherever we’re going to stay tonight.”
    Christy’s three friends stopped what they were doing and looked at her. She scanned their expressions and said, “Or were you guys thinking we would stay here another night?”
    â€œOf course,” Antonio said decidedly. “I don’t have to be to work until Saturday. We will stay here four more nights.”
    When neither Katie nor Todd balked at the possibility of spending the rest of the week here, Christy kept her mouth shut, more from shock than anything else. She remained quiet the whole time they ate their fish. Todd let her borrow his navy blue hooded sweat shirt. She sat huddled next to him by the fire with the hood up, hiding her face from him and only halfheartedly joining in the singing with the others. She couldn’t imagine spending five more days of their three-week vacation here with the masked midnight prowlers dining on fish guts while she tossed and turned on the hard ground, shivering like crazy.
    Christy went to bed wearing Todd’s sweat shirt pulled over her head, which at least helped to keep some of her body heat in. But without the smelly knit sweater, the hard ground poked her and chilled her more miserably than the night before.
    Christy listened to Katie’s steady breathing. Then a band of scavenging cats got into a fight with the raccoons over their midnight helping of fish guts. Christy cried tiny, silent tears. This wasn’t the vacation she had dreamed of with her friends. How could she say anything to them, when obviously she was the only one who thought continuing to camp was a bad idea?
    Christy shifted uncomfortably on the tent’s floor andrubbed her stockinged feet together. I’m not much of a nature woman after all, am I?
    A wind picked up, and the canvas tent’s sides began to billow. With the wind came a sudden downpour of rain. A leak in the tent’s corner next to Christy’s head caused the rain to come flying in with the wild wind. Within a few minutes, the sweat shirt’s hood was soaked.
    â€œThat does it!” Christy shouted, jumping up and vigorously unzipping the tent.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Katie mumbled.