Hi there! So, justto give you a clue, this is my first story ever posted. Be nice. (please) Also, i welcome nice, i repeat, nice, comments on spelling and grammer mistakes. i cannot type or properly use grammer for the life of me. I really try, but it just dosn't happen. other than that, i feel i shoudl warn you that i have no real clue where this story is going, i just had the urge to write (typical) and than post it(very a-typical). Other than that, umm...enjoy!

-- the author person

It was dark. Really dark. I couldn’t even see the hand in front of my face. I squinted harder, waving my it back and forth but just end up hitting my nose instead. Owww. As a rubbed at it I realized that a thin layer of light was starting to appear, way off in the distance. It was so minor that at first, I wasn’t even sure it was there. I turned and squinted, trying to see it better. Squinting didn’t help though, it only made the small light disappear from my field of vision. Duh. But, as I continued to peer, the dim glow grew and became a steady ban of light on what looked to be a vast horizon. I could actually see the outline of my hand. At least I knew where that was now.

The light continued to grow and was now a brilliant white. The brightest and purest light I’d ever seen. Somehow it reminded me of a sunrise but no sunrise in the world could compare to this. The rays finally had broken some invisible barrier and reached out in to the sky above them, if that’s what it was, and illuminated the blackness, turning it into the most royal purple and blue. Never had I seen color so brilliant. Its pureness was unfathomable.

I stood and watched as the light rose into the air. The white gave way to yellow, orange and red. It climbed higher in the sky and a feeling of great joy and anticipation grew in me. I knew something big was about to happen, something huge. I was so excited and scared that my knees started to shake and I had no clue why. As the light grew higher I could feel it coming closer, so close! Whatever it was, was going to come over the horizon at any moment! I could almost feel it about to break the edge when……

BEEEEP……BEEEEP….BEEEEP….

My stupid alarm clock went off. I groaned and rolled over, the color fading from my mind and the dream already slipping away. No matter. I knew it well. I was near always the same and yet, the feelings never got old or duller. It was always so intense and new. I fumble around with my fingers and eventually find the OFF button on the cursesed beeping device.

It read 4:30 in the morning. My sleep-numbed brain tried to grasp what I’m doing up this early. School? Yah, school. Oh! I didn’t do any homework last night! … wait school doesn’t start for a few more weeks. Oh, right, summer, no school, good. My brain fumbles again to find the reason for the rude awakening. Hmmm.. I prop myself up on one elbow and glance about my small attic bedroom. Dresser; normal, no hints there. Desk?, no, bookshelf?, no, birdcages (or the birds inside(was someone sick and need to get to a vet this morning?)) no, dirty cloths that litter my floor?, no, backpack, no, sleeping bag, no..waaaiittt. YES! That’s it! I’m supposed to meet Sarah and her family to go camping. I jump out of bed and rush to my bathroom to get ready.

An hour later I come down the stairs and in to the kitchen. I carry all my gear and make a considerable racket trying to get it all down in one trip. I’m lazy, so sue me, I didn’t want to go all the way back up to the attic. My mom is making pancakes in the kitchen. She looks up, not at all surprised that I’m there. Guess she could hear me coming.

‘Where’s the marching band’ she causally asks, turning back to flip some pancakes. Mmmm, chocolate chip!

‘Ha. Ha. Very funny. I don’t know how on earth I’m going to carry all of this up a mountain. It weighes a ton!’ I drop everything off my shoulders and back. It makes a very loud THUMP as if to prove my point. I slump into one of the chairs around the kitchen table. It’s a really bright morning and every bird in our country yard is singing. Very loudly. The sky is still pink and the bright sun is just setting out on its day. Normally this would all have been really pretty but it was so early and instead of basking in the glow of beauty, I was yawning in the gloom that is being up was too early.

The annoyingly bright sun also reminded me of my dream. Also a touchy subject in the early morning, but hey, what isn’t an annoying subject at six in the morning? I can really get myself frustrated and pretty upset trying to figure out the dang thing. My mom doesn’t understand why it bugs me; ‘I sounds so nice and pretty!’ I’m always awe-struck by its beauty in the dream, but in reality, it kinda losses it’s impact after the 400th time.

‘Pancakes?’ my mom asks as she flips five onto a plate. Like I’m gonna refuse.

‘Morning! Hi Anna! Woah! lot of gear. Was that you earlier?’ my peppy little brother Blake enters and takes a seat next to me. He loves early mornings. When the average 14-year-old would be asleep until noon, he’s up at five, and likes it. Freak.

‘Honey, did you get those numbers I asked for? ‘

‘Yes mom. The Whikers home phone, Mr. Whikers cell phone, Mrs. Whikers work phone, Mrs. Whikers cell phone, her pager, Michaels cell phone, Sarah’s cell, their camp phone, The Samuel’s home phone, Rick’s cell, his pager, his GPS, his…’

‘Yes, yes, alright, thank you.’ Mom turns back to the pancakes. She never gets mad when I tease her. She’s always so calm and smooth and graceful. Almost nothing, except Blake and myself, worry her. Still, I shouldn’t have teased her. She had a bad night last night. It’s been two and a half years since the accident but she misses him a lot and it gets to her. She cries all night sometimes. I miss dad a lot too but nothing like she does.

‘Mom, can I go down to the creek with Dan today? I’ll ride my bike and pack a lunch.’ The creek is the favorite hang out of Blake and his buddies. Kinnda a pathetic place to hang 24/7 but in a town like our, there aren’t that many better options. Don’t get me wrong, our town is a fair size, it’s just that it’s really boring here.

‘Sure but I want you to help me in the yard first. Amanda, are you all ready to go? We should leave pretty soon.’

‘Sure thing’ I polish of the remaining pancakes and pop the dish into the washer. ‘I’m just gonna say bye to the birdies and we can go. You sure you’ll be fine looking after them all on your own?’

‘Honey, If I could handle Crackers than I can handle them all’

I run up to my room. Crackers was one of the rescued cockatoos. He was sweet to me but hated everyone else with a fiery passion, and he let you know! At the moment I had seven birds. A cockatoo with only one wing, peach, also rescued but with a incredible sweet nature, a pair of baby gray parrots, their mother died before they could fend for themselves (peach is taking care of them), three parakeets, sweetest little things on earth, and a cockatiel names zabomafoo, zo for short. After a few quick good-byes, I made one last check around the room and speed down the stairs and hopped into the car.

We pulled up to the Whikers house in our small, little car. Sarah was outside helping her dad load their SUV. She waved as we pulled up. Her twin brother, Rick was carrying a cooler of food and his friend Samuel, who was also coming on the trip with us, carried the tent, well, dropping the tent was more like it, I don’t think he was actually moving in any direction, just haphazardly struggling about with it and it’s many poles and layers. He tied to wave as we pulled into the driveway next to the SUV, but ended up falling over.

Smiling, I got out of the car and went to help as my mother went through her ritual panic attack about every little detail of every little thing with Sarah’s mom.

“Hey need some help?” Whoo, I managed to get that out without laughing! Yah! I rule! Samuel looked up with his quiet gray eyes and gave a half smile and nod. He’s a shy boy and it always took him at least an hour to warm up to me. And, I’ve known him for about four years. I kid you not when I say really shy. Now imagine what he’s like with strangers. It’s always a hoot to watch the store clerks try to talk to him at the mall.

Together we gathered the many poles and tarp ends and doing a very awkward side shuffley step thing, managed to get it to the car.

“Thanks.” he quietly said as we both walked back to the house. I gave him a shove and he smiled. At least he knows he’s shy. I can see him trying to get over it, he thinks it offends me. Silly little boy.

“ANNA!!” look who managed to get off car lauding duty. I smile as Sarah comes bouncing over. Really, I swear that girl is one a sugar high 24/7. “HI! Guess what! I managed to talk my dad into going out to the falls for a day! Oh my gosh! I’ve always wanted to see them! and we can go swimming!” oh yah, she’s excited.

“Hun, how can you have this much energy this early?! You making me tired just watching you." I gumble.

"I'm just happy." she sombers up a little. "You had the dream agina last night didn't you?"

"I don't know why it's bugging me.It's not like it's ever going to change!" Man, although sarah looks like a happy-go-lucky flit, she's onr of the most perceptive and intuitive people i know.

"Heya girls!" Rick shaunters up from behind and throws his arms around out sholders and leaning down with what feels like a hundered pounds. Watch out, we're going down! "Anna, you mom's done re-aranging the car, adding enough extra airbags to make us into the good year blimp and covered the car with Rhiino repelant so were almost ready to go."

"Rick your going to knock us over!" Sarah pushes her brother around. Grinning wickedly, he relents and goes over to say final good-byes. My knees sigh in releif. We follow over a little later and i brack up to endure the emotional good-by from my mom.

"Pormise me, you'll be good, ok?" Her teary eyes implore me. Alright mom, but only this time. after this it's back to my skydiving and motercycle gang.

"i promise, don't worry, we'll be fine. Love you." She gives me one more bone crshing hug and than finally lets me join the others who are already in the car bickering about which DVD to wathc on the way there. Cuz no rugged outdoor adventure is complete without DVD's.

Finally we're on the move. I look behind me to watch my mom and her franctic waving recede into a tiny, indistinguishable figure. I turn back to see which movie was decided on. Some comedy. I let sarah's excited voice, Ricks joking one and Samules occasional soflty spocken comment wash over me.

Finally, we're off!