Chương 29: Interlude 2 - A trip to Norway

On one side, it was beautiful. The mountains, the forests, and the bright sun shining in the sky. It all painted a picture of an almost perfect morning. A morning so beautiful it nearly made her forget about the sucking sensation in the pit of her stomach. Yes, on one side, it was great. But on the other side…

"Ayyy my fucking head, do we have to go on the hike?"

"I will hike my boot up your ass, did you have to mix yesterday? It's your fucking fault." On the other side were the guys' grumbling and whining. Ophelia was still deciding whether the trip was a good idea. After the massive fight with her mother, she stormed to her room and filled out the paperwork. And thanks to her academic performance, she made the list of thirty students chosen to go.

They had two options: go later just for the academic part of the exchange, or go earlier and enjoy a hike and sightseeing of Norwegian mountains before the educational part. With escape as her main goal, Ophelia opted for the longer version, hoping the hike would be just what the doctor ordered for her worsening depression. But as luck would have it, the hike turned out to be a perfect opportunity for some of the group for outdoor drinking.

Of the fifteen people who chose this option, eight were mostly interested in alcohol. Her dreams of a calm holiday were crushed when the party started already on the plane.

"Yes, we have to go on the hike, we are to meet with Miss Fern in seven days, so we have a schedule to keep. So pick up those backpacks, put on wide smiles and let's get going!" came the voice of their professor, a health nut and biology teacher, Miss Brianna. The cheery voice was met by groans and grumbles from a group of eight at the back. And so, they went on their way. The plan was to spend three nights in small tourist villages on the trail and arrive at the foot of a mountain on the fourth day.

Then, they would spend three days sightseeing and enjoying local culture before heading straight to Oslo by train. So, the first day was spent mostly on the trail. And while Ophelia preferred the sounds of birds to whining, grumbling, and the occasional vomiting, the hike was still enjoyable. They did not choose any complicated trail. It snaked through valleys without any massive climbs, making it a relaxing walk.

They arrived at a tourist shelter much later than planned, courtesy of the hangover team dragging at the back. Even in the late hours, they managed to get beds and accommodations, with some of the pampered rich kids in the group in disbelief at using the communal bathrooms. Ophelia was looking forward to the good kind of sleep one gets after fresh air and some exercise. Even though they were all sleeping in one big communal room, she was happy to fall asleep without her mother anywhere near.

Until she heard the not-so-hushed conversation.

"Pass the bottle, Jessica," said a male voice she recognized as Jimmy, Tom's teammate.

"Fuck off, you had too much already, you'll be dying tomorrow," came a female voice in response.

"I did not, I don't even feel the alcohol." Slurred Jimmy.

"Sure, buddy." Where did they even get the alcohol? She shifted in her bed a bit to see the group hiding behind the next bed over. They were passing a large sports bottle, clearly not filled with water, as each time someone took a swig, they scrunched their face and chased it with juice.

"I don't want to spend another day sweating my balls off with a backpack and Brianna's loud voice."

"My God, someone should put something in her mouth. She should be required by law to shut up when there is someone with a hangover around."

"Yeah, I can put something in her mouth." Chuckled someone in a suggestive voice.

"Ew what the fuck Oliver? You into hags?"

"Is your mother a hag?" Ophelia cringed, listening to the hushed conversation, trying to win the battle against sleep, until something interesting caught her ear.

"Look, guys, I have a plan. Listen to this," said the voice she recognized as Tom's.

"We can cut across the forest here, and we can arrive at the last shelter two days earlier. If we do that, we can talk the professor into letting us have a free day since it's not planned. Then, we can take a train to the nearest city and have some fun, with no changes to the schedule and no one knowing."

"Ok, I like the plan, but how do we talk the hag into it?"

"We get her alone with Oliver and he gives her a good fucking, take one for the team my guy."

"Fuck you."

"Not a bad idea, but I have a better one. I go to her, tell her I'm sick, and then Alice tells her that we can cut across the forest to the nearest village. One that just happens to have a transport to a city where I really would like to see a doctor. The next day we get free time." Explained Tom. Jeers and snickers from the group followed this plan, some still opting for the Oliver option. But Ophelia lay in her bed, pretty pissed.

The hike was a big part of the trip, and she did not want to shorten it, especially not because some rich twats wished to party. She was so annoyed that she shifted in her bed a bit, enough to catch the eyes of one of the people. The girl raised her eyebrows at her in a bit of surprise as the others shifted to look in her direction. Ophelia turned a bit deeper into her sleeping bag on instinct, and uncomfortable pressure in the pit of her stomach arrived with the stares pointing in her direction.

"Oh, hi Ophelia," said one of the guys.

"We were just talking, want to join us for a drink?"

"Ew, awkward," said Tom's girlfriend, clearly drunk as she said it way too loudly, earning her a smack from one of her friends. Ophelia pretended she did not hear that.

"No thanks."

"Right, but you know we were just joking about the plan. If I feel unwell, it is because my sickness is acting up, you know."

"Yeh, no one likes snitches."

"Don't be like that," Tom reprimanded the girl, speaking those words.

"Look, how about we trade? You forget the conversation, and I forget where I left my 100 dollars? Sounds good?" This pissed her off, he always wanted to fix shit with money. She wanted to tell him to go screw himself, but then she remembered the laptop. She still didn't get that back. 100$ was probably enough to get her a used pc or tablet. But her pride, her pride was screaming at her in a constant fight against reason.

"Y-yeh, sure we all forget some things, right?" she finally said through gritted teeth. Then she closed her eyes and pulled the sleeping bag over her ears, pretending not to hear the words coming to her after. She could feel her eyes getting a bit hotter. But that was silly. She easily swallowed the tears. She did not cry for much worse things, so why cry over a bit of pride? Like that, finally, sleep came. Maybe the next day would be better. This book was originally published on Royal Road.

Check it out there for the real experience. The next day wasn't any better. She could feel her bruised ego telling her it was not happy about the decision made. But she knew she had made the right choice in the end. Pride was useless, 100$ wasn't. Still, she wished things were different. She wished she was in a position to spit at their money.

She looked at the group from yesterday, and while, thanks to the limited amount of alcohol, they did not look as bad as during the hike, you could still tell they weren't in the best condition. They all got ready relatively quickly and went out after a quick breakfast. The hike wasn't as pleasant as the day before, and the thought of Tom getting his way bothered her. And sure enough, a couple of hours into the hike, she heard the fateful words when they were in a valley next to a forest.

"Uhhh, M-Miss Brianna, I don't feel very well," said the man. They were near an abandoned shack with an old wooden sitting bench in front. He went to the bench and sat down with a face of someone fighting cancer rather than a hangover. Yesterday's drinking made the act easier as he appeared pale and was sweating a bit. The professor immediately noticed this as she went to Tom and touched his forehead.

"You are very cold, and your forehead is covered in sweat. Are you sick?"

"I think I might be. I feel a bit sick, and I've been fighting dizziness since we left the shelter."

"Oh my goodness, why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't want to destroy the experience for my friends."' Such bullshit,' thought Ophelia. The group of eight from yesterday was working hard to contain their smiles. There were seven remaining individuals who were not in on the whole plan. Six of them looked uninterested or sceptical. Just one boy, Frank, if she remembered correctly, seemed genuinely concerned. He was someone who went into medicine with a genuine concern for others and a wish to help. Miss Brianna looked Tom over.

She was a biology professor but was working at a medical university, so there was a chance she would not fall for the act. Although a slim one, as she had a genuine concern and empathy for others, and the act was good.

"Okay, do you think you can walk back?" Ophelia's hopes were shattered.

"Well, I can walk, but I don't think I can live with myself if I destroy such a nice trip for others."

"They can return to Norway some other time. Your health takes precedence."

"But... I know that this is a great opportunity for some less fortunate friends of mine." He actually had the audacity to look her way when saying that.

"I think I might have a solution," said Alice, approaching the two. She brought up a map and started pointing at it.

"If we cut across this forest, we can arrive at the village here, where we were supposed to end the trip anyway. Then others can go on a short hike tomorrow, and we can get him to a doctor. It's not like this is a jungle. It's a pine forest, so we can get through it with a compass." This idea was quickly met with the group of eight's resounding 'yeses' and 'good ideas'. The professor was clearly hesitating. Seeing this, Tom put on his best kicked-dog impression and started groaning.

"I'm really sorry for ruining the trip like that, but I think I might need a doctor, so please."

"Is everyone else okay with this?" Finally, said the Professor after a bit of thinking.

"Yep."

"Yes."

"For Tom? always!" Oliver tried being dramatic. Anyone not so okay was shouted over, and the trip change was decided. They were going through the forest. The teacher took the lead with a compass in her hand, as the rest were "helping" Tom go. The remaining group, including Ophelia, was dragging a bit behind, not too happy about the change.

"This is bullshit," she heard a voice to her left and saw a smaller guy walking next to her with a not-so-happy expression on his face.

"Yep, the great disease of hangover," snickered Ophelia.

"I really wanted to be among nature a bit. Honestly, what is the point of them even being here?"

"Some people want to just act like the world revolves around them," I can name a few others, Ophelia added in her mind. She walked next to the guy. He introduced himself as Steven. She knew him from some of the courses. He was a chemistry student with some overlapping subjects. Much like her, he kept to himself most of the time but had to vent a bit. Like that, they walked through the forest for maybe three hours with sparse conversation.

Although the hike was a bit more challenging than the trail, it turned out to be relatively easy. They walked mostly on moss and fallen pine needles, making for a good terrain. But not everything was all that nice. The sights were boring, to say the least. It was trees all around. But they were not normal trees. They all seemed massive, like giants stretching as far as possible to steal some sunlight. It had been a while since the forest had changed.

It was quieter, and the woods had this ancient feeling, like they were taller and older than the ones at the edges. The group walking at the back clearly felt that, as they fell even quieter than they already were. But the guys at the front talked all they could, seemingly oblivious to the shift in atmosphere. Ophelia was feeling strange. Unnerved for some reason, but also soothed. It was a feeling she couldn't really explain.

The weird, comfortable warmth spreading through her body was causing her to worry more and more. Was it a disease or something? Did Tom give her the phantom illness? As she was trying to find the source of the sensation, a scream from the front of the group broke her train of thought.

"Ayyy, what the fuck is that?"

"Wooow, some scary shit."

"Ew, what is that?"

"Is that blood?" She looked ahead and saw the source of the commotion. It was a sculpture of sorts, cut into the trunk of a large tree. The statue depicted an impressively detailed elk skull carved into the wood. At the sides of the skull, actual elk antlers were fixed to the tree. The antlers all ended with some decorative amulet-looking ornaments made from sticks tied together. But the most striking part of the sculpture was the eyes. Pools of red liquid, looking like blood, were in place of the eye sockets.

With a bit of it spilled, making the sculpture look like it cried blood.

"What is that? Do you think it is religious?" asked Steven, more to himself than her.

"Not sure," answered Ophelia as she could not separate her gaze from the sculpture. She could feel something, something like a gaze coming from the thing in front. To her horror, she realized the weird feeling of intimacy one gets when looking into someone else's eyes was present. She could not break eye contact. A sense of calmness fell over her panic like a blanket. She wanted to look closer into those weird pools of blood.

She could swear they were getting darker and darker with lights floating to the top, making them look like pools of the starry night sky, liquefied. She was in a trance, the conversations around her barely registering like they came from behind a wall.

"Are there some pagans around here?"

"Maybe it's a horror movie prop left here?" asked one of the girls, clearly creeped out.

"Hey Oli. I will pay you 100 bucks if you make out with it."

"Ewwww, don't."

"Come on, do it, do it."

"Guys, please don't do stupid things." Miss Brianna tried to control the situation, but everyone's eyes were glued to Oliver approaching the sculpture.

"Oh, hey there, sexy. I didn't see you here," he said, pretending he had bumped into the tree.

"What the fuck, why are you role-playing." Oliver raised one hand to the side of the sculpture, caressing its wooden cheek.

"Well we can figure something out," he said, getting his face closer.

"Oooohh he's gonna do it."

"Ewwww, that's weird."

"Oli! Oli! Oli!"

"Full tongue, my man, go full tongue or not at all." Ophelia registered him trying to make out with the carving, the back of his head finally breaking her eye contact. And when she saw that, her first thought was… wrath, how dare he?

"Noooooo!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone turned to her, looking surprised. A silence descended, and Ophelia wished she could disappear right now. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. And she did not know why she did that.

"You a believer or something?" chuckled Tom.

"Aaaakward," said his girlfriend as the scene finally unfroze from the surprise. After some snickering and awkwardness, they finally went back on their way, the make-out bet thankfully forgotten. As Ophelia passed the sculpture, she tried not to look in its direction. But then, all of a sudden, she felt like she had entered a carousel. The world spun around in a jerk of motion just to come to a sudden stop. She felt a change in the atmosphere.

She knew something was different on a deep level, like the world had become a place unknown to her. She lost her balance, catching herself on one of the girls in front. She looked up and… it was wrong. The trees were in the wrong places, like the forest changed. She turned her head, but no one seemed to notice. How? She could swear the trees looked different, stood in other places, wrong places. Or maybe she was getting sick. Trees can't just move. Right?