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I doubt Jamie envisioned me anxiously scanning the trail ahead for Angela. He probably thought we’d overcome our differences in a few hours and end up making out against a tree or some shit.
If only.
My phone rings in my pocket and I pick up immediately when I see Jamie’s name.
“Hey man, what’s up?” I say.
“We’re thinking of heading back early,” he says. “The captain called me and said the storm is coming in faster than he thought it would. If we leave at 4:00 p.m. like scheduled it might be too late. So you and Angela should head back. Where are you guys, anyway?”
“I’m on the coastal trail, probably about thirty minutes from town if I walk fast.”
“What do you meanyou’reon the coastal trail? Where’s Angela?” Jamie demands.
“I don’t know where she is,” I admit. “She got, uh, upset with me and went off on her own.”
Jamie sighs, long and audibly, through the speaker.
“I’ll call her and we’ll meet you back in town,” I say, trying to get a handle on the situation. In the distance, more gray clouds are gathering on the horizon, and the wind is starting to blow harder, whistling past my ears.
“Okay,” he says. “Let me know what happens.”
I hang up and immediately call Angela. It rings a few times and then goes to her voicemail. I send her a text about the situation.
My thoughts start to race. Angela is alone out there in the woods, and a storm is brewing. She doesn’t know the island well, and she’s not answering her phone. She could get hurt.
I take a deep breath and then exhale slowly. And then another. I’ve been in rough situations during field work before, and I’m prepared for this. I never go on any hike without a compass, first aid kit, and plenty of food and water. And I know the forest and coast on this island well—certainly well enough to find her.
I head off left into the woods immediately, because I can’t see Angela anywhere ahead of me along the coast. I make my way back towards where we parted ways, and keep alert for any flash of her neon pink shirt and long blonde hair.
I mentally curse myself for losing track of her. I shouldn’t have let her go off alone, and I’ll never forgive myself if she gets caught in the storm before I find her. I try calling her again, but nothing. With no idea what direction she went in, I take the approach of running along one branch of the trail until I think I’ve gone far enough. Then I double back and head off in another direction.
The first drop of rain falls on my head, and I check my watch.
“Fuck,” I curse. It’s already past 2:00 p.m., and I’m sure Jamie and the others will want to head out soon enough. I tell myself I’ll give it another few minutes before I really start to worry.
Rain starts coming down faster now, and the air is cold. Thankfully I wore a few layers and brought a waterproof jacket, but I’m worried about Angela in her thin workout shirt. It’s something that would suit her at the gym, not during a spring rain storm.
I close my eyes and hold an image of her in my mind—curly blonde hair long and pulled up in a high ponytail, her face set in a frown as she looks at me, arms crossed over her chest. It’s a familiar image, and even though I wish I saw her smile more, it’s still one I enjoy.
Just then, I see a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye. It’s Angela, walking down the trail towards me, earbuds still in, her shirt pulled up halfway over her head to protect her from the rain.
“Angela!” I call out. “Thank God.”
“It really sucks about the rain,” she says, as soon as she gets close to me.
“It does,” I say, though I’m already picking up my phone and calling Jamie.
The connection is worse than before, and I can barely hear him.
“I found Angela,” I say.
“Great,” he says, and then something else which is lost over the howl of the wind and the static in the connection. “We have to head out,” he says. “How far from the town are you?”
I take a look around and assess where we are. Isle North is about eight miles long, and by my measure, we’re nearly at the northern tip. The town is closer to the south.
“We’re about an hour’s walk out,” I say, wincing.
Jamie is silent for a bit, and I can hear him conferring with the captain in the background.
