My Romance Life System

In Cabin Ten, the room was empty and silent, as Yuna's assigned roommates had promptly relocated to another cabin with their friends after seeing her, an arrangement to which Yuna had not objected at all.

The solitude was a relief, and the recent encounter on the trail with Ren replayed in her mind.

'You're slower than you used to be.'

His words were a simple assessment, but they confirmed a truth she already knew.

'He's right, I am slower.'

The fire she once had during their kendo practices was gone now.

'It has nothing to do with him, anyway. He doesn't care, and I don't care that he doesn't care.'

She thought about the other group, Kofi's group, and how they moved together, recalling how Kofi had handed the sketchbook to Thea, and how Nina had herded them all like a sheepdog. It was messy, and it was the opposite of the empty space she now occupied. She turned onto her side, faced the wooden wall, and closed her eyes.

'I'm better off alone, it's safer this way.'

At the far end of the boys' row, Ren sat on his bunk in Cabin Twelve, a book open in his lap while the other boys were loud with their conversations about girls and sports. Ren did not participate, instead ignoring them completely.

His mind was not on the European military history in his book, but on the brief encounter with Yuna on the trail.

'She shouldn't have been on that trail, she's not strong enough for it anymore. She could have fallen.'

The thought was a clinical observation, an assessment of a potential risk. The memory of the incident from two years ago was still a sharp, clear image in his mind, of the dojo, the full-contact match, and the moment his bamboo sword broke her bone. He remembered her on the floor, her face pale with shock, and him standing over her with his shinai still in his hand.

'It was an accident,' the sensei had said at the time, 'These things happen in a full-contact match.'

'It wasn't just an accident, it was a failure of control, my failure.'

He quit the kendo club the next day and had not spoken to Yuna since that moment. He closed his book, lay back on the thin mattress, and stared at the wooden slats of the bunk above him.

'It's better this way, distance is a form of safety for both of us.'

In Cabin Four, the room was a chaotic mess of clothes and snack wrappers, and Kofi was already awake, having been roused by his roommate Mark's snoring. He swung his legs over the side of his bunk, pulled on a clean t-shirt, and glanced at Jake, who was still asleep on the bunk above with his mouth slightly open.

'This is a glamorous life.'

Kofi walked out of the cabin, waiting on the path as he saw Thea, Nina, and Ruby emerge from Cabin Seven.

Nina yawned as they approached, "Morning, Commander, did you manage to get any sleep with the snoring symphony in your cabin?"

Kofi shook his head, "Barely, Mark sounds like he's trying to saw his way out of his own lungs."

Nina grinned, "Amateurs, our cabin was a sanctuary of quiet, civilized rest." She looked over at Thea, "Ready for day two of Operation: Mountain Fun?"

Thea just gave a small nod, her gaze fixed on a point somewhere over Kofi's shoulder.

They walked to the main lodge together, and Jake joined them a few minutes later with his hair sticking up in several directions. The lodge was buzzing with activity, so they grabbed breakfast from the buffet line and found their table from the night before.

After most of the students had finished eating, Ms. Lail stood up at the front of the room, "Alright, everyone, today is lake day! The water is a bit cold, but the sun is warm. We have kayaks, canoes, and fishing gear available down at the boathouse, and it's first-come, first-served. You're free to spend the day as you please, but everyone needs to be back here at the lodge for the barbecue at six o'clock sharp. Have fun and be safe!"

Nina slammed her fork down on her empty plate, "Kayaking, we are definitely kayaking. It's the most efficient way to see the lake, and it requires teamwork, so it's a perfect team-building exercise."

Jake looked around, "I don't know, I'm not a great swimmer."

Nina waved a hand, "You'll be in a boat, Jake, not in the water, unless you do something stupid, which, now that I think about it, is a distinct possibility."

Jake turned his attention to Ruby, "What about you, Ruby? Do you want to go kayaking?"

Ruby considered it for a moment, "I've never done it before, but it looks fun."

Nina declared, "Great! It's settled then. We are a team of intrepid kayakers. Kofi, you're with me, because you're the only one strong enough to paddle when I get tired of paddling. Jake, you're with Ruby, because this is a golden opportunity for Operation: Don't Be a Creepy Weirdo, and you're not going to mess it up."

Kofi looked over at Thea, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, "What about you, Thea?"

She shook her head, "I can't swim."

Kofi immediately replied, "That's fine, you don't have to get in a kayak. You can just hang out by the shore and draw."

Nina cut in, "No, she is not sitting by herself all day, that is a violation of the team-building code. We'll get her a life vest, and she can go in a canoe with one of the teachers, since they're bigger and more stable. It's completely safe." She looked at Thea, "You can still see the eagles from a canoe, probably even better, because you won't have to paddle."

Thea looked from Nina to Kofi, thinking of the hawk from the previous day, soaring high above the valley. The idea of being on the water, out in the open where she could see the sky, was terrifying, but it was also tempting.

"…Okay," she whispered.

Nina pumped a fist under the table, "Yes! Victory! Alright, team, let's go claim our boats before Jessica's coven of witches takes all the good ones."