REMEMBER - By Zainab Yaseen

"Are you coming tonight?" Texts Melissa. "Coming where?" I replied. "For planning the camping trip!..hmm, did you forget?" "Ohh, I'll have to check with my mother about that," I stated. Well, you see, it's not my mother. She already said I could go, but I'm just a little hesitant. What if I don't fit in with the cool kids? What if I get lost?! Melissa, Annie, and her brother Andrew invited a couple of other classmates and me to this mountain camping trip, but I'm not sure if I want to go. Don't get me wrong; I'm excited about the opportunity but just a bit nervous. There's going to be so many people there. What if I mess up? I'm going to be a laughing stock!

It's Friday today, and also my last day to decide. Therefore, I have to be quick so that I can inform the group in advance. During breakfast, my dad asked me, "Hey, so about that camping trip, are you going?" "Uhmm, should I?" I responded. "Of course you should! I would If I were you" "All the mountain scents and fluffy marshmallows, Oh and the super scary stories!" He describes passionately. That sounds very...interactive..I thought to myself. After a bit of contemplating, I decided to give it a go. What's the worst that could happen, right?

The following day, we all met at the bus stop and began the long journey. "Just three hours, seven minutes, and ten seconds away, guys!" remarks Andrew. "ugh..could you not, Andrew?" murmured Annie. We were an hour in, and some people had already started exchanging snacks. And oh boy, was it getting loud. Melissa and I are besties, but since she was asleep, I was a bit bored. The best way I can describe it is like an old sack of potatoes. No literally. 

I decided to go to the last seat and take a nap. 

I woke up a little before we arrived at our destination and decided to read a book. As I turned to the next page, everyone started screaming, "Truth or dare!" "Truth OR dArE!!" God, what a fun game for an introvert like me. But luckily, we were almost there in five minutes, so no eternal torture has occurred yet. As we got out of the bus, tall, icy mountains and green gold grass stare directly at our faces. Dad was right; it does smell so..refreshing! The stunning mountain scents took away our lost souls for a moment and returned them with a light breeze. Just like that, we were here. 

"Whos hungry?" Asked Melissa. It was a long hike up to the mountain top, so we figured we'd have lunch first. So we settled in this vintage-ish-looking restaurant that surprisingly only sold noodles and green tea. But I love noodles, so yay! We waited for our food to come. Meanwhile, I glanced at the painting hung on the wall. It looked old..too old, in fact. Parts of the paint chipping off, falling to the wooden floor. "Food is here!" said the waitress joyfully. 

After having lunch, I took a last peek at the restaurant and left with my friends. It was about three P.M., and we started walking uphill. Apparently, it would take an hour to get there. *One hour later* "Ohh, we are finally here!" says Melissa trying to catch a breath. "Ahh, spider!!" I yelled and tripped to the rocky ground. "Hahaha," Andrew laughed hysterically. "Not funny!" I cried. "Tha..t..that..was a fake spidey, y'know?" He continues to laugh at my stupidity. "Geez.." goes Melissa. 

We started setting up our blue and orange tents. I had a bit of trouble doing that at first.."A little." "Ahh, oop. "Oh, crap, I can't even set up a tent..." I said while trying not to look like a fool. Luckily, Annie and Melissa had my back on that. After we finished putting the tents together, Andrew and I went for a short walk. "So, how does it feel like to finally socialize, huh?" Asked Andrew. "Well... it's good, I guess. I'm just not used to being with so many people at once." We walked across the bridge, and the view was immaculate. Nothing but beauty surrounds us. "You know, I've heard that there used to be a city here years and years ago," stated Andrew. "A city? Really..when?" "I don't know, but quite long ago..I heard of it in the news...archeologists are still on the hunt for more info." He replied.

It was getting a bit dark out, so we decided to head back. Melissa, I, and a couple of other members made some chicken skewers for dinner. And after having dinner, I read a book and went to sleep. *Phone alarm goes off* "Geez...tell your phone to shut up, Annie!"

"Okay, you don't have to shout..." she replied quietly. We got up and quickly prepped some sausage breakfast sandwiches. "So, who wants to go explore the place?" Asked Melissa. I then realized that practically everyone but me raised their hand, so I did, too. "Great! we will leave after breakfast!" She tells enthusiastically. 

We all met at the campfire and decided to split into groups for safety's sake. Me, Andrew, Melissa, and Grace were together in a group. We started walking, and ten minutes in, we saw the same lady from the restaurant. "Hey, so ya'll going for a walk?" "hmm, Yes, sort of," I replied. "Have fun, but don't cross the bridge," she said hesitantly. "Why, what's with the bridge?" Asked Grace. "Just. Don't. Cross. The. Bridge....you won't like it." She said in a suspicious tone. 

The minute she left, Andrew made the most intelligent decision EVER. "We are crossing that bridge! I don't care, we are!"

We continued walking for twenty minutes more, till we reached the bridge. "Hey, look, it's not worth our time; let's just go the other direction, k?" So says Melissa, trying to convince Andrew. "Why are you such a coward? It's just a bridge, seriously!" answers Andrew. "Ugh, fineee..." mumbles Melissa. We stepped on the wooden bridge, one by one, trying not to lose balance. The strings which kept it in place were shaking more than ever. "Oh. My. God! what if it fa.." "Ah, how positive you are, Grace!" Yells Melissa. As we almost made it to the other side, the bridge fragmented into thousands of tiny bits, moving our souls restless. At that moment, I saw nothing but black.

I woke up in a cave, with everyone...but Andrew. I tried waking up Melissa and Grace. "wheres Andrew?!" Asked Melissa. "Well...you se.." "I knew it! It's all his fault!" cried Melissa. "What will we do now?" Asked Grace. "Try to find him..that foolish.." "Stop arguing, guys!" The cave was enormous; the more we kept going inside, the bigger it seemed to get. It was a neverending maze. I tried calling for help, but the signals were too weak. So we continued walking till we saw some form of light. Some form of hope -- is what we thought. 

And the end of what seemed like the most extensive cave ever was a door. I turned the handle; "it's open.." I whispered. This wood seemed familiar, but I couldn't recall where I saw it. I opened the door, and it was a...a city! A legitimate town, inside a cave! Inside there was a staircase with thousands of houses. We walked up the stairs, trying to make no noise whatsoever: tiptoe and tiptoe. At the top of the staircase was another door, this time smaller. 

I opened the door, and lo and behold, it was the same restaurant we had lunch in, and that "painting" was a secret door. 

"So, you disobeyed me, huh?" We suddenly heard a voice from behind us. It was her. "I told you not to come, didn't I?" She says while looking at her razor-sharp nails. "What do you want?!" Shouted Grace. "Easy, easy. I'm sure you don't like to see your friend getting hurt, do ya?" "Frien...Andrew! He's here!" I said, both happy and scared. "Hmm, listen, why don't you chipmunks pack your bags and permanently leave? I don't want ANYONE finding out about this city..Understood!" She screamed straight to our faces. We agreed - we had no other option. "Also, if you tell anyone about this, I will know. Mark my words. Now LEAVE!" 

She released Andrew from her "so-called" restaurant, and we sprinted uphill. The incident left us shivering, staring at the full moon while having a bonfire. Trying to ignore what even happened. 

The next afternoon, we packed our bags and were ready to head home. After arriving at home, my dad asked me, "So, how was the trip?" "Umm, it was pretty good...definitely didn't find a city or something.." I replied. "Haha, you kids be daydreaming, there's no such thing as a hidden city, REMEMBER. " I heard her voice in each letter of that word.