Summer 2700 CE
Jake was murmuring to himself, "What the hell am I doing here? I detest these people." Jake dismounted his new, sleek, state of the art hovercraft truck. Jake was in construction and having a hovercraft to levitate any size load was a plus. Earth ran out of fossil fuels, such as oil and gas centuries ago.
Jake, yet again, got roped into going on a social event that he did not want to go on. This time it was a cabin in the mountains for the entire weekend. The only saving grace was that it was near Swoon Lake. Swoon Lake was high in the mountains, in the clouds. Most of the people who go there are the most intrepid birders, and that is just a few days during Spring and fall migration. It is an eerie sight looking down at a thunderstorm. More than once did Jake bring his date up there to watch the submarine races.
Jake had to go to the cabin a day early to bring up all the split, dried firewood for the fireplace, the campfires and some extra to leave behind. Stacey gave Jake her credit card and e-mailed Jake the entire grocery list for the weekend. Stacey had been accepted by Le Cordon Bleu school of culinary arts in Paris when she was just a junior, leapfrogging the entire waiting list for entry.
Stacey and her boyfriend Brett were the beautiful people at school, but unlike most beautiful people, both Stacey and Brett did not look down on other people. The reason for that was Beth. Beth was an insecure foreign exchange student from South Africa. Beth was a staggering four foot five inches; her entire face scarred from acne.
Her eighteenth birthday was six months before she transferred; Beth had been held back a year to transition to a new school system easier. Stacey's parents were her host parents. Beth moved in with Stacey's family just before summer school. Beth was also insecure about the size of her tits; being slightly more significant than a training bra, they were a total turn off for all the guys at school.
Stacey was overprotective of Beth and wanted to integrate her with her friends. When there was going to be a party, Stacey told the host, "If you want me at the party, you have to invite Beth. We are a package deal." When Beth heard about the provision, she immediately identified two loopholes. She would decline the invite, or if forced to go to the party, she would wait until Stacey got engrossed with small talk. Beth would often get a drink with a minimal amount of liquid in it, drink it, then make a show of walking by Stacey, melding into the crowd, and then throw her cup away and leave.
Beth's fortress of solitude was the local library; she found comfort studying in the most distant corner of the most deserted area. Soon a name placard appeared, it said, "Reserved for Beth."
As her first summer school was continuing, her teachers were trying to figure out what was going on with her. She was smart enough to be a tutor or even be a teacher's aide in any of her classes, yet her GPA sagged; she was purposely underperforming. A concerned teacher confronted Beth and challenged her to get better grades. Grades improved, yet they were still below Beth's potential. As all news that hit the rumor grapevine which seemed to travel at light speed, soon everyone knew of Beth's underperformance with schoolwork.
This trip was meticulously planned; all contracts for the cabin had to be signed a year before the event. There was also a plethora of other details to be handled. The party was planned for the one-year anniversary of Beth joining their family, just before summer school, but after her junior year.
Once Jake was resigned to go to the party, he called his friend Rick who was like the ultimate outdoorsman; he knew everything about the plants, animals, and birds. It did not take long before he got the nickname Ranger Rick. Rick developed a set of color-coded maps for Jake, one to leave at the cabin, for safety, and one for him. Rick put a black dot on a distant island and gave Jake a business card with a note written on it, "Jake, if you want the ultimate outdoor experience, take your hovercraft out to this island. It will be an eye-opening experience. I suggest Saturday afternoon, as you may want to stay for more than a day, and it has a wonderful view of the sunset."
Friday afternoon, Jake opened the map and laid it on the kitchen table. Jake took off on a quick five-mile loop on the verge of the lodge. The bright, sunny sky had the hawks circling on the hot thermals in the canyon land below. The sight was breathtaking, and the carefree flight of the raptors had caught the attention of a large group of birders who were on a lower tier of the mountainside.
When Jake got back to the cabin, he showered, lit the fire, and broke open a longneck. He sat back and contemplated what he thought this weekend would bring. He did not realize it would be a life-changing weekend.
As soon as Brett's car came to a halt, Stacey sprang out of the car and dashed into the cabin, only stopping to give Jake a hug and a peck on the cheek. Brett welcomed Jake with a hearty handshake and the diminutive Beth slowly approached the cabin with her cases in tow. Jake just shook his head as Stacey reorganized everything he categorized a day previously. Jake didn't mind; he knew where the beer was.
Everyone looked at Jake's map with interest, but Beth looked at it with acute curiosity. Before Jake took his Saturday morning route, Beth asked meekly, "Could I join you on your trip?" Beth stood still biting her lips, hopeful he would say, "Yes," worried he would say, "No."
Several things crystalized in Jake's mind at that moment. First: Beth looked to Jake as an authoritative figure, he was a few years older than the others, and owned his own company. Second: Beth ALWAYS deferred all decisions to Jake. Consequentially, Beth opened up to Jake far more than anyone else.
"Sure Beth, no worries. Why don't we pack some sandwiches and a few cokes and have a picnic? Beth let out a gasp; she didn't dare breathe while waiting for an answer. Beth came skipping out of the cabin with a full picnic basket. She even snipped off a couple of lilies growing in the garden for their picnic. Beth said, "Thank you, Sir, for the invite. Not many invite me voluntarily anywhere. Miss Stacey's invites are obligatory, so I turn most of them down.
"I take it Stacey and Brett will be making their agenda this weekend. Good thing that bed is made of solid oak; we wouldn't want it to break when they are heading into the home stretch."
"Beth it's, just Jake, not Sir, and that sounds like it is their loss."
"Thank you, just Jake."
"Did you just make a joke?" Beth nodded, "This means a tickle war!" Soon Beth stopped squirming, and she could barely catch her breath, she was pinioned to the ground with her arms above her head. Jake was face to face with her, and suddenly he gave her a long kiss. Beth was flustered and confused; she was having a hard time processing what just happened.
"Beth, this afternoon I am going somewhere, and I don't know what to expect. My friend Rick and my contact have been very cryptic about what is going to happen. You are welcome to join me if you wish. We are going to take the hovercraft across the lake, so pack an overnight bag.
"I would be honored to follow you on your adventure Mr. Jake, no matter what happens. Mr. Jake, I would like it if you did not give me options about things; instead of asking me questions, you should issue commands. Just get in the mindset that you have the final word on everything. I will obey your orders without question."