LifeWild

Zipping her pack shut for the fifth time in the last hour, Haley begins to wonder if she is stalling or being thorough. This will be the third time she has taken the camping trip by herself. Her father calls them ‘Wit and Will Tests,’ where you ‘live off of the land’ and ‘become as one with nature.’ Overall, this will be her twenty-seventh excursion. Her parents began taking her when she turned four and have been averaging two per year ever since, one in the summer and one in the winter.

Originally, the purpose of the trips was to give Haley an appreciation of nature and the survival skills to take care of herself in any situation, but it has become so much more to her over the years. By the time she was ten, her parents had taught her everything they knew and by twelve, she was teaching them new skills. Her mother would tell anyone who was willing to listen her little Haley was more at home in nature than most of the creatures living there. When she turned sixteen, Haley wanted to start going solo.

She had little trouble convincing her parents she was capable, but ultimately she had to agree to one condition; every two days she will tie a shoelace to the lowest branch of the Perfect Pine, the name given to a tree roughly two miles from their home which they had decided was too good to ever cut down. Additionally, her cell phone always needed to be with her, despite the fact there is virtually no reception in the mountains.

The first time Haley went out solo was for one week. The second time she was gone for ten days. Both trips were perfect as far as she was concerned. She is sure she could live there indefinitely if it weren’t for the fact she would miss her family and friends and a few of the comforts of home she really enjoys, like warm running water and her mom’s chocolate chip cookies.

This time, Haley told her parents she planned to be gone for two full weeks, but this was before she saw the letter.

She reaches into the pillowcase on her bed and pulls out a heavily creased piece of paper. Last night, anticipation of her trip had gotten the best of her and she couldn’t sleep. While heading toward the kitchen for some water, she had heard her parents in a heated discussion. Her mom had wanted to tell her something, but her dad insisted on waiting to see what happened next. He kept saying he didn’t want to hurt her if it could be avoided. After his proclamation, he crumpled the letter he was holding, threw it away and they went off to their bedroom. Feeling it was too important to ignore, Haley went into the kitchen and fished the paper out of the trash. She had expected to open it up and find out they were behind on some payments or her college fund had lost all of its value, but she wasn’t even close.

She rereads the words in a futile attempt to convince herself she has misread it each previous time:

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Turner,

I am sending you this letter in regards to your daughter, Haley. Information has recently come to my attention regarding several discrepancies surrounding her adoption seventeen years ago.

In gathering as many documents and records as I was able, I am aware you had applied at several adoption agencies before coming across the Bright Future Adoption Agency. Their willingness to overlook your above average age, the lower cost, and their ability to expedite the adoption must have seemed miraculous after so many previous delays and rejections. This was no accident. This agency was actively searching for couples like you; eager to adopt but having difficulty.

I am very sorry to inform you this was not a legitimate adoption agency. The intentions of the operation are not yet fully known, except it was a front designed to traffic newborns and keep tabs on them. The doctor to which you agreed to take Haley as she grew was a part of the operation as well.

I know this is a lot for you to take in and I am sure this news is quite devastating, but know I will be doing everything I can to keep Haley with you. Haley is one of twenty-six young adults adopted through this agency who have been discovered at this time. Every aspect of this operation is currently being investigated and I will update you as often as possible.

In the attempt to protect your daughter and the others as I move forward in this investigation, I am unable to give you my name and any contact information at this time. I know this all seems a bit incredible, but just know every intention is to keep your family together. I will contact you again when I have more information.

A blink and quick wiping of her cheeks and eyes corrects her blurred vision, but does little to fix the pain she feels in her chest. The myriad of emotions she had successfully pushed to the back of her brain have come flooding back in full force. Simultaneously, she wants to yell at, beg and plead with, and curl up in the arms of her parents. A half sob leaves her body at the thought of her real mom and dad. It seems impossible for her to believe they are not her real parents and somewhere out there two strangers are genetically linked to her. Her mind reels more at the idea of an illegal adoption. She can’t imagine what the rationale for breaking the law could have been.

“My real parents are probably criminals or drug addicts,” her voice giving off an unconvincing sarcasm, “or maybe my jealous uncle stole me from the palace hoping to gain the title for himself.”

The last thought causes a slight smile to emerge along the right corner of her lips, but quickly disappears as she remembers it is the storyline to quite a few fairy tales and not a likely scenario in the real world.

Her eyes are drawn back to her backpack. The debate on whether she should confront her parents and demand answers has gone back and forth in her mind so many times she is not even sure what seems like the right thing to do anymore. Haley isn’t even sure she would be able to ask the questions she would want to if she tried.

Feeling a lump form in her throat at the idea of confronting them, she realizes there is no way she would be able to have any kind of conversation with her parents at this time. If she goes on this trip as planned, she hopes she can absorb and process everything swirling through her mind and be able to communicate her thoughts in a more rational way upon her return. They had said their goodbyes last night after supper since she had planned to get up and get going before dawn. Now, the sky was beginning to lighten indicating sunrise would happen within the hour. If she delayed any longer, her parents would wake up and she would be forced to talk.

Slipping the letter into her pocket and slinging the pack onto her shoulders, she heads out of her room. The hallway is darker than her bedroom due to the lack of windows, but she is able to see well enough to navigate her way up the stairs and into the kitchen. The pack with her cooking containers and utensils is on the counter where she left it and with one swift movement she has swung it behind her and clipped it into its proper place on her backpack.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Haley realizes her parents’ alarm has probably already sounded.

It is now or never.

Quickly moving from the kitchen to the adjacent laundry room, she sits on the bench by the back door and feels underneath for her hiking shoes. Finding them, she rapidly puts them on and ties them, being sure to secure them properly to prevent blistering. With one last glance around the little room, she quietly walks back through the kitchen to the back door and steps out into the yard. The sun is still yet to rise, but the sky is a lightened gray-blue indicating it will be visible in minutes. The air is fresh and invigorating, slightly chilly, but nothing out of the ordinary for the Rockies. Inhaling slowly and deeply, Haley fills her lungs with the morning air and instantly feels better. Adjusting the straps of her backpack one last time, she begins walking toward the back of their yard and into the forest beyond.

After walking several hundred feet, she pauses to turn around and looks back at her home. Her parents own a ski resort, where they live as well, so the main building is quite large and is still visible. A good number of trees prevent her from having a complete view, but she can see the light from her parents’ bedroom and bathroom and knows they are both up now and getting ready for the day.

Her old life has been shattered and forever altered and there is nothing she can do to change this fact. Knowing the next time she sees her house everything will be different, Haley rotates back around and, with slight hesitation, walks deeper into the forest. She soon finds herself on autopilot due to the swirl of emotions and thoughts in her head, oblivious to the noises and activities in the forest around her. The rustling of footsteps and the shadow following fifty feet behind fail to reach her senses.