Juno stayed awake the whole trip while the other two had been asleep for a while now. Clarence who's in the front seat and was recently reading his book; is now peacefully asleep with his head low, which made his eyeglasses drop on his lap – and the other one, William, started to slightly open his mouth and snores lightly with his head up rested on the car's couch.
Noticing how gloomy the weather is, Juno curiously looks out the car window and observes the path that they're taking as this is the very first time that she journeyed far from home to Sacred Greens. Wondering what is it like, she constantly thinks about the rumors of Sacred Greens. She quite knew the place, gaining knowledge from news that she read. In fact, some fictional books are inspired from this place – and Juno have read a few of them. However, all of these books are only fictious and theories.
Another hour had passed and the moon finally showed up.
"This is your stop. Enjoy your trip." The old driver said pretty loudly, and so Clarence and William woke up consciously as Juno counted their collected money and paid the service.
They hopped out the car and took their heavy baggage with them. Juno got her own baggage with an additional heavy hand-bag carried on her shoulders.
"No, let us carry those. Come on William!' Clarence commands worriedly.
"I'll be fine -"
"- Geez, did you pack your whole house in here? Seriously." Said William, struggling to carry two baggage at the same time.
"Probably books." Teased Clarence, doing the same thing.
"Do I have to apologize? I think not." Juno teased as well.
Their stop was at a road with a big sign of "Sacred Greens", it seems to be the entrance. It's a peaceful windy night as the moon peeps above the tall trees, shining in the sky. The moon was the first thing Juno noticed, and so – she admires it from afar, as the two young men admires the scenery of night.
Leaves from trees are swaying every time the wind comes by. Nature at night follows the group, walking through the short entrance road of Sacred Greens. Sooner, they passed the road and finally reached the camp of Sacred Greens.
Campfires and tents are spotted in front of medium sized wooden houses. The first thing the trio notice is a group of friends relaxing by the nearest campfire. There are ten houses in total, paralleled to each other. Each house is labelled from one to ten.
The group stood for a few seconds processing which way to go.
"So, we should be... In 7th house." Said Clarence looking at a mini map he got from a newspaper.
"First time around?" A deep voice of an old man came from their behind.
As the three of them looks around, an aged man is behind them. Holding a broom in his hands while sweeping the trash from the ground.
"Uhh... Yes." Stuttered Clarence.
"I'm the one who guards this place. Name's Herman." Reaching out his hand to each one of them.
They greeted the old man a nice evening. Herman seems to be a mature one full of wisdom, like an ancient book that's meaningful but difficult to understand. His appearance mirrors his cozy atmosphere; wearing a brown jumpsuit and a pair of rough black boots. His grayish – slick back hair compliments his gray eyes. Not a decrepit old man, but still a man of strength at the age of fifty-four. Body's tall and wide, healthy as ever. Herman's atmosphere is similar to a wisdom tree, full of life experience written in his eyes that speaks for itself.
"Follow me kids, it's gettin' late." Herman commanded.
And so, Herman went ahead not looking back at them. They were confused for a second, but William casually followed Herman while still struggling to carry the baggage. Juno and Clarence did the same.
They took a few steps following Herman. Clarence reads the map as they walk. His thoughts are occupied as Juno walks beside him. She noticed his writings on the map "Entrance, where the four camps are." - then he drew tiny tents on the map.
"Nice tents." Juno said; a little bit chuckling.
Clarence chuckled too. He looked at Juno and said "Well, it's important to - you know – put accurate and detailed information on the map. It's a big help in times of need." Then smiled a little bit.
"Clever as ever, your highness." Juno smiles, raising her left brow, straighten her body, then bowed at him with style.
William was ahead of them, following Herman. He turned around to see Juno, if both are following. He was about to call them but instead, he watched them laugh together. A smile formed on his lips.
~~~~~
A little time has passed, they reached the mini store cabin. The store surely is full of goods, some polo shirts and mini towels that have "Sacred Greens" brand on it. They sell things that are essential for trips and adventure such as flashlights, batteries, foods and drinks, backpacks, whistleblowers for signaling, key holders, journal and pens with the same brand, and many more.
A beautiful woman came into the counter as soon as she heard that someone came in.
"Welcome folks. What can I get for you?" She asked and smiled feebly.
"This is Sacred Green's main shop. Our mini store. Sure is small, but everything handy can be found in here. So, if 'ya need anythin', 'ya can ask her. The name's Muffey."
Herman introduced this beautiful young woman with a dark skin and brown eyes; the fiercest eyes you'll ever see. Her afro hair is soft and massive; just floating in the air, swaying whenever she moves. The little mole under her left eye compliments her strong facial features.
Muffey's height is beyond average, but not as tall as William's. Her built is what most women desires. Slim waist and fitted body, with a touch of masculinity that reflects her fighting skills. No being would want to mess up with her.
However, aside from her lioness beauty, one thing they notice is her voice. It indicates the sound of a strong-willed woman, a fighter, a straight-forward and blunt person, a confident one, and most of all – a brave soul.
"Pleasant to meet you, Muffey. Name's Juno." Said Juno without even trying to smile.
Both of them silently welcomed each other. Their handshake somehow made a tensed feeling and made the scene silent.
William firstly broke the silence and awkwardly said "Uh- William. Hi. It's nice to see you." Waving his hand at Muffey.
Clarence followed and introduced himself formally. "I'm Clarence, glad to see you." He gently approaches Muffey and gave a firm handshake.
"Glad 'yall greeted each other, but let's get back to business." Herman interrupted, calmly smoking a cigar.
"Better 'you' get these folks to 7th. 'Ya know? Just get to know each other a lil' bit. Now go on." Herman commands, stealing the position of being the counter in their mini shop.
"Come on." Muffey rolled her eyes but couldn't resist Herman.
From there, the group followed Muffey and went back to the campfires where the road is. On the way there, a young man stands in front of a campfire with the same group of friends that Juno saw earlier. Two men and three women; drinking and cheering beers loudly, littering all over the floor, playing childishly with each other as if they're not adults.
"Play time's over. Please clean your mess and get back inside." Said the guy who stood in front of them, sarcastically pointing out the medium plank that says "Campfires - Until 9PM only." It is 9:40 PM at the present time.
"Uh- No. And why?" The fancy woman that wears a quite glittery jacket and fitted dress underneath, chuckled and stared at the guy rudely. She didn't seem to like what the guy pointed out to them.
"Get away, will you? And yeah? We paid for this. Besides, you're clearly a 'no - match' for me. Look at you, wearing that plain outfit. Go back to work you janitor." She added.
"You probably sweat a lot on it, Dee." Laughed the woman's friend, a muscular man that wears a fitted shirt and shiny shoes. He called the guy a nickname of "Dee" for some reasons.
The unfriendly compliments made the guy roll his eyes and put his left arm on his waist, standing confidently.
"First of all – I own this place, bitch. Not a janitor. I could kick you out in the middle of the night with no busses or services if I want to. Besides, I really can't stand your wig." Casually said the guy as he touches and curls the woman's artificial hair between his fingers.
"So, fix yourselves and go back inside, and stop dropping rubbish on the ground as said in the rules if you 'can't' read. Afterall, you're not a queen."
"Hey, take it easy Dilon`. Unless you want a punch or something heavier?" The man approaches him with a tempted fist.
"Dilon! What's the matter?" Muffey shouted and runs towards him, interfering the scene.
"Oh, Muffey. My savior. These self-proclaimed, 'adults' - I suppose- doesn't know how to read the rules but surely knows how to litter well. Could you take them back to their houses please?" Dilon, the guy who rebuked the squad, had explained his side of the story in a sarcastic way. He explained their childish behavior with a poker face and a teasing tone of voice.
So, Muffey obeyed respectfully. However, the squad did not agree to be supervised.
"We'll go back ourselves, alright? Just calm down." Said the guy who challenged Dilon earlier. It's visible to them that they're intimidated by Muffey's action. Especially when Muffey stared at them intently, knowing that she's upset by all of the rubbish that she sees.
They packed their things without hesitation. However, Dilon can see the woman's poker face with her eyes rolling.
"Could you please stop shading, Stelia? Stelia right? I now know your name from the logbook when you stole cigarettes from our shop. Oh, and another concern." Dilon, with his left hand on his waist, has no mercy being blunt at this rude woman and lifted something from the ground.
"Enjoyed the pleasant time with Arthur? Saw you both smuggling behind that bush. I wouldn't be satisfied if I were him, your underwear's quite fishy. Well, if you don't clean this up – I'll hang it on the entrance sign and put your name next to it." Dilon said while smirking, holding Stelia's underwear that was laying on the ground.
Dilon's sassiness is too much to handle for the squad. Mainly with Stelia and Arthur, the one's that's being rude to Dilon. The other guy and two women were at least quiet and didn't interfere with Dilon unlike Stelia and Arthur.
"SHUT UP!" Stelia shouted as she sprints, snatching her underwear from Dilon's hand. Feeling embarrassed at the public eye; and so, she ran away first.
From what Juno and her friends heard earlier, Dilon is the owner of the Sacred Greens Vacation spot. However, he appears to be a little bit younger than Muffey. His body is not that masculine. It's more of a soft built body, but not so thin. A soft build with a touch of confidence in it. And his height is as same as Clarence. His broad shoulders are the asset of his body, and his face is attractively soft and round looking. Even his eyebrows are quite long and thick, pointy nose but just in a right shape. His hair is brown and has a simple formal hairstyle.
His outfit are simply shirt with a thin black necklace and wears a pair of jeans. Even though they met him in a cranky situation, he seems to be a good guy. He apologized as soon as he saw Juno and the others, standing behind them.
As for the rest of Stelia's friends, they packed their things up and also went to their house.
'What an incredible way to meet new gals." Whispered Clarence.