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“Any questions, Charlee?”
She jolts, her cheeks tinting pink. “No. Nope, all good.”
I clap my hands. “All right, then. We’re starting on the Hagensborg Loop Trail today. It’s a moderate six-kilometer hike that should take us to the west falls. With this weather, we should cross paths with some bears along the way.”
I jump off the rock, and Trevor comes forward. “Thanks, Oliver. For my team, instructions are pretty simple. We’re shooting as much as we can: environment, wildlife.” He winks at me. “At a reasonable distance, of course. Charlee, you’ll be in front of the camera, while Emma will be asking you questions. Nick will hook you up with a mic. Just be yourself and speak your thoughts out loud, what you see, what you hear. Don’t hesitate to ask Oliver questions too, assuming he’s comfortable getting in front of the camera?”
Am I? “I don’t remember it being included in my contract.”
Trevor shrugs. “No, but it can add a more authentic touch to it. If you’re up for it, of course.”
I glance at Charlee. I don’t know why.
Absolute lie, my inner self says, calling me out in my head.
I know why I look at her. It’s because her opinion matters to me, but also because I detect her discomfort when Trevor mentions the mic and talking to the camera. It’s as if the thought kindled her nervousness. Which doesn’t make any sense, because the Charlee I know has only been nervous on so few occasions, I could probably count them on one hand. She’s confident and sure of herself in everything she does. But I can read her body language, and if she is nervous, then maybe she could use someone by her side. No matter how uncomfortable and awkward it might be.
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
Her shoulders relax an inch when I agree, leaving me pleased with my decision.
“Perfect! Nick, can you mic Oliver and Charlee? Oliver, let’s give Charlee the most airtime, okay? You can chime in here and there.”
I nod while Nick wraps wires around me and hooks the device onto the waistband of my pants.
“Push this button to turn the mic on and back to turn it off. Pretty straightforward,” Nick instructs.
“Thanks,” I say.
He goes and does the same with Charlee.
My feet ache to start walking, to lose myself in this beautiful place that I know like the back of my hand. My muscles tremble with excitement I can no longer contain, the smell of the wild already overpowering my senses and begging me to explore.
In this moment, I am no longer worried about the docuseries, the safety of the crew, or the disdain Charlee holds toward me that leaves a gaping hole in my chest.
No, in this moment, I feel at peace.
“Watch your steps,” I warn Charlee behind me. “The path gets slippery here.”
We’ve been walking for two hours now, getting as many shots of the luxurious green all around us as we can. Moss covers every nook and cranny of the forest, from imposing western red cedar trunks to rocky boulders. Evergreens stretch as far as the eye can see, and I breathe deeply, inviting this vivid nature to take root deep in my lungs.
A few feet away, I point to a tree looming larger than the rest. “This one is an ancient western red cedar. From the looks of it, I’d say it’s at least two hundred feet tall.”
Everyone looks up, and Emma follows with the camera.
“These trees play a vital role in the rainforest ecosystem,” I continue, “as they help stabilize the soil. They can live for a few thousand years. They’re also central to the First Nations’ spirituality here on the coast, often called the Tree of Life.”
“How old would you say this one is?” Charlee asks, her head tossed back to peer at the sheer size of the tree.
“Hard to tell. But the trunk is pretty large, so I’d say at least five hundred years old.”
She looks at me, her brows disappearing under her bangs. She rests her hand on the cedar as she closes her eyes. “He must have seen so many things,” she murmurs.
The moment seems to stretch and stretch and stretch as everything around us disappears except for the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling.
My hand burns to rest on top of hers, but I don’t know if she would jerk away as soon as she felt my touch, so I keep it safely at my side, where my feelings can’t be bruised even more.
“Let’s get moving, guys,” Trevor says, snapping me out of my enchanted daze. Charlee offers me a hint of a smile, as if she too has been pulled back from that place. She retrieves her hand and walks away.
