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Naruto: Training is My Ninja Way
Holden's RV led the way, followed by another RV, as they entered a tunnel.
Nidi looked at the long tunnel in surprise.
"Huh? Why would soone build a tunnel in the middle of nowhere like this?"
Their guide, Lanny, was unfazed, her attitude carefree.
"Who knows? Maybe so big shot lives up in the mountains and had it built."
Honestly, the tunnel was pretty bizarre, and so was the highway.
In Arica, unless there was a resort in the mountains, there'd be no reason to construct a tunnel and a highway like this.
The road was impressively well-made, comparable to urban asphalt streets.
(It's pretty absurd in the movie too—a tunnel and a pristine highway in the wilderness. You'd think there was a gold mine on the other side.)
Still, no one dwelled on it, instead enjoying the natural scenery around them.
After passing through the tunnel, they were officially in the White Mountain range. The landscape was stunning, with towering virgin trees stretching endlessly.
There seed to be fewer wild animals than expected, though maybe the noise from the vehicles scared them off.
"Look! Is that Black Lake?" Ashley suddenly pointed out the window, excited.
A massive lake appeared beside the highway, its water so dark it shimred with a unique halo under the setting sun, breathtakingly beautiful.
Mara glanced out and smiled.
"Yep, that's Black Lake! It's huge. We're on the west side now, where the terrain's flatter and great for recreation. If we'd stuck to the original plan and gone up the east side, we wouldn't have had ti to enjoy it."
"It's gorgeous!"
The won let out gasps of admiration. Even Jennifer thought visiting Black Lake was a great idea.
This kind of natural beauty wasn't sothing you could find just anywhere.
Mara continued playing tour guide.
"I ca to the west side of Black Lake years ago. There's a really tasty fish in the lake. If we have ti, we could catch so for everyone to try!"
That got everyone's attention.
Aricans rarely eat river fish—hence the carp overrunning the Great Lakes—but if Mara said they were delicious, everyone was curious to taste them.
"Great idea! We could grill fish tonight! But… didn't we forget fishing gear?" Claire asked.
Mara replied, "No need for gear. The west side gets fewer visitors, so the lake's teeming with fish. We'll toss out so bait to attract them, then use wooden spears to catch them."
"You know how to do that?" Amy asked, astonished.
She'd only seen such skills on TV, used by primitive tribes. After all, a certain apex predator hadn't yet made his grand debut.
"Of course! You've gotta know so survival skills in the wild!" Mara said.
The topic sparked Nidi and Claire's interest, and they peppered Mara with questions about wilderness survival.
Amid cheerful chatter, the two RVs reached their destination: a wooden cabin by Black Lake.
"Holden, this cabin looks kinda small. Can it fit all of us?" Martin asked, still puffing away, his eyes hazy.
The cabin was decently sized, likely built for a family vacation, with plenty of rooms.
For just the five of them, there'd be enough space for one room each.
But with Jennifer, Nidi, and the others, there were fifteen people total, and the cabin's rooms fell short.
Curt shrugged. "No choice, then. The ladies can take the cabin, and the three of us will sleep in the RVs!"
Thor—er, Curt—was surprisingly gentlemanly. Despite his athletic, jock-like build, he was a top student with a kind personality.
Holden, on the other hand, looked refined but was a jock who played fast and loose.
Blonde Julie seed wild but was a devout Catholic, firmly believing sex was for marriage, leaving her boyfriend Curt perpetually frustrated.
Redheaded Dana appeared to be a good girl but was even wilder than Holden behind his back.
As for Martin, the chain-smoking slacker, he was the group's true academic star, nearly on par with Nidi.
(Character traits adjusted for the story.)
Their outward appearances clashed with their true personalities, setting the stage for what happened later.
Dana quickly went to discuss sleeping arrangents with rry and Claire.
Even with two won per room, the cabin didn't have enough bedrooms.
Luckily, the living room was spacious, so the won decided to sleep on the floor there, letting the three guys take the bedrooms.
Jennifer, Nidi, and their group had co prepared for camping, so they had plenty of sleeping bags to go around.
Sleeping in the cabin, with its fireplace, was cozier than the RVs or tents.
It was July, but Maine's high latitude and the White Mountains' elevation made nights chilly.
"Hmph! You guys are getting off easy!" Julie shot a glare at the three n.
She'd have preferred a comfy bedroom, but since the other won were fine with the living room, she didn't want to stand out.
Despite her wild streak, the blonde wasn't clueless.
The three guys could only offer sheepish grins.
Julie grew more annoyed.
"What's so funny? Can't you take the initiative to move stuff? Do we have to haul the sleeping bags and food into the cabin ourselves?"
Curt got the hint and dragged Holden to help, while Martin, still puffing away, seed oblivious.
"You too, buddy!" Curt yanked Martin out of the cabin.
"I'll handle my own stuff," Jennifer said, not wanting strangers touching her things due to her germaphobia.
But Curt and Holden were eager to help, though Martin held back, knowing he had no shot with this group of ten stunning won.
"No worries, we've got it!" Curt said.
Julie stepped in. "Ladies, let them handle it! The sun's not down yet—let's check out the famous Black Lake!"
The suggestion was t with enthusiastic agreent, so Jennifer reluctantly joined the group heading to the lake.
Black Lake was close to the cabin, with a small dock offering a perfect view.
In the sunset's glow, the lake's surface reflected like a mirror, creating a fairytale-like scene that left the won in awe.
"It's like a dream!" Heather exclaid.
"If we had a boat, rowing across Black Lake right now would be perfect!" Penny added, earning nods from the others.
Ashley, ever the foodie, rembered the guides' earlier comnt.
"Mara, didn't you ntion catching Black Lake fish? Why don't we try now?"
The idea of spearing fish like a primitive tribe excited everyone.
Lanny and Mara made crude bait and scattered it on the lake's surface, then carved two wooden spears.
But their luck wasn't great. After half an hour, they hadn't seen a single fish.
"Strange. Last ti I was here, the lake was full of fish. I caught five in an hour!" Mara scratched her head.
Fishing could be unpredictable—maybe today was just a bust.
They kept at it until the sun fully set, and the three guys called them back to the cabin.
The cabin was now neatly set up, thanks to Curt and Holden's efforts. Martin, anwhile, was sprawled on the couch, looking half-dead.
"Damn! Only beer can save now!" he groaned.
"Beer's here!"
Curt, the tall jock, hauled in a large case of ice-cold beer, the bottles frosty with condensation.
"Ha! Good thing we brought plenty, or it wouldn't be enough!" Holden said smugly, clearly hoping the beer would lead to sothing.
But Jennifer, Nidi, and their group had no interest in drinking with Curt or Holden.
"Let's start on dinner. Keller, Heather, rry, Amy—you're on al duty," Jennifer said, assigning tasks.
"No problem!"
Keller was a five-star chef, as Roy had experienced at her place (Chapter 144). She'd take the lead.
Amy, a forr housewife, was skilled in the kitchen too.
Heather and rry, both cooking enthusiasts, were happy to assist Keller.
With plenty of ingredients, they soon whipped up a spread of mouthwatering dishes, impressing Dana and Julie.
"My God, Ashley, is your friend a professional chef?" Dana asked.
Ashley, not that close to Keller, let rry explain.
"Nope! Keller's the editor-in-chief of the LA Tis. She just loves cooking and studies it for fun."
Julie was floored. "Studies for fun and gets this good? I've taken baking classes for years, and my desserts still taste like chemical waste. Wait, aren't they UCLA students?"
She'd just realized these won weren't classmates, despite looking young enough to pass as college girls.
Claire, realizing they hadn't properly introduced themselves, jumped in.
"Not quite! Keller's our senior—she graduated from the journalism departnt in '90. Claire's a senior too, with a PhD in psychology!"
Dana, a psychology major, was stunned. "No way, the Claire Sheffield? You're a legend in our departnt! You finished a decade's worth of work in three years!"
Julie now saw that rry, Claire, and their group were full of hidden talents.
Jennifer, Nidi, and Ashley introduced themselves as Dana and Julie's juniors.
Dana recognized Nidi, last year's full-scholarship recipient and a well-known genius at UCLA.
Heather, Penny, and Amy weren't UCLA alums or from prestigious schools, but their association with Keller and Claire suggested they weren't ordinary. Dana and Julie treated them respectfully.
Julie soon learned Heather and Penny ran a major laboratory.
"Alright, food's ready. Let's eat!"
With night fully settled, the seventeen gathered around a long table for dinner.
"Since we're all here together, how about a toast?" Martin suggested.
Curt's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Let's do it!"
"Fine, but we're not drinking alcohol," Jennifer said cautiously, sticking to soda.
"Soda works. To a great trip!" Martin raised his canned beer, and everyone stood to clink glasses, instantly livening the mood.
Jennifer's group stuck to cola, while Dana, Julie, and the two guides drank beer.
Everyone praised Keller's cooking, which delighted her. Chefs love hearing their food is appreciated, but they didn't forget to thank Heather, rry, and Amy for their help.
After a hearty al, the table was cleared, and the guides offered to wash dishes. The remaining fifteen chatted in the living room.
Curt flirted with Dana, while Holden struck out repeatedly. Martin, puffing away on a single couch, chuckled at Holden's failures.
As the conversation dragged on, the living room clock chid.
Everyone glanced over—it was already 8 p.m.
"Wow, it's that late?"
With the dishes done, the guides suggested turning in early.
"We've got to get up early to hike. That way, we'll reach the campsite before dark."
Since most of the won were new to hiking and camping, leaving extra ti was wise.
Julie and Holden were disappointed but agreed to end the chat.
"Alright, let's set up the living room," Jennifer said.
Just then, a wooden floorboard in the corner of the living room suddenly popped up.
(Cabin in the Woods main cast, from left to right: the Athlete [Thor], the Scholar [Buzzcut], the Harlot [Blonde], the Fool [Stoner], the Virgin [Redhead]. In the movie, their roles dictate the sacrifice order, but their true personalities are opposites, which is why the sacrifice fails.)
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