Jenna Holloway's Arc

Chapter 4 of 8

The quarry was further than the map made it look. Jenna drove with the windows down, following a dirt road that twisted through pine trees. Her friends passed around a dented can, smoke drifting out into the summer air. The road ended at a chain-link fence with a gap bent open. They parked and walked through, shoes crunching on gravel. The quarry spread out below them—dark water surrounded by steep rock walls. One friend pointed to the highest ledge. Jenna nodded. They'd come back at sunset when the light was better. For now, they had another spot to add to their list. The summer was filling up with places that felt like secrets, and every single one belonged to them. They left the quarry as the light started fading. The dirt road led them back toward the main highway, but one of her friends spotted a trail cutting into the woods. Jenna slowed the Honda and turned onto it. The trees closed in on both sides, branches scraping the windows. They parked when the path got too narrow and grabbed the flashlight from the back seat. The beam cut through the darkness as they walked deeper into the trees. Something glowed ahead—small points of light scattered across the ground like scattered stars. Mushrooms, maybe, or something else growing in the damp soil. Her friend knelt down and touched one. The glow pulsed under his fingers. They followed the lights further into the woods, the flashlight beam jumping from tree to tree. The forest felt alive around them, full of things they didn't understand but didn't need to. This was another place to add to their map, another night that stretched out exactly how they wanted it to. They walked back to the Honda and drove until they hit the highway. The bowling alley's neon sign blinked ahead, faded pink and blue letters spelling out Manville. They could see it from anywhere in town—a marker they'd used before to find their way. Jenna pulled into a gas station across from it and they bought drinks and refilled the tank. Her friend added the glowing forest to the notebook while the other circled their location on the map. The bowling alley stood behind them, its worn facade familiar now. Every landmark was becoming part of their circuit, a way to track where they'd been and where they'd go next. Jenna started the engine and pulled back onto the road. The night wasn't over yet, and the summer still had more to show them. They ended up at the camper past midnight. One friend pulled out a dragon incense burner from his bag—faux stone with ridged spikes along the back. He'd grabbed it from a shop at the mall weeks ago. He lit a stick and smoke curled up through the dragon's mouth, filling the camper with a sweet smell that mixed with the night air. They sat on the floor passing chips around and adding notes to their list. The quarry. The glowing forest. The bowling alley as their anchor point. Every location was building into something bigger—a summer that had shape and direction. Jenna leaned back against the wall and looked at her friends. This was what they'd wanted. Nights that belonged to them, places no one else knew about, and time that stretched out as far as they could push it.