Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 680

Next to them, Slater, grinning like he was up to no good, was holding a water bottle, with Arkle trailing behind, arms full of gear and snacks.

Roseanne looked away.

She wasn't exactly close with Grace.

"Roseanne!" Mamie called out from a distance, waving at her as she jogged over, a hefty backpack strapped to her back, bulging at the seams. It was stuffed with sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, water bottles, and of course, a stash of snacks.

"I've packed a bunch, we can share later!" Mamie beamed.

"Sounds good," Roseanne replied.

"Hey, where's Scales? Hasn't he shown up yet?" Worrying about being late, Mamie had sprinted the whole way, even arriving five minutes early.

Scales, who was there before her, quipped, "Where did you get the confidence that I'd be later than you?"

Mamie pouted, "So what if you're two minutes early? I just hit the snooze button one too many times. But... why do you guys have such small bags?"

Roseanne didn't need to say anything, and even Scales had only a small backpack that looked nearly empty, hardly weighing anything.

"We heard the botanical facility we're visiting is pretty well-equipped, so I just brought the essentials," Roseanne explained.

Scales nodded in agreement.

Mamie was speechless.

So, she was the only one who packed a giant bag, half-filled with snacks?

At eight, the school teacher checked off everyone's names, and they lined up to board the coach.

Their destination was a botanical research facility located in the outskirts, over 60 miles away, requiring a three-hour drive.

On the bus, Mamie and Roseanne sat together, with Scales in the row behind them.

They had to navigate a winding mountain road en route, where cell signal was spotty, so Scales just pulled out his Kindle to catch up on some articles.

Mamie, being quite sociable, struck up conversations with everyone around her, diving into the latest gossip.

Roseanne, with nothing better to do, leaned back and enjoyed the view outside.

The morning landscape was dotted with mountains, and since it was winter, the sun rose late. Despite the early start, daylight had only just begun to break.

A mist hung around the mountainsides, like a white shawl draped over the landscape.