Girl off the Grid

by Jillian Dodd

  “I think it’s a good thing that we’re doing this article, Adam. It’s a shame people don’t realize how precious this all is. How important keeping the Earth healthy is. How it will benefit us. I mean, I didn’t get it before. I’m hoping we can bring that understanding to more people.”

  “I hope so, too. It’s so precious. I mean, what more do you need?” he asks, raising his gaze from the water to the horizon spread out in front of us while I’m staring at him, wondering what more I would ever need.

  He wades into the water, his legs wet up to his calves. I watch him for a few moments then make my way over to a hammock and lie down, floating back and forth in the light breeze.

  I watch Adam continue to take photos and am amazed at his passion for our planet. He’s always talking about making small changes in our daily lives and how those changes can really add up. He talks like everyone can make a difference, even me.

  And I’m starting to believe him.

  Adam

  Sitting on the wooden bench at the picnic table outside our room, Camille and I are surrounded by a swarm of teens talking and giggling. Everyone going out for their first turtle patrol tonight had to be present at the meeting, and it looks like we will be going out with part of a school group. Camille looks around, absorbing the excitement. She still has on her banana dress, showing off her thin frame, and her curls fall loosely over her shoulders. She is overdressed, to say the least, with most everyone else in shorts and t-shirts, including me.

  Susan and Isaac step to the front of the group and things get quiet. Her presence alone demands attention. For those who don’t stop talking, she authoritatively clears her throat to silence the few remaining conversations. As all eyes focus on her, her face warms a little.

  “Hola, everyone. Before you go out on turtle patrol, I’m going to give you some background information about the sea turtles in our area. Then we will go over some rules for your time on the beach. Isaac,” she says, gesturing toward him. “You’re up.”

  Isaac smiles warmly at the group. “I will be leading the turtle patrol tonight. We have a few different types of sea turtles that nest on the beaches here: leatherback sea turtles, green sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, and loggerhead sea turtles. Green sea turtles are hunted for their meat and eggs. They were close to extinction in the 1960s when almost all of the female turtles arriving to the beach were captured. Hawksbill sea turtles are critically endangered, and they are exploited for the meat, eggs, skin, and their shell which is used in jewelry and eyeglass frames.” As Isaac speaks, he holds up photos showing us the different types of turtles. “Loggerhead turtles weigh around four hundred pounds and, compared to the rest of their body, their head is quite large. Leatherbacks are the largest turtle, weighing in at up to two thousand pounds, and they can dive the deepest, over three thousand feet down.”

  “What do they eat?” a kid shouts out, getting a glare from his teacher.

  “Good question,” Isaac says, not seeming to mind the interruption. “They mostly feed on jellyfish and other soft-bodied animals. Instead of teeth, they have spines in their throat that help keep the food from escaping once caught. This is why they are threatened by plastic bags in the water, because they mistake them as prey.”

  Camille looks at me, her eyes wide, thinking about a plastic bag getting stuck in a turtle’s throat.

  “The nesting season for each species varies, but most nest sometime between March and November. If we come across a sea turtle laying eggs, we will tag her, collect her biometric data, and then relocate her eggs to our hatcheries. It can take almost two hours to prepare, lay the eggs, and leave, and is a lot of work for the female turtle. Most lay their eggs at night. The eggs incubate in the sand between seven and ten weeks before they hatch. They dig their way out then immediately head from their nest to the surf. The males we will never see again, but the females will come back to where they were born to lay their own eggs.”

  “Thank you, Isaac,” Susan says, clapping. Everyone else follows suit, giving him full applause and causing him to grin broadly.

  As everyone starts to disperse, Diego joins us at the table.

  “You look nice, Camille,” he says.

  “Thank you. I wanted to freshen up for dinner,” she replies, beaming. The girl likes to be noticed.

  “Are you two excited for your patrol?” he asks.

  “I definitely am,” I reply. “I read up on the subject, though, and know that while on patrol you often don’t get to see a turtle, let alone the babies hatching.”

  “Isaac told me that they have some that should be hatching any day now. Who knows, we might get lucky.”

  “Have you ever seen any hatch?” Camille asks.

  “I have. And I was shocked at how small they are. And how they are then off completely on their own. It’s odd to think that they can survive without their mother so early in life.”

  “Awww,” Camille coos, placing her hands over her heart. “I bet they were adorable!”

  He places his hand on my shoulder. “You are free until your patrol at ten. You might want to go back to your room and get some sleep.”

  “Okay,” I reply, highly doubting that Camille will be able to sleep. She’s too wound up.

  “And, Camille,” he says to her. “Make sure you wear some long pants and long sleeves. The bugs will be out.”

  Camille

  When Adam and I get to our room, we each lie down and try to go to sleep. The sun has set and our room is dark, the only light from the small lamp by the bed.

  “I can’t fall asleep. I’m too excited. Are you going to be able to sleep?” I ask ten minutes later, rolling onto my side and looking at Adam. He is flat on his back, and his eyes are closed.

  “You heard Diego. We’re going to be up late and walking around the whole time. You need to try and get some sleep,” he replies, not bothering to open his eyes.

  I huff, readjusting myself in bed. I roll onto my back and then to my side. Then I decide watching someone who is tired will make me sleepy, so I lean up on my elbow and look at Adam.

  After that doesn’t work, I thump my head back down against my pillow and let out a long sigh. This is going to be torture.

  “Bloody hell! It’s not that hard to just lie still,” Adam says, sitting up and startling me.

  “Maybe not for you. I’m wide awake.”

  Adam shakes his head at me then flips over onto his stomach, covering his head with his pillow to mute me out.

  “Good luck with that!” I sit up and swing my feet off the bed. “Let’s play a game. You have cards, right? Or we could go explore. I hear other people outside our room. Let’s go see what they’re up to.”

  All I get from Adam is a muffled grunt as he presses his pillow around his ears.

  I leap onto his bed, sitting down next to him and pulling my feet up under me, then poke at his sides. “Wake up, sleepy head.”

  Adam moves quickly, pulling his head out from under the pillow, grabbing me around my waist, and pulling me down onto the bed with him.

  Now, I’m lying on my side facing him.

  “If you would just try to lie still and relax, it wouldn’t be so hard to fall asleep,” he says, gazing at me through thick lashes.

  I give him a little pout. “Fine. I’ll lie still. But promise me that if in five minutes I can’t fall asleep, we will get up and play cards or something.”

  “Fine. I promise. But you have to promise to actually try.”

  “Alright,” I say, suddenly noticing how close we are. My eyes wander from his face, down his body, and back up to his eyes again. The room is dimmer than I’d remembered, and Adam’s body is warm next to mine. Instead of making me feel tired, heat flushes across my body.

  Adam meets my gaze, caressing my shoulder.

  “Close your eyes,” he says as he glides his thumb across my collarbone. My eyes flutter shut because I don’t want him to stop.

  He moves his hand, reaching out to brush a few loose
tendrils off my face. Then he lightly strokes my hair.

  And it feels wonderful.

  My body reacts by inching closer to him. I know what he’s doing is supposed to relax me, to lull me to sleep, but it’s doing anything but. I feel like I’m on fire. Especially when his hand drifts down from my hair, back to my shoulder, where his fingers dance across my skin, daringly close to the strap of my dress. I lean into his touch, intoxicated by the feel of his fingers lightly grazing my skin.

  He leans up on his forearm, using his other hand to pull me toward him. Then he leans over me and runs his thumb across my lip. I wrap my arms around his neck, needing to be closer. This time, there is no hesitation when he kisses me. His lips part, and his tongue dips into my mouth, the sensation sending goosebumps up my arms. He moves his hand from my neck, down my chest, and then around to my back, pressing into the curve of my lower spine to usher me closer. As he deepens the kiss, I run my fingers roughly through his hair at the nape of his neck.

  His hand moves dangerously low as he presses his palm against my bottom, our bodies flush. I trace his jawline, his scruff tickling my fingers. He seems to enjoy the feeling as much as I do. My breath catches as his knee moves between my legs, and he grinds against me. Adam groans as I wrap myself tightly around him, my dress riding up.

  He dips his head to my neck and presses his warm lips against my throat, trailing his hand from my waist to my exposed thigh. As his fingers brush across my bare skin, my body starts to tingle.

  He delicately kisses my neck, working his way across my jaw and back up to my lips.

  After a long, slow, and deep kiss, he rolls onto his side, pulling me back against his chest and nuzzling his face against my neck.

  “Try to get some sleep,” he mumbles in my ear.

  I wake up to the alarm blaring from Adam’s phone. I silence it and see that it’s nearly ten.

  “Adam! Get up!” I slip off the bed, digging through my suitcase for a pair of yoga pants and a shirt. Adam lazily rises and throws his duffle up on his bed. He pulls out a long pair of pants and a thin, long-sleeved shirt.

  “I’m going to go change in the loo,” he says, walking toward the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  While he’s gone, I quickly strip off my dress and throw on my pants and the only long-sleeved t-shirt I have, the one he gave me to sleep in. I’m putting on my shoes when I hear a light knock on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Adam moves into the room, grabbing his camera, and shoving a flashlight into his back pocket. “Ready?” he asks, looking from me down to his watch.

  “Yes!” I reply excitedly. “Should we take water?”

  “Yeah, we should. Grab your bottle and we’ll refill them in the meeting room.”

  As we start to go out the door, I stop, blocking his way. “Thank you for helping me go to sleep.” I stand on my tiptoes and give him a sweet peck on the cheek.

  “Alright, everyone! Let’s head out,” Isaac says to the group gathered around him. There are about ten of us; the other kids from the same group are chatting away. Isaac leads us down onto the nearly pitch-black beach. The moon is overhead, but it’s barely a sliver with little light. I’m thankful Isaac is wearing a headlamp.

  “I love the sound of the ocean,” I tell Adam, enjoying our walk. “It’s so soothing.”

  “It is. I love visiting the beach.”

  “Are you excited to see your family tomorrow?” I ask.

  Adam stops walking for a split second and looks at me, then he returns his focus on the horizon ahead of us. “It will be nice to see them, but I’m having a great time. I’m sad it’s coming to an end.”

  “Me too,” I say, sadly. I think—hope—he’s mostly sad because of me. “The longer we’re here, the more I’m getting used to this lifestyle. Being out in the sun, moving around, exploring, and enjoying life. I’m going to miss it, but I’m excited to see my family and friends.”

  “I was talking to my mum the other night, and she kept going on about how intoxicating the jungle is. She and my dad went when they were young and fell madly in love. She’s always telling me about their experience there, if you know what I mean,” Adam says with a chuckle.

  “Oh gosh. Parents.” I laugh along with him. “Too many details sometimes.”

  We walk for a few more minutes in silence, but then a thought pops into my head. “So, what exactly brought on this jungle romance talk?” I hesitantly ask.

  Adam clears his throat and rubs his hand against his forearm. “Who knows. Just the fact that we were in the forest was enough reason for my mum to rant on about her travels and her youthful infatuation with my father.”

  Crap. That wasn’t what I was hoping he would say. “Oh, um, I see. I would love to hear her stories one day. They sound fascinating.”

  “I’m sure she would love that,” he says, smiling at me.

  It feels like we’ve been walking forever. I stifle a yawn as I push myself forward, trying to stay awake.

  “I thought you said you wouldn’t be tired,” Adam annoyingly reminds me.

  “My excitement wore off about an hour ago. I was sort of expecting to run into at least one turtle by now. I had no idea the chances of seeing one were so slim.”

  “Don’t lose hope. I think we will.” He’s holding a red-beamed flashlight, so we know where to walk in the sand. It’s not getting any cooler, and I feel a bead of sweat drip down my chest. I already know I’m going to be exhausted, but I definitely have to take a shower before bed. I stop for a minute and roll my yoga pants up over my knees. Bugs or not, it’s too hot. Another bead runs under my bra top and down my stomach. I let out a whine.

  “What?” Adam says, as I catch back up to him. He hadn’t noticed I stopped walking to roll up my pants.

  “It’s sweltering.” I reach up to touch a bead of moisture trickling down the side of his face. “At least I’m not the only one who’s hot.”

  “You think I’m hot?” he teases, wiping his brow. “It is pretty warm. But I love it.”

  “I know you do. It’s the same reason you love sleeping in a tent. You’re a wild caveman at heart.” I laugh, rolling up my sleeves as high as I can, then tying my t-shirt into a knot around my waist.

  “You’re going to make me go wild if you keep your shirt pulled up like that.” He reaches out and brushes his hand across a sliver of bare flesh.

  “Oh, come on. That was the worst line I’ve ever heard.” I laugh, shaking my head at him but a light blush spreads across my face thinking about how close we were just a few hours earlier.

  He shines his flashlight on me. “Hey, that’s my shirt.”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s mine now.” I smile back at him.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” he says, giving me a playful smack. “No way I’d want that sweaty thing back.”

  I see something out of the corner of my eye, near the trees that border the sandy beach.

  “Did you see that?” I ask, looking back at the suspicious palm.

  “No. You’re getting tired. Probably think you’re seeing things.” He shines the light in that direction, showing me there is nothing there.

  “I swear, I saw something. Just wait, it’s going to jump out of those bushes and attack us. And since I’m smaller, I probably won’t survive the mauling, so I’m going to tell you now that I told you so. There is something lurking. I can feel it,” I say, keeping my eyes peeled on the forest’s edge.

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone so dramatic,” he says, laughing at me.

  “Dramatic?” I huff. “Please, like I’m dramatic. Okay, well, maybe I am, but just a little.”

  Adam

  Our four-hour patrol is almost over. Everyone is dragging, looking tired, and possibly getting a little delirious. Camille is starting to see things in the trees and for the past half hour I’ve had to try and convince her that there aren’t jaguars stalking us. But she swears she saw eyes, and the concerning part is she’s actually starting to frea
k me out a little. Isaac isn’t even fazed, and he is just as peppy as he was during the day.

  “What’s that?” I hear Camille ask, pointing ahead of us.

  “Camille, I’ve already told you. There isn’t a jaguar.”

  “No, I’m serious,” she says, looking more alert. “Do you see that dark strip up there in the sand?”

  I look more closely, noticing she’s right, and as Isaac’s red light hits the strip you can see a clear line in the sand. He stops abruptly.

  “Alright, everyone. We’ve found one. Please, absolutely no light. Stay close to me and make sure you are silent. Move slowly. We don’t want to upset her,” he says, continuing on. As we get closer, the excitement in the air is palpable, and soon enough we are mere feet away from a large turtle, digging a nest.

  “Oh, wow!” Camille breathes out. “It’s huge.”

  I nod, following Isaac’s instructions to keep quiet. The turtle has dug a good-sized hole and has adjusted her body so she is resting over it. We all stand in silent shock, the realization setting in that we are about to witness a very intimate moment. After all of the eggs are laid, she uses her rear flippers to pack sand onto the top of the nest. Once the nest is covered, she uses her flippers to disguise the pit she was resting in, sending sand flying in the air in all directions. We silently watch her finish the job and then make her way slowly back to the edge of the water. As soon as she is down on the wet sand, Isaac gets out his phone to call into the sanctuary, and two workers come out with bags to help collect and move the eggs onto the sanctuary’s property.

  “I can’t believe we actually just got to see that. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. We were so close to her. I felt such a connection,” Camille says as we walk back to the research station.

  “I know. The focus they have is amazing. And, just think, all the female turtles who hatch and set out at sea will one day come back to this exact beach to nest their eggs,” I say, smiling. “There aren’t many words to describe such an interaction with an animal. It’s like a mutual understanding is formed. Everything you thought you knew about how animals think and feel and act is wiped away. It’s those moments I live for. Feeling so connected to the earth and being completely present within those moments. I’ve gotten to experience a lot of things in my life so far, but I think that moment is one I will always cherish.”