He walked up to the car and said hello to everyone. All of the girls seemed to
know him well. He looked at Kate and smiled. He introduced himself and put his
hand in the car towards her to shake. She took it and said hel lo. They made
small talk for a minute, and then he went back to his car and they all started
off. They headed for the highway and 93 North.  It only took an hour to clear
Massachusetts and enter New Hampshire, the time passed quickly as the girls told
her about the lake, the caribou they had seen, the privacy, and th e beer Mike
was going to get. They explained to her that this weekend she was a guest, but if
she passed the test and became part of the group she would have to chip in for
the beer and food like the others. Kate told the m that only seemed fair and she
would never complain about chipping in, hoping that they would tell her more
about the test....but nobody mentioned it again. In no time they crossed the
Maine border and continued on the l ong ride to Baxter State Park.   About an
hour into Maine Mike stopped at a roadside McDonald's, they went through the
drive-thru line to save time as everyone wanted to get there as soon as possible.
 The only delay was when Caroline ran up to Mikes window while they were in line,
checking directions Kate thought.

Shortly after they left McDonald's dusk started to settle in, Kate watched the
sun drop behind the mountains in the West and began to notice how much more
isolated it was up here.  The towns grew further and further apart and the
traffic on the road became lighter and lighter.  As they passed through one small
town, Mike pulled them into a motel parking lot, and they decided to stop here
for the night. As the guys got out of the car, Kate realized that she only really
knew one of them, and he gave her the creeps. His name was Jack, and she had him
in one of her classes. He was overweight and pimply, and was one of thos e guys
who stared. Mike and Caroline each got a room, and the girls and guys all piled
in accordingly laying sleeping bags on the floor. Kate tried to find out more
about the test, but none of the girls would say much. The next morning they set
off again, but after about twenty minutes Kate noticed that Mike's right hand
blinker was on.  She hoped nothing was wrong with his car, as they were over
halfway there according to Caroline.  S he sat up and peered ahead trying to
determine why he was pulling over into the rest area.  Caroline pulled in behind
Mike as he jumped from his car. They all trotted to the men's room. The five
girls climbed out of the car to stretch their legs. None of them had to go, and
soon the guys were back out. "Okay, let's load up." Caroline nodded and started
back to the drivers door. She turned to Kate and casually said, "Kate, you ride
with the boys for the rest of the way." Surprised.  Kate stopped in her tracks,
looked about nervously. She was about to ask why when Caroline came around and
pulled her to one side. "Its time for you to begin the test now Kate," Caroline
said suddenly seriously.  "From here on out, you have to do exactly as you're
told." Kate looked into the older girl's eyes for a sign of what this might mean,
what she might have to do, but couldn't find one. "What will I have to do?" Kate
asked, feeling a rush of adrenaline in her stomach. "Nothing that we ALL haven't
had to do." Caroline replied.  "It's not so bad." She looked Kate in the eye.
Kate looked over to the car where the guys were standing waiting, and started to
feel a little scared. How bad could it be?  Caroline noticed her apprehension.
"If you don't want to go," Caroline continued curtly, "let us know now and we'll
drop you in Bangor and put you on a bus." Her head spinning Kate thought for a
second and realized that if she went back there would be all kinds of questions
from her parents that she didn't want to answer.  Plus she knew that going home
now, would be end of he r hanging around with these kids, her friends, and
besides they had all passed, they were just trying to scare her. She turned to
Caroline and said "What would make you think that I would even consider going
back." "Good girl.  We'll see you at the campsite." Caroline opened the trunk and
pulled out Kate's bag and walked it over to Mike, who took it and put it in the
truck of his car. Caroline winked at her as she walked back to the other girls.
Kate walked around the passenger side and climbed in the door that a guy she
vaguely knew as Tom was holding open for her.  As if she wasn't nervous enough,
the smile on his face made her feel even worse. Sliding to wards the middle, she
saw the creepy Jack Wilcox. . She also noticed another guy from school whose name
she didn't know in the front seat. She avoided any contact with Jack who was
sitting just behind drivers seat and she made her body even smaller when Tom
climbed in next to her. "OK everybody we're ready to go" said Mike as he closed
the door. He turned the key and started the car.  Kate listened to the idle. Mike
turned to the back seat "Kate before we go....please take of your shoes." "What?"
she replied, not sure she'd heard right. "Kate, until you pass the test,  you
don't get to ask questions. Your shoes, or, the bus!" Kate felt her face flush
with embarrassment, and started to look around at the other guys before realizing
that that only made it worse. She slowly leaned forward and began to untie her
left sneaker. "No," Mike stopped her.  "Put your foot up on the edge of the
seat." Kate was momentarily stunned. She pulled her foot up on the edge of the
seat.  She looked up and noticed that she had the rapt attention of all four
guys. It really gave her the creeps. "Gently loosen the knot." Slowly, she undid
her shoe and then eased it off of her foot. Mike held out his hand for it. She
started to feel a bit dizzy as she undid the other shoe. "Socks too, Kate" Kate
hesitated and then stripped off  her right sock, then her left, and passed them
to Mike.  She instinctively stuck her feet under the seat in front of her.  Four
sets of eyes stared at her, and then broke into nervou s smiles. "OK.  Everyone. 
We're off."

Embarrassed, but relieved  Kate leaned back in the seat.  Not wanting to have
even the most incidental contact with the boys sitting on either side of her, she
did everything she could to make herself smaller. As Mik e pulled back on the
highway and headed North, she hunched her shoulders forward to make her breasts
look as small as possible. The boys continued to talk about the trip, the need 
to get firewood as soon as they got there, the beer, how much the beer cost, and
most importantly would they have enough. They never acknowledged her again. It
was as if she didn't even exist.   She leaned back and closed her eyes trying to
make the trip go faster. It was strange she thought,  if anyone of these kids
stopped by her house when she was barefoot it wouldn't have bothered her a bit.
So why was she so embarrassed about Mike taking her shoes?  Perhaps it was
because tha t they took them?  That she had no choice! That had to be it. She
nestled into the seat and tried to doze off, while at the

same time not moving any nearer to the boys. At first she thought that it was
nerves, but quickly realized that she had to go to the bathroom.  How was she
going to handle this? Would they just ignore her and let her go in her pants? 
No.  Mike would never let someone do that in his nice car.  She would just hold
on.  They would have to go again as well and she could tough it out. Sure enough,
not long afterwards, Tom leaned forward and said, "Mike, how about a piss stop?"
"OK.  It's all that coffee. I'm due myself." Putting on his blinker Mike waited
until the directional on Caroline's car came on as well then he pulled over to
the side of the road.  This wasn't a rest area.  It was the middle of the forest.
 As Kate wrestled wi th how she should handle this the boys jumped out and barely
walked a few feet and started to piss.  Looking over her shoulder she saw
Caroline and the other girls heading for the woods. She climbed out of the car as
the boys were finishing and had their backs to her.  She opened the front door
and reached for her sneakers when she heard Mike shout      "What are you doing?"
"Getting my sneakers" "No sneakers.  You didn't ask for them, so you'll have to
do without." He looked at his watch.  "You've got thirty seconds." "I can't go in
thirty seconds" "Maybe you could have if you went in the front of the car with us
" he said smiling. Not even considering the alternative Kate headed for the
woods. Carefully watching where she put her feet she picked her way through the
bushes until she had some privacy. Quickly pulling down her jeans and panties she
relieved herself. Jumping when she realized that she couldn't keep her balance
and her feet dry at the same time.  Finished she realized that she had nothing to
wipe he rself with and closing her eyes grabbed a fistful of leaves ....and
prayed it wasn't poison ivy.  Quickly and carefully she pulled her clothing back
on and worked her way back to the car. When she came out of the woods Mike was
waiting there staring at his watch.      "Five minutes, Kate. That's not good
enough. She looked around and suddenly noticed that Caroline's car was gone.  She
looked aga, who had a smug smile.  She looked at the other guys. They suddenly
all seemed very nervous and were looking at the ground. "They've already gone
ahead," said Mike. "They know where to meet us." For the first time, Kate began
to feel really scared.  Now she was alone with four guys. "We'll deal with your
lateness later," he said.  "Let's get going." As she approached the car door, Tom
again held it open for her. Again he smiled at her in a way the made her tingle
with apprehension as she slid into the seat. Again Mike started the car, and
again he waited a moment. Suddenly, Kate began to fear he was going to ask for
another piece of her clothing.  Instead, he motioned to the guy in the front
seat. "Where's the thing from the motel?" he asked.  The guy in the front seat
opened the glove compartment and handed something to Mike, who turned around in
his seat to face her. "Put this on," he said, handing her something. Kate looked
down to see one of those big blindfolds that people who sleep during the day use
in hotels.  She just stared at it.

For a moment, there was no sound except the idle of the car.