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Olivia’s hand shot up. “It’s a dial used for navigation and direction,” she answered. She remembered the definition from her guide.

“And what are those directions?”

“North, south, east, west.” Blaze yawned. Olivia jabbed him in the stomach midyawn and he gasped. Lightning quick, he snatched her finger and dragged it up to his nostril as if he were going to pick his nose with her finger.

“Ew.” She snatched her hand away and he laughed.

“Kids, over here,” Mr.Whitman hollered. “Pay attention. Watch this.” He filled his plastic cup with lake water and dropped in a bay leaf he’d pulled from his pocket. “Your turn.”

They filled their cups and he gave them each a leaf.

“Now for the fun part.” He gave them each a sewing needle. “Rub one end of the needle up and down on your shirt one hundred times.”

“Whaaat?” Lucas frowned at his needle.

“One hundred times. Let’s count out loud.”

After a round of funny looks, they did. They rubbed and counted.

“Drop the needle on the midvein of your leaf.” He demonstrated, then waited for them to do the same. “What do you notice?”

“My leaf floats,” Tyler said.

“They all do, dork.” Blaze rolled his eyes with a snort.

“True. What else?”

Olivia frowned and looked at everyone’s cups of dirty water. Their leaves pointed in the same direction. She recalled something she’d read in her survival guide and gasped. They’d just magnetized their needles. “They’re pointing north.”

“Exactly.” Mr.Whitman high-fived Olivia and she beamed.

“Smarty.” Blaze elbowed her.

Olivia smiled, her insides warming. She looked shyly at her floating leaf. It looked like a canoe and she imagined she and Blaze rowing across the lake this afternoon.

“If this end of the leaf is north and this south, in which direction is the cabin?”

“West,” Lucas said.

“Close. Blaze?”

“Southwest.”

“Right, son. Remember that, kids. If you’re hiking the trails across the street like we’re doing and get lost, make a compass. Walk southwest and you’re bound to reach the cabin, or close to it. Save your needle, leaf, and cup, but dump out the water. Let’s go hike.”

Lucas smacked the base of Tyler’s cup. The cup flew from Tyler’s hand and water splashed his face.

“Lucas,” Tyler yelled. He searched the ground. “I can’t find my needle,” he whined.

“Don’t be a baby. Take mine. I don’t want it.”

Tyler pocketed Lucas’s needle and leaf.

“You’re going to need those later today, Luc.”

He blew his lips, making a raspberry noise, and leaned on Olivia’s shoulder. “Nah, I’ll just follow you.”

“Love you, Luc, but you’re on your own.” She pushed him off. After reading her survival guide, she couldn’t wait to get started.