Wild Bird

Joel, the police officer, puts Wren into a black SUV that is driven by a woman in uniform. Wren learns that she is headed to the Los Angeles airport, and when she tries to escape, she earns a stern reprimand from Joel. He reveals that she is now in his legal custody, and he is prepared to restrain her by force if necessary. With no other explanation forthcoming, Wren wonders if her parents have given her up. Her heart aches when she thinks about Mo and wonders what they must have told him about her.

Wren cries herself to sleep in the back of the car and wakes up as they reach the airport. Her head is pounding due to her hangover, and she still feels sick, but Joel only gives her water to drink. She learns that they are headed to Salt Lake City in Utah. Wren is confused, so Joel hands over her duffel bag, revealing that it contains a letter explaining the situation.

Wren opens up the letter and is furious to see that rather than being handwritten, it is typed in her mother’s favorite font. Further irritated when she sees that it begins “My Precious Baby Bird” (14), she puts the note away. Joel states that he already knows the contents of the letter; he has a copy in the file on Wren. Angry and confused, Wren finally gives in and reads the letter. It details her parents’ disappointment in her, as well as their worry about her influence on Mo. They are enrolling her in a “wilderness therapy program” (16) for eight weeks because nothing else they’ve tried has improved her behavior. As she boards the plane, Wren wonders how this plan will change anything, but Joel offers no further explanation.

Wren thinks about her mother’s letter throughout the plane ride. She is angry that her parents are writing her off because they can’t deal with her disruptions to the family dynamics. She is also relieved that her boyfriend Nico’s actions have nothing to do with her parents’ decision to send her to camp. At the Salt Lake City airport, Joel hands Wren over to a young woman named Michelle, who is dressed for the outdoors and even wears hiking boots. As soon as Joel leaves, Wren takes off running.

Wren barely makes it out the door before she is stopped and cuffed by a man named John, who is dressed like Michelle. He herds her to a car. Michelle is already in the driver’s seat, a man named Nash riding shotgun, and an 18-year-old named Dax is sitting in the back. Dax makes fun of Wren’s name, which infuriates her. John advises her to stop taking the bait, but Wren retorts that it is difficult living with her name. She scoffs at Michelle’s assertion that the name and the bird it is derived from are both beautiful.

Wren reflects on how she never hated her name or her life when she was in elementary school. However, things changed when her family moved to Los Angeles. She was in the middle of sixth grade at the time, and she had to start over at a new middle school. Her sister Annabella was pretty, smart, and outgoing, so she instantly made new friends and had no time for Wren. As a result, Wren felt both lonely and inadequate when her parents constantly compared her to her sister. A month later, she met a seventh grader named Meadow, and both girls immediately commiserated about their names. Wren was so thrilled to have found a potential friend that she did not refuse when Meadow offered her a joint, even though she felt uneasy.

The narrative returns to the present moment. Wren stews throughout the car ride, angry that she has been “kidnapped” and was unable to say goodbye to her friends. She is also furious that her phone and money have been taken away and feels a burning anger toward her entire family. The group stops at a Burger King drive-through, and the adults warn Dax and Wren to eat well, since this will be their last proper meal before they begin camping. Tired and achy, Wren eats and falls asleep in the car.

Wren wakes up when the car is half an hour away from base camp. Taking in the shrubby terrain, she realizes that she will be camping in the desert. Wren learns that after a physical examination at the clinic, she will be issued gear at the base camp and will then join a group called the Grizzly Girls. She will be the only “Rabbit,” or beginner-level camper, and she will eventually advance through a number of different levels designated as Coyote, Elk, and finally, Falcon. Wren also learns that Dax will be with the Snakes, the name for the group of participants who have been adjudicated to attend the camp.

As they drive through a shabby town to get to the clinic, Wren spies a coyote jogging alongside them on the road. Wren feels strangely winded when getting out of the car, and she is informed that it will take her a while to acclimate to the higher altitude. In the clinic, a doctor checks Wren’s vitals, but when she asks Wren about her recent drug and alcohol use, Wren denies everything. The doctor tells her that the program won’t work unless she is honest, but she doesn’t press for any further details. Wren is then asked to strip down; after she is thoroughly checked for contraband, her clothes are taken away and she is given a fresh set to wear.

Wren and Dax are taught to make packs from pieces of blue tarp, in which they must carry the camping supplies that the counselors provide. The packs are then strapped onto their backs, along with a sleeping bag and a ground pad. Michelle, Nash, and John wait as Wren and Dax make multiple attempts before finally getting the packs right. The counselors then tell Wren and Dax the rules, one of which is a ban on profanity; they explain that they want the campers to learn to communicate their feelings rather than masking them by cursing.

As Wren and Dax walk out to a pickup truck, Dax reveals that the program is actually very expensive, which shocks Wren. An extremely good-looking teenager is waiting at the wheel of the truck, but Wren’s brief joy at being seated in between him and Michelle comes to an end when Michelle reveals that Wren needs to be blindfolded the entire time. The young driver explains that campsite locations need to be kept secret.

After an hour-long ride, the car finally stops, and John and Michelle lead Wren out; they are assigned to the Grizzlies, while Nash and Dax journey on to join the Snakes. Still blindfolded, Wren is led into the field for a little while, before the blindfold is finally taken off and her pack is returned. As they all walk toward camp, John explains that they are in Paiute country and points out the different trees and plants around them. Michelle urges a tired Wren to pick up the pace, telling her that rain is expected that night and she should set up her tarp before sunset.

The narrative shifts to Wren’s recollections of an earlier time frame. She reflects that Meadow was right in her assertion that parents are gullible because they want to believe the best of their children. Shortly before winter break in sixth grade, Annabella brings up Wren’s friendship with Meadow at the dinner table, asserting that the seventh-grader is “trashy.” Wren defends Meadow fiercely but balks when her mother suggests inviting Meadow over to the house. However, Meadow is thrilled at the idea and turns up dressed properly, with no trace of her usual eyeliner. She charms Wren’s family thoroughly, and as she leaves, she says that now that Wren’s parents trust her, Wren can come over to her place and they can have “the best winter break ever!” (53).

A hot and tired Wren keeps drinking water out of one of the canteens, but Michelle warns her to ration her supply because it is meant to last a week. The second canteen that Wren has been given, which is empty, will be used to collect and purify water from local sources. Michelle also explains that until Wren advances to Coyote level by learning to do a few basic tasks, the other Grizzlies won’t be working with or interacting with her. Furthermore, until she becomes a Coyote, Wren is to count out loud the entire time she is using the outdoor latrine so that the others can be sure she isn’t trying to run away. After walking for what feels like forever, Wren finally smells smoke, and Michelle confirms that they have arrived at camp.

Camp consists of a series of blue tarps strung up between the trees and is populated by six older girls who are huddled around a campfire. They greet Wren as she arrives and then go back to their food, and Wren is introduced to two other field staff—Dvorka and Jude.

Michelle finds a spot for Wren to set up her tent. A tired and angry Wren lashes out when Michelle offers advice and pointers, and she willfully ignores everything that Michelle says. Wren finally manages to set up her tent haphazardly and climbs into her sleeping bag after eating a power bar. She sobs silently, and just as she is finally falling asleep, it begins to rain.

The tarp above Wren’s tent starts sagging with water, which soon runs off and pools around and inside Wren’s tent. Unable to see anything in the dark, a panicked Wren grabs her things and yells for help, but she gets no response. Just as she is scrambling to find her poncho and get out from underneath the fast-collapsing tent, the rain stops. She hears the other girls excitedly discussing their plans to wash their hair the next day, and when she calls out for help again, Michelle responds, asserting that Wren will “figure it out” (64). When Wren yells that this is abuse, Michelle asks her about the real source of her anger. Wren continues screaming for help, but no one else responds.

The next morning, both John and Michelle come to talk to Wren, but because she is still fuming about the previous night, she ignores them both. Michelle points out that Wren will run out of her dry rations soon; her other food supplies need to be cooked, and Wren will have to collect local water and make a fire to do this. Michelle suggests that Wren read through the handbook and approach any of the field staff for help with the tasks when she is ready.

Dvorka gives Wren an envelope to send a letter home, and Wren angrily details all the “abuse” she has been through. As she hands the letter to Dvorka, the latter reveals that everyone writes a letter complaining about camp when they first arrive; nothing comes of it, for the counselors talk to the parents and reassure them. Later, Wren is assigned to meet with Tara, the therapist, who urges Wren to begin talking about her feelings. Tara points out all the other laughing and contented campers and states that they were in the same place Wren is when they first arrived. She asserts that the only way for Wren to make progress is to deal with her feelings; if she doesn’t, she will experience a “long, miserable eight weeks” (70). Wren refuses to respond, and after Tara leaves, she wonders if any of her family and friends care about her at all.

The narrative shifts to Wren’s memories of how she met Nicholas “Nico” Simms. Early in her freshman year, she hears Nico, a senior, call out to her from his Mercedes in the school parking lot, where he is getting high. He flirts with her, and she drives off with him, getting drunk and becoming infatuated with him. Later, when Meadow learns that Nico kissed Wren, she is shocked. Nico doesn’t go out with “underclassmen,” and Meadow warns Wren that when he finds out she is only 14, he will stop seeing her. The very next day, Wren sees Nico with another girl, and when she confronts him, he reveals that he can’t be with her because she is too young. Wren breaks down crying in the bathroom and is unable to get Nico out of her head after that.

Two weeks later, Annabella warns Wren about Nico and his friend, Sam “Biggy” Biggs, asserting that they are dangerous. Wren laughs off Annabella’s concerns, telling her not to listen to gossip. Wren also knows not to trust Meadow anymore; she is the one who told Nico about Wren’s age. The only reason that Wren is still friends with Meadow at this point is because Meadow supplies Wren with free marijuana that she steals from her parents. After school, Wren meets Nico in the parking lot again, letting slip that her older sister Annabella warned her about Nico. Nico and Biggy are impressed, just as Wren hoped, and Nico asks her to ride with him in his car. She promptly hops into the car.