**Suwi's POV**

I walk out of the meeting with a whirlwind of emotions and remorse. But not for myself, for everyone else. It made me realise that there are so many sad people in this world, all in desperate need of a hug.

But as soon as I leave the room, all of that feeling is gone and my priorities switch to sleep and food.

My original plan was to head back to the boys' cabin for a nap, but on my way there, my eyes fall on two people.

Sebastian is standing and holding out a flower to her, whispering something with that smile of his. My heart sinks into my stomach, and I edge closer, straining to hear what she'll do. Will she ignore my warning, or will she respect this stranger enough to deny him?

I tuck myself behind a nearby tree, only a few metres away, and eavesdrop. She eventually accepts the flower, and the pit in my stomach deepens. The voice in my head screams at me to leave, but my legs refuse to budge until I hear the last part of the conversation.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind knocks the breath out of me, and I know I have to get out of there. I hide behind the tree, tiptoeing away slowly, hoping not to get caught. Guilt and shame flood my stomach where the discomfort used to be. The moment I heard Tate mention my name, I knew that it was game over.

Sebastian's voice rings in my ears, "My what?" That's my cue.

I pick up the pace, but before I can make a clean getaway, his eyes lock onto me. He calls out, "Suw!"

Obviously terrified of facing the consequences of my actions, I speed up, pretending I didn't hear him. His calls grow more urgent, and so do my strides.

There's one thing I hadn't factored in, though.

I hear the shift of his shoes against the ground, and I take off running. As always, it doesn't take long for him to catch up.

He gently pulls me to face him. "No more running," he says, pausing to catch his breath. A long breath. What did he expect? I'm a champion runner.

While he's distracted, I try to dart away, but he grabs my shirt with one hand, pulling me back and nearly choking me in the process.

He straightens up, his eyes irritated but controlled. "We need to talk," he says firmly.

I look away, tugging my shirt free from his grip, gasping. "Alright, no need to kill me in the process."

He snickers, motioning for me to follow. "I'm going to ask you something and I meed you to be honest with me."

"Okay.."

"Why does Tate think you're my girlfriend?"

I huff, kicking invisible rocks. "How should I know? I don't live in her head."

"is that so? Because when I asked her, she seemed pretty sure-"

"Look, it's not my fault your night owl is insecure. She's probably making assumptionsbased on the amount if time we spend together."

"I'm 100% certain some of her 'insecurities' are not self induced." He frowns, his eyes narrowing, and suddenly I feel offended.

"See, this is what I mean. You're always blaming me for things that aren't my fault."

"Oh, really? Okay then it shouldn't be hard for you to prove me wrong. Tell her in my presence that nothing is going on between us."

I scoff loudly. "Gladly. I will never pass up a chance to prove you wrong."

He smiles, satisfied. "Great. Lead the way." He's testing me, and I've fallen right into his trap.

He waits for me to walk ahead, likely to make sure I won't try running off again. Tate is, unfortunately, still by the fire when we get there. "Does this girl have nothing better to do?" I mutter under my breath.

Our eyes meet, and she immediately stands up, her embarrassment meeting my frown. She starts, "Su... Suwi, I-"

I cut her off. "Just stop." Her lips press together as I turn to glance at Seb, who's burning holes into the back of my head with his glare. I sigh, mumbling, "Can we just get this over with? I've got a hot dream guy waiting for me."

Sebastian rolls his eyes and steps closer to us. Tate stands awkwardly in the middle, like a child caught with contraband sweets. Seb places a hand on her shoulder, offering her an encouraging smile, and she relaxes slightly, a small smile creeping onto her face.

My stomach churns, and I fight the urge to vomit. "Oh, just fuck already," I say, deadpan. Her mouth falls open, and Sebastian looks at me like he's ready to disown me.

"Could you just say what I brought you here for?" he says, turning back to her, his voice softening. "There's been a misunderstanding, and I brought her to clear it up."

She begins, "You don't have to-"

Just then, an idea strikes me, and I start smiling like a maniac. "I insist," I say softly, with a hint of cynicism.

Sebastian adds, "Go on, explain to her our relationship." Poor boy has no idea what's coming.

I step closer to her, my breathing steady as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She breathes nervously, making this all the more satisfying. "Our relationship is simple. That guy over there means a lot to me, and we've been through a lot-"

He cuts in, "Stick to the point."

"As you can see, he's very territorial. Cute, isn't he-"

"Suwi..." he warns, his voice low.

I let out a defeated breath. "Fine, fine. Let's get this over with before someone, bites my head off." I take a step back and turn to wink at him. But he's anything but amused, but I'm not ready to give up yet. "Sebastian... and... I... are," I drag out the words, watching his breaths grow heavier.

"Suwi, I swear to God-"

"Dating," I finish with a proud smile.

He relaxes for a second. "See, now was that so hard to say......" But then my words sink in, and the panic sets in. He turns to Tate, wide-eyed and stuttering, "No, no, no, not true!" Then, he turns back to me, repeating, "I didn't bring you here to lie!"

I fake a pout. "Teddy, are you that ashamed of me? Tell me, what can I do to make you love me again?" I reach out to stroke his cheek, but he quickly smacks my hand away, and I bite the insides of my cheeks, fighting back a smile.

He spins around to defend himself, but Tate is gone.

A chill runs down my spine as I mumble, "Did she just disappear? Teddy, you need a serious cleanse. You're starting to attract witches now." He doesn't share my amusement. "Don't frown so hard, you'll start getting wrinkles."

"Kanshi, problem yako nicha(what is your problem)?" he snaps.

"Tapali(nothing)," I reply carelessly.

"Then what was that back there?"

"Oh, that?" I chuckle. "Remember that Saturday morning when I asked you for money to braid my hair, and you said no even after you promised that you would? Forcing me to sacrifice my snack money instead."

"That's what this is about?" he shouts, defeated. "I was trying to teach you to be financially responsible."

"I didn't need your help. I'm already responsible."

"You spent a thousand on snacks-"

"That were for a month!"

"But they somehow disappeared in a week."

"Hey, that's not fair! I was having a rough week."

"Your favourite character dying is neither a great example of a 'rough week' nor is it valid justification for the gummy bear genocide you committed."

"Hey! Sandy meant a lot to me."

"Then explain the five hundred you spent on another snackfest two days later."

"I was celebrating his reincarnation."

He lets out a frustrated breath and starts walking away. "Typical."

I chase after him, shouting, "Are you seriously mad at me for ruining that sad fest you two call flirting?"

"If you have nothing important to say, then say nothing at all."

"See, you're deflecting. So, you are angry?"

He spins around, and I nearly slam into him. "Yes, Suwi, I'm angry. Happy now?"

"I see no reason to be-" He scoffs. "You should be thanking me. I just saved you from another heartbreak."

"We both know you're the last person who should be lecturing me about that."

A pang of betrayal hits me instantly. "Well.....I'd rather be single than look like an idiot. You would never find me begging someone to like me. Especially not someone like her."

His eyes darken. "Don't talk about her like that. You don't know her."

"Neither do you!" I snap. "Yet somehow, she's got you wrapped around her finger. Have you learned nothing from your situationship with Willow, or Cassy, or Jane, Trinity? How many more do you need to go through to realise they aren't Rita?"

As her name slips out, a wave of guilt hits me. He tenses up and the guilt deepens. If I could take it back, I would. But it's exactly what he needs to hear.

He bites the inside of his lip, holding back from saying something he would regret. "Suwi, go sleep," he mutters through gritted teeth, pushing open his cabin door.

Before he can slam it, I whisper, "You can't make up for not saving her..."

The door slams shut, but I don't move. "Problem with you is that you like it when people delela you!"

The sting of a tear trailing down my face, signals that it's my time to leave. Lord knows I'm only doing this to save him from himself.

Defeated and drained, I trudge back to my cabin, not caring about the snake or anything else lurking in the dark. I nudge the door open and I'm greeted by the low chatter of Hayden and Willow, who are doing their skincare routines. Tate, thankfully, is half-asleep, or at least pretending to be.

I quickly shower, change into my pyjamas, brush my teeth, and slip into bed. I wear my stolen earpods and drift off to the sound of the ocean.

*******

The next morning goes according to schedule. I get ready and have some breakfast, and head straight to the morning meeting.

It's only day three, but it already feels like day ninety.

Tate and Sebastian are the first to meet. I watch from afar as they awkwardly greet each other.

As I walk further into the room, Sebastian and I lock eyes. His gaze still carries the weight of last night's anger. When I take the seat adjacent to his, he immediately gets up and moves to the opposite side of the room. Everyone notices that something's off, but no one dares to ask.

To break the tension, Willow starts the meeting in her usual high spirits, explaining that today we'll be bonding by heading into the forest for a 'cleansing and bonding ceremony.'

We're to be broken into groups, each given clues to find a specific ingredient. Once everything is gathered, Willow will blend the items together and do whatever she's going to do with the random herbs.

Andre is the first to speak up. "I have no complaints. I'm down to get high."

Willow explains, "I promise you, no one is getting high. This is about letting go and allowing nature to absorb all our bad energies so we feel lighter."

"Got it. Code word for we're getting high," he repeats.

Willow sighs and moves on, making sure we all understand the plan. Once done, she hands out papers to be posted on the notice board with the team assignments, announcing that we'll meet by the flagpole in an hour to finalise everything.

As we disband, I call out to Sebastian, but he shuts me down instantly, not even sparing me a glance.

And just like that, the day drags on.

An hour later, we all gather by the flagpole, people scattered everywhere in different coloured shirts to signify their groups. I pick up the last red shirt and slip it on.

I begin scouting my teammates-two guys I don't know, and the other... well, I wish I didn't.

Tate stands in the corner, nervously playing with the hem of her shirt. So much for a normal day.

From the corner of my eye, I catch Seb watching us both with a similar expression. He walks over, takes off his shirt, and shoves it into my hands. "Take off your shirt. Let's switch."

I roll my eyes, muttering, "Good morning, Suwi, how are you? Sorry for being an arse last night." He doesn't even bother replying, his face a perfect mask of indifference.

"Let's not start," he mumbles, tugging at the corner of my shirt.

I sigh, saying, "Okay, okay, at least buy me dinner first," as I start to pull my shirt up, but Willow stops me, yanking it back down.

"No switching teams," she says firmly.

"Don't look at me, I was just minding my business until this angry bird came and harassed me," I retort.

He shoots me a side-eye but then turns to Willow, his frown replaced with a smile and a more playful look. "Suwi's exaggerating. I simply suggested we switch teams, and she agreed."

Willow continues, "I picked these teams carefully, based on both character and skill. Switching would mess things up."

The voice in my head mutters, "Would it, though?"

Word's clearly got around that Seb's pursuing another girl. Normally, Willow would scare them off, but with Tate, it's too late.

I'm guessing that her backup plan, based on what I have observed is to create as much distance between them as possible while she tries to win back Seb's favour

Seb tries to argue, but Willow stands her ground, giving him some spiel about how staying on her team will be like old times and about how much fun their going to have.

I block close my mouth and block my ears to stop myself from gagging, though I make sure to fake one loud enough for her to hear.

Willow tugs at his arm, but he looks at Tate and then back at me once more.

"Don't worry, Teddy, she'll be fine. I promise I won't eat her," I tease.

Willow gives me a fake smile, and tugs at his arm, eventually pulling him away, whispering something in his ear.

Then she turned back to look at me in a way that showed that she only tolerated me. A feeling we mutually shared.

I walk over to my group and try to talk strategy, but it's pointless. As soon as the bell rings, everyone bolts into the forest in different directions, and I soon find myself standing alone at the entrance.

"I hate people," I mumble under my breath before reluctantly joining the rest.

At first, I try looking for my group, but after wasting two hours, I give up and decide to search on my own. All I need is one stupid ingredient, and I can get out of here.

Somehow, I end up deep in the forest with no one in sight. My overthinking kicks in as the air grows colder, sending chills up my legs. It feels like I'm being watched.

I try to shake it off, and for a moment, it works-until the bushes behind me rustle.

I run. Not because I'm scared, but because there's no way I'm throwing away my life over some voodoo plant.

The rustling gets louder, and my heart races as I stumble through the trees. "Fuck this!" I mutter, darting into a small clearing.

Surrounded by towering pines, I finally stop.

For a moment, everything goes quiet. Too quiet. I bend over, trying to catch my breath, but the rustling starts again, creeping up on me. My pulse quickens, and I grab a rock, holding it out in front of me like a shield. "Please don't be a bear...anything but a bear."

As the rustling gets closer, I tighten my grip on the rock. When the sound reaches me, I turn away, toss the rock at it, and dart in the opposite direction.

"What the-" Tate starts.

I stop in my tracks. "God nevermind, I choose the bear," I reply, disinterested.

"Hold your excitement, please, it's too much," she replies sarcastically.

I roll my eyes. "Why are you following me?"

"First of all, I am not following you." She pauses. "I found this plant a while back and thought I'd let you know so we could head back. But now I wish I'd just left before getting lost."

I let out a slight laugh. "Are you implying this is my fault?"

Tate turns away, her voice calm as ever. "I'm leaving."

"Yeah, good luck with that," I mutter, falling into step behind her.

We walk in tense silence as the sunlight slips away, leaving the forest draped in dark shadows. The further we go, the more the sky deepens into hues of orange and purple. My irritation grows with every step.

"Great," she mutters after a while, glancing up at the dimming sky. "Now we're even more lost."

I sigh. "This is just brilliant."

The only sounds are the rustling leaves beneath our feet and Tate stepping on every twig in existence. It's as if she has no sense of direction.

At first, I gave her the benefit of the doubt for Teddy's sake, but the more time I spend around her, the more I believe he's attracted to toxic things.

Just when I think things can't get worse, I hear something-quiet, but unmistakable. A soft hiss.

"Watch where you step, Tate, you might summon something."

Her blood runs cold, and she freezes. "That's not me."

"That's not funny," I snap.

"It wasn't supposed to be." Her eyes dart forward, and there it is, slithering across the ground-the same snake from this morning. My breath catches as it slithers closer. I step back instinctively, barely able to whisper, 'That thing's still alive?'"

"Just stay still," Tate mutters. Seconds stretch into what feels like hours.

My muscles scream from staying frozen. My frustration boils over. "You know, if I die here, I'm blaming you," I mumble.

Tate smirks, still watching the snake. "What's new?"

Before I can retort, the snake stops and locks eyes with us. My heart lurches into my throat. Then it starts moving towards us. "Okay, plan's not working!" I shout, and suddenly, we're both running as the snake slithers behind us.

Branches whip at my face, but we don't stop until we're far enough away. "Great plan," I pant, leaning against a tree. "With the way it looked at us, that thing must be a human."

Tate glances at me, looking more apologetic than smug this time. "I'm sorry," she says quietly.

I nod, feeling a little bad. "It's okay, it's not like you asked the snake to attack us."

"Yeah," she mumbles softly.

"I don't hate you, if that's what you're thinking." I blurt it out. Staring off into the sky, I continue, "And I'm not dating Sebastian, by the way." I glance at her, but she looks away. "Just the thought of it is... gross."

She shrugs. "I honestly wouldn't have guessed. You two seem 'close.'"

I cut in gently. "Long story short, Sebastian and I have known each other for a long time." I pause, tracing patterns on the rock beneath me as I stare into the trees. "Since I was five. Our parents were friends. He's like a brother to me; we practically grew up together."

Tate shifts beside me, listening quietly. I exhale, the words coming out slowly. "My parents had my siblings late. It was just the three of us-me, him, and Carlos, his older brother. Carlos is busy with his own life now, so for the most part, it was just me and Sebastian against the world. Along the way, something messy happened, and they moved in with us." I can feel Tate's eyes on me, but I keep my gaze on the trees. Then I change the subject. "Moral of the story: give the guy a chance. For reasons known only to him, he seems to like you. No offence."

"Much offence taken, but I get your point." We share a short laugh.

"I stand by it," I reply. "I wasn't taught to love, but my idiot cousin sadly was. So please, if you have no intention of pursuing whatever's going on between you two, be honest with him. Because when it all goes down, you won't be the one left dealing with it-I will. And when he's sad, I'm mad, and when I'm mad, there's no peace for anyone."

I flash her a smile, and she nods nervously. "I think we should head back now," she says, clearing her throat.

I nod and stand up, hearing another scrunching sound as I do. I sigh and close my eyes. "Okay, Mr or Mrs Snake, if you're going to kill me, just get it over with. I'm tired of the foreplay." I open my eyes and spot something strange. "What the...?" I crouch down, picking up an empty packet of crisps. "Who leaves food like this?"

Tate peers over my shoulder. "What?"

"Close your eyes, it's an absolute disgrace," I mutter, shaking my head. But there's more-crumbs scattered along a trail. We follow the trail of crisps, and after what feels like forever, the familiar glow of the campfire flickers through the trees.

A crowd of people gathers around it, and as soon as they see us, Hayden rushes over, throwing her arms around Tate.

I watch them, feeling a little jealous. As the eldest, I was always the comforter, never the comforted. But I shake it off.

I glance around, searching, but I don't see him. A hollow feeling creeps into my stomach. Figures. I hold up an imaginary glass and toast, "Cheers to another tragic love story." I turn away, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Before I can slip off into the shadows, I'm yanked back-straight into a firm, familiar embrace. The scent of pine and mint wraps around me, and suddenly, I relax. "I'm guessing this your version of an apology?" I whisper.

Sebastian's arms tighten around me. "Ifyabupuva, where were you? I was worried sick!"

I pull back just enough to glare at him. "I got lost."

"How? This place isn't that big."

"I'm just going to say that there is a reason why I failed geography."

He chuckles. "Remind me to buy you a bell." He pauses, then changes the topic. "How did you make it back, anyway?"

"You'll never guess. Some idiot opened multiple packets of crisps and just threw them on the ground for the wildlife to partake in. Look, I'm not one to judge, but whoever it was is definitely going to hell."

"Well, how else was I supposed to get you back?" he defends.

I break from his hug as the realisation hits. "You're the devil that was sent to tempt me?"

He grins, unapologetic. "It worked, didn't it?"

He reaches for me, but I smack his hand away. "You're unbelievable. Don't talk to me ever again." He chuckles, ruffling my hair. His gaze briefly shifts to Tate and then back to me. I sigh.

"You know, I wouldn't have been mad if you went to her first," I say, half-joking.

He tilts his head, his smile fading slightly. "For a really smart person, you say the dumbest shit sometimes." He pauses, and I roll my eyes. "How many times do I have to say it? You," he meets my gaze, "are my first priority."

My stomach flips slightly, and I look away to hide my smile.

He continues, "You hear that, baby sister? I love you."

"And... you just killed the moment," I frown.

"What? I thought that's what you wanted," he teases, chasing after me and planting a kiss on my forehead.

I rub it off dramatically, pretending to gag. "I've disowned you. Leave me alone." I turn to walk away.

He chases after me, calling, "Not before you say 'I love you' back!"

I speed up, pretending not to know him, but he follows with a smug grin. I rush to my cabin, shutting the door behind me, thinking he'll give up. But no, the idiot continues shouting through the door.

"God, I'm sorry for asking for an older sibling. I was young and naive. I promise never to make such requests again if you fix this."

Breaking me out of ny thoughts, he suddenly shouts from the other side of the door. "Ha! You forgot to lock your window!"

"Please," I beg as he pushes through the small window, singing sibling love songs.

A small smile tugs at my lips. I'll let him be happy for now.

But later, when he's at his highest, I'll reveal that he did indeed pay for my hair and snacks with the card he 'all of a sudden' found a week ago.