Stephanie Johnson:

"We should probably cross the river here," I muttered. Having created a map of the camp in the dirt, we were supposed to be planning our escape. "That way if they have dogs, they'll lose our scent."

"We can follow the river and that will lead us to a town." Santiago sat next to Park across from me, the latter seeming really uncomfortable.

"You okay, Park?" He nodded, though I couldn't see his eyes through his hair. I glanced at my split ends curiously. I need a haircut.

"I can't wait to go home!" My brother had seemed to brighten up since our planning, making me smile.

"Don't jinx it." Park had barely whispered it, but it echoed around us. What if this all goes terribly wrong?

Both Park and Santiago nodded in agreement. So it was decided then, we would leave during lunch the next day...hopefully.

...

My dreams were filled with all the worst-case scenarios.

Over and over I watched as Park fell, blood oozing from his back.

Over and over I heard Santiago's screams of pain.

Over and over I felt fire shooting through my chest.

I woke up to Santiago hovering over me, his brows uncharacteristically knit with concern.

"You okay? You were crying." Only then did I realize my face was wet.

"I'm good."

Thunk.

I whipped towards the sound to find Park frantically shoving leaves out of the way, before snatching whatever he had dropped. Shaking my head, I turned towards my own pile of stuff to pack. There was no way I could get away dragging my duffel bag through the camp, so instead, I started stuffing my jacket pockets. I hastily shoved a roll of twenties into my jeans, hoping no one noticed. To think I was planning on buying camp souvenirs.

Tension filled my every step throughout the day. The stares had only intensified, no doubt planning to target us later tonight. As I sat down at the table to wait for the others, my skin crawling as goosebumps became apparent on the pale backdrop. Quietly Park placed an apple in front of me before beginning to peel an orange. I looked at him curiously.

"You're pale." Raising an eyebrow, I gave the apple back.

"Clearly you didn't notice that I'm white." He shrugged before tying his hair back. How the fuck did his hair grow that fast? I had occasionally helped Santiago trim his hair with my knife but it looked like a mess. Park had obviously opted for the alternative. As if reading my mind Santiago had appeared and ruffled Park's hair, earning a light slap. Before long they were bantering as if they were old friends.

Times like this made me forget where I was. Smiles and laughter were a clever disguise for the blood on our hands. Blood. I carefully placed my hands in my lap to hide the shaking.

"Hey." Startled, I looked up to see...Jason. I glanced over to Park, who remained indifferent.

"What?" My voice broke halfway through as I flushed with embarrassment.

"Heard you had a run-in with our lovely Keith." Jason wasn't looking at me. Park shifted in his seat.

"...literally," Park muttered. Without thinking, I looked at his arm, even though the tallies were covered.

"I hope you've put more thought into your decision." Jason flashed a grin before winking and walking away.

"What was that?" I raised an eyebrow, even Santiago looked at Park curiously.

"Don't worry about it." That's definitely a reason to worry. Carefully, he placed Trigger's card in my hand, signaling the beginning of our escape. Park snagged the uneaten apple off the table before walking out of the room, nearly crashing into a girl sitting with her friend. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jason smirk. Ignore it. After a few minutes, Santiago and I followed, preparing to put on a little skit if needed. Quietly, I dropped my bracelet into an open backpack nearby before covering my arm with my sleeve.

"Holy shit you guys are slow." Park had been waiting for us outside, arms crossed.

"Shut up," I snapped before we made our way to the gate. I'm so glad I actually participated in those athletic classes.

"Hey." My heart dropped. To our side was a guard, radio in hand.

Thwack.

Suddenly Santiago was on the ground, Park's fist extended.

"Fuck off dumbass. She's mine."

I looked at him in shock, before glancing at the guard.

"You know there's probably a better time for this, but carry on." The man smirked before turning back. Santiago and Park continued their staged fight as we slowly moved out of the guard's sight.

"Sorry." Park gestured to Santiago's slowly swelling cheek.

"It's all good." I looked at Park curiously.

"Don't worry, you're not my type." Park grinned before patting me on the back.

We approached the gate, which was a lot less secured than I expected. Park messed around with the computer at the entrance before the gate made a faint click.

"Guess those support classes ended up helping." I chuckled, recalling the boy's irritation with having to take additional classes. Pushing the gate open ever so slightly we filed out before taking off at full speed. We ran and ran, to the point my lungs had begun to burn. I turned back, to see the gate nowhere in sight.

"Hell yeah, freedom!" Santiago nearly shouted, his scared exterior slowly fading away to reveal the irritating grin I hadn't seen in months.

"Fucking finally." Even Park seemed brighter, his back straightening as we crossed the river.

The three of us continued along, trying to stay hidden among the trees while following the trail from a distance. Slowly the sky began to darken and I could sense the exhaustion radiating off of my brother.

"Let's stop here," Park suggested. I nodded in agreement, immediately plopping to the ground in what felt like a puddle of sweat. We gathered together, smiling at our accomplishment.

"Hey," Park's voice came from my left, so I rolled over onto my side. He was fidgeting, nails digging into the skin. "I have to, er, tell you something," his voice wavered. Fear clouded my mind, something's not right.

"I'm sorry, I'm-,"

CRASH.

Suddenly we were surrounded. I stood, knives in hand.

Bang.

Pain shot through my shoulder as I fell. My eyes stung with tears. From my right, Santiago let out a grunt, trying to fight off his own attackers. I was fucking right. I saw Park reaching for his machete on the ground. Filled with anger, I kicked it away.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" I screamed, my throat raw. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him. I looked to Park, who stood apart, eyes widening as tears began to fall. He too was roughly grabbed by guards as he tried to run to Santiago.

"I hate you!" Park hung his head, Santiago's words seeming to shoot him down. His captors were all that was holding him up. Serves him right.

I struggled against the body behind me, stabbing the air. Suddenly the weight was gone, and in its place was Santiago. He yanked me up before pushing me away.

"FUCKING RUN!" Without looking back I took off, tears flowing down my face. How could he? I heard Santiago scream in pain but couldn't bring myself to look back. I ran, adrenaline coursing through my veins. A sharp sting in my side revealed some sort of dart. Only then did I look back to see my attacker. The stature suggesting a young woman, no doubt only a few years older than myself. Taking the opportunity, I flung myself at her, digging my knife into her chest. She choked, but I dug deeper, waiting for her to stop moving completely. I sprinted away, Park's face and Santiago's screams ringing through my head.

I'll never forgive you.