Aurora stepped off the bus, throwing her red hair over her shoulder. "Did you see what was posted on the gossip TikTok yesterday?" 

"No," Celeste replied, jumping onto the ground. "What was it?" 

"Apparently, Esme and Darrell are having an affair," Aurora told her best friend. 

"Shut up," Celeste's mouth dropped open. "Isn't Esme dating Quinn?" 

"Exactly," Aurora deadpanned. 

"Girls!" Mr. Hyde, the monitor for their bus, shouted at the pair. "You're holding up everyone else!" 

"Yeah, girls," Jason teased, getting off the bus. "Come on. We gotta find our cabins in this stupid camp." 

"You know you're not with us, right?" Aurora said. 

"Minor inconvenience," he replied. "Come on, ladies." 

~>♡<~

Cora walked around the camp, hand-in-hand with Isabel. Isabel looked slightly overwhelmed by the touch and Cora quite literally hopping from foot to foot while dragging her along. 

"I'm so psyched," the blonde girl was practically bursting with excitement. "Just look at this place!" 

The sound of waves hugging the shore in a gentle embrace was certainly comforting. Cora's gaze followed the the dazzling sunlight reflecting on the lake, giving it a divine aura. Across the water lay a plethora of wooden cabins, all adorned with string lights and wild flowers. Log seats surrounded an unlit bonfire in the middle of the campsite. 

"They have a lake, too," Aiden shouted from behind, running to catch up with the girls. He winked. "Make sure I see you in that bikini, eh, ladies?" 

Isabel rolled her eyes. Cora just made an exasperated yet amused face and shook her head. 

"Have you seen James?" Cora asked. 

"He's hauling his bass over to our cabin," Aiden replied. "I offered to help, since the case and his bag are too much and I already set up my stuff, but he won't let me touch the stupid bass, even in the case." 

"Makes sense. He doesn't let anybody touch that thing," Cora replied. 

Aiden shrugged. "I'm gonna go see what food they've got at the mess hall. What cabin are you in?" 

"16," Isabel answered. 

"James and I are Cabin 18," Aiden answered. He made finger guns. "We'll see you tonight, yeah?" 

Isabel threw a few pebbles at him. Aiden laughed. "Alright, alright. I'll see you guys." He jogged off, presumably to go flirt with someone else. 

~>♡<~

Estelle slowly pulled the top out of her bag, putting it in the chest at the foot of her bed in the cabin. She'd chosen a bottom bunk, since the ladder to the top one looked way too rickety for her to climb. 

"You settling in good?" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Cherry, who'd chosen the bunk next to hers. 

"Yeah," Estelle said quietly. Cherry was one of her friend crushes, and she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her. 

"Let me help," Cherry offered. She began unpacking with Estelle, moving her clothes and items into the chest, complimenting some of her things every now and then. 

"You're settled," Cherry grinned at Estelle. 

Just as Estelle was about to gather up her courage and suggest they grab a donut and talk or something, Peiki stepped into the room, sitting down on the bottom bunk across from Estelle's. Estelle opened her mouth to make her statement, but then Cherry smiled at Peiki and went over to her. "Hey! Do you need help unpacking?" 

Estelle sighed as Cherry began to help Peiki. There went her shot again. 

~>♡<~

Josiah sat at one of the picnic tables at the mess hall, grinning at Ausen across from him. "Mate, this is the life." 

Ausen raised his eyebrows. "Why?" 

"Free food, teachers off our backs, a three-night sleepover with you crackheads," the blond boy answered. 

"Who you callin' a crackhead?" Ausen joked back. 

"You and your boyfriend," Josiah answered without missing a beat. 

"He's not my boyfriend!" Ausen said defensively. 

"Who's not your boyfriend?" 

The boys turned. There stood a tall, blue-eyed, native Californian boy who would've looked similar to Josiah if he wasn't tanned. It was also clear he worked out. 

Ausen looked like a deer in headlights. 

"Nobody, Wyatt," Josiah said quickly. "I was messing with him." 

"Oh," Wyatt frowned. "Okay." 

He stood there in an awkward silence for a moment before he rubbed the back of his neck and said, "Well, I'll see you guys later?" 

"Yeah," Josiah said. "See ya, Wyatt." 

"Bye, Ausen. Bye, Josiah," Wyatt walked off, waving. Josiah waved back, but he scowled at the sound of his real name. 

"Mate, what was that? You're supposed to be chill around your guy," Josiah elbowed Ausen. The other boy just shook his head. 

~>♡<~

Anasi was relaxing on the top bunk, getting lost in one of her romance books. That was until the sound of knocking snapped her out of her story. She set her book down and opened the window.

Yet before Anasi could figure out where that knocking sound came from, a small rock was thrown right at her face. She instinctively ducked away.

"What the hell!?" Anasi exclaimed, looking back down at the source in confusion.

"Whoops- Sorry Ana!" Janis yelled back from below, covering her mouth to repress her laughter. She was carrying a few small pebbles in her other hand.

"Y'know you could've used the door," Anasi rolled her eyes.

"Told ya it was stupid idea," a familiar voice teased, approaching the pair.

"Hey Nora!" Anasi waved from above. Eleanor returned the gesture with a smile.

"Now," Anasi began. "What exactly was so important that you two had to practically break my window?"

"In my defense, I didn't think Jan would actually do it." Eleanor shrugged, lightly elbowing Janis as a tease.

"You gotta come check what Nora found!" Janis answered, dropping the rocks and making a beckoning motion towards Anasi.

The trio ran to a particular cabin, hidden away in the trees.

"I don't get it, what's so special about this cabin?" Anasi asked as they made it to their stop, looking around in a daze.

"It's what's inside of the cabin that's special," Eleanor smirked. "Here, I'll give you a leg up." She crouched down and cupped her hands together, gesturing for Anasi to get on.

With some support from Janis, Anasi stood on Eleanor's hands to get a better peek through the high window.

What she saw inside left her shocked. The cabin had a radio, a foosball table, shelves filled with board games and puzzles, and snacks galore.

Anasi was beaming, announcing what they were all thinking with a gasp. "We gotta get in there!"

Eleanor raised Anasi up further, helping her push the window further and carefully sneak in. Once she had entered the room, she helped the others do the same.

The girls rushed towards the many games and snacks. They held a foosball competition, with Eleanor being the winner in the end. After that, they played a couple of card and board games to pass the time. When the group felt bored, Janis made them all really good mocktails, serving some snacks along side them.

"How did you learn how to make these anyways?" Anasi asked before taking a sip of her drink.

"Remember when I played that role as a waitress in the school play a few years back?" Janis asked, to which both of the girls nodded.

"Well, I did some method acting before my audition," she answered with a smirk.

Before the group could finish their drinks, they heard the sound of dangling keys attempting to open the door.

The group scrambled to hide their evidence. Eleanor grabbed all of the drinks and begrudgingly poured them all down the drain as fast as humanly possible. Janis and Anasi both began rapidly placing all of the games back on the shelves.

By the time the door opened, the trio had all found a hiding spot. Eleanor was behind the couch, covering her mouth to not alert Mr. Hyde of her presence. Meanwhile, Janis and Anasi broke into a small storage room, thanks to Anasi's almost suspiciously good pick locking skills.

The pair both stood on either side of the small room, being careful not to touch any of the various trinkets and papers placed in the shelves. There was only a dim light in the room.

Any time an object threatened to fall, their fear grew. One novelty fell as Janis accidentally bumped into the rickety shelves, but Anasi caught it. She chose to keep it in her hand instead of to putting it back in fear of making more noise.

She analyzed the object. It appeared to be an old newspaper. She titled her head to the side curiously as she read the ominous headline in bold text.

After hearing a few echoing footsteps, a thump of the group assumed to be his luggage and the sound of a door closing, the group waited a moment or so before quietly escaping their hiding spots.

Janis and Eleanor both shared a look of relief while Anasi stood, transfixed, clutching the paper in her hands from fear.

Her eyes bore into the paper, re-reading that headline in disbelief.

Mysterious Event Causes Hundreds of Staff & Campers To Go Missing

~>♡<~

Isaiah checked the schedule of camp activities. "Itinerary," they called it. He skimmed it until he found something that interested him. Trivia night.

Somebody chuckled next to him. The ginger boy turned to see Meenakshi, his supposed "academic rival." It was a rumor started by some idiot on a TikTok account, and now everyone was convinced he and Meenakshi had a long-standing rivalry.

He tried to sneak away, but the girl saw him.

"Yo, Isaiah!" Meenakshi called out to him. "See you at trivia night when I kick your ass!"

Isaiah rolled his blue eyes, one of the few things he shared with his twin sister. "As if. You're hardly even on my level."

"Please," Meenakshi answered. "You're just mad I don't even need to try."

Isaiah walked off. She wasn't worth his time.

~>♡<~

Fynnleigh stood at the shore of the lake, admiring the water. She hoped the monitors would be slacking during curfew, so she'd get a nice swim under the moon. She hated darkness, but the lamps dotting the shore looked like they would be sufficient. 

"What's wrong? You moping again?"

Fynnleigh groaned. Unfortunately, she knew that voice all too well. She turned to see Grayson standing there, smirking at her. 

"Just go away," Fynnleigh said, not in the mood for arguing, though she'd totally go at him if she wasn't feeling so peaceful. The setting sun lit up her tan skin, her brown curls looking a lighter shade.

"What's the matter? Don't have a good comeback, you bitch of a swimmer?" 

Fynnleigh took one singular step forward and put her hands on his chest, pushing him into the water. 

Grayson flailed for a moment and his head went under, then he resurfaced, spitting water. 

"Who's the bitch of a swimmer now?" she called out to him, laughing. He just glared at her as she walked off. 

Meanwhile, in the distance, Yvonne clicked the button to end recording and set her phone in her pocket, walking away. She'd been filming the entire thing. This would be juicy.

~>♡<~

Kenji was quickly scanning the titles of worn out books in the library, attempting to find a recognizable story but to no avail.

"What'cha lookin' for?" A soft voice next to him asked. 

Kenji instinctively flinched at the sound, his glasses becoming lopsided on his face as he did so. He quickly turned to face the sound, relaxing as he looked back at a familiar face. 

"Oh- hi, Brianna," Kenji answered with a half smile, adjusting his glasses again.

Brianna shot him a friendly grin. "Hey. What'cha looking for?"

"I'm not really looking for anything specific. Having a somewhat recognizable story in this supposed 'library' would be great," he shrugged, referring to the slim and tasteless options. 

Brianna giggled at the remark, nodding. "Yeah, these books are kinda," she paused for a moment to slide her finger across the spine of a nearby book, before flicking away the dust away to prove her point, "outdated." 

She glanced back at the same book. The title was now clear. Her eyes widened with curiosity before she pulled the book and its almost parasitic dust bunnies out. 

"Ohh wait- we may have spoken too soon," she said as she analyzed the book in her hand. Kenji blinked back at her, confused.

"Well- this seems like your style," she suggested, handing the book to the boy. 

Kenji's face slowly lit up as he carefully made out the faded title in between the soot: The Odyssey; the infamous Greek epic that he had practically memorized. 

Kenji thanked her for helping him find something worth reading between all these dull stories. Brianna shrugged it off, then left. Kenji sunk into a comfortable beanbag in a reading corner, opening his book and getting lost in the pages.

~>♡<~

Daphne reached for the ground, the water of the lake lapping at her fingers as she picked up the rock. It was a pretty red thing that reminded her of her birthstone. She cupped it in her hands. She didn't know what this thing sitting in her palm was- small, round, red, and smooth. But she slipped it in her pocket, cherishing the stone as she bent down to pick up another one.

(My personal apologies if this bit was short- I know nothing about astrology)

~>♡<~

Cora skipped to the clearing in the middle of the woods, admiring the sky before closing her eyes and, spreading out her arms to take it all in. Isabel made her way to the blonde's side with a sweet smile gracing her features, shaking her head in amusement.

At the other end of the clearing, James sat on a rock, with Aiden beside him. James was simultaneously holding onto his bass and attempting to fix his shirt from the back unsuccessfully. Aiden had a judgmental look plastered on his face as he argued with him.

"Dude, just let me hold the freaking bass while you fix your shirt! You look like a damn idiot," Aiden huffed.

James looked up at his best friend, staring at him like he'd just insulted his entire bloodline. "I. Would. Rather. Die." 

Aiden rolled his eyes in frustration, turning around to the girls behind him like he had eyes in the back of his head. "Can you believe this guy?"

Estelle and Cherry laughed. From far away, Josiah gazed at Cherry. This, of course, made no sense to him, oblivious as he was. Why did she captivate him so much? The poor boy had no clue. 

Daphne stepped onto the field, tuning out everyone around her. The stars aligned the previous night, telling her that she'd find something precious in a new setting. The blonde girl scanned the field full of kids, trying to find the exact meaning behind her horoscope. 

There seemed to be a trend of staring at people, because from a distance, Janis was watching Daphne- though unlike Josiah, she was much more discreet about her curious glances here and there. Eleanor, who was next to her, almost didn't notice until Janis blinked and snapped her head away. She didn't know why she was staring– she was hardly even friends with Daphne.

Grayson shook his head, spraying droplets of water everywhere like an animal. Aster wiped a drop off his face and asked, "Why are you sopping wet?"

Grayson folded his arms in annoyance. "I don't want to talk about it."

From the corner of his eye, just for a second, the boy could see Fynnleigh stick her tongue out at him.

Peiki stood beside Cora, trying to say something to make her laugh. She desperately wanted to hear her sweet laugh. Cora stood there awkwardly, rubbing her arm and looking around for someone to rescue her from the conversation. Her usual go-to, James, was standing and talking with Aster on the other end of the clearing.

Meenakshi, seeing Cora's discomfort, walked over and wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Sup, Cor! Hey, I need your opinion on something. Walk with me?"

Cora looked relieved. "Sure. Bye, Pei."

The pair walked off together.

Jason and Isaiah stood off to the side, talking. It was slightly awkward for Isaiah, who had been forced to come on this trip and wasn't too used to having friends. In spite of that, anyone could tell he still enjoyed Jason's company.

Aurora and Celeste stood right in the center of all the chaos. Aurora was showing Celeste her phone, which she'd snuck on the trip despite the rule about not bringing cellphones.

"Look here," the redheaded girl said. "The gossip TikTok is back on. It looks like the owner of the account is someone on this trip! They just posted a photo of one of the cabins!"

Celeste raised her eyebrows. "Half the school didn't come on this trip. That narrows down who it could be by, like, 50%!"

"I know!" Aurora squealed. "Girl, I'm telling you, I am on a mission. I'm going to come home from this trip knowing who this person is, you mark my words!"

"I'm marking them," Celeste replied with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Kenji had somehow nestled himself atop a tree, still engrossed in his book. At the base of that tree stood Wyatt, lost in his own thoughts. Every once in a while, Kenji would look down and nod to him, and they'd never say more than "Hey" or "'Sup." On the other side of the tree, Ausen rested the back of his head against the trunk, his sketchbook in his lap. He was trying to draw, but had zero inspiration. He couldn't get his mind off Wyatt, standing so close yet feeling so far, his blue eyes watching the chaos in the clearing.

Further in the trees, Brianna knelt on her knee, trying to beckon a cat to her. It was a small, pure white cat, with piercing blue eyes that bore into Brianna. However, a loud noise drew her closer to the edge of the trees.

"Hey, fuckers! I found shit!" Anasi ran onto the field, waving a bunch of papers in her hand.

Eleanor shot to her feet. "No! She's gonna get us exposed!"

Everyone ran towards Anasi to check out what she found. Aurora dropped her phone in the horde of people gathering to meet Anasi. Jason dragged Isaiah to go see what the ruckus was. Kenji, the poor boy, fell from his tree as Ausen and Wyatt shot off of it.

Almost everybody was gathered around Anasi now, pushing and shoving to see what was in her hands. And then Daphne knelt, picking up the hidden shiny trinket between the blades of grass.

As soon as Daphne's fingers wrapped around the crystal, it emitted a blinding white light. Daphne dropped the crystal as her hand covered her eyes, as did everyone else's. A sound like ears ringing after a loud noise followed the light, and everyone squeezed their eyes shut and held their hands over their ears. They all felt a strange sensation, like the world had blinked away.