“Be as fast as you can.” Over his shoulder, he yelled, “We’re waiting, A-team!”
Lilly and Alyssa strolled out of cabin 27, both pulling on jackets.
“I should get a jacket, too,” Tori said. If she could go to her cabin while the rest of them waited here, perhaps she could climb out the window, slip into the forest, and make her way to the main camp. Could she trust any of the staff to help her?
Before she turned to leave, Jesse took off his jacket and tossed it to her. “Here, use mine. We’re already late.” He motioned her to follow. Reluctantly, she did. The group headed down the trail that led to the field.
The colors of the forest had faded to shades of gray, but she could still see the outline of each tree. Their leaves made a jigsaw of silhouettes against the dark sky. As they went, Jesse stayed beside Tori. “The first competition is a race to the Easter grounds. The top four
people score: forty points for first place, thirty for second, twenty for third, and ten for fourth. If you push someone down, your team gets negative ten points—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, so be careful. Rosa and Bess aren’t here yet, so Team Magnus is at a disadvantage. We’ve only got Shang, you, and me. The A-team has Dirk, Kody, Lilly, and Alyssa. We need to get at least two scores for every game.” He glanced at her shoes, then let his gaze drift to her legs. “How are you at running?”
“I can hold my own,” Tori said, “when I haven’t already been running.”
He raised an eyebrow like he wasn’t sure whether to believe her. “I guess we’ll see. I’m one of the fastest, so I’ll try for the forty points. If Shang can pull third or fourth, we’ll be in good shape. Once we hit the trailhead, the race starts. Try to keep up with us. If you can’t, we’ll see you at the top.”
Tori let out a breath of relief. They wouldn’t be guarding her on the way up.
They walked past the first building, the larger one. When they went by the second building, she held her breath and listened, waiting to hear the tha-thump from inside. But nothing filtered through the night air except the sound of their footsteps and the crickets in the forest.
She could have imagined it earlier, but knew she hadn’t. Whatever had been in the building was gone now. Or perhaps not gone, just waiting for them someplace else. Like the Easter grounds.
They reached the trailhead. Tori could make out the shapes of rocks, bushes, and individual tree limbs. What was it about this place that made everything glow with a dim light of its own?
Dirk yelled, “Go!” and the group took off. Jesse and Dirk sprinted ahead, shoulder to shoulder, all legs and muscle. Somehow, they made running look effortless. The others followed en masse, going too quickly for a three-mile run. Tori’s pace was only a slow jog.
“Come on,” Kody said, straggling behind to talk to her. “I know you’re a mite faster than that. If you’re last, Lilly’s going to rub it in.”
Tori didn’t increase her speed. “I’ll deal with the shame somehow.”
Kody stayed beside her for probably a mile, encouraging her—telling her it wasn’t that far, just a “hoot and a holler away.” Any other time she would have appreciated his cheerfulness. Any other time she would have asked him exactly what a hoot and a holler was. But now she wondered about his motives. She remembered a dog catcher she’d seen once, coaxing a stray to come to him with a piece of bacon in one hand while he held a wire noose in the other. The dog catcher had spoken in that same lilting, cheerful voice.
So Tori spoke back to Kody in out-of-breath spurts, even though she wasn’t breathless yet. She kept glancing at the forest, looking both for a place to hide and anything that might jump out. The trees seemed to be watching, standing guard along the path with arms that reached out for her.
At last Kody gave up his pep talks. He said Dirk and Jesse were probably
Lilly and Alyssa strolled out of cabin 27, both pulling on jackets.
“I should get a jacket, too,” Tori said. If she could go to her cabin while the rest of them waited here, perhaps she could climb out the window, slip into the forest, and make her way to the main camp. Could she trust any of the staff to help her?
Before she turned to leave, Jesse took off his jacket and tossed it to her. “Here, use mine. We’re already late.” He motioned her to follow. Reluctantly, she did. The group headed down the trail that led to the field.
The colors of the forest had faded to shades of gray, but she could still see the outline of each tree. Their leaves made a jigsaw of silhouettes against the dark sky. As they went, Jesse stayed beside Tori. “The first competition is a race to the Easter grounds. The top four
people score: forty points for first place, thirty for second, twenty for third, and ten for fourth. If you push someone down, your team gets negative ten points—but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, so be careful. Rosa and Bess aren’t here yet, so Team Magnus is at a disadvantage. We’ve only got Shang, you, and me. The A-team has Dirk, Kody, Lilly, and Alyssa. We need to get at least two scores for every game.” He glanced at her shoes, then let his gaze drift to her legs. “How are you at running?”
“I can hold my own,” Tori said, “when I haven’t already been running.”
He raised an eyebrow like he wasn’t sure whether to believe her. “I guess we’ll see. I’m one of the fastest, so I’ll try for the forty points. If Shang can pull third or fourth, we’ll be in good shape. Once we hit the trailhead, the race starts. Try to keep up with us. If you can’t, we’ll see you at the top.”
Tori let out a breath of relief. They wouldn’t be guarding her on the way up.
They walked past the first building, the larger one. When they went by the second building, she held her breath and listened, waiting to hear the tha-thump from inside. But nothing filtered through the night air except the sound of their footsteps and the crickets in the forest.
She could have imagined it earlier, but knew she hadn’t. Whatever had been in the building was gone now. Or perhaps not gone, just waiting for them someplace else. Like the Easter grounds.
They reached the trailhead. Tori could make out the shapes of rocks, bushes, and individual tree limbs. What was it about this place that made everything glow with a dim light of its own?
Dirk yelled, “Go!” and the group took off. Jesse and Dirk sprinted ahead, shoulder to shoulder, all legs and muscle. Somehow, they made running look effortless. The others followed en masse, going too quickly for a three-mile run. Tori’s pace was only a slow jog.
“Come on,” Kody said, straggling behind to talk to her. “I know you’re a mite faster than that. If you’re last, Lilly’s going to rub it in.”
Tori didn’t increase her speed. “I’ll deal with the shame somehow.”
Kody stayed beside her for probably a mile, encouraging her—telling her it wasn’t that far, just a “hoot and a holler away.” Any other time she would have appreciated his cheerfulness. Any other time she would have asked him exactly what a hoot and a holler was. But now she wondered about his motives. She remembered a dog catcher she’d seen once, coaxing a stray to come to him with a piece of bacon in one hand while he held a wire noose in the other. The dog catcher had spoken in that same lilting, cheerful voice.
So Tori spoke back to Kody in out-of-breath spurts, even though she wasn’t breathless yet. She kept glancing at the forest, looking both for a place to hide and anything that might jump out. The trees seemed to be watching, standing guard along the path with arms that reached out for her.
At last Kody gave up his pep talks. He said Dirk and Jesse were probably
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