by Kieran Scott
For a long moment he held her gaze, and Callie’s heart tripped. She found, to her surprise, that she couldn’t look away. His eyes were so blue in contrast with his dark hair, and the irises had much darker blue lines through them. She’d never seen eyes like that before.
“The survival school was called Camp Outback,” he said in a low voice. “You should tell your little boyfriend to try it. It might turn him into a man.”
“He’s not my boyfriend anymore,” Callie heard herself say.
And Ted slowly smiled.
“You guys?” Penelope said, looking past Callie’s shoulder.
Callie whirled around. Jeremy was standing right behind her and Ted. She hadn’t even heard him walk up. Suddenly she realized what he was seeing—her and Ted sitting side by side, Ted’s face hovering so close to hers. Her heart pounded like she’d just been caught cheating.
But she hadn’t been cheating. And besides, she and Jeremy weren’t together anymore.
“What’s the matter?” Jeremy spat, glaring at Ted. “Two girls aren’t enough for you?”
“Uh-oh, Ted. Don’t anger Science Boy,” Lissa teased. “He’s going to sic the entire Galactic Empire on you now.”
Jeremy shook his head and took off up the trail. Callie jumped to her feet and jogged after him.
“Jeremy, wait up!” she called, reaching for his arm.
He stopped and turned so abruptly that Callie collided with him.
“What was that, Callie?” Jeremy demanded as Callie staggered back, feeling stung.
“Nothing! He was just … telling me about survival camp,” she sputtered.
“Yeah. Did he have to be all up in your face to do it?” he demanded. “And call me less than a man in the process? Who does he think he is?”
“Jeremy—”
“And Lissa!” he interjected. “I could kill Lissa!”
“Jeremy, calm down,” Callie said, her heart hammering.
“Calm down? Are you serious? Calm down?” He brought his fists to his temples and paced back and forth. “You’re flirting with him! Don’t even try to deny it this time.”
Callie’s stomach burned. “We broke up, remember?”
“Less than twenty-four hours ago! And it’s not like I really wanted to. But you …” He paused and heaved a breath. “How heartless are you? All three of you. I bet none of you would even mind if I disappeared right now.”
A breeze rustled the trees and Callie saw something move. She turned, letting out a gasp, and saw a shadow disappear behind a thick tree trunk. This time she saw the brim of a baseball cap and, as clear as day, the bulbous hump of a backpack.
“Someone is definitely out there,” she said to Jeremy, the certainty of it shaking her to the core.
“What? Not this again,” Jeremy said bitingly. “There was someone out there—the guy you’re busy cozying up to.”
“No. He broke Ted’s trap,” she whispered, nearly desperate with terror. “He’s still messing with us, Jeremy.”
“Callie, come on. You’re just trying to change the subject.”
She groaned. “Jeremy. Listen to me. How do you explain the laughing and the knife and the—”
“Ted. All Ted. He was following us the whole time until he finally decided to make an appearance!” Jeremy shot back. “He could have made those dolls himself and left them there while we were sleeping to freak us out.”
“But the flash across the pond couldn’t have been Ted,” Callie whispered furtively. “And the person I heard creeping around the camp last night? Ted was asleep. And someone is out there now, Jeremy. I know it.”
“Callie—”
“Fine. You’re so sure there’s no one watching us? Why don’t you just go take a look?”
Callie set her jaw, her arms tight across her chest. Jeremy gazed off into the trees. Suddenly, half a dozen birds startled from the underbrush, cawing and swirling their way into the canopy overhead. Callie saw his Adam’s apple bob. He was as freaked as she was.
“Forget it. I’m not going to indulge your little distraction tactic,” he said.
Callie narrowed her eyes. “Then I’m going back.” She started down the hill, her steps shaky.
“Go ahead,” he replied. “But you should know that you’re not only embarrassing me by throwing yourself at that guy, you’re embarrassing yourself.”
An angry heat climbed up the back of Callie’s neck. She turned to Jeremy, fuming. “You know what? Don’t bother coming near me again.”
“Fine by me,” he shouted.
And she didn’t look back to see if he followed her.
It was a very interesting day. He finally stood up for himself. That was tantalizing. I loved watching him and his twit of a girlfriend fight. Dissension is so much more intriguing than harmony. I feel a thrill whenever someone so much as raises their voice, so that argument in the woods … it was a high, I must tell you, and I knew the moment was nearing. I could feel it. I had done a good job so far of keeping myself in check, of holding back, of controlling my … urges. But it wouldn’t hold much longer. The fighting only made the craving that much worse. I needed a release.
But after that scene on the trail, I started to rethink my plan. He could still be worth something to me. Perhaps he wouldn’t be the first to go after all.
“I just don’t understand why we stopped here,” Jeremy said that evening.
Callie sat back against the wide trunk of a towering tree, her book open in her lap, though her concentration was so broken she’d read the same line at least fifteen times. She watched Jeremy shove one of his tent rods into its sleeve. The sun had just dipped below the trees, bathing the world in a pinkish glow.
“We stopped here because I happen to know that there’s not another suitable spot to camp for five more miles, and it was starting to get dark,” Ted said through his teeth. He dropped a rock into the circle he was making for the fire pit. It clacked loudly like an exclamation point and threw up a spark.
“Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot. You know everything,” Jeremy said drily.
Callie pressed her lips together. It wasn’t just the many gnarled roots that made this spot less than ideal. The area was also way too tight for five people. Especially with everyone snapping at one another.
Lissa rummaged around inside the girls’ tent while Penelope sat against another tree, rubbing her temples with both hands.
“I never said I know everything,” Ted grumbled.
“Maybe not, but you imply it every time you open your mouth,” Jeremy replied, yanking at the zipper on his tent.
Penelope dropped her hands. “He does have a point, Ted. Maybe you should—”
“Nobody asked you to chime in,” Ted snapped at her. “Why don’t you just sit there and look pretty? The men are having a chat.”
Callie wanted to speak up, to tell Ted he was being a ridiculous chauvinist, but Lissa beat her to it.
“What did you just say?” she demanded, emerging from the tent. She had a battered New York Yankees cap pulled low over her forehead.
“Oh, so suddenly I am a man? What changed your mind? Realized you were totally outnumbered?” Jeremy asked bitterly.
“You can’t talk that way,” Lissa said snidely, squaring off with Ted.
“I was just kidding!” Ted said, throwing his arms out. “God! Take a joke!”
“I don’t even know why we need a fire.” Lissa walked over and kicked a rock into the center of the circle. “It’s not like we have anything to cook.”
“And that’s my fault?” Ted snapped.
“She didn’t say that,” Penelope barked, the heel of her hand pressing into her forehead.
“Guys!” Callie shouted at the top of her lungs, standing so quickly her book hit the ground. “Stop!” She was so pent up with anger, fear, hunger, and exhaustion, she could hardly see straight.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“This situation is bad enough without all of us fighting over stupid things,�
� she said.
“You’re the one who wanted to trust this guy, Cal,” Jeremy said. “Don’t look at me.”
“Hey! I didn’t have to help you guys,” Ted spat.
“No one asked you to!” Jeremy shot back, his face growing red.
“That’s it!” Callie shouted. “Forget the fire. I say we break up the Snickers bar five ways and everyone turns in for the night. The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we wake up and get moving again. Deal?”
No one said a word. Callie shook from the exertion of taking charge, but she also felt kind of proud of herself—especially when no one protested. Penelope pushed herself up unsteadily and walked past Callie. She fished the Snickers out of her bag and handed it to Lissa. The sight of the chocolate made Callie’s stomach rumble. Lissa held out an open palm to Ted and he handed her his knife. Glancing around in the rapidly waning light, Lissa’s eyes settled on Callie’s book, lying forgotten in the dirt. Lissa walked over to it, crouched down, and used the back as a cutting board.
“Hey!” Callie protested.
“Got any better ideas?” Lissa asked, lopping off the end of the bar. Callie was amazed at how comfortable Lissa seemed wielding that big knife.
“Here.” Lissa walked over to Ted and slapped a piece of chocolate into his hand, then passed the knife back to him. She gave Jeremy his share, then turned to the girls. “Ladies? Let’s eat.”
She led the way to the tent and crawled inside. Callie looked over at Jeremy, but he simply slipped inside his own tent, resolutely zipping the door closed behind him. Not even a quick “good night.”
“So that’s it?” Ted asked as Callie and Penelope followed Lissa. “No fire, no stories, no nothing?”
“Sorry, Ted,” Penelope said, her posture slumped. “You’ll have to entertain yourself tonight.”
She glanced at Callie as she said this, and Callie’s pulse fluttered. Clearly Jeremy wasn’t the only one who thought Ted and Callie had been flirting earlier. Was Pen mad at her? When this trip was over, was she going to have a single friend left?
“You are so boring,” Ted sighed.
Lissa stuck her head out of the tent. “You want me to take your share back? Because I will. Don’t be such a jerk.”
For the first time since they had met him, Ted looked momentarily unsure of himself. He clearly didn’t like the fact that Lissa was putting him in his place. Then he set his jaw and the swagger returned.
“Take it,” he said, and chucked the one-inch square of chocolate at her. Luckily, Lissa was a born athlete and her reflexes kicked in fast enough to catch it. “I don’t need any help from you.”
Then he turned around and walked into the woods on his own. No flashlight, no matches, no nothing. The girls watched him go, mute and still, as the darkness descended around them.
Callie waited for Ted to reappear, but he didn’t. What was with these guys and the dramatic exits? Overhead, two black birds chased each other from tree to tree, but something about the way their wings moved didn’t seem right. When Callie squinted, she realized they weren’t birds, but bats. Her whole body shuddered.
“Do you think he’s coming back?” Penelope said finally.
“Who cares?” Callie said in a moment of bravado, knowing full well that if he didn’t come back, they were in very serious trouble.
“Yeah. We don’t need him,” Lissa said, and held out his piece of chocolate between her thumb and forefinger. “And we’ve got extra Snickers!”
Callie managed a wan smile, but then the bats took flight again and she ducked inside the tent, accidentally kicking Lissa in the shin.
“Ow!” Lissa protested.
“Sorry,” Callie said as Penelope joined them inside.
“Whatever. I have so many bruises at this point I can’t remember where half of them came from.”
Lissa rubbed her shin as they sat in a circle at the center of the tent, knee to knee to knee, holding their chocolate. Caramel oozed out onto Callie’s palm, and her mouth watered. They were finally going to eat the Snickers. If they didn’t get to Ted’s cabin tomorrow, there was no telling when they’d see real food again.
“Ready?” Lissa said finally.
“Ready,” Callie and Penelope said.
Lissa tossed her whole piece into her mouth. Penelope took a very small bite. Callie bit off half, and the second the chocolate touched her tongue she wanted to die. She’d never tasted anything better in her life. She chewed it slowly, then ate the second piece, feeling sad and thirsty as it went down.
“Oh, shoot.”
Callie opened her eyes. Pen had dropped what was left of her portion on her leg. She picked it up and ate it, then swiped at the chocolate stain on her shorts.
“Great. Now I have to change.”
“We’re all dirty. Can’t you just deal?” Lissa asked, holding up her hand to show them the dirt caked beneath her short, polish-free nails. Most attempts at cleanliness had gone out the window two days ago.
“I can sleep in dirt and sweat, but I’m not gonna sleep with food on me,” Penelope said. “What if some wild animal smells it?”
“Yeah. We should wash that out,” Callie said.
She grabbed a water bottle from Lissa’s bag and dabbed some onto the chocolate stain while Pen changed into cotton sweat shorts. Once Callie had rubbed the spot mostly clean, Penelope took her shorts and hung them outside on a hook next to the tent’s door. Then they settled in again and Lissa held Ted’s piece of Snickers out in her flat palm, over the polyester of Callie’s sleeping bag.
“What do we do with it?” Penelope asked, fiddling with her bracelets. Her face looked thinner somehow—sunken—as if she hadn’t eaten a thing in weeks. In the dim gray light of the tent, Callie saw that there were purple splotches under her eyes.
“You can have it if you want,” Callie offered, though her stomach pinched as she said it.
“No. No. We’ll split it,” Penelope said.
“You can’t split a piece of chocolate that small into thirds. It’ll just fall apart.” Lissa leaned forward. “I say we each take a bite. Pass it around.”
“I don’t want your germs,” Penelope said, scrunching her nose.
“Whatever. We’re gonna die out here anyway. Might as well live on the edge,” Callie said, feeling reckless. She plucked the chocolate square from Lissa’s hand and took a bite.
Lissa and Penelope both cracked up laughing.
“This trip has turned you dark,” Lissa said, patting Callie on the shoulder. “I like it.”
Callie shrugged, then handed the remainder of the bar to Penelope. She took a bite and handed the end to Lissa, who inspected it, her eyes narrowed.
“Hogs,” she joked. Then she popped the last bit into her mouth.
Callie laughed and leaned back on her hands. Penelope winced, as if suddenly hit with a new wave of pain, but she didn’t say anything. She and Lissa both looked as perfect as ever, just slightly more dirty—their hair darkened with sweat and grime. There was a scrape on Lissa’s right arm and purple bruises dotted her legs, but otherwise, she was still Lissa. And Pen was still Pen, graceful as a ballerina. Callie wondered how she looked, then decided not to care.
This was what this trip was supposed to be about. At least, this was how Callie had imagined it. She and her two best friends hanging out, bonding, sharing chocolate bars and jokes and secrets and stories. She hadn’t expected the fighting and hunger, the fear and uncertainty. She hoped that when it was over, this was the moment she’d remember. Not her fights with Jeremy or Ted snapping the birds’ necks or the shadows in the woods.
“What?” Penelope asked, her eyes wary. “Why’re you looking at us like that?”
“Nothing. It’s stupid.” Callie dusted off her hands.
“Tell us!” Lissa said.
Callie felt warm all over and scratched at a bug bite on her elbow. “Just … I like this. Us. Hanging out. Do you realize that the three of us have barely been alone together this whole time? I me
an, except when we’re asleep.”
Or when you’re asleep while I tremble with terror, she amended silently.
“Well, you had to go and bring Science Boy,” Lissa said, stretching her arms over her head.
“Lissa,” Penelope chided.
“Sorry. No. You’re right.” Lissa let her arms drop. “Science Boy is not the issue. I mean, yeah, Ted has been a nice distraction for some of us …”
Penelope winced again.
“Pen? Are you okay?” Callie asked.
Penelope drew in a deep breath. “Sorry. Yeah. It’s just that this headache doesn’t want to go away. I should have brought more Tylenol with me, but oh well.”
She squeezed her eyes like she was trying to squash the pain, then opened her eyes. They wavered for a second before focusing on Lissa. “Sorry, I’m good. What were you saying, Lis?”
“Just that Ted obviously doesn’t compare to you guys,” Lissa finished. “No offense, Pen.”
“No, it’s okay,” Penelope said, her bottom lip wobbling a little. “I might have been slightly wrong about him. He was so obnoxious out there just now.”
Lissa nodded. “So like I said before—let’s not let the guys … either one of them … get between us. Let’s not let them ruin this trip for us. What’s left of it, anyway. Deal?”
“Deal,” Callie said.
Penelope smiled, blinking away the tears in her eyes. “Deal.”
Lissa turned and crawled into her sleeping bag. Outside, the sky had gone so dark that it was hard to see inside the tent, and Callie and Penelope bumped elbows and shoulders a few times, giggling as they slipped into their own bags. When Callie finally laid her head down, she was surprised by how tired she felt. As she started to doze off, she realized she was smiling. Deep inside she felt a tentative hope springing to life.
Tomorrow they would be at Ted’s cabin. Tomorrow she would shower and eat real food. She’d call her dad and he’d come get her. She’d get to see her mom, at last. Tomorrow she would walk out of this with her friends, knowing their relationship was stronger than ever.
