Chapter 11

**** Alyssa ****

Tonight the pack is throwing a huge end-of-school bonfire party by the lake, about a five-minute walk from the pack house. I hadn’t seen any of the pack lands yet as I barely left my room. I knew it was here of course, you can see the incredible lake from the pack house. I’d wanted to sneak down here and cool off in the sparkling waters since the pool was apparently off-limits.

I follow the trickle of people headed down toward the lake, escorted by Jamie — obviously. Even though it’s already 7 pm, it’s still light outside. The sun is slowly sinking behind the lake and the sky is just starting to set ablaze with fiery colors, especially with the columns of smoke from the bonfires. It’s a warm summer night, the bonfires were to provide entertainment and ambiance, not heat.

One of the two bonfires is attended mostly by families, and the other mostly by young adults. Smart thinking, that way the families and younger kids still got to celebrate without as much exposure