I go still at Jesse’s revelation.Ex-girlfriend?Rachel ignores me as she takes a step forward, her pretty face all smiles. “So, how have you been?”I drop his hand which has been curled around mine since the moment she interrupted us. I don’t miss the flicker of annoyance in his face at that. Before I can say anything, however, he grabs my hand again, this time holding tight. “Good,” Jesse’s voice is terse. “What are you doing back here? I thought you left the school.”Rachel shrugs, flipping her long hair over her shoulder in a move that should not be as attractive as she makes it. “I’m back. As an assistant counselor.”Assistant counselor?That’s when I notice the t-shirt she’s wearing. It’s similar to the ones all the counselors at this camp wear.Jesse gives her a wary look. “Why, though? You hated this place.”Rachel’s smile is slow and meaningful. “Well, not all of it. You look good, Jesse.”I’m not an idiot. The way her eyes run over Jesse makes me bristle. “What

“My name is Rachel Adkins,” Rachel begins, her long red hair tied up in a high ponytail. She’s wearing the counselor t-shirt which, along with her jeans, is clinging to her frame, enough so that most of the boys are practically drooling.It makes sense because she’s around our age while the other counselors are much older.“I’m an Assistant Counselor and like some of you, I’ve just recently rejoined Mistfall Wilderness Camp! Since we’re all so close in age, you can call me Rachel.” Her voice is cheerful and sweet, and I can see some of the students begin to relax as she continues, “I’ll be taking the endurance classes. I would like to know a little bit about-“Immediately, Abigail’s hand shoots up and Rachel’s gaze rests on her. “Yes?”Abigail puffs up her chest, inflated with some strange self-confidence. “My name is Abigail Warner.”Rachel blinks, “Ah, okay.”When Abigail doesn’t get the response she so clearly desired – whatever it may have been – she continues, “I thought we

Classes aren’t getting easier on any of us but with the increased security, the students from the other islands don’t really hang around much after their meals. Back when I was a Level One, I would see different students hanging out in between classes and it was hard not to run into random people on the Level One island. But now, after the mess closes for cleaning, the students are sent back to their respective islands. That is one of the reasons why I had to sneak out just to meet Jesse in the first place.But ever since my run in with him two days ago, I haven’t seen him and I have deliberately been going late to the mess so that I don’t run into him. Jesse is the first guy I’ve been interested in, or at least allowed myself to be interested in. He makes me smile and he seems to understand me. Or at least I thought he did. But the fact is that he not only didn’t deny spending the whole night out with Rachel, but the first thing in his head when I told him what Rachel said to me

The underground tunnels connect the islands and are the only way to access them without detection, from the outside. Till a few weeks ago, I was under the impression that the connection to the mainland was broken off or something. However, when two ex-counselors, Annabelle and Regan, managed to sneak some people into the tunnels, I realized that it might not have been the case then. Now, I know for sure that the entrance from the mainland has been blocked off. Not that it matters. Any desire that I had to explore the tunnels is long gone.Unfortunately, other students don’t share the same sentiment which is why every student is assigned guard duty twice a month to check the tunnels under their respective island. Since the Level Zero and Level One islands are quite close, I’ve explored both their tunnels to an extent. I follow Veronica down the chute into the tunnels.I bump into her just as I’m about to jump down and both our flashlights slip from our hands, rolling onto the gr

Beth’s hands are gentle as she reapplies the ointment to my fingers and then bandages them. My healing is a sporadic thing. Sometimes, an injury heals within seconds. On other days, I heal slower than an average human. My broken nails and skin are taking longer than usual to heal. On top of that, I’ve unofficially ended things with Jesse so I feel low. “Here,” Beth brings out some chicken drumsticks, “Quill sneaked these away for you.”I don’t have much of an appetite. “I still can’t believe they were willing to leave me down there like that,” I murmur.Beth glances at me. “You can’t? I’m not surprised.”When I look at her, she’s putting away the ointment she borrowed from the infirmary.“You never expect cruelty from people,” she says, softly. “But it’s always there, a streak of it, hidden inside. People like Veronica and Rachel seem to be the kind to get everything they set their sights on. And they’d be willing to destroy anyone who gets in their way.”“It’s not like you