The next morning, they made us get up at the crack of dawn. I should have taken my chances with the fence.
We ate breakfast and then took a hike, which wasn’t that bad. I was adventurous, so I enjoyed the trek. Siya pointed out cool indigenous plants and trees. He knew this place like the back of his hand.
What I didn’t enjoy was all the socialising the others were doing.
In the afternoon, we had a chilled supper, telling each other what we’d seen on the hike.
I found Siya during dessert.
“I’m brave enough to admit when someone is right,” I told him. “I’m glad you made me stay.”
“From what I hear about you, no one can make you do anything,” he grinned.
“That is true,” I said. “But thanks anyway.”
Maybe my school holidays wouldn’t be ruined after all. Then something struck me.
“By the way,” I started. “What did you hear about me?”
He smiled. “Whenever parents send their kids’ applications though, we assess them based on the motivation. And I remember yours stood out.”
I couldn’t, for the life of me, imagine what my parents must have written.
“Did they say I’m a problem child?” I guessed. “That I’m always causing trouble? Or maybe that they’re fed up with me and they sent me here so they wouldn’t have to spend the holidays with me?”
My eyes teared. You will not cry! I scolded myself. Especially not in front of this guy.
“No,” he answered simply. “It said that you were a good kid who needed some guidance.”
“Wow.” I couldn’t believe it.
“On the other hand,” he continued, “it did also say that your hobbies included challenging authority and shaking things up.”
I laughed. “Yup, that’s more like it.”
***
It was midnight on day 6 and I couldn’t sleep. Deciding to go check if I could score some warm milk from the kitchen, I tiptoed out of my room.
This place had grown on me in the past few days I’d been here. Each day was packed with team-building and trust activities that I didn’t completely hate.
It was pitch dark outside, but I wasn’t afraid to roam around at midnight. After all, it was a secure camp with army-level barricades. But as I walked the distance to the kitchen, everything seemed to move in the shadows, and I felt as if something was watching me.
“Hello? Is anybody out there?”
No answer.
I shook the feeling off, thinking I was being silly — until I saw something that made me rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t delusional.
What looked like a giant woolly creature was padding along the outside of the fence. For all I knew, it could have been a strange-looking bear. I stepped closer, but a twig snapped under my shoe. The creature turned to me, eyes glowing with ferocity.
Within seconds, he howled and sprinted away. What the hell? I went back to bed and pulled the covers as high as they could go.
***
The next day at breakfast, I overheard someone saying they had heard strange sounds the previous night.
“I wouldn’t know,” Maya interrupted, “my roommate snores so loud, I can’t hear anything else.”
Everyone laughed at me.
Angry with Maya, I didn’t even realise that I was getting up when Joel sat me back down.
“She’s not worth it,” he said to me.
“Listen to your friend.” Dave, one of the guides, strutted up to us. “Violence is never the answer.”
Dave seemed like a good guy. Everyone loved him. I remembered Kasper telling us he was new this season and to go easy on him.
Tell us: What do you think Violet saw in the night?