Nope, I was willing to bet they had eyes on every single one of the campers—if not a tracking device.
Struck by that idea, I stopped dead in my tracks and dropped my pack to the dirt. Carefully, I took each item out and inspected it. I pulled the fleece jacket on while I was at it, seeing as I was really feeling the cold, then continued my search. Sure enough, stitched into the bottom of the pack was what felt like a computer chip. I was going to bet that wasn't just a run-of-the-mill, store security tag.
Secure in the knowledge that I wasn't likely to die tonight, I repacked my bag, took another second tofinally pee,and slung the bag back over my shoulders. I kept one of the protein bars out, though, and ate it slowly while I walked.
All Matthew had said was that we were spending the night out here. No other objectives. But that seemed too easy... They must have more tests or trials planned along the way for us. Whatever. I could take it because no matter how harsh or strict these camp leaders were, they couldn't be as bad as Blake. I'd survived him so far; I couldeasilysurvive this.
"Help!" someone called out from the darkness, and I froze in my tracks. I paused there a moment, wondering if I'd imagined it, then it came again. "Help! Someone, anyone?"
I chewed my lip, anxiety twisting my stomach. The voice was coming from off the trail, somewhere to my left, but whoever it was sounded like they were in pain.
"Is someone there?" the guy called again, and I swallowed a groan of frustration. I couldn't just keep going; my stupid conscience wouldn't let me. Sure, we had tracking devices, but how long would it be before the guides came looking for missing campers? A day? More? If this guy was seriously hurt, he might not make it that long.
Shit. If this turned out to be a trap...
"Please!" the guy called again, and my mind was made up. I had to help him... even if just to adhere to my own sense of morality. How many times had I pleaded for help with Blake’s staff? Only Mary ever responded, and I would forever owe her. So, I needed to pay it forward.
As I left the trail, heading in the direction he'd called from, I deliberately broke some branches as I walked. Maybe I wouldn't find them again, but it seemed like a better-than-nothing solution to not getting totally lost. I also picked up a big stick, just in case I had to beat a potential rapist who was luring chicks into the woods.
"Where are you?" I called back, pausing to listen for his reply.
There was a small gap of silence before he replied.
"Over here," he said, sounding much closer. "Below the huge-ass tree."
I wrinkled my nose as I looked around. Theyalllooked like huge-ass trees to me. But I supposed one was a bit bigger than the rest, so that was the direction I headed.
Sure enough, lying in the bracken at the base of the tree, one of the other campers—I guessed, based on his pack—clutched his leg in an awkward position.
"Hey," he said as I stopped a short distance away. "I'm, uh, I think my ankle is broken."
I looked around the area carefully, checking for... I didn't even know what. A big net to fall over me when I took the bait? How the fuck would I even know what kind of traps this messed-up camp might set? Nonetheless, I couldn't see anyone else around or... anything. So I took another couple of steps closer.
"What happened?" I asked the guy in a quiet voice. If he was about to tell me he'd been attacked by another camper like in some kind of dystopian, fight-to-the-death style competition... Well, what was I really going to do about it? Hide, probably. I didn't stand a damn chance as the only girl—and a weak one at that.
He gave me a lopsided smile and jerked his head to the tree above him. "I climbed that, trying to find the trail after those bastard guides left us all alone, and I got lost."
I peered up at the tree, then back at the guy clutching his ankle on the ground. "You mean youtriedto climb that."
As soon as the words had escaped my lips, I gasped. That was supposed to be an internal thought, not said aloud. On instinct, my whole body locked up, preparing for the strike of my brother's hand.
But Blake wasn't here, and the guy on the ground just laughed.
"Yeah, well, apparently I'm out of practice. Do you think you can help me? Or..." He gave me a skeptical look, his eyes flitting over me like he was noticing how damnsmallI was. "Or maybe find one of the guides?"
Dropping the stick because there didn’t seem to be any danger here, I folded my arms, not liking how useless he seemed to find me. Sure, I was small, but I wasn't the one with a potentially broken ankle.
"I can help," I muttered, my annoyance carrying through my voice. Leaving my pack in the dirt, I crouched down to see if he really had broken a bone or not. I suspected not. He was too chatty.
The guy flashed me a smile, one that was probably mostly used for dropping panties in high-society circles. "I'm Ben, by the way. I didn't catch your name..."
I rolled my eyes, glad for the darkness to hide my blush. I wasn't attracted to him, but I also wasn't used to interacting with guys my own age.
"I didn't tell you," I pointed out, "but it's Brooklyn."
Another winning smile from Ben. "Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. You must have done something pretty badass for your parents to send you here, huh?"
I said nothing in response, just peeled his hands away from his injured ankle and pulled his pantleg up slightly so I could see it.
