Chapter 14
Bree
I was exhausted-completely and utterly broken. After three nights spent curled up on a wooden
bench, my body was working overtime just to keep me standing. My limbs ached, my back
throbbed from the awkward angles, and every muscle screamed for rest. But even as I longed for the comfort of a real bed, even as I craved the simple warmth of a soft blanket and the safety of
silence, nothing inside me wanted to crawl back into that cabin. The thought alone made my
stomach twist.
Still, I had pushed through. Somehow, I had almost made it through the first full week of camp. And while it felt like everything around me was slowly falling into place-the way my body began to adapt to the morning runs, the way I managed to kill it at the first book club meeting-I could still feel the weight dragging on me. The exhaustion clung to my bones, wearing me down even when things seemed to be going well.
“So,” Rachel started, beaming happily as she looked around the fire. “Anything someone would like
to discuss?”
A lot of us had gathered around the large firepit. Some sat in groups, laughter bubbling between them. Others leaned into hushed conversations, their bodies angled close like they were sharing secrets. A few were already tucked off to the side, desperately trying to swap spit like the world was ending tomorrow, not even bothering to be discreet about it.
I had a marshmallow on a stick, carefully rotating it over the flickering flames, my focus steady on getting the perfect toast-golden on the outside, gooey in the middle. The best part, though, was that Gabriella was nowhere to be found. She had wandered off toward the lake, her laughter echoing into the distance alongside her group of polished, tanned friends. And without her presence, I actually felt like I could breathe. I could just be-not Bree Morgan, not the girl with a reputation hanging over her head-but just a normal girl trying to enjoy a summer night.
“We could tell scary stories,” a girl offered eagerly, her eyes lighting up as the boy next to her nudged her shoulder, grinning.
“I know a great one,” another guy added, eyes gleaming with mischief. “But fair warning-it’s so goddamn terrifying.”
“Shut up, Ken,” someone else laughed, lobbing a marshmallow at him. “You’re not scaring anyone.”
A small smile curled on my lips, warmth blooming in my chest-not just from the fire, but from something gentler. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I was part of something. It felt like this was actually becoming a real camp experience. I wasn’t just some outcast on the edge of it all -I was simply a girl sitting by the fire, laughing with people, enjoying the moment.
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I had honestly expected more people to recognize me. I thought someone would’ve connected the dots by now, started whispering behind my back. But so far, it seemed only Gabriella knew-or at least only she cared enough to weaponize it. Everyone else? They just saw me for who I was now, and not for whatever scars my past held.
“Well then, let’s hear it, Kenneth,” Rachel beamed, adjusting her seat on the log she was perched on. Her excitement was almost childlike, lighting up the space around her.
Kenneth stood tall, grinning like he’d just won a million dollars and was about to spend every cent
on chaos. His marshmallow was charred to hell, barely hanging on to the end of the stick, but that
didn’t seem to bother him one bit.
“So…” he began, spinning theatrics into every word. “You guys wanna hear a real story? One that act
ually happened to me? Like, legit-three summers ago. I swear on Caleb’s sad excuse for facial
hair-this is one hundred percent true.”
Caleb groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Here we go…”
A quiet laugh escaped my throat before I could stop it. I didn’t even care if it gave me away. I was
enjoying this, the easy banter, the ridiculousness of it all. Kenneth and Caleb had that kind of camaraderie that made it hard not to smile-like brothers constantly on the edge of a playful
brawl.
“No, no, shut up,” Kenneth said, waving Caleb off. “This one’s real.” He looked around the fire, eyes
wide and intense, while the flames danced shadows across his face, making him look dramatic in the most ridiculous way. “Okay, picture this: it’s summer. Like, peak heatwave. And I signed up for this wilderness survival thing up in the Rockies. Super remote. No cell service, no electricity, and absolutely no port-a-potties. Just nature, danger, and dumbass teenage boys.”
He paused for dramatic effect, and a few snorts rippled around the fire.
“There were eight of us. They split us into pairs and tossed us into the woods with nothing but a backpack, a knife, and a tarp. No tents, no food. Just go survive, basically. And I got stuck with this dude named Wyatt. Real strange guy. Spoke in riddles, wore socks with sandals, and-get this- carried around a stuffed duck named Carl. I’m not even joking. Carl the duck.”
Laughter burst out around the fire as Kenneth spread his arms wide like he’d just delivered the punchline of the century. Even I giggled, biting down on my marshmallow stick to stop myself from laughing too loud.
Gage shook his head, already grinning-his smile soft, his gaze warm. God, he looked good tonight. He’d left his usual cap behind, letting that messy blond hair fall into his eyes and down the back of his neck. His T-shirt clung just right, outlining muscles that looked unfairly perfect, and those joggers? Comfortable, casual, and entirely dangerous. He looked like he’d just walked off a magazine cover, and I had to tear my gaze away before I started melting more than the
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marshmallow in my hand.
“Anyway,” Kenneth continued, leaning closer to the firelight, his face half-lit by flickering flames,” night three rolls around. We’ve made this janky little shelter out of the tarp, and it’s raining like hell. Wyatt’s passed out next to me, snoring like a goddamn tractor, and I’m lying there-cold, soaked to the bone, completely miserable. And all I can think is how stupid I was for not staying home.”
He paused dramatically, clearly reveling in the attention. Everyone was hooked, leaning forward just slightly, like the story itself had them tethered on a string. The girl who had suggested scary stories was practically pressed against the guy next to her now, wide-eyed, while he slipped his arm around her shoulders, grinning like this was the best night of his life.
“And then… I hear it.”
His voice dropped low, raspy, sending a wave of silence through the group.
“A whisper. Just outside the tarp. Not wind, not rustling animals. Actual words. Quiet… but deliberate. Like someone was just standing there… talking.”
People leaned in even more. I saw spines stiffen. Eyes widened.
“I thought it was Wyatt at first,” Kenneth continued, his brows furrowed with intensity. “But when I turned to look at him-nope. Dude’s curled up like a child, duck tucked under his chin, still snoring. Like it’s the best nap of his life. So now I’m really freaking out. My whole body’s tense, I’m clutching my stick like it’s Excalibur, and I decide to check. I pull the tarp back just a little and peek outside…”
He mimed the motion, peering out with over-exaggerated caution.
“No one’s there. Just trees. But the whispering? It’s still going. And now it’s moving. Circling our shelter. It was like footsteps-slow, methodical-with that whisper, just barely audible. I couldn’t catch the words, but they sounded wet. Like-slimy words. And I swear to God…” He looked around dramatically. “At one point… it giggles.”
A few people gasped. Someone actually gripped their hoodie tighter. The flames popped, like they were adding to the suspense on purpose.
“I try waking Wyatt. I nudge him, and the man mumbles, Don’t talk to the fog people, and rolls right back over.”
The fire circle erupted in nervous laughter. Even I snorted, unable to help myself. The tension had cracked for a second, but Kenneth wasn’t done.
“I’m losing it at this point. It’s pitch black, raining, I’m armed with one stick, and the whispering? It suddenly just stops. Like the whole forest exhaled. You know when the air goes dead silent and even the insects shut up?”
Kenneth froze mid-story, mimicking the wide-eyed horror.
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hapter
“And then I hear it-again. But this time? Right in my ear. Like something inside the tarp, crouched
next to my face.”
He dropped his voice into a whisper.
“You forgot the marshmallows…”
Dead silence. Not a single person moved. For a moment, I think we all forgot to breathe.
Then Kenneth straightened up, smirking wide. “And that’s when I realized… Wyatt sleep-talks about
snacks. The whole time, the guy was dreaming about s’mores. And me? I nearly crapped myself
over a snack-obsessed hippie with a duck named Carl.”
Laughter exploded around the fire. I let out a sharp, high-pitched laugh that caught me off guard,
my hand flying to my mouth as Caleb howled beside me. Rachel practically doubled over from the
other side of the circle, and even the guys who’d been trying to act too cool to care were chuckling.
Kenneth took a slow, theatrical bow. “You’re welcome. Try sleeping tonight without hearing voices.”
I shook my head, giggling into my hoodie sleeve. That story was pure chaos-just the right amount of creepy with the exact dose of comedy. Only Kenneth could spin something so stupid into a
masterpiece of storytelling.
As the laughter lingered, as conversations sparked back up and people relaxed again, a few couples shifted closer to each other, leaning in under the safety of the firelight. The energy was lighter now, more playful.
But I couldn’t help it. As my own smile faded just a little, I looked up-searching for him.
And there he was.
Gage.
His eyes locked on mine from across the fire, as if he had been waiting for me to look. His expression wasn’t amused like the others. He wasn’t laughing or joking or nudging the guy next to
him.
No. He was watching me.
His green eyes glowed in the firelight, their intensity only heightened by the flickering flame between us. And on his lips was the smallest smile. Not smug, not teasing-content.
It knocked the breath clean out of my lungs. That smile, that look… it wasn’t just about being amused. It was like he was seeing something he wanted, and it terrified me how much I wanted him to want it.
He nodded once, slow, deliberate-then stood. His body moved effortlessly, muscles flexing as he turned and walked toward a path that led into the woods. A narrow trail, just barely visible through
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Chapter 14
the trees. No words. No invitation. Just a look.
A signal.
More Rewarde
My heart thundered. My eyes flicked toward Rachel, now deep in her own animated story, and the rest of the group still basking in the afterglow of Kenneth’s ridiculous tale.
Without giving myself time to overthink, I set my marshmallow stick down and rose to my feet.
Each step away from the circle made my pulse race faster. I told myself I wasn’t being reckless, that I wasn’t being stupid. That I wasn’t just blindly following a boy into the woods like I was in
some cliché horror movie.
But I couldn’t stop myself.
I wanted to follow him. I had to follow him.
So I slipped into the shadows, chasing the boy with firelight in his eyes, and praying this night wouldn’t break me more than it already had.
