The Beast Among Us

Prologue:

I was just wondering if there were any wolfs out there, in pine creek forest, roaming around, biting their time. When, most suddenly, I heard an ear-piercing sound coming from outside the boys cabin. Aaaahhhhh-woooooooooooo… Probably just the wind. But then, I heard it again, aaaaaahhhhhh-wooooooooo… Whatever it was, it sounded very much like a wolf. I knew I was safe, here in this cabin with the other kids. But, something about this sound gave me the chills. I checked my watch. 12:00. Exactly midnight. Hmmm. That got me thinking about werewolf’s. Should I look out my window to see if I could see any? They wouldn’t be there anyway, too close to buildings and light. So, I tried to get some rest before the wake up call. It took some time, but, eventually, I was sound asleep.

Chapter 1: Morning Coffee

Riiiiiiinnnggg… Riiiinnnngg… ugh. I turned around in my bed. Why do they always have to sound this alarm so early. I sighed, got out of bed, and changed into my clothes. I looked around at all the kids slowly getting out of bed. My friend, James, from Westwood High, a tall teenage boy with straight hair, a buttoned up shirt, glasses, and a long tie, came over. “Hey.” He said. “Let’s get to breakfast before all the other kids do.” I nodded, and we walked out, already there, were the girls. They looked like they had been there since the crack of dawn, which maybe they had. James approached two girls. One of them had dark brown hair, hazelnut eyes, darkened skin, and was wearing hiking boots, dark violet tights, and a light blue sweatshirt. The other one was shorter, had bright red hair, freckles, a pale face, blue eyes, light overalls, and a maroon shirt. Both were friends of mine and James. James said to the taller one, “hey Dawn, are you ready for our camping trip tonight? I’m sure this time we won’t get lost.” I looked at James, “lost?” I said. James looked surprised, then, a look of realization came on his face. “Oh yeah, I forgot. You didn’t come with us on our camping trip last year, Jason. Your coming this time, and don’t worry about getting lost, Dawn has a real compass and map this time.” I looked around, “is Ana coming?” I said as I motioned toward the girl with red hair. “Of course! I would never miss out on this! Even if it means getting lost!” Ana said, excited. James laughed. “well. We better get some breakfast and do our work.” He said. He started to walk towards the lunch room. This room served all meals of the day, hot and fresh. Well, sometimes not hot. We all walked in and sat down at our usual table. On the small stage platform in the middle of the room, Miss Ellie, our camp counselor, came on the stage. She started talking slowly. “Welcome, my fellow students. This year at pine creek summer camp, we will be doing something different. We will be doing our usual activities, yes, but we will be doing more work too. This camp is not about the fun. We came here to work, and learn the ways of the forest. We will teach all of you how to set up tents, cook food, learn about plants, and more. So, hurry up and finish your meal and get on over to the west side of the creek.” I looked around at my friends. I have never been to this camp before, it was my first time here, I didn’t know where this “west side of the creek” was. James saw the look on my face and said, “oh, don’t worry, we will help you find your way around until you know this place like your own home!” Ana got up and said, “come on guys! You heard Ellie, let’s eat our food and head out to the creek.” So, Me, James, Ana and Dawn got our trays to get food. At least this place has a lunch room, and they don’t make us hunt for our food. But, as almost as Ellie could mindread, she said from the stage, “For lunch, we will find berrys and fish some cod to make a grand meal. I want to see the best… from all of you.” She looked at me suspiciously. I sighed. This place was going to be an adventure all right.

The lunch room had buffet style service. Line up, grab your food, eat, get more food, eat, get dessert, repeat. I went straight toward the waffles. I love waffles. I spread some hazelnut butter on top of mine. I grabbed some mango slices, and a cappuccino. Ellie, on the other side of the room, shot me a look. I heard her laugh. “Who said you could have a cappuccino kid?” She said. I turned red. “I… I… I thought I could take anything I wanted from here.” Instantly, I knew I said the wrong thing. Ellie grinned. “Well… you thought wrong. Those cappuccinos are only for counselors, coaches and other staff here at pine creek summer camp. So, you better put that down sleepyhead, find your caffeine someplace else.” I started to feel a slight tinge of anger. Why would she say that? She probably made that up right now. If kids couldn’t drink the coffee, wouldn’t they just drink it in a separate room, or have it in the corner, or staff room, instead of right out here in the drink section? Anyway, I’ll stick to orange juice I guess. So, I went back to sit at our table. Ana, James, and Dawn were already there, chatting away and sipping cappuccinos! I was confused. I sat down in an empty seat. “Guys.” I said. “Why are you guys drinking cappuccinos? I tried to get one, but Ellie said the coffees were for the staff only.” Dawn looked confused. “What do you mean? We just went up there and got the coffee. She didn’t say anything to us, in fact, she actually helped us dispense the drink herself!” I was dumbfounded. Ana pushed her cup towards me. “You can have mine, don’t worry, I hardly touched the cup, I already cleaned off my saliva.” I took the cup and smiled. “Thanks. I needed that.” Ana smiled and said, “Your welcome! And, if your going to be wanting to get cappuccinos every day, you know who to call!” I scoffed down my waffles and went for seconds. When I reached the buffet table, I saw something unusual, placed in the waffle pan. A piece of paper. But, not just any paper. A note. I picked it up and read it. It said,‘To Jason. Your messing with the wrong person. Better pack up your bags and leave. Before it’s too late.’ Wow. What did this mean. I stuffed the note back in my pocket and ran back to our table. “Stop right there, young man.” I looked around and saw Ellie. “No running in the lunch room.” She said. I nodded and walked the rest of the way back to the table. I sat down and took the note out of my pocket. “Guess what guys.” I said. “I found this note inside the waffles.” Ana’s eyes went wide. “Like inside the dough? Like whoever baked the waffles personally tried to offend you?” “No.” I said. “It was in the dish with the waffles, not baked inside them.” Ana’s smiled faded. “Oh.” Dawn spoke up. “Guys. Can we read what it says already?” I started to read the note aloud. “Ok. It says: To Jason, Your messing with the wrong person. Better pack up your bags and leave. Before it’s too late.

Chapter 2: suspicions

My mind was spinning. I just came to this summer camp to have fun. Not to make an enemy. I spoke up. “Guys. Let’s talk about this sometime later, in private. We can’t have anyone else know about this. After this next class, meet up next to the cabins. I have an idea. You guys are going to love it.” Dawn said, “Ok. Let’s get going.” So, us four left the lunch room and made our wayover to the creek. When we got there, our coach was already there, as well as some other kids. “Welcome everyone.” Said our coach, Jake. “Today we will be making rafts. I will split you into teams. You will work together to make a raft to sail across the creek. Then, one person from your team will sail the raft in a race. The winner will receive this.” He said as he waved a gift card. “It’s a gift card for KOKIs vegan cookie dough.” All the kids cheered. If there was a cafe that every kid in pine creek loved, it was KOKIs. So, of course, many kids dreamed of winning that. The coach continued, “Here are the rules. You have an hour and a half to make a raft with your team. Together, you will decide who will sail the ship. Pick someone strong enough to win, but make sure the raft can support their weight. And, no matter what, don’t cheat. No tipping other people’s rafts, no using your oars to block other rafts, no stopping in the middle of the creek. AND WHATEVER YOU DO, NEVER TURN THE SECOND LEFT. ITS FAR TOO DANGEROUS.” He looked directly at Dawn when he said this. Dawn turned red. James said that Dawn had a real compass and map this time, which means that last time, it was probably her fault they got lost. I’m not trying to be offensive, I’m just stating facts. “Now.” Said Jake. “I will assign the teams. We will have one high schooler, one middle schooler, and one elementary schooler per team.” He was holding four flags in his hand. He waved them dramatically. He handed the blue flag to a young elementary student girl. “This is the leader of the blue team. You will pick your teammates, and work together to make your raft.” The girl went up to James. “I want you on my team. You look like a smarty pants. And we need smart people to build the raft.” James laughed. “Well, I am pretty smart.” He said as he straightened his tie. “Now we need a middle schooler.” Said James. “Can we pick Charlie?” Charlie, an 11 year old boy spoke up. “Yep! I’ll make sure we have the best raft yet! It will be the fastest ever!” “Great! We have the blue team here, blue team, step over here.” Jake said as he motioned toward a patch of grass. “We have, James, Emily, and Charlie on the blue team! Now, red team, here’s your flag.” he said as he handed Dawn a red flag. “We will make the best raft! Ready red team? Who wants to be on the red team? The best one yet!” Several kids came up. Dawn chose a middle schooler named, Blake. And a young elementary school boy named Harrold. The coach handed the last two flags out, the green team, and the yellow team. The yellow team consisted of, Ana, a girl named Rachel, and Johny. The green team had me, a tween girl named Lisa, and Sam, a very smart 8 year old. Coach Jake set a timer on his watch. “One hour, 30 minutes and counting. Go, go, go!” My team started to work. We decided to tie small logs together with rope. It took many attempts before we finally had a proper raft. The raft was small, but I could definitely fit on it. My team chose me to row, and we crafted some oars out of big chunks of bark. I sat on the raft to test it. It sank a little. So, we tied some more stuff in there, and soon, we had a perfect raft. After we finished our raft, we waited for everyone to finish. “Everyone place your rafts in the water, time is up.” Said Jake. All the teams started to place their rafts in the water. The rower for each team grasped their oars firmly. “On your marks…” said Jake. “Get set… GO!” All the rafts took off. I was rowing mine at full speed. Splash. Splash. I heard kids shout behind me. I looked around. My friends were cheering me on! I turned a corner, Sharp. My raft started to turn over. I heard gasps and screams. That’s the last I saw before I tipped off my raft.

Huh? Where am I? I looked around. Coach Jake, James, Dawn, and Ana were surrounding me. Ohh… It’s all coming back now. I tipped off my raft and fell in. Well, so much for winning. “Jason!” Shouted Ana. “We thought you drowned! Your okay right?” I laughed weakly. Which I instantly regretted because it made my side ache. I grabbed my side on instinct. “Uh, yeah. I’m okay. I think I might’ve passed out. But I’m fine now.” Ana looked unconvinced. “I think you need to rest. It looks like you hit a rock down there. You need time to catch your breath and relax.” Coach Jake nodded in agreement. “Definitely. You should get back to the cabin and wait until tomorrow to do activities. It could’ve been worse. And it definitely will be if you don’t rest. It’s a bad bruise.” I nodded slowly. I tried to stand up. Instantly, my knees buckled and I collapsed. Coach Jake caught me by the arms. “Okay. I’ll bring you over to the cabins.” Coach Jake said as he helped me walk over to the cabin. Dawn, James, and Ana came over too. Coach Jake brought me inside and set me on my bed. He left. A few minutes later, James, Dawn, and Ana came in. “Are you sure your okay?” Said Dawn nervously. I nodded my head weakly. “Yep. Just a little bruise, nothing serious.” Ana left the cabin. “Where’s she going?” I said. James shrugged. “I don’t know. Wait, what’s that on your pillow?” I sat up slowly. Ouch. Shouldn’t have sat up so fast. I groaned aloud and flopped back onto my pillow. James grabbed something off my pillow. “Hmmm…” he said. “It’s another note! Listen to this, it says, To Jason, your chances are running out. Hurry up and fess up to the crime. Or else.” I was flabbergasted. “What the heck?!” I said, a little too loudly. James and Dawn looked hurt. “Jason.” Said Dawn. “You would never commit a crime. Would you?” I was shocked by all this. “NO! NEVER! THIS IS A BIG JOKE AND LIE!” I shouted. “Shhhh!” Said Dawn. “Your going to get us kicked out!” Suddenly, the door opened and Ana came in. “What’s all the noise for?” She said. “Uh, um, no time to explain. Read this note.” I said. Ana picked up the note and started to read it. When she was done, her eyes went wide. “Jason! Another note. Who would say this? Whoever put this note here must be a kid! A boy, because it’s in the boys cabin. that narrows us down to only a few people.” “I don’t think so. Anyone can just come in here. It could be staff too, or even a girl.” I said. “Hmm… your right. This is all confusing. Who wants to target you? Insult you. Why?” Said Ana. “I don’t know.” I said. “But, where were you the whole time, Ana?” “Oh, Me? I was getting you some water Jason!” She said. “Ok. Where is it?” I said. “Oh, it’s over here.” She replied, as she picked up a glass of water from the counter. She handed it to me. “Thanks.” I said as I took the water. I took a sip. It tasted kind of funny. I didn’t say anything about it and put it down on my end table. “Oh, Jason! Do you think you will be able to come with us on our camping trip tonight? We really wanted you to come!” Said Ana. I thought about this. “I don’t know. Probably. I’m already getting better.” I said. James spoke up.” Ok, but I think you might need to rest. We can go tomorrow night.” “No, it’s okay, I’m already better. Let’s go after dinner.” I said. “Speaking of dinner…” said Dawn. “I think their serving it right now.” So, Me, James, Ana and Dawn went over to the lunch room. When we went inside, we sat down at our usual table and talked about the mysterious notes. “All this talk about mysteries is making me hungry.” Said Dawn. “Let’s get some food.” So we went up to the food counter to get some dinner. Today they were serving pizza. We got our food, ate it quickly and went back to the cabins to pack up. When we were in front of the cabins, Ana said, “you guys go to the boys cabins, me and Dawn will go to ours. Pack up everything you need. Bring lots of water.” So, me and James headed to the left, and Ana and Dawn went to the right. When in the boys cabin, Me and James started to pack our backpacks. I packed my water thermos, my pocket knife, and some matchsticks, for starting fires. When we were finished packing, we went outside and met up with Ana and Dawn, who had their backpacks too. “Ready guys?” Said Dawn. “Hopefully we won’t get lost again.” James laughed. “Yeah. Well, we didn’t really get lost, we were behind the girls cabins the whole time, and we didn’t even know!” “Good point.” Said Dawn. “Are you ready, Jason?” I nodded. “Yeah. Definitely.” So, us four started to walk into the woods, down an old, dusty trail. “Me and my mom used to walk these trails every week when I was little. I know them well, we probably won’t get lost.” Said Dawn. We walked deeper into the woods. Creak. What was that sound? One of us probably just stepped on a twig. Hopefully. Maybe there were wolfs out here, like the one I heard last night. We kept going deeper into the dense forest, it was starting to get denser and more dark. Finally, we reached a spot next to a creek. There was a small clearing where the trees were less dense. “All right guys! Let’s pitch the tent!” Said Dawn. Ana was already opening her backpack. She took out a bright yellow duffle bag. She unzipped it. Ziiiiippppp… she took out what looked like a tarp. It was an old, yellow color. “This is good old Betsy!” Said Ana. “The best camping tent yet!” She started to take out some poles, which she snapped in to other poles to make the frame on the tent. Dawn helped her. Me and James unfolded the tent tarp. We fastened it together with the poles and hammered the poles into the ground. Ana tied it together to the ground and put the rain cover on top. “Great.” Ana said. “Now, what do you guys want to do?” Ana started taking something out of her backpack. Playing cards. “Let’s get in the tent and play some cards, then, we can roast s’mores and tell spooky stories!” So, we all went into the tent. Ana said, “Let’s play nerts. Do you guys know how?” Dawn nodded. Me and James shook our heads. Ana explained the rules to us slowly. When we were sure we knew how play, Ana handed everyone a deck. “Wow, Ana. Where did you get four decks of cards? And why did you bring all four?” Ana simply said, “because. Everyone needs their own deck to play nerts. And actually, I have about sixteen decks at home. I just packed 6 of them. And I brought 4 on this camping trip!” My jaw dropped. “Sixteen decks!?” I said. “Yep! My family loves cards.” Ana replied. So, we started to play. The noises we all made during that game were kind of loud. At least no one could hear us out here. “QUEEN OF HEARTS!” Shouted James as he slapped a card onto a pile in the middle. “ACE OF SPADES!” Said Ana loudly as she slid a card into the middle of the floor. A few minutes of silence followed after that. Then,“NERTSSSSSS!!!” Shouted James very loudly. Everyone laughed. “Never thought you would be the nerts master.” Said Dawn. We played a few more games of nerts. Until Ana loudly announced, “SMORES TIME!” So we all headed outside. Ana said, “anyone know how to make a fire?” I nodded. Ana handed me a match and I made a perfect fire in a few minutes. We all sat on fallen logs around the campfire. Ana took a bag of marshmallows out of her backpack. She passed them around. We stuck a few on a stick and started roasting. I loved my marshmallows burnt. So, I did just that. I burnt them. James marshmallows were perfectly browned to perfection. Ana’s were sloppy and for some reason, they kept melting off, so, she asked James to roast hers. Dawns were delicious looking too, but in the end, James was roasting all the marshmallows for everyone else. “We should tell spooky stories!” Said Ana. So, we chowed down on marshmallows as we took turns adding to a story. “I’ll start it!” Said Ana. “Once upon a time, a guy named John went into the woods. He wanted to find some thing cool. So, he tried to look in a tree stump, but…” James continued the story by adding, “there were many, many giant wasps. They stung him up and he ran away for his dear life. He tripped on a rock and fell into the abyss of his doom.” Then Dawn added, “And he turned into a werewolf!” As she said that, we all heard the same thing. Aahaaaaaahhhhhh… …wwooooooooooo… wooooooooooo… We all went silent. Then, we grabbed the marshmallows, put out the fire, and ran into the tent. When we were all in the tent, Dawn said, “wow. I never knew stories could be so realistic!” Everyone laughed weakly. Kind of uncomfortably. Then, we decided to stop with the spooky stories and eat the marshmallows raw. They were still delicious, but not quite the same as a freshly roasted marshmallow. We played some fun games together and ate marshmallows. A few hours later, too full and sleepy to do much more, we decided to get to sleep. Ana unrolled her sleeping bag. It was bright pink with a light accessory attached to the side. That was a night light. James and Dawn unrolled theirs too. Then, I realized something. I didn’t bring my sleeping bag! “ where’s your sleeping bag, Jason?” Said James. “I forgot to bring one.” I said sheepishly. “It’s okay though, I can sleep just fine without one.” “Are you sure Jason?” Said Dawn. “You can use mine.” “No, it’s fine.” So, we got to sleep.

Agh… what time was it? I wondered what woke me up so early. I checked my watch. 12:00. Midnight. Then, I heard it, the sound was very faint this time, but I could make out the sound of a wolf. Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh Woooooooooo. Wooooooooo… I sat up in bed. The wolf. Again. can they just shut up. Wait a minute… it was raining. Hard. I’m glad Ana put the rain cover on. I tried to go back to sleep, but, when I lied down, I heard Ana mumbling something in her sleep. I couldn’t make out exactly what she said, but it sounded as if she said something about werewolf’s. She was probably scared. Suddenly there was a loud crash outside. Dawn bolted upright. “What was that?” She whispered. “I don’t know.” I said. Soon, Ana and James were up too. Everyone was whispering in hushed voices. Then, Riiiiiiiiiipppppp… there was a terrible tearing sound. Then, the tent ripped apart. Everyone screamed. The ropes were trying to hold the tent, but, the fierce rain and wind were more than a match for the ropes. Soon, they tore and The whole tent was ruined. It was raining hard. We all grabbed our backpacks. “Let’s get back to our cabins back at the summer camp.” Said Dawn. “Follow me.” So, we all started to follow Dawn through the woods. Thirty minutes later, we knew something was wrong. “Dawn?” I said. “Are you sure we are going the right way?” Dawn nodded. We kept walking on. An hour later, someone spoke. “I think we are lost.” Said Dawn. “Really lost.”

Chapter 3: Lost

I looked at everyone. Dawn spoke up, “Guys. We are lost. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know we were going the wrong way.” “Yeah. That’s alright. We will find our way back.” Said Ana. “Hopefully.” We kept on wandering through the forest. The sun started to rise. We kept on walking. Dawn checked her compass. “Woah!” She said. “What’s happening? My compass is spinning uncontrollably!” I took a look. “That’s not normal.” I said. “Yeah. Definitely not.” James agreed as he viewed the compass. “I’m kinda thirsty.” I said. “Anyone got water? I drank all mine.” Everyone looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. “Uh no.” Said Dawn. “I drank all mine too.” Everyone else shook their heads too. “Where can we find water?” Said Ana. “A running source of water is safe to drink, most of the time.” Replied James. So, Me, Ana, Dawn and James wandered around the forest, looking for a creek or something like that. Soon, it was about lunch time, and everyone was very hungry. “At least I have snacks!” Said Ana, as she opened her backpack. “Oh-no.” She said suddenly. “I left all the snacks in the tent!” James looked annoyed. “Like in the tent that just got destroyed!?” Ana’s voice was low. “Yep.” She whispered. The winds picked up very quickly. Then, it started to pour. We ran for cover. We sat under a big pine tree. I opened my backpack to see if there was anything useful in there. I saw something wedged into my inside pocket. A note. I read it. It read, “To Jason: remember. I don’t want you interfering anymore. It’s for the best that you get lost.” I was stunned. Who keeps planting these notes everywhere? I showed the note to my friends. They were not surprised. “They are everywhere, these notes.” Said Dawn. “I know, right?” I said. “Hey, where’s James?” Said Ana. I looked around. James wasn’t here. Where did he go? Very suddenly, James popped out from behind a tree. “Hey guys.” He said. “I found a creek!” I was relieved. I was so thirsty, my throat felt so sore. I don’t know why I was so thirsty. It felt kinda weird. We ran after James and he lead the way to the creek he found. When he finally stopped, we saw it. The creek. I ran toward it like my life depended on it. Because it did. I knelt on the grass, bent down, and used my hands to scoop the pure water into my mouth. Suddenly, I felt something bump into me. Splash! I heard shouts. This strongly reminded me of the time I fell off my raft yesterday. I got out, coughing and spluttering. “Jason! What happened?” Said Ana. “I…” I gave myself time to cough. “I… don’t know.” Dawn looked unconvinced. “What do you mean you don’t know?” I shrugged. “I mean, I fell into the water. I felt something push me.” Dawn sighed. “Why do you always fall into water at the most unexpected times?” I shrugged. We spent a few hours together sitting by the creek. The rain had stopped. It started to get dark. I was getting very hungry. I rummaged through my backpack to see if I could find any food. None. My stomach was starting to feel as if it was eating itself. “I’m so hungry, what about you guys?” I said aloud. “Yes. I’m so hungry.” Said Dawn. “Same here.” Said James. “Yeah. I’m soooooooo hungry. Why was I so foolish to leave the food? What was I thinking?” Said Ana. “You just forgot, it’s not your fault we’re starving.” I said. Soon, it was pitch black. We were all huddled together under a blanket that Dawn packed in her backpack. “So, do we just sleep here?” I said. Dawn shrugged. “I guess.” James spoke up. “I have an idea.” He said. “Let’s take turns watching out for animals. So we can sleep. And wake everyone else if you see danger, so we’re not all unaware and sleeping. Who wants to go first?” Everyone looked at me. “I’ll go first.” I said. “Ok. After 2 or three hours, wake one of us up to take watch.” James said. “Ok.” I said. Everyone lied down under the tree. I sat up, with my back against the tree. I held a medium sized stick in my hand. Just in case. A few minutes passed. Creak… was that a wolf? Snap. It’s kinda creepy out here. I looked around to make sure there were no wild animals. I saw a squirrel. The squirrel was eating a walnut. Oh, how I wished I could eat that nut. I was sooo hungry. More hungry than I have ever been in my life. I was a little thirsty, so I crawled over to the creek a few yards away from our tree. I filled up my thermos and crawled back. When I got there, there was a squirrel crawling on Dawns head. “Shoo, squirrel.” I whispered quietly as I waved my hand at him. He quickly scurried away, leaving his nut behind him. I picked it up. How do squirrels even eat this stuff? I tried to pry it open, but it was too hard. I banged it against a sharp rock. Nothing. Finally, I decided to take a bite. Ow. I was so hungry. I tried for about thirty minutes to open it, before, in my anger, I threw it at a tree. It fell into the creek. The creek’s gurgling water started to take it away. Then I noticed something, the nut was open. It probably opened when I threw it at the tree! I chased the nut out into the trees. Finally, it stopped. It was wedged between two rocks. I reached out. Farther. Farther. Oh-no. I lost my footing and fell head first into the creek. Ow. I hit my head hard on a rock. Stunned, I picked up the nut and started back to our tree. When I got there, I realized what I’ve done. I was supposed to keep watch! Not walk around searching for nuts for myself. I sat down with the half nut shell in my hands. I looked at it. Seriously. I grabbed the wrong half. The other half had the juicy nut in it. I was so annoyed. I sat down against the tree and looked up at the stars. Two hours probably passed. I should wake up James. Hmm… I sat down staring at the moon and the stars. I shouldn’t wake him up yet. Soon, hours were passing. I was so exhausted. I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I checked my watch. 3:00 am. Hmm… I didn’t hear the wolf this time. Before I could think about this, I fell fast alseep.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Ugh… I groaned and turned around. Ouch. My head hit something hard. Suddenly, I remembered where I was. In the woods. Lost. I slowly peeked open one eye. Ana was there, tapping a rock in front of me. “Wake up sleepyhead! You were supposed to wake one of us up to keep watch. But, you fell asleep.” I opened my other eye. “Sorry.” I simply said. Ana picked me up by my arms. “Come on! Get up. let’s explore and get out of here!” I was so hungry. I wasn’t going to do any exploring until I ate. Ana seemed to know what I was thinking. “We might find some berries or something on the way…” I groaned and sat up. “Fine.” I said as I rubbed my eyes. “Let’s get going. Wait. Where’s Dawn and James?” Ana smiled. “Oh, them? They’re filling up their thermos. Let’s meet them there.” So, me and Ana walked towards the creek. When we got there, we saw Dawn and James filling up their thermos. “Oh, hey Jason! You finally up? You fell asleep last night. Why didn’t you wake us up?” “Sorry.” I said. “I fell asleep before I could wake you guys up.” Dawn laughed. “Well, next time, don’t attempt to stay up till morning because there’s dangerous things out here.” That sentence gave me the chills. “Come on guys!” Said Ana. “Let’s go!” So, we all followed Ana through the forest. She was skipping along like this was fun. We kept on walking. Finally, at around noon, we saw some buildings in the distance. Was it the summer camp? We ran over. And sure enough, there it was, our summer camp. When we arrived, no kids were outside. I looked at my watch. 12:30 pm. Lunch time. That’s it, everyone was in the lunch room, enjoying food. Wait. Fooooooooooooooooddddddd… the word made my spirits lift. I haven’t had food since yesterday, and I was starving. “Is anyone else hungry?” I said. Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing. “Duh.” Said Dawn. That’s not even a question. So, we headed toward the lunch room. When we walked through the door, the room went silent. Everyone had their eyes on us. Miss Ellie looked very, very, mad. She came up to us. “Jason, Dawn, James, And Ana.” She said in a rather unpleasant voice. “Where have all of you been?” I gulped. I was about to answer, when Ana spoke up, “we were in the cabins the whole day, taking care of Jason. He needed to recover from the fall yesterday.” Miss Ellie looked doubtful. “Ok. Well, he looks fine now. Eat up and get over to the lake. We’re starting fishing class.” We nodded and made our way to our usual table. We grabbed our food trays and went to get some lunch. I was starved. Today was Ramen day, and they had many flavors of ramen, as well as dumplings and spring rolls. I got a big bowl of spicy ramen. I also got spring rolls and dumplings. I got a glass of water too. I was parched. But even more then parched, I was starved. I made my way back to our table. Everyone else was there, already eating. I sat down and wolfed down my ramen. It was soooooooooooooo good. This was the best meal I had in my entire life. I was so hungry. I ate all my food,and was about to get seconds, when, I noticed something odd. Ana wasn’t eating much. She didn’t look as hungry as everyone else. She just ate a few dumplings. This was odd. She was with us, starving in the forest without anything to eat. Why wouldn’t she be hungry… I decided to forget about her and go get some more food. I returned back with ramen. We started to talk. “That was a fun adventure, right guys?” Said Ana. “No. That was not fun. Our lives were at risk.” I said. Ana laughed. “You take everything so seriously, Jason.” James spoke up, “actually, that was kind of scary, Jason’s right.” Ana said, “ok. Well, I’ll be back, I need to get something.” Ana got up and walked away. As she left, I saw her drop something. A piece of paper.

Chapter 4: The Wolf

”hey Ana!” I called after her. She didn’t respond. In fact, she hurried off faster without saying a word. Ana was acting kind of weird lately. I got up to get the paper myself. When I bent down to pick it up, I noticed something else strange. It’s wasn’t just a little piece of paper, but, next to it, was a mini pencil. Strange. I picked up the paper and pencil. That’s when I noticed there was writing on the paper. Not just any writing though, on the paper was the word, “STOP.” There it was, another note! Whoever was planting these notes definitely wanted me to stop doing something. What though? My mind was confused. I thought about this for some moments. Then, my thoughts were interrupted by James. “Jason. What did you find this time?” He said. I shrugged and showed him the note. “Just another note that makes no sense at all.” I replied. James laughed. “When will we ever find something useful around here?” I shrugged. “No clue.” Me, James, and Dawn finished up our food and made our way over to the cabins. When we arrived, we saw Ana, crouched down on the side of the cabin. She seemed to be spying through the window. “Hey Ana! What are you doing?” Said James. Ana jumped up, surprised. “Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing at all!” She replied quickly. Me and James exchanged glances. This was not normal. Ana, eavesdropping? This was not her. Ana quickly came over to where me, James, and Dawn were. “I… uh…” she started to say. “I was… um… just trying to find something. Something I dropped, yeah.” She finished. Dawn raised a brow. “Are you sure that’s what you were doing?” I looked at Ana sternly. Something was up with her. “Ana, tell us the truth. What are you up to?” I said calmly. Ana started to say something, but then stopped suddenly. “Tell us.” I said. Ana sighed. “Fine.” She said. “I was spying in the cabins.” I looked at her doubtfully. What she said was probably not entirely true. But, I didn’t ask any more. Instead, I showed her the note that she dropped when she left. She looked at it, surprised. “Another note!?” She said, surprised. But something about that sentence she just spoke didn’t sound entirely super surprised. She sounded as if she was pretending to be surprised. Like she knew something we didn’t. Suddenly, we heard a shout. “HELP!” We all looked at each other, before running in the direction of the scream. When we reached the source of the noise, we saw something terrifying. We saw a small group of kids. The kids looked scared. They were slowly backing away from something. I looked in the direction that the kids were looking. In the dense trees, I could make out the shape of a dog. No, not a dog. Was that? Could it be? The wolf was prowling over, with its teeth bared. It was coming closer. I had to act fast.“Everyone. Stay put. Don’t run.” I said to the kids. They nodded fiercely. They must be scared. I mean, even I was scared! I thought fast. I wasn’t sure if my plan would work, but I did my best. “Dawn, James, Ana, stay here. Don’t move.” I said th my friends as I sprinted off to the lunch room. Inside, I went to the rolls. I grabbed the most delicious smelling, most buttery, most sweet, roll I could find. I ran back to the group of kids. I set my plan into action. I swung my arm back, far. And, with full strength, I tossed the roll into the woods behind the wolf. It hit a tree hard. The wolf turned to look back, and ran towards the roll. “EVERYONE! RUN! FOLLOW ME!” I sprinted off, all the kids following after. I turned back to make sure the wolf wasn’t following us. He was staring through the dense trees. His bright eyes peeking out. We were safe, for now. I lead the kids into the rec center. When we went in, miss Ellie was there. “Jason.” She said sternly. “I saw what happened. I saw the whole thing. Next time, don’t be so foolish as to throw a roll. Ask an adult for help next time.” I was shocked. I helped these kids. Not put them in danger. But here Ellie is telling me to be careful. That’s life. Then, suddenly, the door burst open, and some people streamed in. “Hello kids. Don’t worry, we will have the wolf taken care of.” Said a young man, who, was coach Jake. another woman.was behind him. “hello kids. You probably don’t know who I am.” Said the woman. “I am coach Kelly. I was on vacation and got here a few days late. How about we transfer over to our cabins?” She said as she lead the way out of the rec center, all the kids followed behind her. I stayed behind. I needed some information about who is planting these notes. I searched the rec center with my friends for a while. I searched inside cabinets, under tables, and even inside of a deck of playing cards. For a while, I completely forgot that miss Ellie was still there. She cleared her throat loudly, which startled me and my friends. “What are you children doing?” She said in a low tone. I answered quickly. “I’m looking for my, uh, my… my pen, I dropped it.” “if you need a pen, there’s some right there.” Miss Ellie said as he pointed to a table that had a cup full of different kinds of pens. “But, I need my pen. My special pen.” Miss Ellie looked unconvinced. “Try someplace else.” She said. So, we had no choice but to leave the rec center. On the way out, as I walked down the small flight of stairs that lead to the grassy entrance, I stepped on a lose step. It creaked a bit under my weight. I pryed the wooden plank open a bit. Underneath, I saw a piece of paper. A note. I picked it up and read it. It read, “AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, THE WOLF WILL AWAKE. COME INTO THE WOODS, BUT DO NOT TAKE.” I was shocked. Another note. Not an insult this time, no. A clue. I showed it to my friends. “Wow” said Ana. “It’s a clue! It’s telling us to go into the woods at midnight! We can’t be late!” Then, Dawn spoke up, “Are we all going to go? I’m in!” Me and James agreed to go too. But Ana said, “sorry, I can’t. I have to homework.” I don’t think that was true. “Homework?” I said. “But it’s summer break. We are at camp.” Ana laughed. “Oh, yeah, I never told you guys, my “homework” is for my project I’m working on. It’s really cool. I can’t come, I need to work on it.” She said. Hmm… Ana never mentioned this before. Anyways, I guess it’s just me, Dawn, and James this time. We have to go, at midnight. At midnight, tonight.

Chapter 5: the werewolf

Later that day, me, James, and Dawn, started to pack up. This time, we weren’t going to get lost. This would be an adventure, going out into the pitch black forest at midnight. So, this time, we packed a phone, so, we could call someone or check online maps if we got lost. I was really starting to feel like someone was targeting me. I reviewed all the notes that have been left. I layed them out on my pillow and checked each one, trying to make sense of them, and fit them together, like a puzzle. Hmmm… the first one says: “To Jason. Your messing with the wrong person. Better pack up your bags and leave. Before it’s too late.’” Hmm… leave? Why would anyone want me to leave? I haven’t done anything wrong. And how come their saying, “before it’s to late”? This was weird. The second note says:“To Jason, your chances are running out. Hurry up and fess up to the crime. Or else.” This was very serious. Committing a crime? Me? I would never do something like that. Whoever is writing these notes, means business. I took a look at the 3rd note: “To Jason: remember. I don’t want you interfering anymore. It’s for the best that you get lost.” Get lost? Oh yeah. We found this note back in the woods, when we got lost. This was not starting to make sense. The forth note simply said, STOP. These notes didn’t make any sense at all. And then, there’s the 5th note, this one’s strange:“AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, THE WOLF WILL AWAKE. COME INTO THE WOODS, BUT DO NOT TAKE.”

It was 11:45 pm. Me, James, and Dawn started on our way to the forest. We left the cabins and made our way toward the entrance that we saw the wolf. We figured that’s the spot we should enter. I took a look at the note in my hand. “AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, THE WOLF WILL AWAKE. COME INTO THE WOODS, BUT DO NOT TAKE.” “Guys” I said. “It’s almost midnight. It says here that the wolf will awake at midnight. Uh… we must go into the woods. But do not take? Whatever that means.” Dawn was thinking. And when Dawn was thinking, it meant a good idea was about to happen.”I think.” Said Dawn. “Maybe we will see something in the woods? But we can’t take it, because the wolf might attack?” I thought about this. This was all confusing, the ways these notes appear. Ana was acting very strange lately. Could she be planting these notes? It’s definitely possible, but why? What’s the purpose of these notes? We walked through the dense forest, Dawn shining her flashlight on the ground. It was dark in here. Hopefully Dawns flashlight wouldn’t run out of batteries. That, would be bad. We continued to walk through the forest, around puddles, over fallen branches, over bushes and across sticks and stones. We discussed the notes. “Do you guys think Ana could have planted the notes?” I said. “She was acting kind of weird. Do you think that “project” of hers is real?” Dawn frowned. “Maybe she did. Maybe she didn’t. All we know about her is that she was acting kinda of weird, that doesn’t mean anything, we can’t just say she’s doing it. We need more evidence.” James agreed too. So, we kept on walking. I checked my watch. 12:00 am. Midnight. Then, I heard that Sam’s familiar sound I’ve been hearing. Aaaaahhhhhhhh———wooooooooooooo… aaahhhh… woooooooooooooo. The wolf. Or… gulp. A werewolf. I knew werewolf’s weren’t real. That’s silly. But still, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, there are werewolves out there, roaming around, biting their time… TIME! That’s it! We need to focus on the time. It’s always midnight when I hear the howl. Focus. I checked my watch. Still 12:00. I looked around. I saw a shadow. It was the shape of a wolf. Wait a minute… no, not just any wolf. A werewolf. I shifted. “Hey guys.” I said. “Did you hear that? And see that shadow?” Dawn and James nodded, speechless. Then, I heard a scraping sound coming from behind me. I whipped around. All I saw was a tree. The noise had stopped. We kept on walking. Then, there was a flicker, and Dawn’s flashlight went out. I swallowed. It’s dangerous to be out here, in the dark. I hopped that somehow, Dawn’s flashlight would switch back on. But, no matter how much I wished, the forest stayed pitch black. I looked behind me, all around me, but, my friends weren’t there. “James?! I shouted. “Dawn?!” No response. I crept on. Suddenly, I felt something grab onto my shoulders. I was too frightened to scream. I felt myself getting pulled. I was pulled into a hole in the trunk of a tree. I couldn’t see anything. I slid down, down, down… deeper into the earth. It was like a giant slide, taking me further into the darkness. When I finally stopped, I was in a small, dark room. “Anyone here?” I whispered. “Yes!” I heard someone shout. That was Dawns voice. “We’re here!” That was James Voice. Using their shouts as a guide, I made my way over to where they were sitting. And they weren’t just sitting. They were sitting on chairs. They were tied to the chairs. “Help.” Said Dawn. I set to work. Using my pocket knife, I cut away the ropes. Once they were free, we tried to find another way out. The slide we came in from was too steep to climb back up into. Before we could figure a way out, we saw something slipping through a crack in the wall. A person. How did they fit through the hole? Me and my friends started to back up against the wall. They coming closer. It was a person, yet, I couldn’t tell if they were male or female, it was too dark to see. They dropped a piece of paper on the ground I stared at it for a moment, before picking it up. I read the text written on it: “YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR. I TOLD YOU TO STOP. BETTER SOLVE THREE RIDDLES, OR DOWN IN THE LAKE YOU WILL DROP.” I looked up at the person, hoping they world explain themselves. When I looked closer, I noticed they were wearing a black hood. I couldn’t see their face clearly. I stuffed the note in my pocket. The person ushered for me, James, and Dawn to follow. So, we did. Hoping this wasn’t a bad choice, we walked through secret passages and doorways, until, we came to a large room. There were 5 strange objects on a table in the center. The room was dimly lit with a small candle. We walked up to the table, where, we found a note. I read it aloud to everyone. “Ok.” I said. “It says: first riddle: the two left are not what you seek. One right is neither right either. The final one is right, not choice, but, direction.” I was confused. This was a riddle. I started to process this in my head. Maybe we have to pick one of the objects. It said the first two on the left are not what we seek… hmmm… so, we shouldn’t pick the first two. And one to the right isn’t right either… that leaves us with the last two on the right. The final one must be it! Wait… it’s right, all right. But not as a right choice! Oh… right as in left and right, the direction! So, the second one on the right must be it! “Guys.” I said aloud. “ Do you think it’s the second one on the right?” Dawn shook her head. “No, I think it’s the last one.” I was thinking about this, it could be, but I think the second one is more likely. “Hey James. What do you think?” I said. “I think it’s the last one too. Let’s go with that one.” I was very confused. “Fine.” I said. “Are you sure this answer is right, guys?” Dawn and James nodded. “Definitely.” So, I slowly picked up the last one on the right. Silence. Then, I heard a voice, it was low, and, kinda creepy. “Incorrect. But, even if you did listen to your friend over here, and guessed correctly, remember, the werewolf never plays fair.” Oh no. What was going to happen now. Before I could think of an answer to my own question, I heard a little click. Then from under we and my friends, a trapdoor opened up. We slid, down, down down… I closed my eyes, too much wind was blowing into them. When I opened them, we were back in the forest. “Guys, what happened?” I said, even though, I knew the answer to that. We obviously just met a weirdo that called themselves, the werewolf. “We slid down a random slide?” Dawn replied to my question. James got up slowly. “Come on guys, the werewolf showed themselves, it’s time to leave.” I stood up. “Well, that was no help. Just a big waste of time in my opinion.” I said. Wait. A waste of time… that was really what the werewolf wanted us to do, waste our time! They were probably planning something, and needed us away. Hmm… that’s it! A plan. The werewolf, had a plan.

Chapter 6: Ambush

We started to walk back to camp, wondering about what happened to use a few minutes ago. I knew we should have picked the second one of the right. Why were Dawn and James so certain it was the last one? This was all confusing. I just came to this camp to have some fun with my friends. But, now, it’s something else. A mystery. A werewolf. We continued walking through the dark forest. We had to feel our way back, because Dawns flashlight was broken. We weren’t far from camp, we only went a little bit inside. So, it wasn’t a far walk back. When we arrived, we saw something most peculiar. Ana. She was rummaging through a trash can. How strange. She turned around, and instantly ran off. “Guys.” I said. “Did you see Ana?” Dawn nodded. “Yes. She was rummaging through that trash bin next to the cabins.” “I know. I saw her, she just ran off.” I said. James, meanwhile was examining something on the ground. “Guys!” He said. “Take a look at this. It’s wolf prints.” Me and Dawn bent down to see the prints James was looking at. They were wolf prints all right. But, something about them being there felt weird. The wolf was still here. I thought coach Jake got rid of it. “Come on guys.” I said. “Let’s get to our cabins before somebody sees us out here. We could get in trouble.” So, Me, Dawn, and James started to head towards the cabins. We took a look at the trash bin that we saw Ana rummaging through. It was empty. Yet, some pieces of trash were scattered on the grassy ground next to it. Me and James went over to the boys cabin, and Dawn went to the girls. When we were inside, we took off our backpacks and changed into our pajamas. Then, we heard a noise. “What are you guys doing?” We heard a voice say. I froze. I turned around to see who made the noise. It was Blake, he was leaning of the side of his bunk. I quickly thought up an answer. “Uh, we’re, um, we were just getting some water. Blake looked at us, unconvinced. “Are you sure? Why are you changing? And, why are your backpacks just sitting there on your bed? That’s strange.” I shifted uncomfortably. Should I tell Blake the truth? “Blake.” I said. “Go back to sleep, we were just changing into our pajamas, because, we, uh, we forgot to.” Blake was looking at us now in a very strange way. “You forgot? Why would you both forget and suddenly wake up at…” Blake checked his watch. “1:00 am?” Suddenly I remembered who long we were out there in the forest for. More then an hour. Blake was waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Suddenly, James spoke up, “Blake. Go to sleep.” Blake glared at us. “Why? I’ll only go to sleep if you give me a reasonable answer! I want to know what you guys are up to. Your acting suspicious, and I can tell miss Ellie, I have the power to do that.” I sighed. We should just tell Blake. I looked at James and he nodded. “Blake, can you keep a secret?” Blake thought about this. “Definitely. I’ll never tell a soul what your about to tell me. I promise.” So, I decided to tell Blake what was up. “ Blake. We keep finding these weird notes everywhere. They’ve been saying threatening things.” I took the pile of notes out of my backpack and pockets. I handed them to Blake. He read them. When he was finished, his eyes went wide. “Woah.” He said. “These are serious notes. Are you guys trying to figure out who wrote them?” I nodded. “Yes. That’s why you saw us awake. One of those notes told us to go into the forest at midnight.” Blake stared at the note we were referring to. “Cool.” He said. “So you guys went out in that forest at midnight?” I nodded. “Yep. With a flashlight, of course. But it did end up losing battery when we were out there.” Blake had a stunned look on his face. “Wow. You guys are really serious about this.” He said. James spoke up, “yeah. Now, go back to sleep, we told you what happened. Goodnight Blake.” Blake sighed reluctantly. “Fine, but, one more question.” I raised a brow. “Do you think I could help you guys figure out this mystery? I’m really interested.” I thought about this. “Maybe.” I said. “We’ll see what my other friends think. If they agree, which I’m sure they would, you can help.” Blake smiled. “Thanks guys! Goodnight.” And with that, Blake flopped down onto his pillow and fell asleep. I crawled into my bed and pulled the blanket over my head. I heard James getting into his bed on the other side of the room. I thought about this werewolf. Whoever they were, they ment business.

Ring, ring, ring! That was the wake up call. I groaned and rolled over in my bed. Agghhh… I felt terrible. I think I might’ve caught a cold or something yesterday. I stayed in my bed for a while, before, getting up to change. When I sat up, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Ugh. I think it would be better if I rested. James was changing on the other side of the room. When he saw me still in bed, he came over. “Are you going to change or what?” He said. I shook my head. “What do you mean?” He said, sounding surprised. I answered, “I think I have a cold.” James sighed. “ it’s always something happening to you…” he laughed. I nodded. Just as he was about to say something else, the door swung open, and Dawn and Ana walked in. “Hurry guys! Today after breakfast, we’re having an ultimate manhunt session!” Said Ana. Suddenly, Dawn and Ana saw me in bed, pale and tired. “What’s wrong with you?” Said Ana. “Oh, me? I just got a small cold, I’ll be alright.” I said. “No!” Said Dawn. “We’re going to take care of you and make sure you get better. Me and James will get you some breakfast, while you rest.” Said Dawn. I nodded. “Thanks guys. You don’t really have to do anything for me, you know right? I’m fine.” Dawn shook her head sadly. “No, we would never let you down. Stay here with Ana. Ana, make sure he rests.” Ana saluted. “ ay aye captain!” Dawn and James left the cabin. Ana looked at me. “Rest.” She said sternly. “Dawn said to me to make sure you rest.” “I am resting.” I said. “Close your eyes!” Said Ana. “But I’m resting with my eyes open!” “That’s not resting!” “Yes it is!” “ is not.” “Is too!” Me and Ana argued about what was resting and what wasn’t for about a minute, before, We heard someone come in. It wasn’t Dawn and James who entered though. It was Blake. He was holding a binder, a notebook, a pen, a magnifying glass, and a book on werewolf’s. Blake saw me looking at the things in his hands. So, he said, “oh, these are my mystery solving items! I’m going to use them to solve the werewolf mystery for you guys.” Ana looked at me confused. “ oh, I…” I started to say. “I maybe invited Blake to help use figure out who’s planting these notes.” Ana looked at Blake. Blake spoke up, “yeah, I saw you guys last night. Wait? Not you though.” Ana laughed. “No I didn’t come. I was making a project.” Ana looked at me like I was seriously crazy to tell this to Blake. Maybe, I was. But he wouldn’t stop bugging us last night, and the more help, the better. Most suddenly, Blake realized that I was in my bed. “Hey, why are you still in bed. You should get some yummy breakfast, today they have omelettes with bacon. Mmmmm…” I laughed. “Wish I could. But I’m down with a cold.” I said. “Oh. I’m sorry. Hope you get better soon.” Said Blake. “Thanks.” I said. Blake waved goodbye. Ana waved back. Blake left the cabin, slamming the door behind him. “He’s a nice kid, Blake. Don’t you think?” Said Ana after Blake left. “Um, yeah.” I said. Just then, Dawn and James returned, holding two food trays. One in each hand. Dawn handed Me one of the trays. Ana took the other one. “Thanks guys.” I said. Dawn and James had brought me back a stack of waffles, a cappuccino, and a side of apple slices. They really were very nice friends. Dawn spoke up, “they ran out of mango slices, so we got apples instead.” “Thanks.” I said. I took a sip of my cappuccino. Mmmmm… hot and… wait a second. This wasn’t a cappuccino. This was something else. And I know cappuccinos. This, was definitely not one. “Dawn, is this a cappuccino?” I said. “Yeah. Miss Ellie told me she had a new cappuccino flavor, and that you should try it, so, I got it.” Said Dawn. “Wait? Miss Ellie told you to get that for me?” Dawn shrugged. “ I guess.” She said. “Well, that’s not normal. That’s suspicious.” I said. “Maybe Miss Ellie decided to be nice to you, maybe she decided to change her ways, and be more nice towards people?” I shook my head. “No…” I started to say, but groaned in agony. “Ugh…” Dawn looked at me with a worried look on her face. “Are you okay?” She said. “Uh… yeah.” I said. “I’m fine… just…” before I could finish my sentence, my vision went black.

Ugh… where was I? I looked around, vision blurred. I looked up, Ana was shaking me. “What are you doing?” I said. Ana smiled. “He’s alive guys!” She said. I was very confused. I was alive the whole time, eating breakfast with them. “You passed out.” Said Dawn. That explains it. Suddenly, I heard a loud noise outside. It was music. The music was blaring loudly from a speaker. It was upbeat dancing music. I heard kids shouting and singing. “It’s time for the dance party.” Said Ana. I definitely couldn’t go, unfortunately. “You guys can go.” I said. “You don’t need to stay, I’m fine.” Dawn frowned. “No. We’ll stay and take care of you.” I shook my head. “Nope. You guys go have fun.” I said. “Are you sure?” Said Ana uncertainly. “Yep.” I said. So, Dawn, James, and Ana left the cabin. A few moments later, I heard a scratching at the window. I sat up. Ow. To fast. I turned toward the window and slowly, but surely, got up. I pulled back the curtains and saw something unusual. Ana. She was doing something strange with the dirt. Writing something? I wonder… this was very unusual. Ana has been doing very weird things lately, so, I wasn’t surprised to see her there. What was she doing anyways? I looked closely. Yes, writing something. Not just anything, though, but the simply the word: Wolf. Wait a second. Just as Ana moved out of the way again, I saw the word, werewolf, scratched into the dirt. She filled the carved out words in the ground with pebbles, probably to make it stand out more. Hmm… should I quickly open the window and catch Ana redhanded? Before I could, the cabin door opened. James, and Dawn walked back inside. “Where’s Ana?” Said Dawn. “She’s outside. Didn’t you see her go, she was with you guys.” Dawn shook her head. “No. We just went out to dance, and suddenly noticed she wasn’t there.” This was getting serious. Ana acting weird, my cappuccino tasting, Off. and of course the weird hooded guy that called themselves, the werewolf. This was strange. “Hey, Jason.” Said James. “What’s that on the floor?” James reached down and picked up a piece of paper of the ground. Another note. James read it aloud, “Ambush. Take down camp. At midnight Tuesday. Don’t let a soul here about this. Signed, CJ.” I was stunned. “Wait, what?” I said aloud, my brain trying to process the fact that we would be ambushed on Tuesday. Wait a minute. Tuesday was tomorrow! They would be attacking tonight! We have to tell somebody. “Guys. I don’t think we were supposed to read this.” I said aloud. “I think your right.” Said Dawn. “We have to tell somebody, we have to warn the camp!” And with that, me, James, and Dawn dashed out of the cabin. We ran over to the rec center. Inside, we found coach Jake. “Jake!” We shouted in unison. “Hurry, somebody’s planning an ambush, an attack! Do something!” Jake looked surprised to see us there. “What do you mean?” We showed coach Jake the note. Jake’s eyes went wide. “This is serious.” He said. “But, are you sure you kids aren’t just trying to pull my leg?” Did coach Jake really think we were tricking him? “No.” I said. “Honest. Cross my heart.” Jake looked unconvinced. “An ambush? Seriously. I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it. Besides, doesn’t CJ sound like a kids name?” I shot him a serious look. “We will never, ever, lie to you, to anyone!” Coach Jake sighed. “Fine. I believe you, but, what are we supposed to do anyway?” I shrugged. “Tell miss Ellie.” So, coach Jake left the rec center to spread the news. Considerably, of course. Me, Dawn and James stayed inside the rec center to wait until he returned. A few moments later, the door opened, but it wasn’t just coach Jake who entered. Miss Ellie, Ana, Blake, and many other kids were among him. They streamed through the door. Miss Ellie glared at me. “Is this a joke?” She said, angrily. “ no.” I said. “ this is not a joke, honest. In fact, here’s the note.” I handed miss Ellie the note that James had found on the floor of the boys cabin. She read it. She looked very surprised. Obviously trying to hide the surprise, she simply handed the note back to me. I took it. “Jason.” She said. “I will be very upset if this is a joke.” By now, all the kids in the room were whispering to each other and acting very much curious. A kid spoke up, “miss Ellie.” She said. “Can I see the note?” Miss Ellie turned her way. “Absolutely not.” Quickly, she smiled, trying to hide the truth of what the note said. “Maybe later, Emily. How about we make some lanyards?” All the kids shook their heads. “No. We want to see the note!” Said Blake. Ugh… Blake. Out of everyone that could’ve spoke up, it had to be Blake. He promised secrecy. Maybe Blake wasn’t the one to trust. Miss Ellie ushered everyone out, so she, Me, James, Dawn, Ana, and Coach Jake could talk in private. When inside, Coach Jake spoke up, “kids, stay calm. This is probably just a joke.” I felt very unsure about this, the person who was sending these notes -this CJ kid- was very serious about what he, or she, was doing. And anyway, even if they weren’t planning an ‘ambush’ we should still take this seriously. Like, I have this random person targeting me, and accusing me for stuff I didn’t do. “What do you do about this ambush they speak of?” I said, wondering aloud. Coach Jake seemed to try to process this in his head. “I…” he started to say. “I don’t know exactly.” This felt weird. Didn’t coach Jake always have an answer to what kids asked him? After all, he’s the best coach ever. “We must prepare.” He said suddenly. “We need to keep watch. You kids don’t have to worry, us staff will make sure you kids stay safe. We will stay out there until midnight. We will make sure they don’t arrive, and always be ready to get the police into this is they are needed. Don’t worry.” I sighed, knowing coach Jake wouldn’t want us to help out. I nodded. “But, you kids can do something for me.” He said. “Study the notes more, try to link them together in a sort of puzzle way, maybe we can find more information.” I nodded. “Okay.” I said. “We will.” Coach Jake smiled. “Great!” He said. “Well, bye kids, see you later for T-shirt dyeing later, we will be making super cool patterns!” We waved coach Jake goodbye, and walked out of the rec center. We went back to the cabins to gather more information. On the way, we bumped into Blake, who, seemed to be very happy to see us. Immediately after he saw us, he started talking. “Guys…” he said. “You won’t believe what I saw!” “What did you see, Blake?” I said, eagerly. “A…” he started to say. “A what?” I said. “A wa-wa…” Blake gulped. “A werewolf!” He finished, acting frightened. I raised a brow. “A werewolf?” I said. Blake nodded excitedly. “Where did you see it?” Blake pointed one finger towards the forest. “The forest.” He said. Things were getting strange. Ana was acting weird, miss Ellie gave me a weird cappuccino that literally made me pass out, and even Blake was acting off. I stared into the forest for a while. Then, Blake spoke up, “well, cya guys.” He said, as he walked off towards the rec center, probably to tell coach Jake about the werewolf, I assumed. Suddenly a blaring alarm came off. The dinner bell. Me, Ana, Dawn, and James walked over to the lunch room. Inside, we got our trays and walked over to get our dinner. They had meatloaf, potatoes, rice, noodles, veggies, and some chicken salad. We got some of the food and went to our usual table to eat. When we sat down, miss Ellie came over to our table very suddenly. She placed down a small piece of plastic. Huh? This was strange. “What’s that?” I said aloud to miss Ellie, very curiously. Miss Ellie shot me a look. “It’s nothing.” She said simply. I wasn’t so sure about that. What she had put down, she quickly snatched up and walked away with out saying another word.

Chapter 7: Stomach ache

After we finished up our dinner, we headed outside. We began to walk over to the rec center to do t-shirt tie-die. When we arrived, kids were already spreading out white t-shirts and setting up there colors. Coach Jake began placing pieces of cardboard under the shirts, to prevent drips. Coach Jake handed each of us a shirt to decorate. “Thank you.” Said Ana. “You’re welcome, Ana.” He replied. We all sat down at the long tables that were spread with table cloths. “Now kids.” Said coach Jake excitedly. “It’s time to die t-shirts. You each have two rubber bands in front of you. Please pick them up and tie them around your shirt, forming it into a scrunched up roll. No lay that down in front of you.” All the kids did as they were told. “Now.” Said coach Jake. “Chose a few colors and open them. Very carefully, squirt them in different patterns onto your T-shirt.” The kids listened to coach Jake’s instructions slowly, as they squirt different colors on their white t-shirts. “I’m going to do black and blue.” I said aloud to my friends. “Awesome.” Said James. “Well I’m going to do red with blue. My favorite colors.” Dawn was just squirting some deep violet color onto hers. “Nice design.” I told her. “Thanks” she replied. “I was thinking of adding some maroon, what do you think?” I thought about this for a bit before answering. “Yeah that would look awesome.” Ana, meanwhile, was choosing out some hot pinks from the tray of colors that coach Jake had set out. She chose a shade of hot pink, and, a bright yellow color. she set them in front of her, snapping the lids off. I was almost finished dyeing mine. I had the black swirling around the blue, creating a cool ocean effect. Once all the kids were finished choosing their colors and squirting the colors onto the rolled up t-shirts, coach Jake started to explain the next step in the process of creating the perfect designs on the t-shirts. “Ok. Great.” Said coach Jake. “Your T-shirts look awesome. Put on some plastic latex gloves and unroll your t-shirts.” All the kids started to put on plastic gloves and unroll their shirts. “Cool.” Said coach Jake. “Now, hang them up to dry on this rack I set up.” All the kids made their way over to the rack to hang their shirt’s they dyed. “Alright.” Said coach Jake, once everyone had hung up their shirts. “I’ll set you guys know when they are done drying. Awesome designs, you kids are pros!” All the kids slowly left the rec center. Me, Dawn, Ana, and James, made our way back to the cabins and get some sleep before the big day tomorrow. Tomorrow, all the kids were having an ultimate capture the flag game, so, Miss Ellie arranged a very big breakfast for the occasion. The winning team was to receive a very large prize. So, when we were in the cabins, I said goodnight to James and hopped into bed. A few minutes after my head touched the pillow, I was sound asleep…

riiiinnngggg… riiiingggg… ugh, that confounded wake up call. I yawned and stretched. On the other side of the room, I saw Blake on his bed. He was holding some kind of card. All the kids in the cabin were admiring Blake’s card. Huh? I wondered. What was this about? I went up to see what all the commotion was about. Blake was showing of a holographic trading card he collected. All the kids looked very jealous. “What’s that?” I said to Blake. All the kids looked at me like I was crazy. “It’s the most rare collectible card in the whoooole series, that’s what!” I was still confused. “What series?” I asked curiously. “The H20 rare holographic first edition magma kid splash disc mega card! Shadowed with cosmos and with a rare misprint on it!” None of the kids answered my question about what series it was, all they did was tell me that super long confusing name. I was still confused. So, instead of asking what the heck that was, me and James headed out. I couldn’t wait for the delicious breakfast awaiting me. At the lunch room, I spotted Ana and Dawn coming in. All four of us went over to our usual table. We got up and headed towards the food booth, as usual. But something was different this breakfast. Not the usual amount of food. At least triple the amount of food was served at the food booth. Kids were gathering around, grabbing the food they desired. I immediately went into ultimate breakfast mode. I piled my plate high with waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, popovers, cheese sandwiches, toast, sausage, and donuts. Especially donuts. I came back to our table. James, Ana, and Dawn stared at me like I had three eyes. I sat down, the huge amount of food on my plate blocking my face. This was the best. I started on the waffles. They were just soooooo good. “Uh, Jason?” I heard Dawns voice say. “I think that’s a lot of food? Are you really going to eat all that?” How could she think I couldn’t eat this much food?when I put myself into food mode, there’s no leaving it. I wolfed down the stack of buttercream pancakes faster then You could say: mommy’s marriage made my morning mood much milder. After I finished those heavenly pancakes, I gobbled down my other food. I was soo hungry today. And this food… this food… my mouth was practically watering even though I was already eating. Dawn, James, And Ana had worried looks on their faces. “Shwaht?” I tried to say ‘what’, but, my mouth was full of too much food I couldn’t speak. 10 minutes later, I finished my first plate. I went to get seconds, but, Dawn tried to stop me. “Jason.” She said. “Save your appetite for lunch. Anyway, that’s too much food to eat all in one sitting.” I processed this in my head. “But I need dessert!” I said. Dawn sighed. “Fine.” She said. “Go get your dessert, but remember, when you get super sick after this, remember what I told you.” I nodded and fled of to get more food. After an hour, I was finally content and ready to go. So, us four walked out of the lunch room silently. We started to make our way to where the capture the flag tournament was supposed to be held, so we could practice and get ready for the big game. But, on the way over, I felt a slight pain in my stomach. I waved of the feeling. It’s nothing. I thought. But, as we kept walking, the pain grew. “Uggghhhhh…” I groaned loudly. Oops. I said that aloud. Dawn shot me a look. “ remember what I told you?” I sighed. Quite suddenly, I lurched forward and grabbed my stomach. “Agggghhhhh…” I groaned loudly. “You okay?” Said James. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” James scoffed. “Yeah, sure you are.” “I think we should bring you to the cabins. You need rest.” Said Ana. “No, it fine.” I said. “I’m okay.” I said. I attempted to smile, but, failed miserably because my stomach hurt to much. So, reluctantly, I let my friends take me to the cabins. When we got there, luckily, no other kids were there. That would be extremely embarrassing. “Go on, lie down and rest.” Said Dawn. “Uggghhhh… I groaned, clutching my stomach. Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten so much food at breakfast. I sighed, slumping back into my bed. Then, very suddenly, my stomach made a sound no teenager should ever make. Glllloooorrrrpppaagghhhhh… my face turned red. This was sooo embarrassing. My friends just looked at me with worried glances. The pain was too much. I winced. Ugghhh… “is it serious?” said James. I shook my head. Even though, maybe, it was serious. “My stomach’s betraying me…” I said sheepishly. Dawn laughed. “I told you it would.” She said as she shot me a knowing look. Ugghh… this was horrible.”how about you get some rest? We will wake you up when it’s time for capture the flag.” I thought about this. For some reason, I didn’t want my friends to leave. They were great friends. “You won’t leave, right?” I said softly. Ana shook her head. “Nope,” she said. “ we will stay as long as you need us and more.” I smiled. Then, I laughed, suddenly noticing how funny this moment was, which, I instantly regretted because it just worsened the pain. I grabbed my stomach. Definitely too much food. “I regret nothing…” I said. James laughed. “Really? I wouldn’t say, ‘nothing.’” Ana immediately went to get a cup of water from the water dispenser across the room. “ here.” She said. “Now, get some rest before the big game. We don’t want your stomach to ‘betray’ you mid game.” I laughed, which hurt a bit. My friends stayed by my side the whole time. Such awesome friends, I thought. Slowly, after a long time of my stomach aching, and my friends watching like it was nothing, I slowly closed my eyes. “He fell asleep!” I heard Ana whispering to Dawn and James. I was still awake, technically. Just resting my eyes. Then, I heard a creaking sound. That was the door opening. Did someone just leave the room? The pain in my stomach was still there, though, it lessened a bit. “Hey, Jason.” I heard Dawn say softly. “Are you awake?” I slowly opened my eyes. “Yeah…” I said quietly. “We got you some nice tea.” She said. I raised an eyebrow. After literally eating too much food and getting an enormous stomach ache as well as a very embarrassing moment, I wasn’t going to go and eat anything else. Dawn seemed to notice what I was thinking. “Don’t worry.” She said. “It’s not food, it’s tea. It will help you, I promise.” I shook my head. Maybe I could be a bit stubborn some times, but I wasn’t stupid, why would I eat more food, even if it was tea? “Come on.” Said Dawn. “Just a tiny sip?” I sighed. “Fine.” I said. My friends really cared about me and my health. They were like family. I reluctantly put my mouth to the mug, to take a sip. I felt the warm drink touch my lips. I guess it wasn’t that bad. I took a few more sips and set the cup down. “Drink some more.” Said Dawn. “It’s really good for you.” “Um, no thank you.” I said, trying not to hurt Dawns feelings. “ it’s really hot and I don’t feel like eating anything right now, but thanks anyways.” Dawn understood. “Yeah, of course.” She said. “It’s not like I could force you to drink something you don’t like anyways. You don’t have to drink it, but, I’ll leave it here… just in case.” Suddenly a weird feeling filled my body. “Yaaawwwnnnnn…” I let out a long yawn. Why was I so tired all of a sudden? Before I could process this in my head, I was out cold.

I woke up a little while later. Dawn, James, and Ana were surrounding me. “Did you sleep well?” Ana said to me. I shrugged. “Pretty good, actually.” Ana laughed. “Did you like the tea?” I shrugged again. “I guess… it tasted kinda weird though…” Ana laughed. “That’s how tea is supposed to taste!” She said. “By the way, Dawn, where did you get this tea?” Dawn shrugged. “Ana gave it to me so I could give it to you.” I looked at Ana. “Where did you get it?” I said to Ana. “Um… in the lunch room, why?” I shrugged. “I don’t know, it was just kinda funny and made me reallllllllllyyyyyyyy tired.” Ana was shifting foot to foot. For a second there I could’ve sworn I saw a look of guilt in her eyes… no, not guilt… something wild. She looked really suspicious, as if she knew the tea would do that. As if, she made sure it would make me fall asleep on purpose. This was getting too strange. “Ana.” I said. “Yeah?” She answered. “Are you hiding something?” Ana was silent for a couple of seconds. All eyes were on her. “Uh… no. Why would you think something like that?” I shrugged. “Well.. I don’t know!” Ana looked uncomfortable. “What would I be up to anyway?” This was the moment. The moment where we caught Ana red handed. “You were writing ‘werewolf’ in the dirt, you gave Ana that weird tea, and many more things. You always leave at the most random times.” Ana shrugged. “Writing in the dirt is uh, fun.” She said. This was very weird. I always trusted my friends. Well, maybe, you shouldn’t trust just anyone though. Even if they are your ‘friend’. Ana seemed very uncomfortable and, without warning, just left the cabin. Okay. This was getting out of hand. “Where did she go?” I said. James shrugged. “Do you expect me to know?” I stood up, which I instantly regretted. My legs went weak and I fell. At least the bed was there to comfort my fall. “Ugg..” I let out a groan as I hit the bed. hard. “Are you okay?” Said Dawn. “Yep” I said sheepishly. “Good as ever.”

Chapter 8:

I slowly got up. Dawn, who was behind me, was now taking something out of her pocket. It was a flyer. “Did you hear about the play the kids are doing?” I shook my head. Why was she showing me this right now? It sounded fun and all, but, why bring it up at this time? “Miss Ellie said she wants us to practice.” Cool. This would be fun. “What time?” I asked. “In about…” Dawn looked at her watch. “Oh! In 5 minutes.” Ana started to open the door. “Well what are we waiting for?” She said. “Cmon!” Ana left the cabin and rushed over to where we were supposed to practice for the rehearsal. Already there, was miss Ellie, coach Jake, and several other people. I saw someone I didn’t recognize. Before I could question anyone about the new ‘staff’ or whatever he was, miss Ellie started to speak. “Welcome students.” She said. “We will be putting on a very special performance later this week. We must practice. Is everyone ready?” All the kids cheered. That must mean yes. “I also have a special guest. He is a new coach here and very talented in story telling and stage play. He goes by the name, Hunter.” Coach hunter gave a quick wave to the crowd of children. The kids waved back. “Tell the kids what we will be doing today for practice, Hunter.” Coach Hunter straightened up. “Today we will be deciding which roles each one of you will have.” The crowd went silent. “And who wants to guess what story we will be acting out?” A few kids raised their hands. “The three little pigs?” One kid suggested. Hunter shook his head. “We will be performing something different then what most of you probably expected.” The kids looked around at each other. “Tell us! Tell us!” The kids chanted. “Okay.” The crowd went silent. “David and Goliath!” The kids cheered. All the kids that knew the story knew this would be interesting. And the kids that didn’t cheered just because the title sounded interesting. “It will be based if the story in the bible where a boy named David defeats a giant with a stone.” The crowd oooohhhhed and aaaahhhed. “And we will pick the roles now. Just line up here.” All the kids scrambled to get to the start of the line. I was at the back of the line, with my friends in front of me. I went on my tiptoes to get a better view of what was happening at the front of the line. One child who was just getting picked looked very upset with the role he had gotten. “ ugghh… I got the role of a philistine soldier!” He told everyone who would listen. The line went by slowly. All the kids whispered to each other in excited voices. Apparently all the kids wanted to play the role of David, the star of the show. Finally it was me and my friends turn to get picked. Dawn was first. She was picked to be an onlooker watching the battle. Then James was picked to be one of David’s brothers and Ana were picked to be an Israelite soldier. Finally it was my turn to be picked. “Hmmm…” said coach hunter. “ I guess there’s only one person for you to be. David.” The crowd cheered. All the kids wanted to be David. “Alright kids.” Said coach Hunter. “Let’s start with the first part. Follow me to the stage.” Coach Hunter started to walk off. All the kids followed him other to a makeshift stage with a backdrop of fields and a river. “Ok.” Said coach Hunter. “Let’s start. Narrator, come to the back of the stage and sit on this stool.” A young girl with brown curls and a long ribbon came onto the stage and sat at a stool near the back. “Ok.” Said coach Hunter. “Here’s your script. Read it aloud when I say: lights, cameras, action!” The girl nodded. “Okay. Goliath, come over here.” A teenager went up to the stage and took a bundle of papers which coach Hunter had handed him. “Great. David, come up!” The crowd cheered as I made my way over to the stage. Coach Hunter handed me a scripture to read. I took it and took my place according to Coach Hunters instructions. “Great. We are almost ready to practice. Onlookers and soldiers come over here. Philistine soldiers on the right and Israelite soldiers on the left. A large group of the kids came up to the stage. The rest of the kids were to help with decoration and lighting. “Okay! Lights, cameras, Action!” The narrator started to read aloud. “The Israelites and philistines were at war. Every day a giant named Goliath came out to challenge them.” Coach Hunter clapped. “Great reading.” Then the teen that was playing as Goliath started to say his part. “I am Goliath!” He said loud and proud. “ send a man to fight me! If he wins, we will serve you—but, if I win, you will serve us!” A kid playing as a Israelite soldier shuddered. “He’s huge! No one can defeat him!” He said, acting scared. “Cut! Scene one, finished.” Said coach Hunter. “Let’s continue until this first scene is perfect. Tomorrow, we will practice scene number two.” Some kids nodded. We practiced for a long time. I was mostly watching, as, my part wasn’t up yet. Coach Hunter told me I would appear in scene two. So, me, James, Dawn, and Ana left to get some lunch. For lunch we were having burgers. We went to sit at our usual table. When we went to get our food, I saw something. Coach Hunter was also here, getting some food. There was nothing unusual about a coach getting food. Nothing at all. But still, I had a strange feeling as I watched him.later that evening, me and James went to our cabins to get to sleep. James and I crawled into our beds. I stayed looking up at the ceiling for a while. Wondering about that “ambush” note we got… I had to do something. I sat for a long time. Finally, I could stand it no longer. I got out of my bed and tiptoed out of my bed. I slowly left the cabin. I gust of wind went by. “Oh.” I said aloud. “It’s kinda chilly out here.” I looked around. Down, on the ground, was a note. I picked it up. “GO TO SLEEP.” It simply read. Whoever these guys thought they were, who would think a note telling a kid to go to sleep would actually work? I walked out slowly, hoping no one would notice me out here. I heard a rustle coming from near the woods. I slowly crept over. Using my hands to push back leaves, I spotted something very unusual. Two figures. I listened carefully to what they were saying. I couldn’t see who they were, as it was dark. But, whoever they were, they were wearing very fuzzy clothes. I could see the fuzz sticking out everywhere. I listened. “Did you give him the tea?” I heard someone say, in a soft voice. It was a man’s. “Uh…” started the other figure. It sounded like a female talking. “Yes.” She finished. “Did it work?” Said the other figure. There was a silence before the other person answered. “Yes. Kind off. But, not fully.” The other man figure started pacing around. “ we need to find a way to stop him…” he started to say, in a hushed voice. “But how?” This was the moment. I could reveal who was planting those notes. But still, it could be dangerous. Those people could have nothing to do with this camp. Could be complete strangers. Well, either my brain wasn’t in the best place right now, or I was too excited, but I burst out into the woods. The two figures made a move to dash off. But I stopped them “wait. Or… or.. or I’ll call the p… police!” I said, stuttering, as I was kind off scared. The two figures stopped. One of them turned on a flashlight. The light revealed the two figures faces. Their faces had a gray, fuzzy hood, with a wolf’s face sewn on. Their body’s had fuzzy wolf costumes, and they had tails attached. “What… the?” I said aloud, accidentally. I didn’t know what to do, so, I shouted. “Explain yourselfs!” The shout echoed through the whole forest. One of the figures spoke. “You have been threatening our family, Jason.” I stopped dead in my tracks. “H… how do you know m—my, name?” I said. “Easy. The werewolf knows everything.” The figure came closer. I somehow kind of recognized his voice, but I couldn’t recall who’s it was… he continued to speak. “Your family did a terrible thing. One I will never forget and never forgive.” I gulped. Me? My family? Terrible? Never! “Let me explain.” He said. “Once upon a time ago, there was a girl. This girl was very young and very unaware of the situation she would soon be in. But, as time passed, she discovered something horrible. A note.” A chill went up my spine as he said the word, Note. He continued on with his story. “She of course, read the note, very unaware of the fate that was going to come. The note simply said, “Tonight, go outside, in the woods. 12 am. This girl was very young and curious and certainly didn’t think this could be dangerous. So, she went out at 12 that night. She saw something, or should I say, someone that changed her life forever. A werewolf. And it put a curse upon her, a terrible curse she could never, ever, forget. And the person that put this curse upon her happened to be a Relative. One from your family, Jason. The curse was terrible. Too terrible. She was shocked at this news, and at first didn’t believe it. But, now that she’s older, she certainly does understand the curse…” I was shocked at all this news. Me or my family would never do such a thing… would they? The man spoke again. “Sister, would you like to show Jason, who you really are?” I looked towards the women. She grasped her hoodie in her hands. I saw her hands trembling a bit. She lifted up her hood. “ANA!” I shouted aloud. Ana smiled.”yes it’s me, silly. Should’ve know by now. But it’s not me you should be worried about…” Ana backed off into the shadows. The man stepped forward. “Yes.” He said. “ Ana was just my fellow “assistant.” After all, she is my sister. So, i thought she would be a great “note planter.” But. Of course, I wrote all those notes I gave you. Every single one. That’s why one’s signed, CJ.” He ended that CJ part with a tone of mystery. Then, slowly, he too lifted his hood. As he did, he spoke. “CJ. As in, Coach Jake.” I was so stunned at all this news. “W… why?” Was all I could muster. “ because, of the curse. The curse, your big brother put on my sister. The one he swore he would put on me, And he did.”I was stunned. I didn’t have a big brother. Well at least, not, anymore. My parents always said he was a great son. A bit “ magical” in their opinion. I never knew they ment it that way. Like, magical magical. Could he really have put a curse on coach James family? Wait. If Coach Jake was my relative, that meant Ana was too. The whole time. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her! “How… are… y… you related to me?” I said to Ana. It was more difficult to talk to Ana, now that I knew her “true identity.” Ana smiled. “ you never knew, cus? You never knew…” she said softly. Great. I had two werewolves as cousins. Well, not real werewolves, but still. Suddenly, coach Jake spoke up. “And because of that, we will finish you off, so you can never report us, and we can successfully compete our mission” I looked at Ana. Her eyes turned red. So did coach Jake’s. The seemed to get taller, and, oh. Harrier. They sprouted fluffy gray fur. They grew twice their size and had huge, bulging muscles. My instincts told me to run. I ran as fast as my legs could handle. Thud. Thud. I heard trees ripping behind me, I heard growls and fierce voices. I ran so fast. “Aghhh… almost there…” I said, running out of breath. Slowly, I saw light. Apparently, the whole camp was up. I saw everyone there. Finally, I burst out of the woods, tripping and sprawling onto the ground, breathless. A few minutes later, I looked up. Two enormous werewolf beasts stood. Slowly, they began to shrink. Everyone around me was too scared to scream. Finally, Ana and Jake were normal humans again. Ana collapsed. Jake caught her. “Ugh… so weak.” I heard him whisper. Then, he too collapsed. Both were on the ground. I saw miss Ellie take out her cell phone and dial a number. Seconds later, The police were here. The police arrested Ana and Jake. “Wow.” Said one police officer. “Never heard such a tale. I can believe it though, heard the ruckus from a mile away.” They drove off with Ana and Jake in the back row, looking very annoyed. “Jason.” Said miss Ellie. “You saved us. From that ambush, we could’ve all been in grave danger.” I smiled. I appreciated miss Ellie’s remark. “ your all very welcome.” I said. “ but I couldn’t have done it without my friends, Dawn and James.” All the kids clapped. This was a great week at summer camp, dangerous, yes. But great.

Epilogue:

Back in the cabins, me, James, and Dawn settled down with a cup of coffee. (Which miss Ellie generously provided.) “how did you know it was them?” James asked eagerly. I shrugged. “I felt bored, so I went out and heard something in the woods. I took a peek, and saw two strange figures. They literally admitted the whole thing.” James looked surprised. “Admitted it?” He said. “Yep.” I said. “Because I threatened them I would call the police.” Dawn and James laughed. “This was a fun week, right guys?” Said Dawn. “Yeah” I said. Inside though, I felt a bit more. Ana, our best friend, betrayed us? “Yeah, but it’s kind of lonely without Ana around.” I admitted. “ yeah.” Said Dawn. “But wasn’t she faking her “friendship”? Fake friends aren’t real friends.” I secretly agreed. Even though Ana was our friend, she wasn’t a true friend. And true friends, are the ones that stay with you, forever.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter book. I have been working on this for a looooonnnggg time. This book was written by: Annabella Marie Gomez. Feel free to leave comments. I loved writing this book and hope you enjoyed reading it just as much!