CHAPTER NINE

My heart is pounding now as I stand still, frozen in place.

I can’t be lost.

I just can’t!

But as I take another step, the incline is obvious and dread settles within me.

The wheels in my head are turning in all sorts of random directions. There is no way that Veronica brought a misfunctioning flashlight down to the tunnels. She’s been here for longer than I have. I can understand a rookie making that mistake but someone who’s been here for as long as she supposedly has? I doubt it.

Which means that this was deliberate.

But the change in schedule was so sudden and she shouldn’t have known who she was partnering with.

A cold feeling of anger settles within me.

But there was one person who did.

And it was also strange that Veronica didn’t seem to know Rachel when even the Level Ones seemed to know Rachel’s name.

This whole thing was a setup from the beginning.

Anger floods me.

I may not be an exceptional A-grade student but I have no problem putting the pieces of a puzzle together. This was Rachel’s idea. It has to be! And Veronica was in on it.

My hands clench into fists.

Is Rachel really that insane? To endanger somebody’s life just because she doesn’t like them dating her ex-boyfriend?

For someone proclaimed to be a genius, she sure is a petty little-

I lose my train of thought as I shiver. It’s cold down here even with my jacket on.

I need to figure out how to get out of here.

I can’t see, so the symbols on the walls are useless and I can’t even mark the walls because of the same reason, assuming I can find anything to mark my path. But what if-?

My hand weighs the flashlight and I ponder for a few seconds. I might not be able to see but I can feel.

The ground near the edges of the walls is softer. I crouch down and begin pressing the bottom of the flashlight into the mud.

I need to dig a little with my hands as well and when I smell my own blood, I ignore it. I keep digging, not stopping even when the tips of my fingers throb with pain. Dying is far more uncomfortable than this stinging sensation.

Finally, a little out of breath, I straighten up and then feel around the area with my foot. The hole is deep enough for me to feel it. Closing my eyes and hoping this works, I take a deep breath and take fifteen measured steps before crouching down and continuing to do the same.

After every fifteen steps, I repeat the process.

This is the only way to mark against the walls so that I can keep track of where I’m going.

I’ve walked close to a hundred steps or so, and my fingers are throbbing, when I reach the fifteenth step, only to step down into a hole.

“Crap,” I hiss, both exhausted and weary. “Did I just go around in a circle?”

I sink onto the ground, near to tears. Pulling my knees to my chest, I lower my head to rest against them, my breathing haggard. I’m so tired. My fingertips are throbbing.

A part of me wants to give up.

Just curl up and go to sleep, come what may.

But there’s another part of me, a tiny voice inside, that is screaming at me to get up. I don’t want Rachel and Veronica to win. I don’t want them to live with the satisfaction that they managed to get rid of me, or if anything, break my spirit.

I lift my head, anger sparking within me.

My legs burn as I pull myself to my feet.

There has to be a way out, no matter where it leads to!

My hands grip the flashlight but before I can move, I hear a voice, “Is somebody there?”

My heart nearly jumps into my mouth and I struggle to find my voice for a moment, “Here!”

Echoing footsteps sound and within seconds a light appears in the distance. I scramble forward, desperate, “Over here!”

The light turns in my direction, nearly blinding me for a few seconds. I lift up my hands to block it.

“Oh,” the voice sounds startled. “Hang on.”

He lowers the light, enough for me to get a look at his face.

He doesn’t look like a student although his appearance is a little on the youthful side.

“Who are you?” I may be grateful but that doesn’t mean I’ll throw all caution to the wind.

“Derek,” he approaches me, slowly. “I’m a new counselor here. Started yesterday. I thought students aren’t supposed to be here. And where is your flashlight?”

“It gave out,” I mutter, bitterly.

His eyes widen, “Well, it’s lucky for you I was here. You could’ve been wandering around for days.”

“Yeah.”

Lucky, indeed.

“What are you doing down here?” I ask, a little wary. “Counselors aren’t usually on patrol duty.”

He gives me a small smile, “I’m more concerned with how badly your fingers look; they’re injured. Come on. I’ll take a look at them.”

My fingers are throbbing so when he turns and begins to walk, I trail after him.

He sounds concerned as he looks over his shoulder at me, “You must have been terrified down here.”

“Not really,” I try to shrug it off, but he glances down at my shaking hands, knowingly.

“I see.”

We don’t exit from the shack but from a strange side entrance that I’ve never seen before. The tunnels take on another incline and there are some wild bushes blocking the way which he pushes aside before gesturing for me to walk out first.

For a newcomer, he sure seems to know a lot about these tunnels.

I walk into a massive thicket and Derek pushes the needles and leaves aside with his hands without so much as flinching to make way for me.

I keep following him as he guides me out of the forest towards the main buildings. We’re still on the Level One island which is a relief.

“I can just go back to my barra-“

“I want to take a look at those wounds first.”

He leads me to the infirmary, which is dark, meaning it’s closed up for the night. However, Derek seems to know his way around and he unlocks the door, switching on the lights.

“Sit,” he orders, firmly.

I obey, too tired to protest. He brings out a first aid kit and sits down next to me, turning on the lamp on the table for additional light. His hands are gentle as he treats my injuries with great care.

“Were you digging?” he sounds surprised.

“Yeah.”

I wince at the sting of the alcohol as he cleans my bloodied nails.

“You’re going to have to be a little careful with your fingers for a while. They’ll heal but don’t press them hard for a couple of days.”

“Okay.” After a moment, I add, “I’m just grateful to be out.”

He gives me a wan smile, “You’re lucky I was there. You’re a Level One, aren’t you?”

“How do you know?” I feel a little bit startled.

“I ran into one of the other new counselors. She was changing the guard duty schedule to include a Level One.”

My blood stirs in anger.

So, I was right!

“Any particular reason she did that?”

Derek shrugs before leaning back, “There.”

I get to my feet and he follows, “Make sure you double check your flashlight before you head into guard duty from now on, okay? We don’t want a repeat of today’s incident.”

I give him a stiff nod, my anger bubbling inside of me.

As I head out, a thought strikes me.

Without missing a beat, I change directions, making my way to the location of the waterfall that Jesse showed me. I hope I’m wrong. Everything within me is praying that I’m proven wrong.

It’s a fifteen-minute trek but I don’t stop, my heart filled with unease and anger.

As the sound of rushing water reaches my ears, so does another.

A feminine laugh.

My knees nearly give way as I see both Jesse and Rachel sitting on a blanket, food spread between them. Rachel’s head is thrown back as she laughs, and Jesse is grinning.

My heart sinks at the sight and I feel my eyes burn with unshed tears.

“I should really go,” Rachel smiles before reaching out and squeezing Jesse’s hand. I see him pull his hand away, quickly though, and that is a balm on my wounded heart.

“Yeah,” he stretches his arm over his head. “It’s a pity Taylor couldn’t make it to the picnic. She would’ve really liked this.”

I see the expression on Rachel’s face change, “Yeah. I don’t see the two of you together, though. You guys don’t really mesh if you know what I mean.”

My hand tightens into a fist.

Jesse’s smile stiffens. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

My anger is a burning thing but I keep myself steady.

I have a choice.

I can either step in and interrupt them but I have a feeling that Rachel would enjoy the look on my face on seeing them together. My other choice is to wait for her to leave and confront Jesse alone.

I opt for the second option.

I expect to wait for a long time but they’re already done eating and Jesse seems to want to pack up. It’s Rachel who seems to want to extend their stay. However, she ends up leaving within another half-hour, during which I exercise the kind of patience I never really thought I had.

I wait till she is out of earshot before I step out from the trees.

Jesse has just gotten to his feet when he spots me. His eyes widen and he smiles, “Taylor!”

I give him a cold smile. “How was your little picnic with Rachel?”

His smile fades. “What?”

“I’ve been standing here for half an hour, watching you two.”

“That’s a little creepy.”

“Yeah,” I roll my shoulder in a shrug. “Doesn’t beat taking your ex-girlfriend out on a midnight picnic though.”

“You’re misunderstanding,” Jesse frowns. “Rachel is just-“

“A friend?” I raise my brows, refusing to allow my hurt emotions to show. “That’s funny. Considering how she has a lot of opinions about us and whatever our relationship is.”

When Jesse’s face stiffens, I study him. “I wish I could say you’re being an idiot, but you’re not one. You’re quite smart, Jesse, which is probably why I liked you in the first place. So, don’t pretend you don’t know what Rachel is trying to do.”

“Taylor-“ Jesse takes a step towards me but I step back.

“Don’t. I really don’t want you to touch me right now,” my voice is harsh. “You know, after the ordeal I went through tonight, I was supposed to rest. But I just had this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. That’s why I came here. And I was right.”

“Ordeal?”

But when I stay out of his reach, he stiffens.

“It’s not what you think,” Jesse’s voice is strained.

“No?” I let out a short mirthless laugh. “So, you just randomly decided to invite your ex to what looks like a romantic picnic?”

“I wasn’t –“ Jesse’s brows are furrowed together. “She asked me for some help with something and then we got to talking and I mentioned the picnic. She just said it would be such a waste-“

“I’m sure she did,” I cut him off, ruthlessly, not wanting to hear more.

Wetting my lips, I stare at him, “Well, looks like there’s nothing left to say between us.”

“Taylor, no-“ I see the alarm enter Jesse’s eyes but I move away before he can grab my wrist. In the process, he must have seen my bandaged fingers because he goes still. “What the heck is that?”

“You mean these?” I wiggle my fingers in front of him. “Why don’t you ask Rachel? She would know, considering if it was up to her and Veronica right now, I would still be stuck in the tunnels without a flashlight.”

Jesse’s face pales and I see the flash of stubbornness in his eyes, so I stop him, “I don’t want to hear it. But if you tell her you saw me tonight, don’t be surprised if you see her look just a little shocked.”

I turn on my heel and begin walking.

And like before, Jesse doesn’t follow me.