Monday, June 25

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  Mission: N/A

  7:52

  “Well,” Mikey began, clearing his throat like he was about to deliver a speech, “you see… Tess is a girl.”

  “Figured,” September deadpanned.

  “…that I like,” Mikey finished, eyes suddenly serious. “And I need as much help as I can get. Connor said Tess is in his class—or club—Arrow Club. So he’s gonna be my wingman.”

  “Along with his brother,” Tisiah added.

  I winced so hard my soul flinched.

  “Oh,” Mike said, turning to me. “You have a brother? Does he go here?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “No, he doesn’t.”

  Mike shrugged like he didn’t care either way. “Interesting. Nonetheless… Connor and his brother are gonna try and set Mikey up with Tess.”

  “When did you even see her?” September asked Mikey.

  Malachi answered for him. “Wasn’t it some sort of project?”

  “Yeah,” Mikey said, nodding. “It was this supply transfer thing. Not a mission, but I was sent with someone. That’s when I saw Tess, and…”

  Mikey trailed off, staring up at the ceiling like he’d slipped into a daydream mid-sentence.

  We all stared at him.

  Nikki sighed. “And…?”

  “Yes,” Mikey said, snapping back. “She was working with me—cleaning out one of the closets nearby.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And I think we were hitting it off, but she was probably just… y’know… being a normal human being. Being nice.”

  September tossed her head like she’d heard this story a hundred times.

  “But I can’t stop thinking about her,” Mikey continued. “I’ve had crushes before, but this one feels different. I could like someone and never talk to them—but this time I actually got a taste of what it could be.” He swallowed. “Being able to speak to someone you admired, even once…”

  He exhaled. “To say I’m not obsessed would feel like I’m lying.”

  A silence settled over our little circle—at least between us. The rest of the bus stayed loud, laughing and yelling like nothing mattered.

  “Okay,” Nikki said finally. “So when do you plan on meeting her again? Connor can talk to her about you, but she’s definitely not at the same camp. She can’t just meet you.”

  “We’ll figure it out when we get there,” Malachi said. “For now, Connor just needs to talk to her. See what type of person she is.”

  “But he already did that,” September pointed out.

  “People can be nice,” Malachi replied, “and still be insane. We’re not setting Mikey up with a psycho.”

  September shrugged. “Fair.”

  “Do you have a picture?” Nikki asked.

  Mikey scoffed, eyes flashing with excitement like he’d been waiting for that question.

  He handed the phone to her.

  Nikki’s eyes widened—then dimmed like she refused to be impressed. “Decent,” she said.

  “That’s the most beautiful ‘decent’ I’ve ever heard in my life,” Mikey protested, snatching the phone and handing it to September.

  September squinted, then nodded once—no hidden message, no drama.

  “Thoughts?” Mike asked.

  “I can understand,” September replied with a shrug.

  Mikey let out a deep sigh. “It would mean a lot to me to talk to her again. I don’t know what she’ll say, but—”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Well, I would suggest being friends fi—” I started.

  “Don’t listen to him,” Malachi cut in, shooing my words away like a fly. “As a master and scientist in this kind of work, what I suggest is: be friends with her first.” He leaned toward Mikey. “Now, unfortunately, you have Connor facilitating this, so you’re really gonna have to impress her.”

  “That’s literally what—”

  “As you continue talking to her,” Malachi went on, ignoring me completely, “she’ll become comfortable with you. Now, I can’t get someone like that on the first conversation—because I’m not just anyone—but you’re not me, and it would be unfair to hold you to my standard.” He pointed a finger like he was warning Mikey about a wild animal. “Just don’t wait too long. If you take too long, she’ll get comfortable seeing you as only a friend.”

  Mikey looked at him, then looked at me.

  I cleared my throat. “That’s… exactly what I was going to say.”

  “See?” Malachi said, smug. “He’s learning.”

  September rubbed her forehead like her brain physically hurt.

  “Not much to learn,” Tisiah muttered.

  Malachi’s eyes widened. “What was that? Say it one more time—this time with some chest.”

  “Sounds like you heard me the first time,” Tisiah shot back.

  “Probably because you’ve got a massive basketball in your stomach,” Malachi returned.

  Nikki stood up so fast her seat squeaked.

  I sank into mine like I was trying to become one with the cushion.

  Tisiah grabbed her and pulled her back down. “Let’s not make a scene on the bus, alright?” he pleaded. “I don’t feel like getting kicked out of camp today.”

  Malachi nodded slowly. “Must’ve recently digested some wisdom,” he said, smiling with ironic approval.

  I sighed.

  “Either way,” Malachi concluded, “that’s my advice. And Connor—don’t mess it up. Pretty simple, right?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  Malachi’s smile widened like that answer fed him.

  10:56

  After the drive shifted from mountain roads with open views to playing hide-and-seek inside a forest, the driver finally announced we’d arrived.

  We parked in what looked like the middle of nowhere, surrounded by towering trees. It felt colder, too—enough that for a second I genuinely thought we’d been kidnapped.

  Tisiah leaned in and whispered, “This is the best part.”

  Then the trees moved.

  Not literally—obviously—but the way they parted as we rolled forward made it feel like the forest itself was opening.

  A path appeared. A gate. And beyond it—

  A whole world.

  Cabins. Logs. Fields. Fire pits. Trails stretching into the distance like the place went on forever.

  Students screamed and clapped, excitement vibrating through the bus. The map Principal Renner showed me made this place look tiny. In real life, it felt like a kingdom.

  The buses pulled into a parking lot with a few cars already sitting in marked spots.

  While I was still staring, September called, “Connor.”

  I heard Malachi grumble something under his breath.

  I turned to her.

  “There are multiple cabins,” she said. “When you get your lanyard, it’ll tell you which one you’re assigned to.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Just hope you get good teammates.”

  “Good teammates,” Malachi echoed immediately. “If you’re going against me… it’s over.”

  Nikki sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I guess, bro,” she muttered. “At least I won’t have to deal with him.”

  “You might deal with September or Meredith,” Tisiah said.

  I had no idea who Meredith was, but that name sounded like it came with upper-body strength.

  “Fair enough,” Nikki replied.

  The buses parked in the same order they’d left in. Students from the first bus poured out and entered a log-cabin-looking building that resembled a souvenir shop.

  They came back out minutes later wearing lanyards—faces lit up like they’d just been accepted into something.

  Second bus went. Same routine.

  Then it was our turn.

  We exited and entered the building, the air inside smelling like wood and fresh paint. Five staff members sat behind a long table. Five lines formed instantly—except the fourth line was shortest, so of course we picked it.

  “How big is this camp?” I asked.

  “It’s not as big as you think,” Tisiah said. “It’s big, but you’ll know where everything is before the month ends.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Nikki muttered. “I still need a map to figure out where I am.”

  Tisiah side-eyed her. “How do you expect to maneuver through countries if you can’t comprehend a campus?”

  Nikki scoffed. “That’s why I won’t.”

  Tisiah shook his head. I did too.

  Nikki noticed and instantly got offended. “No, no, no. Don’t even, Connor. I bet if I told you to list all fifty states, you wouldn’t get past thirty.”

  “I can get to thirty-two,” I replied.

  Nikki gave me a blank stare that basically said, that’s not the flex you think it is.

  A few minutes later, we got our lanyards.

  I flipped mine over and read the name:

  NAVAJO.

  “Oh,” I muttered. “That’s… cool.”

  We filed out, and a staff member in a tucked-in beige shirt and pants led us down a path that cut through camp. We reached a crossroads with rows of cabins splitting in different directions.

  “Boys left,” he called. “Girls right. Don’t try to mix up the two.”

  With that, we separated.

  I scanned cabin signs as we walked: Choctaw. Cherokee.

  Then—Navajo.

  “What do you got?” I asked Tisiah.

  “Navajo.”

  “Oh,” I breathed. “Thank God.”

  Three short steps led up to a rickety red door with a small window above the knob. Someone opened it. The door creaked.

  My stomach tightened.

  The moment we stepped inside, noise swallowed us whole. People shouting, dragging luggage, claiming bunks, arguing about rooms, and for some reason… piggybacking.

  Tisiah grinned like this was heaven.

  I closed my eyes.

  Then from somewhere behind us, I heard a voice: “Bartt?”

  I sighed.

  Tisiah sighed louder.

  “You’re in here?” Danne asked, stepping in like he’d been assigned to babysit us. “Yeah. Jackson told me to get you guys in here—otherwise he’s gonna get you.”

  Tisiah narrowed his eyes. “So why doesn’t Jackson come get us himself?”

  Danne blinked at him, confused.

  I held my breath.

  “I didn’t mean Jackson,” Danne said slowly. “I meant… him.”

  He pointed behind us.

  We turned—

  —and saw Jamal and Elf entering the cabin with a group of their friends (probably Malachi’s crowd) flowing in around them like backup.

  My stomach dropped.

  Again.