Part 17 (1/2)
”That will be us,” Leech announced loudly. Todd had drawn names from a hat to make the teams. I was on Leech's.
”But remember,” Claudia continued, ”the carnivores will be after you.”
As Claudia said this, I pictured Lilly somewhere in those dark woods, hunting me, and felt a twist of excitement that made it hard to keep still in my seat.
”And there are no safe zones for omnivores. If they catch you, you must give them one hundred credits each in the form of your food supply or armbands, then return to the entrance and wait twenty minutes before entering again. Obviously if you are captured after the one-hour-and-forty-minute mark, you're out. Your counselors will be patrolling the Preserve to a.s.sist with questions and in case there are any injuries. Remember, as senior campers, you have earned the privilege of acting as your own leaders during the game. Please don't abuse that tradition.
”And one last thing,” said Claudia. ”Teams should not leave the trail system except to hide, and then hiding is only permitted within ten meters of a trail. Any team spotted cutting between trails will be sent out to restart. Omnivores, are you ready?”
We shouted snarling cheers, and of course we were drowned out by the Arctic Foxes.
”Survival of the fittest, of the strongest and most cunning,” said Claudia, reading from the pad. Paul probably would have been excited about that line. ”Okay, let the contest begin.” She waved us toward the door.
We pa.s.sed through the entrance. Three paths branched out into the dark woods.
”Have fun getting chomped, everybody!” Leech shouted. Our team also had Noah, Xane, and Beaker.
”You're going down, skunks!” called Paige as her group split off to the right.
”We're heading left,” Leech announced. ”n.o.body follow us.”
”Who'd want to when you have him him on your team?” Paige pointed at me with her chin. on your team?” Paige pointed at me with her chin.
We turned, and the other groups headed off in separate directions.
”Dude, that's aMAZing!” said Xane, punching my shoulder. ”They HATE you!” He seemed impressed.
”Yeah,” I muttered.
”Way to blow your chance, Turtle,” said Leech.
I was about to respond when, behind us, an air horn sounded.
”Showtime,” said Leech.
Quiet closed in on us. We walked in a cl.u.s.ter up the wide dirt path, peering left and right into the muted world between the trees.
”Shut up up, Beaker!” Noah hissed.
”What, I didn't do anything!” Beaker replied, pulling his fingers away from his mouth, where he'd been chewing his nails.
The trail crested a small rise. At the top, Leech immediately turned and left the trail, darting between the trees along the ridgeline. Noah followed.
”Where are you going?” Beaker called. He stood beside me on the trail's edge.
”We're going this way,” Leech said like it was obvious.
”But we're not supposed to leave the trails,” said Beaker, and I hated how he sounded like such a wimp, even though I felt the same way.
”Hey!” Leech snapped. ”Who's played this game three times before and won twice? This was the plan we made this morning.”
”Take the high ground to gain surprise,” Noah added, as if this cleared anything up.
”What plan?” I asked.
”You wouldn't know,” said Leech, ”would you, freak boy?”
”What's that supposed to mean?”
”You know what it means.” Leech turned and kept going.
”They didn't tell me the plan plan either,” said Beaker. either,” said Beaker.
But I was busy trying to contain the squeeze of adrenaline spreading in my gut. Leech knew about me. Freak boy. What else could that mean but gills?
”I'm going,” said Xane, almost like he was apologizing, and followed after Leech.
”What should we do?” Beaker asked me.
I looked up and down the path we were on, then at Leech's, Noah's, and Xane's silhouettes, then at Beaker, who was apparently going to do whatever I did. Great. ”Let's stay with them,” I finally said. We started into the woods.
We walked through the shadows, our feet making light scuffs in the pine needles as we followed the line of crumbled rock along the ridge. The tree canopy was thick above us. Things scurried in the foliage, and I saw flashes of birds and little creatures. The air was still, heavy, and smelled like baked goods and soil. I felt a slick coating of sweat forming on my skin.
We heard distant squealing, hollow foot crashes echoing in the underbrush, then a high-pitched wail, a battle cry by one of the Arctic Foxes as they pursued their first prey. I peered through the gloomy labyrinth of trees, wondering where Lilly might be.
Beaker and I caught up as the others descended into a little gully that held a pocket of cooler air. A stream gurgled down the center, cascading over smooth rocks. There was a path running alongside it. The flats on either side were coated with furry moss.
”See anything?” Noah whispered.
Leech peered up and downstream.
”What are you looking for?” I asked.
”Food tokens, obviously,” Leech muttered. ”There's always some hidden around this spot.”
”Here they are!” Beaker called. He was crouched by a boulder, pointing underneath.
”Sweet!” Leech ran over and elbowed Beaker out of the way. He picked up the palm-sized stack of wooden coins. There were five disks, four painted blue and one black. They were each marked with the number twenty.
”Why is one black?” asked Beaker.
”That's the food carrying toxic chemicals,” said Leech. ”We don't have to worry about those, but if the carnivores get too many, it kills them off. Here, you can have the toxic one, Beaky.” He handed a blue each to Noah and Xane, and stuck the other two in his pocket.
I watched this, and almost thought about not saying anything, but then I did. ”Hey, what about mine?”
”No food for you at this stop, mutant Turtle.” He smiled at me like it was a challenge. ”Okay, let's keep moving up the hill-”
But no. I felt my nerves and anger twisting together. As he pa.s.sed me, I pushed his shoulder. ”Give me one of the tokens.”
He glanced at me but kept walking. Just smirked.