A Dangerous Game

by Malorie Blackman

  “Yes, Mrs Jenkins,” a few pupils muttered.

  Sam glared at Tayo, thinking, If you don’t stop staring at me, I’m going to … to poke you in the eye!

  “Sam Norris, are you listening to me?” Mrs Jenkins asked.

  “Yes, miss,” Sam replied.

  “Hmm!” Mrs Jenkins said. She walked up to Sam’s group first.

  “OK, Green group,” Mrs Jenkins said. “There’s your map and a compass. Your route is marked in green pen. You’ll start three miles south of the meeting place, so all you have to do is follow the path northwards. The path twists and turns a bit, but as long as you follow it, you’ll be fine. The compass needle always points north, so you can use that to guide you too. Even you lot couldn’t get lost.”

  Mrs Jenkins moved on to the next group.

  Sam bent his head to look at the green path. His group’s starting point was almost directly south of the meeting place, and their route was a clear S-shape.

  “Let’s try to be the first ones back at the meeting place,” Tayo said.

  “Even if we have to run all the way to do it,” Jack added.

  Brandon turned to Sam and told him, “I’m going to look after the map and the compass, so you’d better keep up with us or you’ll get lost.”

  Were they really going to run all the way? Sam shook his head. No. No way. Besides, the adult they’d have with them wouldn’t allow it, would they?

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep up,” Sam said. He felt confident that they’d been winding him up.

  “You! Don’t make me laugh,” Tayo jeered. “We’re going to be travelling so fast you won’t see us for dust. You’ll be all alone in the forest with the wolves and lynxes and the hungry wildcats …”

  “If you lot are trying to scare me,” said Sam, “I’ll tell you now, you’re wasting your time.”

  Brandon and Tayo swapped a look that sent a chill snaking down Sam’s spine. They were up to something, planning something already – Sam could tell.

  “I’m not scared of you lot,” Sam told them. “Or your stupid made-up animals.” He tried to make his voice sound as cool as he could, but it just came out all gruff, like he had a head cold.

  “We’ll see,” Brandon replied. “We’ll see.”

  Chapter 4

  Loch Lomond

  “Isn’t this great?” Billy said as he climbed up the ladder to the top bunk.

  “Hey!” Sam said. “I thought we agreed to toss a coin for the top bunk?”

  “Worth a try,” Billy said with a grin, and climbed down again.

  Sam dug a ten pence coin from his pocket. “Heads or tails?” he asked.

  “Er … tails,” said Billy.

  Sam flicked the coin. He and Billy watched as it spun in the air.

  “Heads,” Sam said as he caught it. He thrust the coin towards Billy’s nose. “I get the top bunk. Step aside!”

  “Huh! Best of three?” Billy suggested.

  “You must be nuts!” Sam climbed up the ladder.

  Sam had never slept in a bunk bed before. He flopped down on the bed and let his feet dangle over the side. Brilliant! Sam looked across the room. The carpet was grey like rain clouds, and the duvet cover was plain blue. He thought back to his dream. No tartan in sight! But it didn’t matter.

  Sam couldn’t stop grinning. He couldn’t believe it. He was here, at last. It was all so fantastic. Even the long journey in the coach had been a laugh. They’d played games and sung songs and stopped five times – once to eat their packed lunches, the other times to go to the loo. He and Billy had sat next to each other and played hangman and battleships on their phones. Sam’s first school trip – his first time away from home. Bliss! It was all so new and so different. He wished he could stay for longer than five days …

  The bedroom door was flung open. Brandon, Tayo and Jack stood in the doorway.

  “So this is where you are,” Brandon said.

  Sam’s smile faded.

  Tayo grinned and said, “We just wanted to remind you – the trek in Queen Elizabeth Forest is tomorrow.”

  “We don’t need you to remind us,” Billy said.

  “Who’s talking to you?” Brandon snapped. “We’re talking to Sam. You’d better get a good night’s sleep, wimp. You’re going to need it.”

  And with that, Brandon and the others left the room, leaving the door wide open. Billy stomped over to it and slammed the door shut.

  “What was that all about?” Billy asked Sam.

  Sam shrugged and said, “I don’t know. They’re up to something, but I don’t know what.”

  “Maybe you should tell Mrs Jenkins or one of the other teachers,” Billy suggested.

  “Tell them what?” asked Sam. “Brandon and the others haven’t done anything … yet.”

  “You should talk to Mrs Jenkins anyway,” Billy said.

  “You must be joking!” Sam said. “I can’t do that.”

  “Then what are you going to do?” Billy asked.

  “I’ll work that out when I know what they’re up to,” Sam told him. “Don’t worry, I’m prepared – just in case they run off and leave me. Besides, the adult won’t run off.”

  “Be careful,” Billy said with a frown.

  “Don’t worry. I will be,” Sam replied. “Besides, what can they do?”

  Chapter 5

  We’re On Our Own

  Saturday morning was wet and windy, but Sam didn’t care. He was dressed in a shirt, two jumpers, blue anorak, jeans, two pairs of socks and his trainers, so he was as warm as toast and twice as happy!

  The class spent the morning walking around Balloch Castle Country Park. Mrs Jenkins had given out a sheet of questions about the castle and its grounds that they all had to answer, but Sam didn’t even mind that.

  “Why did she give us so many questions to answer?” Billy grumbled next to Sam. “This is a Saturday, not a school day.”

  By lunch time it had stopped raining, but the sky was still dark grey. Mrs Jenkins looked up at the clouds.

  “I hope it doesn’t start to rain again or it’ll ruin our day,” Mrs Jenkins said to Mr Ford.

  The class ate lunch in the grounds of the castle. The sun even popped out from behind a cloud, but not for very long.

  “Has everyone got their maps and compasses?” Mrs Jenkins called out. “And your whistles to attract attention if something should happen?”

  “Yes, miss …” everyone replied.

  Mrs Jenkins took another look up at the sky and said, “Right then. Before we all hop on the coach to Queen Elizabeth Forest, I want to remind you of a few things. Stick to the paths. If you leave your group’s path, you’ll get lost for sure. I shall go with the Lilac team to make sure you lot stay out of trouble. Mr Ford will walk with the Blue team and Mrs Isaac will be with the Purple team. You other teams already have your allocated adult. Mrs Tritton, could you take the Green team? And I’m warning all of you – I don’t want any messing about. This is your chance to show whether or not you can be trusted.”

  Sam looked at Mrs Tritton. She was his classmate Fadia’s mum, and she’d volunteered to come on the trip to help out.

  She must be nuts! Sam decided.

  He looked across to where the rest of his team were sitting. They were all grinning at him. Sam looked away fast. They didn’t scare him. He dug his hand deeper into his anorak pocket to find the compass he’d bought with some of his savings. Holding it in his hand made him feel a lot better. Let them run off with the map if they wanted to. With his compass, he’d still find his way to the meeting place.

  Everyone got on the coach, and they set off.

  Ten minutes later, the coach stopped. Sam looked around. There was nothing but trees. It was as if the whole world had been swallowed up by trees. And they stood as tall and as frozen as statues.

  “Blue team, you get off here,” Mrs Jenkins said.

  Mr Ford and his Blue group left the coach.

  The giggles and whispers of excitement in th
e coach were getting louder and louder. As they set off again, Sam felt like he had a cricket ball sitting in his stomach. He’d never done anything like this before. He couldn’t wait to get off the coach. He was looking forward to it, but at the same time he’d never been so nervous.

  “OK, Green group,” Mrs Jenkins said. “Off you get.”

  Sam stood up. He went to step out into the aisle of the coach but was pushed aside by the rest of his team.

  “Watch it, you lot,” Sam frowned at them.

  “Watch it yourself,” Brandon called back.

  Sam looked down at Billy.

  “Good luck, mate,” Billy said with a smile. “See you later.”

  Sam nodded and moved down the aisle to the door.

  “Remember, Green group – stick to the path,” Mrs Jenkins reminded them.

  “Miss, we’re going to be the first ones at the meeting place,” said Tayo. “You see if we’re not.”

  Mrs Tritton got off the coach last. Seconds later, the coach vanished into a clump of trees.

  “We’re on our own now, miss,” Brandon said to Mrs Tritton. “Isn’t that great?!”

  Sam didn’t like the way Brandon was grinning at Mrs Tritton. Brandon was up to something. Sam knew it’d be something he wouldn’t like. Something he wouldn’t like at all.

  Chapter 6

  That’s Not Right!

  Sam zipped his anorak all the way up to his neck. The wind was cold in the forest, despite the sun doing its best to shine in a cloudy sky. Mrs Tritton asked them all their names, then she said, “OK, then, who’s got the map?”

  “I have, miss,” Brandon replied.

  Sam didn’t like the way Brandon and Tayo grinned at each other. Mrs Tritton held one corner of the map, and Brandon held the other.

  “That’s our route, miss,” said Tayo. He ran his finger along the route on the map marked out by the green pen.

  Sam moved closer to get a better look. Something was wrong.

  “That’s not—” Sam began.

  “That’s not what?” Brandon said. His eyes blazed as he glared at Sam.

  Sam looked at the map again. When Mrs Jenkins had given out the maps five days ago, his group’s route had been S-shaped. Now it was a straight line from their starting spot to the meeting point at the centre of the forest. Sam looked at the other boys.

  They’d changed the route. They must have bought a new map and drawn in a new green line.

  “What were you going to say, Sam?” asked Mrs Tritton.

  The others were scowling at him, daring him to tell Mrs Tritton. Sam dug his hand into his pockets to clasp his compass. The cold metal was oddly calming.

  They had to be crazy to change the route like that. Mrs Jenkins had said they had to stick to their group’s path.

  What am I going to do? Sam thought.

  He looked at Mrs Tritton, then at the rest of his group. They were staring at him now with cold, daring, angry eyes.

  “I … er … nothing,” Sam replied to Mrs Tritton at last.

  Sam guessed changing the route had been Brandon’s idea. As always, Brandon thought he knew best, and the rest followed like sheep.

  “Come on, miss,” said Brandon as he pushed the hair off his face. “We want to be the first ones back.”

  It was beginning to rain. It patted on the ground and splatted on the leaves of the trees around them. Apart from that, no other sound could be heard. Sam looked around. It was so quiet. Behind the rain, there was no sound at all.

  Tayo took the group compass out of his pocket and said, “That’s north, miss.” He pointed.

  Mrs Tritton folded up the map so that their route was showing on the outside and dropped it into a clear plastic bag to keep it dry. Then she peered down at the compass.

  “OK, then,” she said, and smiled at them all. “Let’s get going.”

  They all started walking. Sam chewed on his bottom lip. What should he do? If he told Mrs Tritton what the others had done, then he knew they’d get in trouble – and they’d take it out on him. But if he said nothing, they might all get into trouble. Sam opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut again. He gripped the compass in his pocket tighter.

  “Miss, can I see the map?” Sam asked.

  Mrs Tritton handed it over. Sam took a good look at it. It didn’t seem too bad. And anyway, how wrong could they go if they did leave the path? If they used the compass to go directly north, then they would meet up with the path in two places – once in the middle and again at the meeting place. And if they did leave the path, then they would be the first ones back. Sam looked up from the map and saw Jack was watching him. For a split second, Sam could have sworn that Jack wanted him to say something. But that was silly. Sam handed the map back to Mrs Tritton.

  “All right, Sam?” Mrs Tritton asked.

  “Fine, miss,” Sam replied. “Just fine.”

  Mrs Tritton started chatting about when her family had gone for a trek in Breckon Woods.

  “We all wanted to be adventurous and wade across the stream,” Mrs Tritton said with a chuckle. “But I slipped and ended up taking a freezing cold bath in the water. Then I felt something icky and cold squirming around on my back. Let me tell you, I screamed like nothing you’ve ever heard. I pulled off my anorak and my jumper, and my husband had to put his hand down my back to get it out.”

  “And what was it?” Jack asked.

  “A cold slippery fish,” Mrs Tritton said. “I’ve never been able to eat or even look at any kind of fish again.” She shivered at the thought.

  Sam smiled up at her. Mrs Tritton was all right – for an adult. Fifteen minutes went by and then Brandon stopped walking and looked at the map.

  “Mrs Tritton, the path runs to the east now,” Brandon said. “We have to leave the path here and cut across through the trees.”

  “We do?” Mrs Tritton said. “Mrs Jenkins said we shouldn’t leave the path.”

  “I guess we can, miss,” Tayo said, “because our route’s so easy.”

  Brandon smiled and added, “I think Mrs Jenkins meant that we’re not to leave the path she drew on our maps.”

  “I’m not sure …” Mrs Tritton began. “I really don’t think—”

  “Have a look at the map, Mrs Tritton,” Brandon interrupted, and he handed the map to her. “See!”

  Mrs Tritton frowned down at the map, then looked at the compass, then went back to the map again.

  She shrugged and said, “Well, that is the route Mrs Jenkins drew for us. So we’d better get going.”

  Sam looked at Brandon and Tayo, who were grinning at each other. He looked across at Jack. Jack looked how Sam felt – worried.

  Chapter 7

  Gunge and Mud

  As they left the path, Sam looked back at it. He didn’t want to take his eyes off it. But in less than a minute the path faded from a thin line to nothing at all. The rain falling off the leaves made plink-plink sounds on Sam’s anorak hood. The noise sounded ten times louder in Sam’s ears than he knew it really was.

  And the rain wasn’t stopping – it was growing heavier. Now that they’d left the proper path, the ground under their feet was getting slippery. To Sam, it felt like trying to walk through snow that had turned into a thick sludge. He had to make an effort to drag his feet out of the squelchy mud as he walked.

  Tayo was holding the group compass now. Sam looked behind him. The forest looked the same no matter which way you turned. Trees and more trees. The path they’d been on had vanished.

  “I’m not sure about this …” Mrs Tritton said slowly. “Maybe we should turn back to try to find the path …”

  “We can’t do that, Mrs Tritton,” Brandon protested. “We’ll never be the first ones at the meeting place if we turn back now.”

  “Well, Tayo, are you sure we’re heading the right way?” Mrs Tritton asked.

  “Yes, miss …” Tayo said, but he didn’t sound too sure.

  Sam fell back behind everyone else and took out h
is own compass. Raindrops splashed on the glass front. Sam tilted the compass close to his face so that the rain ran off the glass. He gave a sigh of relief – they were still heading the right way.

  They carried on walking. The trees seemed to be getting closer and closer together, and they were now climbing uphill. Sam felt horrible. Hot and sticky and damp. After twenty-five minutes, they were heading downhill. Sam took his compass out again.

  “Are we still OK?” Jack asked, making Sam jump. He had appeared out of nowhere.

  “I think so. So far …” Sam replied.

  So Jack was talking to him now!

  “Shouldn’t we have met up with the path by now?” Jack whispered.

  Sam shrugged and said, “I don’t have the map.”

  But Mrs Tritton must have thought the same as Jack. She stopped them all and asked to see the map again.

  “According to this, we should hit the path at any moment now,” Mrs Tritton said with a bright smile. A little too bright.

  On they all went. Sam dreamed of taking off his wet clothes and having a long hot bath.

  I wish it wasn’t so muddy, he thought. And I wish it’d stop raining – even for just a minute.

  No one was saying anything much now. Even Brandon and Tayo had shut up. Ten minutes later, they reached the path.

  “Hooray!” Mrs Tritton shouted. “We’re on the home stretch now. We’ll soon be there.”

  Sam gave a great sigh of relief, and Jack too. The path was far easier to walk on. It was more solid, firmer, with less gunge and mud. Sam looked around. The path ran from south-east to north-west now.