by Jaymin Eve
Thank fuck for that. It made me wonder why the fuck Blake had sent me here in the first place, though. Then again, he’d been getting more and more unstable and unpredictable by the day. Maybe he got the brochure mixed up with some all girls finishing school.
“Come on, James,” he said to Jonnie. “I’ll show you to the piece-of-shit bed that you can call your own.”
Jonnie opened his mouth to protest but shut it again when Matthew got that look on his face again—the same one he’d had when he wrapped his hand around Jonnie’s throat.
"Uh, when do you need me to show up?" I called as he headed for the door.
He didn't stop or turn back. "We'll wake you. Sleep with one eye open."
Well, great. Just fucking great.
He was gone then, and Jonnie took an extra second to sneer at me. "Don't take the fucking bracelet off," he snapped, clearly unhappy.
I looked down at the heavy piece dangling from my wrist, wishing I was brave enough to throw it off a mountain—followed by my brother.
Ridding myself of Blake once and for all.
5
The cabin was not as bad as my first impression. It had a couch slash bed that was reasonably comfortable. There was no shower, but it did have a toilet, and if I had to choose between the two, a working toilet would always win. There wasn’t a single Christmas decoration in sight so far, which was almost a little disappointing. Then again, I hadn’t had a real Christmas since my parents died, so why would this be any different?
After a few hours, I went to sleep hungry and fully dressed because I hadn't missed the unsubtle warning from Matthew. Unluckily for him, I was used to sleeping with "one eye open," which was why, a few hours later, I heard him sneak in through the front door. Closing my eyes, I blocked my ears, expecting a megaphone to wake me. Only it was a bucket of icy water, and at this elevation, with winter mountain breezes streaming through the front door, the chill literally stole my breath away as I choked and coughed. It would have been much worse if I’d still been dead asleep, so I was at least thankful for that.
"Get your ass out of bed, scum!" a deep male voice bellowed. I kicked off my blanket, making sure the soaked material slammed right into the fuck of a human standing over me. I was pretty sure it wasn’t Matthew, but whoever it was was clearly cut from the same make-my-life-hell-for-fun cloth.
I heard a low grunt and cynical chuckle. "You'll pay for that, bitch."
Already on my feet, I sucked down a groan at the agony shooting through my busted and bruised body. The key when injured is to move slowly until the blood started to flow. I didn't get that luxury today. "I have no doubt I will. Lead the way, asshole."
I was ready and mostly dry, the water having soaked into the thick blanket and my hair. The asshole spun on his heel, the movement only just visible in the very low light from some outside illumination. I had no idea what that illumination would be since we were on a mountain in the middle of nowhere, but who cared as long as I didn't fall down the stairs and break my neck following the long-legged dude.
A multitude of other guys joined us on the path, most of them grumbling, soaked, and half-asleep. Clearly this was the male contingent who had signed up for this survival bullshit. Ten to one they were already regretting that decision.
Keeping my arms wrapped tightly around myself, I’d already lost sight of the asshole who’d woken me, but it didn’t matter since everyone was heading in the same direction. The light source became obvious as we made our way down a gully that eventually leveled into a large, flat piece of land.
In the center was a bonfire large enough to cast those small flickers of light across the campgrounds. As we moved closer, it was growing more obvious how many of these guys had not expected this predawn awakening. Some were in boxers, others naked, all of them looking a little wet around the edges as they cupped their dicks to keep them from flapping in the icy breezes.
At these temperatures, they’d probably be in real danger if exposed for too long, so it would be interesting to see what occurred when we finally arrived at the bonfire.
Reaching into my jacket pocket, I pulled out a wool cap and yanked it down over my hair. These bastards had completely underestimated me—I would not be freezing my "balls" off today like so many of the others.
When I arrived at the meeting place, the warmth of the fire slapped me in the face, but it was a sweet, enjoyable sort of slap as it thawed my exposed skin.
"Hurry up!" a deep voice bit out, the man behind it hidden behind the flames. "Anyone not standing at attention in thirty seconds will remain naked."
I paused at the harshly barked threat because there was something familiar about the tone. Was it one of my brother's men? Did this camp have something to do with the Lawson company after all? I couldn’t see any familiar faces in my vicinity, not even Jonnie’s. Not that it was a surprise he wasn’t here—dude wouldn't be dragging his ass out in the freezing cold to keep an eye on me, especially since Blake's bracelet was still firmly attached to my wrist, no doubt tracking my location.
When I was surrounded by a dozen or so naked and half-naked guys, the man who’d been behind the fire stepped forward with six other beefed-up guys. They remained in the dark, so it was hard to make out their faces, but they looked impressive.
"Welcome to your first day of survival training." This time Matthew was doing the talking. "Hope you enjoyed your sleep because tonight you'll be in the forest. Grab a backpack and be grateful for the shit you have in it. Also, if you fall behind, you'll probably die. This mountain, especially during snow season, takes no prisoners. Buckle up."
Dammit, this wasn't good.
The six guides stepped aside, and nestled behind them was a bunch of bags, mostly hidden in the shadow of a nearby tree. Everyone around me started pushing and shoving to get to a bag, and worried about missing out, I did the same, wincing as my ribs got smashed more than once.
Being smaller could be an asset, but in a test like this, it wasn't. Thankfully, there were enough bags for everyone, and as I held mine close to my chest, I backed up a few steps before I checked out the top part of the contents.
There was a thermal jacket, a down sleeping bag, and some food and water provisions. Zipping it up again, I shrugged the bag on and tried to ignore my discomforts. I was starving, having skipped food last night. I also needed to pee, badly, but all in all, I thought I was in okay shape for this current torture.
I'd been through worse.
6
As we got further from the fire, it grew more obvious why it was so important to keep up. There was no light and none of the guides carried anything to illuminate the path, which meant we were vulnerable to every rock, hole in the ground, and loose stick.
The guides knew this path pretty well, and staying right behind them assured me of the safest journey. But they also moved inhumanly fast. Like, what sort of fucking marathon bullshit was this? Eventually my speed lagged, and I fell farther and farther behind. Before long, I was all alone in the darkness, and a deep chill ran through me.
I was fine, though. I wasn't afraid of the dark, and I wasn't afraid of the cold. I might not have the most impressive survival skills on the planet—I couldn't start a fire from two sticks, that was for damn sure—but I knew what my body could handle. A night out in the wilderness? Easy. I'd suffered more than a night in the cold with no clothes plenty of times.
A laugh bubbled out of me, dissipating quickly in the empty night. It felt so wrong to actually feel thankful to Blake for anything, but apparently his mistreatment of me in the years since our parents died was actually paying off.
Now that I'd already lost the guides, I slowed down and took my time. It paid off several times when I lost the trail and needed to double back again to find it, which then led me to wonder what would happen to the guys who did lose the trail completely. Despite Matthew's ominous warning, I seriously doubted they'd just chuck a bunch of rich, spoiled brats out into the wilderness and let them die. It'd be
a shitty way to make money, if nothing else.
Nope, I was willing to bet they had eyes on every single one of the campers—if not a tracking device.
Struck by that idea, I stopped dead in my tracks and dropped my pack to the dirt. Carefully, I took each item out and inspected it. I pulled the fleece jacket on while I was at it, seeing as I was really feeling the cold, then continued my search. Sure enough, stitched into the bottom of the pack was what felt like a computer chip. I was going to bet that wasn't just a run-of-the-mill, store security tag.
Secure in the knowledge that I wasn't likely to die tonight, I repacked my bag, took another second to finally pee, and slung the bag back over my shoulders. I kept one of the protein bars out, though, and ate it slowly while I walked.
All Matthew had said was that we were spending the night out here. No other objectives. But that seemed too easy... They must have more tests or trials planned along the way for us. Whatever. I could take it because no matter how harsh or strict these camp leaders were, they couldn't be as bad as Blake. I'd survived him so far; I could easily survive this.
"Help!" someone called out from the darkness, and I froze in my tracks. I paused there a moment, wondering if I'd imagined it, then it came again. "Help! Someone, anyone?"
I chewed my lip, anxiety twisting my stomach. The voice was coming from off the trail, somewhere to my left, but whoever it was sounded like they were in pain.
"Is someone there?" the guy called again, and I swallowed a groan of frustration. I couldn't just keep going; my stupid conscience wouldn't let me. Sure, we had tracking devices, but how long would it be before the guides came looking for missing campers? A day? More? If this guy was seriously hurt, he might not make it that long.
Shit. If this turned out to be a trap...
"Please!" the guy called again, and my mind was made up. I had to help him... even if just to adhere to my own sense of morality. How many times had I pleaded for help with Blake’s staff? Only Mary ever responded, and I would forever owe her. So, I needed to pay it forward.
As I left the trail, heading in the direction he'd called from, I deliberately broke some branches as I walked. Maybe I wouldn't find them again, but it seemed like a better-than-nothing solution to not getting totally lost. I also picked up a big stick, just in case I had to beat a potential rapist who was luring chicks into the woods.
"Where are you?" I called back, pausing to listen for his reply.
There was a small gap of silence before he replied.
"Over here," he said, sounding much closer. "Below the huge-ass tree."
I wrinkled my nose as I looked around. They all looked like huge-ass trees to me. But I supposed one was a bit bigger than the rest, so that was the direction I headed.
Sure enough, lying in the bracken at the base of the tree, one of the other campers—I guessed, based on his pack—clutched his leg in an awkward position.
"Hey," he said as I stopped a short distance away. "I'm, uh, I think my ankle is broken."
I looked around the area carefully, checking for... I didn't even know what. A big net to fall over me when I took the bait? How the fuck would I even know what kind of traps this messed-up camp might set? Nonetheless, I couldn't see anyone else around or... anything. So I took another couple of steps closer.
"What happened?" I asked the guy in a quiet voice. If he was about to tell me he'd been attacked by another camper like in some kind of dystopian, fight-to-the-death style competition... Well, what was I really going to do about it? Hide, probably. I didn't stand a damn chance as the only girl—and a weak one at that.
He gave me a lopsided smile and jerked his head to the tree above him. "I climbed that, trying to find the trail after those bastard guides left us all alone, and I got lost."
I peered up at the tree, then back at the guy clutching his ankle on the ground. "You mean you tried to climb that."
As soon as the words had escaped my lips, I gasped. That was supposed to be an internal thought, not said aloud. On instinct, my whole body locked up, preparing for the strike of my brother's hand.
But Blake wasn't here, and the guy on the ground just laughed.
"Yeah, well, apparently I'm out of practice. Do you think you can help me? Or..." He gave me a skeptical look, his eyes flitting over me like he was noticing how damn small I was. "Or maybe find one of the guides?"
Dropping the stick because there didn’t seem to be any danger here, I folded my arms, not liking how useless he seemed to find me. Sure, I was small, but I wasn't the one with a potentially broken ankle.
"I can help," I muttered, my annoyance carrying through my voice. Leaving my pack in the dirt, I crouched down to see if he really had broken a bone or not. I suspected not. He was too chatty.
The guy flashed me a smile, one that was probably mostly used for dropping panties in high-society circles. "I'm Ben, by the way. I didn't catch your name..."
I rolled my eyes, glad for the darkness to hide my blush. I wasn't attracted to him, but I also wasn't used to interacting with guys my own age.
"I didn't tell you," I pointed out, "but it's Brooklyn."
Another winning smile from Ben. "Nice to meet you, Brooklyn. You must have done something pretty badass for your parents to send you here, huh?"
I said nothing in response, just peeled his hands away from his injured ankle and pulled his pantleg up slightly so I could see it.
"I got caught selling my mom's pills to my classmates," Ben continued, sounding way too calm to actually have a broken ankle. I lightly pressed and moved it with my fingers, just to check, and when he didn't react, I shrugged and sat back.
"Pretty sure it's just a sprain or something," I told him, reaching for my pack. "You'll need to ice it when you can, but I'm pretty sure you'd be fine to run from wolves or something if you needed to."
Ben's blond brows shot up. "Uh, I hadn't considered wolves. But thanks, Brooklyn. Are you medically trained or something?"
I shook my head, giving him a brittle smile. "Or something." Because how did I tell him that I’d just picked things up from years of abuse? Or how I knew what a broken ankle looked like because Blake had pushed me down the stairs a few years back? Oops, I mean, I tripped and fell.
"Hey, wait up," Ben called out as I pulled my pack back on and started to walk away. "Do you think you could help me back to the trail? If... if you know where that is."
I gave him a shrug. "Sure. They never said anything about not helping each other, right?"
Another wide smile crossed his face as I extended a hand to help him up. "Thanks, Brooklyn. You know, three other guys walked past me, and none of them stopped to help?"
I snorted a laugh. "Color me shocked." My tone was drier than the Sahara, and once again I was shocked at myself. I wasn't that girl.
Covering my awkwardness by helping support Ben's weight, I guided him back in the direction I'd come from. My broken branches served me well, and a few minutes later, we were back on the path.
"That was really smart of you, Brooklyn," my new companion commented as he fingered one of the broken branches. "And you're surprisingly strong for such a little chick."
I slipped out from under his arm and let him balance awkwardly against a tree. "Yeah, well. Don't underestimate girls, Ben."
He barked a sharp laugh, flashing another winning smile. Maybe I did find him attractive, after all.
Whatever he was about to say next was cut off by someone jumping out of the tree Ben leaned against. I tried to swallow my scream of fright, but a small squeak escaped, nonetheless.
Matthew—my original guide—arched a brow at me, and I knew he'd heard it. Dammit, how embarrassing.
"Nice work, Lawson," he commented, turning his attention to his phone to tap out a message to someone. "You passed your first test." Then he added in a mutter, "Took long enough."
Ben scoffed. "I hope you marked those other three bastards down."
Matthew just rolled his eyes and tucked his phone back
in his pocket before leveling a stare at me. I was just gaping at the two of them, though, in utter disbelief.
"Wait. That was a test?" I mean... the thought had crossed my mind. Except I'd expected more of a trap than a test.
Matthew nodded to Ben. "Dismissed, Bainbridge. Go teach that mouthy kid a lesson in humility."
Ben's winning smile turned wicked, and he nodded. "You got it, boss! Thanks again, Brooklyn." He shot me a wink, then jogged off into the night without even a hint of a limp. Faking motherfucker.
"Are you waiting for something more here, Lawson?" Matthew gave me a bored look, but there was a flicker of something out of place in his expression. Kindness? Surely not. Maybe the shadows from the trees were messing with my mind.
I started to shake my head and apologize for breathing, then bit my lip. This wasn't Blake. I wasn't going to be punched for replying to his question.
I hoped.
"I don't get it," I admitted in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "You're testing people for... what? Morals? Humanity? I thought this camp was all about stamping those character traits out of people."
Matthew's lips tugged up in a half smile. "And I thought Brooklyn Lawson was supposed to be a spoiled, selfish party girl. Not everything is what we're told, huh?"
With that vague-as-fuck comment, Matthew disappeared back into the trees and left me alone once more.
Great. Now I was more paranoid than ever.
7
The sound of Matthew's retreating steps sent me forward, and the entire time I followed him, I was on the edge of panic, waiting for the next "random" situation to arise. I'd never particularly liked the dark; Blake would often strike in the middle of the night, completely wasted and unreasonably angry. Nothing like awakening from a deep sleep to fists breaking bones. Hence why I’d learned to sleep light.