Page 16 of Hide And Seek

“Oh, don’t be jealous. It’s only five dollars more per hour, which is practically nothing,” Sutton said in an airy tone, because five dollars an hour presumablywasnothing to her. “And it’s atonof extra work and responsibility. Speaking of which…” She trailed off for a second, eyes skating over to me. “I came to talk to you, Alissa.”

“I see you finally remembered her name,” Jasmine said, arching a brow.

Sutton rolled her eyes but didn’t respond to her. “After morning announcements, you’re scheduled to be in the arts and crafts building for a painting workshop, right?” she asked, still peering at me. “And then a pottery one after that.”

“Yeah.” I nodded slowly. “How come?”

“Piper woke up with really bad period cramps today, so she’s going to stay in bed. That means we need to find someone to fill in her activity spot for today.”

“By period cramps, you mean ‘massive hangover’, right?” Tamsin asked, brows rising.

Sutton ignored her, gaze still focused on me. “She was scheduled to be on the Wilderness Wander today, and they can’t afford to lose a counselor. But the arts and crafts thing can definitely afford to lose one. I mean, it’s just painting and pottery, right? Not exactly a danger zone.”

“So you’ve reassigned me?” I asked.

She nodded. “You said you grew up in Wyoming, so—”

“Montana,” Wren interjected.

Sutton waved a hand. “Same thing. Anyway, I figured you’re probably an expert at stuff like hunting and trekking,” she said. “Not that the kids are actuallyhuntingon the Wilderness Wander, of course.”

“Uhh… I’m actually not an expert at any of that stuff,” I replied.

Sutton waved a hand again. “Whatever. The Wander is basically a hike crossed with a scavenger hunt, so it’s pretty easy, as long as you’re fit enough to walk five miles through the woods,” she said. “Anyway, two of the other counselors are leading, so we really just need you and the other two as extra pairs of eyes to make sure none of the kids wander off in the wrong direction.”

I nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

“You’ll need to take a backpack with snacks and plenty of water. Pile on some sunscreen, too, because you’ll be out there a while,” she said. She briefly glanced at the clipboard before continuing. “The meetup point is the big wooden signpost at the Nightingale trailhead junction, just past the equipment shed on the northern edge of camp. You need to be there fifteen minutes after announcements. You should all be back around four, and after that, the rest of the afternoon is your own free time.”

“Got it.”

Jesse spoke up. “Who are the other counselors on the Wander team today?”

“Rhys, Jensen, Caitlin, and Zach,” Sutton replied, giving him a sweet smile.

Jasmine made a face across from me, but she kept her mouth firmly shut.

“Thankssomuch for agreeing to fill in,” Sutton said, looking back at me again. Despite her smile, her eyes remained cold, just like they were last night at the fire. “You’re a total lifesaver.”

She pranced off, ponytail swinging behind her again, and Jasmine let out a loud, theatrical sigh. “Oh, man. Rough start for you, Alissa. Only one Dirtbag on your team today.”

“Caitlin?”

“Yup. She’s pretty cool.”

I nodded. “I think I’ll survive. And who knows? It might actually be fun.”

Cabin cleanup and announcements ate up the next hour. By the time I got to the meetup point, most of the group had already assembled. There were approximately fifteen kids ranging from the ages of ten to thirteen, and several of them were already arguing cheerfully about who was going to solve the first clue fastest.

Caitlin was attempting to do a headcount while Zach handed out printed clue sheets, and Jensen was leaning against the signpost with the energy of someone who considered showing up to be sufficient contribution.

Rhys was crouching down to a kid's level, listening to a very urgent explanation about a compass. I looked away before he looked up at me.

The first clue took approximately four minutes for the kids to crack. It led us to the mouth of the Ridgeback Trail, which was a winding five-mile loop through the pine forest on the camp's northern boundary, marked at intervals with small orange trail blazes.

We set off in a loose, noisy cluster that gradually stretched into a line as the trail narrowed. The morning was already warm; the kind of clear Adirondack day that made the whole place look like a postcard.

The kids were loud and enthusiastic, debating the next clue in overlapping voices. A pair of boys near the front had appointed themselves the head navigators and were taking the responsibility extremely seriously. Three girls behind them wereless interested in the scavenger hunt and more interested in a conversation that kept dissolving into peals of laughter at intervals.