Chapter 11

Cassia

Cassia stood in front of Dawson along with the other campers. It was the day of another contest and today, they were to start the contest bright and early at noon. Everyone was fidgeting in their spots. They were standing before the forest and Dawson was examining them.

Cassia could feel Hunter watching her, but she forced herself to stare at Dawson instead. She was still thrilled by the way she beat him - after so many contests, she finally bested him, and she was thriving. But, she also couldn't forget what he said about being tied up.

She couldn't forget the way it made her heart pound.

"Good afternoon everyone," Dawson said. "Today, we have a fun contest because drumroll please... it's a scavenger hunt!"

Cassia's eyes flew wide. Astra smiled, looking just as excited as Cassia felt.

"But there's a plot twist." Dawson waved his hands like jazz hands. "We will be doing this contest in pairs! So you must work with another person to complete this contest."

"Perfect," Astra said. "You and I can be together, Princess."

Cassia smiled. "I'd really like that."

"But you can't choose your partners," Dawson said. Immediately, Cassia's heart dropped. "Because your partner is based on your current rankings. So the two highest rankers are paired together, then the next two, and so on. Which means, we start with Hunter and Cassia being together. Then we have..."

Cassia didn't listen to the rest of what Dawson said. Her heart dropped. She was frozen as her heart slammed against her chest.

This couldn't be happening.

"Cassia."

Cassia jumped at Hunter's voice. In the blink of an eye, he was at her side and she gaped at him, as if he'd come straight out of a horror movie.

"Yes?" Cassia said.

"We're paired up. So, I came to your side."

Hunter smiled and Cassia blinked. She thought Hunter would be horrified. That he'd run into the forest screaming and leave her behind, but somehow, he was right at her side.

"Okay, well now that I listed off the pairs, get with your partners and get a map from me," Dawson said. "And once I give the signal, you may start."

Astra nodded towards Cassia before she left and Cassia clasped her hands together. Her aggravating heart was still racing as Hunter and her walked towards Dawson.

It was strange being around him. She could still feel his hands on her, keeping her steady and upright, and she recalled the way he watched her during the last contest. She didn't understand what Hunter wanted from her. She kept pushing him away, kept doing things to make him hate her, but he was relentless.

They took the map from Dawson and Hunter opened it up, and Cassia peered at it. It was the map of the camp along with the forest, and there was a spot marked on the map that led them to a place near a river.

"So on your maps you have different locations you must travel to," Dawson said. "And once you get to your destination, you must find the next map hidden there. That map will lead you to the next destination and so on. There are a total of three locations. And the first one to come back wins. Got it?"

They nodded. Cassia grew excited, even with Hunter at her side.

"Okay, now everyone has their maps," Dawson said. "Ready? Begin!"

Everyone rushed into the forest and Cassia and Hunter breezed in. Hunter's eyebrows were furrowed as he analyzed the map and Cassia peered at it, focusing on the right path to follow.

As they roamed through the forest, they could hear nothing but the leaves crunching beneath their feet and the occasional squirrel running around. The forest was filled with trees and shrubs, so dense they could see nothing but woodland. Treetops above them shielded them like umbrellas, but rays of light would escape through occasionally, beaming down to shine on patches of moss and thicket. It was stunning and Cassia looked around in awe.

"Who would have thought we would be paired up," Hunter said. "Looks like we can't fight for once."

Cassia peeped at him. He was smiling, his eyes playful.

"I hate it."

"What don't you hate?"

Hunter's eyebrows rose and she shot him a look before fixing her eyes ahead of her. She couldn't believe she was paired with him.

But as they fell back into silence and kept traveling, Cassia could feel the silence weighing down on them. It made her slow down her pace as there was something on her mind that had been bothering her. Something that although she hated the idea of confessing, she had to confess.

"It kills me to say this, but thank you for helping me the other day - at the cafeteria," Cassia said. Hunter whipped his head to look at her, his eyes flying wide. "A princess doesn't fall and you helped me there. So... thank you."

Her cheeked heated up and she tried her best to avoid eye contact. But, it was hard to when Hunter's eyes bore into her.

"You've drugged me, haven't you?" Hunter asked. "Or I'm losing my mind. Because there's no way you thanked me."

Cassia glowered and he chuckled. He shook his head.

"Now, there's my Cassia."

Her heart jerked at the word my. She lowered her eyes to the soil beneath their feet and they kept trekking through the forest until the roar of a river echoed out of the mass of trees. They ducked beneath branches and maneuvered past shrubs until eventually, they broke into a clearing where a river crashed downward.

"Well, here's the river," Hunter said. "Somewhere here is the next map."

Hunter and her broke apart to look for the map and Cassia scoured the ground to see if it was anywhere there. She pushed rocks aside and dug through bushes, but there was no sight of the map. She scowled as she fell to her knees to claw at the roots of a tree.

"Princess, it's right over here," Hunter said.

She turned to face him as he reached over to grab a map that was tied to a tree and he pulled it out. It had been hidden behind some leaves and Hunter held it towards her.

"Oh wow, thank you," Cassia said, taking it from him.

"Hearing thank you from you is like hearing I won a million coins."

Cassia narrowed her eyes and unrolled the map. The next marking was in the middle of the forest and Cassia groaned. She always liked nature, but running around the forest blindly wasn't her idea of fun.

"Okay, let's go," Cassia said.

Hunter and her set off again and it was serene. Neither Hunter or her spoke and although Cassia didn't mind silence, it was unnerving to be with Hunter and not speaking. It unsettled her in an unexplainable way and she hated it. She hated how much she thought of Hunter.

"What's it like being a princess?" Hunter asked. "It just seems so... one in a million. Not many can say they're royalty."

Cassia was quiet for a moment. So noiseless, Hunter shot her a concerned look.

"Honestly, I hate it," Cassia confessed. "Most days I wish I wasn't a princess."

Hunter gaped at her. She flushed, knowing most people would laugh at her for saying such a thing.

"Why?" Hunter asked. "You have money and power and everything anyone would ever want. Who wouldn't want that?"

"I don't know. It's just not me." Cassia shrugged. "I rather be normal. And besides, I'm the daughter of a mistress. So, I'm more like an unwanted princess instead."

She grew quiet. Even Hunter didn't speak and Cassia grew embarrassed by what she said. Everyone thought she was spoiled and maybe she was, but she never felt lucky. Life was anything, but a blessing.

They kept walking in silence and that made everything worse. As Cassia wondered if Hunter thought she was a brat, her stomach churned with unease as they dove deeper and deeper into the forest.

"It seems like both of us are living a lie," Hunter said. "You, a princes with a great life, and I, the boy who fears nothing. People really aren't what we see."

Cassia frowned. Her eyebrows furrowed as Hunter and her slowed down their pace. "What do you mean?"

"I've never told anyone this, but I'm always scared," Hunter said. "Everyone thinks I'm always so brave and perfect and I don't know... They just don't expect me to be terrified of everything and I hate it. Because maybe, sometimes I want to be helped. Sometimes I want to be the one who's saved. Because most days, I feel like the helpless child I was and I hate myself for feeling this way."

Cassia didn't know what to say. Of all the things he could have confessed, she didn't expect this, proving his point.

"What are you scared of?" Cassia asked.

"Being anything less than perfect." Hunter shot Cassia a small smile as he repeated the words he once told her. "When I was a child... I was punished whenever I messed up. So I learned that one wrong move would cost me and that's why I learned to be perfect." Hunter paused, his face growing more and more solemn as he reminisced. "It's absurd because I'm nineteen now. I should be over my fear, but I'm not."

Cassia's heart stirred. Her hands trembled as she fought off the urge to reach out and touch him. To somehow keep him together as he cracked in front of her.

But then, his cheeks flushed and he laughed awkwardly, as if to break the tension brewing among them. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and held it for a moment, his face crimson.

"Sorry, I don't know what I'm saying," Hunter said. He tried to laugh, but it came out all wrong. "I'm spewing poetic rubbish again, aren't I?"

"No," Cassia said. "I'm sorry you feel this way. Someone like you doesn't deserve this."

Hunter tensed. His eyes flew wide and he stared at her with those hazel eyes of his - a sea of chestnut with sparks of emerald.

"You're a good guy," Cassia continued. Her heart stopped. She couldn't believe what she was saying, but she continued. "If I could, I would happily beat whoever hurt you back."

Hunter laughed and Cassia smiled. He stared at her as if he'd never seen someone like her before - and for once, in a good way.

"I can't believe you said something nice about me," Hunter said. He slowed to a stop because finally, they reached their second destination. "Is this some sort of boobytrap? You're about to slit my throat and run away, aren't you?"

Cassia rolled her eyes. She shot him a look and he grinned - his entire face lighting up. She liked it when he smiled. Most guys were shy to show their true smiles, but never Hunter. His smiles were like the sun - radiant and dazzling, lighting up everything in its path. It eclipsed his face and it was hard to look away.

"I thought you hated me," Hunter said. His smile fell away and now in its place was a confused look. "I thought you'd be happy to hear about my past."

"I don't hate you anymore," Cassia said. She paused, trying her best to choose her words more carefully. "Maybe I used to, but I don't now. You just drive me crazy sometimes."

"Feelings mutual."

Cassia shot him another look and he smiled. But this time, Cassia smiled back.

"We're slacking," Hunter said. "Let's win this contest, okay?"

Cassia shook her head, but she went to find the next item. And together, Hunter and her worked as a team to finish the scavenger hunt.

*****

Cassia and Hunter burst into the field and they grinned at the sight of Dawson standing alone. They rushed towards him and held out all three maps and Dawson smiled.

"Looks like you two have won," Dawson said. "I wouldn't have expected anything less."

Hunter grinned and Cassia beamed. Once again, she won. She beat everyone and she smiled, grateful that with Hunter's help they finished the scavenger hunt the fastest.

Dawson told them to head back home and Hunter and Cassia walked back to the cabins together. Although they weren't paired up anymore, they stuck by each other's side.

"Well, that was fun," Hunter said. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner."

Cassia couldn't help but smile. Her cheeks hurt from smiling because all through the forest, Hunter had cracked jokes and made her laugh more than anyone ever had.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cassia said. Hunter narrowed his eyes and she smiled. "Well, thank you for helping me. It was fun while it lasted."

Hunter smiled and even after they went their separate ways, Cassia was still smiling, thinking about the boy who she realized, she didn't hate.