Chapter 12

The morning sun cast its golden rays over the campsite as Zariyah stepped out of her tent, stretching before settling onto one of the logs they had placed around last night's fire. The air was crisp, and the lingering scent of charred wood mixed with the fresh morning breeze.

Right on cue, Alicia emerged from the same tent and wordlessly took a seat beside her.

"Sleep well?" Zariyah asked, glancing at her.

"Yeah... but I can't stop thinking about it," Alicia murmured, her gaze fixed on the ground.

"Thinking about what?" Zariyah tilted her head. "Something bothering you?"

Alicia hesitated. "What you and Mason said last night."

Zariyah smirked, already knowing where this was going. "Seriously? It's not like anything actually happened that should scare you. Did it?"

Alicia's posture stiffened. "Oh-uhm-yeah. Nothing like that happened," she said quickly, turning away to avoid eye contact.

She was lying. That much was obvious. Alicia was hiding whatever was going on between her and Tyler, and for reasons Zariyah didn't yet understand. But she didn't press.

"Alright," Zariyah said, standing up and dusting off her pants. "If you ever feel like talking about it, you know where to find me."

"Where are you going?" Alicia asked, watching her friend stride away.

"Waking up the idiots," Zariyah called over her shoulder. "We need to get moving, and they're wasting daylight."

With that, she stopped outside Tyler's tent, smirking as she prepared to make his morning a rude one.

Zariyah started with a gentle shake of Tyler's tent, hoping the movement would wake him. When his snores continued uninterrupted, she shook it harder-nearly yanking it off the ground-before sprinting back to Alicia, stifling her laughter.

Alicia just stared at her, wide-eyed. "Did you just-"

Zariyah grinned mischievously before creeping toward Mason's tent, preparing to do the same. But before she could even touch it, Mason suddenly stepped out-and they collided, tumbling to the ground with Mason landing right on top of her.

Right on cue, Tyler burst out of his tent, looking around in a frenzy. "Did a storm hit us?!" he demanded, spotting Alicia first.

Before she could answer, his gaze shifted to Mason and Zariyah on the ground. His expression twisted in mock horror.

"No PDA, guys, please. The storm has already ruined my morning-you two are just making it worse."

Zariyah shot him a glare as Mason quickly scrambled off her.

"Says the one who-" Mason started, but before he could finish, Zariyah clapped a hand over his mouth, effectively shutting him up. Mason's eyes widened as he realized what he had almost blurted out.

"Ha ha! I, uh-need to talk to Mason real quick. You two keep discussing that 'storm' or whatever." Zariyah forced a laugh before grabbing Mason by the arm and dragging him behind the tents.

Once out of sight, she turned to him, her voice sharp but hushed. "You were about to blow our cover!"

Mason crossed his arms. "I couldn't help it! He was acting like we're the ones causing a scandal when we both know what they were up to last night."

Zariyah sighed. "I know. But the point is-they don't know that we know."

Mason scoffed. "Yeah, well, they're probably making out again right now if I had to guess."

She considered that for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair point."

Mason smirked. "So, should we interrupt them again?"

Zariyah shook her head. "Nope. Let's just head back before they start thinking we're the ones sneaking off for some 'alone time.'"

With that, the two stepped out from behind the tents, casually rejoining the group.

"You guys ready?" Zariyah asked as she adjusted her bag.

"Yeah, we're all set," Alicia responded, throwing her own bag over her shoulder.

"Good. No more delays-let's move out!" Zariyah declared.

She and Mason hurried to gather their supplies while Tyler and Alicia stood by, already packed. Today's destination? The bridge. And on the other side of it-the monastery.

Whatever secrets waited for them beyond that bridge, their expedition was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Today, they could feel it-something was coming. Whether it would be thrilling or terrifying, they didn't know.

But they were ready. Ready for anything.

Or so they thought.

Because out of everything they had prepared for, this-this moment, this event-was something they never saw coming.

And after today, nothing would ever be the same.

T. B. C.

What do you think will happen today?

Is it good? Is it bad?

Happy Reading!