Selene’s chest heaved with every breath, each inhale scraping the inside of her nose. like a blade. The metallic tang of blood lingered in her throat as she stood atop a broad earthen slope, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn’t dare make a sound, afraid that Felicity would track her down by the noise and start throwing more rocks their way.
Carefully, Selene eased Altair down from her arms. Her muscles trembled from exhaustion, and her right arm–numb from holding his weight–hung limply at her side.
Now, on this steep embankment, Altair finally found solid footing. He quickly reached for his smartwatch and pressed the emergency call button.
Altair then took Selene’s hand, giving it a reassuring pat–like a world–weary old soul comforting a child. Don’t worry, he seemed to say. Someone will come for us
soon.
*
Five minutes later, the teachers arrived with four paramedics in tow.
Dames noticed the team had brought only a single stretcher. He reminded himself, yet again, that he’d only told the medics Felicity had fallen down the slope–not Selene. It was the right call, he reasoned.
Let the medics take Felicity back to camp first. Once she was treated, he’d send them to look for Selene and Altair. That way, Felicity’s overbearing mother would finally learn/her lesson.
After all, when Altair was in danger, Felicity’s mother had dashed recklessly down the slope to save him–showing off as always. Let them both sit quietly at the
bottom for a while.
Ms. Hughes’s voice rang out as soon as she spotted Felicity sprawled along the hillside. “Miss Thompson! This is a restricted area. What are you doing here?”
Felicity huffed, “How was I supposed to know? There’s no fence, no sign—nothing!”
Ms. Hughes scanned the surroundings. Just yesterday, she’d double–checked all the boundaries during the game setup, making sure every off–limits area was clearly marked. But now, the warning sign was nowhere to be seen.
Harrison hurried over, immediately noticing the bright red scarf trailing behind Felicity and the long, clear skid mark gouged into the soil below her.
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One of the medics reached for Felicity’s arm, but she yelped in pain.
“Harrison!” she cried, panic in her voice, reaching desperately for him.
The lead teacher shot her a look of contempt. With trained paramedics present, did Felicity really need to put on a soap opera for Harrison? Yet, predictably, Harrison fell for it.
He clasped Felicity’s hand and hauled her to safety.
When the medics tried to lift her onto the stretcher, Felicity shrieked even louder.
“Let Harrison carry me,” she pleaded, eyes shining with faux vulnerability.
The teacher rolled her eyes so hard it was a wonder they didn’t stick. “Does Mr. Vaughn have magical powers? Is he the only one who can touch you without causing pain?”
Felicity couldn’t quite hide the smug glint in her eyes. Clearly, Dames’s teacher was just jealous.
“Harrison actually cares about me,” she replied sweetly. “It only hurts less when he’s the one holding me.”
Harrison asked, “What happened? How did you fall?”
Felicity had her excuse ready. “I was helping Dames pick wild mushrooms. I just slipped, that’s all.”
F
The teacher pressed her, “What kind of mushrooms would make you slip like that?”
Felicity shot back without missing a beat, “They were growing right on the slope.”
The teacher’s face hardened instantly. “Impossible. For safety, we made sure every mushroom was placed somewhere easy to reach. None of them were on restricted slopes!”
Felicity’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes narrowed, sharpening with defensiveness. “What are you getting at? I’m injured and you’re accusing me of lying? Are you just trying to dodge responsibility?”
Dames, unable to help himself, glanced anxiously down the slope.
Chapter 199
Chapter 199
