❝ MAYBE THERE ARE NO GOOD GUYS ANYMORE. ❞
Mere weeks after the start of sophomore year, Angelina Jung awakens in the middle of the wilderness, stranded with no explanation. When she finds three other college students in the same predicament as her...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
• • •
SUNSET LOOMED UPON US as we burst through the trees. A fire crackled in the middle of the clearing, casting a soft glow on Zachary's brown hair, and four logs were placed around the makeshift hearth. I raised my eyebrows at the wooden spit; they had strung up a poor rabbit. Oh well, food was food.
Surprisingly, the boys weren't worried about our impromptu disappearance. Last night we had agreed to work together, and Leilani and I broke our promise. If I was Xander, I would've left already, but maybe his mindset was different.
Sitting down next to Xander, I warmed my hands. "You two did a lot while we were gone."
"So we did." Zachary's voice was frosty. Obviously, he and I weren't the greatest of friends.
Xander nodded towards the meat. "I started a fire, and Zachary caught a rabbit while looking for kindling. Take a piece if you want. We already ate some."
Leilani wrinkled her nose and reached for the raspberries in her pocket. "No thanks, I'm vegetarian."
I bit my lip. "You can't survive on berries alone. You need a source of protein." Forget about our abductor — the wilderness would kill her.
"Don't worry, Ange." She waved off my concern. "My grandma loved backcountry hiking. She taught me how to spot some edible plants, so I won't die just yet."
The plants behind us rustled in agreement, and I whipped around, hand on my knife. I could've sworn something—or someone—was there. My heart hammering in my chest, I turned back around and ignored Xander's inquisitive gaze.
I hated not knowing what was going to happen.
Leilani ran a hand through her highlighted hair. "I'm honored that you care for me, but lighten up, girl. Eat something. "
I still couldn't shake off my unease, but maybe my gut was wrong. Maybe I was too paranoid. Maybe the forest was safe. Maybe the four of us were truly, unequivocally, alone.
My stomach grumbled again, a welcome distraction to my thoughts. My theories could wait; food was more important. I unsheathed my knife and tried to cut a piece of the meat off, but a spark of pain shot up my left arm. I drew back, hissing.
My cheeks flushed as Leilani stifled her giggles and Zachary smirked. Thanks a lot, guys.
"Here, let me help." Xander's grey eyes sparkled in amusement. "Just hand me your knife." My muscles tensed, and he sighed. "Come on, I'm not going to stab you."
He didn't sound convincing, but what choice did I have? Sighing, I watched as he easily cut off a piece of the cooked meat.
"I guess chivalry isn't dead," Leilani snorted.
Zachary coughed, hiding another laugh, and a faint smile tugged on my lips. Leilani's remark from earlier nagged at my mind. She could be right; maybe being around the three would change me for the better.
