Heart Me

Chapter 24

Kayla's POV

The cabin I was assigned to at the camp was a cozy wooden structure, shared with Lily and Grace. The interior, though rustic, had a warmth to it, with bunk beds and small personal lockers for each of us. Grace and Lily seemed to be bonding well, which was a relief. Grace had been through a rough patch recently, and seeing her laugh with Lily was heartening. I decided to skip supper, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and stayed behind in the cabin while they went to the dining hall.

As I lay on my bed, staring at the wooden ceiling, I heard a soft knock on the door. I sighed, dragging myself out of bed to answer it. Evie stood there, looking distressed, her usually bright eyes clouded with worry.

"Kayla, I can't find my brother," she blurted out, her voice trembling.

"He's probably just hanging out somewhere around camp. Come in," I said, trying to sound reassuring as I stepped aside to let her in.

"No, Kayla. Something feels wrong. We were supposed to meet our parents for supper at 7:30, but he never showed up, and he’s not answering his phone," she explained, her worry evident.

"Has anyone searched for him?" I asked, frowning.

"Yeah, my parents and some of the camp instructors are looking, but it’s like he’s vanished," she sighed, biting her lip.

"Let me grab my phone and a sweater, and we can go look for him," I offered. She nodded, visibly relieved.

I quickly threw on a hoodie and pocketed my phone. We ventured out into the night, starting our search at the beach. The moonlight cast long shadows, and the waves crashing against the shore were the only sounds that broke the eerie silence. Clarke was nowhere to be found. By now, it was close to 11 pm, and the night air was getting colder.

"Let’s try tracking his phone's GPS," Evie suggested, pulling out her own phone. "The signal’s weak, but I might be able to get something." After a few tense moments, her face lit up. "Got it! He’s in the woods, over there," she pointed.

We hurried in the direction she indicated, our flashlights casting trembling beams in the dense forest. The woods were eerily quiet, and I could feel the tension in the air. Eventually, we found Clarke sitting under a large tree, his face pale and his arm wrapped in a bloodied piece of cloth. Above him on the tree trunk was a patch of partially dried blood, making my stomach churn.

"Oh my God, Clarke!" Evie cried, rushing to him. "What happened?"

"I’m fine, Evie," he muttered, though he clearly wasn’t.

"Your hand," she said, her voice breaking as she held his arm. Blood was seeping through the makeshift bandage.

"There’s no time for questions. We need to get him back to camp," I said urgently. Clarke was too weak to walk on his own, so Evie and I supported him as we made our way back.

As we reached the camp, Clarke collapsed. Mr. Robins and Mrs. Robins, who had been trailing behind, rushed to him. Mrs. Robins, a woman I remembered from childhood with her kind eyes now filled with tears, knelt beside her son.

"My baby, what happened?" she cried, cradling Clarke’s head in her lap.

A crowd of students had gathered, whispering among themselves. Amanda, the camp instructor who looked barely older than us, tried to disperse them. "Everyone, go back to your cabins!" she yelled, her voice cutting through the murmur. Slowly, the students began to disperse, though the tension remained palpable.

Back in my cabin, Grace and Lily were on Lily’s bed, giggling over something on her phone. Their laughter died down when they saw me.

"Where have you been? It’s past curfew," Grace asked, concern evident in her tone.