Twisted Wonderland 2

The Tough Guy Act

The sun has lowered below the horizon. The forest is washed in the colors of the night. The only source of light comes from the fires made by the boys. Vargas has gathered all the clubs to the campsite to discuss how the objectives turned out. You stand to the side as the boys gather around the campfire.

Vargas blows into his whistle. "The sun has officially set! Time's up! Let's see how you did. When I call your club, tell me how many Vargas badges you earned. Equestrian Club!"

Riddle holds the badges in his hand. "We've earned all three badges."

"Track Club!"

"We got all three too." Jack answers.

"Basketball Club!"

"Three as well." Jamil folds his arms. "Though we admittedly squeaked by."

"And last up, Spelldrive Club!"

"Three, of course." Ruggie grins.

Vargas nods. "All right! Looks like you made it through the day and achieved your objectives. But considering you were all working to the last minute, it was hardly a slam dunk. I'll be announcing the next challenges tomorrow morning. Be warned, you ain't seen nothing yet. Normally I'd say to get plenty of rest so you can be fresh for the long day ahead, but the forest fairies will be trying to put out your campfires all night. So make sure you keep watch 'til morning. Dismissed!"

Vargas blows into the whistle and the boys disperse. Most of the boys grumble and complain about not being able to get a good nights sleep.

Vargas turns to you. "Come with me, record keepers."

"Huh?" Grim tilts his head. "Where are we goin'?"

"I'm staying in the cottage. You'll be setting up your tent right next to it." The coach answers.

You hold your arm. "Oh, I guess that means we'll be camping away from the others."

"Aww, man." Grim complains. "We're sleepin' near Vargas? And we gotta hike over there and rig up a tent at this hour? What a drag."

Vargas laughs. "No need to worry about any danger! I'll keep a watchful eye as I crush my reps!"

"We don't need you creepin' over our shoulder!" Grim exclaims. "How 'bout you give us a hand instead?"

Back at the boys' campsite, Jamil glances around as he walks over to Floyd. "Hey, Floyd. Have you seen Ace?"

"Crabby?" Floyd shakes his head. "Nope. What're you askin' me for?"

"You were both tasked with gathering ingredients by the lake. But only you came back."

Floyd rubs his shoulder. "Oh yeah, he wasn't at dinner, was he? I didn't even notice. He's prolly just goofin' off somewhere. Sounds fun, actually. Maybe I should join him."

Jamil folds his arms. "You've still got energy after all that swimming around? Well, too bad. You're not skipping out on campfire duty."

Floyd groans. "You're talkin' like Azul now, Sea Snake."

Over by the Track club, Deuce and Jack sit atop of logs by their fire.

"I'm beat..." Deuce runs a hand across his face. "It's like I can barely keep my eyes open..."

Jack only nods. "Today was more strenuous than our usual practice."

Deuce sighs. "Okay, let's figure out our rotation for guarding the fire so we can hit the hay."

The Equestrian club doesn't fair much better. Silver and Riddle sit by the fire, both struggling to stay awake. Riddle brings his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his head against his arms. Without realizing it, he's fallen asleep.