The Border Trilogy (Book #1) Enemies to lovers, Forbidden love

Part 2

Around midnight, when all the adults had left and all the children were checked into the stone houses, I wandered around the halls. There wasn't much to this job. By now, everyone except those on assignment was asleep. The rest of us were hopped up on coffee beans to stay awake all night, just kind of acting as Watchers, but nothing ever really happened.

"You and your sister are really something."

I turned around to see Madeline walking toward me.

"And why is that?"

"You both seem to break the rules only when it comes to boys. I was scouting the second floor and saw the girls peeking out of their rooms. I went in and Avery wasn't there. Jennifer dared her to sneak into one of the boys' rooms and bring back a T-shirt."

I sighed.

"That little idiot."

"Relax. She's probably hiding under somebody's bed right now."

"Yeah, probably."

I turned around and started toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Madeline asked.

"To go get my sister before she gets written up for leaving her room without an escort."

"Good luck with that."

I laughed and headed upstairs.

The boys' floor was surprisingly quiet. Most of them were asleep, though a few rooms still had light coming from underneath the doors.

I knocked on the one room I knew Avery would've gone to, the one where her school crush was staying.

The door swung open to reveal all four teenage boys fully awake.

"Oh hey, it's the next one up," one curly-haired blond boy with dimples said.

"Shut up, Thomas," Avery's crush, Liam, said to his friend. He looked at me. "What's up, Eva? Are we in trouble?"

"You tell me. I'm looking for my sister. She isn't hiding in here, is she?"

"Oh." Liam's face dropped. "Avery?"

"Yes, Avery."

"No, we sent her back like an hour ago."

I frowned.

"Wh- an hour ago? Are you sure?"

"Yea she was only here for like a second, she came in asking for one of our shirts." He shrugged.

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion.

"The girls and the boys have a tribe-wide dare competition going on this week, she was technically supposed to steal a shirt but asked for it instead" Another blonde boy said to, Lucas I think.

"She thought Liam would just hand one over," Thomas snorted. "But we sent her back with an unbeatable dare instead."

The others laughed.

"Dude." Liam elbowed him.

"What dare?" I looked between them.

The boys stopped laughing.

"It was just a joke." Lucas said.

"What was just a joke?"

He looked at who suddenly became very interested in the floor. I crossed my arms them.

"What joke Liam?"

He sighed. "He told her she could have a shirt when pigs fly..."

A few of the others chuckled.

"...or if she crossed the border and brought back one of those black moss-covered rocks from the other side."

Silence.

I stared at him.

"She wouldn't be stupid enough to-"

"Hey, watch it." Liam cut Thomas off. The smile slowly faded from his face.

"What? It was so clearly meant to basically say no to her getting a shirt."

"How long ago did you say she left?" I asked quietly.

"At least an hour, she's not back in her rooms?" Liam swallowed.

I didn't say another word.

I turned and ran.

"Eva?" one of them called after me.

I nearly crashed into Madeline as I came down the stairs.

"Whoa! Did you find her?"

I grabbed her arms.

"The boys dared her to cross the border and bring back moss-covered rocks. She hasn't been back, and it's been an hour."

Madeline's eyes widened.

"You don't think she would..." Madeline's eyes widened as she pieced together Avery's thought process. "Hunting Night means fewer adults around. It'd be easier to sneak around."

Her face fell.

"Avery's a smart girl, but not if she thinks it'll give her a one-up on the boys and impress Liam in the process. I don't know what else she'd be doing if she's been gone this long."

I started fast-walking toward the front doors, Madeline right behind me.

"I need to go. I have to find her and stop her. I can only hope and pray she got caught by a Watcher and got written up, but she's always been sneaky. If anyone could get past them undetected, it's her."

I looked back at Madeline.

"Cover for me. Get Katrina, but tell no one else. And don't stop looking for her."

I broke into a run.

"Tell Katrina to signal me with her calling if you find her! If not, I won't stop!" I yelled over my shoulder.

I have to go stop my sister from doing something absolutely insane, all the while hoping she wouldn't actually be that stupid.