Betrayed

Chapter 3

"Yes!" Matthew and Olivia screamed.

Raphael and I cheered as loud as we could and Xavior pumped his fists in the air.

"Ashley," Owen said, "go to the basketball court and face the wall. Count to sixty before you come looking for us."

Ashley nodded and disappeared into the shadow-covered court. As she vanished, Andrew called out, "You'll have a hard time finding me!"

"I'll find you first!" came Ashley's response.

Andrew laughed. "In your dreams!" He took off running into the darkness, looking for his perfect hiding spot.

I walked over to Hayley. "Let's go!" I said.

Hayley reached for something behind her back and said, "Leave me alone." Her voice was calm, but I detected a threat in her tone. I shrugged and ran after Raphael and Xavior.

"Hayley's acting strange," I whispered as we walked away from the patio.

Raphael cast a glance in her direction. "Hayley is always weird," he replied as he ran away.

Xavior also cast a glance at Hayley before leaving me alone in the yard. "Where am I going to hide?" I asked myself, walking towards the play set. I ran my fingers along the sticky bars and tried to not shiver when the pale moonlight cast its glow on it. I glanced around the yard until my eyes made out a large tree by the pool. "Perfect," I whispered, taking off towards the tree.

Upon reaching the tree, I felt my way to the backside of it and used it to block me from Ashley's sight. My breath quivered with excitement and it was hard to keep it under control.

"Sixty!" Ashley's voice rang throughout the yard.

"Great," a male voice muttered behind me.

I turned around, startled, to see Matthew crouched behind the pool pumps and filters. He looked up at me and whispered, "My foot is wet."

I stifled my laughter as footsteps sounded near. "Hi, Crystal," Ashley said.

I peeked my head out a little bit to see Ashley and Crystal standing by the play set. "This is harder than it seems," Ashley commented. "Too bad I can't use my flashlight." She stomped off towards the chimney and I shifted my body so that the tree continued to block me from her sharp eyes.

Matthew shifted behind me, and I silently urged him to stop moving. He seemed to understand because he sat still. I glanced at him, but I couldn't see him behind the pumps.

Ashley's footsteps sounded closer, and I could barely see her standing by the farthest corner in the yard. She was bathed in shadows, and she said, "Found you, Andrew."

A second shadow moved by Ashley and walked towards me. I pressed myself closer to the tree as I made out Andrew's short form standing at the edge of the pool. His eyes met mine, and I shook my head slightly. He nodded and walked off towards the boat, ignoring me.

"Ashley, I found Natalia!" Crystal called.

I groaned inwardly and spotted Crystal standing where Andrew had just stood. Ashley raced over to us and I stepped away from the tree. "Hi," I said.

Ashley smiled and I asked, "Who are we missing?"

"Owen, Olivia, Hayley, and Matthew," Ashley said, counting on her fingers. "Oh, and Xavior."

"Okay," I said, walking towards the boat. I walked past the pile of logs and did a double take. "Ashley," I said, pointed at a shadow-bathed figure.

Ashley bounded the short distance to where I stood. "Come out, Xavior," she said, and he stood up.

Pieces of wood and shavings covered him and he dusted them off. "Probably wasn't my best hiding spot," he remarked.