Betrayed

Chapter 8

Natalia's POV

When the boys returned, Owen said, "Alright, then. Let's begin." With a glance at Crystal, he continued, "Crystal will be it this round, but I have a new rule." We all listened carefully, and I hoped that the new rule would help stop the killer. "For this round, you will stay with a partner. You will hide with your partner and will not leave your partner's side. Understand."

We nodded. "Good," Owen said, "stand next to your partner."

I quickly walked over to Ashley, who smiled. "I know that I am not partnered with the killer," Ashley said.

"Does everyone have their partner?" Owen asked.

I looked around and saw that Andrew and Raphael were partners and Owen and Hayley were partners. My heart was saddened to see our small group of ten quickly shrinking. Who will be the next to die? I wondered in my mind.

"To the basketball court!" said Crystal, and we made the short dash to the court. Crystal walked to the farthest corner of the court and turned around. "One, two..."

We all raced off the court. "Where are we going to hide?" I whispered to Ashley as we neared the play set.

"Let's hide near the basketball court," she whispered back. "Crystal won't think to look there."

I gulped. "Do we have to?" I asked.

Ashley glanced at me, apologetic. "Right, sorry." She stopped running and looked around. "We could hide in that corner by the fronds.

"Okay." We sprinted to our hiding space.

"I wonder where the other two pairs are hiding," Ashley said as we sat down in the corner.

I shrugged. "I don't know." I squinted to see her in the darkness and felt the shadows push in around me. My heart began to race.

"Sixty!" Crystal called.

The air stilled around us as Crystal's footsteps were heard. "Hey, Ashley," I whispered to her.

"Yeah?" she whispered back. Our voices barely made a dent in the air.

I paused. "Do you think that someone else will die even though we are in groups of two?" I asked, my voice scarcely audible.

Ashley's eyes flashed in the pure blackness, and I knew that she had turned to face me. "Unless the killer is insane, or kills their partner, then probably not." Her words gave little reassurance, and I began to fear for my friends' safety.

Crystal's feet made soft crunching sounds as she moved over the rocks, moving steadily away from us. My ears strained to pick up her movements until the stopped. "Hello, Hayley and Owen," she said.

"One group found," a boy whispered nearby.

I peered through the darkness, but could not see where Andrew and Raphael were hiding. Three sets of feet spread out over the yard, and one of them came directly towards us. I held my breath but no one appeared from the curtain-like shadows. The shadows pulled us closer as the footsteps neared until they stopped. "Is anyone there?" Crystal called from somewhere nearby.

I sucked my breath in as she took a few more steps in our direction. "I wish I could use my flashlight," she muttered.

A pair of green eyes flashed in the shadows and, although dull, seemed to penetrate my soul. I squirmed under Crystal's gaze and she took another step. "Hello?"

Ashley flattened herself between the walls and the rocks and I pressed myself against one of the walls. Time ticked by as Crystal took slow steps forward. Finally, her hand brushed against my leg. "Found you!"