Hunting Grounds

I Should have

It wasn't the ideal start to my day. Rodents had made their way into the cabin, stolen my toiletries bag and distributed my items throughout the camp, I had found a huge spider stuck to the ceiling above my bed and had a bucket of ice cold water thrown on me while in the shower. Camps weren't my thing and it didn't help having losers like the Mason brothers who get thrills from making every ones trip miserable by pulling what they call pranks every other hour of the day.
I should have known to check for my seat before I sat down. I should have been watching out of the corner of my eye. Nobody is ever safe with them around so why should I suspect that I could walk away from this camp unscathed by alleged pranksters? I shouldn't have been so distracted. Now here I am storming my way through the scrub in the dark in an attempt to distance myself from the small mess hall before I do something smart like strangle a Mason and call it justice.

"Randi" I hear my name shouted across the clearing surrounding the main grounds. Its only Atlanta calling me. Possibly Samantha too.
I consider hiding before concluding I would be found before I ever even picked a hiding place.
Sometimes I like to think that Atlanta knows me better than I know myself. Our parents are friends and our grandparents were friends so needless to say we have been friends from the get go.

If hiding won't work then outrunning them isn't an option either as I boast no great athletic skill running climbing or otherwise. Perhaps I could pretend to be part of a bush. No good. The bright moonlight would just bounce off my hair. I am out of ideas and therefore will easily be forced to surrender .

"Randi come back you know he didn't mean it" Samantha pleads to the bushes to my right.
 No I'm sure it was just a coincidence that my chair disappeared when I went to sit on it and I'm sure the fact that I was carrying a dessert tray -for the whole table because I'm so selfless- didn't at all entice my chair to jump out of the way. If I was still in there I would....

"Gah" I gasp as Atlantas face appears in front of mine frightening me out of my scheming.

"Found you" she claims.

"No you didn't. You can't see me. I am no more than a cream covered hologram"

"A grumpy hologram at that"

"Thank you Samantha" I feign appreciation."I am permitted to be angry. Damn Clint and Ricky humiliated me again and I bet my last penny it was them with the iced water this morning as well"

 "That was you in there?" Atlanta looks horrified. "We thought it was Bianca realising there were no ensuites and everyone had to use the same facilities"

"You know that they didn't really mean it. It was only just a little bit of fun." Samantha tries to pass it off but the comment sends my blood boiling.

"Just a little fun isn't trying to degrade someone each day of their life Samantha. Maybe if you weren't making oogly eyes at Clint then you could have warned me." Samantha stands agape a hint of betrayal flashing through her eyes before she turns to leave. I am instantly struck with guilt at my little outburst.
"Samantha I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that I should have been thinking about you not my anger I just let it get control of me. I'm sorry"I spurt in apology

 "yeah well I should have been looking out for you too. We know the dangers that we face out here"

"Rodents after toothpaste" Atlanta chimes in and the mood lightens as we all share a laugh albeit at my expense. "Come back with us and we will face these terrible dangers together while sitting on our beds and eating those chocolate raspberries I brought with me" Atlanta suggests.

"Sounds very tempting" I consider while scratching at my lip. "Give me ten more minutes to plot some murders and I will join you"

"fine but after ten minutes we stop saving any raspberries for you" declares Samantha.

"and at fifteen minutes we send out a search party" Atlanta finalises their side of the offer.

"sounds good. I will see you in ten minutes" I call over my shoulder as I go in search of a place to sulk and collect my thoughts for a while.

Lured by the bright white moon I sit down on a log and attempt to flick some cream and other junk off my shirt and am completely oblivious to the world as I pull a few stray twigs from my light hair.
After the day I'd had it was kind of silly to disappear off alone. I had no way of knowing that spiders raccoons and Masons were not the biggest dangers I was going to have to face and no way of knowing that the murders being plotted were not of pranksters but my own.