"Alright everyone! Even though there was an unexpected accident, we were able to evacuate all the participators. Thus, we decided that whoever had the most points of prizes will win. And from our long await, here are the points per prize. There were atleast 30 stones hidden in the tunnels. The circular stones were worth 5 points, brown stones 10 points, black stones 20 points, blue stone 25 points, and the mystery cube stone was 100 points! Now ligers, give us your stones to score your points!" says the host.
"Did you guys get to collect any stones along the way before the crash?" Matthew asked.
"No, not really, our path was pretty clear."Jace replied.
I pulled out the stone from my pocket," We didn't get many stones but we did get this one."
"WHAT!? You got the cube stone? Good job you guys! Let's hand it in!" Rita exclaims.
A staff member walks up to the host and whispers in her ear.
"Alright everyone we're ready for the scoring!" she sings.
"So far only 4 teams were able to gather stones. Team Blue with 50 points. Team Kyle with 85 points. Team Nate with 100 points. And Team Margarita with 100 points! Looks like we have a tie but don't forget about the race points! Overall, we have third place belonging to Team Blue, second place to...Team Eren with only 2 points away from Team Margarita!"
"Woohoo!!!" Rita shouted.
"The top three will each recieve a $100 gift card, special meal points, and a mini survival kit. Thanks for participating and keep warm. Dinner will be ready at 5pm so don't forget to help clean up and set the areas," the hostess ends her speech.
Rita checks her bag, "Marshmellows, check. Flashlights, check. Matches check. Glow sticks check-"
"How much stuff did you bring?" Matthew scoffs.
"As much as we need." Rita smiles and punches Matthew in the arm.
"Ow, just asking geez," Matthew says.
"Um...you really don't have to carry me all the way there, Jace." I say
Jace replies, "It's fine, you're hurt. We're almost there anyway."
"Yeah, Lia. Just wait until we get there. Atleast you're lucky. You're like a princess being carried by a prince all the way there and back," Layla smiles.
I was glad it was already getting dark, so no one would see me blushing. I feel a little bad that he's carrying me, but I appreciate the help.
Jace put me down and helped prop me up as we walked together into the cave.
"Doesn't this remind you of those horror survival stories about kids being trapped inside a tunnel where monsters could be lurking to devour them all?" Rita whispers jokingly with a creepy voice.
Layla squeals," I'd be the last one standing, fighting off the monsters then I'll be known as the Queen Demon huntress who protects us all!"
"Eh, that was unexpected haha..I thought you'd be scared," Rita says.
"S-scared pfftt as if. No one is as scared as Layla." Julian laughs nervously.
Layla sneaks behind him and yells out,"BOO!"
"Stop! Leave me alone Layla!" Julian tears up and pulls Layla's cheeks.
Matthew nudges at Rita hard," Look, see what you did."
"Ow..sorry." she said to Matthew, rubbing her arm,"Julian there's no monsters here. There's lots of angels keeping us safe so no harm will be put on us," Rita told Julian.
"Really..?" He asks.
"Yeah, I was just joking about the monsters. Instead, there might be some cool things in the cave like lizards or bats." Rita tries to convince Julian.
"Bats? I like bats. But isn't it to cold for there to be animals? Wouldn't they be busy trying to stay warm somewhere else?" Julian asks.
"Hmm you have a point there," Matthew laughs.
Rita elbows into his side and he yelps.
"You never know, they might be resting in the cave too you know," Rita replies.
Our voices softly echoed as we continued.
We finally found a spot where light peaked from the ceiling.
"I'll build the fire. Rita get the smores ready and Jace, uh, watch the kids." Matthew says.
The kids built a mini snow fort around the fire and Rita laid out a blanket for us to lay on.
"Smores are ready! But before we dig in, let's take a picture!" Rita said.
"What's wrong Mat?" Rita asked.
"It's- nah, it's nothing," he replied.
"C'mon tell me," she nudged him.
"Well, I'm nervous," he said.
"About?" she asked.
"I'm nervous about pursuing my bakery dream. What if my parents don't approve? What if they'd rather me follow the family tradition to be in the marines or a doctor?" he plops a marshmellow on a stick and roasts it.
"Are you kidding? They'd be proud of you! I know your folks, they're very supportive and kind! They'll back you up if you ever need it." she nudges him.
He almost dropped his marshmellow. He glares at her and she apologizes.
"That's true, but they'd be far more disappointed in me if I failed or don't succeed in the business."
Rita smiles," And that's when I'll help you out. You've always been there for me so now it's my turn. I'll always be here for you. So don't give up!"
He stares at her stunned then smiles," Then will you be my girlfriend?"
We all stare in shock at Matthew.
Rita punches him playfully ,"Are you joking..?" he shakes his head," No way..." And she buries her head onto his chest and he laughs. "So is that a no?" "It's a yes, stupid..." she softly punches his chest.
Wow. All in one week. Never been confessed to. That guy asked me out. Check. Never seen a confession. Matthew just asked Rita out. Check. I never thought this would happen to me or that I'd ever witness this kind of thing. I'm just a kid. And they're kinda still kids too, just a little taller.
That's pretty admirable. I hope one day I could feel that strongly towards someone.
Since we had Julian was scared of ghosts, we just played board games, talked, and snacked. We all left the cave back to our rooms.
But since it was super late, Jace offered to help me get back to my room.
It was almost passed curfew. The boys aren't allowed on the girls' floor, so he had to sneak out the balcony.
"LIGHTS OUT EVERYONE!" said the principals as they walked through the hallways.
One of the teachers knocked on our door and Jace hurriedly climbed out.
"Wait Jace!" I called out.
He looked up," Thank you!" I whispered.
"No problem" he mouthed then smiled.