Page 38 of Hide And Seek

Sutton cut in smoothly, folding her arms. “They’re our best options, because they’re not exactly your average walkers,” she said. “They both do endurance sports at Yale.”

“They’re almost Olympic level,” Zach added.

Rhys nodded. “They said they’re confident they can make it in a day and a half if they pace it properly. So they’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning, walk as far as they can, camp overnight, and then finish the rest the next morning. If everything goes to plan, they should hit town around lunchtime that day. Then they can get help for the rest of us.”

The group absorbed that in silence for a moment.

“Sounds like a decent plan,” Wren finally said, nodding slowly. “Also, depending on how far this signal issue extends, they might not even have to make the whole trip. They could hit service a few miles down the road and call for help from there.”

“Or a passing car could pick them up once they make it onto Route 30,” Jesse added.

Sutton’s expression shifted almost immediately, some of the tightness easing out of it. “That’s true,” she said. “We didn’t even think of that.”

A few others murmured in agreement, and I felt a subtle change ripple through the group. Shoulders loosened. The edge in people’s voices softened. Expressions morphed from nervous to faint, cautious optimism.

It wasn’t relief exactly, but it was something to cling to for now.

“In the meantime,” Rhys said, tone easing slightly, “there’s not much else we can do tonight. But we’ve got no kids to supervise anymore, so we might as well try to make the best of it.”

Zach huffed out a breath beside him, a faint grin tugging at his mouth. “Yeah, if there was ever a time to take advantage of a situation, it’s probably now,” he said. “We can basically do whatever the hell we want. Drink, smoke some shit, party all night if we feel like it.”

“Have some real fun for once,” Sutton added, flashing a small, coy smile at Rhys.

“Yeah,” he said, his gaze settling on me again. “Fun.”

Something in the way he said it made my stomach tighten, an unwanted flicker of awareness that I had no business feeling right now.

Sutton noticed where his gaze was focused, and the smile on her face vanished, replaced with an unmistakable scowl.

“Well,” Jesse said with a wry half-smile, “we do have a pretty solid stash of beer hidden around here. Seems like a waste not to drink it.”

That earned a few snorts and quieter laughs, the tension cracking just enough to let something almost normal slip through.

Rhys inclined his head slightly, then stepped back. “Anyway. Just wanted to let you guys know the plan.”

With that, he turned and headed back toward the other side of the fire, the rest of the group following him without question. Sutton looked back over her shoulder once, just to flash me another dirty look.

Jesse exhaled deeply and stood. “I guess I’ll go grab some of those beers,” he said. “Who wants one?”

A few people raised their hands, and Jesse headed off toward the woods where the main Dirtbag stash was hidden.

He returned ten minutes later with an armful of drinks. Caps hissed and popped, and a few people laughed, properly this time. In that moment, it was almost possible to pretend this was just another late night at camp.

Over the next couple of hours, things started to feel a lot more settled. Conversations grew a little louder and looser, helped along by the crackle of the fire and the steady flow of alcohol, and no one brought up the so-called prank that was keeping us all trapped here.

I was halfway through my second beer, listening to Wren tell a story about a disastrous date her sister had gone on, when I noticed Grace approaching us from the other side of the fire.

“Hey,” she said, glancing between us. “Have any of you seen Delia?”

“I saw her walk past a while ago,” Jesse said. “Why?”

“She said she was going to grab some candy from the Snack Shed,” Grace replied. “But that was twenty minutes ago, and she’s still not back.”

“Maybe she went to bed?” Tamsin suggested. “I mean, it’s almost eleven, and today’s been pretty hectic.”

Grace shook her head. “She wasn’t tired, and she wouldn’t just go without telling me. We share a cabin, remember?”

“Maybe she tripped on the way back,” Wren said. “Twisted her ankle, or something like that. So she might just be moving slowly.”