Bel, Age 15

Bel and Eduari carefully made their way through the thickets, guided by the light of Somal. In true Sergiu fashion, it was a quarter moon, just barely enough to see by in the open. Under the trees, they had to step carefully, working their way between patches of dim moonlight.

“I still can’t believe they paired you with me,” Ed complained as they stepped around a tangle of vines. “I mean, what were they thinking, anyway?”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Bel snapped, somewhat indignantly. “Am I not good enough for you, your majesty?”

“Oh, sure you are,” Ed said, sarcastically. “If we come across some wild animal you can fucking talk it to death.”

This was an ironic statement considering that Ed had spent most of the night complaining about, well, everything. Though mostly about Bel.

“Whatever, Ed. Get back to me when you’ve spent the night in the Cairn.”

He scoffed at this. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, much less you.”

“Sure, Ed. Nothing to prove.”

This time he stopped and threw her question back at her. “And what’s that supposed to mean, your majesty?”

Bel came to a halt a few inches from his face and rolled her eyes. “It means you’ve been complaining non-stop since we got out here, that’s what. You’re making a whole show of it. ‘It’s too cold’, ‘this scavenger hunt is dumb’, and ‘of course he used black cloth’. Stars, Ed, I didn’t ask for a performance, and I really don’t want one.”

There were four teams out. Sergiu had hidden three bags for each. They all got a map to their first, and then each bag had two small prizes and a clue to find the next. So twelve bags total, each in a unique space, with two unique items, and with unique directions. They had three hours to get them, and the first one to finish got an award on top of that. Bel had no idea where Sergiu got this kind of time. It must be nice to be rich, she thought.

“Well, it is dumb!” he exclaimed, tossing his hands up in the air. “We’re stomping around out here like a bunch of fucking kids looking for treasure!”

“We are kids, Ed.”

He scoffed again. “You are, maybe. I’m a year older.”

“Oh, wow. A whole year! I’m so sorry, Elder, I didn’t mean to disrespect your honored position in the tribe.”

“Fuck you, Bel. Let’s just find this thing and get back. Maybe we’ll actually be first, in spite of you.”

As he turned around to continue the search, a thought occurred to Bel and she burst out laughing. That stopped him again, and he whirled around to face her.

“What’s so fucking funny?”

“We sound just like them.”

Ed blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“We sound just like Alina and Sergiu.”

To her surprise, his expression actually softened, and he smiled. “I guess we do, don’t we? Only, I don’t like you.”

“I don’t like you, either.”

“Sometimes I think they send us out like this so they have an excuse to make out. Like, with us knowing it’s happening.”

“I bet it makes it more exciting, that someone might get back early and interrupt.”

“Do you think they’re…you know…?”

Bel rolled her eyes again. “Stars, Ed. Now who’s the child? You can just say ‘fucking’. You say it all the time, anyway. And, also? I don’t need that image, thank you very much.”

Ed laughed in response. “Child, indeed. Come on, Miss Moppet. Let’s find the last bag and go.”

He turned and stalked off into the dark, Bel silently fuming behind him.