Chapter 3

The next few days were a tightrope walk.

I shared some of my remaining snacks – a small bag of chips – with Laura, a quiet older volunteer who mostly kept to herself.

She looked surprised. "Oh, thank you, Sarah."

"It's nothing," I said. We sat on a log during a break. "I'm actually planning to leave soon."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I got accepted into an arts program," I explained, a half-truth that was becoming my full plan. "It's affiliated with the military. I should have gone straight there instead of... this."

Laura nodded slowly. "This place isn't for everyone. Good for you, pursuing what you want." She smiled, a genuine, kind smile. "Your secret's safe with me."

That afternoon, during a trail clearing assignment, Brenda suddenly clutched her stomach.

"Oh, I feel so sick. I think it was something I ate."

She leaned dramatically against a tree.

Mrs. Henderson, the supervisor's wife, who was overseeing our group, walked over. She was a no-nonsense woman.

She looked Brenda up and down. "Sick? You looked fine two minutes ago when you were laughing with Tiffany."

"It just came on suddenly," Brenda moaned.

"Right," Mrs. Henderson said, her voice dry. "Well, you can sit over there in the shade. And since you're not feeling up to manual labor, you can be in charge of sorting the collected litter for recycling later. All of it."

Brenda' s face fell. Sorting smelly garbage wasn't the restful break she'd envisioned.

I smirked internally.

Later, when I returned to my cabin, the door was slightly ajar.

My small duffel bag was open, its contents spilled on my cot.

They' d been searching. For the locket, or maybe for the cash I' d been saving.

Fury, cold and clear, rose in me.

I found Brenda by the communal fire pit, regaling Tiffany with some story. Jake hovered nearby.

"Brenda." My voice cut through her chatter.

She turned, feigning surprise. "Sarah! What's up?"

"Someone went through my things. In my cabin."

Brenda' s eyes widened in mock horror. "Oh my goodness, that's terrible! Who would do such a thing?"

"I don't know," I said, my gaze locking onto hers. "But they seemed to be looking for something specific. Maybe something shiny? Or perhaps they thought I had money hidden after my trip to town."

Brenda paled slightly. "Why would I... I mean, why would anyone think that?"

"Good question," I said. "It's almost like they knew I got some cash from the ATM. But I only told one person I was going to town, and that was Mr. Henderson. How peculiar."

Jake stepped forward. "Sarah, calm down. Maybe something just fell over."

"My entire bag emptied itself, Jake? And rifled through my clothes?"

Brenda stammered, "I... I just went to your cabin to see if you were okay! The door was open, and your stuff was a mess, so I tried to tidy it, but I guess I made it worse!" A classic Brenda slip-up. She admitted being there.

"So you admit you were in my cabin, going through my things," I stated, my voice dangerously quiet.

Jake quickly intervened. "Look, Sarah, it was a misunderstanding. Here." He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. "For the trouble. Let's just drop it."

I took the money. "Fine."

It wasn't about the twenty dollars. It was about them knowing I wouldn't be a pushover anymore.