PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XXI. Kenji Is A Pretty Little Princess

Stepping through some tall grass, she saw them sitting next to a tree, while Kenji was building something out of sticks and Yaz was watching with mock interest.

"Welcome, to—"

"Get up, now!" Eva barked.

"Whaaat?"

"Kenji, tree!" Eva went to Yaz's side, and quickly helped her stand. "Help me!" She called to Kenji, who easily came to her aid.

"What's—"

The ground started to rumble, and Eva snapped her head back to see Brooklynn, Darius and Sammy approaching, and the herbivores running behind them.

"Go, go!"

"Up the tree, quick!"

"Oh, shi—"

Yaz pulled Kenji up, then outreached a hand to Eva. She put everything into that pull up, hands grasping the vines for a grip. Darius helped Sammy up, then glanced back a brief moment.

"Darius!"

He reached his hand, and the three of them— Kenji, Yasmina and Eva, they all grasped his arms, bringing him up into the tree. Darius panted as he clung to the trunk. Eva laid back in one of the branches, face in her hands.

"No, no, no!"

She leaned back up to see Kenji staring pitifully down at the ground, where whatever he was making with sticks as she ran up was broken and collapsed. "This is exactly why you should never work on anything, ever."

Yasmina rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling warmly.

What happened between them? ... And why did she care?

"I guess this is why they built Camp C up in the trees," Sammy commented.

Darius had a look on his face, like he just had the best idea. "Hey, maybe our new shelter should be kinda like a tree house?"

"Hm." Yasmina pulled her sketchbook from her back waistline and a pen from her pocket. She flipped to a blank page and began sketching. "Maybe something like... This?"

"It's great! Oh, but, we definitely need a lookout tower."

"And an awesome girls' bunk!" Brooklynn added. "The boys can have whatever."

"A place for storing food, so the dinos don't get it."

"A shower," Eva suggested, melting at the thought.

"Oh, please, a shower!" Sammy agreed. "Some of y'all are getting a little ripe."

"So are you, sweetheart," she replied.

~~~

The campers spent days sorting through usable supplies and building the schematics of their future tree house. Brooklynn— surprising to everyone— worked closely with Yaz to sketch their future camp. Eva began rationing their food findings, much to everyone's displeasure— except Darius, who agreed their food had to be rationed until they could find more.

In the first day of sorting usable supplies, Sammy found Darius's necklace, which gave him a newfound sense of confidence in himself and the campers.

Around day six, a storm rolled by and the campers quickly realized they had nothing to protect themselves against the onslaught of rain.

At thirteen, their camp was mostly built, save for their beds and the canopy covers they were working on stringing up together.

By the time day fifteen rolled around, Eva had been pondering ways to get their missing bags, and she finally had an idea. "Being up there would be so beneficial," she had told Darius and Sammy, gesturing to the top of Camp Cretaceous.