Mysteries

Discovery

"Are they dead?" one camper asked , upon discovering the trio asleep together on a log. Nash was asleep up against the tree, as was Ashton. Jennette had fallen back asleep in Ashton's lap.

"Maybe," another camper whispered. He shook at the thought. " Lets poke them with a stick and find out." the second camper began searching for a stick, while the first still remained, observing the sleeping teenagers. He motioned towards them. "Paul, look! That one is breathing. The pink haired one." "Paul" ran over and watched. He thought of an idea.

" Maybe we should bury them. We don't wanna be held accountable for their deaths, do we?" he glanced around the forest, scouting out possible grave areas. He began kicking around wet leaves and mush, clearing a spot.

" How about we just wake them up? Then we wont be accountable for anything." He bent down and shook the shoulders of the teens. They awoke with a stir. Jennette , Nash, and Ashton sat up and looked at the campers.

"You!" Nash said, standing up. His loud voice almost frightened the two away. " You go to our high school! Can you please take us to the campsite? We have been lost for hours , and we're exhausted." The two teens nodded.

"Sure, follow us, we know the way." Nash helped the groggy girls up, they gathered their gear, and they exited the depths of the forest.

*****

"Jennette!" Reese ran up to Jennette and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled.

Reese was pale , with ice blue eyes and a dash of freckles across his nose. He had short copper colored hair, and was slim and just a few inches taller the Jennette.

"Thanks, we're okay too." Nash said, rolling her eyes.

"I sent a search party for you guys! All three of you I might add," Reese said, throwing a look at Nash. "I thought you guys were hurt, or worse..." his voice trailed off.

Jennette's optimistic, high pitched voice spoke. " Nope! We are alive, however, I am literally starving. Is there any food around here?" Jennette began raiding the camp, searching for food. Nash followed off after her, helping her on her hunt for something to eat.

Reese checked his phone. "24 minutes until lunch. If they can wait that long. Besides, they aren't gonna find much, the counselors lock all the food up. For good reason, of course," he made a hand motion towards Nash and Jennette. Ashton giggled.

"Jennette will probably resort to cannibalism if she doesn't find food in the next five minutes. I'm gonna go tell her that lunch isn't too far," she ran up to the search party and explained the lunch plan to them .

"That's way too far into the future. I could like, sue this place for malnutrition. Or something," Jennette said, getting lost in her thoughts. She wondered off.

"Better go after her. Before she lights something on fire..." Ashton said , looking at Nash. He laughed and nodded his head.

*****

The entire class sat around a large fire, some closer than others. Some were roasting marshmallows, others hotdogs, and some were just near the fire. It was blazing bright and warm, little fire flecks floating up into the dark night sky. The crackle of the fire mixed in with the murmurs of the students and created a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. Nash, Jennette , and Reese sat around the fire, sharing childhood stories. Ashton snuck up behind Nash and Jennette and whispered in their ears , "Meet me by my tent." They nodded.

After escaping conversation with a dorky teen named Connor, Jennette and Nash snuck away to meet with Ashton. She welcomed them into her tent.

"Whatever we're doing, we can't do it outside?" Nash nagged.

"Whatever, stay out in the cold and wet." Ashton slipped in the tent with Jennette. Nash tensed up.

"No! Don't leave me out here," Nash went inside.

Jennette lit a lantern while Ashton sifted through her bags. Nash zipped the entrance to the tent and took a seat. " So what's this secretive meeting about?" As if on cue, Ashton threw the tome they found in the center of the tent. Dust flew up from it, and circled around it. Jennette, being her usually overdramatic self, began coughing and wheezing. Nash laughed.

"Hush, we need to find out what this book holds." Ashton said, regaining control over the duo. They settled down and put their attention towards the book.

It was nothing too glorious - the cover was a dirt brown, with small emblems engraved on it. It overall most likely weighed a few pounds. Inside, the majority of the pages were soaked and stained, making most of the material impossible to read. It smelled, old and musty, like a library that hasn't been cleaned, or like the bottom of Nash's laundry hamper. Ashton looked at the book with curiosity.

"I've noticed that the weather hasn't been the only thing taking its toll on the book. Even if it was preserved in a library somewhere, this book already had major damage," she said with intelligence dripping in her voice. Nash shrugged his shoulders.

"Let's open it and see what's inside." his hand shot to the cover, and he turned it open with eagerness.

The teens huddled over the book, making out every word that was eligible. They weren't coming with much to lead on, until they reached the center of the tome, where it had remained the driest. Words that were damaged were now becoming easier to read, and Nash read them aloud.

"....And so three babes of youth shall discover yet forces unseen ." his voiced trailed, then came back. "Upon discovering the tome..." he became silent.

"What? This tome?" Jennette began asking multiple questions. Nash shook his head. "I can't make it out, you try." he pushed the book towards her. She loomed over it. She read the words silently for a few minutes. She then screamed , and shoved the book away violently. Ashton threw her hand over Jennette's mouth.

"Hush! Do you want the counselors to hear us?" she shook her head. "Now , what did it say?"

Jennette took a large breath. "Our names! It said our names! " she pointed at the open page.

The trio looked at each other and gasped.