The Thirteenth of Blood

Chapter One

Peyton

Anna had pulled me up to the top of Lookout Hill, practically dragging me by my arm, and sat me down on the old fallen tree. No wonder Lookout was our favorite picnic spot. There was a beautiful view of the expansive Lake Clarity, the log cabins and wooden docks of Camp Dogwood, and if there wasn't any morning fog, you could even see the peaks of the ice-covered mountains rising in the very distance. But Lookout Hill was not only our picnic spot: it was also our private confession spot, which seemed to be what Anna was about to do, right here sitting on the fallen tree.

My sister's blue eyes were shining, but not with her usual happiness and glow: they looked more like tears. Anna crying was a very rare occurrence, as I had always been the more emotional sibling, and she was an optimistic rainbow of positive energy. I instantly knew when I saw her expression that she was the bearer of bad news.

"Peyton, I have something I need to tell you," she said, brushing her strawberry hair behind her ears so I could see her dismal face even more clearly.

"I figured," I signed, looking at the gorgeous scenery that surrounded Lookout Hill. Indeed a confession it was, not a picnic. "What's wrong?" I asked her.

Anna looked at the ground, "The Camp Warden talked to me the other day."

Instantly, my own eyes widened in surprise. The Camp Warden rarely ever talked to the campers, and if she did, she had very big news. My thoughts instantly jumped back to Mom and Dad back home. That was the kind of thing the Warden wools tall to a camper about. "Anna, is everything okay at home? Are Mom and Dad alright?" I began to internally panic, becoming fidgety.

My sister placed a hand on my shoulder to comfort me, "It's alright Pey, Mom and Dad are good. It's just that I was..." The worry in her voice deepened even more, "The Camp Warden told me that my fencing and archery was very skilled, she saw me during practice, and... She asked me to become a Captain for this year's Blood Cavern challenge. There, I said it."

I had reached my emotional breaking point and began heavily sobbing, burying my face in my hands, shaking violently.

"Oh, Peyton!" Anna exclaimed, hugging me tightly as I continued crying, "I didn't want you to take it like this, but I'm really sorry and I had to tell you first..."

"You didn't tell me you were going to die, Anna!" I choked in between muffled sobs.

"Now stop that talk. You don't know that, I have a chance at winning just as much as everybody else who is chosen," She scolded me. There was that motherly instinct of hers. She was the closest thing I had to a mother, since I'd been at Camp Dogwood for so long, with Mom sick and Dad caring for her. If Anna went into the Blood Cavern and lost the challenge, I wouldn't has a mother and more.

My negative thoughts only made my cry harder, and Anna kept telling me, "Pey, hush, it's all going to be alright, okay!"

"No, no it isn't!" I sobbed.

"Peyton, you listen to me, it's an honor that the Warden chose me as one of Dogwood's six Captains, out of all of the eligible campers." She said, forcing me to make piercing eye contact, "And I'm very proud of it. I'm not going to die, Peyton, I'm going to win. Look into my blue eyes. They're blue. And you shouldn't be."

There it was. The phrase. The one Anna always used. But this time, it made me feel more upset than calm. I was still choking, the tears losing at my eyelids. But I attempted to dry my tears with the sleeve of my Camp Dogwood uniform between my ragged breaths.

"I'll say it again. Everything is going to be okay." Anna reassured once more, brushing my hair out of my face. I looked like a hot mess after my crying fit.

"Okay now, Peyton?"

"O-Okay," I said quietly with a slight nod of my head.

"Good," Anna sighed, standing up from the fallen tree. She took a few more seconds to admire the view from Lookout Hill before saying, "Let's go back to camp." She set off down the hill, her red waves bouncing with her long stride.

I just sat there and watched her leave. The tears were coming back. This was heartbreaking to the point that my life might never be the same.

I wasn't just about to loose my older sister to the Blood Cavern: I was about to lose my best friend.

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A/N: Hey guys? So how'd you like it? This really hurts me to write, especially when the characters are based off of close friends you rarely see. 

Sorry in advance about my horrible grammar and possible typos. 

Also, I think this story shoukd be updated weekly. 

That's all I gotta say! -M