Hailey's POV:
Josh and I spent the whole day inside the treehouse. We found boardgames underneath the floorboard. It's odd. The more we explored, the more unusual things we found.
"You mean, you never explored the treehouse?" I asked.
Josh leaps on top of the log, "Nope."
I grabbed his hand, "Then, what do you do in there?"
"Play hooky."
"What? Then, what's the point of finding a new secret base?" I squealed. "We should come up with a base name."
Josh laughs, "Alright. What do you wanna name it?"
I walk backward, "Okay. You know about M.I.N.D and how cool their acronym sounds?"
Josh nods.
"What if we made our own club? Call it-" I hum, "Joshie Bug?"
Josh smiles, "No. I don't think so."
"Then, what do you have in mind? Mister, I can come up with a great name."
"Was that supposed to be an insult?"
"Depends. Does it hurt?"
"No. Not really."
I pout and speed up my pace. I cannot believe he rejected my suggestion. I thought Joshie Bug was a cute name for our club. Plus, it's not like anyone else will be in it.
"It's embarrassing," Josh said. "If our members heard about it. They would never allow us to live it down."
I stopped walking and turned around. Were we going to invite other people?
"We are going to have other members, right?" It's as if he read my mind.
"That would've been the logical thought." Of course, a club will have other members. It wouldn't be just Josh and me. Together, we're a duo, not a group.
Josh smiles, "Unless my girlfriend-"
I point a stern finger at him to shut him up. "No teasing."
He placed his hands in the air and passed me. "No teasing, but I still don't like the name." I glared at him. Josh grins, "How about we don't give it a name. Just call it treehouse."
My nose crunches, "Sounds boring."
"Boring doesn't catch people's interest."
"So, if I want to meet you at the treehouse. I would just say-"
"I'll see you at the treehouse." He salutes me.
"And we're just going to give away our base just like that?"
Josh shrugs, "Only if others can find it." He slaps his palms together. "That's it! That's the test. If they can find the treehouse, then they're automatically admitted into the club!" He cheered at his idea.
I nodded, "That sounds good." I gave him a high five, and he tangled our hands together. I puffed my cheeks as we continued to walk back. "We should bring some stuff here next time to decorate it. The snow globes and fairy lights are cool, but I feel like we can do more."
Josh laughs, "Sounds like a date."
Date. Date. Date!
I tucked my lips over my teeth to fight the emerging smile. When we got back to the Golden Dormitory, an envelope was taped in front of our door. We looked around the hallway to find it empty.
Josh groan, "I forgot about this."
"What is it?" I asked.
Josh rips off the envelope, "We'll talk about it inside." I noticed a few voices were coming towards us.
Josh scanned his badge and thumb then the door clicked open. Pandora Academy's security system had intensified over break. I'm not sure why. One day, they just announced there's a newly installed system.
Once the door closes, I take off my coat, then another, and then a sweater. My parents have forbidden me to walk out of the dorm without proper clothing. Who knows what will happen if Josh finds out that I got a fever and ends up hospitalized.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"M.I.N.D," Josh responds. "Every year, they hold a scavenger hunt."
I hung the scarf against the door. "Scavenger hunt?"
Josh threw the envelope on the nightstand. "Yeah." He took off his jacket and laid it on the desk. The coat hanger is full. "It's a way for members to show off their skills or something like that."
I did a little hop, "That sounds fun."
"Yes," Josh exhales, "Only, it isn't. This little hunt brings out the worst people."
I brew some hot tea. "You mean, it brings out the worst in people?"
Josh settled down on the bed, "No. It brings out the worst people. Do you remember the first time you met the members of M.I.N.D?"
"Yeah." I pushed the button to warm up the water. "How can I forget the night when I got kidnapped for the first time?"
"Again. I'm sorry," Josh said.
"Okay," I responded. I place a teabag in each cup. "I'm a bit less upset."
"Well, that's not everyone."
I turned around, "Not everyone?"
He nods, "There are a few other club members who are either abroad or hate attending the meetings."
I tilt my head, "There were meetings?" I only remember attending the first one. I didn't know there were meetings. Aw, man. Am I kicked out?
"Yeah."
"When?"
"Every other Friday. Didn't anyone tell you?"
"No," I exaggerated. "If I knew, why would I ask you? Who was supposed to tell me?"
"Me."
Silence.
"When did you ever tell me about M.I.N.D meetings?" I ask.
"You mean, I didn't?"
"No!"
"Oh, well, it's alright. I never attend them anyways. The club members mainly gather to socialize, so it's nothing special."
I let out a groan. It's like orientation day all over again.
When the water heater beeps, I turned around and placed the cup underneath it. The scent of jasmine tea drifts into my nose. "So, the scavenger hunt?" Since I can't change the fact that I skipped every meeting of the only club I'm in, I decided to move forward.
Plus, I'm tired from track and field after school, so it's not a big loss not knowing about M.I.N.D meetings.
"Ah, yes. The scavenger hunt is literally a finding something game. You get a bunch of riddles, solve it, then get a prize if you win."
I held two cups and walked towards him, "What's the prize?"
"Ten grand."
The cups drop to the carpet.
Josh rushes towards me, "Are you okay?" He checks my legs. Thankfully, I was wearing long pants.
"D-Did you say t-t-ten grand?"
He exhaled softly when he didn't find a burn. "Yeah."
"Like...1...0...0...0...0? Four zeros?"
He cleaned up the mess, "Yeah."
I place a hand on my chest, "I need to sit down."
I stared at Josh, who cleans up everything then makes two new cups of tea. He moves one cup towards me, and when I don't take it, he sets it on the nightstand. "What's wrong?"
"Ten grand."
He set down the other cup, "Yeah, and some sort of mystery prize."
"What was last year's mystery prize?"
He glances toward the ceiling, "I think it was a bracelet?"
"Bracelet?"
He ran his hand across his chin, "Yeah. Some sort of diamond bracelet."
I laid down on the bed. I cannot believe what I'm hearing. If you win a scavenger hunt, you get ten grand and a diamond bracelet. I know the school I'm attending is extravagant but isn't this a bit too over the top?
"Give me the letter," I said.
Josh hands it to me.
I tear it open, only to see a blank page. "What's this?" I jumped up. "How can I win with a blank page?"
"Wait." Josh presses his fingers against his temple. "You're going to attend?"
"Of course! Won't you?"
He shook his head, "No."
"Then, what did you do last year?"
"Same thing I always do. Attend class. Attend sports meetings. Sleep. Eat."
"So, let me get this straight. You're not interested in winning ten grand?"
Josh stares at me, "I'm the heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation."
"Oh, right." Sometimes, I forget that Josh is exceptionally wealthy.
"You want to do it?"
"Yes!" I hope I didn't sound too desperate. The money can be used to pay back my parents, and I got extra to spend on whatever I like. Plus, I may earn a diamond bracelet. I can sell it off for more money! I've been really low on the financial side.
Josh burst out laughing, "Alright." I know he's simply humoring me. He grabbed the lighter inside the drawer and took the note from my hand. I watched as he flicked on the fire.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Just watch," he said. He swirls the fire underneath the paper, and words make their appearance.
My mouth parted, "How?"
"It's an old trick with invisible ink. Apparently, Aunt Alice loves doing this."
"How did you know?"
"When I was younger, I caught mom staring at a bunch of white papers. She stared at it for weeks until Mike tripped on something and knocked over the candle. The fire burnt a small part of the paper, and the rest of the letter was revealed."
I nodded, "How cool."
Josh turned off the fire and handed me the letter. I tucked a strand of hair back and read it.
"Finally,
Joshua Greyson. You're attending a scavenger hunt. Thank you, Hailey Vaughn."
I stop reading and nod to the letter. "You're welcome," I responded.
Josh shook his head.
"Solve. The school went on a field trip, and every single person died. Who survived? Bring the survivors to the club room."
I stared at Josh. "Ha?" No matter how many times I read it. It doesn't make sense.
Josh grasped my hand, "Alright. Let's go."
"What are you talking about?"
"We survived."
"Josh-" I shook my head, indicating that I didn't understand what he was talking about.
"The school went on a field trip, and every single person died. Who survived? Bring the survivors to the club room," he said. He smiled, "If we go together, we aren't single. The words also said survivors, plural, i.e., more than one person has to go into the club room at the same time."
My mouth gap opened, "You're so smart."
Josh's grin only widens, "This is fun." Josh dragged us towards the club room. When we opened the door, there were several other people. Each group had three to five people. We were the only duo. Somehow, I feel like we made a mistake.
"Josh!" Ahmend screams, "What the fuck? You never attend these things." Behind Ahmend were Tyson, Jasmine, and a few others.
Josh looks at me and smiles, "Change of heart."
Ahmend's eyes went from left to right. "Oh, you two," he said in a teasing voice.
When my eyes met with Jasmine, I held onto Josh's jacket. He noticed my signal and took a step in front of me.
I tilt my head, and my eyes widen. "Austin?" I didn't know he was a part of M.I.N.D.
Austin hid behind two other guys, so I didn't notice him. He steps aside, "Hey Hailey."
"You're a M.I.N.D member?"
He nods, "Yeah." Austin somehow looks guilty. I noticed he's avoiding Josh's eyes.
"What a surprise!" I turn around to see Madison and Mason. Madison hugged me, and I returned her affection. "I'm so happy you're here." She looks at Josh. "And you."
Josh grins, "Always get what you want, right?"
"Of course." She turns around and clinks her glass to get everyone's attention. "Now. Now. I'm happy to see you all here. First, I need you to separate yourselves and stand beside those you walk in with."
I move towards the fireplace with Josh.
Madison points the silver knife around, and her mouth motions. "Four groups and 16 people. Not bad. Well, I'm assuming you all know your team members for your hunt, so I guess there's no need for greetings."
"Wait-" I said, "Team members?"
"Yeah," Madison responds. She points her knife at Josh. "Well, you two are more like a duo than a team."
I was utterly speechless.
Then, it hits. It said, survivors! As long as we don't come in as a single person, we're allowed to be in a group with as many people as possible.
I look at Josh, who looks away.
"You knew!" I whispered.
He gave me a grim smile, "I thought it was a hassle to have too many members." He hangs an arm over my shoulder, and I elbow his stomach.
"Now. Now. You two love birds can flirt later." She looks at the clock. "Since we only have five more minutes. We can start-" before Madison can finish her sentence, the door bursts open.
Wait.
This doesn't look right.
Taniyah. Crystal...Ricardo?