"Boo!"

Three boys jump out of the shadows, clutching their stomach's and doubling-over with laughter. Peyton's shrill scream dies a sudden death, wide eyes clocking the boys, her mouth unhinging.

I shakily exhale. That is one strange looking bear.

"Oh. My. God. You should've seen your face!" Tanner guffaws. "You were all like this and then you were all like that!" Tanner first brings his hands up to cover his eyes and then repositions them over his mouth with great, big gestures. "Man, you should've been there!"

"We were there and we did not find it funny." Brooklynn's crosses her arms, the invisible 'leader' badge glowing on her uniform.

"Lighten up." Braden murmurs, taking his usual backseat for a ride.

"We can't because our torches are dead!" Ashlynn squeaks, still visibly shaking with terror.

Tanner starts to laugh even harder, the sound echoing around the dead cavern. Even Colton cracks a smirk or two from his lurk in the shadows. But his eyes demand fear, they appear possessed, shining sharp in the night. Along with his powerful stance and distraught aura, his cards show a far more darker anguish tonight. And it's trained on me.

I think I might rather deal with a bear now.

"Your torches are dead because we tampered with them!" Tanner exclaims, drawing my attention to him, "We are definitely winning the 'Best Prank' award this year for sure!"

"As if, you idiot. When I tell Gianna all about your mediocre night playing with horror, the only thing you'll be winning is a long trip home," Edna drawls, hands on hips.

"Heck yeah!" Natalia agrees, high-fiving her surprised foe. I'm surprised we aren't shock-proof after tonight.

"Stop over-reacting, it was just a simple prank!"

"Just a simple prank, Tanner?"

"Yes, Brooklynn, just a simple prank! Do you need your ears checked?"

"No, but you need your head checked." She scoffs.

"Huh?" He cocks his head.

"Never mind that, it looks like there's a storm a brewing," Vivian mutters. As if on cue, all eyes turn to the troubled sky. All except Colton's, that is. His eyes are locked on mine. Dead.

My teeth jitter but not because of the cold winds causing havoc around me. Colton holds the answer. Much like how he holds all the answers, holds all the control and holds my fear in his grasp. Eyes wielding his power, never having to say too much. Keeping me in his gaze and destroying me.

Confidence? Was a thing I once knew. Silence? Was a child-like puzzle to me. Worries? Non-existent in my pubescent bubble. Too uncertain, to find myself, I now hide in the shadows. But so does he.

My eyes that had closed at some point, flutter open. Shockingly, Colton, is still staring. What is it with this guy?

He needs to look elsewhere. It's too much. This is too much.

"I-" I take a deep breath, ignoring the surprised looks surrounding me. I'm not that far in the shadows, am I?

Peyton, who still stands at the opening of the cavern, gives me an encouraging smile but doesn't say anything, looking mentally drained. I can do this.

"C-Colton... can you maybe, please, stop s-staring?"

The silence that follows make me wring my hands with agitation. I should've stayed in the shade.

"Why aren't you predictable, today?" Colton asks, taking a step out of the trees. I look down, not understanding.

Drop by drop, I notice rain landing in small puddles around my feet but I don't feel the pellets that land on my back.

"Have you lost your tongue all ready?" He takes another step forward.

"Colton, lay off," Brooklynn demands, but her help becomes a wisp in the storm, not powerful enough to reach Colton.

"Why are you a puzzle, today?" Another step. "P-puzzles aren't allowed." And another.

"Colton, please..." I whisper, taking a step back.

"There you go again!" This time his step is more of a leap and he closes the distance. "Why are you reacting?" he snaps.

"I-I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't. You ruin everything! What am I supposed to do now? Huh? Huh!" He takes another step but instead of crashing into me, he halts.

"Look, man, that's enough, let's go find Gianna, yes? She'll know how to help you." Tanner grabs his arm, holding him back.

Yanking his arm free, he growls in frustration. "You don't understand. You don't understand! I've lost my punching bag. I'm losing my punching bag!"

I mimic his step forward with one back.

My foot slips.

My body wobbles backwards and I struggle to regain my balance.

I hold my breath.

Slowly, I tilt forward again until I'm finally steady. I peak over my shoulder, only to quickly whip my head back, sweat thick on my forehead.

Sharp points of rocks guiding to the bottomless depths and a painful death are mere inches away from my fate. The alcoves and nooks where the water used to flow a beautiful tragedy now becoming my denouement.

Ashlynn shrieks, the sound piercing through the sudden lightening. "Colton, get away from her!"

She tries to rush forward but Natalia and Edna keep her from doing so. She struggles with their death like grip, not stopping her rescue.

"Don't be stupid, Ashlynn! The wind is too strong now – it's far too dangerous! You'll get blown off the edge!" Vivian shouts over the terrifying rumble.

My small body starts swaying in the wind. And without thinking, I grab on to Colton for support, using him as my anchor and keeping me from a trip over the edge. For now.

"Let go of me! Why are you holding me!" Colton's eyes are wide, dancing with fear of his own. Body shaking wildly, he tries to get rid of my seize on him.

Although if Colton shoves too hard I may ultimately fall to my death, I see past the craze in his eyes, I see his own pain and suffering. And the urge to console him is far stronger than my terror.

"Please, Colton. Stop." His eyes lock on me. "You-you need to calm down."

I can't tell whether he registers my words but slowly his gestures become less fluid, arms locking on me stiffly.

"Alexis, you need to... away from the edge by... carefully! He isn't reachable in... he's worked himself into so... spook him!" Braden shouts but the strikes of lightening mask the sentence.

I shake my head trying to communicate my confusion.

"Alexis." My eyes snap back to Colton. "No."

I squint through the blizzard of rain that swarms around us. "No? No, what Colton? Let me help you."

"I-I I'm so–" The clash of thunder obstructs his words. He jumps back in surprise, arms flailing, effectively letting go of me.

Gravity then takes over, the momentum propelling me backwards. My feet slip off the edge, the rocks crumbling and particles dropping down into the darkness of the glaring cavern. All at once, Ashlynn breaks free, Brooklynn dives forward and Tanner sprints towards us but all to no avail.

Reality sets in and I close my eyes, my outstretched limbs flying loosely through the air with me. Water and wind batters me, pushing me further backwards into the unknown.

Tonight, I'm sleeping with knives of stone.

A/n is basically at the start lmao