I squirmed around the bus seat, trying to get comfortable. I can never sit still. We've been driving for hours now and we seemed to see no end to it. Miss. M seemed calm and was humming a song. But she's been humming for half an hour, and I prayed for her to stop. The sun was setting and we weren't at this Camp Unspeakable yet. I was starting to doubt Miss. M, and maybe she was lying.

"We're almost there, try to get some sleep," she yawned, and I nodded. Welp, this is going to be pointless. It seemed it was forever before I actually fell asleep. I battled my eyes and realized I was in a white room. Huh, that's strange.

"Hellooo?" I shouted. No reply. Great, now I'm stuck in a white room.

"Amara?" a voice cried, I swiftly turned around. It was Farrah? Same reddish hair, tanned skin, and blunt eyes! Yes, it's Farrah!

"Farrah, oh my god I'm so glad to see you—"

"You left me," she snagged, her voice growing sour and bitter. I blinked and stepped closer.

"I didn't leave y-you, they took you away to a hospital. T-t-they helped you!"

"You didn't think to call me? Face it, Amara, you're nothing without me. Aw, poor Miss Sunshine all alone," she snickered, her laughs echoing through the room. My throat grew dry and I was left with no words. Farrah wouldn't say this, right? Where was this coming from?

Was Farrah a friend or a fake one? This was a question that I didn't want answers to.

" But, I'm not alone. I have—I have, um," I stuttered, "my mom?"

"Oh darling, you really think that your mom cares about you? Doesn't she come home drunk almost every week?"

"Don't talk about her like that!" I snapped, quickly defending my mom. The white room grew black and Farrah's body stretched to the ceiling. I watched in horror as she snatched my tiny body to her face. Her raspy growls were breathing down my neck.

"Let go!" I protested and jerked around as Farrah clutched me tightly in her hand.

"I wonder what tactic will make you suffer a slow death," she said in a deep and distorted voice. Tears streamed down my cheek and I felt something I never felt before. Betrayal or sadness? No, it was the feeling of weakness. Farrah was right, I depended on others a lot sometimes. I was weak.

I sobbed as Farrah frowned at me.

"Why are you being so emotional? Ha, weakling," she snickered, barking a hoarse laugh, "goodbye, Amara,"

I screeched and hollered as she pulled me closer to her mouth. Am I being swallowed alive?! It's all temporary. I got pulled in closer and closer. It's all temporary. Then her mouth stretched open, showing off her teeth. It's all temporary, it's all temporary, it's all temporary. I wailed and shrieked as I fell inside. It was a horrible feeling and it was so dark.

I quickly woke up, breathing heavily. I quietly sobbed, why was I so emotional? It was just a dream. So why was I crying uncontrollably? I quickly wiped away my tears so Miss. M didn't see me. That nightmare brings back bad memories.

One time when I was nine, my mom and I were visiting our family at a family BBQ. My mom and aunts were gossiping, my uncles were smoking or on the grill, and the grandparents were playing with the babies. And I was there too, sitting in a broken foldable chair ( it broke down on the soft grass) and I was alone. But my cousins were playing, without me. But that was okay since I don't like talking to people when I'm moody.

Even with a family member, I get panicked, and being nervous was an understatement. I thought something was wrong with me, why I was so weird and different. But my mom pushed me to be more social and talk to them. That made me more anxious when it was time to eat. I was okay, munching on a corn cob until one of my aunts asked me something.

"So, Amara, what kind of hobbies do you like?"

I bit my lip, thinking of a cool answer. Don't mess this up, Amara.

"Uh, I like writing, you know, like writing short stories. It's really fun and relaxing," I smiled. Everyone started laughing at me and my mom's cheeks were bright red. At first, I didn't understand why everyone was laughing. Did they think it was a joke? Then the hard slap of reality hit me. They were mocking me because they thought I was the joke. Then suddenly I wasn't feeling too hot and my cheeks flustered and blushed.

"You got a writer for a daughter, Ella! How do you feel about that?" my uncle laughed, slapping my mom hard on the back.

My mom got up from her chair and dragged me aside away from everyone else.

"Are you trying to embarrass me in front of my family, Amara?!" she yelled, I shook my head in shame.

"N-no," I stammered, wiggling my feet around.

"Then why did you say that?! Why can't you be like your cousins?! They're sporty and social. And they share normal hobbies," my mom scolded, "you embarrass me!"

"Just leave me alone!" I cried, trying not to cry. My eyes got soggy and sore.

"Don't cry, I mean, are you trying to embarrass me?!"

"I just want to go home, I don't feel too hot anymore," I grumbled, and then a burst of tears broke out. I started to sob uncontrollably and my mom made me stay. I know crying was childish but it was all I could do. My emotions got so mixed up and tied knots in my stomach. It was such a terrible feeling. And the worst part was, nobody said sorry to me, I was the one who had to say sorry.

"Amara, are you awake?" Miss. M asked, I shook my head, rubbing off the memories.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I—never mind, we're almost there," she chuckled, I sighed. I looked out the window, it was still a bit dark but the sun was coming. Wow, a full day without my mom, I wonder how she's been without me. I thought, staring out the window and to the unknown. This is the longest I've ever been without my mom, and it's weird. I hope she's okay. I don't want her to hurt herself.

We were still on an unknown road with only a few cars around us.

"Are we there yet?" I whined, Miss. M chuckled.

"Almost,"

"Where is this place anyway?"

"The location of Camp Unspeakable is a secret, only some staff knows," she said. I was about to ask why when she spun the wheel sharply and we spun off the road. The bus ran into the forest by the road.

"AAAH! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET US KILLED?! GO BACK ONTO THE ROAD, MISS. M!" I hollered, sliding around the bus seat. The bus slid down the forestry hill and we bumped into a few broken trees.

"Hold on, Amara!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" I yelled as I fell on the seat and onto the floor. THUD. Ugh, this thing should have seat belts!

"Almost there!" Miss. M shouted, I struggled to stand up as I fell again. I wanted to scream but it was too fast for me. We almost reached the end of the hill and were about to crash into a log. We're going to die! Oh gosh, why me?! Then Miss. M turned the steering wheel, making us land safely. Oh, that was the worst nightmare ever.

"Why you'd that?! We nearly died somehow we didn't by pure luck!" I argued, rubbing my forehead. My legs were wobbly and my head was spinning. I think I just had a mini head injury. I'm going to throw up, oh dear god.

"Hold onto your seat, Amara, Camp Unspeakable around here," Miss. M grinned, and I groaned. Somehow the bus wasn't broken but slowed down. I didn't know how to feel. How is a whole freaking camp squeezed into an abandoned forest?! Oh, OH. I get it now.

One minute I was staring out the window, my eyes drooping. Next, we were in a place filled with people. Whoa. There were cabins and in the center were picnic tables and some rocks. Oh, those rocks must be the shrines. And where the tables were probably the feasting hall. But maybe like an outdoor hall. If that makes any sense. But then from people training or talking were people screaming. Huh?

"Miss. M, what's happening?!" I cried as the bus stopped. But more and more kids and teenagers ran for their lives.

"Hellhounds!" a voice screeched. Hellhounds?! From Greek mythology?! So this is real?! Why didn't I make a plan?!

"Amara, we need to go," Miss. M demanded, unbuckling her seat belt, "right now,"

"What's going on?!" I repeated as we heard more yells of battle cries.

"The camp is under attack! Remember what I said about the shield fading in and out?" Miss. M chuckled nervously, "Well, some bounty hunters or monsters, such as hellhounds, can sneak in."

"WHAT?!"

"Amara, I shall explain later. But for now, RUN."

"Wait—what?!"