The next morning, after breakfast, the students gathered in the open classroom area, hoping that today wouldn't involve another boring therapy session. No one was interested in sharing their dull life stories. They were thrilled to see Mark there. If Mark was present, it usually meant they were going to have a challenge.

"Everyone, today you will have a challenge. It's a team activity—a boat-riding challenge," Mark announced. The students started murmuring excitedly. Only a few weren't happy about it, mainly because they weren't physically healthy or active.

"First, here are the team members for each group. Please choose a name for your team."

Team 1

Peggy

Ethan

Felipe

Ina

Stas

Team 2

Liam

Sissy

Irene

Zack

Stela

Team 3

Devon

Kylie

Lera

Lor

Hyeon-U

Devon was happy to be on the same team as Lor, but he wasn't thrilled about having Hyeon-U in their team. Hyeon-U was someone who always complained about everything but never contributed much. Still, he was better than Sissy.

"So, Team 1, what's your name?" Mark asked.

"We are the Wave Legends," Stas said proudly, and his teammates cheered. If Stas was in a team, the members were always happy to have him. He naturally took the lead and got everyone excited, already showing off their strengths.

"So, who's the team leader?" Mark asked.

"Stas!" everyone in the team shouted enthusiastically.

"Okay," Mark said. "Team 2, what's your name?"

"Aqua Warriors," Liam said confidently. The teammates could already see Sissy agreeing with her team, but the other two team members were relieved that Sissy wasn't in their team.

"Who's the team leader?" Mark asked.

"Zack," everyone but Sissy said.

In Devon's team, the members wanted either Lor or Devon to be the leader. However, Devon wanted Lor to take the role, while Lor thought Devon should lead.

"The other two teams have boys as leaders, so we should have a girl," Kylie suggested.

"That's because girls are stupid and weak. If our leader is a girl, we'll definitely fail," Hyeon-U said with a smirk.

"Okay then, Lor, you should be the leader, and we're going to win this," Devon said with determination. He was furious at what Hyeon-U had said and wanted to prove him wrong.

"We won't win. Our group has three girls. We only have two boys," Hyeon-U argued.

"Then go join another team," Lera snapped at him.

"I wish I could," Hyeon-U muttered.

"It's okay, guys. We'll try our best," Lor said to the team, trying to calm everyone down. It was clear that Hyeon-U was going to act like a jerk just to prove his point about girls being weak.

"If our team loses, it won't be because of the girls. It'll be because of you. You're the weakest and stupidest one in our team," Devon said angrily.

Everyone was shocked by Devon's sudden outburst. He had never spoken like this before. Usually, he seemed timid and scared, but now, for the first time, he was furious.

"Let's go to the river," Mark said, and everyone followed him. There were three canoes on the riverbank along with some safety jackets for the water. Jess and Jake were waiting for them.

"This is what you have to do," Mark began. "Each team will have three members stay on this bank, while the other two will cross to the other riverbank by boat. Then, the three members on this side will row the boat to the other side and switch places. The first team to complete the challenge wins. It might be harder than you think because each canoe can only take three people at a time, so you'll need to strategize."

"I know how to row boats," Stas said confidently.

"Yeah, he knows everything. We're the ones who are going to mess it all up," Felipe said with a chuckle.

"Why are all the challenges like this? It's not like we're going to row boats after we go back home," Kylie complained.

"A cooking challenge might make more sense—or maybe laundry," Lera added with a smile, making the others laugh.

—---------------

Everyone was wearing life jackets and getting ready for the challenge. Devon felt excited about doing another challenge.

A moment later, Sarah walked down to the river from the camp and spoke briefly with Mark before heading straight toward Devon. He wondered why she was coming to him.

"Devon, come with me. Take off your jacket," Sarah said in a calm tone, which only made Devon more curious.

He looked at his teammates, who seemed just as confused. "But... the challenge," Devon said hesitantly.

"Don't worry about the challenge. Just come with me," she replied.

Reluctantly, Devon removed his jacket and followed her.

They walked to Sarah's office, and as soon as Devon stepped inside, it felt like he had fallen straight into hell. Sitting there in the office was Reuben.

Devon froze, his stomach sinking as he glanced at Sarah, hoping she would notice his distress. But she didn't seem to pick up on it—or maybe she chose to ignore it. She avoided making eye contact with him, leaving Devon feeling utterly helpless.

"Your father wants to take you back," Sarah said, and Devon felt as if he had been suddenly electrocuted. He never expected this. He had thought he could stay here until the course ended.

Devon was too afraid to ask any questions. His mouth went dry, and no words came out.

"Pack your stuff and let's go," Reuben commanded.

Without a word, Devon left the office. As he walked outside, he heard the kids cheering down by the river. The sound only deepened his sadness. He realized he wouldn't even get the chance to say goodbye to his friends. Slowly, he started walking toward the river, hoping for a brief moment with them.

"Devon!"

He froze at the sound of Reuben's voice. Turning around, he saw Reuben approaching him with an angry glare.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Go to your fucking room and pack your stuff. I don't have time for this. Don't waste my time," Reuben growled, his voice low and menacing, sending shivers down Devon's spine.

"Okay... sir," Devon stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

He hurried to his room, trembling. As he packed his belongings, his hands shook so much that he made mistake after mistake, stuffing items into his bag in a frenzy of fear and sadness.

He felt heartbroken that he couldn't say goodbye to his friends. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he forced himself to focus on packing, knowing Reuben would tolerate no delay.

As Devon looked around his room, his eyes fell on a notepad lying on the table—it belonged to Liam. A sudden realization hit him: he hadn't exchanged phone numbers with his friends. They had all assumed there was plenty of time.

Acting quickly, Devon grabbed a pen, his heart pounding as he glanced nervously over his shoulder to make sure Reuben wasn't nearby.

In shaky handwriting, he scribbled:

I'm leaving.
He came to take me home.
Say goodbye to Lor and the others.
Devon.

He hesitated for a moment before adding the phone number and address of Reuben's house, carefully noting at the bottom:

He's dangerous. Be careful if you call or visit.

With that, he placed the notepad back where he found it, hoping his friends would see the message after he was gone.