"Gina!" Zarinna called out, "Wait for me!" She panted, taking long steps as she endeavored to catch up with her friend.

"You alright?" She heard Gina ask, a smile upon her lips.

"Yeah," She breathed, "How are you able to walk that fast uphill?" Zarinna scattered her gaze. Unlike the grassy grounds of their Camp, they were now trekking rocky paths, deeper into the woods with each step. The hiking she dreaded came sooner than she expected, and being left with no choice, Zarinna literally had to pull herself to action in order to take the first step.

"Huh, fast?"Gina raised a brow, "Not fast, Rinna. You're just slow." Zarinna scratched the top of her head sheepishly, "Come on in here then, let's take a seat for a while." Gina motioned towards Zarinna as she took a seat on the side of the path.

"Thank you," Zarinna couldn't help but feel thankful for the lady beside her. For a moment back in the camp, she thought she'd be walking around the woods with Mylene. She'd never felt so uneasy. Thankfully, Ma'am Mel offered to switch partners and she was then paired up with Gina. How much worse would she have been scolded had Mylene been her partner? Zarinna shrugged the idea off her mind.

"Ah," She heard Gina sigh, "How are we ever going to find those flags if we move this slow?" Gina mused. Zarinna remembered the Principals instruction. She had thought that this activity would be a pure hike, and as though that wasn't hard enough, the headteachers had this brilliant idea of making it more 'fun' by adding challenges with it. Now they had to find some small flags hidden in the woods somewhere before they can get down the mountain. How were they even able to put those things in there? She wondered. They must have a lot of time in their hands.

How fun, indeed. Zarinna grimaced.

"Sorry for being a burden," She apologized.

"Oh don't worry, I understand, Rinna," Gina smiled, "Come on; let's continue to walk now. We must find at least two of those flags. I'm not about to wash giant pots, utensils, and such as a punishment for not finding a darn flag."

Zarinna couldn't suppress the laughter from her core. She didn't want that too. With that motivation, they both rose and trekked on. After a few minutes of walking, the two found themselves in the midst of all types of plants. From high trees to small bushes and even to the smallest grasses, all were there. Taking a turn to the left, Zarinna spotted a white fabric caught upon a tall shrub.

"Gina!" She exclaimed, "Look!" Gina inclined her vision to where Zarinna's finger pointed to.

"It's a flag!" Gina beamed, speeding up her pace as she approached the shrub and took the white fabric in her hands.

"Yes!" The two squealed in delight. With hope increasing that they wouldn't be the dishwashers for the whole faculty dinner tonight, the two walked on, chattering away as they advanced to another area.

"Rinna," Gina spoke up, "Do you see that tree over there?" She pointed to a large tree heavily covered in wild vines.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'll go to the right path and you go to the left. Let's just check if there are flags hidden in there too." Zarinna nodded as she listened to Gina's instruction. "Just twenty to thirty steps, perhaps? And if we don't find any, we'll get back here and take the other way. Who knows? We may find flags on each path. This will assure us of a choreless night." Gina rubbed her palms in excitement.

Zarinna liked the idea too. After walking this long, going to bed right after dinner seemed like the best thing she would experience this day.

"Alrighty," Zarinna narrowed her eyes to the path she was to take, "See you in a bit then."

With this, the two parted ways, Zarinna towards one and Gina towards the other. Zarinna released a breath as she excited to the tree's side, scattering her gaze in hopes to spot another fabric somewhere among the trees.

Ten steps... then twenty. Still no sign of a flag. Zarinna took another ten steps, but to her dismay, she saw no fabric anywhere. She released a sigh, disappointed that her efforts were unfruitful. Just as she was about to turn around, something of a white colouring caught her attention. She squinted through the fog, but her efforts failed.

"Why in the world didn't I bring my glasses?" She muttered, walking towards what she saw in haste. "Who brings glasses to a hike, anyway?" Zarinna bit her upper lip, "Great, now I'm talking to myself." She lifted her gaze as she drew nearer, and was overjoyed of what she saw. For over the large bushes before her was another flag fastened to a branch.

"Bingo," she whispered.

Taking another step, she eagerly reached for the white fabric, feeling it in her palms when suddenly; she felt the soil beneath her other foot crumble.

"Ah!" A scream escaped Zarinna's lungs, panic engulfing her being as she fell to the ground.

"Oh, goodness" She mumbled, pulling herself from the ground as she felt a sharp pain in the back of her knees. She sat up and slightly lifted her legs. Her jeans were torn from behind, revealing her now crimson-stained leg. She sucked in air through her teeth, lifting her gaze as she blew a long sigh.

"Help me, Lord..." She whispered. With this, she stood to her feet and began to walk, limping her way through the bushes with the white fabric in her hand. Feeling victorious and assured that she wasn't doing any dishes in the evening, Zarinna walked confidently back to the tree. She walked, and walked... and walked. Zarinna scattered her gaze.

"Shouldn't have I arrived in that tree already?" She felt apprehension build up in her core, and the more she walked, the more it intensified. "I took more than thirty steps already." She swallowed hard, "Where am I?" Her gaze probed the place, spinning around to survey her location. All she could see were trees - and it was making her so uncomfortable. She felt her heart pace faster, beads of sweat escaped her pores like prisoners on the run. Unwanted memories flashed in her mind like movie clips, she pushed them away.

No, not this time. She resisted.

She continued to advance, her surrounding now becoming more and more unfamiliar.

"Lord," She began to shake, "I need You..."

Her probing gaze came to a halt. A large boulder now occupied her vision. She felt her knees tremble. She shut her eyes forcibly, refusing to remember a horrid memory.

"No please!" I pleaded, pulling away from his grip. "Please, Uncle, let me go!" A tear escaped my eye. My body tensed as I felt his hand upon my hips.

"It will only take a minute, Zarinna," The man before me whispered, his breath blowing against my neck. Disgust overwhelmed my being. Was this the man my mother is supposed to marry?

"No, get away from me!" I screamed in terror, pushing him away as hard as I could whilst I ran away.

"Get back here, young lady, I'm not done with you yet!" I felt a forceful hand grip both my shoulders. Pulling me back to where he was.

"No!" I spat, "Let go of me, you pervert!" I kicked at him, shot punches, and wriggled myself from his hold. In an instant all my respect for the man dissolved; hatred and disgust taking its place. We all thought he was a good man, but he is the opposite. "My mother will never marry you when she finds out about this!" I turned around swiftly, but his hand again held me back, this time an arm around my waist.

"Well, let's give her something to find out then," I heard a sinister laugh from him. Panic and fear surged my heart as he pulled me. Where were we in the first place? I struggled to break loose from his grip, and as I was about to believe that he did, I felt cold rock come in contact with my back. I now lay on a big rock - with a man over '40s above me.

"Get your hands off me!" I screamed, pushing him away as he lowered his face. "Help!!!" I screamed, but only I heard the echoes of my voice. "Help!" His face was now upon my neck and disgust writhed through my skin like a storm. I stretched my hand towards my sides, searching for something - anything that can help me break free.

God! My mind screamed God help me!

I don't remember myself praying since I was young, but this time - this time He was all I could call on to, and I cried out with all my heart.

My heart seemed to lurch as my palm came in contact with what seemed to be a rock disintegrated from the boulder. I lifted it in haste, taking momentum as I gathered the strength in my arm. With all my might I swung it to the man's head, and with a loud thud, I found myself looking at the clear skies, a man bleeding beside me.

Gina glanced sideways for the nth time, worry creeping into her bones as each moment passed by.

"Where is she?" She questioned, biting her lower lip in apprehension. Unable to keep her position, she excited towards the left side of the tree, hoping to see Zarinna along the way. Regret gripped her immensely. "I shouldn't have let her be alone." She whispered. Gina knew how she was, how bad she was in the outdoors. What if she got lost? What if... oh God, no. She pushed the terrible idea off her mind. God's Spirit is within her, surely she won't be harmed. She consoled herself. Gina stopped as she took her 30th step. Still no sign of Zarinna.

"Zarinna?!" She called out. "Rinna, where are you? This is not funny!"

Silence.

Gina placed her palm on her chest, unsure of what she was to do. Her gaze probed the grounds, looking around for any sign of her friend. Reality struck her as she spotted what seemed to be a piece of cloth slightly buried in the side of the path. Lifting it to her face, she felt panic engulf her being. It was Zarinna's jeans, and it was streaked in blood. Almost immediately, she spun around and ran towards the clear path. She needed to tell somebody - anybody. If something happened to Zarinna because of her, she'd not be able to live with herself. Gina sped through the trees, desperate to find a sign of another human being.

"Help!" She called out, "Anyone!"
She came to a sudden halt as her gaze was occupied by two men coming towards her from the other direction.

"David! Sir Sepnayen," She addressed them, catching her breath as her arms leaned upon her knees for support.

"What's wrong Ma'am Gacusan?" The older man asked.

"Where is Zarinna, Gina?" David asked. Gina stood up straight, her gaze locked with David as she began to speak.

"I can't find her. We split up earlier and.. and-" Gina lifted the strip of cloth, "I saw this from the path. It's Rinna's jeans."

Without a word, David dashed off as he saw the fabric, sprinting away even as Gina spoke. Gina and Maurice exchanged glances, and in a split of a second followed behind him.