Zenon's Game Chapter 26

He was on his tip toes, his arm stretched up to reach her shoulder. She turned around and  looked down at the boy holding out a pink rose for her. He said something, and she giggled. Damn Zenon's advice. It was working. She took the rose out of his hands and smelled it. Then she accepted his hand to dance.

Oh My God.

This is system failure.

So many conflicting emotions.

Suddenly, Tony grabbed my hand and pointed to the door.  "Alicia's left!"

Damn it. I tore my eyes away from Malik and the she-devil and towards the door of the dance hall.  "I told her not to!" 

So much was going on.  Where was Zenon?

We were supposed to be a team.

"OK.  Stay here, Tony.  Promise me that none of our Apple Campers leave the hall, ok?  You monitor them.  Promise me?"

"Can I tell them you made me Captain?"

"Sure."

He puffed out his chest proudly and went to tell everyone.  I took a deep breath and stared at the rain outside.  So much for wearing a nice dress today.  I threw the doors open and ran out into the night.

I was immediately soaked. I ran up the wooden pathway, leaving behind the hall and all the other counselors.  I ran towards the lake by our cabin, where I last saw Dupree fishing.

Why would someone want to fish in these conditions?

Through the darkness and dreary rain, I saw a girl with an orange umbrella walking up the same path ahead of me.

"Tamara?" I asked, breathing heavily after running for so long.

5 minutes is a long time for me.

She spun round and her umbrella twirled with her.  Mascara was running down her cheeks.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You happened!" she blasted me, not hiding her tears from me anymore, "I really liked him.  I tried to play like I didn't care but I do.  And now, because of you, I've lost him."

Oh.  This again.

"You keep blaming me but I don't know what for."

"He defended you," she snapped, "He said I was cruel because of what I did to you!"

"Aside from being really mean to me every day, is there something specific that you did?" I asked her, trying to sound casual about her daily bullying.

"It's your fault.  You were so pathetic on the camping trip that we were just having a little fun." 

"The photo?" I guessed, "Must have been a really bad one, huh?" 

"I know you're enjoying this so much but just know that, even without me, Zenon Albert would never fall for an ugly girl like you."

I nodded and tried to get around her.  My priority was Dupree right now.  But she stuck her umbrella out and it hit me.

"Girl, cool down," I told her, wheezing in pain, "It sounds like you showed your true colors and Zenon wasn't a fan."

Harsh, I know.  But the truth hurts.  

And so does my shoulder.

She lowered her weapon - sorry, umbrella. "No, you've poisoned him with your sob stories.  You made it seem like we were all bullying you and that you're a helpless innocent victim in all of this.  You know that alpha males like to protect betas.  Zenon fell for it and, for whatever reason, thinks he needs to be your protector."

I was starting to feel worse by the minute.  Axel was right.  I should have listened to the whole story before I lashed out at Zenon.  I thought he used Tamara and dumped her.  Now I had no idea whether he liked her or not - he ended his relationship because of me.  For me.

"HELP!"

I looked past Tamara at the lake behind her.  I could see a little rowing boat out in the middle of the lake and the silhouettes of two children.  

A shrill, high-pitched scream filled the air and I saw one of them drop overboard.

Splash.

"ALICIA!" I screamed, running forwards with all my might. 

The rain beat down in torrents over Camp Beaver Hill. A full moon cast an ethereal glow over the lake, where a rowing boat was stranded in the middle. The piercing screams of a little girl haunted the night. The wind carried her cries for help as she fell overboard.  

Fear was the chill that ran through my spine.  She could drown.

Suddenly, the cabin door opened, and Zenon walked out. His blue eyes scanned the horizon, looking out at the rowing boat on the lake. He glanced over at me just as I was running up to him.

"It's Alicia and Dupree," I identified them. My voice cracked, from fear of what would happen to our campers.

Dupree screamed for help. The rain cascaded from the sky, in a heavy downpour around us.  They were stranded: two small kids.  Helpless.

Zenon didn't hesitate. He sprinted towards them. He ran faster than I could ever dream to.

I heard Tamara catch up behind me, calling out his name.

I wasn't going to let him do this alone. There were two kids out there and they were half my responsibility. I pulled the straps off my heels and flung them aside. I raced down towards the lake.

The wind and rain beat against me, lashing against my face. I stared at the cold, dark lake ahead of me. Alicia and Dupree were somewhere out there.

I watched Zenon far ahead of me. He was already close to the docks.

I was relieved he was here to help. He didn't slow down as he pulled his shirt off, throwing it aside, before diving in a perfect form into the dark lake. His stamina didn't fail him.

I heard the splash before I saw it.

"ZENON!" I yelled out in instinct.