The air had a wet smell to it, mossy and serene. I heard the running stream, but could not see it. Velvet was careful, her eyes and ears open and sharp for any movement, that made me relax a bit.

We both took careful and slow steps. The sounds of the forest often hid the enemy's footsteps, and besides that, we had to exclude the noise we make ourselves. Velvet and I both heard a sound earlier, and since then, we were jolt awake for the moment being.

I tugged carefully on my black gloves, fitting perfectly around the curves between my fingers. Velvet also had gloves, glimmering in deep violet, and I noticed she had no weapons on her. Unlike me, wearing gloves for being fashionable (jokes, they were for my newly acquired blisters), it seemed that Velvet wore them for a different reason.

"Hey!"

We both spun around. Velvet raised her hands, aimed accurately at the disturbed. While, I had my hands on my hilt, prepared to sheath and attack.

"Whoa, it's just me!" Rain and her partner said, raising their hands in surrender.

Velvet and I gave each other a look before we nodded and relaxed. I removed one hand off the hilt, but my other lingered there; as though casually placed. Rain didn't notice that I was still skeptical about their sudden appearance, but her partner – red-hair and freckles dotting the bridge of her nose – had a sharper eye.

"Do you know where to go?" Rain tilted her head. How cheeky! They were testing us, only the traitor would get information ahead of the others.

I cursed internally at my hesitation and recovered with a confused furrow, "no, do you?"

Red-hair looked at me suspiciously, "unfortunately, no."

"Glenda, have you seen anyone else?"

Glenda finally pulled her glance away from me and shook her head at Rain. "Your brother said he will be walking further into the forest, perhaps we could go and meet up with them."

"Ew, no."

Were all siblings like this?

Velvet seemed to be holding back a chuckle while I stared calmly, waiting for them to dismiss themselves. Rain shrugged and walked away with small, quiet steps, "well, good luck finding anything!"

My eyes followed them until they were out of sight, and I released a sigh of relief. "We have to move quickly."

And by quickly, we both broke off into a steady jog. Velvet trailing after me like a shadow. When I felt far enough, I let out a breath and stopped. The trees had spread apart to form a beautiful nature aisle. In front, there was a small wooden pathway; a bridge arched over the narrow stream beneath. The trickling sound was peaceful to hikers but not to those who were trying to hear and sense nearby enemies.

"That's the furthest she told us to go," Velvet crossed over the bridge, gesturing. "It ends here."

I scanned the surroundings quickly, but all I could see was the lush green leaves and the sunlight that blessed us with a comforting warmth. I breathed in deeply. "We can't stay here long. We're too exposed."

"Right!" Velvet's purple eyes danced. "Hey, what's that?"

I looked up at where she pointed. I shielded my eyes from the sun and winced. "It's an arrow."

Velvet nodded. "Perhaps that could help us."

The symbol was so vaguely carved that it wouldn't be noticed if one wasn't observant. I grinned at Velvet proudly, "sharp-eyed, Vel."

"I'll gladly accept that compliment," she smirked, and there was something familiar about it that I couldn't place a finger on. Before I could stare longer, she was already moving in the direction of the arrow. I followed closely.

A dark-feathered bird flew above our heads, flapping its wings loudly. I could hear Vel and my own breath as I leaped over a trunk. The lush green trees had faded to a vibrant orange, bleeding into red.

"It's beautiful here," I breathed, and Vel simply gazed in wonder.

"I know. Amazing."

There were people who ignored the simplest beauty around them, while there were people who would pause and actually take in nature as it is. If anyone desired the ability to stop time, it was now.

Vel and I seemed to silently read each other's mind. Our feet were already shuffling and we were already moving away from the view before us. But as my glance flicked past the trees, I noticed something. There were only a few trees that had red leaves, and the majority were orange.

I glanced back at the aisle, stopping Vel. "Hey, Vel... let's try this way."

"Uh, sure, why?"

"There are red leaves here, but none of them in the direction we were running to," I pointed. "The arrow can only point us as far until we would have to turn in a new direction. So... this must be a new clue."

"How clever," Vel gasped. "You're absolutely right."

The shade embraced us as we were engulfed in the hues of berry and red. Except, I saw a shadow flit past.

"Vel," I hissed and inclined my head to the side. Vel noticed it too and sneaked towards the direction I gestured. I kneeled, peering behind the bushes for any movements. Vel gestured and slinked from the shadows.

I waited for any sound in the earpiece, just in case Vel needed me. There were a few reports from the other teams but they were useless for us. Greg had made a great point and everyone listened to him, though no one revealed anything. People were beating around the bush, hoping the clue would pop out themselves. Sure, that did make the traitors harder to locate the others, but it didn't make the non-traitors life any easier.

When I saw that there was no movement, I crept into the open, sticking to the shadows. Instantly, I felt insecure about my surroundings. My back felt empty and the lack of noise was making me uneasy. I hid behind a smaller tree, eyeing the massive tree that grew and spread its branches in an arch. I narrowed my eyes. A figure ran from the shadows. They leaped onto the trunk, climbing up with alarming speed before they disappeared into the dense leaves.

I raised my arm and hissed into my wristband.

"Vel?"

"Yes?"

"I see someone. They're in the trees."

"What should we do?"

I hesitated. Telling Vel to go into the open would be too risky. If we were to take a risk, it would have to be me, not Vel.

"Stay put."

There was a pause before I heard her voice again.

"Copy that."

There was no way I could make it to the single tree in the middle of the plateau without being seen, so all I could do was take the risk. I ventured out of my hiding, kneeling, and staying low. I quickly studied my surroundings and sprinted.

Please don't get caught! It was way too fun to get caught now.

The soft and warm sunlight shining on my back was my queue — I jumped. I reached out and swung a branch, flipping to a kneel on a higher branch. I felt a non-existent wind blow my upwards, and I twisted and turned to avoid hitting anything on my way up.

I landed at a desirable height and tensed when I heard a shuffle behind me.

"Cassandra?" Vel's voice rang in my ears at the wrong time. I didn't reply, all I saw were leaves scattering from above me. I didn't look up; I didn't want any dirt or leaves to disturb my vision. So, I waited for a beat and leaped forwards. I caught a branch and swung back up, the flip easy and smooth for someone like me.

I threw my glance over my shoulder. The face was unfamiliar, and he stared at me with a spark of intrigue. I slowly stood up to face him. I had seen him around, merely brushing past one another, his features were strikingly cute. He had a young face, and as I stared, his brown eyes softened. The challenging gaze didn't last long on his part.

He rubbed his neck and cleared his throat, "so, may I have this dance?"

My eyebrows shot sky-high, but a devil of a grin replaced my straight face.

"Sorry, good sir, but I am already engaged."

His tense expression immediately turned into a grin. Our secret codes had matched perfectly.

He was the person I was supposed to meet.

The other traitor team.

Did I mention that Velvet and I were traitors?

"I'm Spark."

"Cassandra."

"I would shake your hand right now, but..." he glanced down at the height and then at the distance between us.

I chuckled, "imaginary handshake it is!"

I shook his invisible hand and he barked a bright and hearty laugh and did the same.

"Where's your partner in crime?" I said mischievously.

He slanted a smirk and raised his wrist. "Kerry, do you copy?"

In the distance, there were sounds of struggles. Spark and I both snapped my head towards the ground.

"Vel!" I floated from the tree and landed with a firm thump.

Vel was quick with her attacks. She leaped, jumped, slid across the floor with her gloves sparking into something incredible. It was as if a paintbrush with all the colours of the world was in her hands — gloves, perhaps.

A beautiful lilac smoke ignited in her palms. Her arms were outstretched and they moved towards her opponent.

"Kerry!"

So that was Kerry.

Kerry snapped his head to look at his partner. He was distracted, but Vel definitely wasn't. She was unstoppable.

I opened my mouth, but it was too late.

Vel's fist had collided with Kerry's cheek. The lilac smoke burst into a blue mist and the beauty of her powers blossomed like fireworks.

Kerry stumbled to the floor with a groan.

"Vel, stop!"

Vel was about to throw another punch but froze at my words. She inspected her victory and "Whoops" was all she could muster.

Spark burst out laughing while all I could do was look at poor Kerry with a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, Kerry," I raised both hands. "Didn't know you were one of us."

Vel and Kerry were confused with what was going on, but Spark had kindly explained and we did our secret code again in front of them. And that was how everything ended between our little traitor groups.

Kerry is a quiet one. When he walked behind Spark, he held his jaw and massaged away his pain. The blue powder was still present on his bruise and I noticed that Vel occasionally eyed it with an interesting look.

Spark continued the conversation, "we found out that the others took the 'long way'. They didn't have a choice, but they have more people and they'll find this place eventually."

"So what did you say you saw on the tree?" I asked, not wasting any time.

"It was carved with the word 'start'."

"Maybe..." I said absentmindedly, "maybe it means we should go back to..."

Spark gave me a knowing look. "We can try and go back to where we started the game. You know," he gave Vel and Kerry brief glances, "where we discussed tactics."

"If we're wrong..." Vel shook her head.

I laughed, "I know, but for the good fun."

Spark's smile faltered, "but we have a tiny problem. They're probably making their way here. We have to make it back without meeting them."

"You said they took the 'long way', you must know where they're coming from, right?"

Spark nodded. "Not very clear on their whereabouts, but I have some idea."

"I can do a distraction." Kerry volunteered. That was the first time he spoke in front of me.

Spark rubbed his head. "Hm... they won't be coming in from the red trees."

I grinned, "then that should be easy!"

"Not so fast, missy!"

My breath hitched in my throat and I sensed Vel jump beside me.

Greg clapped, striding into our view. "Well, well, well... what do we have here?"

I spared a glance at Spark but he only gulped.

"You're so dramatic, Greg," his partner said, rolling his eyes but grinning. "But yeah, all the traitors are here, I'm pretty sure."

I did a quick count. Greg's team was here, there were another two teams with him. I didn't see the others, specifically, I didn't see Rain.

I resisted my urge to grin. Perhaps I could use Rain's distrust on her brother to the advantage. While I was thinking, Kerry unsheathed his double sword from his back; Vel raised both arms, gloves flickering with magic; Spark flicked out his bow, arrow already nocked and aimed.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there fellas!" Greg raised his hands, "all you have to do is surrender and tell us what you know!"

I steadied my breathing, my grip around my hilt.

"What do we do?" Spark whispered.

"Deny everything," I whispered back.

"Traitors-"

"It's Spark!" Spark announced, "and we're not traitors!"

Oh, innocent Spark. It made everything he said so much cuter. When Greg's attention turned to him, I raised my wristband.

"RAIN! HELP!!!"

Spark was so startled that his face was priceless, even Kerry look bewildered at my scream.

"What! What is it?" It was Rain's panicked voice.

"HIM! IT'S HIM!" I shouted, and I waved my hand, gesturing for Spark, Kerry, and Vel to run.

They didn't disappoint me.

They scurried like rabbits against a cougar.

"Who?!" Rain sounded desperate.

I was panting hard when I heard Greg yell behind me.

"GEORGE?! GREG?!" I shouted into my wristband.

"Greg? My brother?"

I sprinted through the trees, slipping though the environment agilely.

"YES, IT'S HIM!!! GREG!!!"

I heard Rain pat something hard before she said, "I'm coming! Where is he?"

"She's lying, Rain!" Greg's voice.

"He... found... place... before us!" I panted.

"On my wa-"

I hung up the call before she could finish the sentence. Such cliffhanger... It'll make the situation sound even more desperate, am I right?

I spared a glance over my shoulder and noticed that no one was chasing me. I let out a breath, slowing down to a walk. I could hear Vel's voice in my ears. "Cassandra, I'm being chased, go... run to her!"

I knew what she meant. I managed to weave back to the red leaves without meeting anyone. I ducked down to avoid a branch, and my happiness didn't last long. Someone leaped on my back and tackled me to the floor. I let out a short cry of surprise before it was cut off.

Greg flipped me around so I landed on my back. He held me down by the shoulders and covered his palm over my mouth.

"Got you!" He grinned and gestured for his partner. "Eric, quick contact Rain!"

His partner appeared behind him. "They don't believe us."

"What!" Greg exclaimed, his grip still tight. I secretly slipped my hands to a pile of leaves. I slowly clenched my fist close, grabbing a handful.

"Dear sister, are you stupid, or are you stupid..." Greg muttered.

Eric was checking their surroundings and I saw my chance. I threw the leaves at Greg's face and watched him stumble back.

Gotcha!

I booted him in the stomach and fled. We only needed one person to make it back to the starting point and we'll win.

I sprinted like a cheetah in for its prey, but as we all know, they are bad at endurance. I slowed to a stop, panting by a trunk. I was met with something I didn't want to encounter.

A Zenx.

The Zenx was the youngest I've seen so far, I wonder where the pack was. I had to take care of it quickly before it attracted the others.

"I guess this means-"

"CASSANDRA!"

I snapped my head towards the sound and before I knew it, Spark flew down from the air and crashed into me.

Yeah, ouch.

And, to my luck, baby Zenx was an opportunist. It flapped its tail and swung down its claw. Spark pushed me away, the claw missing his figure by inches.

I took a big slice at his arm, it yowled in pain and fell back.

"Yo, Spark! You alright?"

"Alive and well, thanks!" Spark flipped out his bow and nocked an arrow, white light brushing across its metallic shine. He aimed with a spark eye at its neck. Before I knew it, he let the string go. The string sent the arrow flying, stubbing in the centre of the Zenx's neck.

The Zenx fell back.

"Next time, aim for the back of the neck," I reminded and dragged him into a run.

Spark and I leaped down a soil drop and almost fell over it, thankfully Spark caught me with a swipe of his arm and I was back on my feet again.

I spared a glance over my shoulder, the baby Zenx limped at us. "Why are we running? We should just get rid of it first."

"It's a Zenx, Cassandra! You can't just-"

I turned on my heels and ran for a tree. I zoomed up, kicking off in a flip. The Zenx raised its arm and I grabbed its hair and turned to the angle I wanted. Reflecta was raised above my head and as I landed behind its head, I pierced the sword through its fatal spot.

The Zenx fell forwards, its landing carried dust and wind. I saw Spark staring at me with his mouth ajar.

"I know," I couldn't help but bark a laugh, sheathing my weapon. "Come on!"

Spark and I almost made it there, and by almost, I really meant almost. Except, Rain zoomed out from hiding and blocked our way.

"You liar!" Rain pointed. Glenda didn't even bother with words, she pulled out a grenade and threw it at me.

I widened my eyes and I dodged to the side. The explosion current wasn't big, but I still flew out a metre.

I rolled and spun, drawing out Reflecta once again. The blizzard brought a gust of wind, stirring the leaves on the ground. Rain blocked her eyes, unable to see. Another group arrived at the crime scene, except the blizzard hit them in the centre and they flew back into the bush.

Tough luck, peeps.

Spark leaped and flipped in the air. Two grenades flit past his shoulder and waist, his bowstring was drawn back to his cheek and he released them before landing.

"How impressive!"

He laughed, "you go! I'll cover!"

I nodded and made a dash for the centre of the battlefield.

"No! Not there!" He cried.

Everyone was taken by surprise but they reacted quickly. I felt the grenade explode behind me, but I used the air current to push me forward. I lifted both of my legs, one aimed for Rain's face.

Rain tilted her head to the side, dodging me. She turned and a swosh of rain hit me flat on the back.

"DIE!!!" Rain thundered.

Note to self, never get on Rain's bad side.

I went low, throwing up my leg, kicking Rain by the cheeks. Glenda threw her punch at me, but I grabbed her wrist and directed it to the ground. The next I got was a knee in the stomach.

I stumbled back, catching Rain by the corner of my eyes. Except an arrow pierced her by the shoulder and brought her stumbling. I shoved Rain with my shoulder, kicked off Glenda with a boot in her thighs and I was off!

I saw Professor Gill in sight, drinking a cup of tea, the willow tree creating a perfect shade for her as she read.

"Professor!" I cried, sprinting. I heard Rain shouting behind me.

Professor's eyes shifted to mine and she watched the scene unfold calmly. When I made it to her, she smiled and raised her teacup, "tea?"

"No!" I panted, grinning. "You're the treasure, Professor."

"What a lovely compliment," she chuckled lightly. "Well done, Cassandra. Well done everyone!"

I turned to look at Spark, he was grinning widely. Slowly, he raised his hand with a thumbs up.





***



A/N

Everyone: *panicked noises* *battle cries* *grenades exploding* *violence among students*

Professor Gill: *sips tea*

L