Brushing the dust off my legs, I slap the biting mosquito quickly. In front of me is the entrance to the forest, close to the cabins. I notice that Phoenix and Sky are nowhere to be found. Joyce enters the area to my surprise after I and the other kids waited for a few minutes. Is she also the leader of this game?

"Welcome everyone. Good morning." 

The crowd, including me returns the gesture.

"I hope you all slept and ate well. Today, we will begin a new game, 'Predator and Prey.' Allow me to explain the rules. You will be split into 3 teams. herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Behind me are 3 bowls of paint, and you will dot your leg or arm with the colour based on your role. Green would mean you are a herbivore, Red would mean that you are a carnivore, and blue means you are an omnivore. Just like a normal game of tag, you need to catch each other, but according to how real predators would catch their prey. Whichever team tags the most, is declared the winner, and will win a prize."

Joyce walks beneath us, assigning the colours as she does a head count. Trailing towards the wooden seat where the paint bowls lay, I dip my finger into the blue paint, brushing it onto my exposed thigh. We all stand by the starting line marked in the forest, waiting for Joyce to give us the signal. 

"On your marks... get set... Herbivores, run!"

They sprint to the field swiftly, zooming through areas I can't see anymore. She then calls the carnivores as they do the same. Then comes my turn. I dash in on the signal, sprinting as fast as I can through the tall trees and skinny branches bending through the paths of the forest. They slap my shins, but I ignore it. Less than a minute in, I start to breathe more heavily. My legs have been going too fast. If I stop now, then I'll get caught. I keep on running, then someone with a red mark on their cheek reaches their arm toward my shoulder. I run faster, as fast as my skinny legs can carry me, while small drops of sweat pour from my forehead.

They missed. 

As I continue to sprint, I notice more and more people getting caught. Some people are running incredibly fast. I try to dodge the arms reaching out to me as best as I can. It's not easy. I pant heavily, and my eyes dart sideways. 

A tree, thicker than the other ones, stands on the side of the forest. Slouching, I jog towards it, holding onto it from behind to catch my breath. Peeking beside it, It looks as if the game is slowly being taken too seriously. More and more kids are starting to get physical with each other, though It's mainly coming from the carnivores. Was this supposed to be how the game is played? Or are these people just too competitive? As my breath slows down, I hear a twig snap from beside me. Turning my head, My eyes widen.

Gemma. 

I notice a blue mark of paint on her neck, as she stares at me, drenched in sweat. She smiles, but not in an assuring or beautiful way. This must be the way she plays, or at least I hope so. She creeps closer to me. I zip as fast as I can to the other side. Turning my head, I see she's incredibly fast. I wonder how she would deal with Sky if she were here. I keep on sprinting, looking back every few seconds. 

Through sweats and pants, it feels as if she was chasing me for a few minutes. Weirdly, she won't keep her eyes off of me. Even when I turn, she still follows me out of all the kids. It's tiring me out more and more. Is her goal to tire me until I can't move anymore so then she can catch me? I need to keep on going, but it's easier said than done. If I stop now, I might have do deal with her the same way Sky had to. 

I stumble over, a branch popping out in the path. My body slides through the dirt as I grimace in pain from the scratch on my leg. Gemma reaches out to catch me, but I push myself up again sloppily. She lets out a groan. I want to tell her to stop running after me, but that's just another way of saying "Stop playing the game." I keep on trying to dodge her arm extensions, but her possible plan of tiring me out is working. 

Gemma, why do I matter so much?