While they ran, Kai led Asher and Rowan past some trees, heading toward the backside of a cabin. They all knelt down, trying to hide behind the bushes. Three heavy footsteps thudded past them. They listened for a moment, but heard no other sounds except for the leaves blowing in the wind and the occasional chirp of a bird.
    “Phew! I think we’re safe now,” Kai said, wiping his hand across his forehead.
    They all looked between each other before laughing, Rowan smiling with a bounce of his shoulders, his silent laugh shaking through him.
    “Um… okay… how did you do that? Roy’s like… twice your weight!” Asher raised his eyebrows.
    “Yeah, how did you learn to flip people like that?” Kai excitedly punched Rowan in the arm.
    Rowan rubbed his arm with a sheepish grin and shrugged.
    “Did someone teach you how to do that? Can you teach me?” Kai clasped his hands together.
    Rowan pulled his phone out of his pocket and wrote:

    I don’t remember how I learned, but I think someone taught me a long time ago. Teach you? I can try!

    “Teach me now!” Kai jumped up.
    Rowan quickly moved to stand in front of Kai, grabbed his wrist, and flipped him through the air. Kai gasped as he flew and let out a puff of air when he landed in the grass.
    “Did it hurt?” Asher leaned over Kai, a concerned expression on his face.
    “Nope!” Kai squeaked between groans. He turned his head toward the cabin and suddenly frowned, squinting.
The other two looked in the same direction.
    “Do you see something?” Asher scratched his forehead.
    “Something is sticking out from under the cabin. I was just wondering what it was.” Kai leaned closer.
    Rowan reached forward and grabbed it. It was a piece of paper. Opening the folded paper, he noticed it smelled old, with a faint stench of animal dung.
    “Ew, it looks and smells nasty,” Kai said, wrinkling his nose.
    “It must’ve been here for a while. It looks pretty beat up.” Asher swiped a finger across the paper. “Is that a map?”
    Rowan traced his finger around a small circle on the paper before handing it to Asher with a nod.
    “It looks like it leads to a treasure or something. There’s that big circle drawn here.” Asher pointed to the middle of the map. “And it looks like the trail starts over here.” He moved his finger to the corner of the map, showing a roughly drawn person.
    Suddenly, a horn blew, and a voice rang through the speakers on top of every cabin.
    “Let’s go! The teachers need us to group up for a photo.” Asher stood.

    Later that night, Asher, Kai, and Rowan sat in a circle on one of the top bunks.
    “Where do you think this leads?” Kai asked through a mouthful of chips, eyeing the map sitting in front of them.
Rowan shrugged.
    “Maybe it was just an old map for a trail or something?” Asher scratched the back of his ear.
    “We should follow it!” Kai leaned forward, smiling widely. “We can-”
    “No!” Asher interrupted, putting his palm out toward Kai. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s almost past curfew.”
    “Oh, come on. Don’t be a wuss!” Kai shook his head, bits of chips flying out of his mouth.
    “I’m not a wuss. I’m just following the rules.” Asher crossed his arms.
    “You’re a wuss.”
    “No, I’m not!”
    “Wuss!”
    “Stop it! Let’s ask Rowan, shall we?” Asher looked over at Rowan with a calm expression, but he fiddled with the buttons on his shirt.
    Kai shot his head toward Rowan, his eyes wide and expectant, tapping his knee impatiently.
    Rowan turned red and looked around the room before he shrugged with a sheepish smile.
    “All in favor of following the map tonight, raise ye hand!” Kai raised his palm.
    Rowan slowly lifted his hand, too.
    “Okay. Now, all in favor of not going, raise your hand,” Asher said, lifting his own hand in the air.
    Rowan hesitated, then slowly raised his hand again.
    “Hey!” Kai groaned, flopping dramatically onto the bed. “You can’t vote twice! You’re supposed to be on my side.” He pouted.
    “See! He knows I’m right.” Asher nodded.
    “Psh, whatever.” Kai looked away, furrowing his brows.
    “Whatever.” Asher leaned back against the wall, biting his lip.
    Rowan looked between the two of them, unsure what to do. He pulled out his phone and typed:

How about we do rock, paper, scissors? The winner gets to decide what we do.

    “Look, if we get caught, that’s detention. And if Mr. Levi sees us- forget it, he’s our teacher next year. You really want him hating us before the first day?” Asher wrung his hands together.
    “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen!” Kai shot his hand up into the air. “I promise!”
    “Fine. Let’s do rock, paper, scissors,” Asher sighed.
    “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” they chanted together.
    In the end, Kai won, so they gathered some supplies into their backpacks and headed out when everyone was asleep.
    They stayed close to the wall of the cabin as they snuck around the corner, avoiding the patrolling ranger who was walking back and forth with a flashlight.
    “I don’t like this!” Asher whispered.
    Kai shushed him quickly while Rowan urgently shook his head.
    Kai ran forward to the next cabin with Asher in tow. The ranger’s beam swept dangerously close across the wall. Rowan held his breath, pressing himself against the wood. Then, with one last glance back, he darted through the dark after his friends.