“What happened to your sister earlier?” Ruth asked as she sat beside Thalia, who was fixing her bag.

Thalia just shook her head. She wasn’t sure what had caused Jenny’s strange behavior that morning.

“I’m suddenly worried about Big Sis Jen,” she admitted quietly.

Ruth furrowed her brow. “Your sister was acting really weird earlier,” she said, recalling how Jenny had behaved before they left.

Thalia nodded. She had noticed it too—the way Jenny kept glancing at her phone with a frown, then sitting beside her in silence, as if deep in thought.

“Oh? What’s with your face?” Ruth asked, noticing Thalia’s serious expression.

“I’ll be your chaperone from now until the end of camp,” Thalia replied flatly.

Ruth blinked. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Thalia answered simply.

Before Ruth could question further, their teacher entered the bus.

“Please settle down, everyone. We’ll be leaving shortly. If anyone needs to use the restroom, go now so we can have a smooth trip,” their adviser announced as he checked on the students.

Everyone nodded in acknowledgment.

“You? Need to go?” Thalia asked.

“I guess I should, or I might end up needing to pee on the road,” Ruth said with a laugh.

Without another word, Thalia accompanied her.

“Sir, we just need to use the restroom,” Ruth said, asking for permission.

The teacher nodded, and the two girls quickly stepped off the bus. The restroom was on the first floor, conveniently near the parking area.

“Thalia, your sister was seriously acting strange today,” Ruth said as she washed her hands before heading back to the bus.

Thalia didn’t respond. She wasn’t the type to talk much. She just stood quietly by the door, waiting.

“Let’s go,” Ruth said. But Thalia didn’t move—she just kept staring blankly at the open field beyond the lot.

“Hey, if we miss the bus, I’m blaming you!” Ruth joked, trying to get her attention.

Still, Thalia didn’t reply.

Ruth frowned, irritation rising. But then she noticed something strange—Thalia’s gaze wasn’t just distant. It was fixed, as if she were seeing something no one else could.

A chill ran down Ruth’s spine. Her stomach knotted.

And then—she saw it.

A bloodied woman in a school uniform stood in the field, grinning at her with wide, unblinking eyes.

Ruth froze. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t even scream.

The woman’s hair was a tangled mess. Her clothes were filthy and torn. Her bare feet were scraped and bruised. A gaping gunshot wound marked her side, and her legs were covered in fresh welts.

Ruth’s breath caught in her throat. Her heart hammered violently as fear, confusion, and disbelief collided inside her.

Then—she heard a whisper, right next to her ear.

“We’re going to meet soon, little sister.”

The bloodied woman leaned close, her fingers brushing Ruth’s cheek in a slow, almost gentle caress. Her smile was haunting—tender, but terrifying.

Ruth squeezed her eyes shut. No… please… don’t let me see that face again…

Sister? Ruth repeated the word in her mind, trembling. I don’t have a sister!

“R—Ruth! Ruth! Hey!” voices shouted around her.

“Ruth Dalia!” someone called her full name. She felt her shoulders being shaken hard.

She opened her eyes—and saw Thalia’s worried face.

The woman in blood was gone.

Ruth’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. How had she even been standing?

“Ms. Dionson?” their teacher’s voice reached her, calm but concerned. “If you’re not feeling well, you can skip the trip.”

Ruth blinked, confused. “W-What? Why, sir?”

Thalia looked at her intently. “You really don’t remember? You should rest, Ruth.”

Her mind was spinning. “W-What happened?”

“Idiot!” Thalia snapped. “Don’t play dumb with me. You gave me goosebumps!”

Their adviser sighed. “If you’re feeling okay, we’ll go ahead. But if not, I can call your parents.”

“I’m fine! Really,” Ruth insisted quickly.

Thalia looked at her—part anger, part worry. Ruth couldn’t understand her friend’s reaction, but she could feel something was wrong.

They spotted the bus and hurried back to it.

“Finally! After waiting an hour, we can leave,” one classmate grumbled.

One hour? Ruth thought, stunned.

Their adviser sat near the driver. The other sections’ buses were still parked, waiting for the convoy to move.

As the bus started its engine, Ruth couldn’t stop replaying what had happened. She leaned closer to Thalia and whispered, “W-What happened? I can’t remember anything…”

“You don’t remember getting off the bus without permission?” Thalia asked, staring at her.

“What are you talking about? I did ask permission earlier,” Ruth said, confused.

Thalia scoffed softly. “You’re joking, right? After I told you to sit down, you suddenly walked out of the bus without saying a word. I followed you, but you just stood there—smiling. Like a lunatic. When I tried to talk to you, you didn’t answer. Then when Sir came, you looked angry, completely silent, and then… you fainted.”

“Good thing I caught you before you hit the ground,” Thalia added, her voice tight.

Ruth felt cold all over. A shiver ran down her spine.

Someone from behind tapped her shoulder, startling her. Thalia turned away, not saying another word.

Ruth leaned back in her seat, mind spinning.

I need to go to this camp, she thought. The answer is there.

Her instincts told her that what happened wasn’t random. It was connected—to something waiting at that place.

So many questions swirled in her head. And one echoed louder than the rest.

Why did she call me “little sister”?

She was an only child. The Dionsons had never had another daughter.

Her head throbbed as exhaustion set in. Just rest, she told herself. Forget about it.

But Jenny’s words echoed in her memory—
Take care, Ruth.

Ruth turned to look at Thalia, who sat quietly a few rows ahead, staring out the window.

And in that silence between them, a shadow seemed to follow the bus.