While the bus rumbled down the road, Thalia gazed out the window, watching the scenery pass by. She tried to distract herself by thinking about what had happened earlier with Ruth. When she glanced at her seatmate, Ruth was silent—her eyes distant, lost in thought.

Is this connected to what Sis said this morning? Thalia wondered.

It wasn’t just Ruth that weighed on her mind now—it was her older sister, Jenny. Thalia couldn’t shake the image of how anxious Jenny had been before she left. The strange warnings, the uneasy tone in her voice—they echoed in her memory. At the time, they hadn’t made sense. But now... they made her stomach twist.

Thalia didn’t believe in psychic powers. To her, those things belonged in stories and superstitions. People who claimed to see ghosts or predict the future were either exaggerating or imagining things. That’s how she’d always seen it.

But then... what did I see earlier?
Was Ruth really… floating? Or was it just my imagination?

A shiver crawled down her spine at the memory. Maybe I just didn’t get enough sleep last night. Maybe my brain’s playing tricks on me.

In Thalia’s world, ghosts, spirits, and elementals didn’t exist. People were the real monsters. Humans were the ones capable of real cruelty.

She sighed, leaning against the window. She didn’t like thinking about things she couldn’t explain with reason or logic.

Maybe I’m just tired. You should rest, Thalia, she told herself.

She closed her eyes, letting the chatter of her classmates fade into a blur—the sound of laughter, the hum of engines, the rhythm of the wheels against the pavement.

Then suddenly—everything went quiet. Unnaturally quiet.

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer on the bus.

She was standing in a dense forest, the air cold and still.

A dream. This must be a dream, she thought.

She began to walk down a long, narrow road that cut through the woods. The path looked oddly familiar, though she couldn’t remember from where.

Then, faintly, she heard crying.

Thalia followed the sound, her steps careful. Up ahead, she saw a woman kneeling on the ground, sobbing. Her face was hidden by her hair.

Before Thalia could get closer, a man in a hooded jacket appeared beside the woman. His face was obscured.

“Stop crying. They’ll find you if you make noise,” he whispered.

“My sister... please save my sister,” the woman begged, her voice trembling.

“I can only save one. But—”

The man stopped suddenly when he heard rustling nearby. He grabbed the woman’s wrist and pulled her into a large hole in the ground.

“Don’t make a sound,” he whispered urgently, covering her mouth. She nodded, eyes wide with fear.

Two more men appeared, dressed in black jackets like the first. They were armed and alert.

“Where did that woman go?” one of them snarled. “If I see her, I’ll blow her brains out.”

“Calm down,” the other muttered. “She won’t get far. The town’s too far from here. If she’s lucky, maybe she’ll make it out alive.”

“And where the hell is that man?!” the first one hissed.

The man in the hole turned to the woman. “Stay here. Save yourself,” he whispered before carefully climbing out.

Then the dream shifted.

Now, Thalia saw a different scene—a woman covered in blood, sitting in a dark, enclosed room. The only light came from a single bulb hanging overhead.

Thalia stepped closer. The woman was wearing the same school uniform as her own.

Then, in an instant, everything changed again.

Thalia was suddenly sitting in a chair, her hands tied tightly behind her back. Her body ached. Her mouth was gagged with a handkerchief, muffling her cries.

Footsteps echoed around her.

A man’s shadow loomed closer. He grabbed her hair violently.

“Where is your twin?” he shouted, his voice harsh and furious.

“Your sibling outside is gone, and the other one escaped! Tell me where they are!”

When she didn’t respond, he slapped her hard across the face. The sting burned deep. Tears spilled down her cheeks as her head snapped to the side.

“I’ll take you all down, one by one!” he roared. “I’ll destroy every obstacle to my plans. I’ll kill all of you!”

And then—Thalia woke up.

She gasped, sitting upright, her cheek stinging as if she’d truly been hit.

Her breathing was unsteady. She looked around in confusion and found Ruth staring at her with wide eyes.

“Looks like you had a nightmare,” Ruth said softly.

Thalia didn’t answer. She rubbed her forehead, trying to steady herself.

What... was that? she thought.

When she looked outside, her blood ran cold.

They were passing through a long stretch of concrete road surrounded by thick forest—the exact same road she’d seen in her dream.

Her pulse quickened.

She remembered the news report: two sisters found dead in the forest, tortured but not assaulted. Their killers hadn’t wanted to rob them. They had only wanted to kill.

Her body trembled.

Then, through the bus window, she saw them—two women standing by the roadside. Watching.

They were the women from her dream.

Thalia’s throat tightened. She could almost feel the whip’s sting against her skin, the gag in her mouth, the helplessness, the pain.

She wanted to go home. She didn’t want to be here anymore.

But it was too late. The bus stopped.

They had arrived.

The clearing was wide, surrounded by towering trees. Several tents were already set up, and other student sections were unloading their bags nearby.

Before anyone entered the camp area, the teachers gathered everyone together.

Tentmates would come from different sections to encourage new friendships. Fortunately, Thalia wasn’t separated from Ruth—she still had to keep an eye on her.

Thalia didn’t know why, but she trusted her sister’s instincts. Jenny wasn’t the type to say strange things without reason.

There was only one Ruth in the Pilot Section. Her tentmate came from another group, along with three other girls. During the day’s activities, the boys would join from separate tents, but teachers would monitor everything closely.

Strict rules were enforced. Violations meant punishment.

As everyone unpacked, an awkward silence filled the tent. A small wall clock hung near the entrance, ticking softly.

Finally, one of the girls broke the silence.

“Ericka Xyre Fuente, Section B. I’m with Della Jasmin Cuerdo,” she said.

“Kim Beverly Taño, Section C,” another girl followed.

“Gaia Christine Luisma, Section C,” said the next.

“Thalia Janeth Blanco,” Thalia said quietly.

“Ruth Dalia Dionson,” Ruth added. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,” the others echoed in unison.

After that, everyone went back to unpacking their things in silence, unaware that the forest outside was listening.