The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"Numbers are...fucking off." Rafe growls. "And not a single person from Wright and Blythe's team has made an appearance, except those few across the river that the other team took out." "What are you thinking?" Jacks murmurs.

"I think they're trying to lure us forward," Rafe sighs. "And that if we don't do it, we're going to be out here for hours. They're waiting for night - when Ari's sight and accuracy are going to be way down."

"Wait, seriously?" I ask, going a bit stiff. "We stay out here all night if someone doesn't win?"

"We stay out here until it's done," Jackson informs me, cold.

"Shit," I whisper. But then movement catches my eye, down by the river, and I curse again, going stiff. "Shit, shit!"

"What?" Rafe asks, his voice tense. "Report, Cadet."

"It's fucking Luca," I breathe, refocusing the binoculars and watching as my mate comes to the edge of the river and then - nimble as a leaf on the wind - begins to dodge across it, his feet barely touching rocks and logs before he leaps, about halfway across, into the river itself and begins to wade the rest of the way across.

"Can you get him!?" Rafe barks out.

"I can't shoot Luca!"

"It's a fucking game!"

I snarl but grab my gun, whipping it around so that I peer through the sight, taking aim as fast as I can - but by the time I focus on the area of river that he crossed, all I see is his boot disappearing back between the trees - on our side.

"He crossed the river and I lost him in the trees. But he's on our

him down. Can you give us a more

trees. Rafe switches back to the main channel and more voices come on as the boys

turning, noting the little rock that's rolling across the ground

moment, trying to figure out how it got

then I shift my eyes slowly...upwards. To where shadows move

shit," I whisper into my headpiece, using my feet to push myself back into the bushes, grabbing my gun and my binoculars and my map as I go.

who it

shadows growing larger, closer. "But they must have spent the day going the long way around - crossing the river

Ariel,"

make to move but my head snaps to the right when suddenly a bright flare of green lights up across the river and to the south, puffing

here!"

Rafe murmurs, sounding confused. "He must be in Wright's camp - but that signal

heart begins to pound as I look again towards the growing shadows coming down the ravine

barks into the headset.

I whisper, knowing that they're close enough now that if run they hit me easily - and then... don't know what. If it's Wright,

desperate. Then a savage snarl rips down the

not twenty feet from me, making my head snap to the left towards the voice. "He's our first priority - take him out first and we'll take the base

hand shakes a little as