Three Days Too Long
One of the figures standing behind the feline shifter suddenly stepped forward and turned to him with a low growl.
“What did we say about not putting fear into the kids?” he said, voice deep and exasperated, before stepping fully into view with an eye roll.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, with short-cropped dark hair and a no-nonsense military bearing. A faint scar ran through his left eyebrow. He looked like someone who had spent years keeping chaos under control.
“I’m Captain Elias Crowe,” he introduced himself, voice carrying easily across the clearing. “Head of security and operations for Blackthorn Ridge. I’ll be overseeing your stay here.”
He gestured toward the feline shifter, who was still smiling with far too many teeth.
“And don’t mind Mr. Halloway. He has a… dramatic sense of humor.”
Mr. Halloway (the cat-eared shifter) gave a lazy salute, tail flicking playfully.
Captain Crowe continued, “How was the ride? Any issues?”
A few students murmured. Someone whispered, “The ride was fine… until I saw this place.”
Crowe didn’t comment on that. Instead, he clapped his hands once.
“Everyone, follow us. We’ll give you a quick tour of the campsite so you know the layout.”
He led the way, the feline shifter and the silent third figure falling in beside him.
The clearing was vast, with wide spacing between clusters of tents to give some privacy.
Tall ancient trees formed a natural wall around the perimeter, their branches creating a canopy that dappled sunlight across the ground.
Fire pits, supply stations, and marked trails disappeared into the woods in every direction.
“You’ll each go around and check the flaps on the tents. Your names will be listed on the ones assigned to you, along with your tentmates. Find your spot, drop your things, and settle in.”
One student raised a hand. “How many per tent?”
“It depends on the tent size,” Crowe replied. “It can range from two up to five, but right now the limit is four per tent.”
Students nodded and began moving.
Crowe raised his voice again.
“A few important things you need to know about Blackthorn Ridge: This is a controlled environment to let your animalistic sides breathe. There are no toilets or bathrooms.”
A ripple of disbelief went through the crowd.
“What?” someone blurted.
The feline shifter, Halloway laughed. “Yes, you will use nature. There’s a river deep in the woods for bathing and a natural hot spring as well. Use them wisely.”
A girl near the front groaned. “I don’t wanna take a shit in front of anyone!”
Crowe didn’t blink. “That’s how it’s going to be here.”
Another student called out, “But I hope females and males don’t have to go together!”
Halloway piped up with a wicked grin. “Normally it would be mixed, but to avoid… issues, females will have priority slots at the river and spring first, then males. We’ll post a schedule.”
Milo leaned toward Lily and Scarlett, muttering under his breath, “Great. So we get to pee in the bushes while worrying about being watched. Sounds fun.”
Lily elbowed him. “At least we’re not in Batch A with all those Alphas.”
Scarlett forced a small laugh, but her stomach was in knots.
Crowe continued, “And there are rules: No killing. Fights are allowed, but they must end before anyone dies. No sexual assaults, consent is mandatory, and we will enforce it. No leaving the designated campsite boundaries without a supervisor. Curfew is midnight.
Break any of these and you’ll be sent back to the academy immediately… or worse.”
He paused, letting the warning sink in.
“You may now go check your tents.”
The group dispersed.
Scarlett noticed the third silent figure still hadn’t spoken a word. The three staff members turned and walked away toward a larger command tent at the edge of the clearing.
Professor Ryan’s voice snapped through the chatter.
“Everyone, do this in an orderly and less noisy fashion! Rebecca Blair….no rushing!”
Lily grabbed Scarlett’s hand. “Come on, let’s go look for our tents. I hope we’re together.”
They walked around the wide clearing, checking flaps. People were already reacting, some smiling when they saw friends, others groaning at unwanted pairings. Most tents held three or four people.
Grace suddenly called out, “Milo! You're with us.”
He gave Lily and Scarlett a quick, apologetic pout. “Bye… see you later.”
He hurried off with his duffel bag towards Grace and Becky.
Lily and Scarlett clutched their tote bags tighter, continuing to search. Every tent seemed occupied as they moved forward. They exchanged a worried glance.
“Okay… did they forget to assign us?” Scarlett asked.
Lily bit her lip. “Maybe we should go back and check with Ryan.”
They turned around and headed toward the back of the clearing again.
That’s when they saw the two remaining tents.
Saint stood in front of one, massive and silent, blue eyes softening the moment they landed on Scarlett.
Lily stiffened. “Please tell me it’s not true…”
Scarlett moved forward on shaky legs and checked the flap.
Her name.
Lily’s name.
She let out a small, relieved smile until she turned her head to the tent right beside it.
Rhys.
Kane.
Kaiden.
All three of them were standing together right in front of the tent a few feet away from hers.
Kane looked pissed, arms crossed, his jaw tight.
Rhys simply stared at her for a long second, golden eyes unreadable, then looked away like she was barely worth the effort.
Scarlett’s heart slammed against her ribs.
This was going to be the longest three days of her life.