Day 1-2, Part 1

That night Periwinkle lay in the dark, listening to the rythmic humming of cicadas outside.  Her cabin-mates were fast asleep already, but she couldn't rest.  She was haunted by a strange feeling she couldn't quite place, and she knew she was being watched by something.  She could feel its presence like a chilling fog winding through the trees and through her cabin's open window.  Yet every time she tried to catch a glimpse of it she only saw shadows.  Peri shivered and told herself that she was only imagining things. "You doubt yourself that much?" a raspy voice murmured. "You ought to believe your intuition."

Peri sat up straight.  She wasn't imagining anything.  Someone -or something- was there, breathing down the back of her neck and whispering in her ear. "Who's there?" she cried, her voice faltering.

"Nothing, or maybe everything," came the response. "Of course you wouldn't know, would you?  You can never truly know how deep this forest's roots go down, or how dark its darkness is."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, her heart pounding in her ears.  There was no answer, but the chill in the air remained.  Peri wasn't sure how long she sat there, as if she was frozen, before sleep began to overtake her.  As her eyes slowly closed she saw at the edge of her vision a strange sillouette, like a man with the head of a deer.

Morning dawned bright and clear, the rising sun painting the sky in pastel hues.  Writing yawned as xe stepped out of xyr cabin into crisp air.  Xyr bare feet brushed the soft, dewy grass.  The morning was picturesque, the sort of beautiful xe had only seen in postcards, serene and ephemeral.  Writing was soon joined by xyr cabinmates and they all walked to the dining hall together for breakfast.  Xe was surprised to see that some of the other campers were aready. "Does anyone have any plans yet for today?" Darkling asked as they sat down at the table.

"I was thinking about going to the lake," Writing said. "Does anyone want to come with me?"

"Sure, sounds fun!" Foxwood answered.  She was delighted to be able to explore the camp.

After breakfast the campers grouped up according to who wanted to do what, and they headed out.  Silver Crystal, Avara, Darkvine, and Wildfire arrived together at a steep cliff face hidden in a rocky part of the forest.  Mira was sitting on a large boulder, flipping through a book, but looked up when they arrived. "Hey everyone!" she said with a smile. "I assume you're here to climb?"

Wildfire looked up at the cliff, where long ropes hung from bolts secured into the rock. "Yep!" fae answered excitedly.  Mira proceeded to show everyone how to put on harnesses and helmets, and fae volunteered to go first.  Fae grabbed onto the nearest outcropping and slowly began to ascend the wall.  Wildfire felt a thrill of adrenaline as fae glanced down to the ground, which felt dizzyingly far away.  Finally, with a sweaty and calloused hand, fae reached up to hit the top of the cliff and was met with the cheers of faer friends.

"That looked incredible!" Silver Crystal complimented faer.

Wildfire grinned. "It was, you should go next!"

"I don't know..." she said hesitantly.

"It'll be fun, you'll see!" fae urged.  And so Silver Crystal began to climb.  Don't look down, she told herself.  Her arms were shaking, but she took a deep breath and continued on.  Until she felt herself slowly but surely slipping down the wall.  Wildfire saw her falter. "Keep going!" fae cheered. "You can-" The words were lost in faer throat as there was the abrupt sound of a snap.

Silver Crystal didn't understand.  She should've been climbing up, why was she going down?  She heard a horrible snapping sound and the fall suddenly became harsher and much swifter.  She grabbed for anything to hold, but the rope that secured her to the wall had broken and she was plummeting toward the ground.  Air rushed past her and whipped her hair around as she let out a weak scream.  She felt almost like she was flying, weightless and free from tether.  the wind embraced her, a gentle hand aiding her flight.  That embrace was the final though on her mind as her body hit the earth.

Avara couldn't speak.  She almost couldn't believe her eyes.  Beside her Darkvine screamed, her eyes brimming with tears.  The rocks below the cliff were a canvas dyed with red brushstrokes and Silver Crystal was the centerpiece of the painting, like an angel with her arms spread as if she was in flight and dark hair forming a tangled halo.  Wildfire couldn't breathe, suffocated by a sudden grief that had overtaken each of them.  But no - Mira stood stalwart, calmly even, her eyes closed to the carnage and her head turned away.

- -

Dead: Silver Crystal

Alive: Darkling, Avara, Foxwood, Darkvine, Wildfire, Peri, Tsuki, Shining Star, Writing, Tempest, Dawn

Suspects: Any ideas?

Hey everyone, there's not going to be a part this week because I've been really busy. I'll try to have the next one out early next week!