Back with Chapter 21! …That's it. Enjoy?
Ria's POV:
While we were running for the forest, I realized I hadn't apologized to Cole like I had planned. I don't know why but just knowing that he may still think I'm angry with him made my heart sink. I had to stay focused though, for Lloyd and Zane. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind yet I couldn't help but feel it linger. I decided I would try to ignore it as best as I could. When we were secluded and isolated from the rest of the teams, we stopped and looked at the list.
Scavenger Hunt
Find the following items on the beach or in the forest
Something smooth
Something round
3 different types of leaves
Pinecone
Acorn
A flat rock
A flower or petal
Something soft
Something colourful
Grass
Stick
Dandelion
Shell
Easy. Attached to the list was a Ziploc bag in which we were supposed to put everything. I opened it up, bent down, ripped up some grass and deposited it into the bag.
Grass
"Since most of these items are easy to find, let's waste no time in making a plan and simply run around everywhere looking for them. When we have everything, we'll go to the beach to get the shell and to the finish line" said Zane.
Lloyd and I nodded our head in agreement. We started walking swiftly through the dense forest.
Kai's POV:
"I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW EASY THIS IS" I cried.
"Please don't jinx it Kai"
"Shut up Jay"
"PUPILS, we must focus in order to complete this, as easy as it may seem. If we keep arguing like this, by the time we have acquired one item on the list, another team will have finished" Sensei explained.
"Alright fine, let's do this!" I agreed.
"YES WE HAVE THIS IN THE BAG!" Jay bellowed.
Since most of the teams were in the forest, we decided to start on the beach. We easily found a shell, a stick and a flat rock on the beach. We then headed for the forest. I saw Bambi, Zane and Lloyd and their bag was looking pretty full.
"Hey Bambi" I called
She responded by turning her head, looking at me and hissing. Taken aback, I almost fell and she took the opportunity to laugh.
"Damn" I muttered under my breath.
Before I knew it, we had walked to the corner of the boundary and sure enough, the barriers were there. There was an acorn lodged in between two of the barriers and it was my goal to retrieve it.
"Kai, we'll find another one!"
"Shut up Jay, I want this one"
"Kai, you are not a little boy. Stop being foolish and wasting time" Sensei retorted.
"Sensei, please just let me try"
"Fine, you have 30 seconds"
Delighted, I quickly made use of my time and dove my fingers under the earth in which the acorn lay and pulled. After a few more tugs, it flew out of my hand and into Sensei's.
"Nice catch Sensei" Jay remarked.
"I told you I could do it" I rejoiced.
"Let's get going" Sensei suggested.
"Kay" I replied.
As I got up, I saw a blur of something behind the barrier. I tried to get a closer look so I moved closer to the gap. I peered inside and I saw a few figures in the distance dancing around. A few of them were on a car and on the verge of falling off and I realized it was a bunch of drunk guys. For some reason, even though they were pretty far and not bugging anyone, they made me furious.
"Hey Kai! You coming or what?" Jay called.
"Coming" I said, gritting my teeth.
Yuzumi's POV:
We had been making good progress in the scavenger hunt. We had possession of many of the items on the list and were quickly gaining possession of the rest. Our team worked pretty well, we just quickly jogged through the forest, talking, laughing and when we'd spot an item that was on the list, we'd pick it up. I felt like a real human. I wonder if my brother did because sometimes I had many troubles with the thought of being mechanical.
"Yo Cole, can you grab the pinecone right next to your foot?" Nya asked.
There was no answer from Cole, I calculated that he was what people referred to as "zoned out" or "lost in thought". He had been doing that quite frequently, alarmed I checked to see if frequent zoning out was a health concern and fortunately it was not physically but might be mentally.
"Uhh…Cole?" Nya tried.
"COLE!" I barked.
Suddenly, he shook and looked at us awkwardly.
"Huh? Oh sorry guys, yeah I'll get it" he mumbled.
"Cole, what's going on?" Nya questioned.
"Huh? Nothing…why do you ask?"
"Because if it was nothing, you wouldn't be zoning out every 5 seconds" Nya countered.
"I just didn't sleep well last night, guess I'm a little tired. Then, we went on this trip and my energy got drained during the long ride."
"Oh, then why didn't you say sooner? We could've had someone else participate in the hunt with us while you rested"
"No, I want to do the scavenger hunt and I aim to finish it"
"Alright but afterwards get some rest"
"I will"
With that, we continued on our search. I knew fatigue was not on Cole's mind and my mind directed to me to how Ria was acting this morning. It was quite similar… I do not think that Nya had bought Cole's reasoning either as she is a quite motherly person. She knows the ninja and even me very well and I haven't even been around for a while.
Cole's POV:
That was a close one and I could already tell my answer was not a satisfying one for Nya. Damn, I'll have to fake something if she asks later… I hope I looked calm while answering her questions because that may calm her worrying mind. How could I tell her what the real subject on my mind was? I couldn't. I needed to get it together. I'm the leader of the Ninja, I need to start acting like one. I can't let desires and emotion get the best of me. It's been 3 days and I'm going crazy…I need to stop. Focus. Focus. Focus.
Ria's POV:
We were by a creek that ran through the forest. When it hit the barriers, it was not covered by one, instead there was a line that could be easily crossed with a sign that said "Please do not enter beyond this point". I hoped that no team would take this to their advantage and cross. We had 2 types of leaves and the third one we decided to actually obtain from a tree. Right by the creek, within the boundary zone of course, there was a tree with pink flowers and interesting looking leaves. We could kill 2 birds with one stone by getting the flower and the leaf. God, I hate that expression. Zane and I had a good laugh as we sent Lloyd up a tree. He managed to get the leaf but clung to a branch like a scared kitten.
"Need help Lloydie?" I mocked.
"AS A MATTER OF FACT, NO I DO NOT" he blushed.
We broke into laughter again as Lloyd tried to let his leg down but yelped and quickly took a hold of the branch once more.
"Guys this isn't funny" he croaked.
"Alright Zane, you should probably go help him" I suggested.
Zane nodded and began climbing up the tree.
"You guys won't tell anyone right?" Lloyd asked.
"We won't… Unless you piss us off" I warned.
"DON'T WORRY, I WON'T!" he promised.
Zane chuckled as he tried to take hold of Lloyd who was attempting to inch closer to Zane. I was laughing as this was going on and during the process, Lloyd dropped the leaf and flower and I watched them float to the ground. I reached down to pick them up just as Lloyd yelled my name.
"RIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
I looked up at him and saw his widened eyes and frightened expression before a scream escaped my lips and I blacked out.
Sorry this was a short chapter…I could have gone longer but you all know me and I love cliffhangers. I just ended the chapter where my heart felt right. Thanks for reviewing, questions? Feel free to PM me. Next chapter up soon hopefully.