At breakfast the next morning, you and your roommates sat at a table with Alastor, Aster, and their roommates.

"For the last time, I do not snore!" Husk insisted.

You and Niffty giggled at the thought. Husk totally seemed like the sort of person to snore. Loudly.

"It's no biggie," said Angel, swirling his cereal around the bowl with a spoon. "There's worse things that could happen in your sleep. I woke up with a boner this morning and nobody cared about that."

Vaggie almost choked on her breakfast. "That's way too much information!"

You and Niffty screeched with laughter, clinging to each other to stop yourselves falling out of your seats. This fit of giggles attracted the attention of Mr Pentious.

"You'd better save your energy for today's activity, girls," he instructed. "We're going on a scavenger hunt this afternoon."

The class was led out into the nearby woods at around noon, carrying your lunches in your backpacks, and plenty of water to drink. Your lunch consisted of an apple, a small bar of chocolate, and cheese sandwiches you had made yourself; a simple meal, but you knew you'd be ravenous by lunchtime with all this woodland trekking, and even a floppy sandwich would taste like food of the gods.

Finally, you reached the woodland meeting point, and you were able to sit down on a nearby rock to rest.

"Is it lunchtime yet?" Husk huffed, gulping down his bottle of water.

"Not yet," said Mr Pentious. "I shall now announce the teams for the scavenger hunt."

"Wait, so we don't get to pick our teams?" Cherri complained.

"I'm afraid not. I have selected your teams for you, to encourage new bonds of friendship to form between you all." He pulled a list from his pocket and began to read aloud. "Team 1 will consist of Blitzo, Charlie, Millie and Alastor."

Aster went pale, realising they were being separated from their brother.

"Um... excuse me... Mr Pentious?" they squeaked. "C-Can I be on Alastor's team?"

Mr Pentious shook his head. "I think it would benefit you to spend some time with other people. It will give you a chance to make some new friends and build your confidence."

Aster clearly didn't see it that way, but reluctantly accepted, staring longingly at their brother. Alastor gave a smile of encouragement in return.

The teacher continued announcing the teams. "Team 2 will be Moxxie, Vaggie, Cherri and Angel."

Cherri and Angel exchanged high-fives, extremely pleased to be on the same team.

"That means those of you remaining, you are Team 3."

You, Husk, Niffty, Aster, and Loona gathered together.

"We've got one more person than every other team," Husk pointed out. "That could be an advantage."

Loona scoffed. "More like a handicap."

It was clear who Loona was referring to. The game hadn't even begun and Aster already looked like they wanted to break down and cry. They kept glancing at Alastor, who was mingling with his team.

"It's ok, Aster." Niffty placed a gentle hand on their arm. "We're friends now. That means we'll look out for you."

Aster managed a wobbly smile. "Th-Thank you..."

"There are seven things you must find," Mr Pentious explained. "Each team will be given a list and a camera. You don't need to collect the objects, a photograph will suffice. The first team to tick every item off their list will be declared the winners."

Millie's excited hand shot into the air. "Will there be a prize?"

"Yes, there will be a prize!" Mr Pentious confirmed with a smile.

Loona rolled her eyes. "It's probably something shitty, like a lollipop."

"I like lollipops," said Niffty. You nodded in agreement.

Mr Pentious handed a scavenger list, a pencil, and a digital camera to each team. "Remember, there is no area boundary or time limit, but you must stick together in your teams at all times. You may begin..." He checked his wristwatch. "...now!"

All three teams scattered in a different direction. Aster watched forlornly, ears drooping as their brother wandered into the forest and out of sight.

"Come on, crybaby," Loona hissed, dragging them along by the arm.

Niffty looked at the scavenger list as your team made your way down a dusty dirt path. "Ok everyone, we need to find a yellow flower, a leaf that isn't green, a flying insect, wild berries, animal footprints, a cloud with an interesting shape, and two pebbles that look the same."

Loona suddenly stomped on the ground, startling everyone. "There's your animal footprint," she said smugly, gesturing to her paw print in the dirt.

"Fuck off, that's cheating!" Husk growled.

"Oh, please. It's not like anyone's gonna know."

The rest of the group didn't protest, knowing how stubborn Loona could be, and said nothing as she took a photograph of her own footprint.

"What's next?" she asked.

"It's the middle of summer," said Husk, "so how the fuck are we supposed to find a leaf that isn't green?"

"Let's focus on the easier things first," you suggested. "There's pebbles all over this path. It shouldn't be too hard to find two that look alike."

Slowly but surely, your collection of photos began to grow. Niffty found two round brown pebbles in the dirt, and your team decided they looked similar enough. Aster saw a cloud in the sky that resembled a pumpkin, and another photo was taken. You spotted a beautiful cabbage white butterfly fluttering over your heads, and Loona was able to snap a picture before it floated out of sight. Husk found a stray leaf on the ground that was half-rotten and grey, insisting it counted as a leaf that wasn't green, and everyone had to admit he was technically correct.

"All we need now is yellow flowers and wild berries!" you announced to your team, ticking another item off the list.

"Look!" Niffty called excitedly. "I think there's daffodils in that field over there! Yellow flowers! Come on, everyone, let's get a photo!"

The five of you dashed through the grassy field, determined to win the scavenger hunt now you were so close to finding all seven things. Niffty was right; as the flowers bobbed into clear view, it was unmistakably daffodils sitting underneath a large oak tree.

"Hey!" an exhausted voice panted. "Wait for- oof!"

There was a soft thud. Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned around to see what had made the sound. You were horrified to see Aster face down in the grass.

"Aster!"

"Are you ok?"

You, Niffty and Husk rushed to Aster's side straight away.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Loona snapped. "Leave the crybaby, we've only got one thing left to find!"

"No, Mr Pentious said we have to stick together!" you reminded her, helping Aster to their feet.

"Are you hurt?" asked Husk, steadying the wobbly demon. "It sounded like you took a pretty bad fall."

"Um... I..." Aster stammered, covered in dirt and a little dazed. "I think I'm ok."

"Oh my gosh!" Nifty shrieked, her eye wide. "You're bleeding!"

"Huh?"

Nifty frantically pointed to Aster's right arm. The underside of their blue sleeve was stained a deep red, and it was spreading further by the second. Aster's face turned white, their lip trembling.

"We have to get you back to Mr Pentious," said Husk, his tone serious. "He can give you first aid or something."

"Are you guys coming or what?!" Loona screamed from across the field.

"Aster is hurt!" you yelled back. "We have to go!"

"What?! No fucking way! If you guys leave, I'm finishing the scavenger hunt by myself!"

"Get your ass back here!" Husk demanded, but she had already stormed off in the other direction. "Fucking hell. Should we go after her?"

"Don't bother," you grumbled. "We have more important things to worry about now."

You turned your attention back to Aster. Huge tears were rolling down their cheeks.

"Does it hurt really bad?" asked a worried Niffty.

Aster shook their head. "N-No... I'm just... I ruined the scavenger hunt for everyone..."

"You didn't," you said firmly. "The scavenger hunt is just a game. You're hurt, and that's more important than a game."

Aster squeezed their eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from leaking out. "I... I want my brother..."

"It's ok," Niffty soothed, rubbing their back to calm them. "We'll get you back to Mr Pentious and Alastor, and get your arm all fixed up."

The four of you trailed back to the meeting spot, where Team 1 had already returned. Alastor noticed his sibling's bleeding arm immediately.

"Aster!" he cried, rushing to their side. "What happened?"

"I fell..." they snivelled. "Don't come too close... I don't want to get blood on you."

"I don't care about that. You need first aid right away."

"Is everything alright over here?" Mr Pentious slithered over to see what all the commotion was. "Oh dear, I see we have a casualty. You'd better come along with me."

Aster did as they were told, following Mr Pentious into a nearby tent. Alastor trotted behind, but not before turning his head to offer a grateful smile.

"Thank you, everyone. For looking after Aster."

With that, he disappeared into the first aid tent, leaving you to hope your new friend would be alright.