I've been in such a mood to work on this story so I'm riding this wave till it settles. [It settled right after I made the doc for this chapter with the outline. I came back to it 3 months later].

XI: A Blindfolded Walk in Nature; What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Jason squints from the bright and blinding sun hitting his eyes. Sweat prickles at the edge of his hairline, dripping down his face. He raises his forearm to his head to wipe it away on his bare arm but holds his arm up there for a moment to give his eyes some shade to see properly.

Everyone's like him now: a cohort full of sweating, sunscreen, and water rationing. Nobody wants to lend anyone their water bottle to waterfall or dump it on their heads since they don't want to dry out here in the desert while Coach drags them on a hike.

Coach, the only person here who isn't already fatigued by the sun and in desperate need of a tree with big foliage.

Actually, Jason doesn't want shade either. He can't bear to think about a tree after that haunting dream last night. He doesn't feel like he slept after that interaction with the wolves and attempting to run after the voice calling him.

She echoes in his mind and he can't put a face to her voice. It doesn't help that he still doesn't remember anything from before waking up at this school. Oddly enough, the wolf to whom he felt subservient felt homelier than the voice, but it was a home to which he didn't feel comfortable returning.

Many times since waking up this morning, Jason has tried to hone in on anything in that dream but something kept grabbing his attention, even when someone threw a piece of burnt toast at him. To be candid, he doesn't even remember getting dressed and coming outside for a hike but now he's here with the rest of his cohort.

"Grace!"

Jason lowers his arm and allows the sun to blind him for a moment before they focus on Coach again. He looks down at the sunburnt man despite his entire cohort starting at him.

"Yeah?" Jason asks since nobody is saying anything after they called his name. Chances are that he didn't hear anything that was said to him.

"Grace, were you even listening? I said that everyone should have a partner."

"Right…" Jason mutters, nodding. He has no idea what's going on.

To his luck, Piper links arms with him as she smiles. Sweat coats Piper's face but Jason exhales, his body calming for the first time today.

"Coach, I wanna be your buddy!" Leo exclaims.

Coach doesn't even acknowledge Leo as he hands out a blindfold to each pair. Leo got an orange one for himself as Coach handed Jason a purple one. Piper snags it and unfolds it to try and fan herself. When her plan to cool off doesn't work, she refolds the fabric into a headband that she wears to push back her stray and sweat-slicked baby hairs.

"All I wanted was a shower," Piper groans. "One that was scented like summer fruits with bubbles that go up to my neck. Not a bandana."

Leo scoffs. "These trust exercises are stupid. I don't trust anyone here except you two and you two are gonna partner up, nor does anyone else here trust me which … who can blame them? I'd throw myself off a cliff. Just leave me and my blindfolded butt alone to crawl off a cliff on my own."

"Even if you were Coach's partner, he'd let you walk off the cliff."

Coach snorts a laugh. "She's right. Alright, listen up, Cupcakes! One of you wears the blindfold, and the other guides them around the lot. Don't ambush your partner or else!"

The cohort snickers as the partners talk amongst themselves. Jason looks down at Piper and she's already grinning.

"So, should I keep the blindfold?" Piper asks, her fingers tapping the edge of her makeshift headband.

"How much do you trust me?" Jason whispers.

It wasn't until he asked that he realized he needed the answer to that question. What he asked implies that she already has at least some trust in him. He won't blame Piper for mistrusting him because of all he could tell her about him, which was nearly nothing. They're friends, they hang out, and they survive this school together, but does that mean she would put her life in his hands? If Jason asked himself that question, he wouldn't know how to answer.

Piper grins. "Let's find out."

It's not the answer he hoped for. He wanted one with certitude but he couldn't blame her. Maybe she was being snarky and he was overthinking. When isn't he overthinking?

Jason lowers the bandana over her eyes but holds her head in his hands. "Trust me. Nothing will happen to you with me here."

When he lowers his hands, Piper grabs hold of his arm and he tenses a little before relaxing. His words are sincere and genuine. Trustworthy. After all, they've been through so far, they feel like they could trust each other. At least, he could trust her.

Jason looks ahead and sees a Blindfolded Leo holding Coach's bat which is, in proxy, holding Coach's hand.

"None of you wander off!" Coach yells before dismissing them to do their blindfolded activity.

Jason leads Piper around the sandy area, avoiding their other cohort mates who are all laughing and shoving each other into the dirt and rocks. Two of them are blindfolded and wrestling, creating a dust storm that causes others to sneeze and disperse. Jason's gaze fixates on the forest and he can't help but think of his dream. Maybe a walk through the woods would help him.

"Follow me," Jason tells Piper.

"I have no choice," Piper responds with a small laugh.

Jason leads Piper away from the group. The screams from their cohort and Coach soften and are replaced with twigs snapping and leaves rustling underneath their feet. Jason looks at Piper who's seemingly content under the blindfold as she follows his lead.

"We entered the forest," Piper states.

"How did you know?" Jason asks.

Piper bounces on her toes. "Ground got real soft and I think I'm kicking plants."

Jason smiles. He licks over his chapped lips and traces his scar. Impressive. "Small detour."

"You know I put my trust in you for this, right?"

"You should know I trust you too. A lot. I had a dream last night that took place here or no, some forest in general."

Jason stops for a moment and kicks some rocks out of the way before guiding Piper across the path. Despite keeping her blindfold on, she looks down at the ground before facing forwards. When Jason breaks a stray branch above her head, Piper ducks regardless. Jason believes that Piper could navigate these woods blindfolded without him.

"What happened?" Piper asks.

"Wolves," Jason responds.

Piper pauses, slowing down before returning to her normal pace. "Again, Grace, I trust you."

"People were looking for me."

"Trust, Jason."

Jason shakes his head. "Not like that."

"Well, who was it?"

"I don't know but they sounded familiar."

Jason suddenly stops and Piper bumps into him. Still holding onto his arm, she backs up a few steps. Jason turns around to face her, looking into her eyes despite her still having the blindfold on. When he removes a leaf from her sweat-slick hair, her hand nearly grazes his as it passes.

"It makes me wonder if people are looking for me, if people know I'm here, you know?" Jason says, shrugging. "I mean I don't know why I'm here and clearly neither does the school."

"Have you considered that they don't want you to know?" Piper asks.

Jason would be lying if he said he hasn't thought of that aspect. As much as he wants to know the truth, he can't ignore the expansive efforts to keep him in the dark. His amnesia, the lack of communication between Coach and the school's administration, his blank files — who would put this much effort into keeping him unaware of the truth?

Jason didn't realize Piper let go of his arm. His heart jumps but relaxes when he turns around and sees that she's just a few steps away and looking up at the sky through her blindfold. She has a point. She always does. Maybe they didn't want him to know why he was here for whatever reason which made no sense. If he was supposed to learn from his mistakes, which is why a lot of kids are here, then wouldn't it be better if he knew his problems? How could he learn without knowing the root of his problem?

Piper stretches her arms out in front of her. "You didn't just leave me here, did you?"

Jason smiles a little. She could've taken off the blindfold at any point but didn't. That's trust in it itself. "No."

"You know this is how a lot of murder stories go, right? Boy takes a girl to a forest and then she's axe murdered."

"I'm not going to murder you."

"That's what they all say."

Piper takes a step forwards to return to him but stumbles over a tree root breaking the ground's surface. Jason instantly throws himself in front of her, catching her in his arms but falling to the ground. He lands on his back against the dirt and she's on top of him. Jason exhales and she laughs, her head ducking against his chest.

"That was my fault but I trusted you to catch me," Piper says.

Jason exhales a laugh. "You mean to break your fall."

Before Jason could help them both up, bushes rattling nearby grab his attention. As if moving automatically, Jason puts a hand behind Piper's head and neck before flipping them over so that she's on the ground and he's on top peering out to whatever that noise was. Piper coughs into her arm before lowering her blindfold and looking up at him.

"Wow…" she states. "Jason, what is it?"

"Something's there," he responds.

"Wolves?" Piper asks. Instead of turning around, she rolls her head back so that she's looking upside down.

Leo walks right through a bush and doesn't brush himself off. He walks right up to Jason and Piper who haven't moved since he appeared. He grins right at them, shaking his head disgracefully.

"That's literally what everyone thought you were doing here," Leo says, referring to their current position.

Piper scoffs. "I wish."

"Sure. Anyways, Coach wants us back at the school for class."

"Way to ruin the moment."

"What moment?"

Piper stares at Jason who only stares back. Why is she looking at him like that? "Nevermind."

Jason stands off of Piper and stretches a hand to help her up. Once Piper's standing, she brushes herself off with the bandana before wrapping it around her head like a headband again. Leo turns around first to lead the way but Jason stops him at the sudden and growing growling sounds. Leo steps back as Jason steps forwards. Piper doesn't move. Rustling sounds louden as the bushes in front of them shake. Branches and twigs snap as wolves creep out snarling.

The trio backs up until more wolves approach from the foliage behind. They stand back-to-back so everyone has a view of the wolves that circle them. Jason's head darts at each wolf, watching each of them move. Which one will strike first?

Something primal boils inside him, wanting to burst. An oddly familiar sensation. He wants to prowl, pounce, and fight. Just like the dream.

He doesn't understand it. He's nearly expecting to hear that girl call his name.

And she does, but not in real life.

Her screams fill his ears, getting louder with each yell. It's piercing, high-pitched, deafening. His own name is driving him to madness. It takes his breath away, and blurs his vision - no, he can't lose focus now. All the fur and teeth and beady eyes can't blend together. They're going to die because the voices in his head are taking over and now he can't-

"I was kidding about the wolves," Piper whispers.

Her voice clears Jason's head. His focus regains as he counts all the wolves trapping them. Six. Not bad. An average pack. He can take them. Easily.

Leo internally laughs in a way that comes out as a groan without moving his face. "Of course, there are wolves here."

"Shush," Jason orders. "Don't move. Don't look them in the eyes."

"Too late."

Jason takes a step forwards, the wolves' snarling intensifying as they all look at him. Jason holds his arms out despite not having any weapons, not that he would need them but his coin would be great right about now. His eyes bounce from each wolf as he crouches to their level. One knee kneels as the other rests bent, ready to pounce if need-be. Why are these motions so familiar to him? He hasn't felt this comfortable in so long and it's unsettling yet … homely.

Their appearances are so much clearer and monstrous in the daylight. The animals grunt with their prehistoric teeth. Their eyes are huge black spheres that catch the reflection of its sight - himself front and centre. Jason mirrors them, a move he's felt like he's done before.

One wolf barks and the others immediately silence. The alpha, he assumes. Jason doesn't stand down. He doesn't trust any of this.

"Look at Lupa's pup all grown up," the wolf, grumbles menacingly.

"You hear them too, right?" Piper whispers.

"I walked through a poppy field and thought it was an effect of that," Leo mumbles back.

"You're far from the pack," the alpha continues, eyes locked on Jason.

The pack. Not necessarily his but one he was probably involved in before he wounded up here. What does this all mean?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason admits.

"You know, she stopped looking for you ages ago. I still remember her fresh screams for you. Now, your people aren't even searching. They've grown to be without you and have accepted your absence. We always knew you were the weak one, always compliant and complacent so you'd be liked," the alpha hisses, "how does it feel to be lost?"

Jason's hand naturally gravitates to his pocket to grab his coin but he balls his hand into a fist since he still doesn't have it. His fist shakes and he takes a breath to ease himself, his locked eyes not leaving the alpha's. It's his worst fear: nobody's looking for him.

"Aw," the alpha says, those words poisoning Jason and making him uneasy, "Lupa trained you better than that. Let's hope you're not out of shape."

The rest of the pack growls and Jason looks to see which wolf will attack first and aim at whom. He pulls back his shoulders about to go straight for the alpha but he hears a knife flick behind him. Jason glances back and sees Leo holding up his Swiss Army knife with a blade pointing up. That's no ordinary Swiss Army knife. Not even close. He ducks as Leo's knife shoots out flames. The wolves scamper, howling and barking. They're angry, embers catching onto some pieces of fur.

"Go back to this Lupa!" Piper yells at them.

Her voice echoes through the trees, powerful and commandeering. Jason almost runs along with the wolves who scamper into the trees but Piper grabs his hand.

"Not you," she says. Her voice trembles his bones as he stops.

He stares at her, dazed not only by her words but by his dream nearly coming true right before his eyes. It can't be a coincidence. He knows that if a fight broke out, if Piper and Leo weren't there, he would've ripped these woods apart with these wolves. There's the chance that he's still dreaming, but the gnawing pit of uncertainty and underlying fear in his stomach feel too true to be fiction. He wants to get out of here but he can't. He's lost. Lupa trained him better than that.

"Jason, come on," Piper says, her voice soothing as she takes his hand. Her other hand rubs his shoulder. "We have to go."

"Think we can take the poppy field back because that was a trip if I've ever had one," Leo says.

"Jason?"

"My dream," Jason states. "It was like that."

"Creepy," Leo shivers, "I'm shocked they didn't attack us the moment they saw us."

"An animal's only job is survival. Wolves only attack the weak."

Leo laughs a bit. "Flattered."

"Hey, when we get back, I'm calling it a night. I don't feel so well."

Piper tightens her grip on his hand, comforting him. If only she could say something, anything. He just needs to hear her.

"I'll just tell Coach it was the poppies," Leo says. "Let's bring him back a bouquet."