At lunch Jess sat with her friend Autumn, Julian, Payton and Nishan
"We should celebrate! Have you ever heard of a school overnight? We get all the students together and camp out at the school!" said Autumn
"Sounds fun! Let's do it!" said Jess
"Hey, Jess. Autumn just told me that you're having an overnight campout at the school!" said Nishan
"Wow, word does travel fast." said Jess
"If we're going to have a campout, we should really get farther away from the ambient lights of the school and maximize our star-gazing potential! I'll bring my automated telescope!" said Nishan
"Into astronomy, huh?" Jess asked
"Just a side project. When I'm bored, I'll search suspicious quadrants of the night sky for earthbound asteroids big enough to cause an extinction level event." said Nishan
"You think it'll ever happen?" Jess asked
"Statistically speaking, I would be shocked if it NEVER happened. This is phenomenal! If there's anything speeding towards us to wipe out all life on earth, I'll be the one to find it!" said Nishan
"And then you'd be known as the guy who saved the world." said Jess
"Save it? I just want some advance warning... do you know how much money I'll make selling safe passage in my Mars-colonizing spaceship?!" said Nishan
"Hey! I heard about the campout you and Autumn are organizing. I could, y'know, help out if you want. My dad's big on camping. He takes me out to the woods every summer for two weeks. No big deal, but I know a thing or two about the outdoors... hunting wild game... building a shelter out of sticks and mud... fighting off coyotes." said Julian
"Okay, okay, you can help." said Jess
"Awesome! So, what kind of tents are we working with? Are they rated for below zero temperatures, or do you think we need to bring in some insulation?" Julian asked
"Um, I don't think it's going to get THAT cold... but we could have a bonfire to stay warm." Jess sets up a bonfire with snack, chip, salsa, marshmallow, chocolate, cracker and hot chocolate
"A bonfire? Now you're talking! We're going to need some supplies." said Julian
"Don't you just need some matches?" Jess asked
"Don't insult me. I could start a fire with a piece of string and a crumpled newspaper. But to have a bonfire like you're talking about... we're going to want a stone pit and something to sit on! This bonfire is perfect! It should scare off any coyotes in the area." said Julian
"You do realize we're just sleeping on school grounds." said Jess
"Always be prepared for the worst." said Julian
"Nice! I see the bonfire's raging, and the tents are up." said Payton
"We're all set." said Julian
"Awesome! Because people are starting to arrive, and they're bringing a lot of stuff! We'd better figure out a way to split up the space!" said Payton
"Let's get some people from the different groups together and talk to them about what they want to do." said Jess
"Where can we set up our projector?" James asked
"Right over there." said Jess
"The jocks want to start a bonfire! Where can we do that?" Emily asked
"Hmm... how about in that corner, away from anything flammable?" Jess pointed "Who brought the cupcakes?" Jess asked
"Hm, you know, I'm not sure who brought those. But we should save them for dessert!" Autumn leads you along. "And over here, the gamers set up a projector and are busy taking down zombies with ninja stars!"
"This. Is. Awesome. Nature is the best! There's no way this screen could fit in my house!" said James
"I think you're kind of missing the point." said Autumn
"Hey, Autumn, watch this!" Emily tosses a burning branch from the fire up in the air and catches it!
"They are LITERALLY playing with fire." said Jess
"Ha ha. And over here, a safe distance away from the fire, Nishan and Tommy have set up some telescopes." said Autumn
"And that constellation to your right? That's Taurus." said Nishan
"I see it! Fun fact... I'M a Taurus!" Tommy cracked a joke
"Looks like Nishan made a new friend... Well, I'd say you campout is going pretty well so far." said Jess
"It might have been my idea, but I couldn't have done it without you!" said Autumn
"Hey! Jess! There you are. I'm trying to get people gathered around the campfire for some good old spooooky stories. Want to come?" Payton asked
"I LOVE scary stories! I'm in!" said Autumn
Julian sits by the fire with Autumn on one side and Payton on the other. Autumn leans over, resting her head on Julian's shoulder...
"I'll tell the scary story first! Once upon a time, there was a girl getting ready for her Prom night. She tried on all of the dresses in every store... pink ones, blue ones, red ones, yellow ones-" said Payton
"Oh boy." said Nishan
"And she curled her hair and put on all her makeup and was all ready for her date to arrive. She went to sit by the door... and waited... and waited... and waited... The time came for the dance to start, and her date still wasn't there! She waited another hour, then another, and finally she realized... He wasn't coming!" said Payton
"What? That's it?" Nishan asked
"Oh wait! There's something about how the Prom was held in an old orphan insane asylum... but I forget how that part goes." said Payton
"So, who's next? How about you, Jess? Think you can tell a better scary story?" Autumn asked
"I'll give it my best shot... Okay, I'm ready to tell my ghost story. Once, there was a school just like this one... and one dark and cold night, they had a campout just like this one." said Jess
"Ooo, spooky." said Payton
"There was a group of people sitting around a campsite trying to get a fire going. Then a cloud passed over the moon, and it was pitch dark... When the sky cleared, and they could see again, all but three people were dead... torn to pieces by a mysterious assailant! The three left were... a preppy party girl... a nerdy mad scientist tech guy... and a sweet, artistic girl." said Jess
"I think I see where this is going." said Autumn
"I don't." said Payton
Fifteen minutes later...
"The last victim reached up. With their dying breath, they pulled off the killer's mask, and saw the face of the artist!" said Jess
"What?! Artists are a peaceful people!" said Autumn
"I could see it. All that angst." said Nishan
"Hey!" said Autumn
"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about!" said Nishan
"Well, Jess, the night's almost over!" said Payton
"Yeah, I hate to see it end, too." said Jess
"It's not just that. Overnights are supposed to end with heart-to-heart talks and late-night confessions! It just won't be a success unless there's a couple that REALLY clicks here." said Payton
"I bet there's a couple here that's having a deep heart to heart right now." Jess spots the couple huddling close together, even Autumn and Julian are holding hands
"Aww, love... nothing quite like it, am I right?" Payton asked Jess
"Heh, yeah." said Jess
"Well, I think we can just about officially call this campout a perfect success!" said Payton
Everyone crowds around the jocks' huge bonfire...
"Thanks everyone for coming. This was a lot of fun!" said Jess
"This bonfire is A-MA-ZING!" said Payton
"Some would say unsafely huge... forest-fire-startingly huge... let's see where this goes." said Nishan
"Yeah, I'm burning all of my homework." said Julian
"What?! That's terrible!" said Autumn
"Hey, it's for a good cause, I'll have to write another one this fire is awesome, right?" Julian asked
"Well... I guess the bonfire IS kind of romantic." said Autumn
"Romantic?" Julian asked
"I mean, it's artistic! It's so, um... the lighting is just... I better take a picture! Smile, everyone! Say 'Campout!'" said Autumn
"Campout!" said Jess
Autumn flashes couple of photo posting it on Facebook. "Awesome we got 50 likes."
"Hey! Jess! I got a text about a box of cupcakes." Julian shows the text to Jess
"Huh?" Jess asked in confusion
"According to this text, someone dropped off a box of cupcakes that were bakes with something called ipecac... what is that, like, a special spice?" Julian asked
"It's a special spice, all right... one that makes you throw up!" said Jess
"That would explain why we didn't see who brought the cupcakes." said Payton
"Oh no! The cupcake box! It's completely empty!" Looking around the campout, Jess can see cupcakes in students' hands all around her, about to be eaten! "We've got to warn everybody!"
"We'll need help! Quick, find a cheerleaders to borrow a megaphone!" said Payton
"Okay, people. We've got a cupcake emergency." Jess calls Sierra
"A cakemergency!" said Payton
"I'm on it!" said Sierra
"Let's move!" said Emily
"Attention everyone! Drop your cupcakes!" Sierra calls on the megaphone
And over on the other side of the camp...
"This is for your own good! Hand it over!" said Emily all the students hand the cupcake over. Sierra, Emily and Payton threw the cupcakes away
Jess look around. On one end of the camp, Autumn holds a cupcake. At the other, Nishan grabs another. Jess turn towards Autumn, she sprint effortlessly, bounding over tree roots and slippery patches of grass! "Autumn! Don't eat the cupcake! It's a prank!"
Autumn freezes, the cupcake at her lips! "A prank?!"
Jess pull it out of her hands. "Hearst High. Ipecac. Long story."
"That was a close call, Jess... did you stop everyone else?" Payton asked
Jess spin around... and see Nishan running a chemical analysis on the cupcake with a pocket lab kit.
"Hmm. Ipecac. Odd choice of frosting, if I may say so." said Nishan
"Yup, I guess we got all of them!" said Jess
Just then, a car pulls up next to the campfire, and a group of Hearst High cheerleaders rolls down the windows...
"That is so going to be fetch!" Zara squealed
"Zara stop trying to make fetch happen it's not going to happen." Kara glared at Zara "How's the little campout going? Enjoying your cupcakes?" Kara taunted
"I should have know you'd be behind the prank." said Jess
"Just a little present from Hearst High." Mia taunted
"Yeah? Well, it turns out that your stupid plan was too stupid to work. No one ate your cupcakes!" said Payton
"What?! How... how'd you know?" Mia gasped
"Someone must've warned them. No way they're smart enough to figure it out on their own. Don't worry, girls. We'll figure out who the traitor is." Kara's car speeds off.
"Well, that's going to be trouble." said Jess
"For more reasons than one. Come here, Jess. We need to talk... in private."
"Secret hideout somewhere Hearst won't overhear." said Nishan
"We'll discuss at the Nerd Hangout." said Jess