I finally found my voice. So did David. We both screamed in horror, backing away. Celeste was completely calm. She looked at her arm, which didn't show a hint of the bite. No bleeding, no reddening, not even a mark. She simply dropped the snake to the ground and watched it slither off.

"That was a close one," she said, wiping her arm as if she had simply gotten it dirty. "Are you two alright?"

There was a silence. "Are we alright?" I squeaked. "What about you?"

"Oh, I... I'm fine." Celeste finally seemed to realize she should've been freaking out. "I was so scared." I didn't believe her for a second. She had looked completely calm. Eerily calm. "But I bet you were as well. You seem to be a magnet for snakes, don't you?" She laughed, but David and I didn't.

"Celeste, your... your arm!" I exclaimed. "You could be seriously hurt! You could—"

"It wasn't a venomous snake," Celeste hurriedly explained, running her hand over her smooth, dark arm. "It was harmless, really. Good thing it wasn't my husband. He'd be screaming and freaking out, even if the snake was harmless. But my daughter wouldn't be. She loved strange creatuers." She looked slightly saddened as she talked about them.

"It was venomous!" David spoke up. "Its eyes – its pupils were slanted." Usually, I'd make fun of him for being a geek, but I trusted his input more than Celeste's.

"That doesn't always mean a snake is venomous. Just usually." Celeste surprised me by briefly replying to him, before turning her attention to me. "I came searching for you two. You shouldn't have run off like that. I won't be there to rescue you every time."

"But—" I spluttered, still disillusioned by what had just happened. I couldn't believe my eyes. The people at this camp really were indestructible.

"Well, you better come back to the camp," Celeste urged, putting her arm around me to comfort me.

We followed her through the woods without a sound. We didn't talk to each other. We were both in shock. If the situation was different, I might've thought it was cool, as if Celeste was some kind of superhuman.

As we entered camp, I still didn't spot one hint of the fire, but that was the last thing on my mind. I was shocked by even seeing a snake again. I couldn't imagine how David felt. I felt him trembling next to me and put my arm around him. Celeste led us to the baseball diamond, and I finally snapped out of my shock to be replaced with even more shock. I stopped where I was, almost causing David to trip over. Celeste turned around.

"What are you waiting for?" she urged. "Come on!"

I forced myself to snap out of it. I started to walk forward, keeping my gaze directly firmly towards the ground. I had no difficulty seeing. The ground seemed to glisten as much as it did in the daytime. But it was nothing compared to when I stepped onto the field. The grass glowed silver under my feet. It looked like there were actual diamonds scattered among the baseball diamond. The sight should've been beautiful, but it just filled me with dread.

"Our newest sacrifices have arrived." That couldn't have been what I heard Celeste say. She must've said "arrivals" again.

I couldn't ignore what everyone did afterwards, though. I could tell they had all raised their heads to stare at us. I could almost feel their gazes on me, burning a hole into me. It filled me with unease, and I couldn't resist lifting my head. I immediately wished I hadn't.

They stared at us with a silver glow in their eyes, like the reflection of the stars. They had all been staring up at the sky. Their eyes glinted dangerously, like the edge of a knife. They stared at us with hunger in their eyes as well, as if we were fresh meat. I stumbled backwards as they approached, feeling like I was prey being hunted by a herd of predators.

Then they all started chanting, in the same way they had sung the camp song on the first night. It made me shudder even more than their hungry stares. When I made out the words muttered between them, I almost screamed. They were singing the Camp Starlight song again, the exact same one they had sung on the first night. Except it sounded even more creepy now.

"Look up, up into the blackness of night..."

The words had a different meaning now. It did feel like it was trapping and enclosing me, even more than the campers surrounding me. I felt more enclosed out in the open night air than I did in one of the small cabins. But I still didn't understand the last part. How could it set me free? Maybe it wasn't meant to set me free...

"Enough, enough!" I was relieved to hear Celeste's voice halt the singing. "You're just going to freak them out. We're being terribly rude."

For a moment, I was relieved, thinking we were about to get an explanation. But Celeste's next words made my heart sink. "What they were trying to say is... look up at the sky to see the smoke. It's very rare to see smoke clouding the sky. It's even blocking the stars. It's a most unusual sight. They couldn't stop staring."

I didn't believe that for a second. Everything was as bright and clear as ever during the night. I was beginning to think the fire was a lie to make us come out of our cabins.

"Go on, Adelaide," Celeste urged. "Look up at the sky. It's an incredible sight. Look up at the sky."

She sounded like she was chanting as well. The more she coaxed me, the tighter I shut my eyes. The darkness behind my eyelids was comforting.

"Don't do it, Adelaide!" I heard David cry, even though I had no intention of doing so. "Don't look! You'll turn into a star!"

That made Celeste stop urging me. "A star?" Her face screwed up in confusion, as I opened my eyes in equal confusion. "What do you mean, become a star? No one at Camp Starlight has ever become a star."

My jaw dropped open. "But... in the story..."

Celeste laughed. "Did you really believe that, Adelaide? You can't believe everything you hear in a ghost story."

"So... it wasn't true?" I felt like an idiot. I had let my worry run away with me. Of course a stupid story like that wasn't true. Something weird was definitely going on at this camp, but it had nothing to do with ghost stories.

"But you can believe most things in one," Celeste continued, dashing my hopes. "That part wasn't true, but everything else was."

My jaw dropped again. My heart felt like it was racing from one area to another, not sure where to stay. "But..."

"A camper did leave his cabin around midnight," Celeste admitted, a sad look crossing her face. "And he did look up at the midnight sky, littered with stars. And he did find himself trapped at this camp, never able to leave... well, even that part isn't true. He's left now. He's lucky. We're still stuck here."

I wasn't following at all. I cast a helpless gaze around. Rachel helped Celeste explain.

"He didn't become a star or anything like that. I think that'd be preferable to our fate." A sad look crossed her face. "When everyone went home at the end of the summer, he found himself unable to leave, no matter how much he tried. Everyone left too quickly to help him. A few days later, when his parents were questioning his disappearance, some of the counselors returned... and one of the kids at camp." Rachel went quiet momentarily.

"When they arrived, he was excited to find that he could enter the woods and even exit them to the campfire. He was overcome with relief at first, thinking that meant he could escape, but it didn't. He couldn't progress past the campfire."

I felt myself shivering. I tried not to think about the campers' reactions to being able to go to the campfire, but I couldn't help it. It made my insides feel cold and filled with dread.

"They didn't believe his story at all, or the strange feeling he claimed the stars at midnight had enveloped him in, but they decided to test it out," Rachel continued. "Without telling him, they stayed up until midnight and wandered through the camp. They felt the same feeling envelop them, and felt urged to look up at the stars. As soon as they did, they felt as if the stars had lowered from the sky and were surrounding them. The next day, the boy was gone. He could leave now that the others were trapped there instead."

"What?" I gasped.

"It's not as though that was his intention," Rachel hurriedly added. "He could have no way of knowing that. But it was lucky for him. When he went home, nobody believed his story, though they decided to check out the camp to pick up the new missing people. But they got lost. They couldn't find their way there, and only managed to return back home."

"They didn't have the advertisement," Celeste added. "That showed them the address and way to camp, though the last part was for the bus driver. The counselors and camper tried to write to them, but none of their letters went through. They'd just pile up, no matter how much they wrote or how long their letters were. But they could send one thing. A newspaper advertisement of Camp Starlight. The new name of the camp. They changed the name after the people who became trapped at camp by the starlight. Both to remind themselves of the starlight, and to attract more people who would be afraid of entering the camp with the name that it used

"They sent one every few years, not wanting to look suspicious," Rachel continued. "As well as advertisements for the bus driver and counselors. They got to leave when new people came, as long as they got them to look up at the starlit sky around midnight. It was a little difficult at first, so they tried a little reverse psychology. They told the story of the camper who got everyone stuck here, to try to excite them into leaving their cabins at night. They added the ending to make the story sound fake, so they'd think it wasn't true but still be interested in leaving their cabins."

That was smart, I had to admit. But hearing it all laid out so matter-of- Aactly made my stomach churn.

"As the years passed, they didn't age one bit," Celeste said. "They stayed the same, no matter how much time passed. No matter how much they got hurt or scraped up at camp, they didn't gain a single bruise, even the clumsiest of campers. They went crazy thinking about home and their families. Some even tried to get themselves killed. They wanted to leave here in any way possible." I gasped.

"But no matter what they did, they couldn't leave. No matter how long they stayed underwater, how much they tried to burn themselves, how high they jumped off trees, they didn't even gain a scratch. It should've been an advantage, but it was just a curse to them. They were doomed to remain the same way until new people came."

"It didn't matter how many or how little people came," Rachel continued. "They continued the process – when more come, more leave. Over time, the groups of campers sent dwindled down. People were starting to get wary of so many people disappearing. And anyone who was sent to investigate never came back – they assumed they got lost."

"No..." I breathed. My heart caught in my throat. "But... David and I didn't sign up for camp. We just bumped into it. We were lost, and—"

"It's a good thing you showed up," Celeste admitted. "I was so surprised to see you two. I was shocked when I realized I could make it through the woods. Then I was eager. Your parents were so quick to leave you here. I thought you could finally set us free."

"We were all excited," Caroline added. For once, she didn't look eager and enthusiastic. Her face was pale and subdued. "All thrilled to see new victims... new people to take our place..."

"We never should have come here!" David cried. "Mom and Dad should've taken me home—"

"And they should've left me here?" I retorted. "Thanks a lot!"

"Don't be scared, Adelaide." I jumped to hear Amber's voice. She sounded different, her voice spacey and far-off. "It isn't so bad, being here. This camp is amazing, really. You've seen how fun it is. I loved being here. You can swim, canoe, hike... not go to the campfire, but—"

"I was excited to come here," Natalie spoke up, her soft voice whispery and subdued. "When my parents announced they signed me up at summer camp. I felt more comfortable wandering the woods and talking to animals than I did around other people. But then, I realized I was stuck here forever..." She lowered her head, her dark hair falling over her face.

"I volunteered for a job here for the summer," Celeste added, sadness filling her dark eyes. "I didn't get along with my family at the moment. We were becoming so distant and aloof from each other, without any of the warmth or love we used to have. I thought a bit of space would help us, if I removed myself for a while." She closed her eyes. "And then, I never saw them again. I wish I could see them, if only to say I'm sorry."

As everyone surrounded us, I kept my eyes shut tightly. I thought about my parents, the amazing pancakes Mom cooked and the songs Dad played on the guitar, about Jade and how she squealed whenever I got mud on her dresses and when she we sat side by side making friendship bracelets. The thoughts filled me with sadness, but also stopped the starlight from taking me over, urging me to look upwards.

I heard a strangled noise next to me. It was David. I opened my eyes and saw him start to raise his head to the sky. I grabbed his arm and shook him. He turned his terrified gaze to me. I was relieved to see his eyes were as dark as before. The campers stepped towards him, continuing their coaxing. I had to admit it didn't sound creepy or terrifying. They actually sounded gentle. The voices ran together, in a soft, low lull that almost put me at ease and made me want to look up at the sky.

One of the things they said caught my attention. "It doesn't have to be both of you, you know. We only need one of you to look up. That'll be enough to free us all. One for all – that sounds fair, doesn't it?"

It didn't sound fair to me at all. But as I thought about it, I realized it was fair, to them. What did it matter if one person had to stay, if they all left? I knew David hadn't wanted to come to camp. The last thing he'd want was to be stuck here forever. I had wanted to come. I liked the camp enough when there weren't weird campers in it. And if they all left, I could even eventually begin to enjoy myself, having the entire camp to myself... maybe.

I knew I was kidding myself and it'd probably be a long time before I felt anything but horror and loneliness at being stuck there. But it'd be even worse for David.

I stepped in front of my brother, shielding his gaze. I felt a wave of nausea as I forced myself to lift my head towards the night sky. Everyone stopped speaking at once, becoming completely silent I heard David let out a cry of surprise. I almost would've preferred to hear their chanting. The silence made my hairs stand up.

I kept my eyes closed as I lifted my head to the sky, feeling the stars shining down on my face. I felt a cold shudder run all through my body, but there was something incomplete about it. Something restrained. I knew I needed to open my eyes.

"Adelaide, no!" David's yell made me instinctively open my eyes. I didn't even realize it. Then I felt the stars blind me as they washed over me, securing me at Camp Starlight.

Adelaide is awesome. I tried hard to make her a competent protagonist, and she's Native American, for added diversity. Really, this book has more diversity than almost every original Goosebumps book. Native American main characters, two black characters, and an Asian character.