Chapter 17: Midnight stroll

July 2 2024

12:00 am

It was the dead of night as the clocks struck twelve. Everyone was asleep in the Panthers' girls cabin except for one. A frantic Millie sobbed in her bed, nervously playing with her hands. Her thoughts kept her up as she tossed and turned in frustration, unable to make a final decision. Should she tell Priya? Surely she must. Who else could she talk to? Priya had always been there for her, a good listener she was. She would understand how Millie felt right now, alone and helpless. Priya had always been good to her, even when she didn't deserve it…

Millie curled up into a ball and whimpered. She missed her old best friend. Priya had been so good to her last year but now that she was on the opposite team, Millie felt like a piece of her had broken off.

Sometimes, she even felt their friendship was barely hanging on by the thinnest of threads since Priya seemed to be talking more with Caleb, Damien and Emma. Even though she still met Priya at mealtimes and leisure hours, Priya's absence in the cabins always made the darkness feel ten times more looming and frightening. It didn't exactly help that there was a thunderstorm going on right now.

Every night, Millie drowned in overwhelming thoughts of how the other three girls on her team were getting along so well and that they were definitely in an alliance. She had seen the way Axel, Nichelle and Julia always hung out like how Priya and her used to. She knew what that meant. Millie sat upright and took deep breaths.

CRASH!

Lightning flashed across Millie's window. She yelped and hid under her covers shuddering. Her whole body rocked violently as if she was having an epileptic seizure. What was this feeling she was experiencing? Loneliness? Despair? No, it was hopelessness.

"P-P-Priya," Millie whispered into her pillow, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I m-m-miss y-you s-so m-m-much."

CRASH!

Another flash and Millie buried her face deeper into her pillow. But she couldn't go deeper or else she would surely suffocate. I can't give up Millie thought to herself. I need to tell Priya how I'm feeling. I'm going to do it.

Millie kicked her covers off and put on her fluffy pink bunny slippers as well as her periwinkle nightgown. "Time for a midnight stroll Millie," she murmured to herself as she adjusted the buttons on her nightgown. She took three steps before –

CRASH!

Millie cried out, her knee gave way and she collapsed rather awkwardly onto the floor.

Maybe I shouldn't thought Millie. Priya doesn't have time for my breakdowns. She's not my therapist. Millie clenched her teeth as she slowly raised herself up off the floor, one knee bent.

You have to tell her another thought cried out in her head. Millie put both hands to her head, one on either side and shook her head vigorously as if she were trying to get her thoughts out. She was desperate to get them all out! She wanted them OUT. These constantly conflicting thoughts were hurting her head.

"STOP IT!" Millie yelled into the room as thunder rumbled and echoed in the distance. She stopped suddenly and quickly surveyed the room. Axel snored but nobody had woken up. Good.

Go Millie go!

Don't go Millie! Stay! Priya doesn't have time for your shenanigans. She likes Damien more than you now, remember?

Priya will listen to you!

Priya has new friends on her new team. She doesn't really like you.

Priya will always be there for you.

Priya still hates what you wrote about her parents and her. She will never completely forgive you for that.

"She'll a-a-always be there for m-m-me," Millie stammered, clutching her nightgown in a tight fist. This sentence lit a determined fire underneath her and all of a sudden the room did not feel cold and malicious. It felt warm and inviting. But… she couldn't stay in this cabin. She needed to move.

Millie continued walking to the door. Finally, she reached it. She turned the handle and did not look back. She didn't even close the door behind her.

When Millie stepped out into the night, she was suddenly soaked head to toe within the first five seconds. There was something liberating about walking away from her cabin and going to Priya's drenched in torrential rain pour.

Suddenly Millie froze. She had just heard a horrible noise coming from the outhouse confessionals. Though it was hard to hear over the clash of thunder, lightning and rain, Millie swore it sounded like tears. Who else was crying and having a breakdown at midnight? she wondered. Should she go check?...

No, she told herself firmly. You went to see Priya.

A minute later, Millie had arrived at Priya's cabin. Unfortunately, the doors were locked and could only be opened from inside.

"Of course. Standard summer camp safety procedures. Keep all doors locked to prevent escaped psycho killers with chainsaws on the loose from breaking in and killing you in your sleep. Well, isn't this just wonderful?" Millie rolled her eyes in annoyance. Should she go back?

"No…" Millie said. "I can't go back, I've come too far and it can't wait!" She looked around and hesitated. There was a chimney up top but Millie had never been the most athletic. For some reason, in her head she saw a floating book. Priya had actually given her a training manual after their first season but Millie had never opened it. It just lay on her bookshelf, collecting dust.

"Yeah, I probably should have read that training manual. It would have told me everything I would need to know about climbing oddly shaped chimneys," Millie conceded. She peeked through the front window. As luck would have it, Priya's bed was at the far end. And… there was a window right next to her bed!

"Yes!" Millie exclaimed jovially. Millie climbed down the cabin steps and circled around to the side of the cabins where she knew Priya was. And she saw the window…slightly above her reach.

"Come ON!" Millie pouted. Why was life so unfair?

"OK… Priya wouldn't quit," Millie instructed herself. "What did she always say? Get resourceful!"

Millie squinted her eyes as she desperately looked around her for something, anything that could make her taller and get to the window. And then… she saw it! A few feet ahead of her, a nice little stump. That could easily be carried!

Millie lifted the stump off the ground and pushed it until it was directly below Priya's window. The stump now covered the required distance for her so Millie was able to comfortably stand on the stump and use it to reach Priya's window. Millie knocked three times, strumming her wet knuckles on the hard-stained glass.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!