Chapter Four: Stranded

(Hackett's Quarry Forever, Part 4)

***

Hayden leaned against one of the pillars supporting the lodge, Sarah next to her while Allison stood next to Kaitlyn, the girls watching the boys go over the phone battery debacle, a smirk playing across Hayden's lips.

"Don't worry Jacob, I got you," Dylan assured as he walked past Jacob and pulled out his phone. "I got a full tank a' gas so..."

The minute he looked at his phone, his face fell and he said, "Oh, fuck me."

At that, the smirk spread wide over Hayden's face, making an estimated guess that Dylan hadn't thought to leave his phone on airplane mode and now it was dead, as Jacob laughed and taunted, "Ahaha! Oh, idiot."

"Says the one who's phone is also out of juice," Allison sniped as Jacob kept laughing.

"Hear hear," Hayden agreed, still smirking.

"Does nobody own phone chargers anymore?" Kaitlyn questioned.

"I don't think the chargers are the problem—it's Mr. Hackett not letting us have our phones over the summer," Allison pointed out with a sigh.

"Yeah, and it's not like Mr. H would have charged our phones anyway, he has bigger things to worry about," Sarah reminded.

"Eh, and there's no signal out here anyways, dude, okay? This place is like patchy as balls," Jacob added.

"Your balls are patchy?" Dylan questioned sardonically.

Hayden tilted her head up, thumping it against the pillar. "Men."

"What? No!" Jacob instantly denied as Nick let out a laugh. Again, Hayden thumped her head against the pillar as she, Allison, Sarah and Kaitlyn exchanged an eye roll.

Dylan, however, was non-plussed as he shrugged and said, "It's okay. I'll just go get some juice from Mr. H before we go and..."

Hayden wrinkled her nose. "Dylan, do you think before you speak? Seriously, that wording choice..."

"Yeah, uh, ew?" Kaitlyn agreed, face also twisted in disgust.

Dylan winced, as if realising it could have been worded way better as the conversation lapsed into silence. As it did, Hayden pushed off the pillar and moved to stand next to her brother, arms still folded as she tapped her foot while Sarah remained leaning against the pillar and Kaitlyn turned to her phone, Allison leaning against the van as her eyes moved to Nick when he wasn't looking before hurriedly looking away. The moment she did, Hayden caught her brother staring back at Allison.

Hayden rolled her eyes, the romantic tension between them so thick you could cut it with a knife, and if Hayden was being honest, she was kinda getting sick of it. Never in her life did she want to scream at them to just tell each other than she did right now, but Hayden bit her tongue—she refused to push them any farther than she'd had this summer. There was a line.

But she was getting very tempted to break it if it meant ending the tension once and for all.

At that moment, Abi, Emma and Nora appeared, Emma and Abi holding two of the bags. The moment Sarah saw her girlfriend, she beamed and ran up to her, flinging her arms around Nora.

"I missed you, Nor!" she exclaimed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Nora chuckled. "I was gone for a few minutes, babe."

"Still missed you," Sarah replied, smiling as she laced her fingers through Nora's.

Smiling softly at the reunion between the couple, Hayden turned to Emma and Abi as the latter greeted, "Hey Nick!"

"Hey. Where were you guys?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, what took you so long? We've been waiting for you," Allison questioned.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Emma answered, a coy look on her face.

Abi looked heavenward. "Ignore her."

Nora, however, rolled her eyes and said bluntly, "We broke and entered into a locked cabin to get the last of the bags."

Hayden's eyes widened, arms dropping. "Holy shit. You did?"

"Yup. Well, those two did. I was just a bystander," Nora affirmed as Emma hissed, "Shut it, Nora!"

Nora just fired back with a look, but before anything else could happen, Kaitlyn walked forward and said impatiently, "Let's go!"

"Yes, let's," Hayden agreed, clapping her hands, thinking of the plane she and Nick needed to catch in a couple of hours and couldn't miss. In her back pocket, the tickets she'd taken from the carry-on bag left on her seat courtesy of her brother felt heavier.

If they missed the plane...

No. Hayden couldn't think that—couldn't allow herself to think that. It would be fine. Everything would be fine—especially when they finally got on the road and left the camp.

Hayden was pulled out of her worrisome thoughts when Emma leaned down and grabbed the bags, saying, "Just gotta get these bags up into the—"

"Oh, hey, oh, here, let me um... let me get them for you," Jacob interrupted as he stepped up to Emma and grabbed the other bag.

Hayden blinked at Jacob's obvious attempt to restart something that had kindled out and was never lighting again, as Emma said tartly, "I can take care of my own bag. Thank you."

"Wha—are you sure? Cause I mean it's really not that big of a deal—"

"She can take care of her own bag, thank you," Abi cut in.

"We can both take care of our own bag, thank you," Emma responded as she slung the bag over her shoulder and walked to the van.

"Preach," Allison said, a smile of approval on her face.

"Cool," Jacob mumbled, stepping back in defeat. 

As Emma put the bag in the van, somehow finding a spot among all the others densely packed inside courtesy of Kaitlyn's packing skills, Hayden spied out of the corner of her eye Nick looking at Allison yet again, a lovesick, pining look on his face as Allison busied herself in her phone, brow scrunched in anxiety over the fact they had no signal here. Given how much Allison's studies meant to the blonde, Hayden could bet that not being able to access any wi-fi to receive emails must be killing her—Hayden could certainly sympathise there.

Yet, it also seemed like a good opportunity to gently nudge Nick and Allison together.

Meeting Dylan's eyes and seeing he thought the same too, they nodded in unison before nudging Nick in the side. Her brother immediately turned to them, confusion and annoyance on his face at the nudges. But neither Hayden or Dylan cared as Dylan jerked his head to Allison and Hayden hooked her thumb toward her, mouthing, "Talk to her."

Finally getting the message, Nick looked over to Allison and called out, "Hey, Allison! You, uh, okay?"

Allison's head jerked up sharply, shock in her face before she gave a strained smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure?" Nick pressed, concern washing over his features as he moved closer to her, not fooled by the lie.

"Really, I'm fine, Nick. It's just college and med school. It's no big deal. I can always check when we return to society and decent signal," Allison assured, the smile she sent him more genuine.

Nick frowned, worry and compassion in his face. "Okay. But, if you are stressing over it or anything like that, I'm here, okay? I... I want to make sure you're okay and happy."

"And I appreciate it. I do. But I am fine," Allison replied, before adding, "Though, thanks for the offer, Nick. I... I really appreciate it. That you care enough to worry about me not being happy."

"I'll always care, Allie. You being happy and making you less worried... it's important to me," Nick replied, voice soft and earnest. "And if you get too stressed out, let me know and I'll say or do something stupid to have you smile."

Allison smiled. "Thanks, Nick."

Nick returned it.

At watching the interaction, Hayden and Dylan exchanged knowing smiles. It wasn't much, but it was progress. 

As Nick and Allison smiled and remained standing close to each other, Hayden looked across from her to see Nora and Sarah eye the interaction with knowing smirks and Abi... Abi's smile was more rueful than knowing. And the way she looked at Nick—at Nick and Allison—paired with that smile...

At seeing that, Hayden's smile dropped as the realisation hit her, as countless interactions between Abi and Nick now made sense. Oh. Oh, Abi.

Nora, as if also sensing that, pulled her hand free from Sarah's as she questioned, "Hey Abi, do you want me to help you with that?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah, that'd be great!" Abi said, before frowning. "Thanks!"

"It's no problem," Nora replied as she bent down and picked up the bag and walked over to the van, sliding in the last of their bags in whatever empty space remained. After she did and rejoined Sarah, leaning against her as Sarah wrapped her arm around her shoulders and Allison and Nick moved away from the van with Nick standing by Hayden and Dylan again while Allison moved to Abi's side, that was when Kaitlyn frowned and asked, "Hey, has anyone seen Ryan?"

The question drew Hayden up short as now she frowned and realised they were missing one member of their group—and judging by the others' faces, no one had seen him all day.

Where was Ryan?

"Oh yeah. He's probably off being all brooding and mysterious and alluring somewhere..." Dylan quipped, though the sarcasm fell flat against the big fat crush Dylan had harboured for Ryan over the summer.

"Subtle," Hayden whispered as Dylan shot her a look.

"I'm here."

Everyone turned at the sound of Ryan's voice as he walked up from underneath the lodge, taking Hayden by surprise since she was literally leaning against one of the pillars a few minutes ago. How the hell hadn't she or Sarah noticed him?

"What were you doing under there? Having a little 'me party'?" Kaitlyn questioned him.

"Uh, I was listening to a podcast, actually," Ryan answered.

"Oh, podcast, nice. That's cool," Dylan said.

Hayden looked heavenward. As if he couldn't get more obvious.

"What's it about?" Kaitlyn inquired.

"Whatever it is, it must have been a good one," Sarah observed, Nora nodding in agreement with her girlfriend.

"Yeah, what's it about? Is it about me?" Dylan questioned, a flirtatious tone to his voice.

Scratch that earlier statement Hayden had. That was less obvious than what her best friend said right now.

"You think I was listening to a podcast about you?" Ryan asked.

"Okay, if anyone here had a podcast about them, it'd be me," Kaitlyn stated.

"No arguments there," Allison said.

"Yeah, if there was a podcast called 'How to Look and Smell Like a Butt'," Dylan snarked.

"Oh my God. You are so childish," Kaitlyn scoffed.

"At least I don't look and smell like a butt."

Hayden rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"My magnetic charm and winning personality, of course," Dylan quipped.

"You have charm and personality?" Hayden asked sarcastically, eyes blown wide in feigned innocence.

Before Dylan could snipe back, Ryan interrupted with answering Dylan's and Kaitlyn's earlier questions.

"No, it's a... paranormal podcast. This episode was about this place, weirdly enough. The Hag of Hackett's Quarry."

At the words, Hayden felt a chill shiver up her spine as Kaitlyn asked, "The who of the whatsit where now? What's the Hag of Hackett's Quarry?"

"Yeah, I'm not following here," Allison commented.

"You don't know about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry?" Dylan questioned, in a way Hayden couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"Uh, if I did, would I be asking, dumbass?" Kaitlyn fired back.

"I've heard about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry," Sarah mumbled, looking down as her girlfriend gave her a concerned look.

"Well, I definitely haven't heard of the Hag of Hackett's Quarry. Not from around here, remember?" Hayden piped in, ignoring the chill still skittering over her bones at the name.

Turning to Ryan, Dylan requested, "Tell them about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry." 

"I don't think they want to know about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry," Ryan replied with a grin.

Hayden huffed. "Well now I'm curious enough to know. Tell us non-locals and non-podcast listeners about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry."

"I'm with Hayden on this," Allison agreed, making Hayden look at the shorter girl in surprise—from the short time she'd known Allison, Hayden had picked up the girl didn't like anything related to horror, and often avoided the campfire when Ryan told his ghost stories. But maybe she was just as curious as Hayden was to hear about the Hag of Hackett's Quarry. Besides, if Ryan didn't want to tell them, Hayden could always ask Sarah—she lived in North Kill, she probably heard that story a bunch of times.

"Can we just please stop saying, 'the Hag of Hackett's Quarry'?" Kaitlyn requested in an annoyed tone.

"Why? It's not like she's Bloody Mary," Nora commented dryly, earning a sharp look from Kaitlyn as Dylan huffed out a laugh and Hayden's lips quirked up in a smile.

But that seemed to convince Ryan to tell them, as he said, "It's just this campfire story for the kids. It's, um... There's supposedly an old woman who died in a fire a few years back. She haunts the woods looking for her lost baby boy. There are like reports of whispers, of whatever, and this figure that floats around. You know, textbook ghost stuff. Some people say that if she catches you alone, she'll try to turn you into her son... or kill you or something. I dunno. It's never really been clear. Anyways, Hag of Hackett's Quarry."

"You made that up," Kaitlyn accused after a microsecond of silence passed after the story had been to;d.

"It's right here in the podcast, man," Ryan defended holding his phone up as proof.

"Cool story, bro," Jacob complimented.

"It's true, though—I've heard that story a lot. It's part of the reason why most of the kids in town refuse to go into the woods," Sarah informed. She choked out a nervous laugh. "I mean, I love horror, but that story scares me shitless too. Especially since there was a fire here years ago..."

At the mention of the fire, Nora and Abi threw looks at each other, something exchanged in their gazes that Hayden didn't quite get. Not that she was intent to, because despite the joking words after, Hayden felt a cold shiver crawl across her skin at the ghost story, like the sticky heat of the summer air had transformed into the bite of winter chill, permeating Hayden's skin and needling into her bone and marrow, sliding into her bloodstream. Absentmindedly, Hayden rubbed her arms, trying to ward off the phantom chill—and something else, something that seemed to be lingering longer than the chill the ghost story brought.

Nick, catching the movement, frowned in concern and mouthed, "You okay?"

"Fine," Hayden mouthed back, dropping her hands from her arms and trying to let the warmth of the summer banish the inexplicable chill of the ghost story as Dylan said, "Seriously though, you should've seen the first time he told the story to the kids at the campfire. They were scarred for life."

"I don't blame them. That story's fucking creepy," Allison muttered.

"I mean, not for life," Ryan defended, as Allison gave him a disbelieving look.

"You got to be careful with this stuff, man. That shit's true, like Sarah said," Dylan warned, a sarcastic grin on his face at odds with the concerned look he sent Hayden's way—like Nick, he'd picked up on how Hayden had been unsettled by the ghost story, and asked the same silent message back to her.

Hayden gave a reassuring smile and thumbs up to let him know she was fine. Besides, it was just a ghost story, and she, Nick and Danny had grown up hearing way worse stories than the Hag of Hackett's Quarry from their mum.

It's not like it was real.

"C'mon. Dude, bullshit!" Jacob exclaimed, skeptical.

Before anyone else could speak, a new voice joined in.

"What's the hold up, Hacketteers?"

As one, they all looked up to see the camp director, Chris Hackett, standing on the balcony, grinning and a cup of coffee in his hand. Hayden looked at the camp director who, while stern, was a genuinely nice guy, and she liked him well enough—especially when, after confessing to Mr. Hackett a few weeks into being a counsellor she was feeling homesick, he assured her it was okay and that, if she and Nick wanted to head home early, he'd personally pay for their tickets back home. Hayden had never took up on that offer since she wasn't that homesick and she was certain Nick wasn't either, but she appreciated the gesture. That had her like the camp director even more.

Now, he was here to say one last goodbye—and probably make sure they were leaving so he could close up the camp.

"Heya. Yeah, uh, nearly done, Mr. H!" Jacob informed.

"We'll be out of your hair in a couple of minutes!" Hayden called up as she now rested her hands against her hips.

"Well, hop to it. Get those butts in gear," Mr. Hackett told them.

'Sorry, Mr. H! We had to liberate some luggage," Emma said.

"Shut up!" Abi hissed, worry and panic flaring across her face.

Nora just rolled her eyes and muttered, "So much for having him think it was bears."

"Maybe if somebody didn't spend so much time trying to impress the ladies with all his ghost stories," Kaitlyn said pointedly.

"You asked!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Ghost stories?" Mr. Hackett questioned.

"The Hag of Hackett's Quarry," Dylan answered, and Kaitlyn groaned in annoyance.

Mr. Hackett huffed, but something flickered across his face before disappearing. Hayden frowned, catching it.

What was that about?

"Hey, you still have the van key, Mr. H?" Kaitlyn questioned.

"Why yes I do!" Mr. Hackett answered, before checking his pockets and finding nothing. "You know, I'd lose my head if it wasn't stuck on! Back to the office I go."

As he moved to the lodge, he asked, "Give me a hand, would ya, Ryan?"

"Oh, okay," Ryan said as he moved to the stairs—at the same time Dylan did as well and he said, "Yo, Mr. H."

"What's up, DJ Dylan?" Mr. Hackett asked.

"Any chance I can get a little charge? I wanna have some tunes for the road," Dylan questioned, phone out to demonstrate.

"Ah, no can do," Mr. Hackett answered, an apologetic smile on his face.

Should have guessed, Hayden thought as Dylan said, "Cool, cool, yeah. No worries."

Hayden gave him a sympathetic pat on the back as Mr. Hackett said, "Good man."

"Uh, no big deal. You can share my ear buds," Ryan offered.

Hayden felt like her jaw was about to drop as a myriad of emotions crossed her best friend's face—shock, surprise, and hope, the hope lingering in a smile as he turned and walked back to the others.

Hayden joined him, her shock morphing into a grin as she looked at Dylan and whispered, "You know how we told Nick about missing opportunities? That's a pretty big opportunity right there, Dylan. You'd be insane not to take it."

"Yeah, I know, Hay," Dylan muttered, before he cast her a hopeful, unsure look. "You think he meant it?"

"Uh, duh. He absolutely did, Dyl. You have to be absolutely blind or as oblivious as my brother to miss that he did," Hayden commented dryly, before she smiled. "Seriously, though, take it. I mean, sharing ear buds sounds really romantic."

Dylan scoffed, playfully nudging her aside, but the hope was on his face, and Hayden felt hope too, especially as she noticed Allison and Nick were standing close together.

Maybe romance was still in the cards for them.

***

After several minutes, Ryan and Mr. Hackett returned, van keys in hand.

Hayden smiled. Finally. They could leave and head back home and, with luck on hers and Nick's side, they'd have plenty of time to catch their plane. And Hayden was confident in that they all wouldn't lose contact; while they were waiting, they'd all taken the opportunity to exchange numbers, as that was one of the only things their battery-depleted phones would allow, and it left Hayden a spark of hope they wouldn't lose contact and, with the hopeful look in Nick's face when Allison gave him her number with a blush and averted eyes, the romance slowly blossoming between Nick and Allison could be maintained. The only number she didn't have was Ryan's, but Hayden could always ask for his number when they were on the road.

Still, she couldn't wait to get on the road and be on that plane and land back home. And, at the look on Nick's face, he felt the same way.

It was time to go back home.

As Ryan walked down the stairs, Dylan seemed to have an epiphany as he questioned, "Wait, how did you get your phone back before the rest of us?"

The question slammed into Hayden. Shit, she hadn't even realised that. How did Ryan get his phone back before they did in the phone liberation?

"It's cos' I never turned it in," Ryan revealed.

Hayden's eyes widened, before she muttered, "Okay, that was clever."

"And risky," Allison commented, but she sounded impressed as well as she muttered, "Should have thought of that as well."

"I think we all do, Allison," Sarah responded.

Hayden shook her head, cursing herself for not thinking of that, as she looked at Dylan and Mr. Hackett, who advised him, "You should'a turned it off before you handed it in, Dylan. Them's the rules, ya noob."

Hayden didn't even know how to react to Mr. Hackett using slang like that as he walked past and gave Jacob the keys.

"I try not to dwell on the past, man," Dylan responded, defending his choices that lead to his phone being low on charge.

"And yet you still have a half-dead phone," Nora pointed out.

"Thanks for the reminder, Nora," Dylan returned flatly.

"My pleasure."

"Good, cause it's time to dwell on the minivan and get on with our respective lives," Mr. Hackett replied, gesturing to Jacob as he got into the van. "Move it, let's go."

But the minute Jacob was in and started the van, a stuttering noise came as smoke billowed out. Hayden frowned, confusion rearing up in her.

What the hell?

"What's the problem?" Mr. Hackett asked.

"Ugh! Dude, I don't know. I-I think there's something wrong with the engine, Mr. H," Jacob answered, turning the key and inciting that noise again.

Hayden's eyes bugged open, a spike of panic now replacing the confusion as Allison muttered, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I can see that," Mr. Hackett responded irritably.

"Yeah dude, it's like, kaput," Jacob said when the noise died down.

"Alright lemme try," Ryan offered.

"What? Dude, I'm telling you, alright, it's busted," Jacob insisted.

"Well, maybe you're doing it wrong," Ryan said.

"Well, maybe you're doing it wrong," Jacob mimicked.

"The fuck, dude?"

"Oh my God, can someone start the bloody van so we can leave?" Hayden demanded, panic eroding her patience.

"Alright, enough! Enough, both of you!" Mr. Hackett reprimanded. A pause, before the camp director said to Jacob, "Shit. Come on, come on, let's go."

"Alright dude, chill! Chill, dude," Jacob exclaimed as he obeyed Mr. Hackett's order, getting out as he took Jacob's place behind the wheel. As he did, Hayden exchanged a nervous look with Abi as Sarah muttered, "What the fuck happened to the van?"

"Yeah, I thought it was working fine earlier," Allison said.

"So did I," Kaitlyn murmured, eyebrows drawn together in puzzlement right as the same, stuttering noise came back.

That noise matched Hayden's heartbeat, stuttering with panic over what this could mean. If the van wasn't working, if they couldn't fix it soon...

Then she and Nick would miss their flight. They would be stuck here until Hayden could get a good Internet connection and rebook new plane tickets for Australia as early as possible—and given how terrible the signal was in the middle of the woods, the hopes of that happening were frighteningly low.

Fuck.

"Dammit!" Mr. Hackett cursed, frustration bleeding into his tone. "I thought I told you kids to check everything!"

"We did! It should be working," Kaitlyn answered.

"It was working fine earlier this morning, Mr. H. We don't know why it's stopped working now," Sarah explained, her voice nervous as Hayden distantly remembered that this man was even more of a father figure to her since she'd been coming here since she was a camper. Not that Hayden particularly cared as much as she normally would right now, since her mind was consumed with panic.

"Yeah, well, coulda and shoulda doesn't mean it is, does it?" Mr. Hackett snapped. "Dammit!"

As the stuttering noise came back to life, they were all silent, processing the van not working in different ways. Hayden looked at Nick, who didn't look nearly half as panicked as Hayden felt about what the van not working meant for them, the dark-haired girl just trying to focus on breathing as her heart spasmed inside her chest. Outside of her sphere of panic,  Nick  had noticed, moving toward Hayden and wrapping his arms around his sister, trying to hide his own panic and not make Hayden's worse.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. It'll probably get fixed soon," he murmured, and while Hayden didn't entirely believe him, the words eased some of the tightness constricting her chest and the fluctuation of her heart as did the tight, comforting embrace of her brother as he started humming a song in her ear. A song they made up when they were kids and sung to each other whenever one of them was hurt or about to panic and spiral, the nonsense lyrics and tune both grounding and comforting at once.

By the time Mr. Hackett had gotten out of the car and stalked up to them, Hayden's panic had died down enough for her to process everything and not immediately spiral. Pulling out of Nick's embrace, she gave him a smile and a squeeze of his fingers—another thing of comfort between them, harkening back to when they used to hold each other's fingers when they were babies according to their mum—to show she was both okay and that she was grateful for what he did, Nick giving a quick squeeze back as Hayden faced Mr. Hackett, his face grave.

The expression had the panic flare up, but Hayden battled it away. She couldn't spiral, not right now.

"Okay, Okay," he breathed, and amid the graveness of his face, panic was also there. Panic that had Hayden's earlier confusion rise up.

"Well, uh. Look it's not that big of a deal, okay. We'll just spend one more night here," Jacob said.

Hayden gaped at him. She couldn't believe he said that. To him, yeah, it wasn't that big of a deal, but to her and Nick, it was massive. They lived on the other side of the world—they had a freaking plane to catch! No, scratch that, planes. Planes that would take between one to two days overall until they were back home! And with this crappy signal, neither Hayden or Nick could just magically re-book their tickets for a plane tomorrow, much less call their family to let them know and not have them freak out! They needed to get on that plane before it left today!

In short, unless they could get the van fixed, Hayden and Nick... they were screwed.

"No, no! Just stop. Let me think," Mr. Hackett yelled, frustration and that panic snapping Hayden out of her thoughts. He sighed and marched back over to the van, opening the hood before slamming it down with a yell, startling Hayden and when she looked at Sarah, Nora, Dylan and Ryan—the people who'd been coming here since they were campers and arguably knew Mr. Hackett the longest—they were just as shocked as Hayden at seeing Mr. Hackett uncharacteristically lose his cool like that.

What's going on with him?

After a second of cooling off, Mr. Hackett said, "Okay. Dammit. You're right. You're right, yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"What?" Ryan asked as everyone else looked visibly puzzled by the string of words, but Hayden was feeling nauseous dread rise up in her instead.

"You're right," Mr. Hackett muttered, before he tossed the van keys to Ryan and walked over to his ute. "Hey Ryan. Come here for a sec."

Ryan did, and as Mr. Hackett got into the car and Ryan stood by the window while the director talked to him, Hayden was looking down as she whispered, "This isn't happening. This can't be happening."

But it was. The van was busted, and it wasn't going to be easily fixed tonight. They were stuck here for tonight—she and Nick were stuck here for tonight and for the foreseeable future until they could re-book new tickets.

Fuck fuck fuck FUCK!

Trying to curb the panic threatening to overwhelm, Hayden heard Mr. Hackett tell Ryan, "Make sure that everybody is inside the lodge for tonight. Lock the doors. No one in, no one out. No one. Got it?"

"Okay?" Ryan responded.

"I'll be back first thing in the morning, and we'll get you all on the road," Mr. Hackett informed as Hayden's eyes widened and her heart stuttered inside her chest.

No no no NO!

"Wait, Mr. Hackett! Me and Nick—we can't stay here for one more night," Hayden interjected as she walked up to the car, voice rising an octave higher in panic. "We have a plane to catch that's gonna leave soon. Can you take us to the airport or—"

"I'm sorry, Hayden. I really am. But I can't. Not tonight," Mr. Hackett cut in, remorse in his voice.

Hayden halted, the words frozen in her throat. "O-oh."

Stumbling back, Hayden barely heard Mr. Hackett telling Ryan to promise him in keeping them all inside tonight and Ryan promising it, the roar of the truck's engine and Mr. Hackett's shouted, "Lock the doors! And for God's sake keep the noise down!" as he drove past them and away from Hackett's Quarry Summer Camp, leaving them behind with a defunct van and now-useless plane tickets weighing heavily in Hayden's pocket. Leaving them stuck here until the next morning.

The minute he was gone, taking any chance he could have driven her and Nick to the airport and they could have made the plane in time with him, Hayden's heart plummeted as she bit back a frustrated scream

Fuck!

"So... what was that about?" Dylan questioned Ryan as Hayden swallowed back her panic, her frustration, breathing in and out shallowly.

"He, uh, said to stay inside. That we're not leaving until the morning," Ryan answering, revealing it to all of them.

"Wait, seriously?" Allison questioned, as Nora scoffed in disbelief.

"Are... you kidding me?" Emma said, frustration in her tone.

"Em..." Jacob said in a sing-song tone, grinning.

"Are you kidding me?! What are we supposed to do?" Emma demanded.

At that, the last threads of Hayden's patience that were worn by her panic and mounting frustration snapped.

"At least you live in the same continent, Emma!" Hayden exploded, whirling on the girl.

"Hayden..." Nick started as Jacob turned on her and said, "Whoa, hey, don't snap at Emma, okay? This isn't a big deal."

"A big deal? A big deal?" Hayden repeated shrilly, fury boiling over like a volcano. "Jacob, it's a massive deal! Me and Nick don't live here, remember? We came halfway across the fucking world to be camp counsellors! We had a fucking plane to catch today to get back home that's probably long gone by now! We're stuck here, with no backup plan, no chance of rebooking tickets or getting to the airport, no one we can stay with until we can go back home, no nothing! Not to mention our folks are probably freaking the fuck out and thinking me and Nick have been axe-murdered or mauled to death by some wild animal or something! We have no way to contact them and no way to leave! If you think, for one fucking second, us being stuck here is just a minor inconvenience, then I am going to—HEY!"

Hayden glared furiously at Nick and Dylan pulling her back away from Jacob, who looked terrified—she hadn't even registered she'd gotten that close to him.

"Okay, Hayden, I think he gets it!" Nick yelled as she thrashed in his and Dylan's grip—which was hard, considering she wasn't that much shorter than them.

Hayden just glared furiously at Nick until she managed to pull free, turning on him as she said, "We're supposed to be on a plane for home right now, and now we're stuck here without any chance we might be. Why aren't you as panicked and angry as I am?"

"I am. But we can't change it, Hayden. The van broke down. There's nothing we can do to change it," Nick replied, and Hayden could hear the frustration and resignation, that because of the stupid van not working they couldn't go home. They had to stay in America for who knows how long until they could book another flight. But her brother had accepted it, that despite his frustration, he was resigned to the fact there was nothing they could have done, no way they could have magically fixed the van and made the plane. To the faint hope re-booking another flight would be quicker than what they expected it to be.

That cooled off some of Hayden's anger as the frustration and rage bled out and she slumped, hands resting on her hips as she sighed heavily, forcing herself to accept that reality just like Nick had.

"Okay, okay," Hayden muttered, consoling herself with the idea that, first thing in the morning, she could re-book new tickets using the credit card Hayden had in her wallet in her carry-on their mum had given her and Nick for any emergencies before they'd left two months ago—and this definitely counted as an emergency.

Turning to Emma, she apologised, "Sorry for snapping on you, Em."

"It's fine. Compared to you and Nick being stuck here... my frustration sounds stupid," Emma replied, giving Hayden a smile. Hayden tentatively returned.

"But seriously, what are we supposed to do? We're stuck here until tomorrow," Allison inquired.

"I would say we'd all go to my parents' house and crash there for the night, but I didn't bring my car and my phone's dead. Even if it was charged, I doubt I'd have enough signal to call them," Sarah said, wincing. "Sorry."

They all silently accepted the apology, knowing that, just like the van and plane situation, it was out of her hands as Ryan suggested, "Well, we should go inside. Like he said."

"We could go inside. Until morning," Dylan agreed.

"Yeah."

"Or," Dylan continued, a smirk and devious gleam in his eyes that Hayden had come to know well appearing on his face. "Or we could do something else."

"What are you talking about, Dylan?" Nora questioned, looking at him with a frown while Hayden looked at him in shock.

He seriously couldn't be suggesting that.

Ryan, who'd caught on as easily as Hayden did, immediately refuted, "No, no, no. No. No. No. No. We should really listen to what Chris told us to do."

"Of course," Jacob groaned.

"I second that—he sounded really insistent that we should," Sarah agreed.

"Thirded," Hayden replied.

"Ugh, who cares what Chris told us to do? He's not our boss anymore," Dylan said before turning to the rest of them and continuing, "P. A. R. T... Why the fuck not? Alright, it seems like the stars have aligned for us. No?"

"Okay, okay, okay..." Kaitlyn said, grinning.

"One last epic bonfire blowout for all time," Dylan finished off.

"Okay, that does sound pretty fun," Sarah admitted, turning to Nora with a smile. "And kissing by one last bonfire of the summer sounds nice..."

Nora, who'd looked as unsure as Hayden had felt, smiled. "That sounds pretty nice."

Sarah, grinned.

"Oh, dude. Fuck yes! I'm in. Nick, you're in," Jacob eagerly said, pointing to Nick.

"Yeah, I'm in," her brother agreed easily as Hayden shot him a look.

"Dylan's in. Obviously. My man. Sarah and Nora are in. Kaitlyn?"

At the question, Kaitlyn raised her hands and said, "I go where my people need me."

"Yeah! Okay, Em, what do you say?" Jacob asked, most eager to hear her answer out of them all.

"Mmm... yeah, I'm in," Emma answered, grinning.

"Allison?" Jacob asked the blonde.

Allison frowned, as if weighing it up before shrugging. "Sure. Sounds pretty fun."

As she said it, her eyes drifted to Nick as he looked at her, before both looked away and tried to pretend they hadn't stared at each other—like, for a moment, they thought about what the bonfire could mean for them. What it might mean for their feelings hidden inside them.

"Hayden?" Dylan asked before Jacob could, turning to her with a grin. "What do you say? One last bonfire of the summer?"

Hayden frowned, biting her lip, her mind torn. On one hand, it seemed like a pretty good idea for them to listen to what Mr. Hackett said and stay in the lodge—especially if that could mean a chance at finding some signal and booking flights early tomorrow. On the other hand...

Hayden sighed, before she grinned. "Sure. Why not? One last bonfire couldn't hurt, right?"

Dylan grinned wider as Jacob eagerly yelled, "Oh, awesome! Both Furcillos are in!"

"I'm now regretting agreeing to this," Hayden deadpanned, but her grin was still on her face.

"Mr. Hackett seemed pretty insistent we stay in the lodge," Abi said, still sounding unsure.

"He was just trying to freak us out. You know, like um... like one of Ryan's stupid ghost stories," Jacob argued.

"Why would he want to scare us?" Abi pressed.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Abi here. No way would he have told us that if it was to do that," Nora agreed.

"I'm sure he's just looking out for us. No big deal," Ryan said reassuringly.

"He also looked pretty panicked earlier," Hayden added in, frowning. "Like, really panicked. Why the hell would he look like that if it was just to scare us into staying inside the lodge?"

Ryan nodded. "Like I said, looking out for us. No big deal."

At his answer, Dylan grinned and yelled, "Alright. Yeah! Party!"

"No, I didn't mean—" Ryan tried to explain, but it was too late for that. 

Turning to Ryan, Dylan held up his hand and said, "High five. Touch my hand, Ryan."

Ryan hesitated before he moved to high-five Dylan as he reluctantly said, "Fine."

"Yes!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Yes!" Dylan yelled as they high-fived.

"But I just want to go on record and say that this is a bad idea," Ryan added on.

"Oh my God, dude," Jacob muttered.

"Ugh," Kaitlyn murmured.

"Ugh," Dylan dramatically groaned, hunching over as he did.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Ryan. One last bonfire won't kill us," Hayden assured, smiling at him while sending a sharp look at Dylan as he straightened up.

Ryan gave Hayden an appreciative look as Dylan turned to him and reassured, "It's gonna be fine, man, like Hay said. Trust me. It's gonna be chill."

Ryan looked at Dylan, giving him an appreciative smile, as Hayden moved out of the way, smiling to herself at the interaction between her best friend and his crush.

"Alright, alright, alright, Hacketteers! Party planning committee. Let's do this!" Jacob exclaimed, having everyone turn to him. "Um, okay. First things first. Nick, Allison, Hayden, Abi... you go get some firewood. Uh... Emma and I will go to the stores for some supplies. Nora and Sarah, you two go and see if you can find anything. And, uh, Dylan, you just... I don't know, figure out how to charge the phones or something. Alright, let's do this!"

With that, they all split up to do their respective tasks, but before she could join her brother, Allison and Abi, Sarah grabbed hold of Hayden's arm and murmured, "Hey, Hayden, if you and Nick need a place to crash while trying to get another flight, you can crash at mine. I mean, I still have a couple of days before I need to be back at Cornell, and I can drive you guys to the airport on my way back."

Hayden blinked, stunned at the kind offer, before she smiled. "Thanks, Sarah. If I'm being honest, I had no idea what me and Nick were going to do or where we'd be staying at if we missed our flight. Your parents won't mind if we stayed a couple nights until we can get another flight to Australia?"

Sarah shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. And it's no problem. You and Nick are my friends, and I always want to help my friends out if they need it."

Hayden smiled. her heart aching with gratitude and relief and love for the amazing human being that Sarah Coleman was as she hugged her.

"You're awesome, Sarah," she whispered as she pulled back.

Sarah grinned at her. "Thanks."

Sending another smile back, Hayden jogged up to her waiting brother and friends as Nick walked up to her and questioned, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's great," Hayden said, turning to her brother. "Sarah offered for us to stay at hers until we can book a new flight back home."

"Wait seriously?" Nick said, and at Hayden's nod, he let out a relieved laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh man. That's awesome—she's awesome. Hayds, remind me to hug and thank her at the bonfire."

"Of course," Hayden said, smiling at her brother as they turned back to Abi and Allison and joined them in heading into the woods.

And as Hayden, Allison, Nick and Abi walked through the woods to collect firewood, Hayden wondered if maybe this wasn't an bad idea—especially since she expected they'd probably be in the lodge a few hours after the bonfire anyway. Not to mention, it would definitely have Hayden forget about the frustration of her and Nick not making their flight for a little while before she needed to worry about that again. And as she looked at Allison and Nick, looking at each other with shy smiles before glancing away, this bonfire—hell, maybe even this task—could be the final push for them to admit their true feelings for each other.

Sure, they weren't doing as Mr. Hackett said, but it was just a bonfire.

One bonfire to celebrate their last night of summer couldn't really hurt them that much.

Right?

***

Oh, Hayden, you have no idea...

Yeah, I altered the Nick and Abi scene to be a Nick and Allison scene, and have Nora help Abi with the bag instead. And there are definitely sparks flying between Nick and Allison :3

And we finally have Ryan!! I really like Ryan and I'm so glad to have him here finally!! Also, I'm with Hayden—that story sounds REALLY creepy. Especially since it is true... (and, of course, Sarah would have heard it since she's a local and also know about the fire and piquing Abi's and Nora's interest after the headline)

And Chris Hackett... I'm impartial to Chris, but I feel like he would be like a father figure to the counsellors (even though he is mostly one to Ryan) and would comfort Hayden over her homesickness and offer that choice. Wanted to show that a little bit before the whole werewolf transformation...

And the van. Listen, if I was in Nick's shoes, I would be panicking and PISSED about the van breaking down, since that would mean missing my flight and leaving me stuck in America with no plan B until I can book another flight, so Hayden is kinda my stand-in for that and how Nick should have probably reacted (her blowing up at Jacob was really cathartic to write) and write him being panicked and frustrated, but resigned to that there was nothing they could do, which I personally think was how he felt in the game (but if Hayden had learned that Jacob was the reason they were stuck here and had her and Nick miss their flight BEFORE the shit with the werewolves even started, she'd be FUMING and tear him to shreds) But we have Sarah, offering for them to stay at hers until they can figure it out. We love her for that 🥺

Also, I'm really loving writing Nick and Hayden's sibling relationship along with Dylan's and Hayden's friendship, especially since I think Nick would be a really good brother 🥺 I'm enjoying writing it as much as I can (along with Nick and Allison) since it's gonna HURT when Nick turns (same with Sarah and Nora)

But yeah, the party's happening! And while Hayden was hesitant, she's agreeing to the party because she thinks nothing harmful could happen. Little did she know...

Next chapter should be soon!

Please read, comment and vote!