Ezekiel was the last to enter the cafeteria. There were two long tables, one for each team. He grabbed a tray and headed for the counter.
When he saw Chef's face, he tensed instinctively. The man was angry and impatient. Something… brown had landed on his tray. It looked like meat. Maybe. There was a hair in it.
Ezekiel swallowed the question that had stuck in his throat.
Don't make enemies. Not yet. Especially not with Chef.
Then he looked around the tables and saw two people sitting together…
Ezekiel stood there for a moment, holding the tray. The brown, suspicious food slid slowly across it, as if it were still moving. He didn't look at it for long.
His gaze drifted toward one of the tables instead.
DJ and Courtney sat across from each other.
DJ was leaning forward slightly, his large hands wrapped around his fork, as if he were afraid the food would attack him at any moment. Courtney sat next to him, her back straight, her napkin carefully spread across her lap. She was clearly trying not to look at her plate with disgust—more or less successfully.
Ezekiel hesitated.
They're… normal.
They're not loud. They're not mocking. They don't look at me like I'm weird.
He took a step toward them. Then he stopped.
Don't push. Don't ruin it. Don't be the guy everyone regrets or or don't care if he exists.
DJ was the first to notice.
"Hey… Zeke, right?" "You're welcome to sit here if you want."
Courtney looked up. She gave Ezekiel a quick glance—not judgmental, more analytical. Then she nodded.
"Yeah. It makes sense for the team to eat together," she said. "Anyway, there's still room here."
That was it. Not too much. Not too little.
Ezekiel slowly walked over and sat down across from them.
"Thanks…" he said quietly. "I didn't mean to… bother you, eh."
"You're not bothering me," DJ shook his head.
"It's… better this way. This whole place is a little oppressive all by myself."
Ezekiel nodded. There was nothing he could add.
Courtney put down her fork.
"Were you really homeschooled your whole life?" she asked, not intrusively, but with genuine curiosity.
"Yes," Zeke replied. "My mom and dad… took really good care of me. Maybe too much.
"That explains a few things," Courtney said, then quickly added, "Not in a bad way."
Ezekiel was surprised. He didn't take offense.
DJ poked at his food nervously.
"I… don't like it when people yell," he admitted quietly. "Or when they hurt other people. I hope there aren't too many of those around here."
Ezekiel tensed for a moment.
If you only knew… he thought, but didn't say it.
"I think… if we stick together, it'll be better," he finally said.
Courtney smiled faintly.
"This isn't the safest place," she said. "But if you have a group that follows certain principles… then you don't have to condone everything."
Ezekiel looked up at her.
"Principles?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "We don't make fun of each other. We don't let anyone get trampled. And we don't keep quiet when something is clearly wrong."
The sentence struck Ezekiel.
We're not listening.
He saw himself again for a moment. In a different time. With different choices. With different consequences.
"I agree," he said finally. "I want to… do it right."
DJ smiled. "Then you're on good team."
Ezekiel looked down at his plate. The food was still disgusting. But for the first time… he didn't feel alone.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
Chris entered the cafeteria, a big smile on his face. Ezekiel automatically looked up from his tray, curious to see what he might want next.
"Hello, campers! I hope everyone is enjoying their first meal… because it might be their last," he said cheerfully. "Since the first challenge is about to begin. I mean… now. Right now."
No one was really taking it seriously. Not even Ezekiel. Chris seemed too casual to be a real problem.
"Okay, and what exactly is the first challenge?" Duncan asked in a bored tone.
Chris smiled, as if he had been waiting for this.
"I'm glad you asked. Today, you're going to have to jump off a certain point… and your goal is to get to the finish line. The more campers who complete it, the better chance his team has of winning the challenge."
DJ grinned.
"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad. I used to jump in the pool all the time at home. What's the worst that could happen?"
An hour later…
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH"
Ezekiel flinched at DJ's scream, but he didn't blame him.
They were standing on a thirty-meter cliff. The ocean spread out below them, dark blue and restless. A huge system of buoys was outlined on the surface of the water, forming a large but far from easy-to-hit circle.
This wasn't a pool.
This was something else entirely.
DJ's face went completely pale. Ezekiel understood immediately: height. He had a friend back home who panicked even if he had to climb onto the roof of a barn. But this… this was another level. Another nightmare.
Ezekiel looked around. Everyone was standing in their swimsuits, visibly nervous. At least, almost everyone was.
Eva. She wasn't afraid. In fact—she looked excited. As if she'd been waiting for this exact moment.
"Yes," Chris said, as if he were just talking about the weather. "Your task is to jump off this cliff into the shark-infested ocean. The team with the most members who reach the target wins."
"Wait a minute," Courtney said sharply. "Are you saying we literally have to jump into sharks?"
"Exactly," Chris said. "One hundred percent serious."
Ezekiel's stomach clenched. He glanced to the side and saw Katie and Sadie. They were holding hands.
"No… I'm not jumping without Sadie," Katie said, her voice shaking.
"And I'm not jumping without Katie," Sadie added.
Eva laughed out loud. "Oh, come on! Grow up and figure it out! You're on a separate team, accept it!"
Ezekiel heard her words… but something else was on his mind. Wait. So Katie… could she go over to Sadie's? And if she did… who would take her place? Let Izzy do it like she originally did?
The thought flashed suddenly, unexpectedly.
But maybe I could switch places with Katie.
His heart pounded.
I could help. But… should I interfere? Or should I just wait for Izzy to do it?
Ezekiel patted his head.
This is giving me a headache.
Ezekiel looked around.
No one stepped forward. No one said anything.
The screams, the argument, Eva's mocking voice—it all echoed in his head at once. Then he saw Katie's face. The uncertainty. The fear. The same feeling he knew all too well. Before he could change his mind, he stepped closer.
"Hey… don't worry about it," he said softly. "I'll trade you. You like hanging out with Sadie, right? That… makes sense."
There was a moment of silence.
Then Katie's eyes lit up.
"Really?!" she asked, then without thinking, she hugged Ezekiel.
The boy froze completely.
This… what is this?
He wasn't used to this. Especially not from a girl his age. His arms hung stiff for a moment before he gently hugged her back.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you! You're the best!" Katie blurted out.
He let go, she then ran toward Sadie. The two girls jumped on each other's shoulders, talking excitedly at the same time, as if they were stirring up a small storm.
Ezekiel just watched them for a moment.
Then it was… done.
He slowly walked toward the Screaming Gophers.
The reception was… mixed.
Owen smiled. Beth waved uncertainly. Noah raised an eyebrow. Heather immediately pursed her lips.
Ezekiel glanced back at Killer Bass. DJ was standing there, smiling at him. But the smile was sad.
Ezekiel walked over to him and put his arm around his shoulder for a moment.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"Hey… I get it," DJ replied. "And…You are a good person. "
Then Cody walked over, his eyes sparkling.
"Dude… what you just did was so cool! I mean… doing that for the ladies… that's… that's sick, man!"
Ezekiel scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Um… I just did what I thought was right."
"Wow," Heather said. "Why did the loser have to come here? We could have at least found someone more competent."
"Yeah, sure," Gwen snapped. "As if you'd ever give yourself up for anyone."
Heather turned to her.
"Not that you did."
Chris clapped his hands, grinning with satisfaction. "Oh, I love this! Moral drama, team switching, emotions… but I have to move on with the show."
He pointed to the rock. "Killer Bass, you guys go first!"
Ezekiel looked back at DJ… then down.
I've made my decision.
Now I have to live with it.
DJ stood on the edge of the cliff.
His toes barely overhanging the edge. The water below him was dark and endless. The buoys were small. Too small.
"No… I can't do this," he said quietly, more to himself than to the others.
Eva was already blowing impatiently behind him.
"It's a jump, not a thought!" she growled at him.
DJ's shoulders shook.
Then a voice came from the side.
"DJ."
He turned.
It was Ezekiel. Not in his group. Not standing next to him. Yet there he was.
"Zeke?" DJ was surprised. "You… not even…"
"I know," Ezekiel replied quietly. "But that's not what this is about."
The others fell silent. Even Chris cocked his head to the side, curious.
Ezekiel didn't move closer to the cliff. He didn't push. He didn't shout. "You're not afraid of heights," he said. "But because you… lose control."
DJ swallowed hard.
"I… don't want to die," he whispered.
"Nobody," Zeke said. "But let me ask you something."
DJ looked up at him.
"Is there someone… you would do anything for?"
DJ blinked. The question stopped him.
"Someone more important to you than fear," Ezekiel continued. "Promise you'll be okay."
DJ's lips trembled.
"My mom…" he said quietly.
Ezekiel nodded.
"Then don't look at the rock," he said calmly. "Not the sharks. Not us."
"Imagine jumping for it."
"Not down. But… toward it."
There was silence.
The Screaming Gophers got mixed reactions.
"Dude… that was nice," Owen whispered, moved.
Gwen watched with her arms folded, then nodded.
"This… could really work," she said quietly.
Noah just rolled his eyes. "Psychological self-help on air. Classic."
Heather's face twitched. Her eyes twitched irritated.
"Really? He's suddenly the spiritual counselor now?" she growled.
The Killer Bass members looked at Ezekiel in shock. Courtney exhaled slowly.
"That… was correct," she said, surprised.
Even Eva didn't say anything. She just watched.
DJ closed his eyes.
He took a step forward.
"Mom…" he whispered.
Then he jumped.
The air roared around him.
"YOOOOOO!" Owen shouted.
DJ hit the edge of the target circle, but landed inside.
The water splashed.
Chris laughed. "And THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is the first successful jump!"
Ezekiel slowly exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.
DJ emerged from the water, panting… but smiling.
He looked up at the rock.
And nodded.
Ezekiel nodded back.
This is not my victory.
This is his own victory.