The morning sun spilled through the glass walls of the resort restaurant, soft and golden. Some Students from all sections were gathering for breakfast, voices overlapping in a cheerful buzz.
Flora sat quietly with her roommates, stirring her orange juice without tasting it. Her eyes kept drifting toward, where the forest swayed gently under the wind today's game field.
Just as she was finishing her toast, Liam appeared beside her table. His tall frame cast a faint shadow on her plate.
"Why didn't you pick up my call?" he asked, voice casual but carrying a note of concern. "I waited for you at breakfast."
Flora blinked up at him. "Ah, sorry. My phone's acting up again. I left it in the room."
Liam studied her for a moment longer than necessary, the kind of gaze that could read lies even if they were wrapped in calm words.
"You should still keep it with you, in case of emergency"
Flora nodded with a small, forced smile. "Yeah… I will."
But in truth, she had no intention of bringing that phone with her.
---
Flashback — The Previous Night
After Shane had left the balcony last night, the air had turned oddly still. Flora stood by the railing, moonlight falling across her face, and the faint hum of the night pressed close around her.
When she finally got on bed and reached for her phone, she noticed something she hadn't open before — an unread message, sent days ago.
"You looked beautiful today."
Her breath hitched. The message had somehow gone unnoticed, buried beneath others. But below it, another notification blinked new, recent.
It wasn't a message, just a picture of the moon. No caption. No sender name displayed, only the familiar masked ID she could never trace.
A chill crawled down her spine. She turned the phone over, staring at the dark screen as if it were staring back. That night, she set it on her desk, screen-down, and left it there, like something that could watch her if she wasn't careful.
Back to Present
A sharp whistle cut through the cafeteria.
"All students, gather in the main hallway!" one of the teachers called out.
Flora rose with the others, her nerves buzzing slightly. Liam walked beside her, calm as ever.
In the hallway, all four sections A, B, C, and D stood together for the first time since arriving at the resort. Teachers and staff waited near the front with papers, maps, and sealed envelopes.
The head teacher smiled, clapping her hands once. "Good morning, everyone! Today's activity is a Treasure Hunt — and this time, it's across all sections."
Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"You'll form mixed teams of five,total 24 groups. The goal is simple: find as many treasures as you can before sunset. We've hidden many real treasures somewhere in the forest near the resort. Each will have clues or riddles attached. Work together, and you might just open them all."
Someone from Section B shouted, "Are there fake ones too?"
The teacher grinned. "Maybe. But that's for you to find out."
Laughter broke out. Then came the final instruction every team would receive one map and a starting clue.
Names were drawn at random. When the teacher read Flora's group, her stomach tightened a little.
"Group Three — Flora, Liam, Suzain, Tessa, and Rhea."
Flora turned, recognizing Suzain her classmate,Grace's friend, the same girl who had mocked her weeks ago.
Suzain crossed her arms, her glossy lips curling in a faint smirk. "Oh, lucky me," she muttered.
Flora forced herself not to react.
Tessa and Rhea, from other sections, seemed cheerful enough, waving shyly as they joined. Liam offered a polite nod to everyone.
"Let's try to keep up," Suzain said, immediately taking the map from the teacher's hand as if she were the leader went off ahead.
Before they could move, another familiar voice drew Flora's attention.
---
"Flora."
It was Shane, walking over with a clipboard tucked under his arm. He wasn't wearing the activity vest like the others — instead, he had a black staff lanyard around his neck.
"I'm helping the teachers today," he said. His tone was casual, but his eyes briefly softened when they met hers.
Beside him stood a boy with an easy grin. "And this is Kevin," Shane added. "He's not the brightest, but… he's loud enough to distract bears, if needed."
Kevin laughed. "That's harsh, dude.
Flora blinked as Shane said, She'll be in the forest too. Try not to cause explosions near her."
Kevin mock-saluted. "Got it, boss." Then, to Flora, he added with a wink, "You've got the calmest teammate here, lucky you."
A teasing glint flickered in Shane's eyes. "Don't get distracted," he said quietly. "And… take care of yourself."
Flora nodded, her heartbeat betraying her calm expression.
Before Flora could reply, the whistle blew.
Students cheered, sprinting toward the forest trail.
And as Flora adjusted her mindset and followed her team into the trees, a single thought crossed her mind.
If someone really is watching me… I hope they can't follow me there.