-Monday-

I woke up to the sound of a blaring horn, signaling the awakening of all the girls at Camp Stryder. It was Monday of the second week of camp at Stryder, and everyone was used to rising before sunlight to complete our chores. I rolled out of my bunk, and unhooked the latches on the window, opening it to greet the chilly, crisp June morning on the Olympic peninsula. The sun was starting to rise, and the cloudy, russet sky showed signs of rain. EVeryone at stryder was buzzing with excitement, because our first mixer was scheduled for nine that night. We all intended to look our best, which meant that we had to brave the Death Cross; a long, winding trail carved into the side of our mountain. The cedar fence would do no good if we fell, we all knew, so only two girls would make the trip. On the other side of the mountain, the trading post lay waiting for those two daring girls to get their dresses, makeup, and other things. I was, as usual, the one to go, along with Maddie, who was from my school. We wanted the best dresses, so we sacrificed our time and dry clothes to brave the perilous trail that would lead us to the trading post. I shrugged on my long, black coat as we set off to the dining hall, where we would eat with the rest of the camp before setting off to the woods. I scarfed down some hot oatmeal before heading out, satchel in hand, to face the unknown.
We left at around ten in the morning, and, waving goodbye to our friends, entered the forest. At first it was dark to us, but then, as our eyes became used to the light, we began to notice things. At first it seemed normal - ferns trampled here and there, moss rubbed off the trees in certain places - but then, as we continued, I became more and more wary as these bare spots fit together, almost as if someone had been making a path.
"Maddie, look at that,” I commanded, and she did. Twigs, failing to look natural, poorly concealed a hole in a tree, big enough for a teenage boy. I remembered the one lesson we had been taught our first year at Stryder.
‘Never venture off the path,’ my counselor had warned, ‘or you may not return from the woods. Bad things wait for you there, Delia. Never leave the path.’ Never had I taken her seriously, as she had always been one for pranks. Now I was not so sure.
“Maybe it’s an animal’s nest?” She shrugged, and kept walking.
“No, wait. Look at this.” I was off the path entirely now, walking towards the tree. I picked up a green fiber and rubbed it between my fingers.
“Fabric, like from a shirt or something. There’s no way this can pass as being natural. We’re going to investigate, Maddie. C’mon.” She looked at me wearily, then followed me farther into the woods.
We pulled the sticks back from the hole, but, to our surprise, there was nothing there, just a hole going deeper down in. I peered over the edge, and could just barely see a very faint light coming from the bottom. I turned around and scrabbled for a rock under the leaves lining the forest floor. I found one of a relatively decent size and dropped it in. It thudded against the outer edges of the tunnel a few times before stopping, finally, at the bottom. I gauged the distance, using my watch to find how long the fall was. Three minutes. So it was, if not perfectly straight, about 750 feet deep. I ran my hand along the wall of the hole, and found a ladder made of metal and wood.
“Should we go check what’s down there?” I asked Maddie, who was walking around the tree, looking for more evidence that I was certifiably incane.
“Sure, why not,” she said sarcastically, “it’s not as if whatever’s down there could, I dunno, HURT you or anything.”
“Yeah, I know. But I would bet my mixer dress that there’s people down there. I found FABRIC. And there’s light coming from down there. People.” I said again, and this time she looked convinced.

My fall broke the silence, my knee-high combat boots making a loud, echoing thud as they hit the dirt. I backed away from the hole, and Maddie followed suit, her fall not quite as loud as mine. I stood up, rubbing my arms, sore from the descent. I checked my watch. 4:17 PM. We had departed from camp almost six-and-a-half hours ago, and our descent alone had taken almost three hours. We had a little less than five hours before the mixer started, and we wouldn’t even have made it to the Trading Post by ten. I figured we may as well explore our surroundings, for all the time we had left. I looked up, and blinked my eyes several times to get accustomed to even the dim light in this… cavern, I sized it up. It was large and round, and there were dim lights all along the perimeter of the wall. There were doorways all around, some open and leading into long, barely lit tunnels, some of which had signs on them reading ‘Tunneller’ or ‘Miner’ or ‘Harvester’. There were also a few other doors, unmarked. I turned around, and gasped. About half a dozen people, none older than 27, stood grouped together, eyeing me suspiciously. One, a tall, blonde boy with piercing blue eyes stepped forward.
“Why are you?” He asked, looking more at Maddie than at me. I was the one who responded.
“My name is Delia, and this is Maddie,” I said, gesturing in her direction. “We were on our way to the Stryder-Wain trading post when we noticed the poorly disguised entrance to your – home?”
“My name is Chad, and gracing your presence we also have Josh, Andrew, Kenny, Kira, Aubrey, and Zion. We came from the STryder-Wain program, and made this our home. We’re all orphans, have been disowned, or missing faces you see on your plasma screen in your cozy little dorm. We can only give you each one room, if you want to stay. But be warned – if you wear out your welcome, Zion here’ll finish you.” He nodded his head at a small, thin boy with short blonde hair. I almost laughed. I looked at Maddie. She shrugged, looked at Chad again, and then nodded, smiling. I smiled too, and reached outo to shake Chad’s hand, but he pulled me into a tight hug.
“Welcome to the family. Your room is over here. The bathroom, by all means and purposes, is back there-“ he pointed to a door with a moon cut out of it, “-mess hall is there,” he pointed to one corner of the cavern, “and your room is here. Remember this.” He handed me a flashlight, a rule book, and a ‘Keep Out!’ sign.
“We all need our privacy,” he said, casting Zion a glance as he walked out of the room adjacent to mine. “And remember… he will finish your sorry ass. Our caves, our rules. Don’t be late for breakfast. And welcome to Urbia.” I smiled at Chad’s retreating figure, as he pointed out points of interest to Maddie. Her room, do doubt, would be next to his and far, far away from mine. I stared as Zion cleared his throat.
“Uh, hi. My name’s Zion.” He said in a light, boyish voice. “I, uh, I have the room next to yours. I can show you around. If you want. Or you can come into my room… or maybe you better talk to Kira first. Yeah. KIRA! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!” He bellowed, and I was surprised at how loud he could be. A pale girl only a few inches taller than Zion opened her door.
“What. Do. You. Want.” She asked, but it sounded more like a statement. Another set of eyes peered around the edge of the door, almost covered by thick, long, dirty blonde hair. She stepped out.
“This is Shane. You’re Delia, right? Right. Where’s your friend? Chad got her, right? He’s so vile, but so much fun. I wouldn’t suggest getting to know him too well, unless you plan on adding a new member to our tribe. Your call. Anyway, come join the party. We were just getting out the text books. Hah. Sike. We’re playing soda pong. I’ll fill you in on life here. Oh. First you should prolly get some sleep. I’ll have Zion bring you some blankets. Make sure you make him leave after you’re all set. He’s a tad bit impulsive. Night, Delia. I’ll tell you all about life here over breakfast. Wednesday, right?”
“Tuesday.” And with that, I shut my door. Zion had gotten blankets while Kira was talking. I rolled them out, and found a note written in black ink, scrawled onto a piece of blue lined paper. ‘You’re hot’, it said. I knew right then that I belonged here, and also that I needed Kira more than I knew. I lay there, wondering how I had even found this place, and sighed. Tomorrow I would learn, explore, and make friends. Now, I would sleep.