Around late morning, I headed into the kitchen in search of a cold drink. The servants were more than willing to help me, but as I was perfectly able to find the refrigerator in this house, I thanked them but sought it out on my own. I filled a glass with ice, poured my lemonade, and was about to

Veronica and I waited until cocktails after dinner that evening to enact our plan. The instructions toward each prince’s treasure were handed out only a few minutes before. The instructions were written on notecards, and given discretely to each candidate. Veronica, when given hers, ripped hers up

She turned away from us then, toward the railing instead. She looked out over the water with a wine glass in one hand and the other up against her chest, tucking the notecard safely out of our reach. Veronica tilted her head, and I followed her away. Together we retreated inside and toward the wic

Early the next morning, at first light, Jessica, Bridget, Veronica, and I were assigned four different boats. For a time, we could keep track of each other, four boats rushing toward the sunrise. Then I saw the island. It was larger than I thought, circular, with a beach along the outside and dens

That was when I spotted some strange divots in the earth, like lines, where the dirt was falling down into. A sinkhole? I didn’t know. Veronica didn’t notice. She was looking at the notecard she’d made, likely reading off the next step. She stepped straight beyond the divot, and the ground started

Time had no meaning to me, without a watch, but I certainly felt like I was stuck in that dirt pit for hours. I had tried several times to pull myself out, but each time ended in near-immediate failure. The walls were crumbling dirt. There was nothing to hold onto. Even my new werewolf strength co

Nicholas lifted me up from the hole and then yanked me into the safety of his arms. With my new weight, his feet slipped in the mud and we both stumbled backwards. Nicholas landed on his butt in the mud. But with me cradled against him, I landed safely in his arms. He wore shorts, boots, and a r

Nicholas carried me into the cave and then gently laid me down. With my back against the cave wall, I could sit up enough to see. If he had placed me flat on my back, I never would have had the strength to sit up on my own. The cave itself wasn’t too deep. It didn’t go beyond a few more yards, fro

Nicholas’s words struck me straight through the heart. The wrapped around me like the warmest blanket, heating me even more than Nicholas’s hot body had done. I was so very enraptured, that the only thing I could think to do, was lean forward and press my lips to his. He tilted his head for a be

Nicholas held me all through the night, until the storm finally ended and the sun began to once again creep in from between the tree limbs and leaves. I was feeling better now, though still dingy and gross, especially when Nicholas helped me back into my swimsuit. Though he’d left it by the fire t