Jonnie a look. “You’ll stay in the staff bunk, which is another quarter of a mile that way.” He pointed along a path. “Stay there and out of my way.”
When Jonnie opened his big mouth to argue, Matthew’s hand shot out and wrapped around his ratty throat. “Argue with me, and you’ll be gone,” he whispered, leaning in close, fingers tight enough that red appeared on Jonnie’s cheeks.
As soon as he released the rat, he walked on like nothing had happened.
My heart hammered in my chest hard and fast as fight-or-flight kicked in. That was not normal. What the fuck had just happened?
Jonnie, who was gasping for breath and swearing between choking coughs, remained behind as I took off after Matthew.
“What exactly does this camp teach?” I asked the guide, keeping half an eye on Jonnie, thankful he still hadn’t moved to follow. “I was signed up for this by my brother, and I have no real idea what to expect.”
Matthew stopped his frantic march, and I briefly wondered why, then noticed the raised cabin. My cabin I was guessing. “This camp is designed to teach you respect and survival and equip you with a ton of useful skills to help you step forward in the world. We have strict rules, we will throw situations at you that you’ve never encountered before, and at times you’ll probably wish you’d never been born. But you should finish the two-month program as a better and more well-rounded person than the Brooklyn Lawson standing before me.”
His eyes were hard again, and that in no way reassured me of my ability to survive this camp. Jonnie, who had finally arrived, huffed, and Matthew ignored him, moving gracefully up the entry stairs. His movements were almost like a dance, and unlike Blake, his muscles were not these huge displays of power. Instead they were strong and lithe, as if he could climb mountains all day and not get remotely fatigued.
Once we were standing inside the pretty basic room, Matthew waved his hand. “This is your private area. Normally campers are required to room with strangers, but we had a cancellation and you’re getting special treatment." He didn’t sound particularly happy about that.
"Sorry. My brother can be a little forceful," I said quickly.
Matthew shrugged. "Rich people always are. I’m being unfair anyway. Your brother is not the only reason you're on your own. One female in a camp of men… It was an easy decision to make."
Thank fuck for that. It made me wonder why the fuck Blake had sent me here in the first place, though. Then again, he’d been getting more and more unstable and unpredictable by the day. Maybe he got the brochure mixed up with some all girls finishing school.
“Come on, James,” he said to Jonnie. “I’ll show you to the piece-of-shit bed that you can call your own.”
Jonnie opened his mouth to protest but shut it again when Matthew got that look on his face again—the same one he’d had when he wrapped his hand around Jonnie’s throat.
"Uh, when do you need me to show up?" I called as he headed for the door.
He didn't stop or turn back. "We'll wake you. Sleep with one eye open."
Well, great. Just fucking great.
He was gone then, and Jonnie took an extra second to sneer at me. "Don't take the fucking bracelet off," he snapped, clearly unhappy.
I looked down at the heavy piece dangling from my wrist, wishing I was brave enough to throw it off a mountain—followed by my brother.
Ridding myself of Blake once and for all.
5
The cabin was not as bad as my first impression. It had a couch slash bed that was reasonably comfortable. There was no shower, but it did have a toilet, and if I had to choose between the two, a working toilet would always win. There wasn’t a single Christmas decoration in sight so far, which was almost a little disappointing. Then again, I hadn’t had a real Christmas since my parents died, so why would this be any different?
After a few hours, I went to sleep hungry and fully dressed because I hadn't missed the unsubtle warning from Matthew. Unluckily for him, I was used to sleeping with "one eye open," which was why, a few hours later, I heard him sneak in through the front door. Closing my eyes, I blocked my ears, expecting a megaphone to wake me. Only it was a bucket of icy water, and at this elevation, with winter mountain breezes