Chapter 11

Treasure hunting only got tougher as the hours passed. Forty groups dropped down to thirty, and then to twenty five. Each area of the forest had difficulties one would encounter, and if one wasn't on guard, that would be the end of one's group.

"Jump" Juliana cried out, alerting Harold who was on the verge of falling prey to a trap lying on the ground.

Harold, who was always on guard got the tip off, and leaped as far as he could, away from the trap.

"Thanks" He said.

"Save the gratitude for when we win" Juliana uttered.

Tristin was dazzled by his team who seemed to be eager to win this. He thought it would be difficult expressing how much winning means to him, turns out he didn't have to say much. They, too desired to win.

"These traps aren't as complex as it seems, I mean, one can easily predict where the next trap lies. From what I noticed, the next ground trap lies north. Keep your eyes on the floor people!" Tristin notified his team mates.

"Duck!" Aidan warned, sighting something unfamiliar approaching from a distance.

"What the fuck..." Harold was shocked.

Juliana came forward to have a look at what was coming.

"No way in hell!" she shouted.

"Is that a freaking missle?" Teresa Murphy, who hasn't been active in the group's dialogue, asked.

Tristin estimated the time it would get to them, and his calculations assumed it would get right to them this very moment.

"Everyone! Duck now!"

The missile-like thingy flashed above them, slightly cutting through Luna's hair.

"Luna, are you okay?" Tristin inquired, concerned.

(Oh now, you give a damn about me. Awesome! I should ignore you the way you did to me, but would I?) Luna asked herself.

"Luna, Luna? Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine" Luna replies, getting on her feet, and dusting away the shrubs from her hunting clothes.

"That wasn't a missile. It just looks exactly like one" Tristin looks over Luna after he had made sure she was fine, focusing on the task at hand.

(Seriously! Again. He snubs me again! Can this dude be any more unpredictable. Piece of shit Tristin, why the fuck do I like you. It's probably because of your sexy face, your charming voice which still sounds alluring in this forest, and your crazy muscular physique which I can't seem to get sick of staring at. Those shoulders of yours, I wish I could wrap my hands around them someday, explore your body with my fingers, romance you, and feel your kisses all over my body. Oh Tristin, get the hell outta my head! But I can't seem to get you out. Come on Luna. Tell you what. Give yourself a spank on your cheeks each time you think about Tristin. Yeah, you heard me right. A slap on your cheekbones) Luna thought to herself, coming up with a way to stop thinking, and fantasizing about hunky Tristin.

***(Carlos's group)***

"Keep it going team. We have to win this, mostly to piss off Tristin" Carlos informed, as they walked with caution through the forest.

They had witnessed enough traps, and craziness, so they proceeded with caution.

"Now that's a real asf clue mate" Shane grinned, pointing to a piece of paper buried shallowly in the leaves on the ground.

Shane picked it up, got rid of the leaves on it, and yelled, "Bingo!"

"What does it say?" Ashley asked, moving close to Shane, causing physical contact.

"Read for yourself Luna's friend"

Shane Jenkins still didn't know Ashley's name, even though she had spent both days and nights at Luna's home a few times.

Ashley reads it out, "Deserted, haunted. Most coveted"

"Hell, that's where the treasure lies" Carlos pointed out.

"I'm still confused" Ashley comments.

Shane comes in, taps her head softly, almost in a romantic way, and says, "You don't need to be hazed up you dumb bell. It simply means we got to search for the deserted, haunted, and the most coveted place in Moore's creek"

"Hey I'm not stupid. Smart thinking Shane by the way" Ashley remarks.

"Yeah right? I'm a smart ass, aren't I" Shane boasted.

"And I know just the place, from our map thingy right here" Carlos said, leading all ten of them in that group.

***(Tristin's group)***

Luna wasn't into any of these at all, she was just being dragged into it. Luckily, Johnny Evans, another inactive member of the group, was as uninterested as Luna was.

Luna moves backwards, to get to know Johnny Evans a bit more, after she notices he's not been giving suggestions like the others.

"Hi"

"Hey, Luna right? Amazing how you helped bisexual dude Aidan back at camp fire night" Johnny commended.

Luna blushes. Johnny Evans wasn't a very attractive teenager, he had average looks, but he was cute in Luna's eyes. So getting a complement from him was a great deal for Luna.

"Thanks"

"You deserve it"

"Thanks. I really appreciate"

"Okay then"

"No really. Thanks"

"Whao alright! You don't have to thank me for reminding you of some nice shit you did, yeah?"

"I have to" Luna said.

"No you don't"

"Yes I have" Luna insisted.

"Now that's some spooky shit. You're one weird girl, aren't you Luna"

"What. How?"

"Why do you insist you have to thank me" Johnny Evans verbalized.

"How wrong is thanking someone that said nice things about your personality"

"Just drop it, okay"

"I'm sorry"

"And why the hell are you apologizing now. Fuck!" Johnny Evans yells.

(Omg. What the fuck is happening. I'm only trying to be nice. I'm not nervous or anything, I'm just being nice. Or am I too nice? Is it okay to be sassy. Maybe boys like a sassy-nice girl which is ironic. Or is this why Tristin is treating me like some bag of shit. Oh fuck. Not Tristin again) Luna spanks herself on the cheek, totally forgetting that Johnny Evans is right beside her.

Johnny stares at her in a super creepy way, his eyes almost bulging out of place.

"Why is your gaze focused on me freakishly?" she asks.

"Dude. You just slapped yourself while we were having a conversation. Is everything alright? Are you like having a mental breakdown...I dunno?" Johnny inquired, calmly.

"Oh no! Of course not. It's just..."

(Tristin puts an ice on the conversation, as he calls out the attention of everyone)

"Halt team. I see some piece of paper under those leaves"

"Yeah I see it too. But why is it so easy to find. Could be a trap" Harold warns.

"I have a gut feeling this is real shit"

"Okay, go have a look then" Aidan suggests.

Tristin moves slowly, picks up the piece of paper, dusting away the leaves.

"It's a clue!" he exclaimed.

"It says, Deserted. Haunted. Most coveted...and I know exactly where it is on the map" Tristin added, fixing his eyes on the map that had a small, descriptive view of the entire Moore's creek.