Everyone was bustling around the campsite, working together to set up the tent while Dylan expertly coaxed the beginnings of a campfire to life.
As Ivy assisted Lila, her eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar figure moving away from the group. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized her older brother's dark shape disappearing into the shadows.
"Jerk?" Ivy's voice trembled with uncertainty as she whispered into the night.
"Why, Ivy?" Lila asked, puzzled.
"Wait, I saw Brother. He’s probably going down. Just a moment."
"Wait—" Lila tried to stop her, but she couldn’t let go of the tent they were almost finished setting up.
"Hey, Jerk?" Ivy called out
It was dark, and only the moonlight provided illumination, but the large trees blocked much of it, casting shadows all around.
"Brother! Jerk! I don’t have a flashlight. Are you going to pee, brother? Sorry, you should have told me..." her voice echoed as she walked deeper into the forest.
She caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure slipping silently into the unfamiliar woods, its presence sending a shiver down her spine.
"Brother!" she called out, tears forming in her eyes. She jumped when her foot hit something solid.
"What the! A wallet? This is Mommy’s wallet. No, it’s been a year since the accident. It didn’t happen in the forest." She picked it up, her heart pounding as she recognized a photo of herself as a child.
"Ivy..."
"Brother?" She spun around but saw no one, her fear growing.
"Ivy!"
She sobbed in relief when she spotted her brother not too far away. He ran towards her, his face a mix of annoyance and concern.
"Are you insane? Why did you leave alone?" he demanded.
"You were the one who left! I saw you go down here!" she cried, her voice breaking.
Ethan's expression shifted to confusion and worry. He pulled Ivy into a tight hug, and she could feel his heart racing.
"I-I didn’t leave. I was just preparing food for everyone," he whispered.
She stopped crying, but a chill ran down her spine at her brother's words.
"Let’s go back," Ethan said, his voice steady but his grip on Ivy’s hand betraying his fear.
"Wait," she forced herself to stop. "I found this, here! This is Mom's wallet, right? But you said they died in an accident, not here in the forest."
"I... I dropped it. Mom gave it to me. I must have dropped it when I was walking around," he stammered, snatching the wallet from her hands.
"I'm just 16, but I'm not a fool!"
He looked at her seriously. "Who says you're a fool? Ivy, I swear, I'm not hiding anything from you. Trust me, let's go back there now."
"I'm not going in there until you tell me the truth!" she resisted.
He paused for a moment, glancing side to side.
"We're not safe here, Ivy. You have to trust me!" he urged, desperation in his eyes.
She looked around, seeing nothing but the looming shadows of the woods in the middle of the night.
"Fine..." she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Ethan held Ivy's hand tightly, as if afraid she would disappear again, until they reached the others.
"Ivy!" Sadie ran and hugged her, relief flooding her face.
Aria and Dylan walked closer, but Lila stayed by the campfire, watching the flames dance.
"Where did you go? You had us worried for minutes!" Aria exclaimed
"Ah, because I—" she began, but Ethan cut her off.
"She went to pee and got lost," he said quickly.
"Y-yeah! I got lost," she chuckled awkwardly, trying to play along.
They all exchanged glances, then turned to Lila, who was already eating, seemingly oblivious to the tension.
"Wow, she didn’t wait for us!" Aria exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
"Let’s eat," Dylan said, smiling at Ivy to ease the tension.
"Yes, let’s eat. And you, sit next to me. Who knows where you might wander off to next," Ethan said, his tone half-serious.
They all gathered around the campfire to eat.
"Let’s sleep early," Lila said while chewing, her eyes on the flames.
"Huh? Why? We should stay awake and talk scary moments. Are you scared?" Aria smirked.
Sadie handed over the marshmallows for them to toast over the campfire while they shared stories.
"Aren’t you scared? It’s because you can’t see them," Lila replied cryptically.
Ethan choked on his food, and Ivy quickly handed him some water.
"Maybe Ethan’s the scared one," Dylan teased, earning a glare from Ethan.
"Brother, are you okay?" Ivy asked, concerned.
Ethan couldn’t respond as Sadie began a scary story.
"Did you know that shadows appear at night?" she said, her face lit eerily by the flashlight. 
"Yeah, and tonight they'll pay you a visit!" Ethan teased with a devilish grin.
Aria's ears pricked up at a strange noise coming from the side. She squinted into the shadows, trying to see it more clearly.
"Tsk, just shut up, will you? Anyway, sometimes they mimic human voices, but when you turn around, Wah!"
"Ahhhhhh!" Aria shouted. "Idiot! If I can’t sleep, you’re dead! I’m done. It’s getting cold!"
They all laughed, except for Lila and Ethan, who exchanged a knowing glance.