The next day was pretty much like the day before except that the terrain became rougher.

Everyone struggled a little more. Everyone except the sherpas. At one point, Yi Fan suggested that Suho and Chanyeol carry the crate, but Jun and David insisted they could take care of it.

“Wonder what’s inside that they’re so protective of?” Min Ji asked.

After we’d stopped for lunch, Yi Fan hadn’t insisted that I stay near the front, so I’d moved back to hike with Min Ji and Bora.

“I bet I can get them to tell me,” Bora said.

“I think maybe it’s a cage,” I murmured.

“A cage? For what?” Min Ji asked.

In the light of day, I felt silly saying it. “I overheard them last night after the campfire. I think they really believe werewolves are out here.”

Bora snorted. “They’re not the first. We always get some campers who hear the rumors and think they can find the evidence. And it’s sorta our fault. At Halloween, we always have a haunted forest to raise funds for animal shelters. Some of our costumes are really cool and realistic.”

“And scary,” Min Ji added.

“But that’s all pretend. I think Mason and his dad are serious about hunting werewolves,” I insisted.

“So? They won’t find anything. Meanwhile, we get paid,” Bora said.

“I guess. It just makes me a little wary of them.”

“People believe all kinds of things. As long as they aren’t violent, who does it hurt? And rumors like this bring people to the park. It’s all good.”

I supposed she made sense. I adjusted the weight of my pack on my shoulders. I was proud of the fact that I was able to keep up with everyone. Chanyeol was the last one on the trail, making sure that no one got left behind.

“So, uh, Yi Fan. Does he do the whole haunted forest thing?” I asked. I couldn’t imagine it. He seemed so serious that I couldn’t imagine him play acting.

“He did before he went off to college,” Bora said. “Now he just comes home for the holidays and summer. Are you interested in him?”

“What? No.” I laughed self-consciously. “Just curious. We’re all going to be spending the summer together. Seems like we should know things about each other.”

“Maybe tonight around the campfire, we can play Truth or Dare,” Min Ji said.

“Hey, you’re lagging behind,” Suho yelled from the top of the trail, and we picked up our pace.

I was hoping that Min Ji was teasing about Truth or Dare. There was a lot I wanted to know, but not a lot I wanted to share.

As it turned out, we didn’t play any games around the campfire. Nor did Dr. Won or Mason mention werewolves.

Later that night as Min Ji and I were in the tent getting ready for bed, Bora slipped inside with an air of excitement. “Okay, guys, I got up close and personal with Jun and I know what’s in the crate. Beer.”

“You’re kidding,” Min Ji said. “That’s it?”

“Well, there’s equipment, too, but they’re smuggling beer in the empty spaces and they’ve decided it’s too heavy to haul, so as soon as Dr. Won turns in for the night”—she gave a big grin—“party time!”

Min Ji and I immediately stopped our preparations for bed and began preparing to go back outside with the guys. I hadn’t planned on us having a party in the wilds, but I was excited about it.

I brushed out my hair and left it loose to curl wildly around my shoulders. Then I began scrounging through my backpack for my emerald-green halter top.

Bora peered out the tent opening. “What is with Dr. Won tonight? Go to bed already.”

“You gonna hook up with Jun again?” Min Ji asked. Her shining black hair hung past her shoulders.

“No. And I didn’t hook up with him earlier. I just flirted a little bit.”

“For someone who is supposed to be committed to Suho, you don’t seem to take it very seriously.”

“What?” I asked, finally clutching the halter. “You and Suho? You never said anything.” I’d seen them together a couple of times, but hadn’t been sure it was romantic.

“It’s complicated,” Bora said, and I could hear the frustration in her voice. She finished brushing out her hair, then rolled up the ends of her shirt and tied them in a knot so her belly button showed. It seemed we all wanted to attract a little attention tonight. “My parents and his parents, they’re old friends and so they’re pushing us together.”

“If you don’t want to be pushed, push back,” Min Ji said.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“I just think he deserves someone who wants to be with him.”

“And that would be you?”

“Whoa, girlfriends, are we about to have a catfight here?” I asked.

They glared at each other. Bora backed down first. Maybe because Min Ji woke up early every morning and went through a rigorous strengthening routine.

“Suho and I aren’t sure where we’re going to take this. So can we be cool about it until this trip is over?”

Min Ji shrugged. “Whatever.”

Every now and then I’d sensed some tension between them. This explained a lot. I wondered if Min Ji liked Suho.

I slipped on my green halter and some white shorts. In a way, I sympathized with Bora.

Sometimes it was difficult to know exactly what you felt for someone. At that moment I wasn’t certain if I was trying to make myself attractive for Yi Fan or Mason.

I’d felt a connection with Yi Fan last night, but he still overwhelmed me. Mason . . . well, Mason just seemed less complicated.

I wished I had some y sandals to wear, but all I had were my hiking boots. They’d have to do. But looking in the small mirror that I had, I was pleased with the way everything looked.

Bora looked back outside. “Finally! Dr. Won is gone. Let’s go.”

Everyone was creeping out of the camp like ninja warriors or something. Each of the grad students, including Monique, was carrying a six-pack of beer. Only the tiniest sliver of a moon was in the sky, so Suho led the way with a flashlight. When we got far enough from camp that Dr. Won wouldn’t hear us, David started passing out the cans of beer.

To my utter shock, even Yi Fan was there to grab one. Of course, he then went to find a tree to lean against. Monique joined him. He gave her one of his rare smiles. Jealousy sparked through me but I turned away, not wanting to acknowledge it. We’d shared a special moment last night, but obviously for him it had meant nothing more than a big-brother figure watching out for someone he was responsible for.

Bora tapped her can against mine. “To good times.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about you and Suho?” Okay, I was a little bummed. I’d told her plenty about me since we’d met last summer, including my nightmares. And she was holding back on some critical stuff here.

“Like I said, I don’t know where it’s going. And who wants to be set up by their parents?”

“It seems like Min Ji is really into Suho.”

“I think she might be. She’s dealing with some stuff she’s not talking about. You see all the exercising and toning she does, like she wants to be supersherpa or something. And okay, yeah, she did—does—like Suho, but he agrees with our parents, that we’re supposed to be together. We were always friends when we were growing up. I don’t want to hurt him, but I just don’t know if he’s the one, so right now I don’t want to deal with it.” She sipped her beer.

“How does Suho feel?”

“Disappointed that I’m not returning the enthusiasm. Like I said, it’s complicated.”

“I’m here anytime you want to talk.”

She looked over at me and grinned. “Thanks.” She again tapped her can against mine. “Think I’m going to go mingle with some hot students.”

As she walked away, as much as I hated to admit it, it was a little reassuring and comforting to know I wasn’t the only one who was screwed up.

“What’s up?”

Peering over at Mason, who had suddenly appeared, I smiled. “Not much.” I lifted my can.

“Crazy for you guys to be hauling beer.”

“No kidding. Jon and David were losing their enthusiasm for the idea.” He looked up. “You know what I love about camping? How vast the sky looks at night. Want to go stargazing? I found a spot away from the trees where we could lie on the grass. . . .” He tipped his head to the side in a questioning gesture.

I glanced over to where Yi Fan was talking with Monique. I’d definitely misread last night.

Maybe since he was the one in charge, he thought he needed to steer clear of any emotional attachments. Or maybe I was nothing more than someone to look after—the newbie, someone he wasn’t quite sure had what it took to be a sherpa.

“Sure,” I said. “Why not?”

Mason and I each grabbed another beer. By the time we reached the spot he was talking about, I had a pleasant buzz going. The grass was cool and slightly damp with dew as I lay down on it.

“There’s the Big Dipper,” Mason said, pointing upward.

I pointed as well. “And there’s Cassiopeia.”

Mason groaned. “You know the constellations.”

“Well, duh, yeah. It was the first thing my dad taught me when he took me camping.”

“I was hoping to impress you, but now I have a confession to make. The Big Dipper is the only constellation I’m ever able to pick out. I never can connect the stars to form anything else.”

I had a feeling that wasn’t a problem Yi Fan had, that he’d be able to identify more than I could.

Why was I even thinking about Yi Fan now?

I rolled slightly toward Mason. “Okay, Cassie might be hard, but if you can find the Big Dipper, you ought to be able to make out Draco the Dragon. His tail curves down between the dippers.”

“Nope.”

“Follow the line of my finger. Right there.”

“Nope. Sorry. I’ve never been good at seeing patterns inside pictures.”

I rolled away from him. “Not important. The best part is the shooting stars anyway.”

“Somehow I always miss them, too.”

I laughed. “Mason! That’s insane. We’ll just have to stay out here until you see one.”

“That could take all night,” he said quietly.

I rolled my head toward him. I could see that he was watching me. “It definitely will if you’re not looking at the sky.”

“But you’re more interesting.” He paused. “What made you want to be a sherpa?”

“I like being in the woods, and this way I’m paid for being in the woods. It’s a win-win.”

“Since you’re from Seoul, you probably don’t know these other guys very well.”

Was he trying to set up an us-versus-them tone? It seemed counterproductive to our goal of getting Mason and his group safely to the area they’d identified as where they wanted to camp.

On the other hand, maybe he was having doubts about the park employees. Or maybe he was just looking for conversation.

“I met them last summer,” I assured him. “Bora and I have been emailing and calling each other ever since. We’ve become friends. I think because we have so much in common.”

“Like what?”

“Our love of the outdoors, mostly. Plus we’re both going to be seniors this year. And no matter where you go to high school, it’s always the same. Cliques. Teachers. Homework. Guys.” I thought again about Bora’s situation. We’d talked about guys in general terms, but she’d never mentioned what was going on with her and Suho. I had to admit, I was slightly hurt that she hadn’t confided in me.

“So you met all the guides last summer?” Mason asked.

“Yeah.”

“I guess we’re lucky to have them around,” he said. “I never really considered how dangerous it is to be in the woods. Considering what happened to your parents, aren’t you scared?”

“No. As strange as it seems, I’ve always felt safe here. As long as you stay alert, you’ll be okay. And the sherpas are paid to be alert. Besides, I’d trust Yi Fan with my life.” I surprised myself by saying that out loud.

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. He’s always so aware of things.”

“He seemed pretty aware of Monique back there.”

Not until she parked herself in front of him ,I thought grumpily.

“You like Yi Fan?” he asked, maybe in response to my silence.

“I don’t dislike him.”

“You like me?”

I had a feeling he was asking something more.

Before I could answer, the hairs on the back of my neck and my arms prickled. I shot up to a sitting position.

“What is it?” Mason asked.

“We’re being watched.”

He scoffed. “Oh. Probably Yi Fan. That guy—”

“No, not Yi Fan.” I wasn’t sure how I knew it wasn’t him—or perhaps a better way to say it was that I would know if it were him. The way he watched me felt very different. It felt protective.

This seemed . . . threatening.

“We should probably go.” I got to my feet.

“Thought we were going to wait until I spotted a shooting star.”

“We haven’t even been watching the sky. And seriously. I’ve got a bad feeling. We need to get back.”

“It’s just because we started talking about danger.”

I started rubbing my arms. “That’s not it. Come on, Mason. Yi Fan is going to push us again tomorrow. I need to get some sleep.”

He reluctantly scrambled to his feet. “Okay.”

I grabbed the beer cans and shoved them into his arms. “They might be lighter, but you guys are still going to have to carry them. We can’t trash the forest.”

“Guess bringing beer wasn’t such a smart idea after all.” I could see his grin. “Except it gave me some time alone with you.”

As we headed back to camp I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something watching us, something lethal and dangerous. Then I saw it, lost in the shadows of the trees a little ways away. Only its shining gray eyes were visible. A wolf. It poked its head out only a fraction, but it was enough for me to see that it was black. Solid black.

It was watching us.

Yi Fan had said that wolves didn’t attack humans, but I wasn’t so sure.

“Hey, I saw a wolf like that the night I followed you to the birthday party,” Mason said.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I nearly had a heart attack, right on the spot. It just stepped out of the shadows as I was heading back to the cabin.”

What I was feeling tonight was a lot like what I’d felt that night. Why would a wolf be following me?

“You think it’s dangerous?” Mason asked.

Yes! my mind screamed.

“I don’t know,” I replied. I did know that I didn’t trust this wolf. Something about it sent off a signal that it was looking for trouble. Either that or I’d had one beer too many.