Chapter 6: The Tree

The actual fact of the matter, as my walks through campus had confirmed, was that there weren’t really very many really good hiding places in the bounds of the game. To actually win, I would very much have to rely on staying one or two steps ahead of Will.

But I also needed to kill time, and there were a few places that I could do that with.

As I marched across campus to my designated first hiding spot, I felt a calmness descend over me. I had made my decision, and there was no going back, short of calling it all off. But I didn’t want to call it off, not now.

I was tense, yes, but I had focus.

And I quickly gravitated to a particular tree on the quad, one that I’d climbed my first week of college—before I’d met any of my current friends—and never again. I wasn’t much of a tree climber, and hadn’t ever done it in front of them.

And this tree, in particular, was both going to be a little challenging to get into in the first place and be high enough that I could actually hide effectively in the dark. It had a broader trunk to accomodate that, but also had been trimmed enough that the lowest branches weren’t in easy height.

As a hiding spot, I’d only be able to use it before the game began, because it would take me a bit to get into it.

I got to the tree with plenty of time to spare, and looked around a moment, already starting to get paranoid. I couldn’t reach the bottom branch from standing, but...

I ran at the tree, kicking off against the trunk and grabbing at air.

I missed the first time, cursed to myself, then stepped back to try again.

On the second try, my hands grasped the branch and I began to pull myself up. It was harder than I remembered—probably a combination of weight gained since I was a freshman and being more out of shape than when I came out of high school—but I was able to get myself up onto it.

I paused a moment to catch my breath and checked the time. Eleven fifty-seven.

Once in the cradle of the bottom branches, it was relatively easy to pull myself up another few feet, until I was probably fifteen or twenty feet off the ground, and pretty well surrounded by leaves. I could still see some portions of the quad, and could hear revelers walking across campus.

I grit my teeth. Right. Of course we wouldn’t be the only ones out after midnight on a Friday night. How would they play into it?

At midnight my watch vibrated, and I checked the message.

Liz: Sylvia just let Will out the front door

I tried to slow my breathing, stay calm. The tree I had climbed was about five yards north and ten yards west of the northwest corner of the bell courtyard, in a small copse; I was dangerously close to where Will would be starting. It was a gutsy hiding place, but I hoped that would also make it unexpected.

I heard the stomping of four pairs of feet up from the bell courtyard, my view blocked by Smith. They quickly reached the nearest path intersection, at the northeast corner of the bell courtyard, and then stopped.

My breath caught, and I could only barely see them through the leaves—which hopefully meant they couldn’t see me easily. Will was so very close! The game could be lost almost immediately!

“Alright,” he said, and I kept my breathing slow and low even as my heart began to race. I had to strain to hear them. “Sylvia, Nikki, the three of us need to split up and fan out to try to find her in the first place. Once you spot her, don’t let her know, but text me where and I’ll catch up. Remember, our main strategy is to get her running, and once you do, follow her. We can’t take the risk of letting her get out of our sight.”

Nikki, huh? Well, that answered that question as to her actual loyalty. Maybe.

“Where do you think she’s hiding to start with?” Sylvia asked.

“Becky said it would be where we think is the last place she’d hide. That probably means the waterlily pond—Sylvia, why don’t you head in that direction. Nikki, you take the rose garden and sunken garden. I’ll head that way to the tree garden and if either of you find her, chase her in my direction and we’ll pin her.”

Sylvia choked back a laugh. “I certainly hope you pin her hard.”

“Sylvia, it’s just a game,” he shot back. “So while I appreciate the joke...”

“I know, I know. I’ve already got a whole aftercare kit in our room. Bandages, chocolate cake, profuse apology letter for letting it spiral out of hand...”

“We have a safe word for a reason.” There was a pause for just a moment. “But we’re wasting time.” His voice dropped, and I could barely hear it. “Let’s go; I have a girlfriend to rape.” I hoped no one else on campus heard that. Yes, we were playing a game, but ... I didn’t want him to get in trouble for it.

“What about me?” Liz suddenly asked innocently as I saw Sylvia head off towards the waterlily pond and Nikki begin taking the path on the southern side of the quad, heading for the sunken garden.

“I don’t think you’d do what I asked you to,” he replied sharply and began briskly walking north, himself. “So, nothing.”

I held my breath as Nikki got closer, but she didn’t seem to break stride at all as she passed me, continuing west. Once she was out of sight, I exhaled slowly, the thumping in my chest vibrating my whole body.

My watch buzzed my wrist, and I checked.

Liz: S to lily N to sunk W to trees

I was grateful for the information, even though I already knew it from overhearing. Though I had the sudden jarring realization that my frame of reference—cardinal directions—did not work well with the abbreviations that she was obviously going to be using when she tapped stuff out while walking. There was a potential for error, and I needed to be mindful of that.