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THE A LIST

A teenage girl expects the summer of a lifetime at an idyllic camp, until a mysterious newcomer challenges her status as 'Queen Bee' and dark secrets begin to turn her dream summer into a nightmare. Mia thinks she's all set for a summer of sun, romance and social dominance but the late arrival of mysterious new girl Amber disrupts everything. She makes everyone remember the infamous Midge, a girl who died on the island a year before their memories were wiped. She leaves them guessing if she's Midge trapped in another body. What kind of creature is she? Amber can just touch people and they constantly come under her control. She posses the power of absorption, drawing energy from Mia and her friends to survive. Recaps are available in every chapter.

Pinky_Julie · Ciencia y ficción
Sin suficientes valoraciones
21 Chs

In for the kill

[RECAP]

Mia encounters an usual traveler and considers a crucial deal. Elsewhere, Alex and Petal continue to struggle.....and uncover a secret in the woods.

****

Dave pants as he gets to the fallen tree where he once had a thing with Mia. He's covered up with sweat. He leans against the tree and spots some writing on it's stem. Rubbing the grown moss, he touches the initials that read M loves D. Suddenly, his mind gets flashbacks of him and Mia, it's like they had been there before. He remembers Mia chasing him in that same spot, he recalls kissing her and dancing with her clad in their crowns.

Mia tries to get up as the handsome guy with ocean blue eyes, makes signs for her to be silent.

"Two questions, who are you and what are you doing out here?" Mia boldly stands up to him.

"Nobody, not your business." He responds harshly.

"But... are you with someone? I heard someone crying. Did you shoot them?"

"What, no. There's no one else. I'm not here either." He walks past her.

'But you're hurt.".

"I'm fine." He cuts her short.

"I don't care about you. You're the one stealing from our camp."

"Watch out how to say that..See now we have a problem because I don't want anyone to know I'm here. And I already got the feeling that you talk too much." He moves closer to her and she steps backwards.

"If you touch me, I'll scream." Mia dares him.

"Probably." He mutters and Mia picks a log of wood from the ground to hit him.

"Whoa! Come down, I'm not gonna hurt you." He begs her.

"I know you're not...." She jerks forward to scare him away.

"I just need you to keep quiet. Now that you're here, you can do me a favor." He sighs.

"Yeah right coz I always help weird lucky boys who threaten me in the woods."

"Not fair, I tried. You dropped this when you fell over." The guy with curly brown hair, takes out her phone.

"That's your breaking point? Keep it. I should buy new one when I get home. There's a lot of pricks in this island, anyway there's no signal."

"Yes, there is." He proves her wrong. "But only on one spot. And judging by the hungry look, you're likely to call someone. So...you help me, and I can show you where you get the signal." He steps closer to her.

Back at the camp, the Queen, Amber and her puppets, Kayleigh and Jenna get refreshments from the canteen. She's out to show the rest that she's the queen, definitely above everyone else. It's evident when some girls back off from the table to let them sit. She has eyes on Dev who roams around perhaps looking for Mia. Kayleigh also spots Zac playing happily with Brendan and the rest, it's like he forgets that she and him had ever met before. And obviously, Midge has to comment on this sudden change.

MIDGE

In towns and cities, it's easy to forget all true nature but here on the island, what all eat is their predators or prey. And even the hunters can be hunted.

~~

Mia and the mysterious guy are still strolling the forest.

"So do you have a name?" Mia asks him.

"Yap." He mutters.

"You can drop this silence then, I'm not in the mood to play twenty questions just to find out your stupid name."

"The stupid name is Luka." He says, definitely not concerned with the latter's woes.

'Thank you. I'm Mia. See how easy that is?"

"I'm not going long enough to remember your name."

"How did you get here anyway?" She asks. "You know when the next ferry is?"

"You'll never stop asking questions, are you?"

"I just wanna know when the next ferry is. Do you have to keep everything a massive dark secret?"

"I don't know when the next ferry is....I thought the island was deserted and the camp closed down." He says on a serious tone. He's no mood for her questions. "Apparently I was wrong, that's how I answer your question."

"I have follow-ups."

"Of course you do." He steps ahead faster than she does.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to have no food."

"Why don't you just go back then?"

Luka stares at her unbelievably and marches forward.

At the camp, Mags and Dave seem to have yet another challenge.

"Gather around Peregrines." She says and Amber and the rest come to closer view.

"I'm going to check the trial for tomorrow so this afternoon, me and Mags will be turning this camp into a home."

"We are going to paint the common room." Mags is excited.

"So you mean we're going to be on paid labor." Alex, the pessimist asks.

"No Alex, it's not about that, this is about community, the creating of space for togetherness and creativity. We want to feel like this camp is yours."

"You'll have fun, I promise." Dave swears.

"Come on," Mags urges everyone to follow her.

"So where in the island do you live?"

"Questions are over and now it's listening time." Luka is adamant to answer her questions.

"I need food and more medical supplies....I didn't find any antiseptic so bring some packets as soon as you can."

"You must be checking the time, I can't just grab stuff like that as people will be watching and they'll ask questions. I don't know how you feel about that."

"Fine. Be here by five. I'll give your phone back and show you where you can get the signal and we'll never see each other again."

"Okay, but I was really hoping you could send me a friend request." She winks at him and leaves.

Getting to the camp, she cleans her hands in the sink, ties up her hair and gets to the storeroom as everyone gets busy painting the common room. She packs some medicine and fruits but Dev shows up and she hides the monkey bag.

"Mia, have been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?"

"I was getting supplies for the girls in my cabin." She comes up with a genuine lie.

"You're the one who has been stealing our food, one mystery solved." He says taking an apple from her.

"Never mind what I was doing, where were you? You stood me up."

"I didn't, I got lost. Sounds a maze, by the time I did found the bridge, you were gone. But I still figured out that I should come see you be because if I played my chance, you'd enjoy telling me."

"True, I would. I'll catch you later. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll let you make up to me for missing our date." Mia walks to the door.

"There's still time, we can go now. And I wanna show you something." Dev insists.

"Can it wait till tonight? I still have to get changed.."

"It won't take long and you have to see this." He bites an apple.

In the common room, Amber and the rest are painting the walls as Mags marvels over their art work. Things are weird between Petal and Alex who exchange sneaky glances until one of them is brave enough to talk with the other.

"Hey." Petal greets Alex.

"Hey." She responds

"Look Alex, I was wondering if we could talk for a minute."

"Mags, I'm just gonna wash my brush in the mess." Alex snubs her.

"There's a sink over here if you..." Mags cut her speech short when Alex doesn't bother taking her offer.

Amber pulls Jenna closer and whispers to her.

"Find out where Dev is." Amber whispers softly. Jenna nods and walks over to Zac and Brendan.

"Hey, where's the third musketeer?" She asks and the duo wonders who she means. "Where's Dev?"

"Ohh, he went looking for Mia." Zac answers.

"But I'm here." Brendan says in a low tone and Jenna rolls her eyes and walks away.

Dev and Mia go back to the forest, their favorite spot.

"But you said this will be quick." Mia is impatient now that Dev ruins her plan of getting Luka some medicine and food stuff and in exchange, she'll get to access the signal.

"It will. Promise I won't get lost this time." He takes her hand in his.

It's getting dark and Luka is waiting for Mia to show up. As Alex washes the paint brush, she hears a girl crying and it seems like it's not at the camp. She then leaves the mess and follow the whimpers.

"How could you not find me before?" Mia asks Dev. "I was right were you said."

"I don't know, I got confused but I can see you were here." He points out to the writings on the stem. "You did that last night."

"Me? Am I in nursery?" She wonders.

"You're saying you didn't cover this?"

"Glad you're paying attention." She responds.

"Then who did it? Oh, what if it means Mags loves Dave." Dev laughs.

"What if it was you? I mean, you're curved in every girl's shoes. Where's the Amber-Dev tree?" Mia asks.

"Oh! Don't, we've done this already. You are here for me or more mind games with Amber because I'm not playing..."

"Neither am I." She cuts him short. "Look, I'm only here because of you. So, are you gonna keep talking or are you gonna kiss me."

Dev smiles to himself as he leans in, taking her lips in his and kissing her ravenously.

Alex gets into the forest but still doesn't figure out where the cries are coming from. Petal appears suddenly startling the latter.

"Petal? What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you." She hesitates.

"Well, I'll not chat with you if you scare me to death." Alex says irritatingly.

"I know I said a lot of stupid stuff to you at the party."

"Extract of good knowledge, well done. Now leave me alone." Alex says on a serious note.

"No! Coz you were kind of harsh to me to."

"If this is some sort of apology, it won't work." Alex says.

"You're being all judgy and better than everybody else and I was caught up in the moment. I admit I was wrong...okay but it was just a fight. And friends can argue but then they talk it out and get over it. And I really do like you Alex."

Suddenly, they hear an echo of someone singing.

"What's that?" Petal looks up.

It turns out to be someone's grave. But who's grave? A teddy bear covered with blood and tied with tree strings lies on it.

Mia and Dev cuddle each other at their favorite spot.

"I had this kind of deja Vu thing when I was here before, except it hadn't happened yet." Dev recalls.

"Are you trying to pull that we're meant to be?"

"Yeah maybe." He chuckles.

"Cheesy dude, but it's okay. Everyone likes a bit cheese." Mia smiles and they nudge their noses together, Dev tries to kiss her but she's distracted.

"What time is it?" She asks.

"4:30."

"Already? It's time we head back." She jumps down from the tree.

"Probably. I don't want to hear another Mags' speech about community.

"That's why we're not going together. I really had a great time, just you and me and I don't want it to end up as gossip for Amber and her cheerleaders."

"I don't think she means anything by it." He disagrees with her. "She just tries too hard. I mean you saw her and all the effort she put on that dress. Not that I'm into her or anything..."

"Shh!" She trails her thumb over his lips. "You're very sweet and not don't worry, I promise I'm not giving Amber the slightest thought." She gives him a peck on the lips and walks away.

Alex and Petal are so much into the cries that they found an abandoned house where the cries seems to get stronger. They rummage through the haunted house. Mia gets to Luka spot with the supplies.

"Luka! Luka?" She calls out in a soft voice and he appears behind her.

"OMG! Could you not?" She shrills at him.

"You're late."

"Hold up, I had to make sure no one saw me right? It's hard to steal medical supplies on schedule." She takes off the bag as Luka grabs it forcefully from her as he also returns her phone.

"Hey! What about you show me where I can find signal." Mia calls out to Luka who is walking away.

"You didn't stick to the deal." He retorts back. "Kept me waiting." He carries on.

"What? Did I make you miss a meeting?"

"Goodbye Mia, if you know what's good for you, you'll forget we ever met.

Back at the camp, everyone else is at the mess. Zac and Kayleigh are still holding a grudge against each other. Amber is not settled at all. She's waiting for Mia who sneaks back to the camp.

MIDGE

When you're hunting, you have two choices, you can either track your prey or you can set a trap and wait for your prey to come to you.

~~~

Mia sneaks into the common room while everyone else is eating and paints her name on the wall. She then walks into the mess.

"Mia? Where have you been? We have finished serving dinner." Mags asks.

"I went to finish my painting and I really got into it, I want to leave a mark."

"Aw, I knew this could bring everyone closer together." Mags chortles as Amber approaches Mia.

"You think I don't know." She begins to say.

"Know what Amber." Mia sighs.

"About you and Dev sneaking off while the rest of us paint the common room." She reveals.

"So, what are you gonna do? Tell a teacher? We're not in school, we're on holiday."

"Maybe I'll just tell Dev that you're using him to get at me."

"This isn't about you Amber, you don't know anything about what I feel for Dev or what he feels for me. Just drop it." She claps back at her.

"Drop it? That's what you'll do to Dev, isn't it? When he's no use to you anymore."

"Okay, enough with the teen drama dialogue. You are a two-faced wanna be which is why your crush is with me and you are on your own. Just face it Amber, you'll never be the real thing." Mia folds her arms comfortably. " "Now, I'm cold, so I'm gonna get my jacket and then I'll eat my dinner. And you're gonna stay out of my way." She then walks away.

MIDGE

And once your prey is caught, it's time to move in for the kill.

~~~

Mia walks into the common room to take her jacket and Amber follows her, slamming the door so hard.

"Give up Amber. You have lost." She says.

"Mia...why? Do you hate me that much?" Amber fakes a cry.

"What? I don't hate you. I don't think about you...what are you even talking about?" Mia finds it hard to understand why Amber is suddenly acting all sentimental.

"Why? Why would you do this? My dress?" She begins to sob and Mia turns to find Amber's gown plastered on the wall, soaked in red paint.

"No! That's not possible. That wasn't there...this wasn't me!" She freaks out and then finds her palms full of paint.

"Mia, what have you done? What's wrong with you?" Dev asks her.

"It wasn't me...I didn't do it. Amber set me up." She tries to make everyone understand what's happening but Amber has them controlled. Amber jerks forward to Mia.

"They can't hear you. They can only hear what I want them to hear. They can only see what I want them to see. You can't win this." Amber then pours herself the remaining red paint.

"Look what Mia did to me!" She casts out the spell and they gasp upon seeing her covered with paint.

"She did that herself!" Mia is shaken.

"Mia I saw you..."

"What's wrong with you!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Mia screams out of terror as Amber has everyone controlled. They are all against her.