"Oh misty eye of the mountain below..."

An enthusiastic cheer went up from students sitting round the bonfire at the sound of the Hobbit's soundtrack. I grinned as Ruben rested his head on Noah's shoulder and the two of them beginning singing their hearts out to Ed Sheeran.

"Here." June handed me a slightly blackened marshmallow on stick then returned to her spot crouched by the fire watching the other ones cook.

A guitar began playing softly in the background.

"... If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together..."

June grinned. "Tomorrow we will fight together."

"Dramatic," Ruben teased, sticking his hands out to absorb the fire's warmth. We'd been here for a good few hours eating food and singing to campfire songs with the other students. I'd spotted Griffin sitting down on the other side of the fire about an hour ago but had ignored him; tonight I was too tired to pull any pranks.

"... Now I see fire... inside the mountains..."

The fire crackled before us, sending smoke spiralling into the dark sky.

"It's so beautiful," I breathed.

"Can we stay here forever?" Ruben whispered and I had to agree. There was something so calm about sitting by a fire outside at night.

"... Confined in mountain halls....we got too close to the flame..."

June hopped onto the log next the rest of us and the four of us began swaying in time with the music. The glow of the flames could be seen on reflecting on everyone and I couldn't help the smile that stayed on my face.

"... Blood in the breeze... and I hope that you'll remember me..."

I looked across the campfire to find Griffin staring at me, his dark eyes reflecting the firelight. He had a strange expression on his face and I wondered what was going through his head. I looked away but still felt the weight of his gaze on me.

A weight that I didn't mind tonight.

"... And I see fire burn auburn and on the mountain side."

The song came to an end and I stood up. "I think I'm going to head to bed now. The Hobbit is a great way to end the night."

"I'm joining you." June yawned. "I'm exhausted."

"Goodnight," Ruben and Noah called out after us.

Every step away from the campfire sucked away my body heat and I couldn't wait to be in my sleeping bag. I said goodbye to June then headed across the campsite towards my tent. I'd hadn't seen Olivia for a while so assumed she'd already gone to bed. I crossed my fingers, hopefully she would be asleep already.

As I stepped between tents, my mind wandered back again to this morning. Someone else will be out there for you, Miss Winters had said. Her words had echoed in my head all day and I was finally beginning to realise that maybe I didn't want that. Just maybe I was beginning to want Griffin to be someone to me.

I reached my tent with the unsettling thoughts still swirling in my head. Maybe I had hit my head when I fell in the stream this morning. My eyes widened when I suddenly spotted my stuff in a heap on the ground just outside the doorway of the tent.

What the heck?

"Olivia?" I called out, annoyed. I knew she was still awake as our tent was lit up by a torch. "Why is my stuff out here? It'll get damp!"

I'd been on enough trips to know never to leave your bag outside at night unless you wanted it to become dew covered.

She stuck her head out of the doorway. "Aurora."

I refrained from grimacing. "Olivia."

"You'll have to find somewhere else to sleep."

"What?"

She let out a giggle. "I have company."

"So?" I demanded. "They can leave."

I heard a male voice murmur something.

"Sorry, a girl gotta do, what a girl gotta do." Olivia began retreating back inside.

"A girl doesn't kick another girl out of their room—or tent—for a boy!" I exclaimed in outrage. My issue wasn't that I was being kicked out, it was the fact that she hadn't told me this information earlier and given me a chance to find somewhere else to sleep, that was why I was wound up. "You should've given me warning."

Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, it's not even that bad, you never even unpacked."

"But—"

She crawled back into our tent without a second glance back. For a few seconds I stood there in the dark with my bag in hand, looking at the tent before me.

A torch light suddenly shined in my eyes and I blinked.

"People are going to start calling you crazy if you continue staring at the tent like that," a familiar voice said and the light lowered.

I groaned and turned to look at the annoyingly handsome male walking through the trees towards me. A male who I was trying to avoid especially after my words to him this morning. "What are you doing here Griffin?"

He held up a packet of condoms. "Oscar forgot these."

"Oscar is in there?" I clenched my jaw. "Is this one of your pranks again?"

"No, they're perfectly new and untouched. No accidental babies."

"I'm talking about getting me kicked out of my tent."

Griffin's eyes flicked to my bag and then a big grin came across his face. "You're Olivia's tent buddy?"

"Yes."

He laughed. "This is too good."

"No, it's not." I huffed as Griffin unzipped the door and quickly flung the packet into the tent.

"So what are you going to do tonight then?" he asked.

"I haven't thought that far yet."

Kissing noises began emitting from the tent and I made a face. I started walking back towards the campfire, maybe Jack or one of the boys would still be there and I could crash in their tent.

Griffin caught up to me. "I wouldn't be going that way. I heard one of your teachers saying that he's going to patrol soon and any students out of bed will be sent home."

I groaned and stopped walking. I had no doubt that Mr Wilson would send me home if he caught me. Suddenly a desperate idea began forming in my mind. "Was Oscar your tent buddy?"

"Yes."

"Well in that case I think it's only fair that I take his bed. He's taken mine after all."

For a fraction of a second I saw surprise flash across Griffin's face, before he changed it into a smirk. "I didn't realise you were actually that desperate to sleep with me."

I frowned. "I would never sleep with you. Just being in the same room as you is hard enough, however, I value my actual sleep."

"Are you sure about that, princess?" Griffin took a step closer to me. "I can assure you that a night spent with me won't contain much sleeping."

"I am taking Oscar's bed." I crossed my arms then added, "And I will be sleeping—"

He cocked his head. "With me?"

"Never."

"We'll see about that."

"I will be sleeping on the other side of the tent, and if you even think about touching me once tonight, there will be hell to pay."

'Yes ma'am." His eyes sparked with laughter. "Follow me."

Griffin started walking back between the trees towards Beckfall's quadrant. For a few seconds I hesitated, was this a wise decision sleeping in his tent? Probably not. Sleeping with a rival who causes unwanted feelings in me is the definition of not smart. However, he also seemed to be my best bet for a guaranteed bed and I did not want to be sent home or eaten all night by the bugs.

With a sigh I slung my bag over my shoulder and followed his retreating back.

The sooner tomorrow came, the better.