Dümped

Sandra listened quietly as the group whispered among themselves.

"First she demoted the other Puff girls, and now this. It's not like our scores can change. What's the point of a new grading system?" one girl complained, and the others nodded in agreement.

"I think it's an abuse of power," Sandra said aloud before she could stop herself. The group turned to stare at her — then, as if on cue, they scattered.

"Abuse of power? Just because she didn't rank you as a Prime?" a voice drawled.

Sandra turned. June stood there in a crop top and jeans, her wavy black hair framing her face. She was beautiful — and the fiercest of the three.

"She's not being abusive. She just wants a stable system. Without a hierarchy, everything falls apart," April said, appearing beside June. But June grabbed her arm, pulling her away.

"People are turning against her. They need to know the truth," April whispered as June led her off.

The truth? Sandra's curiosity sharpened. What are they hiding?

Later, Sandra found Marylou pacing anxiously, visibly shaken about the new evaluation.

"Mary, calm down," Sandra said gently. "This might be a good thing — you could get a higher rank this time."

Marylou took a deep breath, nodding, but Sandra was already thinking about the secret. She needed answers.

Where are all the adults? she thought, noticing how empty camp seemed as she went searching for April. She spotted her near the storage building.

"Can we talk in private?" Sandra asked, and April hesitated before nodding.

They slipped into one of the basement partitions used for storing food.

"I heard rumors about… overthrowing May," Sandra said, watching April's reaction carefully.

April's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that? Who said it?"

"Through the grapevine," Sandra deflected. "I just thought… maybe you could talk them down. Convince people the new evaluation is a good thing."

"I wish I could," April sighed. "But June told me not to get involved."

"Then tell me what you'd say. I could spread it around like a rumor — no one would know where it came from," Sandra suggested, leaning in.

After a moment of hesitation, April relented.

"Okay… May's score dropped. June and I told her about it, and she accused us of plotting against her." April looked down, ashamed.

"Why would you tell her that?" Sandra asked, puzzled.

"Because it did drop. I was scared to tell her myself, so I told June. But when May found out, she said she couldn't trust us anymore. She thinks we're lying, and that's why she ordered a new evaluation."

Sandra's mind raced. This confirmed her suspicion — April had the ability to see people's scores.

But that night, Sandra got more than confirmation.

Her tent unzipped slowly. Panic surged as she struggled to get out of her sleeping bag, but it was stuck. The tent flap opened fully, and a beam of light from a headlamp blinded her. She couldn't see who it was.

When the person turned off the headlamp, Sandra's eyes adjusted — and she saw June.

"Don't repeat anything April told you," June whispered, her voice cold. "If I hear even a hint of a rumor, me being in your tent will be the least of your problems."

She slipped out as quietly as she had come.

Sandra lay frozen for hours after June left. But then, near dawn, faint noises drifted through camp.

She unzipped her tent just a crack — and saw three figures moving from tent to tent, whispering.

"Buddy…" one of them whispered at each tent flap.

"Boys?" Sandra whispered to herself, confused.

One of the figures stopped, hearing her.

"I've found her," the voice whispered back.

The next day, May began her evaluation of the camp. She ranked people based on their contributions so far and their potential, determined by their abilities.

Sandra watched the process unfold and, to her surprise, found it fair. Maybe May wasn't as ruthless as people claimed.

Still, she had made up her mind. She would leave with the boys. But not before seeing Marylou's final rank.

When May finally announced it—Royal—Sandra wasn't surprised. Telekinesis was a rare and powerful ability.

Satisfied, Sandra slipped away from the camp and met the boys in the woods.

"I wouldn't mind living here," Merlin mused. "Shame there aren't any boys allowed."

"There are boys—just not many," Sandra said.

Merlin immediately turned around and started marching back toward camp.

Sandra grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Don't even think about it."

He sighed dramatically, but followed her lead.

"I really miss adults," Sandra muttered as they walked.

Jackfrost glanced at her. "Did you say something?"

Sandra shook her head. "Nothing."

They disappeared into the trees. On their way they came across a centipede rat chimera. A long rat with multiple tinny legs. The boy were fascinating by it but is was Sandra's worse nightmare. She watched from a distance as they played with it.

Suddenly she realized she was sinking. It was slow but noticed it.

"Guys" she called out to the boys but they were distracted. After a while she started to panic. This made her sink faster. TomTom notice and alerted the others. Merlin tried to teleport her out of there but she was difficult to pull out even with teleportation.

"I can freeze the sand." Jackfrost suggested.

"Then she would be stuck and cold, what good will that do?" 

TomTom said. Soon they started arguing. Merlin grabbed the Ratipede and tossed one end to Sandra. It was about five feet long.

"I am not touching that." Sandra said evading the ratipede. Soon a man came from nowhere and grabbed Sandra by the hand. Kneeling close to the quicksand he pulled. Gradually he pulled Sandra out. The boys helped the man up.

As they made their way through the forest, the group stumbled upon a bizarre creature—a long rat with multiple tiny legs skittering along the ground.

"A Ratipede!" Merlin exclaimed, crouching down to inspect it.

Jackfrost grinned. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen."

TomTom poked it with a stick, watching as it wriggled.

Sandra, on the other hand, stood frozen in horror. It was the worst thing she had ever seen.

"Guys…" she called, inching backward. But the boys were too fascinated to hear her.

That's when she felt it.

The ground beneath her was shifting—soft, loose. She was sinking. Slowly at first, but enough to make her stomach tighten.

"Guys," she called again, her voice sharper this time. Still no reaction.

Panic started creeping in, and with it, she sank faster.

She gasped and thrashed, which only made it worse.

TomTom finally turned and saw her. "Sandra!"

The others snapped to attention.

Merlin rushed forward. "Hold on—I'll teleport you out."

A flicker of energy surrounded her, but nothing happened. She wouldn't budge.

"Too deep," Merlin muttered. "I can't get a lock on her."

"I can freeze the sand," Jackfrost offered.

TomTom shot him a look. "And then she'd be stuck and freezing. Great idea."

"Better than nothing!"

"Guys, not the time," Sandra gritted out, sinking deeper.

Merlin suddenly grabbed the Ratipede and tossed one end of its long, wriggling body toward Sandra.

"Grab it!" he urged.

Sandra recoiled. "Are you insane? I am not touching that!"

Before they could argue, a strong hand suddenly gripped Sandra's arm.

She looked up in shock. A man had appeared out of nowhere, kneeling at the edge of the quicksand. His grip was firm, his expression unreadable as he began to pull.

The boys immediately jumped in to help, anchoring the man as he heaved Sandra free, inch by inch.

Finally, she collapsed onto solid ground, gasping.

The man straightened. The boys helped him up, staring at him in silent curiosity.

Sandra, still breathless, looked up at their rescuer.

"Who… are you?"