The race was on. As soon as the first shot was fired, thousands of girls burst across the starting line running toward the forest and mountains in the distance. The air was pulsing with fear, anticipation, anxiety, panic, and excitement. Adrenaline filled the air and endorphins pulsed through the blood of the first group of runners. The scents were so mixed, it would have been a miracle to pinpoint one specific person at the starting line. The participants were grouped into two starts, the hunters and the prey. The prey had been let loose with the first shot. The prey had naturally split into three distinct groups once the first shot had been fired. The front group had taken off at a sprint, desperate to reach the trees as quickly as possible. They were hoping for a hiding place, anywhere they could wait out this year’s game. They were the panicked participants. They were desperate to go home alone another year, their optimism pushing them onward as their legs pumped as fas

119:30:00 A loud beep rent through the air and the bewitched time blinked several times in the afternoon sky. It was a universal signal to all participants that the second shot had been fired. Izzy jumped in startled panic and swung around to look behind them, convinced the hunters were going to show up any second to claim them. Kate still had a hold on her hand, leading her upriver. Kate squeezed her hand tight and pulled her arm upriver. “It’s ok, Iz. They’ll follow our initial scent trail first. Susanna had our clothes, remember? She will go the same way we did and lead them toward the cliffs where she’ll be able to hide. She took our clothes too so she can drop them along the way. She’s good, Iz. And she’s really fast, the best sprinter we have in Ellisvale, remember? She can buy us at least a day, maybe more,” Kate said softly. She ran her thumb along the back of Izzy’s hand as they walked through the knee-deep water. Izzy nodded as she looked at Kate, r

Susanna was running faster than she ever had in her entire life. The look on Izzy's face when she heard her mate talking with Cliff would be etched in Susanna's mind for decades. It drove Susanna to sprint longer and harder than she ever had before. She weaved in the forest, following the path Amelia recommended. The path led out of the forest and along a rocky cliff. It descended slowly toward the easternmost part of the river before the river flowed out of sight into the neighboring territory. It was easier to run along this trail because the ground sloped downhill, gravity pulled her along. Susanna mentally checked the map she had seen, remembering the spot where Amelia had suggested leaving a fake trail. It would buy several hours at the very least while Susanna made better progress into the canyons to the secret tunnel across the canyon. That's what they needed most, more time. With a jolt, she heard the second shot, the men were off. She didn't have much time,

Susanna ran hard all day, stopping when she needed to take a quick break. She would gulp water and chew some jerky, swallowing it all down quickly. It was enough to energize her and keep her moving. She was determined to make camp on the other side of the canyon with a view of where she hoped Seth, Logan, and Nate had descended. Their descent would take a few hours, the rocks were sharp. With any luck, they would stop to investigate the smells as they went. Susanna was hopeful they would still be there by the time she made it to the other side of the canyon. She willed the plan to work. The canyon ran several miles from northwest to southeast on the land used for the Hunt. The river joined with the canyon at the upper northwest corner and flowed through to the adjoining kingdom. Susanna was running northwest along the southern border of the canyon, trying to find the bridge that Amelia had told her about. There was a rope bridge that crossed the canyon about two miles uprive

Susanna made it to the spring by mid-day, she looked at the sky and noted with relief that she had officially lasted over 24 hours. The Hunt had started at noon the day prior, and it was just past noon according to the clock in the sky. She held out hope that Kate and Izzy were also still in the game, hidden safely in the cave. 95:53:13 Susanna quickly shed her clothes and piled them neatly next to the river. She pulled out her soap and took a quick bath in the spring. She watched the bubbles float downstream as she dried off with her tiny tea towel. There was just enough cloth to soak up the water left on her skin. The cloth was damp when she was done, but she was dry, and her clothes slid over her skin quickly. She wrapped the towel around her neck to keep her cool as she walked in the afternoon sun and filled her water bottles. She still had a few hours of trekking to go before she would find the cave. She mentally went over the path Amelia had shown her between t