Chapter 156 *
Scarlett’s POV
The water was so cold it felt like knives. My legs went numb within seconds.
But I kept my face neutral. Kept moving forward.
That night, Mitchell decided to test our emergency response.
At two in the morning, someone started banging pots together outside our tent.
"BEAR! BEAR IN CAMP! EVERYONE UP! EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES NOW!"
I was awake and dressed in under thirty seconds.
Lily was still trying to figure out which way was up.
"What's happening?" She was tangled in her sleeping bag. "Are we being attacked?"
"It's a drill." I helped her get free. "Come on."
We assembled outside in the freezing darkness. Mitchell stood there with a flashlight and a clipboard.
"Twelve minutes," he said. "That's how long it took everyone to evacuate. In a real emergency, half of you would be dead."
Someone groaned.
"We're doing this again tomorrow night," Mitchell continued. "And the night after that. Until you can do it in under five minutes."
Lily looked like she was going to cry.
By day four, three more people had dropped out. The group was down to about thirty students.
The ones who remained looked hardened. Mitchell gathered us in the training area.
"Today we're covering wilderness self-defense." He stood at the center. "This is not about fighting. This is about creating distance and escaping dangerous situations."
He demonstrated a few basic techniques. How to break a grip. How to create space. How to run.
It was all very... basic.
I'd learned more advanced techniques when I was seven.
"Pair up," Mitchell said. "We're going to practice these moves. Slowly. Focus on form, not speed."
Lily paired with Emma. I got stuck with Jessica.
"Okay, so I grab your wrist like this." Jessica wrapped her fingers around my wrist. "And you do the twisting thing to break free."
I did the movement. Slowly. Deliberately sloppy.
But even going slow, my muscle memory took over. The technique was too clean. Too precise.
Jessica blinked. "Whoa. Have you done this before?"
"No." I forced myself to fumble the next attempt. "Just got lucky."
We rotated partners.
I made sure to mess up more often. To hesitate. To look uncertain.
But it was hard. These movements were burned into my nervous system. Doing them wrong felt physically painful.
"Alright, everyone stop." Mitchell's voice cut through the noise. "I need a volunteer for a demonstration."
Nobody raised their hand.
"Come on." He scanned the group. "I'm going to show you what to do when someone grabs you from behind. I need someone to be the attacker."
Still nothing.
His eyes landed on me.
No. No no no.
"You." He pointed directly at me. "Step forward."
Every instinct screamed at me to refuse. To fake an injury. To literally run away.
But that would draw more attention.
I stepped forward.
Mitchell turned his back to me. "Wrap your arms around me from behind. Like you're trying to restrain me."
I hesitated.
This was a test. I knew it was a test.
"It's okay," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Just grab on."
I reached forward and wrapped my arms around his torso. Loose grip. Non-threatening.
"Tighter," Mitchell said. "Actually try to hold me."
I tightened my grip.
"Good. Now watch what I do."
He dropped his weight. Shifted his hips. His elbow came back fast and stopped an inch from my ribs.
"If this was real, that would break your grip and possibly your ribs." He demonstrated the movement again in slow motion. "Then you create distance and run."
He stepped away from me. Turned around.
"Your turn. I'm going to grab you from behind. Show me the technique."
My heart rate picked up.
This was bad.
Mitchell moved behind me. His arms wrapped around my torso.
The second I felt the pressure, my body reacted.
I dropped my weight. Shifted. My elbow came back and stopped exactly where it should. Right at his floating rib.
Perfect form. Perfect speed.
Mitchell went completely still.
The entire group was watching.
"Good," he said slowly. He released me and stepped back. "That was... very good."
His eyes met mine. "Where did you learn that?" His voice was casual.
"I just did what you showed us." I tried to look confused. "Was it wrong?"
"No." He held my gaze for another second. "It was perfect."
The way he said "perfect" made my stomach drop.
"Alright, everyone back to your partners." Mitchell turned away. "Practice that sequence. Slowly."
I walked back to Jessica on shaking legs.
Lily caught my eye from across the circle. She mouthed, "What was that?"
I shook my head.
Jessica grabbed my wrist again. "Okay, so the twisting motion—"
But I wasn't listening.
Mitchell was watching me. I could feel it.
The next two days I was extra careful. I fumbled every technique. I tripped during the obstacle course. I asked stupid questions about basic survival skills.
I played the role of confused college student so hard I probably looked like an idiot.
Mitchell didn't call on me again.
On the morning of day six, he gathered us at the far end of camp.
"Today's final exercise," he announced. "Emergency signaling."
He led us down a trail to a cleared area. There was a makeshift shooting range set up. Targets at various distances.
And a table covered with handguns.
Lily grabbed my arm. "Are those real guns?"
"Looks like it."
"Why do we have real guns at outdoor survival camp?"
Mitchell addressed the group. "In remote wilderness areas, firearms serve multiple purposes. Emergency signaling. Predator deterrence. In extreme situations, self-defense."
He picked up one of the handguns.
"This is a standard nine-millimeter pistol. Common. Reliable. Legal to carry in most wilderness areas with proper permits."
He went through the basic safety protocols. Trigger discipline. Muzzle awareness. How to hold it properly.
The whole time he was talking, my brain was screaming.
I could field strip that Glock blindfolded. I could hit a target at three hundred yards with a handgun most people couldn't shoot accurately at fifty.
"Who wants to go first?" Mitchell held up the gun.
The group went silent.
Nobody moved.
Guns were intimidating for people who'd never used them. I got that.
But this was also the perfect chance for someone like me to completely blow my cover if I wasn't careful.
"Come on." Mitchell's voice had an edge to it. "This is an essential skill. Someone needs to demonstrate."
Still nothing.
His eyes swept across the group.
Then they landed on me.
Oh no.
"You." He pointed directly at me. "Step forward."
I stared at him. Fuck. "Me?" I pointed at myself.
"Yes. You."
Lily was looking at me with concern. Emma and Jessica looked relieved they hadn't been chosen.
I walked forward on legs that felt like lead.
This was fine. I could do this. I just needed to pretend I'd never touched a gun before in my life.
But I had the sinking feeling that no matter what I did, he was going to see right through me.
I stopped in front of him.
He held out the handgun.
"Let's see what you've got."