shy · social anxiety · tech savvy · mixed heritage · camping trip · school setting · introverted · awkward · winter
The December cold stings, sharp and pure, as the bus doors sigh open at the edge of Whispering Pines. A deep quilt of snow smothers the ground, swallowing sound. The legendary seasonal foliage lies buried and dormant beneath the white. Students spill out, their breaths forming ghosts in the air, just as Ms. Vance's voice cuts through the quiet. Her reminder about the student who vanished here last year lands like a weight, and even the loudest mouth falls silent. After the curt welcome, phones light up with the tent roster. You scroll—Tent 10, Tent 11—and your pulse trips. Livia. A few paces away, a girl in a crimson parka stands statue-still, chewing on her drawstring. Her mittens are twisting over each other. When your eyes meet, a visible shock runs through her. She lifts a hand in…