Chapter 48

While the viewers were still in shock, Odalys stepped on the creature twice, then picked it up and confirmed it was dead before tossing it into her backpack. She took the herb she had just picked, turned around, and quickly climbed the rocks along the cliff edge.

In just a few steps, she was up, stashing the rope in her bag. As she headed back, she saw a few small snakes slithering toward her. The moment they spotted her, they immediately turned and disappeared into the grass.

“Are they that skittish?” Odalys tilted her head, glancing at the snakes.

The snakes poked their heads out of the grass, briefly locking eyes with her before quickly retreating and vanishing into the underbrush.

Odalys didn’t stop to watch them. She hastily made her way back, the sky suddenly darkening with thick clouds, casting a menacing gloom over the area.

She didn’t have a navigation system, but her sense of direction was good. She followed the same path back, and as dusk approached, just as nightfall was about to settle in, she spotted figures not far ahead.

“No. I can’t wait any longer. Should we go find her?” Freya was starting to lose her patience. Several hours had passed without seeing Odalys return, and Freya was getting anxious.

Seeing this, Selah quietly asked, “What do you think?”

“In ten minutes, if she’s not back, we’ll go look for her,” Stellan said quietly.

Frustrated, Freya marched forward, grabbed the pheasant, and started plucking its feathers, pulling hard one by one. When she turned around, she saw a figure standing behind her. “Ah!” Freya was startled and quickly stepped back, still holding the pheasant.

She looked up and saw Odalys standing there. Freya couldn’t help but twitch her mouth, looking at the pheasant in her hand, and chuckled. “You must have plucked all its feathers off to kill it, didn’t you?”

“Huh?” Freya froze, looking down at the pheasant, realizing it was really dead.

She sighed in frustration, tossing it aside. “You’re back at last! We were worried something had happened to you.”

“Oh, Ms. Winslow, were you worried about me?” Odalys teased.

Freya turned her head away, trying to look unaffected. “Who’s worried about you?”

“Guess what I brought back?” Odalys said, almost like she was showing off. Odalys proudly pulled out the herbs she had picked on the way back for the soup.

“These ingredients are really good, perfect for a stew. Plus, I found some fresh mushrooms we can eat,” Odalys said quietly.

Selah and Stellan gathered around, looking at the wild vegetables she spread out, surprised by what they saw.

“You really found wild vegetables?” Stellan’s voice dropped, filled with awe. It felt to him like Odalys had some sort of magic. She seemed to find everything.

“There’s everything in the forest. If I’m lucky, I can find even more treasures,” Odalys said as she used a knife to clean the herbs, disinfecting them at the same time.

The others watched her for a moment before moving to prepare the pheasant, even bringing over a piece of pork to clean.

By 7 p.m., night had fully fallen. They started a fire on one side of the cave to boil water for the pheasant, while also preparing the mushrooms with pork and making some side dishes. It was a simple but hearty dinner, and they all ate happily.

“This soup, I have to finish it. These wild mushrooms are so tender. They taste even better than what we get at the restaurant,” Stellan said, his voice full of surprise.

Stellan, who had always carried himself in a distant, aloof manner, now didn’t seem to care about his image.

Freya rubbed her stomach and stood up, walking a couple of circles. “Uh-oh, if my agent finds out I ate this much, she’ll definitely yell at me.”

“True. I need to get moving too. I ate too much,” Selah said, getting up.

Selah and Freya started walking back and forth, rubbing their bellies, even doing a bit of exercise.

When Odalys stood up, she saw Sophia not far off, staring at her with tearful eyes. Suddenly, their gazes met.

“You know we’re poisoned today and can’t eat anything. Aren’t you worried something might happen to us? Now you’re enjoying all the good food and didn’t even think to share?” Sophia muttered softly.

Odalys raised an eyebrow, giving Sophia a long, searching look before turning and walking into the cave.

Sophia stood there with a mix of joy and restraint, a smile on her face but her eyes full of longing as she watched Odalys disappear into the cave. She muttered quietly, “Bitch, no matter what, you’ll still have to run back to get food for me.”

Just as Sophia finished speaking, she saw Odalys walk out empty-handed. Sophia’s face immediately changed. Odalys glanced at her and said, “Freya, Selah, let’s go take a shower.”

“Sure,” they replied in unison. The group of girls grabbed their clothes and headed off toward the nearby area.

Stellan stood his ground, guarding the cave like he was protecting something valuable. He noticed Sophia as well, and with a displeased tone, he said, “Ms. Bennett, this is Group B’s territory. It’s better if you don’t sneak around here.”

Fuming, Sophia turned on her heels and stormed off without looking back. After the girls returned from their shower, Stellan went off on his own to freshen up. When he came back, he started a fire inside the cave, and the others didn’t seem ready to sleep.

“We’re leaving tomorrow. We agreed on half a month, but now it looks like we have to go early,” Freya murmured softly. It was clear that Freya was reluctant.

Freya had always left the programs once they were finished, but this experience had been completely different. Even though she had only spent two days with Odalys, she felt oddly attached.

“Yeah, it feels too short,” Selah agreed.

Stellan remained silent, his gaze lingering on Odalys for a moment, though he said nothing. As it neared 9 p.m., the group retreated into their tents, chatting as they settled in. Before long, it seemed that Freya had fallen asleep, and Odalys closed her eyes too.

Suddenly, a whistle echoed from outside, freezing Selah in place. She turned her head to look toward the entrance of the cave. The sound continued, and after a moment of hesitation, she quickly got up and walked toward the exit.

Freya stirred, her eyes snapping open as she whispered, “Where is she going?”

Odalys remained silent and watched Selah leave, her expression thoughtful. Freya, unable to stay still, quickly got up and followed.

“Odalys, it’s so late. Why is she going out on her own, acting all mysterious?” Freya asked curiously.

Odalys sat up, her hair cascading over her shoulders. She rubbed her wrist thoughtfully before replying, “She and Lucian are from the same company. They came here to participate in the show together.”

“Right. So, was Lucian looking for her just now?” Freya asked, intrigued.

Freya didn’t know much about Selah, only that she and Lucian were a team. They had come together, but when Kenny assigned the groups, they were split up.

“I don’t know,” Odalys said softly, chuckling.

Odalys looked meaningfully at the entrance, watching as Selah hurried back inside. When Selah returned, she saw that Freya and Odalys were still awake, sitting there instead of sleeping.

“You guys aren’t asleep?” Selah asked nervously, tugging at her shirt. She seemed flustered, her smile forced, and her anxiety written all over her face.

The text "SEND GIFT" appears to be unrelated and has been omitted. The dates "Mon, Jan 6" are also repetitive and have been removed except for the first instance.