Chapter 155 - Camping In The Woods

We all sat in the student council room finishing our work for the week.

Millie put down her book, "Our break is coming up."

My face lit up, "Ugh! Finally! I'm getting tired of the cold."

Millie smiled, "Do you have any plans, Seri?"

I shook my head, "I don't... Well, my father wants me to go to work with him at his company again. But there's no way in hell I'm going to let him ruin my break again. What about you Millie?"

Millie shook her head, "I have nothing planned."

I grabbed her in excitement, "Then we should go on a trip!!"

Millie smiled, "A trip?"

"Yeah! We can go somewhere we've never been before!" I added in a mutter, "Preferably somewhere warm."

"That does sound nice." Millie nodded, "Alright. Let's go."

William butted in, "Wait! I want to go too!"

I smirked at him, "I dunno William. Do you think you can get away from your princely duties? Wouldn't your parents be afraid you'll get hurt?""

He blushed, "Of course I can go! I don't need my parents to agree. I'm the Prince!!" He hesitated, "Well... They won't care at least. All I need to do is tell my mother about taking a trip with you and she would happily agree."

I silently burnt a candle for William's and his parents hopes and dreams.

I nodded, "Well, if William's going then that means Dante is going too."

Dante glanced at me with sharp eyes.

Mary whined beside me, "Aww... I really want to go..." She sniffled, "But I'm too poor to afford an expensive trip..."

I spoke, "If you cook for me, I will pay for your things."

Mary's eyes lit up, "Of course I will cook! Yaay! I get to go on a romantic trip with my beloved!!!"

Mary tried to hug me, but I held her back. I looked at the rest of the group while restraining her, "What about the rest of you a**holes?"

Lucius turned his nose up, "There's no way I'd go on a trip with you."

Artie nodded in excitement, "I will go!"

Lucius made a serious expression, "I'm going as well."

I blinked at his sudden change of answer.

I looked at Mathias, "What about you Matty? Will you come as well? Or do we need to peer pressure you into agreeing?"

He covered his face with his book, "I will go..."

I clapped my hands, "Well that settles it. Looks like Seri and friends are going on an adventure!"

Lucius frowned, "Why is it Seri and friends?! We aren't friends!"

I corrected myself, "Seri and friends plus an idiot."

"Oi!" Lucius slammed his hands against the table.

Millie spoke in a warm voice, "Do you have any ideas Seri?"

I tapped my chin... My eyes lit up, "Oh I know!! Let's go camping!"

William raised an eyebrow, "Camping?"

I nodded, "Yes. I didn't get to enjoy it the last time because.. Well..." I shook my foot. I continued, "And I've always wanted to go camping! Maybe this time I could actually enjoy it!"

Millie nodded, "I think it's a wonderful idea. And the southern part of the kingdom is warm this time of year. Let's go to the mountains there."

I clapped in excitement, "That's perfect!"

Artie whined, "I don't want to go camping! I'm going to get eaten alive by mosquitoes!!"

I rolled my eyes, "Just have Lucius protect you from them."

Artie scowled at this. Mary's face lit up at the thought and she hastily agreed with me.

Lucius proudly pointed to my chest, "Mosquitoes don't even dare to land on me. I guess my handsomeness scares them away. As long as you stick with me, mosquitoes won't dare to land on you."

We all ignored Lucius.

Artie pouted, "But I hate creepy crawlies... The southern part of the kingdom has a lot of bugs too."

William's face twitched, "A lot of bugs?"

Artie glanced at William, "Do you not like bugs either?"

William looked nonchalantly at his papers and responded indifferently, "I don't mind bugs."

I broke out into rambunctious laughter, "You don't mind bugs?! Yeah right! You're terrified of them!"

William blushed, "I-I am not!!"

I turned to Artie, "Listen to this, everytime he sees a bug, he squeals like a little girl!! He's even terrified of lady bugs! Last time we went camping I was going to put bugs in his bed." I paused, "Oh wait. I didn't get an opportunity to do that last time..."

I looked at William with a sinister smile.

He gulped, "Don't you dare."

I rubbed my hands together evilly, "Fufu. Looks like I get to fulfill a previous promise of mine."

William turned pale.

_____

Once we arrived and the carriage stopped moving, I bolted from it and barfed behind a bush. Dante followed me out and calmly patted my back.

William then got off the carriage with a smug expression, "I can't believe you still get sick from carriage rides."

Millie followed after him, "Don't tease Seri about it. It's not like she can help it."

The other carriage pulled up carrying the rest of the people. Mary ran out, "SERI!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THESE BOYS EVER AGAIN!!"

Artie followed her out and rolled his eyes, "It wasn't that bad."

Mary sobbed, "Lucius kept looking at my chest like a pervert!"

Lucius scratched his cheek, "I couldn't help it. I tried to make it less obvious."

Artie smacked him over the head.

Mathias stepped out of the carriage with a dark expression. He also looked like he was going to puke at any moment.

I guess Mathias also isn't a fan of long carriage rides.

We went over to our cabins and watched as the servants prepared everything for us. I guess this is like the rich person's version of camping. Somehow I'm a bit sad it's not a little more rugged.

I looked at Mary, "You know how to barbeque, right?"

She blinked, "Barbecue?"

I gasped, "Is there no such thing here?! Oh no. We can't camp without barbeque. Maybe I should show you-"

"NO!" Everyone shouted in unison.

I frowned at their quick reaction.

Mary spoke quickly, "Just explain it to me. I can figure it out."

As Mary prepared the food, it started getting darker out. I tried to help out, but my hands were quickly slapped away. Millie pushed me away politely and forced me to sit with the boys. Artie joined Millie to help Mary prepare dinner.

Dante tended to the fire allowing me to help within reason. I kept throwing several logs on the fire as Dante just watched indifferently. Lucius ran from the swarm of mosquitoes following after him, "AHHH! GET AWAY!"

I clicked my tongue, "So much for being a mosquito repellent."

Artie shrugged, "He wasn't lying when he said they won't land on us as long as he's around. But that's because they are much more interested in him than us."

We all sat around the campfire while eating the delicious food. I rubbed my distended stomach, "Uggh. I can't eat another bite." I shoved another piece into my mouth.

William frowned, "If you can't eat another bite, then why are you shoving more food into your mouth?"

I sobbed, "Because it's so delicious."

After dinner was finished. Millie yawned, "Perhaps we should go to sleep soon."

I sat up abruptly, "No way! The party is just getting started!"

Millie glanced at me, "What could we do when it's so late and dark out?"

I chuckled sinisterly, "There's only one thing we can do... Tell scary stories..."

Artie gulped, "S-Scary stories?"

Lucius proudly pushed his chest out, "I'm not scared of a thing!"

I nodded, "Then I will start."

I spoke in a deep and eerie tone, "On a night like this, eight people sat around a campfire enjoying their dinner... But unknown to them, there was something watching them. They were all talking peacefully until they heard footsteps behind them. Tap.. Tap.. Tap.. They all grew quiet and turned to the noise... Two glowing red eyes looked down at them.."

Everyone listened to my story with wide eyes, except for Dante. He just looked into space with a bored and indifferent face. Artie shook as he listened and Lucius's face started twitching. Mary and Mathias were holding each other in fear. Even William looked a bit unnerved.

I continued, "It was a large hairy beast that was double the size of any man... It's name was bigfoot and when he-"

I stopped abruptly and looked behind Lucius and Artie with wide eyes. My mouth went dry, "Holy... Sh*t..."

Artie gulped, "What?! What is it!?"

Millie followed my sight and gasped, "Oh my... Seri is that..."

I nodded, "Bigfoot."

Mary screamed in a panic causing Lucius to jump into Artie's arms. Lucius screamed in a high pitch voice, "IS IT BEHIND ME?! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! ARTIE PROTECT ME!"

The group went quiet.

William sighed, "She was playing a prank. There's nothing behind you."

"Huh?" Lucius finally had the courage to look behind him only to see there was nothing there. He turned back blushing, "I-I know that! It's not like I was actually afraid or anything!"

I snickered, "Then why did you jump into Artie's arms?"

Lucius looked down and realized he was holding on to Artie as if his life depended on it. Artie looked ahead with an irritated expression. Lucius quickly climbed out of his arms and covered his face in shame.

William frowned, "I can't believe you got Millie and Mary to play along."

Mary giggled in embarrassment, "Actually... I wasn't playing... I was actually scared..."

William could only shake his head.

I elbowed Millie, "Millie, you should share a scary story."

Millie blushed, "Oh... I don't know.. I don't think I'm very good at making up stories."

Artie smiled, "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

Millie nodded, "Oh all right. I will try then. Hmm, let's see. Once there was eight people around a fire. They had just finished dinner and started to feel drowsy. One by one, they started collapsing. Little did they know that one of the members had poisoned their food with sleeping medication. When they awoke, they were all tied up. The individual who had posioned them got out their tools and started to [omitted due to being too graphic for reader's eyes]..."

As Millie described an incredibly graphic, and far too realistic, torture scene; we all stared at her with a horrified expression.

Artie gulped, "She didn't actually poison us... Right?"

Mary yawned. She shrieked, "I'm tired!!! She must have drugged us for real!!!"

As everyone panicked, I stopped Millie's long spiel of blood and violence. "Millie... I think you've been reading too much crime novels..."

Millie stopped her story, "Oh.. Was it bad?"

I shook my head, "No, it was actually so realistic it was terrifying." I released Millie and looked around with a smile, "Okay, who wants to go next?"

Mary spoke, "Oh! I can go next!"

I nodded, "Alright, go."

Mary spoke, "Once upon a time, there was a knight called Seri- I mean - Servi. Servi was traveling across the country when he discovered a princess being attacked! He swooped in and saved the princess and they shared a true loves first kiss." Mary made a dreamy face and batted her eyelashes.

William frowned, "That's not a scary story Mary. That's a romance."

I gulped, "I don't know... I found it particularly frightening."

Dante spoke, "I have a story."

As Dante shared his scary story, we all quickly discovered he was way too good at coming up with one. Even I couldn't help but shiver in fear. Lucius and Artie grabbed each other in terror as they listened. Mathias hid behind his seat. Me and Mary held on to each other with wide eyes. Millie didn't seem to care too much. William, however, looked as if he would faint at any moment.

Once Dante finished his story, I gulped in fear. My voice wavered, "U-Um... I think... I think that's enough scary stories for one night..."

Everyone hastily agreed.

Mary sobbed, "There's no way I can go to sleep after hearing that."

I jumped up, "Good! Because now we must do a test of courage."