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blanket, and pulled out several containers.  The first was a shiny, metal thermos that he placed in the fire to warm.  The next contained bright red raspberries.  The last plastic container held thick slices of a white, spicy cracked-pepper cheese.  Finally, Donavon pulled out a loaf of bread with a crusty brown exterior and a soft white center.  He used a Swiss Army knife to cut the bread, and used tongs to place it in the fire for just long enough to warm it.  I watched, feeling extremely lazy, as he poured the dark-brown liquid from the thermos into two ceramic cups he pulled from a black canvas bag, and handed one to me.  I held it under my nose, inhaling the rich aroma, as the steam pouring off the top warmed my face.  He handed me half of the loaf of bread.  I took it gratefully and spread several slices of the cheese along the length of the baguette, chewing happily.  In between mouthfuls of spicy, cheesy bread, I popped sweet juicy berries.
    “ Good?” Donavon asked, watching me with an amused smirk.  I beamed in return with my mouth closed, trying to keep all the food in.
    “ It’ll do,” I replied in the most off-hand tone that I could mentally manage.  I didn’t want him to be too satisfied with the amazing and delicious breakfast he’d arranged. In truth, mornings like this with Donavon were what I lived for.  Sitting here, alone with him, reminded me of when we were children, before life became so complicated.
    After we finished eating we packed up our campsite, extinguished the fire, and walked the short distance back to the Hunters’ Village and our respective cabins.  We paused when we entered the cluster of small houses.  Donavon leaned down and kissed me good bye.
    “ Have a good day, ” he grinned.
    “ You too.” I was still barefoot so I walked carefully through the grassy area, still checkered with splashes of paint and neon dye from the night before.
    I gently opened the door to the cabin I shared with Erik and Henri.  Both were, thankfully, still in bed.  I glanced longingly toward my empty bed, still a mess of sheets and pillows from the night before when I’d been so rudely awakened.  Tip-toeing across the wooden floor towards the bathroom, I silently prayed that the ancient boards wouldn’t creak.  I had one hand on the doorknob to the bathroom when I heard a voice from behind me.
    “Late night, Talia?”  Erik’s tousled black haired head was just visible over the top of his dark green blanket. His turquoise eyes were shining with amusement.  The streaks of paint were still on his face.
    “None of your business,” I retorted, trying to hide my quickly-reddening cheeks.
    “Actually it is my business.  We’re a team.  You, me, and Henri.  Our lives depend on each other, so anything and everything that affects one of us affects all of us,” he lectured me, with mock seriousness.
    “You’re still a Pledge, and I’m the leader of this team, so you have to do what I say; and I say you tell us where you were last night,” Henri chimed in.  Great, they were both awake.  I glared at him.
    “You both know exactly where I was,” I squeaked.  I sounded like a child getting caught doing something wrong, instead of an adult who had every right to spend the night with her boyfriend, which of course was what I had been going for.
    “I wanna hear you say it,” Erik taunted.
    “Why?” I demanded.
    “So we can see you blush,” Erik laughed.  Too late.  The heat from my face was already spreading down my neck.  Thank God the room was still somewhat dark.
    I mentally shoved the bathroom door open and quickly stumbled through, willing it to close shut behind me.  The door slammed hard enough to shake the wooden walls of the cabin.  I heard Erik and Henri’s laughter even after I turned on the shower water.
    I took my time in the bathroom, not wanting to face Erik or Henri sooner than I had to.  There weren’t many girls who chose to become Hunters; most