Signal Lost

Maya's parents thought sending her to wilderness camp would "build character." Whatever that meant. Mostly, it meant no WiFi, no TikTok, and zero chances of texting Liam about what happened at Jordan's party last weekend.

"Dude, just check your iPhone," Chloe whispered during their solo hike. "Maybe we got signal on this ridge."

Maya pulled out her phone. Two bars. Her heart practically did a backflip. She tapped open Instagram—

CRACK.

Lightning splintered the sky, closer than comfortable. The hair on her arms stood up like static electricity.

"Okay, that's nature's way of saying put it away," Chloe said, eyes wide.

Then came the rain—not normal rain, but like someone dumped an Olympic swimming pool directly onto their heads. Within thirty seconds, Maya was drenched, her expensive camp shirt plastered to her skin like secondhand embarrassment.

"We need to get to higher ground," Maya yelled over the thunder. "The trail map said there's a cave near the creek."

Running through mud while being pummeled by rain? Not exactly the glamping experience she'd mentally prepared for. Her sneakers squelched with every step. Water streamed down her face, ruining whatever was left of her mascara.

Then she heard it: a low, guttural sound from the trees ahead.

"Did you hear that?" Maya grabbed Chloe's arm.

A massive black bear emerged from the brush, water cascading off its shaggy fur like it had just emerged from a shower. It looked at them, then looked at the salmonberry bush it had been munching on.

"Don't run," the camp counselor had drilled into them. "Make noise. Look big."

Maya's brain: absolutely malfunctioning.

Chloe, surprisingly chill, started waving her arms slowly. "Hey bear! Just passing through! Not snacks!"

The bear gave them this incredibly judgmental look—like, *really, you again?*—then turned back to the berries.

Maya let out the breath she'd been holding. "Did that bear just low-key roast us?"

"Totally." Chloe laughed, hair dripping in her face. "Wait till I tell Jordan. She'll never believe we got cockblocked by a bear."

They made it to the cave just as another lightning strike illuminated the valley. Wet, cold, and slightly traumatized, Maya pulled out her phone one more time. Zero bars.

"You know what?" she said, dropping it into her pocket. "Liam can wait."

Some things were bigger than high school drama. Some things were about standing your ground when a bear looked at you like you were annoying, or finding shelter in a storm with someone who made you laugh until your sides hurt.

Maybe her parents were right. Maybe this was exactly what she needed.