Cover

Title Page

Dedication

To the young survivor
reading this book for the first time.
May your eyes always be wide open
to adventure, and your heart full
of courage and determination to
see your dreams through.

1

HUNGER PAINS

Evie crawled ahead through a ditch full of damp, rotting leaves, then straightened up behind a tree, keeping out of sight.

“It’s perfect,” she whispered excitedly back to her friend Harry. “If you crawl down this ditch, the flag is only twenty metres away.”

Evie and Harry were playing Capture the Flag. They had one thing on their mind – reaching the clearing in the middle of the woods where the flag was planted, without being caught by the other boys and girls who were guarding it. They both wore armbands stuck on with Velcro. If anyone in the clearing was able to tear it from them, their go would be over and they would become guardians too. But if they got to the flag with their armbands still on, they would have won!

Evie looked back. Harry was staring glumly at the ditch. “It looks really manky,” he moaned. “I don’t want to get my jeans dirty. Chimp Skinnys are so expensive.”

Evie sighed. That was so Harry, caring more about his trousers than winning the game.

But she knew there was no point arguing with him when his mind was made up.

So instead, Evie and Harry crept from tree to tree. Both of them were crouching down by a bush, keeping very still and almost holding their breath, as a guardian stalked by.

And then there was a loud rumbling sound from Evie’s stomach.

Evie’s face turned bright burning red.

The guardian had heard. “Intruders!”

Evie and Harry fled, with the guardians chasing them.

“Why couldn’t you just lie down in the ditch like I said?” Evie gasped as they ran.

“It’s not my fault! Your stomach gave us away!” Harry panted. “Didn’t you have any breakfast?”

Evie didn’t really want to think about breakfast. All she had been able to choose was a banana and a bread roll. After a couple of bites she had changed her mind about the roll.

“Let’s split up,” she said.

“Okay. See you later.”

Evie sprinted back in the direction of the ditch, two guardians closing in behind her.

Evie stood holding her lunch tray. All the other campers were chatting and laughing as they piled their plates up. But not Evie. Hers was empty.

It had been the same at breakfast.

It was the same at every meal.

Camp meals were epic, and they took care of everyone’s needs. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, kosher, halal, whatever. But there was never anything that was right for her.

Camp food never came close to Evie’s perfect meal. It was always too sloppy or too spicy, and she never knew when she might find something unexpected and gross on her plate.