A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 288

By evening, the sky turned gray, and a light drizzle began. At first, it was just a gentle rain, but before long, it escalated into a torrential downpour.

Meanwhile, Herne, George, and four other men were out in the area searching for flags, food, and supplies.

By the time they noticed the rain and tried to head back, it was already too late. What started as a light shower had transformed into a heavy, relentless storm.

"Do you think our fire's going to go out?" several of them asked at once.

Panic set in as they all scrambled to return to camp, only to find that the rain had completely extinguished their fire. The extinguished flame mirrored the despair in everyone's eyes.

Caitlin, who was in charge of watching the fire, kept her gaze downcast, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Ana, too, looked guilty and anxious—even though the fire had died because of the rain, she felt responsible, as if her negligence had allowed it to happen.

"Our multifunctional shovel is gone! If we'd had it, we could have set up the tent sooner and kept the fire alive. I wish we hadn't traded it away…" Ana muttered under her breath, glancing at the others with a mix of regret and reproach.

Just a moment later, her expression shifted to one of sudden realization. "Oh, right—I forgot. We didn't really have a choice. It was their call."

"Be grateful," George snapped coldly. "If we hadn't had to trade the shovel for food, we'd have been starving by now! And remember, it wasn't like Demi's team forced our hand—it was all part of the rules set by the production."

Ana's eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked at George with an expression that screamed innocence and hurt. "I didn't mean it like that..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I didn't say anything either," George replied, his tone flat as he looked away, unwilling to meet her eyes.

For a moment, the air between them thickened with tension. Ana's eyes began to redden, and George frowned in irritation.

Alex, noticing Ana's distress, tried to soften the mood. "Ana, you didn't mean any harm. It's just a shame about the missing shovel. You misunderstood," he said gently.

George fell silent, glancing off into the distance. The awkward silence didn't go unnoticed. On social media, the livestream comments started buzzing.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go to their camp?" Ana interjected, her voice trembling slightly as she wiped away a tear.

She looked embarrassed as if she had just cried, and her voice came out soft and hesitant. She'd rather face the cold rain than see everyone fawning over Demi—or worse, see her own two "brothers" groveling for help.

George, however, was unyielding. He fixed his eyes on Isaac and asked again, "Can we go?"

Isaac shook his head. "No, that was already an exception last night."

Chad's eyes sparkled with a new idea. "What if we find them on our own?" he suggested.

Isaac replied, "If you find them on your own, you can join in their game or whatever, but you're not allowed to use their supplies or borrow anything."

"That works for us," almost everyone agreed simultaneously, including Alex and Thomas. Only Ana remained silent, her lips pressed together as she fought back unsaid words.