Tissa placed all the cards on a small piece of cloth in the middle of the circle.
There were thirty cards containing various questions and challenges. Each player had to choose between answering the question on their card or accepting a challenge.
However, there was one additional rule.
Anyone who drew a dare card but refused to complete the challenge would have to accept a punishment determined by the other players.
"Does everyone understand the rules?" Tissa asked.
"Got it," Rengga replied.
"Then let's begin!"
Tissa shuffled the cards before distributing them among the players.
That night, the playing order began with Tissa, followed by Rengga, Keenan, Riki, Hasan, Rico, Laras, and finally Alya.
Each of them received one card.
The atmosphere, which had initially been relaxed, gradually filled with curiosity as they began opening their cards and reading their contents.
Tissa was the first to read hers.
Her eyes moved across the words printed on the card.
Instantly, her expression changed.
"Uh-oh!"
She slapped a hand against her forehead.
"Oh, no! I think I need to switch this card for a dare instead."
Keenan immediately grinned.
"Why? Are you already scared, and we've barely started?"
"That's not it!"
"Then just read the question," Rengga urged.
Tissa stared at the card once more before finally giving in.
She raised it so everyone could see.
Then, in a loud voice, she read the words printed on it.
"Which of your friends do you hate the most, and why?"
Silence fell over the group.
For a few seconds, no one said a word.
Rico raised an eyebrow. Hasan stopped moving his hands, while Laras simply watched Tissa with a curious expression.
Then Keenan broke the silence.
"Wow, now that's an interesting question!"
He chuckled before continuing, "Come on, answer it! You're the one who was most excited about playing this game. Don't tell me you're already giving up on your very first turn."
"Exactly!" Rengga chimed in. "Unless you're afraid your secrets will be exposed?"
Tissa clicked her tongue.
"You guys are so annoying!"
But unlike before, she did not laugh.
She looked down at the card in her hand once more. The smile that had been on her face gradually faded.
Her gaze moved across the faces of her friends one by one.
Keenan.
Rengga.
Riki.
Hasan.
Rico.
Alya.
Until, finally, her eyes settled on Laras.
Noticing Tissa's gaze, Laras offered her a small smile.
"What is it, Tis?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Tissa did not answer immediately.
She took a deep breath, then lowered her head for a moment as though gathering the courage to speak.
"I'm sorry in advance, okay?" she said quietly.
Laras frowned.
"What for?"
Tissa raised her head again.
This time, she looked Laras directly in the eyes.
"There is something I need to tell you."
The atmosphere around the campfire suddenly changed.
Even the crackling of the burning wood seemed to become the only sound between them.
Tissa tightened her grip on the card.
"The person I have disliked the most all this time is…"
She paused.
Then, without looking away from Laras, she continued.
"…you, Laras."
Laras's smile slowly disappeared.
Hasan turned sharply toward Tissa. Rico instinctively straightened up, while Alya stared at her in disbelief.
"WHAT?"
Rengga was the first to exclaim.
Keenan even lowered his cup.
"What do you mean, Tissa?" he asked seriously. "Why Laras?"
Tissa fell silent.
Across from her, Laras remained seated without saying a word. She was neither angry nor quick to argue. She simply looked at Tissa, trying to understand the reason behind a confession she had never expected.
Tissa took another deep breath.
"Because there's something about Laras that I've never been able to accept."
"And what is that?" Hasan asked, his voice considerably firmer this time.
Tissa lowered her gaze before slowly lifting her head again.
"I'm jealous of her."
Everyone fell silent.
Tissa bit her lower lip before continuing.
"I'm jealous because everyone always seems to pay attention to Laras. On campus, so many guys like her. The lecturers praise her all the time, too. Even when we're hanging out together, your attention often ends up on her."
She let out a bitter laugh.
"And the most frustrating part is that Laras doesn't even have to try to get all that attention."
Laras froze.
She had never imagined that beneath their friendship, Tissa had been harboring such feelings.
"Tis…" Laras's voice came out softly.
"I'm sorry," Tissa interrupted quickly. "I know this sounds childish. I also know that Laras has never done anything wrong to me. But I can't keep pretending those feelings were never there."
No one responded immediately.
The campfire continued to burn, releasing small crackling sounds that seemed increasingly distinct in the silence.
Rico glanced at Laras, worried that she might be hurt.
Meanwhile, Hasan stared at Tissa with an expression that was difficult to read.
What had begun as a simple game for entertainment had now turned into something far more serious.
And they had only just started the first round.
Laras finally drew a slow breath.
She looked at Tissa before speaking in a calm voice.
"Thank you for being honest."
Tissa lifted her head, looking surprised.
However, before anyone could say another word, a strange sound came from the direction of the forest.
Crack!
It sounded like a dry branch being stepped on.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the trees surrounding the campsite.
Rengga frowned.
"Did you hear that?"
No one answered.
A few seconds later, the sound came again.
Crack… crack…
This time, it sounded closer.
Hasan immediately stood up and pointed his headlamp toward the forest.
"Who's there?"
The beam of light swept across the tree trunks, the bushes, and the ground covered in dry leaves.
There was no one there.
"It's probably just an animal," Keenan said, trying to sound calm.
But Rico sensed that something was wrong.
Ever since they had arrived at Post 3, he had repeatedly felt as though someone was watching them. The feeling came out of nowhere, especially whenever he stood near the edge of the forest.
And now, the strange noise had appeared immediately after Tissa revealed her secret.
A coincidence?
Maybe.
But for some reason, Rico found it difficult to believe that.
He turned toward Laras.
The girl was still staring at the trees, her face tense.
"Laras?" Rico called softly.
Laras did not answer.
Her gaze was fixed on a particular spot between two large tree trunks.
There, just before Hasan's beam of light moved away, she saw something.
A pair of eyes.
They glowed faintly in the darkness, watching them without moving.
Laras blinked.
When she opened her eyes again, the figure had disappeared.
Her heart began to pound faster.
She wanted to tell the others what she had just seen, but the words seemed trapped in her throat.
Because, for a reason she could not explain, Laras felt that whatever was hiding in the forest was not watching all of them.
It was watching her.
And that night, the game of Truth or Dare had only just begun.
To be continued…