Jessica's stomach churned as she watched Salina attempt another backflip. The petite goth girl's form wobbled, her legs flailing as she struggled to complete the rotation. Jessica winced, already knowing how this would end.

Thud. Salina crashed onto the blue gymnastics mat, her pale face flushed with frustration and embarrassment.

"Come on, Salina!" Tiffany's exasperated voice rang out across the practice field. "We've been working on this all week. You should have it down by now!"

Jessica shot Tiffany a warning glance, but the redhead only focused on Salina. Tiffany's green eyes blazed with intensity as she strode over to where Salina lay sprawled on the mat.

"Look, it's not that complicated," Tiffany said, demonstrating the move with effortless grace. "You just need to commit to the jump and trust your body to do the rest."

Salina pushed herself up, scowling. "Easy for you to say. You've been doing this since you were in diapers."

"And you've had an entire week to practice," Tiffany retorted. "The other girls have it down already. What's your excuse?"

Jessica stepped between them before things could escalate further. "Hey, let's take a break, yeah? We've been at this for hours."

Tiffany opened her mouth to argue, but Jessica cut her off with a meaningful look. After a moment, Tiffany huffed and turned away. "Fine. Ten minutes. But we're not done here."

As Tiffany stalked off towards the water cooler, Jessica offered Salina a hand up. The smaller girl accepted it grudgingly, her dark eyes flashing with barely contained anger.

"You okay?" Jessica asked softly.

Salina yanked her hand away. "I'm fine. I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity," Jessica insisted. "I just want to help."

"Well, don't," Salina snapped. "I'm only here because—" She cut herself off, glancing away.

Jessica's chest tightened. She knew why Salina had joined the cheer camp, even if neither of them wanted to acknowledge it out loud. It was the same reason Jessica had been hesitant to come.

"Look," Jessica said, keeping her voice low, "I know this isn't really your thing. But you're doing great, considering you've never done it before. Don't let Tiffany get to you."

Salina snorted. "Right. Because flailing around like a dying fish is totally 'great.'"

"Hey, at least you're trying," Jessica said with a grin. "That's more than most people would do."

A reluctant smile tugged at Salina's black-painted lips. "Yeah, well. Some of us don't have supernatural grace and agility to fall back on."

Jessica's smile faltered. She glanced around quickly, making sure no one had overheard. "Salina," she hissed, "you can't just say stuff like that."

Salina rolled her eyes. "Relax. No one's listening." Her gaze sharpened. "Speaking of which, how are you holding up? With the... you know."

Jessica's skin prickled. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder at the dense forest surrounding Camp Cheer Rock. "I'm fine," she said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Everything's under control."

Salina raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And that there's a full moon tonight has nothing to do with why you've been jumpy all day?"

"I said I'm fine," Jessica insisted. She took a deep breath, forcing her voice to soften. "Really. I've got it handled."

Before Salina could press further, Tiffany's voice rang out across the field. "Alright, ladies! Break's over. Let's run through the routine one more time before the newbies head out!"

Jessica gave Salina's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before jogging back to her position. As she took her place at the front of the formation, she pushed all thoughts of the approaching night from her mind. She had bigger things to worry about right now.

Like making sure Salina didn't break her neck trying to land a backflip.

*****

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of tumbling, stunts, and increasingly frustrated shouts from Tiffany. By the time the bus arrived to take the younger cheerleaders home, Jessica's muscles ached and her patience was wearing thin.

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She waved goodbye to the trainees with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, forcing a bright smile onto her face. As the last girl climbed aboard, Jessica caught sight of Salina hanging back from the group, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Jessica's heart sank. She knew how much Salina hated feeling left out, even if she'd never admit it. Before she could go to her friend, however, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Great job this week, girls!" Cheryl Perkins, the camp director, beamed at them. "You've been wonderful mentors. I hate to see you go so soon."

"Thanks, Ms. Perkins," Tiffany said, her earlier frustration melting away in the face of adult praise. "We've had a blast."

An idea struck Jessica. "Hey, Ms. Perkins? I know our bus isn't coming until tomorrow morning. Would it be alright if we stayed one more night? You know, have a little end-of-camp celebration?"

Cheryl hesitated. "I don't know, girls. The staff is all heading out, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you here unsupervised."

"Oh, come on," Tiffany chimed in, catching on quickly. "We're all responsible young women. And it's not like we haven't been here all week already."

"Please?" Amber added, her eyes wide and hopeful. "We'll be super careful, we promise!"

Cheryl wavered, glancing between their eager faces. Finally, she sighed. "Oh, alright. But I'm trusting you girls to behave yourselves. No wandering off into the woods, no swimming after dark, and absolutely no boys sneaking in. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused.

“Good. I will be around here tonight too in my office. Behave.”

As Cheryl walked away, muttering something about calling their parents, Tiffany turned to the group with a mischievous grin. "Well, ladies? Looks like we've got ourselves a party to plan."

Jessica's stomach flip-flopped. She snuck a glance at the darkening sky, trying to ignore the growing itch beneath her skin. It was fine. She could handle one more night. What could go wrong?

*****

An hour later, Jessica found herself perched on a log around the crackling campfire, surrounded by her fellow cheerleaders. The flames cast flickering shadows across their faces, creating an atmosphere that was equal parts cozy and eerie.

"Okay, okay," Amber said, giggling. "I've got one. Never have I ever... kissed a teacher!"

A chorus of groans filled the air as Mia reluctantly took a sip of her soda. "It was one time!" she protested. "And Mr. Harrison totally started it."

"Gross," Tiffany said, wrinkling her nose. "Your turn, Jess."

Jessica hesitated, her mind racing. She'd been dreading this game all night, terrified of accidentally revealing too much. "Um... never have I ever cheated on a test?"

To her relief, both Amber and Mia drank. Tiffany, however, fixed Jessica with a suspicious look. "Really? Not even once?"

Jessica shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "What can I say? I'm a model student."

"Boring," Tiffany declared. She turned to Salina, who had been unusually quiet all evening. "What about you, Wednesday Addams? Got any deep, dark secrets to share?"

Salina's eyes narrowed. "Pass."

"Oh, come on," Tiffany pressed. "You've barely said two words all night. Spill already!"

"I said pass," Salina growled.

Tiffany leaned forward, her expression turning sly. "Fine. Then I guess it's my turn. Never have I ever... practiced witchcraft."

The words hung in the air like smoke. Jessica's heart stopped as she saw Salina go rigid beside her.

"What did you say?" Salina's voice was dangerously soft.

Tiffany smirked. "You heard me. Come on, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Why not give us a show?”

"Tiffany," Jessica warned, but it was too late.

Salina shot to her feet, her face contorted with rage. "You know nothing about me!"

"Oh, please," Tiffany scoffed. "I've seen you use spells against the blood sucking psycho at Castle Dregan. There’s no reason to hide like a freak.”

"Tiffany!" Jessica snapped. "That's enough!"

But Salina was already storming away, her gym shoes kicking up dirt as she disappeared into the darkness beyond the fire's glow.

"Salina, wait!" Jessica called after her. She turned to glare at Tiffany. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Tiffany at least had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. "I didn't think she'd freak out like that. I was just teasing."

"Well, your 'teasing' went way too far," Jessica snapped. She stood up, torn between going after Salina and giving her space to cool off.

"Should we go look for her?" Mia asked, worry creasing her brow.

Jessica shook her head. "No, I'll go. You guys stay here. And Tiffany? Try not to insult anyone else while I'm gone."

With that, she set off into the woods, following the path Salina had taken. As she walked, the sounds of the campfire faded away, replaced by the eerie chorus of crickets and distant owls.

*****

Jessica's senses heightened as she moved deeper into the forest. The scents of pine and decaying leaves filled her nostrils, nearly overpowering Salina's familiar lavender-and-clove scent. She could hear small animals scurrying through the underbrush, their tiny hearts racing as she passed.

"Salina?" she called out softly. "Where are you?"

A twig snapped nearby, and Jessica whirled towards the sound. Her eyes, far keener than a normal human's, pierced through the gloom to spot a familiar figure huddled against a large oak tree.

"Go away," Salina muttered as Jessica approached.

"Not a chance," Jessica replied, settling down next to her friend. "You okay?"

Salina snorted. "Oh, yeah. I'm just peachy. Nothing like having your deepest secret exposed in front of everyone to really make a girl feel great."

Jessica winced. "I'm sorry about Tiffany. She was way out of line."

"Whatever," Salina said, but there was a tremor in her voice that betrayed her hurt. "It's not like I care what any of them think, anyway."

"Still," Jessica insisted. "She shouldn't have done that. And for what it's worth, I always thought your magic is totally cool.”

Salina's head snapped up, her dark eyes wide with surprise. "You... you do?"

Jessica smiled. "Of course I do. I mean, hello? Werewolf here. I'm not exactly one to judge for the supernatural. And your powers have saved our skin a lot.”

A reluctant smile tugged at Salina's lips. "I guess that's true." She sighed, leaning her head back against the tree trunk. "I just... I'm so tired of hiding who I am. Of pretending to be something I'm not."

"I get it," Jessica whispered. "Believe me, I do. But you don't have to pretend around me, okay? I've got your back. No matter what."

Salina was quiet for a long moment. Then, so softly Jessica almost missed it, she whispered, "Thanks."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the night sounds of the forest. Jessica relaxed, the earlier tension melting away. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad after all.

Then, without warning, a strange light flickered through the trees.

Jessica tensed, every muscle in her body going rigid. "Did you see that?"

Salina nodded, her eyes wide. "What was it?"

"I don't know," Jessica murmured. She stood slowly, her senses on high alert. "But I think we should check it out."

They crept forward, following the eerie glow. As they drew closer, Jessica could make out an odd humming sound, like electricity crackling through the air.

"Jessica," Salina whispered, grabbing her arm. "Look!"

Jessica followed her gaze, her breath catching in her throat. There, in a small clearing ahead, lay an unconscious girl surrounded by wisps of acrid smoke. She appeared to be around Jessica and Salina’s age with short white hair with streaks of pink, a purple leather jacket, and purple pants as if she came from a sci-fi movie. Only her bare feet weren’t covered on the smoking ground, and she smelled like barbecued plastic.

"Oh my god," Jessica gasped. She rushed forward, kneeling beside the stranger. "Is she alive?"

Salina pressed two fingers to the girl's neck. "There's a pulse. It's faint, but it's there."

Jessica nodded, her mind racing. "We need to get her back to camp. Can you help me carry her?"

As they carefully lifted the unconscious girl, Jessica couldn't shake the feeling that their night had just taken a turn for the dangerous. Whatever was going on, one thing was obvious: their peaceful little camp was about to become ground zero for something far beyond their control.

And as the full moon rose higher in the sky, Jessica prayed she'd be able to keep her own secret under wraps long enough to face whatever was coming.