This is a prompt from Rick Grimes 4 Life.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
WARNINGS: ADULT/TEENAGER; MENTIONS OF RAPE
"Try to have fun, Meg," her mother drawled, obviously not caring as much as she wanted everyone to think. "We'll pick you up at the end of the summer."
Meg's parents drove away, the car sputtering and rumbling down the road, leaving Meg standing in a parking lot packed with bustling and bubbling kids.
Annoying kids, her brain added.
Meg was being sent to summer camp. Camp Lame-o, as she called it.
Seriously, the food was horrible; the kids were either irritating or annoying or just plain weird; the beds were basically planks of wood painted to look like mattresses; the camp activities were boring and lame. The list goes on.
But the camp wasn't all bad. The only reason Meg hadn't started complaining about the camp to anyone and everyone she came across was… Justine.
Justine was the head councilor of Cricket cabin and the most prettiest woman in the world (in Meg's eyes, anyway). She was sweet and smart and caring and compassionate; she loved Meg for who she was, her mean girl attitude, her tendency to be rude and ward people away, her snotty ways (well, sometimes. She was only snotty towards people she didn't like, which after last summer, was basically everyone).
That was the only reason Meg hadn't considered running away from camp for the fourth time. The first three times were last summer, between the Incident and the time Justine truly became her friend. After she became Justine's friend and even more so after she fell in love, the world didn't seem nearly as bad as it had before.
Justine was the proof that good people still existed. After what happened with Max (another head councilor at camp), Meg hadn't been so sure there were still good people in the world. Justine proved otherwise, and Meg was so grateful for that.
Meg wasn't entirely sure when their friendship became a relationship. There was no question, like want to be my girlfriend? or want to go on a date some time? There was nothing that really indicated the start of a relationship. Before Meg knew it, they were kissing each other good night. The first time Justine kissed her, it felt so right, Meg didn't have a chance to think about when the feelings started to develop. The feelings were just there, and one day, they decided to act on them. While Meg didn't have a specific date or time or memory of when they officially became girlfriends, she was okay with that.
And now it was time to see her girlfriend again, and it took every ounce of willpower Meg had to stop herself from jumping up and down with joy or grinning like a fool (although she isn't sure she succeeded on that second one).
Meg took a deep breath, plastered on a look of indifference, and climbed onto the bus.
Meg sighed heavily as she collapsed into the seat beside Amelia.
"Ready for the worst summer ever at Camp Lame-o?" Meg asked, rolling her eyes.
You see, no one could know about Justine and Meg. Justine was almost twenty years old now, and Meg was only thirteen. In the eyes of the law, that was statutory rape and could mean jail time for Justine, not to mention the older girl getting fired from the camp and Meg's parents getting some kind of restraining order or sending Meg to boarding school or something along those lines. Therefore, Justine and Meg were only friends in public, but behind closed doors, they were two halves of the same heart. They loved each other more than anything in the world, even if no one else could know.
"I think it might be fun," Amelia muttered.
"In your dreams. It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to deal with all the new campers," Meg told her.
"I like meeting the new campers. They seem nice," Amelia snapped before climbing over Meg's legs and plopping herself down in the seat beside a tall, brown haired girl.
"I'm Amelia," Miss. Sunshine grinned, shaking the girl's hand.
"Lisa," the girl returned, and Meg smirked, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
Mission chase Amelia off so she wouldn't look over Meg's shoulder and see the text messages between her and Justine (that was a long name for an operation), accomplished.
M: Bus is leaving now. One hour left.
J: Can't wait to see you again. I've missed you.
M: Me, too. Is it set up?
J: it's been set up for the past week. See you soon. Love you.
M: I love you, too.
Meg stored her phone in her pocket, and she inhaled, deeply, as the bus rumbled down the road.
One more hour before she'd be reunited with her girlfriend.
Meg practically sprinted off the bus the minute it stopped, and she stood in the crowd of campers, her eyes focused on Justine, who was standing at the front. Meg shrunk down low, thankful for her shorter-than-average height; she could see Max standing with the boy campers nearby, and the last thing she wanted was to be seen by him without Justine by her side.
"Cricket cabin," Justine called. "Amelia Mason."
Amelia approached the line of Cricket campers.
"Lisa Roberts."
The brown haired girl from the bus stood to the right of Justine.
"Meg Young," she called, and Meg stood behind Lisa and Amelia but as close to Justine as possible.
Justine finished called the names, and the Crickets marched towards their old, crumbling cabin, covered with jagged splinters and peeling brown paint. It wasn't much to look at, but it was nicer than most of the other cabins at this camp.
Meg rushed inside and immediately claimed the bottom bunk on the one of the bunk beds along the back wall. It was immediately between Justine's bunk and the biggest window, which peered out into the woods.
Lisa claimed the bunk above Meg's, and Amelia had already chosen the bottom bunk to the left of Meg.
Meg stood, ducking under the top bunk and staring at Lisa.
"Don't be fooled by her little Miss Sunshine act," she advised, tilting her head in the direction of Amelia. "Amelia's a total jerk once you get to know her."
"Amelia, why don't you trust Max? He's a good guy," Meg laughed as she made a Dream Catcher with Max sitting across the table from her.
Max and Meg were sitting at a picnic table directly outside the woods. They were alone in the court yard, aside from Amelia, who stood over the table, glaring down at Meg.
"I just don't, Meg. Come on; it's almost time for lights out."
"Amelia, I'm fine. Max will walk me back."
"Meg, I don't-"
"Trust him, I know, but I do. Now, stop bugging me, Amelia. I can make my own decisions about who to trust," Meg snapped, finally cracking after a week of Amelia bugging her about not trusting Max after Meg and the head councilor became friends.
Amelia threw her arms in the air in exasperation. "Fine, but if I end up being right and you end up getting hurt, don't come crying to me."
Amelia stormed away.
Meg shook herself out of the memories.
Obviously, Amelia couldn't have predicted what happened, nor did she want what happened to Meg to have occurred, but if she had truly been Meg's friend, she would've dragged the girl away from Max kicking and screaming if it meant keeping her safe.
But she didn't. She'd walked away.
And that was something that Meg just couldn't forgive her for.
Meg's stomach turned upon seeing the supplies for Dream Catcher littering the table their cabin was seated at.
Max laughing as Meg twisted the strings, forming a perfect design for her Dream Catcher.
"It's beautiful," Max complimented, looking at her Dream Catcher before meeting Meg's eyes and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just like you…"
Meg jumped as a hand touched her shoulder, and she looked up to see Justine standing over her with a completed Dream Catcher, which she laid on the table in front of Meg. The other girls stared at them in confusion and envy and over all dislike. After all, if they had to do the work, shouldn't Meg have to do it, too?
But not even Amelia knew what had happened between Meg and Max. Justine was the only one who knew, the only one who understood how triggering a Dream Catcher was for Meg
Justine's hand lingered on her shoulder, and Meg managed to draw in a full breath, preventing the panic attack that had been creeping up on her.
Justine always managed to calm Meg down after a flashback… That was one of the many things Meg loved about her.
Meg heard a rustling in the bunk above her as she fiddled with the bead she'd cut out of Lisa's Dream Catcher (mean, yes, but anyone who was friends with Amelia was no friend of Meg's).
"Hey, new girl. You're not scared about being away from home, are you?" Meg asked the new girl.
"No," Lisa snapped in return.
"You know, there's a camp legend about the Dream Catchers. Twenty girls ago, a camper died," Meg said, standing quietly and rising slowly to peer at Lisa over the edge of the bunk, making the girl jump at her sudden appearance. "In her sleep," she added.
"Did she sleep walk into the lake or something?" Lisa asked, and Meg shook her head.
"Legend has it… she had nightmares. Like wake up sweaty screaming kind of nightmares. She said she saw some kind of boogeyman, and every time she closed her eyes, he was there, waiting to grab her.
"She kept saying he was real, but of course, no one believed her until it happened."
"What?" Lisa asked, fear appearing on her face from the story, amplified by Meg's spooky tone.
"She stopped sleeping completely, but that makes you go crazy. She wandered around like a zombie, and she started seeing things that were just so… awful. And then she couldn't stay up any longer, and she fell into a deep, deep sleep.
"The next morning, they found her. Just lying in her bunk, all glassy eyed, staring straight up at nothing. Dead."
Meg suddenly screamed, and Lisa joined her, waking the other campers.
"What happened?" Justine asked. "You didn't tell her the Dream Catcher story, did you, Meg?"
"Justine, is that story true?" Lisa asked.
"It's just a legend, Lisa. Yes, a camper did die here, but that was a long time ago, before any of us were even born. It's just a story. Now, go back to sleep," Justine urged, and Lisa frowned when she didn't even scold Meg.
Meg smirked. "Have fun sleeping tonight, new girl," she whispered before climbing back into her bunk.
She waited half an hour, and by then, Lisa was snoring, softly, winces playing across her face, like she was having a nightmare. Meg stood and stared at the other bunks, searching for any sign of an awake and alert camper. Justine's bunk was empty, and all the other campers were asleep.
Meg's feet slipped into her tennis shoes, and her sneakers whispered across the floor as she approached the window. She slid it open, one of her books in her hand, and she crawled through the opening, her feet touching the dirt outside the window. She placed the book on the window sill, propping the window open.
She took a few quiet steps back before she darted into the woods, the darkness of night a perfect cover for the fleeing girl.
"I was worried you weren't coming," Justine smiled as Meg ducked into the cave (it's not the Dream Catcher's cave, but it's close by).
Meg's jaw dropped.
"Justine," she whispered. "This place… is amazing!"
A mattress had been moved into the small cave, and a curtain had been hung from the entrance with Caution Tape decorating the outside to keep other people away. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, and the lanterns were a variety of colors; the fake candles on the inside shown through the lanterns, casting colorful lights across the walls. Blankets and pillows were strewn across the mattress, and some tables were pushed against the walls of the narrow cave (it was so small, it was basically another, although much more comfortable, cabin). Candles decorated the tables. It was beautiful.
"I knew you'd like it," Justine told her.
"Like it?" Meg demanded. "I love it."
Justine stood and approached Meg; she was slightly hesitant, at first. After nearly a year of not seeing Meg, the idea of falling right back into place was probably hard to grasp, so Meg helped her along by pressing her lips to Justine's.
Immediately, Justine felt warmth fill her and any trace of anxiety or tentative behavior vanished as Meg melted into her, and Justine took the lead as they kissed. Their bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces; Meg's smaller body curled into Justin's taller form easily, and any of the chilly air pressing against their bodies was driven out by the body heat of the other.
It couldn't have possibly been more romantic.
Eventually, they found their bodies intertwined on the mattress, their lips still connected, and they laid down on the mattress. In this cave, their safe spot, nothing could touch them. It was just them. The threat of being discovered, the memory of Max and the pain he caused Meg, the feeling of betrayal Meg experienced whenever she saw Amelia… it all faded away, like water slipping between her fingers.
Normally, Meg felt like she was drowning in the overwhelming emotions, the overwhelming fear, the horrible memories, but Justine was her life raft, the thing that kept her afloat.
And Meg didn't know what she would do if she ever lost her.
As for Justine, she'd always been so alone. Friendship, social life, relationships… they'd never been her thing. People made fun of her for being chubby when she was younger; people laughed at her, calling her horrible names. After high school, she began working here at camp, but the other councilors were so much older than her. The only one that was her age was Max, and he'd been her best and only friend… Until he hurt Meg.
When the troubled waters of life tried to sweep Justine away, Meg was the thing she held onto, the thing that kept her in place. Meg kept her from being whisked away by the powerful tsunami that life could be.
And Justine didn't know what she would do if she ever lost her.
Later that morning, Meg and Justine were back in their bunks by the time the other campers rose, and Meg slipped out of her bed to see Lisa drenched in sweat and tossing and turning, wildly.
Meg resisted the urge to jump in surprise when Lisa jolted up.
"Bad dream?" Meg mocked before turning away and heading out of the cabin, following Justine.
As the cabin went about their activities, Meg walked alongside Justine, and her breath hitched when she saw Max standing less than three yards away. Before she could think about it, her hand latched onto Justine's. They passed Max, and as soon as they were a good distance away, Meg released Justine's hand. A quick glance around made Meg sigh in relief; no one appeared to have noticed.
She didn't notice Little Miss Sunshine staring between the councilor and the camper, confusion etched upon her face.
During the hike, Meg lagged behind. After the hand holding incident with Justine earlier that day, Meg wanted to put some space between them to avoid suspicion, but that also meant that she found herself near the back with Amelia and Lisa.
They were talking about something, and Meg wasn't really paying attention until Amelia stopped dead in her tracks, apprehension creeping onto her face.
"Amelia, what is it?" Lisa asked as Meg turned around, curiously.
"This place was in my dream," she whispered. "I was in that cave," she added, turning around and looking at the entrance to a familiar cave.
It wasn't the cave where Meg and Justine had gone, if that's what you think, but their safe spot was close by. Meg had passed this cave on the way, and if she squinted, she could see a hint of yellow caution tape deeper into the woods, off of the trail.
But she had been in this cave before. This was where Justine had found her after Max…
*FLASHBACK*
Meg sobbed as she curled up on the rocky floor of the cave, using the darkness as a way to hide her from everything- Max, if he came back, and anyone who happened to pass the cave. She was even trying to hide from herself.
Meg clutched her torn clothes against her body, pain rocketing through her with each moment, which was horrible since Meg couldn't seem to stop rocking back and forth. Tears stained her face, and leaves were strung in her hair. Grass and dirt and leaves and twigs clung to her back, which had been pressed against the earth as he pinned her to the ground.
Blood trickled down her face from a cut along her forehead, nearly hidden by her hair. Bruises stained her left cheek, and her lips was split wide open, pouring blood down her chin. More bruises were concealed by her clothes, and blood- in reality, there was only a small amount, but to the panicked, traumatized Meg, it felt like there was buckets of it- stained her jeans. The denim between her leg was completely red.
Why did he have to do this to her? Why did Max have to rape her? What had she ever done to him?
Meg started slamming her head against the wall. The pain in her head distracted her from the pain between her legs and the crushing shame in her chest. Even when blood started to stain her hair, she didn't stop.
She only stopped when a gentle hand grabbed her head, stopping her from injuring herself further.
Meg trembled and cried. At first, she thought Max had come back, but the hand was far too gentle to be his. But that also meant someone had found her like this. Surely, they'd be disgusted. Surely, they'd run for the hills the minute they found out what had happened to her.
She glanced up, and through her tear filled eyes, she was shocked to see not a disgusted expression or a cruel, horrified one, but a gentle smile, a friendly face, and a loving, caring, understanding set of eyes.
"Justine," Meg murmured.
*FLASHBACK OVER*
Meg shook herself out of the memory to see Amelia and Lisa staring at her, having turned away from the cave and ended their conversation during her flashback.
"What's wrong?" Lisa asked. "You looked like you were about to pass out."
Meg swallowed. "Nothing is wrong," she said, flatly, before running to catch up with the group.
Meg walked into the cabin after brushing her teeth and found it empty, except for Lisa and Amelia, who were sitting on Amelia's bunk and examining their broken Dream Catchers.
"I guess the Dream Catchers don't work so well, after all," Meg commented.
"Ours are broken," Lisa explained.
Meg didn't look surprised.
"You cut them," she suddenly spat.
"Why would you do that?" Amelia demanded.
"Oh, I don't know," Meg stated, sarcastically. "I mean, you're both such awesome friends. Especially you, Amelia. Leaving me alone with Max last summer when you clearly didn't trust him… says a lot, don't you think?"
"What does Max have to do with this?" Amelia asked, Lisa appearing confused by the sudden turn in the conversation.
"You're not stupid, Amelia. Put the pieces together," Meg snapped just as the door opened, and Justine stepped inside.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
"Meg cut our Dream Catchers," Lisa informed her.
"Meg," Justine said, firmly. "Kitchen duty for three days."
"What?" Meg asked. "For that tangled web of strings and a bead? It's not like I broke one of their bones or something."
"Meg," Justine said, firmly. "I know you're going through a tough time, and I know Dream Catchers hit too close to home for you, but that is no excuse. If any of you have a problem, you talk to me. You don't destroy another camper's property. Go."
Meg huffed and stormed out of the cabin, Justine and Amelia following shortly after.
None of them noticed Lisa scowl in irritation and snip the bead out of Meg's Dream Catcher with a pair of scissors, stuffing the gleaming red 'spider' into her pocket.
Meg slipped out of bed that night, long after Amelia and Lisa had grown quiet, and she tip toed towards her window.
She didn't notice a set of blue eyes and a pair of brown eyes staring at her back as she slid open the window and climbed out of the cabin. She looked both directions for any sign of life before sprinting into the woods.
She didn't notice two girls climb out of the window behind her and follow her into the woods, ducking behind trees and bushes to avoid being seen.
Meg stepped into their safe spot and stared at her girlfriend.
"Why would you give me kitchen duty?" she demanded.
Justine sighed. "Meg, I understand why you did it, but it was still wrong."
"Yeah, it was wrong for Amelia to leave me alone with a creep, but nobody pointed that out to her."
"Meg, I understand that you're going through a tough time and everyone should be patient with you. You're recovering from the trauma, and it will take a while; Rome wasn't built in a day. I understand that, and I'm sure Amelia and even Lisa will, too, if you tell them."
"What am I supposed to tell them?" Meg asked, calming down slightly and laying down beside Justine, her hand curling around the woman's. "Hey, guys, I was raped by Max because Amelia left me alone with him, even though her instincts told her to pull me away kicking and screaming?"
Meg sighed, and Justine knew she wasn't done talking as the girl paused, so she remained silent.
"I know I shouldn't blame Amelia," Meg murmured, "but it feels good to blame someone else."
"But yourself?" Justine finished. "Meg, we've been over this. It is not and never will be your fault. Once you accept that, you can move on with your life. You can't blame yourself. The only one to blame here is Max."
"Logically," Meg murmured, "I know that, but it's not that easy, Justine."
"And that's why I'm here to help you," Justine replied, pressing her lips against Meg's.
Neither of them noticed Lisa Roberts and Amelia Mason standing outside the entrance to the cave, stunned by the all the information they had just received.
The following morning, Meg returned to the cabin right before it was time for everyone to wake up. Moments after she slipped into her bunk, Justine opened the door and announced:
"Up and at 'em, girls! Twenty mile canoe trip!"
Amelia and Lisa groaned, yawning, and Meg stared at them.
"You two don't look so good," Meg said.
Lisa nodded. "We stayed up all night."
Meg's heart skipped a beat.
"Did you notice anything weird?" she asked, wondering if they had seen her sneaking out.
Amelia shook her head. "No. Why?"
"No reason," Meg answered.
"Girls, come on!" Justine called, standing over Meg's bed.
"Hey, Justine," Meg said with a slight mocking tone. "Did you know that Lisa and Amelia…"
Both girls stared at Meg in apprehension. Meg was mean, but she wouldn't rat them out, would she?
"… want to be first boat?" Meg finished.
"Great!" Justine exclaimed. "You two can lead the way. Come on, Meg; you can help me with the canoes."
"Just one more?" a girl with her brown hair in braids begged as Justine's camp fire song ended.
"Yeah, Justine. Just one more," Meg repeated.
Surprisingly, Lisa and Amelia, who were falling asleep sitting up, didn't glare at Meg. At first, Meg thought it was because they didn't have the energy, but then they sent a look her way. Almost a… pitying look.
It made Meg feel uneasy.
"Good to see you getting into the camp spirit, Meg," Justine smiled. "All right. There was an old lady who swallowed a spider. Come on, guys, sing along!"
The rest of the campers joined in.
"There was an old lady who swallowed a spider that wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. I don't know why she swallowed the fly. Perhaps she'll-"
Their singing was abruptly cut off by a scream, and Meg turned to see Lisa asleep and fighting against some unseen foe while Amelia tried to calm her down.
"Lisa," Justine said, rushing over to shake the girl awake. "Lisa, you're dreaming. Wake up! You fell asleep."
Lisa's eyes shot open, and she reached a quivering towards her mouth, pulling something that was a silvery white out of her lips.
"Is that a spider web?" one girl asked.
"He was in my nightmare," Lisa murmured, still disoriented.
"Stop it, Lisa," Justine snapped. "There is no such a thing as the boogeyman. No more scary stories, all right?" she told all of the campers. "It's almost time for lights out. Get your stuff."
"Amelia," Lisa spazzed as Justine walked away. "He can get us in our dreams. We can't go to sleep!"
"You two are being ridiculous," Meg told them. "It's just a camp legend."
"Is this a legend?" Lisa demanded, pulling up her sleeve to reveal four long cuts stretching across her wrist, almost like claw marks.
Meg had to admit that was creepy, but she still didn't believe in all this Dream Catcher nonsense.
"Look, if you two are going to stay up all night, I'm sleeping somewhere else," Meg told them.
Instead of waiting until the early hours of the morning to sneak out, Meg went straight to their safe spot and laid down on the mattress, opting to sleep for a few hours until Justine arrived.
The minute she closed her eyes, her nightmare began.
She was running through the woods, and she could hear Max cackling from somewhere behind her. She tripped and batted aside leaves and branches as she darted towards camp, but she'd never be able to out run Max.
She knew that, but that didn't stop her from trying.
A weight hit her back, throwing her to the ground, and Meg was flipped onto her back.
She screamed as Max's face loomed above her, smiling to display a row of razor sharp teeth.
"No one to save you now," he sneered, and Meg screamed even louder as he leaned down towards her, as though ready to devour her, bones and all...
Meg woke up, gasping for air and sweating through her clothes.
Justine hadn't arrived yet, but she could hear a blood curdling scream coming from the direction of camp.
Meg stood and bolted out of the cave, running all the way to camp, worried that the terrified scream may belong to her girlfriend.
She nearly kicked the door down as she flew inside the cabin, and she sighed when she found out that Lisa was the one screaming, thrashing in her sweat soaked sheets. She vaguely wondered where Amelia was, but she decided it didn't really matter.
Meg sat on Lisa's bed and shook her awake, scrunching up her nose in disgust as Lisa poured buckets of sweat, and Meg wiped her hand on her shirt as Lisa sat up, gasping for air that she couldn't seem to find.
"Meg," she gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I could you hear screaming half away across the camp ground." Meg responded.
"Amelia," Lisa whispered. "He has Amelia! We need to help her."
Meg sighed. "No way."
"Meg, Amelia is in a danger. She could be hurt or worse! I am begging you to help me," Lisa pleaded.
Meg looked into Lisa's eyes, and after a moment, she knew that Lisa was telling the truth. Either that, or she was an impossibly good actor.
"I'll go," Meg relented, "but only because Little Miss Sunshine might actually be lost."
Lisa nodded her thanks, handing Meg a flashlight, and they slipped out of the cabin and into the night.
About half way down the trail, Lisa spoke:
"We know about Max… and Justine," she said suddenly.
Meg stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"
"Last night, Amelia and I were awake when you snuck out. We followed you, and we heard everything. Meg, Justine was right; we do understand, and if we would've known sooner, we would've been more patient with you. Amelia wanted to talk to you about it once this whole Dream Catcher thing was resolved. She really is sorry, Meg. If you don't believe me, you should see the black eye and split lip she gave Max," Lisa smiled, softly.
Meg stared at her, but she didn't know how to respond, so she simply nodded and continued to follow Lisa down the trail.
Meg's original plan had been to ditch Lisa- and by extent, Amelia- to get back at Amelia for ditching her last year, leaving her alone with Max. But after hearing that Lisa had beat Max up for Meg… it was hard to go through with the plan.
Meg followed Lisa into the cave they'd stood in front of a few days ago, the one Meg had hidden in the previous year, and Meg's jaw dropped when she saw a gigantic spider web forming a maze inside the cave.
"Woah," Meg murmured, finally believing this whole Dream Catcher nonsense… which wasn't really nonsense, at all.
They found Amelia fairly quickly; she was struggling to tear her boots off of the sticky web, crying out for help.
"Amelia," Lisa cried, running over to help the girl and trying to pull her free with Meg's help.
They'd underestimated the stickiness of the web. Seconds later, all three girls fell to the web, and their clothes became glued to the material.
They heard a soft clicking sound, and the Dream Catcher waddled around the corner.
He was even more horrible than Meg could have imagined. He was an enormous spider, towering over her, with furry legs and an utterly white face. His eyes had a grayish film over them, like he was blind, but she knew he could see just fine as his eyes automatically zeroed in on them. His teeth were as sharp as dangers, ready to tear into the girls.
Meg screamed as he approached, but her screech was interrupted by a soft beeping.
"The alarm!" Amelia cried.
"We can wake up!" Meg laughed in relief.
Lisa's eyes suddenly grew wide with horror.
"You can't," she said to Meg. "You're sleeping in the cave you snuck away to. You're not in the cabin."
Meg screamed in terror as she realized that she could not awake up, and Amelia's hand latched onto her's.
"I won't leave you again," Amelia shouted as she began to fade. "Lisa and I will save you. I promise, Meg!"
And then, she was gone.
Meg's screams reached a brutal intensity as the cackling monster approached her.
"MEG!"
The shout made Meg's eyes fly open, and her eyes met Justine's.
"Justine," she murmured.
She was awake. She was alive. She was okay.
Meg kissed Justine with all she had, and she barely noticed relieved laughter sounding from the cave entrance as Lisa and Amelia arrived to find her alive and safe.
Justine didn't entirely understand what was happening, but she decided it didn't matter. Meg was safe; that was all that mattered.
Meg pulled away and whispered to Justine, "You want to know what I love most about you?"
"What?" Justine asked.
"You replace my worst nightmares with my best dreams," she murmured before kissing Justine again.
I hope the ending was good. That was the part I wasn't really sure about.
Please leave a review! Thanks for reading! Bye!