Hey guys! Well, placement testing's over for me, so that means that I'll probably be able to update more frequently. Sorry if this chapter isn't that good, it's a bit rushed, plus it was bit tough for me to write. Also sorry for a lack of Dawn x B here, but I figured it would be best to capture more of a Dawn/Scott conflict to lead into the rest of the story. So, without further ado, here's chapter 2!
Unfortunately, Dawn wasn't able to investigate as quickly as she hoped. Chris's next challenge was to avoid capture by a giant spider (Izzy), and Dawn was captured quite early. Thus, she didn't pick up much info on Scott (though she found Izzy's aura to be quite disturbing.)
The next challenge, however, would reveal a lot. Before the challenge even began, Dawn could already sense that tensions were high on the Rats. Most of the team was slow to accept new teammate Brick, and Lightning's protein powder had gone missing, sending him to near insanity. Furthermore, most of the team was blaming Brick for the theft, adding even more fuel to the fire.
Dawn scanned the vicinity to see what she could pick up. Lightning's aura was a yellowish-red blend, which meant anger and worry (about muscle shrinkage apparently.) Sam's was almost clear, which meant almost no emotion whatsoever. Being engrossed in his video game, that wasn't entirely surprising either. Brick's was almost entirely yellow. Dawn could sense that he really wanted to get on his new ream's good side. Dawn felt bad for the cadet; his childhood was tormented by teasing... and bladder control problems.
Scott's aura was murky, as usual. Scott was peculiar to Dawn. Since the day he arrived, she could never get a clear reading of him. He had one of the most guarded auras she had ever seen. The only things she could sense were his country upbringing and that he trusted few people; in other words, the things that literally everyone could tell about him. In truth, Dawn was always a bit suspicious of Scott, as murky auras rarely meant good things, but she was never one to judge without proof. Dawn strove to never be biased in her perceptions of people.
Dawn guessed the thief was either Scott or someone from the other team, although her readings didn't help her much with that assumption. For the most part, they just reinforced what she already knew. She still had a lot to sort out. Sighing, she grabbed her garbage bag and headed towards the mess hall. The items inside wasn't anything special. Just of items of nature, mementoes to remind her of the island experience. Dawn did this with nearly everywhere she went. They were reminders that no matter how different that places seemed, everything was still in one world at the end of the day.
On her way to the mess hall, Dawn came across Scott heading in same direction. After some thought, Dawn opted to continue their conversation from the other day. She could gain some valuable insight on her current dilemma.
"Greetings, Scott!"
Scott jumped back in surprise before noticing Dawn. "Aah! Geez, can you stop sneaking up on me like that? It scares the hell out of me!"
"I'm sorry… was I interrupting something?" Dawn inquired.
"No, no. I just didn't expect you. But I am in a hurry. Lightning said there's actual meat in today's breakfast. I'm hoping for bacon!"
Dawn cringed a bit. She couldn't understand how people could eat on of Mother Earth's living creatures. "Oh… well that's nice. But I just wanted to ask more about B. Our conversation earlier was rather vague."
"Cause it was two A.M or something. I was tired." Scott retorted.
"Nevertheless…" Dawn continued. "What specifically did he say about us? All this information is quite startling. It said none of this in aura."
Scott inwardly groaned. He hated all of Dawn's aura crap. It was creepy, to say the least. Especially when she was right, which she unfortunately was a majority of the time. "I don't know. Maybe his aura was misleading or something. All I know was what I read in his diary."
"I was also going to ask, what led you to read B's diary?"
"Think about it. Why would someone by that quiet unless they had something to hide? It was just suspicious to me."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"And his actions were sabotaging our team."
Silence followed this statement. Scott smiled, for he had Dawn right where he wanted her. He decided that some false comfort would do the trick. "Look, Dawn." He said. "I was as surprised as you. But you have to move on from this. I know it's tough, but that's life sometimes."
Dawn nodded, albeit unconvinced. "Thank you for your help Scott. I appreciate your time."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Now I'm gonna get me some bacon!"
Dawn looked deep into Scott's aura as he dashed off. The murkiness was starting to fade a bit. She saw a sense of confidence for sure. Not suspicious, winning was the point of this game. Also… hints of deviousness? Not helping his cause, but all too common in this game. Dawn was frustrated by the slow progress, but at least she had made up some ground. She was starting to believe that B was the good guy after all. All she needed was a bit of evidence to prove her theory.
It turned out that the evidence came sooner than Dawn expected. In fact, it came the very next challenge. The object of the challenge was to hit three bells, equipped with venomous seagull/rattlesnakes (another of the island's creations), each team getting three gulls. Scott was the gunner for the Rats, and the team had been doing well. They had already hit one bell in a best of three shoot off, and looked poised to hit the second one. But then out of nowhere, a gull hit the driver, Sam, rendering him useless. The Maggots seized the opportunity and hurled Cameron at the final bell, winning the challenge.
Dawn knew that Scott had fired the gull at Sam. Jo's gun had been jammed, so it was impossible for anyone else to have fired the gun. This piece of evidence confirmed all of her previous superstitions. What really frustrated her was the fact she hadn't acted upon her suspicions sooner. Dawn went to vent her feelings about the matter.
"Jo's gun was jammed. The gull that hit Sam could only have come from our boat. I swear by the great Earth, Mother, I will expose Scott for the traitor he is!"
Unfortunately for Dawn, Scott was behind the confessional listening to everything she said. He responded by placing the stolen items (Dawn was correct in that regard as well) in Dawn's garbage bag, thus framing her to be the thief. Needless to say, she was voted off that night, ensuring that Scott's treachery remained intact for a little bit longer.
Dawn was hurtling through the air at a rapid speed. If that wasn't frightening enough, she was trapped inside a garbage bag, so she had no idea where she was headed. After what seemed like an eternity, the bag finally hit the ground with a thud. The pale blond groaned in pain. There was no serious injury, but being catapulted from an island a mile away wasn't exactly pain-free, either. Dawn poked a hole in the bag and saw a surprisingly luxurious resort. Though it was very late at night, she saw a fabulous pool, equipped with its own mini-bar. Unfortunately, given the late hour, those would likely have to wait from tomorrow.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" Dawn called out to the empty resort. She was hoping that someone would show her around, or at least to her room.
She heard footsteps coming from the lobby. Turning around, she found herself face to face with none other than B.
Haha! Yep! Anyway, sorry again for taking a while. I have a long weekend, so I should post again by Sunday or Monday. (BTW I live in California, so West Coast time ;D) Anyways, take care! Please review!