Sorry this took a while, I've been very busy and had a major case of writers block. It's not a fantastic chapter but a lot does happen. Hope you like it!
Alex woke the next morning to the sound of an alarm going off beside him. He shot up and turned to see Connor holding his cell phone beside him ear. The Irish boy Neil was standing behind him
"rise and shine" Connor said with a grin
"Is the alarm necessary?" Alex asked
Connor shrugged "you wouldn't wake when we called your name"
"So you blasted an alarm in my ear?"
Neil nodded "yup. Rational don't you think"
Alex chuckled and climbed out of bed. He got changed and found Connor and Neil waiting outside for him. They made their way to their way to the dinning hall for breakfast. When they got there Alex spotted Layla right away. She was talking with a girl who had bright blonde hair, blue eyes and had a slim figure
"Hey Neil" Connor said "looks who's here"
Connor pointed to the girl Layla was talking to. Neil's cheeks went pink and Connor turned to Alex
"That's Annabelle" Connor said "Neil has a thing for her"
Neil spun to glare at Connor before getting into the food line. They went behind Layla and Annabelle who seemed to be in a deep conversation. When Layla caught a glimpse of Alex she turned to him
"Anna" she said "this is Alex"
Annabelle looked to Layla "the one you were telling me about?"
Layla nodded as Annabelle turned on him. She inspected him for a minute before laughing
"I see what you mean now" she said
As the three boys gave them curious looks, the two girls burst out in laughter and grabbed trays. Connor turned to Alex
"What are they talking about?"
Alex shrugged "I haven't got a clue"
The girls got their food before them and after they went through the line, they found Annabelle and Layla waiting for them
"Want to eat with us?" Annabelle asked
"We can't stand the girls in our cabin" Layla said
Neil nodded a little too eagerly and the three of them followed the girls to an empty table in the corner. When they arrived Neil engaged Annabelle in a conversation, leaving Connor, Alex and Layla sitting there awkwardly. Connor decided to break the silence
"So Layla, what's America like. I've never been there before but I've heard plenty about it"
She gave him a warm smile "it's not all that special really"
"Not at all special?"
Layla shook her head "it's much more interesting here"
Connor gave her a flirty look "it's a shame that you don't live here, you seem to be very interesting"
She returned the smile "it is a shame isn't it"
Alex coughed and Connor and Layla whipped around to look at them. Alex recieved a glare from Layla
"Could I speak to you Alex" she said harshly "alone"
She got up quickly and walked out the door, Alex close behind her. When they were a few feet away from the dinning hall she spun on him
"What is your deal?!" She demanded
"Don't you think you were a little too into character?" Alex asked
She glared at him "Is it really any of your business who I try to make connections with?"
"Connections?"
"Yes" she said making it sound obvious "I'm trying to make a connection with him so he can tell me about this place"
"I'm perfectly capable of doing that" Alex sad in annoyance
"Oh really?" She sneered "then now come last night you just about had your brains blown out?"
Before Alex could answer someone was calling her name. She turned to the side and let out a moan before putting on a fake smile
"Good morning Charlie" she said
Charlie jogged up to them with a goofy smile
"Morning Layla" he said
He turned to Alex and grinned
"Alex"
"Charlie"
Alex tried not to laugh as he saw the look of disgust on Layla's face
"Well I should be getting some food" Charlie said "I'll see you all later"
Layla merely smiled as they watched Charlie walk into the dinning hall
"He has to be my least favourite person at this camp" she mumbled
"Well I feel a little relieved" Alex said
She gave him a little grin before making her way back to the dinning hall. Alex followed her. When they walked in they found Connor looking bored and Neil and Annabelle still deep in conversation. When Annabelle saw Layla she shot up
"Good your back" she said "I need to talk to you. Now"
She grabbed Layla and dragged her out of the dinning hall. The three boys stared after them curiously
"Well that was fun" Connor said "why don't we go back to the cabin"
"Good idea" Neil mumbled
Neil walked away quickly, leaving Connor and Alex alone
"What's up with him?" Alex asked
"No clue" Connor said
They walked back to the cabin and found Neil in his bunk, nose buried in a book
"It's a free day today" Connor said "want to hit the beach?"
Neil sat up "I'm down for the beach"
"Let me guess" Connor said with a grin "Annabelle is going to be there"
Neil glared at him before grinning
"Yes Connor she is"
He turned to Alex
"I believe she's dragging Layla there" he said
Alex nodded "well the beach sounds fun"
Connor smiled and went to the bathroom. It only took the three guys ten minutes to get ready. As the three of them walked down the trail, the sun went right into Alex's eyes
"your lucky Alex" Connor said "it was cloudy until you showed up"
Alex wasn't sure how to answer so he just nodded. They got close to the beach and he could make out the figures of Annabelle and Layla. They walked up to them and Layla smiled at him as if nothing had happened
"You guys want to join us?" Annabelle asked
Alex's eyes went to Layla
"As long as you guys don't mind" he said
She smiled but her eyes were harsh "not at all"
The two girls turned away and Alex caught a glimpse of Layla rolling her eyes. They walked onto the beach and set their things down. Before anyone could say anything, Annabelle had Layla by the wrist and was dragging her to the dock
"Quite the persistent girl isn't she?" Alex asked with a grin
Connor laughed as they walked up the dock. Other kids from the camp were lying in the sand tanning, talking, reading and listening to music. Not many people were in the water. They got onto the dock and Layla was watching Annabelle dive underwater. Neil and Connor jumped right in and Alex stood next to Layla
"Not going in?" he asked
"I don't know" she said not looking at him "I'm a little...I don't know I guess you could say self conscious"
He gave her a look "you? The person who just about killed me the first time we met? I didn't think it was possible for you to have insecurities"
She smiled a genuine smile "thanks Alex"
Before he could answer she peeled off her top, revealing a aqua bikini. Alex tried not to stare but he could see faint white lines on her stomach. Suddenly she was looking at him
"If I'm going in so are you" she said
"Your not going to push me are you?" he asked
she grinned "I was just telling you but pushing you would be more satisfying"
He took a few steps back and she shook her head at him. In the distance he could hear their names being called. She smiled and dove into the water. He walked back to the edge and dived in after her. The water was cold but refreshing. As he came out of the water he saw that Layla was still underwater swimming. He swam over to Neil and Connor, Neil chatting up Annabelle. As Layla rose out of the water Alex saw she was smiling
"Well that was fun" she breathed
"If you guys want we could go canoeing" Annabelle said
"I'm not much of a canoe person" Connor said "what about boating?"
Layla laughed "have you people ever heard of swimming? It's just as fun. Annabelle, I'll race you to the dock and back"
"I don't know" Annabelle warned "I'm a really good swimmer"
Layla let out a laugh that almost sent chills down Alex's spine "your so own"
And just like that, they began swimming. Annabelle was quick but Layla was much faster. It took Layla not even a minute to get to the dock. By the time Annabelle got to the dock, Layla was halfway back to them. With one last strong kick, Layla swam up beside Alex, a large grin on her face. She wasn't even breathing that hard. Annabelle arrived shortly, completely out of breath
"Damn Layla" she breathed "do you swim with the Olympic team or something?"
Layla laughed "no nothing like that. I just swim in my spare time"
"You must have rockets for feet then" Annabelle said, sounding exhausted
"So I take it you don't want a rematch?" Connor teased
"Are you mad?!" Annabelle laughed "I can barely float here let alone race her again"
"What a shame. But I really would love to race again" Layla said "anyone interested"
Everyone was silent
"Oh come on!" she cried "you brits need to suck it up. I'm not that fast"
Alex took that as a challenge "I'll race you"
Layla turned on him and smiled "alright"
And with that, she was gone. Alex was caught off guard and began to swim after her. Annabelle was right, she must have rockets for feet he thought to himself. Alex was thankful that he was a good swimmer because if he any shot of beating her, he had to use all his strength. As he came up next to her at the dock she looked at him
"I'm impressed Rider" she mumbled with a twitch of a smile "but your still not quick enough"
And then she pushed off the dock. He pushed off after her. As he came up near her she ducked underwater. Alex wished she hadn't because she was a lot faster underwater. He kicked as hard as could as was almost beside her when she shot up and floated next to Annabelle. He came to a stop and found himself breathing heavily. Alex hadn't even noticed how hard he was actually working
"Not bad" she said
Alex noticed that she was almost out of breath as well
"You almost beat her!" Connor said "Why don't you guys go again?"
Layla stuck her hand up "this Olympian can only race so much in one day"
They all shared a laugh and Layla began to float on her back. Annabelle joined her and Alex noticed Connor oddly staring at the white lines on Layla's stomach. As he went to open his mouth to ask what they were, Alex acted fast
"Hey Connor" he said quickly "I'll race you if your up for it"
Connor whipped his head around to look at Alex and the girls stopped floating and looked at him. Connor's look of curiosity faded into a smile
"Sure!" he said "if you think you can win"
Alex smiled and began swimming, Connor on his heels. In the background he could hear cheering, Layla's voice standing out, and he began to swim even faster
That night Alex crawled into bed, muscles aching. He had spent the day at the beach with his new friends. He was really starting to enjoy summer camp. Layla had actually been decent to him all afternoon and he hoped that maybe she was warming up to him. As he closed his eyes there was a knock on the cabin door. Don't be Layla, he pleaded, don't be Layla
"Alex get your lazy ass up" she said "I need to talk to you"
Alex groaned as he sat up. Connor was standing in the doorway looking at him curiously, along with the other boys in the cabin. Layla turned and walked into the darkening sky, Ale following. When they were earshot away, Layla turned on him
"MI6 just told me that they think someone at the camp is the cause for the missing kids"
"They think a kid is kidnapping other kids" he said slowly
"I never said it wasn't an insane idea" she said "but I don't agree with them"
"So what do you think" he asked
"I don't know yet but I do know one thing" she said "they have to be in the restricted area"
Alex looked at her curiously "your suggesting that we break into the restricted area"
"Not right now" she said as if it were obvious "but tonight we are going to check out the fence around the grounds. A summer camp should not have this much security. I'll meet you here in an hour when it's dark and everyone's asleep. Be ready"
Then she walked away, leaving Alex feeling a little dazed. He walked back into the cabin, everyone still looking at him weird
"What did she want?" Neil asked
"Oh nothing" Alex said dismissing him
"Didn't sound like nothing" Connor said "she sounded pissed"
"No she's not" Alex said "just had to ask me something. No big deal. Good night lads"
Then crawled into bed, feeling foolish for calling them 'lads' but he didn't have an excuse for why she wanted to talk to him. They must have decided to leave it alone because no one said anything after that. About an hour later Alex found himself lying in bed, wide awake and listening to the snores of his fellow cabin mates. He crawled out of bed and quickly changed into all black clothes. As he tip toed out of the cabin he saw a dark figure standing where he was supposed to meet Layla. As he approached he realized that it was her. When he walked up to her, she looked at him with a bored expression and looked at her watch
"Right on time" she said "good job. Now let's get going"
As they walked towards the forest Alex couldn't help but feel that when she said 'good job' he was being rewarded like a puppy. They walked into the forest and Layla turned on him
"You might need this"
She stuck her left hand out, revealing a gun. Alex carefully took it and placed it in his belt. They continued walking in complete silence. Alex listened carefully for any movement. He didn't want to repeat what happened last night. The further into the forest they walked, the thicker and darker it got. About ten minutes passed before they reached a wired fence
"This is where we came through" Layla said "Although I could have sworn it wasn't so far out"
Ale was going to reply but he heard a cracking sound. Him and Layla looked up and A;ex could make out a large branch about to fall
"What the..." Layla began
There was another crack and Alex realized Layla was almost directly underneath the branch. Just as the branch was about to crush her, Alex dove. He essentially tackled her to the ground, getting her away from the branch. The two of them hit the ground hard but the sound of the branch hitting the ground was much louder. Layla starred up at Alex curiously as he quickly got up. He stuck a hand out for her and she cautiously took it
"You..." she stuttered "you just...saved me"
Alex grinned "It's nothing"
He must have offended her in some way because her face went hard
"Well I guess we're even now" she said harshly
"Even?"
"Yes even. I saved your life last night and now you saved mine. We're even"
Alex starred at her in utter confusion. Her dark eyes were harsh and she seemed pissed off
"No Layla that's not why..."
She cut him off "it doesn't matter" she said quickly "this was a dumb idea. I'm going back to my cabin"
Before Alex could even try to explain, she was walking away. Alex desperately wanted to stop her but he knew that she wanted to be alone. He waited a few minutes before starting to walk back. He was lost in thought when he heard rustling in the distance. As he hid behind a tree, he heard a familiar voice
"Let me go!"
It was Layla. Someone had grabbed Layla. As he went to go help her, he could hear feet moving away quickly. He came out from behind his tree and quietly followed the footsteps of Layla's attackers. When he could no longer hear their footsteps he got a little worried. He arrived at the very edge of the forest and felt a little relieved for himself. He could see a group of five men walking towards the dock. What made Alex feel suddenly very sick was seeing Layla walking with them. They stopped at the edge of the dock and the biggest of the men held onto Layla tightly as another man tied ropes around her. When they were finished tying her up, they put a piece of duct tape over her mouth so she wouldn't scream. Alex had the urge to go and help her but he knew that even with a gun, he didn't have the capability to take on five, large, grown men by himself. He watched the men release her and join his friends standing in front of her. She began to squirm but it didn't do anything, the ropes were much too tight
"It's no use" he heard one of the men say "face it, your not going to get out of this one. Even of you do have a little friend around here somewhere, you'll be dead before they even know your missing. Consider this a lesson. Never get too close"
Then he pushed her. With a loud splash she fell into the water and Alex's heart sank. The men all walked away with loud laughter. When they were far enough away, Alex sprinted to the lake. Without even thinking, he dove off the dock. He slit his eyes open but seeing anything was useless at this point, he could only hear the quiet sound of someone trying to scream. As the sound began to fade and a heaviness grew in Ale's chest, he swam even faster. Finally he heard something hit the sand and he saw Layla lying limply on the ground. Her hair floated around her face and her eyes were shut tight. With one large kick he finally reached her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and began to swim up. Layla's skin was cold as ice and Alex realized he had to act fast. Finally he reached the surface and Layla grew about ten times heavier. With the slightest bit of a struggle, he reached the beach. He carefully put Layla down and untied the ropes. After he untied the last rope he gently took off the duct tape from her mouth. She was still unconscious so Alex checked for a pulse, feeling himself beginning to panic. To his relief, she had a pulse. Just as he took his hand off her wrist, her eyes squinted open. It took her a moment to process everything and finally she locked eyes with Alex. For another moment she starred at him in complete disbelief
"Alex?" she said in a hoarse voice
"Yea" Alex said reassuringly "are you alright? You nearly drowned"
She began to sit up with a little difficulty "yea I believe that was their intention"
Alex laughed and Layla even cracked a smiled before looking at him in confusion again
"I don't understand" she said quietly "you already saved me, we're even"
"I didn't save you so we could be even. I tried to tell you that. You know, before you nearly got yourself killed"
She laughed and pushed the wet hair from her face
"So you saved me for no reason?" she asked
"Well there is a reason" Alex said
As she glanced at him oddly he smiled
"I'm not going to let you die" he said with a laugh
She smiled "thank you Alex"
"It was nothing" Alex said with a shrug
"My god do you always have to be so humble?" she asked behind her laughter
For a moment they just sat on the beach, both of them dripping wet
"Well this is going to be tough to explain" Layla said "I mean, how do you cover up an attempt at murder like this?"
Alex shrugged "you could always just not tell them anything"
He received yet another curious glance. There was a long and quiet pause before Alex heard footsteps coming their way. He helped Layla stand up and they quickly walked and hid behind a cabin. When the footsteps were gone Layla turned on him
"I may have been wrong about you Alex" she said quietly
"What did you think of me before?" he asked
She smiled "you probably don't want to know"
He looked at her curiously
"Well I'm going to head back to my cabin" she said "but I'll see you in the morning. Thanks again for saving my life...twice"
He laughed "good night Layla"
With one last genuine smile, she turned and walked away, leaving Alex wishing she didn't leave.
So I thought I'd go out with some action and, hopefully, a future romance. I haven't decided where to go with the story yet but I will try not to take so long with the next chapter. Thanks for reading!
