Chapter 7: If Only, If Only

"Good morning, good morning!" I sang as I bounced on each person's cot. There was a thud as Magnet fell off his cot, and the rest of the boys slowly entered the real world. "Welcome to Earth, please watch your step as you get off the cots. Thank you for flying with Cloud 9, and have a great day." I said in a professional voice, warning the rest of the tent not to follow Magnet's example and fall. It got a few tired chuckles out of the lot of 'em. Satisfied, I took one huge jump onto Squids' cot and he fell off as well, earning more chuckles from the boys. I ran out of the tent to let them get dressed and headed for the mess hall before they could notice I was talking in a loud voice.

About ten minutes later they finally entered, bleary eyed from the unusual wake up call. They all sat down and ate some sugarized cereal, and I politely stayed until they were finished.

"Fidget, eat something and get your strength up!" Caveman said with a look of concern. He's so sweet. I don't think he belongs in a 'Correctional Facility'.

"I'm not hungry, I'll be fine." I always used to skip breakfast as well back at home.

'Fidget, eat something. It will do you good.'

'You're not trying to manipulate my brain now are you?'

I pushed my bowl of traumatized cereal over to Armpit. "Have seconds," And before they could protest, I was up and skipping my way to the library. Vaguely I noticed the tents file out of the hall behind me.


((Normal Print))

She may have been the first one out there, but when the boys got out there, Fidget barely had her hole started. She had tied cloth around her hands to help with the blisters. Tying them up by herself would have taken some time.

When the first water truck came around, Fidget got up and out of her hole with ease. However, when lunch came, she had a slight bit of trouble climbing out, and ordered a random person (Magnet) to haul her up. Walking back from getting her lunch, no one saw her wobble slightly as she sat down on the edge of her hole. She took one look at her sandwich, sniffed it, and threw it away, and it unfortunately hit Armpit in the back of the head.

"Ew, tuna!" She shrieked.

"Casey, eat something." X-Ray said, now worried about his tent mates health.

"I am eating something!" She replied, and shoved a cracker in her mouth.

It was during the third water truck that it happened. Fidget was walking back to her hole when her knees buckled and she collapsed next to Zero's hole.

"Hey, Fidget, you alright?" The startled boy asked. "Fidget?" He began shaking her. "Fidget, wake up! Stanley, something's wrong with Fidget!" With Zero making all the noise, Zero, it caused attention to be drawn to him. Caveman came and kneeled next to Fidget and shook her a bit.

"Hey X, Fidget fainted!"

"Casey!" Magnet came running over.

X-Ray interrupted, "Zigzag will carry her back to camp. He's tallest. Magnet, run and get The Warden. She'll do something about this."

"Yo dawg, you can't let Ziggy carry her, he'll drop her thinking she's an alien or something." Armpit protested.

"She's an alien?" Zigzag asked warily. He poked her and jumped back right away, as if she were gonna pop up and eat him. X-Ray re-considered.

"Alright, Squid, you take her. Magnet, get running." Squid picked the fainted Fidget up 'bridal style', one arm hooked under her knees, and the other supporting her shoulders. He blushed when her head fell to rest on his arm, and Magnet ran to the tiny oasis of a cabin.

As Squid carried her back to the tent delicately, he looked at her pale face. Despite being in the sun for around a week, she was still pale, and fainting didn't help. He was worried if she was alright. Will she have to leave camp? His conscience loudly protested about that.

(In my mind, this was where I began playing 'Angel' by Sarah McLachlan.)


Magnet knocked frantically on the Warden's door. She didn't look too pleased when she opened it, but when she saw his worried face, she asked, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Casey fainted. Squid took her back to the tent, but I think it's from lack of food. She didn't eat breakfast this morning, and she barely ate anything at lunch." As he was reporting her condition, the Warden grabbed a few things from her cabin and ran to D-tent, followed by Magnet.


Squid gently placed the short girl onto her cot and brushed some dusty blonde hair out of her face. He placed a hand on her forehead, checking her temperature. She was hot. Hotter than usual.

Fidget's eyes fluttered open momentarily. "Squid? What happened?" She asked. Her voice was weak.

"You just fainted, that's all." He picked her up positioned her so she was leaning back against his chest. His hand was holding her forehead, as he softly rocking back and forth while singing a song Caveman had taught him.

If only, If only,

The woodpecker sighed.

The bark on the tree was as soft as the sky

While the wolf waits below,

Hungry and lonely,

He cries to the mo-on

If only, if only…

Fidget closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep, almost unaware of the fact of what Squid had done.

The Warden entered as Squid put the girl back down on her cot. The elder lady ordered the boys to finish Fidget's hole as well as their own. They left and passed this request to the rest of the boys, and they all took part in digging a bit of it.

Casey lay on her cot, semi-aware of the Warden bustling around her. A song played in her head, but she was unaware of where she heard it. It triggered a memory of her past. When she was a baby, her mother used to rock her and sing a song that sounded vaguely like the one in her head now.

If only, If only…

PlEASE review! I'm leaving on the third to my Aunts, so I won't be able to update until...after the 12th, I think. Yeah, that's about right. So, Constructive Critisism, people! If you've read it and liked it, say so!A single review works wonders on my mood! If you have any questions that do not concern me revealing the plot, than feel free to ask! I'll probably be allowed to check my e-mails every now and then, but not on the weekend of the 11th. I also have Casey's ancestry somewhat planned out. Have fun!

I think my cookie just smiled at me.

Sarii