I'm BACKS! Holidays are nearly over and I was like, why not get off my big fat virtual butt and start writing for once and update? And so I did! Expect normal-ish regular-ish updates from now on (I retract my weekly thing. Two stories at once are tiring).

For people who read this and read my other story as well: Wait another week or so for the chapter. I'm going through my plot points. It's taking a surprisingly long time. =="

THANKYOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS! Story-alerters, favouriters, my sister and my good old friend RandomGothicNinjaNerd (RGNN), I LOVE YOU ALL!

So, now getting on with the story... (Since I know you all don't appreciate my rants. XD)


High ropes course. Most of the time, it would be fun. I have to admit though; the view was actually pretty nice up here, since the camp was located in a random forest.

Have I described the camp? I'm sure I haven't (and if I have, just go with me. I'm delaying the inevitable: stepping onto that rusting, extremely thin-and-fragile-and-old-and-weak looking wire that looks like it would snap at any minute). And well, since I can see the camp perfectly from up here.

Ten metres in the air.

The camp was shaped interestingly. Like a huge gourd, there were two main clearings/places that were filled with buildings and grass and not many trees. Connecting the two clearings was a narrower strip of clearing lined by the cabins. Girls on one side, boys on the other. Then there were tiny places like the highly dangerous ropes course I was currently on right now dotting all around the place.

The instructor kindly let me look down at the tiny looking people on the ground for about half a minute while explaining the system. Not that I was really listening.

'You can step onto the wire now.' Noticing my panicked look she tacked on a, 'It's perfectly safe, I assure you. And I can always go help you if you hit any troubles.' She nodded at me encouragingly.

I looked at the wire, looked at the weird clip things connected to a wire overhead that would save me if I ever fell, looked at the wire again, took a deep breath and...

Stepped on the wire.

There were encouragements as I slowly walked across the first part of the high ropes course.

It was quite easy to notice their personalities like this (I know, I was still processing information at such a crucial, life-threatening moment. I blame Spartan Teacher No. Two)

There were bright, innocent people like Kyoko who, being my partner, had a job that entailed checking if I clipped my clips right from the ground, if I looked ok, and just yell encouragements. Those people yelled encouragements (I think Kyoko would yell encouragements anyway, even if I wasn't her partner).

Then there were the cunning and mildly curious/afraid-of-what's-going-to-happen type of people. Those would look on shrewdly, at my expression, etc, and deem if it was safe, fun, cool, that type of thing.

Then there were the bored people who didn't want to be here. Their reactions ranged from staring boredly at the forest, or lying down and staring boredly at the sky.

The nervous ones were easy to pick out as I slowly walked across the wire (yes, I was still walking over the wire). They bored holes in my body as they peered at me with nervous eyes, gnawing their little nails off.

'Do you think that Yanu-kun will notice me if I go on?' I grimaced as I finally reached the first checkpoint (a lovely board with cracks big enough for me to see through and see Kyoko's face. Lovely.)

Of course. The boy-obsessors. How could I forget about them?

Amazingly, Tsuna dominated a whole category by his own. A fearful girly-looking, shy boy, with a kind-of 'wanting to join but can't should-I-go-and-approach-Kyoko-chan?' type of face.

Nobody else was in that category.

Tsuna should be proud.

I smiled at the thought of Tsuna being proud of being different. We shared something in common. After Tsuna meets Reborn, he would begin wishing for normality.

Just like me.

I unclipped my first clip from the first part of the course's safety line (first part: wire, second part: tyres, third part: plain thick log, fourth part: no helpful balancing wires but loose strings, fifth part: swinging rings) to the next.

'Check!' I called down the Kyoko. She nodded as she affirmed that I had really clipped onto the safety wire.

'Check!' She called out cheerfully. I smiled down at her and did the same with my second clip.

Tyres are a wonderful invention. But not when you're on a ropes course. I noticed that the next contender had already started climbing the ladder and so stepped onto the tyres that were connected, but not by much.

I got through that safely, and the thick log was easy. The fourth part was a bit tricky, with the wind and all, but it was fine.

'Check!' Kyoko called up to me, raising her voice a little over the wind. I nodded an affirmative and tugged on both of the clips double-checking they really were secure and looked at the rings.

The first ring was easy. It was connected to the fifth checkpoint. But the next ring...

I looked at it with narrowed eyes.

A sturdy plastic ring hanging from a thick rope that wouldn't normally move that much. It would be like stepping a normal step on normal days.

But today, today (why today?) there was a strong wind blowing. It blew the ring out of reach.

It was either jump (not that it matters with a harness... It's the concept) or just stay clinging to the platform which was not built for two people.

I looked back at the person behind me and he messaged to me he was ready to go onto the wire with the loose strings, the fourth part. He wasn't allowed to go on until I, on the fifth part, went onto my part.

So I took a deep breath, looked at Kyoko and Tsuna (did he look worried? But Tsuna looks worried all time...) and jumped.

The first I felt was the harness being dragged by me forward, the clips dragging behind me. The second was the black ring, which was approaching just ever so slowly. The third were my hands, reaching it and touching it...

I landed, heaved my feet to stand on the thing and gulped.

One down. Four to go.


'Good job, Alice-chan!' Kyoko beamed at me. I smiled at her and put my hands in my pockets. There were freezing, the wind up there was so much stronger than on land.

'Want to go next?' I gestured to the non-existent line, since everyone didn't want to go next. Kyoko smiled even wider.

'Should I?' then she looked at Tsuna and asked politely 'Sawada-san! Do you want to go before me?' Tsuna shook his head wildly (his hair whipping side-to-side. He was honestly just so CUTE!), his harness half-falling off.

'No, Kyoko-san!'

San? Doesn't he call her chan? When does he drop this formality?

'Then I'll go then!' Kyoko happily went up to the ladder and when the instructor called

'Next!' she climbed the ladder happily. I walked forward slowly, pulling Tsuna by the collar when he seemed like he was going to stay at the back.

'We're both Kyoko's partners. So let's help her like we're supposed to do.' I looked at him and he shrunk from me yet again.

Then I remembered something Setsuna had said before

'Alice-chan! You honestly do look like glaring when you put your bored look on! Smile more!'

I looked at her in surprise. She huffed.

'But I'm bored, Setsuna.' She just sighed and patted my head.

'You don't have one social brain cell in your head. That's why you're such good friend!' She squealed the last bit and hugged me tight. I flailed a bit while inwardly raising my eyebrow. I don't get her. But that's the point sometimes, isn't it?

I smiled at Tsuna. Soften my face a bit. Scrunch up my eyes so that they aren't as piercing.

Then my face started to hurt from overuse and I just abandoned everything except the smiling.

'Alice-chan! I'm starting!' I smiled and yelled out some random encouragements.

It was fun, in a way. The morning passed in a blur after Kyoko finished her course (Tsuna refused to participate, unfortunately) and we set off to lunch after awhile. Setsuna met up with me and babbled happily about canoeing and how she tripped and fell in the mud.

I told her blandly that might be the reason her hair was suddenly brown and smelled. She punched me in the arm and continued talking.

Setsuna, knowing there would be a tiny break after lunch, rushed off to shower after gobbling her lunch (how she talked so fast and finished her full plate in eight minutes is a miracle to me) leaving me behind with a table to myself.

I fended off fan-boys with my glare, stuffed the rest of my food into my mouth as fast as I can and walked out of the cafeteria.

Yamamoto and the baseball players from the other school waved, I smiled and nodded. Kyoko and Hana noticed me and smiled. I waved and went back to the cabin we had been assigned to.

Smiling when I heard Setsuna singing (weird) in the shower (good material for later use), I went and refilled my water bottle from the huge bottles of water Grey had packed into my bag.

He said he didn't trust the water sources in my camp.

I told him he was paranoid.

But anyway, I knocked on the shower door telling Setsuna that she only had five more minutes left (which she shrieked at) and left, water bottle all full and ready.

I rejoined my group and Setsuna rushed in with her hair wet after four minutes. She breathed a visible sigh of relief when she realised she wasn't late and headed towards her group.

I greeted a Kyoko and a twitchy Tsuna who seemed like he wanted to approach Kyoko but didn't have the guts.

Seems like I had to take things in my own hands.

Sighing, I sat right next to Kyoko, Kyoko shifting so I had more space so that she sat right next to Tsuna and me. I smirked evilly. It's good for personal development anyway.


I stared disbelievingly.

Not serious, were they? I looked at the serious face of my teachers, instructors and fellow students.

Afternoon activity: fishing.

They expected us primary school students to sit in a small cramped boat with a fishing pole, each facing different directions, trying to catch (seemingly) non-existent fish in the afternoon sunlight?

Oh how I hated sunburns. Even if I lather myself with that sunscreen stuff, it doesn't work. My pale skin burns. That was how things worked in the natural world.

I sighed, thinking that it wasn't fair how other pale people went into the sun and never get burnt. I pulled out a random floppy hat and a baggy long-sleeved shirt which earned some weird looks from fellow group members.

It was hot. It was sunny. It was the afternoon and I was going to wear long-sleeves?

I could practically see their thoughts.

But! To prevent myself from burning, I will do this!

I heard the teacher say something about keeping the groups from before and people groaning before Kyoko and Tsuna, somewhere slightly behind me, magically appeared carrying three fishing poles.

'You ready?'

'No.' Kyoko laughed, and Tsuna looked at her adoringly. I smirked at him and he noticed, which made him blush and stutter and nearly fall onto his face.

I reached out an arm and stopped him from face-planting, straightened him up like I did in the dodge-ball game and reached to take a fishing-pole from Kyoko.

Tsuna, with his face bright red followed suit, and we were soon sitting back to back with fish poles ready for use.

And guess what?

I was facing the sun.

My happiness knows no abounds.


Dinner was wonderful. Lasagnes, gravy with peas, smooth mashed potato, and chocolate cake to end off the meal. Lovely.

Free time, the activity. I heard it was either bushwalking (at night. What happened to child protection?) or bush-dancing, which I wanted to avoid at all costs. Though the first didn't seem that appealing either, with those huge mosquitoes out there...

Walking with Setsuna back to our cabin, I fended off mosquitoes.

'Yeah! And archery was so fun! You should do it sometimes, Alice-chan!'

'Fishing was boring. It was just sitting there being baked in the sun.'

'... You don't like the sun much do you, Alice-chan.'

'Yep.'

And when we reached our cabin, I made sure to put on an extra thick layer of insect repellent.

'What's with the smell?' Setsuna said, wrinkling her nose as she walked out of the bathroom, finished with brushing her teeth.

'Insect repellent. There're thousands of mosquitoes out there.' Setsuna blinked at me and laughed.

'You don't like insects either, do you?'

'Yep. I hate them.'

I packed my insect repellent back into my trusty bag and followed Setsuna out the door.

'Free time. Might as well do something fun. I saw some ping-pong tables, want to play?' And without even my answer, she took my arm and dragged me off to a random building with all its lights on. We entered, and saw that the first room was occupied by tonnes of boys doing something (who knew what boys did?) and went into the moderately empty second room instead.

There were a couple of students lounging around talking or playing ping-pong around, so we just went into an unoccupied table and played our hearts out.

To my annoyance, Setsuna seemed to always win.

'You hit it too hard, Alice-chan! Moderate your power!'

'I'm trying, Setsuna!' As I hit the ball off the table once again. I wiped sweat off my forehead. 'What's the time?' Setsuna looked and nearly screamed.

'We only have three minutes left! Come on!'

We ran.

And I'm glad to say, we made it.

Just.

I need to go buy a watch.


'Tonight, we're going BUSHWALKING!' The teacher yelled enthusiastically to the students. Some of the students cheered. 'So get your hiking spirit ready and we'll go out into the great unknown together!'

More unenthusiastic cheering.

'We start in ten minutes! Please go into your previous groups, the groups that you have made in your activity groups, and wait for further instructions!'

I looked around. Grouped with Kyoko and Tsuna again.

As I looked across the masses that seemed to surround me (of course, never forget the calls of "I couldn't be grouped with Alice/Kyoko-chan!" from the fan-boys and "I couldn't get grouped with Yamamoto/Maeda-kun!" from the fan-girls) it was all very confusing.

Trust me. Having your name called out from fifty different places is very disconcerting for a used-to-be-loner like me.

Should've become used to it already though. Should have being the main words here.

'Alice-chan! Have you seen Tsuna?' I turned gladly to Kyoko's voice.

'No. Should we search for him then?' Kyoko looked around curiously.

'We should. We only have eight minutes to find him after all.' She smiled at me and the crowd, making random boys go "Oooh" and girls make jealous faces.

And so we searched in that crowded, stuffy room that somehow had mosquitoes in it.


If it's a bit choppy, I'm sorry! I'm trying to get into the writing mode again!

Review? I love all your opinions! And remember, anon reviews are accepted. XD See you all in the next chapter! (Hope you all haven't abandoned this...)