~Her Mask~


"Maybe Chris shouldn't have sent Beth away until we figured out what really happened." Bridgette sighed, feeling a bit guilty for not suggesting that sooner.

"Well what could we really do, Bridge? The boat was coming for her before we even had time to take the whole incident in." DJ replied back with a sigh of his own.

Trent rose from the wooden stump he'd been sitting on all night, and stretched while speaking. "What's done is done. We can't exactly worry about it now."

"I say we all head off to bed, and talk about this in the morning." Sadie, who had been quiet the whole night, said softly.

"Good plan, Bra. Night guys." Geoff waved to his fellow Campers then started trucking down to his cabin, everyone but Gwen and Duncan followed.

"Not gonna go to bed?" Duncan murmured to Gwen, staring at the dying Camp Fire.

"Duncan, I just saw Heather sneak into the infirmary." Gwen squinted through the darkness over by the tent. completely ignoring Duncan's former question.

An almost animalistic growl ripped through Duncan's lip as he shot up from his seat and made a dash for the green structure that housed his dear Princess.

"Hey! Wait for me!" The pale girl wasn't exactly sure why she was chasing after him. Though maybe it was in the hopes of seeing Heather get her ass whooped by Duncan?

By the time she had caught up with the Punk, he was already inside the tent, glaring at Heather who was leaned over a sleeping Courtney.

"Heather, what are you doing?" Gwen questioned, scooting as far away from the Queen Bee and The Delinquent as the tent would allow, because of a thick tension that seemed to swirl around the two.

Though no one answered her, it almost looked like Duncan and Heather were having their own silent conversation, just with their eyes.

It was a long tense moment before Duncan seemed to realize Gwen was there, and an even longer moment before he cast her a glance.

"Why don't you head off to bed, Gwen?" He said quietly, and then quickly turned his attention to Courtney, who was still sleeping peacefully. His eyes raked over her form as if looking for any sign of damage, then with a relieved look on his face, he shifted back to once again looking- or more like scowling- at Heather.

The Goth almost snorted. He was acting like a freaking watch dog. It was down right ludicrous.

The Gopher Female and Bass Male continued their staring contest and telepathic conversation. Heather's eyes widened and she took a quick step away from Courtney the moment Duncan took a step forward. This amused Gwen. Heather was afraid of Duncan? Please, he wouldn't hurt a fly. He was nothing but a big softy underneath, that's how all tough guys were.

"Heather, why don't you tell Gwen what you did?" Duncan challenged the snobby teenager.

"I didn't do anything." Heather insisted.

"Not now. I meant before." He clarified.

"I didn't do anything." She repeated.

"Oh really? Because I seem to recall tackling you to the ground when you were running away after shooting Princess." Duncan reached out almost impulsively and brushed a few stray hairs from Courtney's face, upon speaking of the dreaded moment. It's like he needed reassurance that she was there, and that she was still breathing.

He should of been there... he should of protected her. That was the thought that ran through his head every 5 minutes since he found her in the forest. Duncan doubted if he'd ever truly forgive himself. No. He didn't think he ever would.

"You did what?!" Gwen shouted, breaking Duncan's saddened trance, and hands balling into fists. Her hunch was right all along. Heather had shot Courtney after all!

"Oh don't act all surprised." Heather narrowed her eyes at Gwen.

"Heather, I knew you were a bad person. I knew you were a cold, cruel, bitch. But to shoot someone then let Beth take the blame?! You should be in a straight jacket! Not Eva!"

AN: My lovely reviews inspired that quote. ;)

Courtney made a pained groaning noise, and in the same second, she felt Duncan's cool and familiar hand on her cheek.

"Babe? You okay?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was another strangled sound.

Without another thought, Duncan tugged back the blanket that was over her, then pulled up his skull shirt from her stomach. He blanched at the redness ths oozed through the white of her bandages. She was still bleeding. And heavily, at that.

The two Screaming Gopher members were hushed, their former arguement forgotten temporarily.

"Heather." Duncan's head whipped around to glare at the Raven-haired girl who was now as pale as the Goth beside her. The blood was too much for either of the Gophers them.

"Yes?" She squeaked.

"Why did you come in here in the first place?" What? Why was he asking this now?!

"I was just coming to check on Court-"

"Liar!" Gwen and Heather flinched at the harshness in his tone. "I want the truth!"

"It is the truth! I was coming in to see if Courtney was healing or not! I just wanted to make sure she wasn't going to die! I hadn't even meant to shoot her in the first place!" She defended herself in one long breath.

"Gwen. You and Heather go grab Chef, please." He ordered, voice stern, but lower and less harsh than his former tone.

The two girls scrambled out of the tent without hesitation, and Duncan turned back to look at Courtney.

"Princess... I am so, so, sorry." He hated himself more now than doctors, Heather, and Celine Dion put together. He should of saved her! But he didn't. He didn't rescue her. Like a Prince would have. Anger seemed to burned a hole in his heart now.

"Dammit, Princess! Why did you have to piss off Heather in the first place?! Why couldn't you just be the bigger person and walk away?! Why...?" He rubbed at his teal eyes, blinking back the tears that were pooling. He felt like such a girl, yelling one minute then crying the next.

"No... it's not your fault, Court. That's just who you are. You're feisty." He forced out a laugh. Even though he was getting no response from the girl, he continued. "And I love that about you."

"And... I love you, Courtney."

He took a deep breath and counted back from ten inside his head, but still, he got no response from the brunette. He had very naivély hoped that maybe saying that to her, would bring her out of her unconscious slumber. Like in some kind of Disney movie. Of course, it was entirely true that he loved her, -he realized that now- and he hadn't said it while just thinking it would awaken her. Though, in fear of becoming a total cliché, he hadn't kissed her like Prince's normally did to rouse their Princess' from their sleep.

But did it work on dying girls? Snow white had been sleeping, right? And so had Sleeping Beauty, - from what his limited knowledge of fairytale Princess' told him- so neither of them had been bleeding to death in front of their Prince, walking a thin line between life and death, that was getting thinner and thinner the longer the Prince sat there and did nothing. And eventually, the thin line would snap, and the Princess would fall, and the Prince would lose her forever.

You never saw that in a Disney movie.

So it was up to Duncan now. He could sit here and do nothing, -except wait for Chef to arrive. Though Duncan was certain the cook could only do so much. He wasn't exactly a licenced doctor.- and possibly lose his Princess forever, letting her slip through his fingers like sand.

Or, he could do something about it.

The clock was ticking.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

The choice was his.


AN: Mwuahaha. What a lovely cliff hanger, huh? But you, my dear reader, must review! -Seriously. I worked really hard on this. And It's currently 1:07 AM in Canada where I live. XD- So please review. UNTIL NEXT TIME, GOODNIGHT!