Horrors of Camping
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CHAPTER TEN
The Cursed Ones
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July 2nd, 2013
It was white, snow white. And it was empty. An empty, white vastness of snow.
Yet she could feel them there.
All day, every day, hot or cold, rainy or clear, she could feel them.
She couldn't see them. She couldn't hear them. But she could feel their presence, like she knew they could feel hers. She knew it the same way she knew they were there for the same reason she was, because they were the chosen ones, or better yet, the cursed ones.
Just like her.
Like her, they had followed the same trail of blood; and now like them, she was going to be forced to watch a curse that has been going on for half a century now repeat itself, again and again and again, up until they finally closed the camp for good.
And now, like her or like them, they would all remember the nightmare that would haunt them for the rest of their life – their living nightmare that will never die, no matter how much time has passed…
And they would know - not seeing, not hearing, just feeling – when she was targeting another one who would soon become like them. They would feel her hauntings and her anger, pint up for so many centuries, finally being released little by little, year after year.
She could feel her now – watching one of them, the one that was most like them, the one that was most like her. She wanted to warn her, warn her of what would become her future, of what would happen to her, but there was only so much she could – and couldn't – do.
She could only wait.
And hope.
Hope that maybe, unlike them, she would somehow get away. Hope that maybe she would be spared the nightmarish fate that had been bestowed upon the rest of them. Hope that maybe she wouldn't end up like them, all alone in a vastness of ever-changing seasons and a sea of presences that were invisible to her eyes.
She could feel them now. They were getting restless. She, too, was feeling restless.
A storm was coming, she could feel it.
And she was growing angry once again. She was remembering, and she was growing angry, and restless.
"Restless," May murmured, half-awake.
Dawn woke up to the sweet smell of smoke mingled with a faint, pungent scent of pine. Still weighed down by sleep, she laid there for a moment, a dream quickly fading from her conscious despite her mind's attempt to grasp it and keep it closer for a while longer.
As the remnants of her dream faded and blurred with reality, she rolled over in bed and squinted against the harsh light of the rising sun. The smell of smoke became stronger, but it was a sweet smell; it wasn't a harsh or pungent smell like the kind that usually meant danger and disaster.
Rolling over on her stomach and resting her chin on her folded arms, she stared out the open flap of her tent to see Paul no more than ten feet away. His gaze was concentrated on the blaze of the fire he had restarted from last night. He sat on one end of a log he had had his pokémon carry from the woods for last night's campfire.
Thoughtfully, she watched him, all the while softly inhaling the sweet, sweet smell of burning hickory. She quickly realized that it was still early, probably no later than five-thirty. It may have even been earlier than five.
Finally, she crawled through the small opening of the tent, pushing the flaps away in the process. Slowly, she stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees. Instantly she was met by a chilly breeze that rustled her blue tresses. Dawn was thankful for her Camp Scarlet sweatshirt which protected her from the morning's chilliness, although it didn't do much for her bare legs.
Paul looked up as Dawn took a seat on the opposite end of the log he was sitting on. She kept her gaze locked on the fire's blaze. Finally, unable to help herself, she looked up at Paul, her eyes instantly meeting his. After a moment, Paul looked away, turning his gaze back to the fire.
"I'm surprised you're up this early," he commented quietly.
Dawn frowned, unsure what to make of this comment. "Really? Why?" she asked, studying him curiously.
He shrugged. "I figured you would be exhausted from last night – from all the kids and chaos, since we had twice as many as we did last time. You looked exhausted when you went to bed last night."
"Well, I was pretty tired," she admitted.
Briefly, she wondered if she should mention that the other reason she went to bed pretty early was because her ankle – for whatever strange reason – had started to ache and throb again after a day of walking. Unconsciously, she reached forward and touched her ankle where two small scabs had formed. Her ankle felt warm underneath her fingers; she could feel blood rushing from a vein there, as if it was a pulsating heart. When she looked down at it she could tell immediately that it was swollen and red.
When she looked up again she saw Paul was staring at her – or more specifically, her ankle.
"Give me your ankle," Paul told her.
Dawn's eyes widened, surprised. "O-okay."
Awkwardly, she swung her leg around and allowed it to dangle in the air for a moment before cautiously resting it on the log, next to Paul. Her knee was bent until Paul grabbed her foot and started to examine the two bites still on her ankle, flattening her entire leg.
He ran a finger over the two bites, and despite the warmth of the fire only a foot away, she felt goosebumps rise all over legs and a chill go down her back.
"What are you…?"
As she waited for Paul to say something, she became increasingly aware of the fire next to her and the sweet smell of smoke that engulfed her and Paul. She also became increasingly aware of the rising sun, which was barely peeking out from behind a mountain, and their location, somewhere in the middle of the forest up in the mountains. And at that moment, asides from the sixteen kids still asleep in their tents about ten feet away, she and Paul were pretty much all alone.
"I think your ankle might be infected," he said finally, still holding her foot with her gradient bright pink and orange zebra socks.
"Infected?" Dawn felt a rush of fear – what if it was infected? What if she had to get her foot… amputated?! Oh lord. She felt light-headed suddenly, a rush of nausea coming over her.
Startled, Paul quickly said, "But even if it is, it doesn't look seriously infected. It just needs wrapped probably. You'll be fine." Hesitantly, he added, "So… no need to worry."
"No need to worry… okay… got it…" she whispered, still feeling shaky.
Paul reached down and after some searching, grabbed a roll of white gauze from the backpack he kept next to his feet. Next he pulled out a bottle of antiseptic and set it next to the gauze.
"Stay still," he ordered gently.
Dawn nodded, biting her lower lip. As the nausea faded away and her head cleared she watched as Paul began to unravel the gauze. Fascinated, she watched as he sprayed a fair amount of antiseptic on her blistering ankle before proceeding to wrap the finely woven fabric around her ankle – once, twice, thrice, and then two more times just to be safe.
The two sat there for a moment in silence, Dawn's foot still in Paul's lap. Slowly, she moved her foot away, carefully setting it on the ground. It was already feeling slightly better. Dawn looked up at the sky, oranges and coral pinks now filling the early dawn sky as the sun rose higher and higher. She was shocked to realize that in the distance she could still see the sprinkling of stars overhead.
"Thank you," she said finally, still staring at the small sprinkling of stars. She was afraid if she looked away, or blinked, they would be gone, hidden once more from the sun.
"No problem…" he responded. He sounded sheepish. Dawn tore her eyes away from the stars to look at Paul. He had his face turned away, his thick plum-colored hair shielding his face from view.
Dawn smiled as she turned back to the glow of the fire, a light pink dusting her cheeks. Briefly, she concentrated on enjoying this moment – this moment where her and Paul weren't arguing or ignoring each other, this moment where she felt as if there was some genuine warmth between them, this moment where she actually didn't feel so scared about her crush on someone as stoic as Paul.
But even as she soaked in the moment – with her and Paul sitting in front of a warm fire, in the early morning light, with a little less than a foot separating them – a bittersweet feeling fell over her.
Paul was here now, at this moment, but that didn't mean he always would be. Like so many other things, this moment would only be ephemeral.
The only reason her and Paul were together now was because they both just so happened to become counselors at the infamous Camp Scarlet. But Camp Scarlet was already almost half-way over – there was only a little more than five weeks left before they went to Camp Scarlet's annual beach trip and then ended altogether.
And who knew, maybe she would run into Paul again afterwards, somewhere in Kanto or Sinnoh or Johto or wherever she ended up. Or maybe she wouldn't. It still felt so surreal to her that Paul – a boy she had met when she was ten and hadn't really seen much since Ash defeated him in the Sinnoh League – just so happened to not only end up becoming a counselor at the same camp she was, but also end up becoming a counselor the same year she did.
It was such a weird coincidence. But then again, maybe it wasn't a coincidence. Maybe it was fate, destiny.
Dawn felt a small spark of hope as she thought this, but this small spark was quickly dampened by a sliver of doubt and uncertainty.
Or maybe it was just a small world. After all, she knew Misty and they both knew Ash. Ash knew Paul, and so did she. Everyone was connected to everyone somehow, whether it was through friends, family, relationships, or the friends, family and relationships of other people.
"Dawn! Paul!"
"Hm?" Dawn turned around in time to see a blur of pink hurtling towards her and Paul before that bundle of soft pink hair and pink flannel pajamas threw herself into her arms.
"I just had such a terrible nightmare!" she exclaimed, and when Nova pulled away, Dawn saw that dry tears streaked the young girl's reddened face.
"Aww, I'm sorry," she soothed the girl as she buried her head in Dawn's red Scarlet sweatshirt. "Do you want to tell me about it? It might make you feel better if you do."
Nova nodded before pulling away once more, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "It was about you and Ruby!"
Ruby? Dawn frowned. She didn't know of any Ruby, yet somehow the name felt familiar, as if someone had mentioned her before.
"What happened in the dream?" she asked slowly, stroking the young girl's long, beautiful hair. She was aware of Paul's eyes on her as he watched her comfort the distressed six-year old.
"Umm… ummm…" Nova pursed her lips together, her eyebrows scrunching together as she fought to remember. "Ummmm…" For a moment, Dawn began to wonder if the little girl had really had a bad dream, or if she was just making it up.
This made Dawn frown, but at the sight of the fresh tears that still stained Nova's cheeks, she realized she couldn't be making her nightmare up.
"It was… there was a full moon," she began slowly. "And the moon was bleeding."
"Bleeding?" Dawn queried.
Nova nodded, her lips still pursed. "Yes. Bleeding. The moon was red!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "And it was bleeding. And so were you, and Ruby. You guys were bleeding. And screaming, and crying, but nobody could hear you but me. But I couldn't help you!" Now her eyes filled with tears again.
Dawn frowned at Nova's words, suddenly chilled. She could feel goosebumps rise on her flesh, even as the heat of the fire continued to flash across her skin. She glanced at Paul through the corner of her eyes and saw he too was staring at Nova, looking quizzical. Suddenly, as if feeling his eyes on her, Nova turned towards Paul, her eyes widening.
"And you were there too. You wanted to help Dawn, but you couldn't! And Ash and all the other counselors wanted to find Dawn too, but they couldn't!"
"What do you mean we 'couldn't'?" Paul questioned, raising an eyebrow. For some reason, Dawn found this question odd. She thought the answer was obvious.
"Because she was lost!" Nova blurted, more tears erupting from her eyes. "Even when she was right in front of you guys, she was lost! No one could see her! It's like she was a ghost!"
"A ghost…" she murmured, suddenly feeling very cold. "Well, it was only just a dream. Or I guess a more appropriate word would be nightmare. It was just a nightmare, Nova. I'm not a ghost, and I'm not lost. Paul can see me, since I'm right here, and so can you, so no need to worry."
"But no one can see Ruby…" she whimpered.
No one could see Ruby… It suddenly occurred to Dawn that Ruby was probably Nova's imaginary friend. It made sense. Nova said no one could see Ruby, and no one but Nova would be able to see an imaginary friend.
"It was just a nightmare… it wasn't real," she repeated again, her voice soothing as she continued to stroke Nova's long hair. "It wasn't real."
Nova nodded, finally relaxing.
"Nova, are you having nightmares again?" Abby asked, emerging from her own tent that she shared with her three best friends, Kenna, Samara, and Desre. Dawn had only learned the day before that Abby was Nova's older half-sister. They had the same mother, but different fathers.
Nova nodded, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Abby apologized, taking Nova's hand as the pink-haired girl pulled away from Dawn. "She has an overactive imagination. She's been having nightmares even since last year when we went to camp and she swore she saw this one counselor, Ruby, after she went missing last year."
Ruby? Oh yeah, she was a counselor here last year! Dawn recalled suddenly. That's why she sounded so familiar! She was the one who went missing.
"It's fine. I can see why she's having nightmares though. That must have been a tragic event for her."
Abby nodded, her chestnut-colored ponytail bouncing. Dawn couldn't help but notice that besides their face-structure—high cheekbones, small nose, and heart-shaped face— and their similar-colored eyes, she and Nova looked almost nothing alike.
"She's young, so she still believes in ghosts. And fairytales," she rolled her eyes at this, a small smile creeping along her lips.
"Ghosts are real!" Nova exclaimed suddenly, her voice shrill. "And I did see Ruby! I did! I promise!"
"Nova, I highly doubt you did." Abby frowned. "You claim you saw her after she went missing, and she hasn't been found since she went missing. It just seems highly impossible you saw her. It was just your imagination, I'm sure."
Nova frowned, clearly upset. "But… I'm positive it was her… her hair was so red, and she had the Camp Scarlet sweatshirt on," she murmured, her eyebrows furrowing. Abby frowned at her sister.
"It's early, Nova. You want to go back to bed? You must still be tired after having such a horrid nightmare. C'mon, let's get you back to bed. You can sleep with me and my friends if you want, that way you don't get scared."
"Fiiiiiine," Nova sighed, grabbing Abby's hand as she led her back to Abby's tent.
Dawn watched them, her mind buzzing with questions.
After a moment, her head began to throb with the beginnings of a headache and she sighed. She turned to look at Paul; at the exact same time, he lifted his head and turned to face her. Dawn was still surprised by the way her heart reacted when their eyes met – jumping as if it had just been given an electric shock.
"Ummm…"
"You handled Nova pretty well," he commented finally.
"Oh, well," she laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Umm, I guess I did. It was probably just because I like kids so much, and I don't like to see them upset."
Paul nodded, turning his gaze back to the fire. Dawn bit her lip, feeling that unusual shyness settle over once more as she watched the firelight dance across Paul's eyes, making his eyes glow.
God, I am such a dweeb! She thought, fighting the urge to sigh loudly and unhappily. What is it about him that either makes me clam up or talk non-stop like such an idiot?!
Paul's next words took her by surprise.
"You would make a good mom someday."
Dawn was still recovering from shock when she stuttered out, "R-really? Well, I would hope I would be. I love kids. I would love to be a mother someday."
But even as she said those words, a strange feeling came over her, making her suddenly feel unsure about her future. Her future just felt so far away all of a sudden despite the fact that she was 17, almost old enough to be considered an adult. Any future of hers – with a husband, kids, and a good career (hopefully as a Master Coordinator) – just suddenly felt out of reach.
Dawn was still thinking about this odd feeling of uncertainty when Paul surprised her again by continuing the conversation.
"How many kids do you plan on having?" he queried, glancing at her through the corner of his eyes.
"Oh. Ummm," she cocked her head to the side, letting her midnight blue hair spill over her shoulders. "Wellll, I would like to have at least one boy and one girl. And maybe another girl so my other girl has a sister. I've always wanted a sister, but never had one." She frowned as she said this, but then continued in a much more cheerful voice, "Oh, and maybe one more boy so the other boy doesn't feel lonely with just sisters.
"Sooooo, I guess I want to have somewhere between two to four kids." She concluded, smiling.
"Ah."
"Yep…" she murmured, nodding. She felt her stomach tighten as she stared into the blaze of the fire as an awkward silence dragged on.
"How about you? How many kids do you want?" she asked suddenly, unable to stand the silence.
"I'm not planning on having kids," he responded.
"Oh."
Although Dawn would never show it, or admit it really, she was disappointed.
Well, it's not like I was expecting him to say the same number of me because he likes me, she thought. After all, he doesn't like me like that. And it's just a stupid, silly crush… nothing special.
Not like it matters anyway. It's not like we're going to get married and have kids of our own, so it's not like we should be agreement on this kind of thing…
Like I said, this crush, it's nothing special. Nothing special, just a stupid crush that will end when this camp ends…
Mentally, she sighed.
Misty frowned as she gazed up at the sky. A mass of gray clouds hovered ominously in the sky, and she could have sworn she heard the distant crackle of thunder in the distance. But it could have also just been the wind she heard, it was hard to tell.
I hope Dawn and Paul and all the other kids are alright, she thought. It would be just disastrous if a thunderstorm decided to start up while they were in the middle of a camping trip.
"Does everybody have a fishing rod?" Ash called out, snapping Misty back to reality. "Did I miss anybody? Who needs a fishing rod? Nobody? Okay, good. What about fishing lures?"
"I wanted the luvdisc lure," Maribel complained, frowning deeply as she crossed her arms. "Why did Rudy get the luvdisc lure? He's a guy, he should have my gyrados lure!"
"Oh, well…" Ash scratched his head sheepishly. "I wasn't really looking at who got what lure when I passed them out…"
"Yeah, so tough nubs!" Rudy exclaimed, sticking his tongue out childishly.
"You're such a jerk!" Lizzy exclaimed.
"You're such a drama queen!" He snapped back, huffing.
"They sound like us when we were that age," Misty whispered to Ash, laughing.
"Except I don't think even we were that bad," Ash agreed, also laughing.
"And how come Ash gets a lure of Misty?! I want a lure of Misty! Why does he get one? What makes him so special?!" Rudy asked, pouting.
"Thing is Rudy, Misty gave me this lure, back when we were ten. It's my special lure, so only I get to use it," Ash exclaimed, smiling.
"Well, why did she give you one and not me?! Does she have a crush on you or something?!"
Misty felt her face redden and her eyebrow twitch at the young boy's loud exclamation.
"Of course she doesn't," Ash replied, although he sounded uncertain as he said this. Nervously, he cleared his throat and continued, "We're just good friends and have been for a long time. In fact, Misty was the first friend I met on my journey as a pokémon trainer."
"Lucky you. Rudy was the first person I met on my pokémon journey," Maribel told them, rolling her bright green eyes.
"Are we gonna go fishing today or not?" Summer piped in, sounding slightly annoyed. Misty narrowed her eyes and nodded.
"If you already have the bait on, just throw it in. Do you know how to properly launch a fishing pole?"
"Totally," she responded. She threw back her shoulders and the fishing pole before launching the line forward, casting a perfect arc over the lake before it landed a good distance away from the shore.
"Okay, everyone else cast your lines in then," Misty told everyone before casting her own line into the lake.
There was an array of lines as all the rest of the campers launched their lines, casting perfect arcs over the lake's bright blue surface.
Misty sighed as she watched the kids from her own position on the far left. Although most of them were chatting idly, Rudy and Maribel were already arguing heatedly over who would catch the most fish, the biggest fish, and the best fish over all.
"Kids, huh," Ash commented, shoulder-bumping her. "And to think we'll have some someday."
"Uh…" For a moment, Misty stared out at the lake, a blush beginning to heat her cheeks before taking a breath and as calmly as she could, replied: "Right. You said you wanted four kids, right?"
Ash nodded, slowly beginning to lie back before resting both arms behind his head. "Didn't you also say four? Or was it two? Or did you say three? What did you say again, Mist? You did say you wanted kids, right? I don't think I asked any of the other girls that question when we played a few days back…" He furrowed his eyebrows together, his forehead wrinkling.
"Uh, no… It was just me you asked I believe. And I said four to five kids."
"Oh right!" Ash smiled, his raven-black hair blowing gently in a cold breeze. "It was really fun when all of us were playing Truth or Dare. We should get the gang together again sometime so we can all play!"
"Totes," Misty agreed. "When Dawn and Paul get back from their camping trip, we should ask them and everyone else to play a game with us!
"Sounds like a plan!" Ash chirped. "I can't wait!"
"Neither can I," she said softly. She turned her gaze back to the lake which was growing a darker blue by the moment as clouds that were previously hovering ominously in the distance gradually grew closer.
A silence fell over to the two as Ash also turned his gaze towards the dark mass of clouds that now hovered over them and were also beginning to shift towards the mountains.
"It's cold…" Carly, the quietest of the campers with her bright red hair and maroon-colored eyes, murmured, pulling her red jacket closer to her.
Misty frowned, sympathetic. "It's okay sweetie, we'll be in soon. I think for dinner tonight Brock is serving hot chocolate with the food!" Okay, he wasn't, but she would talk to him about serving some. It was freezing.
Carly didn't reply. Instead she stared off at the lake, her knees pulled close to her chest and her fishing pole sitting idly on the ground by her, long forgotten. Misty stared at the young girl for a moment. The five year old had such a sad, quiet demeanor about her…
"I hope Dawn's and the kids are going to be alright with this kind of weather starting up…" Misty murmured.
"They will be. They have Paul to take care of them." Ash responded back, now sitting upright with the fishing pole in his hands. He must have saw Misty's confused expression because he continued, "I know I complain about Paul a lot, especially to you, Mist, since we're such good friends, but Paul's really a decent guy. He'll take care of Dawn and the kids if he has to. I don't think he will have to though; I think more than anything it's just going to get really cold. I don't think there's going to be another thunder or rain storm. At least, not tonight."
"I hope so," she murmured.
"Daaaaang, Zoey! You look like a forest fire with all these clouds in the sky!" Kenny exclaimed loudly.
"Huh?"
"Your hair," he responded, grinning as he reached over to tousle her fire-red hair.
Zoey scowled, annoyed. Ever since that he came over to the girl's cabin the night before to keep her company, Kenny had gotten into the annoying habit of treating her like a little kid almost. He was always tussling her hair, poking her, and calling her weird names ("Zo-Zo", "Fire-bird", and one time he even called her "Moltres").
"Thinking of your hair, it's getting long. It looks like it has grown a lot since I first saw you at the beginning of camp," he commented, now peering closely at her orangey-red locks that almost reached to her shoulders now.
"Yeah, that's because I haven't gotten it cut in a while," she responded, rolling her eyes.
Maybe the real annoying thing about Kenny now was that it felt like he was never leaving her alone. Zoey was actually beginning to really look forward to Dawn's return. She had a feeling Kenny would redirect his pestering towards the blue-haired beauty once she got back from her weekend camping trip.
"Hey, I think I found some Ursaring tracks over here!" James, a kid with curly pine-green hair and huge round glasses, called. However, he sounded uncertain, his voice wavering slightly.
"Kenny, go check his footprint, please," Zoey told them.
"Aye-aye Zoey-bird!"
Kenny did not see her roll her eyes as he happily tromped over to where James was standing, looking kind of confused as he stared, arms-crossed, at a footprint that laid in the middle of a cracked mud puddle. His footsteps slowed as he came closer to the footprint, his lips slowly pulling down in a frown as an unsettling feeling came over him.
It became increasingly obvious to him that this was no ordinary Ursaring footprint—in fact, Kenny was sure that this footprint didn't even belong to an Ursaring – or any known pokémon, in fact. However, the footprint did look awfully familiar.
"Zoey? Can you come over here, please."
Zoey sighed. "Kenny, do you seriously still not know what an Ursaring track looks like?"
"I don't think this was left by an Ursaring," Kenny responded, his frown deepening. Zoey raised an eyebrow which began to drop as she slowly approached Kenny and James.
"Is that…? No way," she breathed.
"If you would excuse us for a moment, James," Kenny said, slipping an arm around Zoey's shoulders and leading her away from James and the giant footprint, a safe distance away from all the other children.
"The mysterious big foot pokémon." Kenny's voice was grave as he spoke. His serious expression and somber tone disturbed even Zoey.
"The track we just saw looks worn… it must be a few days old," she noted.
"How many days old?" he questioned.
"I dunno… it was under a tree which could have sheltered it some from the rain. It was slightly weathered, so… my guess is about three to five days."
"And we were out…" Kenny counted quickly in his head. "About three, four nights ago! Remember, we went hiking?"
Zoey nodded. "Yeah… I remember. Why?"
"What if it was out and left this footprint the night we went for a hike? And we never even saw it. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I'm finding this kind of creepy, Zo."
"Why are you so creeped out all of a sudden?" Zoey questioned, crossing her arms. "I thought you weren't worried about this pokémon."
"I don't know… I just got this… this bad feeling all of a sudden. It's just… when I saw it, it just suddenly seemed so ominous. Like it's bad. That footprint is bad news, Zoey."
"Okay, you are freaking out over nothing. It's just a footprint," she insisted.
Nonetheless, Kenny's bad vibes were beginning to rub off on her. Or maybe it was just the worsening weather. Zoey tugged at the sleeves of her Camp Scarlet sweatshirt, starting to shiver as she folded her arms tightly over her chest. She felt cold even in her dark skinny jeans and furry beige-colored snow boots. She even had a long-sleeve shirt on under her sweatshirt but the temperature was clearly dropping, quickly, too.
"Maybe, but we're always in the forest, Zo. Think about it. We're always in the forest, yet we never see it. Dawn and Paul are always in the mountain yet they never see it either. Nobody ever sees it, even though it has humongous feet. Surely, a pokémon – if it even is a pokémon – with that big of feet would also be huge in size. Yet no one ever sees it, but it's leaving footprints. Sure, it doesn't leave that many footprints, but still. There's only one logical reason for why it's leaving footprints without any of us actually see it."
"It's not a humongous pokémon?" she suggested. "Big feet, tiny body? Disproportional body?"
Kenny shook his head. "No. No one ever sees it because it only comes out at night. It comes out at night and then, every once in a while, it leaves a footprint. It's the only explanation."
"Kenny, you are overthinking this. So what if it only comes out at night? Lots of pokémon do."
"I know," he sighed, looking away. Zoey frowned. He looked so troubled, so worried, over nothing. "It's just… I can't shake this bad feeling I have about that footprint. That pokémon – or whatever the heck it is – is bad news, Zo. Bad news."
"And you are basing all of this off of a bad feeling?" she asked.
"I know it's stupid. I know. But after spending some time in this place, and hearing all kinds of horror stories from the kids, I just—I can't help but think, that maybe…"
He is just letting all these horror stories get to his head, Zoey thought. He has heard too many of them, and now he's letting them mix with his imagination and it's making him freak out.
But even as she thought this Zoey suddenly wasn't so sure.
"That maybe…?" She raised an eyebrow. Kenny remained silent. "That maybe what? What Kenny?" she probed, her eyebrows furrowing together.
"That maybe…" He shook his head. "Never mind. It's stupid. I'm just… I'm being paranoid." He laughed, suddenly sounding more like his old self. Zoey relaxed, but only slightly.
"Hey, who knows, maybe Dawn and Paul and all the kids will come back tomorrow with stories about a pokémon with big feet and a tiny body."
Kenny chuckled, but it sounded strained. "Yeah… maybe. Who knows. I just hope they'll be alright…especially Dawn."
"Dawn's a tough girl; in fact, she's way tougher than she appears," Zoey responded.
"Yeah, I know she's tough, but I also know that… she's not as tough as you." Zoey's eyebrows shot up, surprised by this remark.
"I mean, Dawn puts up a good façade and all, but I know that deep down she's not as strong as she would like everyone to think she is. She is strong, but I've known Dawn for a long time, since she was real little, so I know her real well. Because of this I know deep down she is insecure and unsure of herself.
"Plus, let's face it, Dawn sleeps in her own tent and freaks out over a bad hair day. Plus, let's face it, she wears pink like it's part of her religion." He smiled as he said this.
"Well, she is a bit of a girly-girl," Zoey noted, laughing.
"Yeah," he laughed. "And then there's you. I've only seen you wear pink once, and that was on your bathing suit at the beach."
Zoey shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'm not into the same kind of stuff as Dawn. I'm not into that whole pink fashionista world of Dawn's with all her hair products, face creams, and millions of shoes."
Kenny nodded. "So I've noticed. You're just Zoey, with your sunglasses, simple clothes, and takes-no-shit attitude."
If Zoey had not been looking at his face when he said this, she might have been offended, feeling as if she was once again being compared in a negative light to Dawn. But since she was looking at his face, she saw the twinkle in his brown eyes and the tender smile that pulled at his lips.
For the first time Zoey could remember, she felt something stir inside of her, like something tickling her insides, making her wanna smile back at Kenny and his pretty brown eyes.
And so she did smile back.
"Hey, hey, Nick, I bet I can make a louder fearow call than you!"
"Oh yeah!? Listen to this - Caaaawwwww!"
"Oh yeah – A-CAAAAWWWW!"
"CAA-CAAAAWWWWW!"
Zoey sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly.
"Hey, don't sweat, Zo – I got this," Kenny said, grinning.
"Yo! Guys! That is not how you do a fearow call – you gotta put more gusto in your call, like this: Ka-CAAAAAWWWWWWW-AAAH!"
Zoey rolled her eyes, but was unable to stop a small smile from gracing her lips.
Typical Kenny.
"Pass out the small Ziploc bags and I'll pass out the bigger ones?" Drew asked May as he walked in, offering her a small smile.
"Sure," May agreed, taking the quart-sized bags Drew held out to her.
"Oooh, what are the bags for?" Tommy queried, his brown eyes widening in curiosity. "Are we making chex mix?"
"We are here to make food, riiiiight?" Kyle added, narrowing his own bright green eyes in suspicion. "That IS why you bought us to the kitchen, riiiiight?"
"Kyle, shut up, of course that's why Drew bought us here," Rosie responded, a flirtatious smile gracing her lips as she turned to the chartreuse-haired teen.
"Yes, we did bring you guys to the kitchen to make food," Drew confirmed. "But not to make chex mix. May and I will explain to you guys what we'll be doing once we get these two bags passed out. Unlike with the brownies, you will each be getting two individual baggies, one small and one big."
When both of them had passed out a baggie to each individual, Drew continued, "We've got milk, ice, salt, and some sugar and vanilla-flavoring. Anyone want to guess what we'll be making from all this?"
"Milkshakes!"
"Close, but no," May responded sweetly.
"Cookies!"
"Umm, no…" Drew sweat dropped.
"Sugar cookies!"
"Cereal!"
"Hot chocolate!"
"Hot vanilla! Duh, there is no chocolate!"
"No, lattes!"
"Frappuccino's!"
"Ice cream!"
"Yes, ice cream! We will be making ice cream!" Drew exclaimed happily.
Autumn beamed happily, having been the one to guess correctly. Rosie and Kacey glared at the auburn-haired girl, a pout already forming on both their lips.
Meanwhile, the younger kids yelled in excitement.
"Okay, okay, quiet down," May ordered gently. "Now, ummm, to start off we'll be taking the quart-sized bag, the tinier of the two, and we will fill it with milk and add some sugar and vanilla-extract."
"You can fill the bag with milk on your own, but May will be the one choosing how much milk and vanilla-flavoring you get," Drew added. This latter comment was met with some moans and groans as well as some booing (all of this coming from the younger kids who had planned on getting hyped up on sugar).
Drew rolled his eyes and sighed. "May?"
May nodded, the vanilla extract and a container of sugar already in her hands. "There's two cartons of milk on the table. When your bag is filled as much as you want it to be, just pass it to someone else. Also be careful not to spill, please!"
"Drew-y?" Rosie queried, batting her long eye-lashes at Drew. "Can I possibly measure my own milk and sugar into my ice cream? Pleeeaaase." She smiled at him, batting her eyelashes once more.
May puffed out a cheek, annoyed. Why did she have to ask Drew, and not her?
But May already knew the reason why Rosie – and all the older girls, actually – always asked Drew things instead of her. The answer was obvious by the way they always batted their eyelashes, and the way they always turned red whenever Drew spoke directly to them, not to mention the way they were always smiling flirtatiously at him.
Horny pre-teens, she thought grudgingly, glowering at nothing in particle.
"Sorry, but no. It would be unfair to give you special treatment," Drew responded, smiling back at her. "Sorry!"
"Oh… well, that's fine then…"
She was probably expecting Drew to change his mind at the sound of her sad voice and her sad eyes which dropped to the ground; she was probably expecting him to decide to make an exception just for her. But instead he turned away, humming happily to himself as he pretended not to see Rosie's faux sadness.
Ha! May thought, mentally sticking her tongue out at the 11-year old.
Drew watched as May carefully measured a few drops of vanilla extract and about two teaspoons of sugar into everyone's bag. A smirk graced his lips as he watched May good-heartedly argue with Kyle who was trying his hardest to persuade May with his boyish charm to give him more than a few teaspoons of sugar.
"No, Kyle, you're getting the same amount of sugar as everyone else."
"Listen toots, it can be a secret; no one but us two will know about it! I promise."
"Oh, but your promise is already broken," Drew chimed in. "Because I know about this secret deal you are trying to con May into and it is not happening, Kyle."
"Rats!"
"Okay, now before we proceed on to the next step, everybody make sure your bags are zipped shut!"
"Like the first step, the next step is quite simple. For the second step we will be taking roughly two quarts of ice which we will also be mixing with some rock salt, which we have already placed in the bags," Drew announced. "May?"
May nodded, already walking towards the kitchen to counter to grab a large bag of ice and one of those food shovels as she muffled a yawn.
For the first time that afternoon, Drew suddenly noticed how tired May looked. There were small bags underneath her eyes, and she wasn't filled with the same bubbliness and pep that usually followed her everywhere she went, whether she was mad at him or not.
Drew waited until she had finished shoveling about a quart of ice into each of the campers' bags before pulling her aside.
"Hey, are you alright May?"
May blinked, surprised. "Yeah, why?"
Drew didn't get the chance to respond right away.
"HEEYYYY! You two quit flirting over there, and tell us how to make the rest of this ice cream!" Kyle shouted, a pout forming on his round freckled face.
Drew scowled, an eyebrow twitching in annoyance.
"You placed the smaller bag inside the bigger bag, seal the bigger bag, then shake the bag until wola! Ice cream!" Drew responded, flicking his hair before crossing is arms, still agitated.
"Finally!" he exclaimed, already starting to violently shake his bag. "I-i-i-i-i w-w-wa-a-a-a-a-n-t i-i-i-ccce-cr-r-r-e-e-e-a-a-a-a-m!" he shouted, his voice vibrating along with the bag.
May sighed, a tired expression crossing her face as she shook her head. Drew turned his attention back to the brunette, and remembered the reason he confronted her.
"You look tired," he noted, again noticing the dark circles beginning to form underneath May's eyes.
May simply shrugged, beginning to twist a strand of chestnut hair around her fingers.
"Have you been getting enough sleep?" he persisted, frowning.
May turned to look at him and was greeted with emerald green eyes that shone with both worry and curiosity.
"I've been sleeping," she responded. "It's just I've…" She trailed off.
Drew waited for her to continue, and when she did not, he asked, "Have you been having bad dreams or something?"
May was silent for a moment, her eyes flickering up towards the ceiling and then down again, before nodding. "Kind of. I don't really remember the dreams that well, it's just… it's mostly just this feeling I get when I do wake up, and I'm in that realm between half-awake and half-asleep, when I'm still dreaming but I'm beginning to wake."
"I'm confused," Drew admitted. "What?"
May sighed, her eyebrows furrowing together, as she looked up at the ceiling again. She bit her lip, struggling to find the words she could say to explain to Drew what she meant.
"Do you mean you don't remember the nightmare?" Drew asked.
"I kind of remember it, well, for a while. In my dreams though it's mostly blackness." Now Drew looked really confused. "It's like vast, empty. But then when I wake up I will remember the last few moments of my dream and I will feel so scared."
May frowned. She knew she wasn't making sense. Drew probably thought she sounded like a complete idiot…
"But you don't remember the dream?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"I know, I know, I sound like a complete idiot. I just remember the dream when I first begin to wake up, and I'll feel so scared, but then the dream will fade and I forget why I woke up so scared, but the feeling of being scared doesn't fade. I remain scared. Again, I know I sound so stupid, it's just…" She choked, holding a hand to her face.
Drew was shocked to see that tears were actually forming in her sapphire-colored eyes. He stood there for a second, unsure of what to do or what to say.
Feeling completely out of his element, Drew placed a hand on the brunette's trembling shoulder and asked, "Why do the dreams scare you so much?" When May appeared as if she was not going to answer, he added, "C'mon, May… you can tell me. I won't make fun of you or… whatever." When she still remained silent, he felt his heart drop in his chest. "Please? May? What's wrong…?"
She shook her head, and turned away. Drew glanced back at the children, but saw that they were all still preoccupied with their bags of ice cream which they were still shaking.
"I don't know why they scare me so much…" she whispered finally, her voice coming out tight. "It's just, every time I wake up from one of my nightmares, I just have the worst feeling, as if something bad is about to happen! Something I cannot control, something I know deep down but cannot do anything about, something… something…"
She sighed, her throat beginning to hurt. She felt so confused, words and images and pieces of her nightmares all swimming in her head until she felt ready to drown in them.
"May, May, just take a deep breath and breathe," Drew instructed her. "They may be scary, but just remember they're just nightmares. Okay?" He smiled at her, but it looked forced. She could see little lines appearing around Drew's eyes and she realized suddenly that he was flustered.
May frowned, feeling guilty. She was worrying him – and herself – for no reason. He was right, it was just a dream – a nightmare. It's not like anything bad was actually going to happen. She was just letting all the scary stories and legends the kids told her go to her mind where they were finding their way into her subconscious, making her have these bad dreams.
"You're right. I'm sorry," she blurted, her frown deepening. "I'm just being stupid."
"No, you're not," Drew reassured her. "Just a worrywart. Now shut up and eat some ice cream." And this time, when he smiled at her, it was sincere.
She almost smiled back.
Almost.
May glanced outside the large greenhouse window in the kitchen and saw the dark gray clouds that blanketed the afternoon sky.
A storm was coming.
A cold breeze tugged at Dawn's breeze, and when she glanced up at the sky she could just barely make out the glow of a waning crescent moon through wisps of fog. In the distance she could see a mass of dark clouds, steadily growing closer and closer…
Another cold breeze passed through the camp, and even the cup of hot chocolate she held in her hands felt cold. Slowly, she approached the campfire Paul had about two hours ago, when it first started getting chilly, and sat a foot away from Paul on the same log.
Her sweatshirt still smelled sweetly of smoke from earlier that morning, a fact she loved. Every moment she got, she found herself burying her nose in the sleeve of her sweatshirt, remembering the way Paul had tended to her ankle, so soothing, so caring. So unlike how he usually was with her.
When Dawn finally tuned into the conversation flowing around her, she quickly realized they were talking about horror stories and legends they had heard over the years about Camp Scarlet. It was mainly the older kids out with the younger ones, like Nova and Paisley, already asleep in their tents.
"The freakiest story I've heard about this camp is the one about the ghost," Kenna commented. From beside her Abby rolled her eyes, smiling wryly.
"You're the reason my sister has nightmares, Ken."
"Hey, it's not my fault if my sister told me the stories she heard when she used to come here!" she replied defensively.
"What's the story about?" Ralph asked, impatient. He was the only one of the younger kids who had insisted on staying up to listen to horror stories (and drink more hot chocolate).
"Well, from how my sister tells it," she started. "Well, okay, we all know how this campground is supposedly 'haunted', right?"
"Yeeeeaaaah?" he responded. "C'mon, get to the good part already!"
"Ugh, so impatient," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Anyway, story goes that this camp is haunted by one of the pioneer girls who died in the big snowstorm back in the 1800s. The girl that is said to haunt the mountains and this camp—I think her name is Anabel? Lunabel? Something that ends in a –bel—was a beautiful young girl, betrothed to a young man, the love of her life. It is said the young girl and her love moved to the mountains with family and friends in the early 1800's, but the first winter was harsh… many died, including the young girl's fiancé…
"Heartbroken upon hearing news of his death, she ran out into the snow in nothing but the dress she was to be wed in, and froze to death… And now she wanders these mountains, mourning for her loved ones and seeking vengeance…"
This last sentence confused Dawn.
Vengeance? For what? Bad weather?
"That's not even scary," Ralph exclaimed, obviously disappointed.
"There's more to the story," she responded. "In the story, they say the girl—Maribel, Anabel, whatever her name is—haunts girls just like her. They say she picks one girl out, and then haunts her for the rest of her life—which usually isn't that long by the time she picks them out."
"But… why? That makes no sense," Dawn exclaimed, still confused.
Kenna shrugged. "I don't know why, it's just what my sister told me. She was a camper here, and counseled here for a while before she got too freaked out by all the deaths. She knows pretty much every story and legend about Camp Scarlet there is! She even found a journal here once; she thinks it was a journal from one of the pioneers that died here!"
"Personally, I find the stories about the monster scarier," Desre chimed in. "Like all the stories I hear about the monsters are all gory and bloody. Plus I think it's more likely that the stories about the monster are real than the ghost ones."
"I don't know, a lot of people have died here, I think the ghost stories are more likely to be true than anything," Kenna responded. "Plus, some pretty shady stuff happens here. Like this morning I turned my back for two seconds and my sunglasses disappeared!"
"You mean those big black ones with the rhinestones you left on our dresser? I have those," Samara laughed, pointing at her head where a pair of fancy sunglasses was perched on her head.
"What?! I freaked out for the longest time over those!" she exclaimed, pouting. "I was so certain it was a ghost this time!"
"Oh my gawd, Kenna," Abby sighed, shaking her head. "You're so obsessed with ghosts you should have become a ghost-pokémon trainer."
"No way, I'm a blue trainer for life, baby! Kenna Cobalt, the Master of the Blue Pokémon! Aint that right Totodile, Shinx, and Nidorina?!"
"Dork, they can't hear you," Samara sighed, rolling her eyes and laughing.
"Shut up, Sammi. Whatever, I'm going to bed. All this monster and ghost talk is giving me the heebie-jeebies. Well, night! Night, Dawn! Night, Paul!"
"Sweet dreams," Dawn called. Paul's only response was a grunt.
It was quiet as a cold wind began to pick up, blowing at Dawn's long blue strands.
"Well, it's getting too cold for me, so I guess I'm going to go to bed, too," Abby commented, already heading back to the tent. "Night. You two coming?"
"Yeah…"
"I guess so…"
Without the older girls being there to keep him entertained, Ralph went off to bed, and made it a point to only tell Dawn goodnight.
As May's younger brother, who had kept silent most of the time, headed off for bed, she called: "Hey, Max?"
"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face the blunette. He adjusted the glasses on his face and waited for her to respond.
Dawn hesitated. "Do you believe in those ghost stories?" Her question obviously took him by surprise. Even Paul turned his head a few degrees at this question.
"Oh, well, not really. I mean, ghosts have not been scientifically proven to exist," he started, shrugging.
"Right. Of course."
"Although… there is something creepy about this place," he admitted. "Or at least, all the things they say happened here."
"Right," she said again.
"Well, night, Dawn. Night, Paul."
"G'night. Sweet dreams!"
The fire was beginning to die, and it was growing colder and colder by the second as clouds made their way above their head. The wind continued to blow, feeling cold and ruthless against her skin as it sliced at her.
It's going to be so cold tonight, she thought, frowning.
It suddenly occurred to her that Paul was going to be even colder if he slept outside. But the only place Paul could sleep tonight asides from outside was in with her, in her tent. With twice the campers this trip, they didn't have enough tents for both her and Paul to have a tent of their own. And Paul had insisted he was fine sleeping outside in just a sleeping bag.
"You know…" she started, starting to play the hem of her sleeve. "It's going to be really cold tonight…"
"Yeah. So?" he asked. The wind was tugging at his bangs and shoulder-length locks. Even though Dawn knew he would never admit it, he did look cold. His jaws were clenched tightly together and he had his arms folded a little too tightly across his chest.
"Well, since it looks like it's going to be super cold tonight, and as if a storm might be coming, you can, well, um, sleep in my tent tonight. I guess," she said awkwardly. God, she felt so awkward, as if she just got done asking him to let her be the mother of his children.
Paul raised an eyebrow. An amused smirk began to grace his lips. "You're actually offering to share a tent with me? Weren't you the one at the last camping trip screaming bloody murder at the thought of having to share a tent with me?" he asked. He definitely looked amused now.
"Yeah, well, I overreacted," she admitted, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. "I mean, it's not like we are going to be sharing the same sleeping bag. It's just the same tent… I think it was mainly a privacy thing I was freaking out about at the time, anyway."
"Don't want anyway seeing you wax your lips?" he joked, still smirking.
Dawn smiled, and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, that's totally why." She stood up and playfully punched his arm. "Now go get your sleeping bag and get set up! You're sleeping with me tonight! Well, I mean—okay, you know I didn't mean it like that."
/x/x/x/
Dawn looked up as a shrill scream pierced the night sky. She relaxed as a chorus of giggles followed.
"You freaking jerks, I am going to kill you guys! That was soooo not funny!" Kenna exclaimed.
"Oh, you know that was so funny. And how did you not see this coming? You know us, Ken," Desre replied, giggling.
Dawn smiled at the sound of the girls' playful bickering. How nice it was to have friends who you could count on to scare you, laugh with you, and all in all, be there for you.
When Paul entered the tent, he looked annoyed, a scowl creasing his forehead. "They better not be giggling like that all night," he grumbled.
"Oh come on, Paul, they're girls and young; let them have some fun," she responded, smiling warmly.
"And so are you, but I don't hear you screaming and laughing, trying to wake up all the younger kids," he responded, still annoyed.
"Well… I suppose me and my friends wouldn't be much different if we were in their shoes," she said thoughtfully.
"Still wouldn't be as annoying…" he muttered.
"Why is that?" she questioned.
He didn't answer her. Instead he looked at her, his eyes slowly traveling to the light pink piplup covered in red hearts that she kept right beside her pillow. An eyebrow lifted as he scrutinized it.
"Did your boyfriend give you that or something?"
Dawn glanced at the pink piplup and felt her cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. "No…" Quickly, she added, "I don't have a boyfriend." Again, he raised an eyebrow. "It was just a Valentine special I saw and thought was cute." She shrugged, nonchalantly.
"Sure."
"It's a poké pillow!" She unfastened the Velcro on its stomach and laid it out so it was flat on her other pillow. "See? I even gave it a name: Valentino."
"Valentino? What the hell kind of name is that?" he asked.
She shrugged, her eyes narrowing just slightly. "I dunno. A Valentine's Day name?"
Paul just rolled his eyes, while managing to look both tired and annoyed. Dawn sighed mentally, and pushed down all feelings of hurt from Paul's obvious indifference.
Whatever.
As if she really cared he thought she was stupid or annoying or whatever…
As she got settled in her sleeping bag, she snapped off the flashlight. Darkness enveloped them, and the tent suddenly felt so much colder.
"Night," she said, flatly.
He didn't bother to respond.
/x/x/x/
It was freezing… Dawn tossed and turned in her sleeping bag, curled up in a ball, duck her head down, but to no avail, she was still cold.
Sharing body heat with someone else is the best way stay warm, a voice whispered, sending another chill down her back.
Body heat is the best way to stay warm… the voice repeated, insistent.
Drowsily, Dawn blinked open her eyes. Groggily, she pushed her upper body up.
Body heat is the best way to stay warm…
Half-asleep she crawled out of her sleeping bag and crawled towards where Paul was sleeping. Those words still echoing in her head, ghost-like, she crept in besides Paul and pressed her body against his. She felt him move beneath her, and he grumbled something under his breath.
Like promised, she was warm now, Paul's body heat flooding together with hers, a big melting pot of warmth…
As she pressed closer to him, he moved beneath her again, only this time he moved closer to her, his arms slinking around her waist to pull her closer.
Warmth.
At last.
Content, she drifted off to sleep again.
/x/x/x/
Dawn blinked awake suddenly, aware of a weight pressing against her. When she looked up she saw Paul's face, asleep and looking so serene, just inches from hers.
Suddenly it all came flooding back - the voice – her own actions – and felt her face flush with embarrassment.
Ohmygod, if he wakes up, and I'm still like this in his… his sleeping bag… ohmygod! What the hell was I thinking?!
I wasn't thinking, I was sleepwalking. But either way, what – the – hell.
Dawn was acutely aware of needing to get herself out of this situation, if only to save her from any future embarrassment, yet something kept her there…
He was warm. That was the reason she had somehow found her way – half asleep – to his arms. But that wasn't the reason why she felt so reluctant to leave.
His arms were still wrapped around her waist, keeping her body close to his. It was strange, realizing that Paul did in fact have his arms wrapped around her. Sure, he was asleep, but it still felt strange that even unconscious he would do something as intimate as that with her.
Dawn felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment at this last thought. Okay, it's not like he's kissing you or actually groping you or something, it's really not that big of a deal, she scolded herself, her cheeks still pink.
Slowly, carefully, she attempted to slip out of Paul's arms. She ignored the part of her that wanted to remain there, cuddled against him, warm and safe.
She closed her eyes and sighed as Paul's arms finally dropped away from her. Immediately an unsettling feeling came over her, making her wish she could have Paul's arms around her.
Carefully, she climbed out of Paul's open sleeping bag, and fought back the chills that immediately engulfed her. She couldn't shake the feeling of being exposed, a feeling which haunted her back to her own sleeping bag.
"Piplup…" the sleepy pokémon murmured as she released him from his poké ball.
"Sorry to wake you," she apologized, allowing him to climb into her sleeping bag with her.
"Mmplup…" it murmured, already asleep.
It was still cold out, but she did the best she could with what she had. All the while, she ignored the persistent voice in her head, a voice that felt as if it no longer even belonged to her…
Body heat is the best way to stay warm… Silly girl.
July 3rd, 2013
"How'd you sleep last night?"
Dawn froze at the sound of Paul's voice and these words. Oh dear lord, why was he asking how she slept last night? Was it because he woke up in the middle of the night and realized she was asleep in his sleeping bag with him?!
Even now she was still cursing her pathetic freezing-ass self for getting up in the middle of the night just to wander for warmth and end up cuddling with Paul.
Cuddling! Ugh. Paul was going to kill her, she knew it.
"H-huh?"
He nodded towards the ground, and when she looked down she was relieved to realize he was nodding towards her wrapped ankle. He was asking how she slept with her hurt ankle.
"Fine," she responded. "I didn't notice it as much."
He nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Good. Make sure to rewrap it when we get back, though."
"Don't worry, I will," she responded lightly back, smiling.
For a few moments, they walked in silence, the only noise being the chatter of the four teenage girls up ahead and the calls of pidgeys in the distance. Suddenly, Dawn felt a tap on her shoulder, and when she looked down she was greeted with a small white flower that had obviously been picked from the ground.
"For you, miss," Ralph chimed, smiling sweetly at the blue-haired girl.
Dawn's eyes lit up. "Aw, thanks Ralph! That's so sweet of you!" she said, smiling at the young purple-haired boy.
He was always so nice! Of course, Dawn knew that this most likely had to do with the fact that he probably had a crush on her or thought she was pretty or something, but still he was so sweet and thoughtful…
When she looked back up, she was aware of Paul, in the corner of her vision, glaring at the young boy through narrowed eyes. For some reason he just did not like Ralph. She couldn't figure out why.
She pondered briefly what the reason could be, oblivious to Ralph, now a foot behind her and Paul, reaching out with a stick to poke the stoic trainer in the back.
Maybe I should ask him why he dislikes Ralph so much, she thought, twirling the small white flower in-between two fingers. Hmmm, later, she decided.
"Hey, little sis!" Violet greeted, waving and smiling.
"Where do you think you're going without your buddy-slash-partner?" Lily questioned, smirking as she folded her arms.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "The cafeteria? I do believe that is allowed, since Ash is still asleep and I'm not going out of the campground…"
"Well, rumor is…"
"A little birdy told us…"
Misty did not like where this was going.
"That you were out with Ash a few nights ago."
"And a few other nights," Lily added.
"And who would this little birdy be, exactly, because Ash and I were out by the lake pass activity hours which is strictly restricted for all campers!" Misty exclaimed, huffing.
"It doesn't matter who," Violet responded simply.
"What matters is what is going on between you two," Violet declared, beginning to squeal loudly. "Did our little pipsqueak sister finally get her first boyfriend? Did you, like, finally have your first date with our beloved Ash?"
"Like, will we be welcoming another boy into our awesome family soon?" Lily questioned, stars shining in her eyes.
"Ohmygosh, you two are getting carried away!" Misty exclaimed, sweat dropping. "And I've been on dates before, you crazy psychopaths! And no, there is absolutely nothing going on between me and Ash! We are just friends! Friends, and nothing more!"
"You are such a liar," Violet declared.
"Yeah, if nothing is like, going on between you two then why are you two always hanging out after hours at the lake?!" Lily demanded, placing both hands on her hips.
"I don't know," Misty sputtered. "W-we're friends! And we're camp buddies, we're supposed to go everywhere together, especially if we're going outside of camp!"
"Um, it's called breaking rules?"
"Besides, why the lake? Because it's like the perfect place to watch a romantic sunset together for a romantic first date," Lily reasoned.
"No, no, no! We are not dating, and we like to hang by the lake because it's a nice place to hang out at and just talk. You know, not that you two would know about just talking." She narrowed her eyes at her two older beautiful sisters.
The two blushed at this and smiled sheepishly.
"All the more reason to believe some hooking up is going on by the lakefront," Lily laughed, winking.
"Just remember Misty, we're your older sisters, if you ever need anything – whether it be advice or protection – we've got your back!"
It was Misty's turn to blush at Violet's last words. Mentally, she face palmed herself. "Lovely to know," she sighed, defeated. "But I assure you, as of this current moment, I will not be needing any of the latter, but thanks for the offer."
"Anytime, sis!"
"Ciao!"
Misty sighed and shook her head.
Psychopaths.
/x/x/x/
"Pi, pika!"
"Hey, Dawn and Paul are finally back!" Ash exclaimed, grinning. He prodded Misty in the side, an action that led her to narrow her eyes dangerously at him. He took no notice. "We can finally ask them if they want to play Truth or Dare again!"
"Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "Go ask them."
"Okay! Hey, Dawn! Paul! Guys! Wait up!"
"What do you want?" Paul asked, annoyed at the sight of the raven-haired teen. His annoyance increased at the sight of his goofy grin and stupid baseball hat that he always wore.
From beside him, Dawn narrowed her eyes but he didn't care. He didn't have to pretend to enjoy Ash's company every second of the day, not even for her benefit, especially when he just got back from a two-hour hike with Ralph the-asshole-kid-who-liked-to-poke-him-with-sticks-and-throw-pebbles-at-him after a weekend worth of camping.
Ash also narrowed his eyes at him, but used to Paul's attitude and occasional rudeness by now, decided ultimately to ignore it.
"Me and Misty, as well as the rest of the gang were talking—"
"Gang"? What exactly was this "gang" he was talking about? Drew, Kenny, and all of Dawn's friends? God forbid, him, Paul Strongman, was included in this "gang" the trainer was talking about.
"—and agreed it would be fun to play another round of truth or dare, like we were back when it was raining and all the other activities were cancelled for the day. Well, what do you guys think?" he asked, smiling.
"Is it raining?" was Paul's gruff response. Ash cocked his head at this response, confused.
"Oh, that would be so much fun! I loved playing truth or dare with you guys!" Dawn declared cheerfully, smiling hugely. "We definitely should!" From beside her, Paul scowled.
"Why does it matter if it's raining?" Ash asked, turning towards Paul.
"If it's not raining, I'm not playing," he responded gruffly. "I have got better stuff to do in my spare time than play a stupid game of truth or dare."
"Like what, train?" Ash asked, mimicking his scowl.
"Exactly. Something you have clearly been neglecting," he sneered.
"I have not been neglecting my training!" Ash declared angrily, his eyes bright with anger.
They never change, Dawn thought, sighing. This is like déjà vu from seven years ago…
"Come on, Paul, it will be fun!" he told him.
"For you," he snorted. "No. When would you guys play it anyway? Unlike last time, it's not raining and we've got activities to do."
"We'll play sometime after activities, like after dinner," Ash responded, crossing his arms. He was still scowling.
"Pleeeaaase? You'll still have some time to train, like in the mornings," she told him. "Plus, it wouldn't be the same without you!"
As if he even does anything in the game, Ash thought, rolling his eyes. Nonetheless, he still agreed with Dawn. Sure, he was an ass, but like Dawn said it wouldn't be the same without him making snarky comments about how stupid their dares were every once in a while.
"No…" Was that uncertainty in his voice?
"Come on, Paul, just think about it," Dawn insisted, tugging a little on his arm. "It won't be that bad. If anything, it'll probably be amusing."
Paul was silent for a moment.
Ash was impressed. It looked as if Dawn was actually getting through to Paul.
"I'll think about it," he said finally. Ash knew that was the closest to yes they were going to get with Paul.
"Awesome! Thank you, Paul!" She smiled broadly at him, beaming. Paul's scowl deepened; he turned away from the blunette, embarrassed.
"Would you guys mind waiting until tomorrow to play though?" Dawn asked. "Paul and I just got back, and we are kind of worn out from camping…"
"Of course! We can all meet up tomorrow, at eight, if that's okay with you two," he responded.
"Is eight good with you?" she questioned. Paul gave a small nod. "That's good with us."
"Awesome! Sounds like a plan!" He grinned. "Now I just gotta let all the rest know when we'll be playing."
"Until then, I can't wait!" Dawn declared, grinning.
Tomorrow should definitely be interesting… Paul thought. Mentally, he sighed.
Next Chapter: Something Out There
So anyone wanna guess what that beginning scene was all about? Haha
And it's kinda late, but I did update this today, on Sunday, like I said I would xD; next update probably won't be for about 3-4 weeks though since I'm only finished up until Chapter 16. Luckily I have about 8 weeks off between my college terms, so hopefully I will be able to finish up a few chapters (or, the rest of the story) in that time.
I will try to get a preview for the next chapter up either later tonight or tomorrow! Also sorry if there are any mistakes, I only got to edit like the first two scenes since I've been busy the last two weeks.
Until the next chapter, please review (: I love reading everyone's comments, thoughts, and theories on the story. (: And thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter or any other chapters!