The Exception

Chapter X

Routines

I awoke just in time for the trumpet to startle me. I heard Squid grumble next to me.

"Damn morning…" I giggled.

"It's not even light out. Don't blame the sun!" Squid rolled onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow.

"Damn camp."

I smiled patting his shoulders. "That's more like it."

Traveling to the Library, my thoughts drifted to the next dream sequel I had. How was my imagination inventing this? I frowned. It wasn't possible. Then again, I don't even know what I'm getting at.

Still I'm beginning to have this intuition that the dreams I've been having are bigger than I am.

I just didn't know how they affected me. Or why. Or even if they did. Perhaps I should start recording what was happening. Even if for no other reason then for entertainment. I nodded. As soon as I finished digging…

Finally D-tent made it to the library where this thought invaded my head.

Digging.

I could feel my excited spirit rise within me.

Not.

"How 'bout that scare last night?" Zigzag mentioned. His shovel rested on his shoulders as he walked between Squid and me.

What scare? All I could remember was the dreams. I looked over at Squid, who seemed lost in though.

"I wasn't talking to my shovel!" Zig mumbled. I grinned.

"Sorry Zig. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why? I blocked the tent opening so the lizards couldn't co--"

"Oh, I know. It wasn't that."

"Oh."

Dirt began lashing into my eyes, and it didn't settle much at all.

"It's awful windy today," X half yelled so the tent could hear.

"Wonderful," I muttered, making sure the bandage on my cheek was secure. Sand in my scratch didn't seem very appealing today.

D-tent made it to the digging spot. It took a while to find but we were far away from other tents--a definite plus. X-ray began to dig as I found a spot near Squid. I inhaled deeply, preparing myself for the pain…

I tried to concentrate on using my feet more than my hands to get the shovel embedded.

By "lunchtime" I was waist deep into my hole--not far behind the boys. Don't get me wrong, though--my hands were still raw. Just my fighting spirit acting up. Big surprise.

Wiping my brow, I climbed out of my hole and grabbed my canteen. The rest of the tent walked towards Mr. Sir's truck and the usual line formed. Each of us got our water, a comment from Mr. Sir, and a small meal called lunch.

"I don't have all day! Let's move it!"

I shook my head, then sitting next to the rest of our tent. Zig bit into an apple. "I'm so sick of apples," he muttered. A few laughs.

"Princess, ya don't feel dizzy, do ya?" Squid asked jokingly. I blinked hard.

"Hmm?" I swayed forward, catching myself before face-planting.

"Princess!"

I snapped up, grinning. "Kidding!" Squid glared.

"Funny. Kida like how I almost had a heart-attack just now."

"I thought it was funny," Magnet mumbled. X-ray rolled his eyes. "What?"

In no time we had to continue digging. I was moving along, despite my hands. Eventually everyone finished. I muttered a gratifying 'yes' before carefully climbing the five feet out of my hellhole.

Squid was there to greet me. "You stayed again?" He shrugged.

"Can't have you walking alone." Squid started making his slow way towards the tents. "Plus, once you get the hang of digging you'll start finishing with the rest of us. Probably before a few, even."

"Like you?" I teased.

"Uh, no!" He gently pushed my shoulder. I smiled as he trotted away.

"Hold up!" Quickly spitting into my hole I then slung the shovel over my shoulder to quicken my pace. Squid had stopped to wait.

"Nice." I grinned. He shook his head. "How'd your hands do?" I held a free hand up for examination.

"Still nasty, but I'll live."

"That's my fighter." I threw my shovel into the pile and Squid and I continued our trek to D-tent.

From a distance I could feel a glare from Black and the rest of B tent. "And that's why you're not walking alone," Squid muttered. I almost corrected him. After all, who studied fighting techniques for years? I could most definitely hold my own against any boy at this camp. But I didn't correct him. He's a boy, after all. Gotta be the tough one.

If I had finished Black off when I had the chance maybe now he wouldn't be so cocky.

Grr. B-tent makes me want to hit someone. I curled my fingers into a fist.

Ouch.

Except not right now. Too much digging.

Sometimes I mock my own stupidity.

Squid and I finally arrived at D-tent. Zig was just leaving for his shower. "You guys coming?"

"Yeah, hold on!" Squid answered. I mentally slapped myself.

"I need to get my swimsuit on. You go ahead." Squid cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Squid, the showers are like, two steps away. I'll be fine." He sighed, nodding.

"Be careful." I smiled.

"Careful's my middle name." He gave a cute laugh before running of to join D-tent.

I hurriedly put on my swimsuit. Changing around 5 tents full of testosterone-prone boys wasn't quite how I intended to spend the rest of my evening. I grabbed a shower token before making my way towards the showers. I wasn't very worried about walking around in my swimsuit--I'm pretty sure most of the boys got the memo that I can throw any of them into the dirt with one finger. I did, however, catch a few stares my way.

Boys will be boys, after all.

Part of my concentration during my walk to the shower was geared towards whether or not Fang-boy was around. I didn't catch any glimpse of him, thankfully.

Finally I made it to the showers. You guys better have shorts on cuz I'm coming in!" I called, turning the corner into the cubicles. I heard an obvious scramble for towels before entering.

Boys from other tents mumbled incoherently. I caught glimpses of 'girls at camp' and 'separate showers'.

My hands didn't tingle in the shower anymore, and my facial scratch felt better, too. Finally I didn't feel like my body was going to fall into 6 different pieces. And for once I could enjoy my shower.

Okay, not enjoy--tolerate. Although after a long day of digging the cool liquid felt really nice.

I thought about Squid as I quickly soaped my hair. I smiled. Great guy. Just…great.

But, D-tent as a whole was great. It made me question why on earth they were at Camp Green Lake. Zigzag's voice rang in my head-- "Ya know…most of D-tent will understand problems like that. That's usually how we wind up here. Family problems."

Family problems? The fact that you were born from certain people determined your actions seemed unjustified; not fair. I smirked.

Or their families could be like mine. No luck. Bad luck.

Cursed.

My eyebrows furrowed. Why'd that sound familiar?

The shower stopped short, pulling me out of my thoughts. I grabbed a towel and quickly dried off while walking out of the stall. Squid already finished and was chatting with Zigzag. He smiled at my arrival.

He just makes my day.

"We were just discussing how bad you beat the crap outta Black," Zigzag mentioned. I smirked. "When's the next butt-kicking session?"

"There won't be one," Squid answered. I bit my lip.

"Well," Armpit began, "I'm ready for some dinner, who's with me?" D-tent seemed to agree.

It was terribly hot as always, and by the time we began to head toward the cafeteria I was almost completely dry. Even though I was still damp, I decided to wear my jumpsuit around my waist like the guys usually did. I slipped it onto my legs and tied the sleeves.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Squid asked as we neared the hall.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Bad boys and half naked girls aren't a very good mix," Zigzag said. I huffed. It was just my bikini top!

Then we got nearer and nearer to our destination, and I realized how many stares I was actually getting. Quickly I threw my jumpsuit on over my shoulders. "Nice call," Squid muttered. I smiled knowingly.

"I am starved!" Armpit said, patting his round stomach for effect.

"Psh, Pit, you're always starved!" X-ray added. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

D-tent grabbed the usual food, and we sat at our usual table in the usual spots. I sighed. Already this place was becoming routine. Something random needed to happen. A freak accident, a natural disaster, even a fight--consisting of mostly Black and I. Anger flared within me just thinking about him now.

What was the camp going to do if I beat the living daylight out of him? Anything here could be better than digging a five foot hole. And then I remembered my cheek's nice little scratches.

The warden would most likely find some suitable punishment for me that would make Camp Green Lake that much more unbearable. Still, a nice jab at Black's jaw didn't seem to foreboding…

"Princess? I've been talking to you the past five minutes!" Armpits voice drowned my thoughts away.

"Oh, sorry, Armpit. What was that?"

"Are you going to eat that? Cuz if not…" I rolled my eyes. I should've expected that. I pushed the tray towards Pit.

"Oh no you don't. You need to eat something. Who knows what that heat'll do to you if you don't eat," Squid said, putting a steady hand on my arm. So I stayed and ate, making sure to remind myself that the food really wasn't all that bad…

It really was that bad.

Even so, I finished, and the rest of D-tent did as well. Then we decided to go hang out at the Mess Hall. Wootage.

I did not just say that.

We got to the messy Mess hall and realized that most of B-tent, including Black, was hanging out in a far corner. They stared menacingly as we entered. "C'mon," Squid mumbled, "Mom's here, they won't do anything." I nodded, grabbing his arm as we squeezed through a bunch of leery looking boys to get to the pool tables. I slumped onto the old dusty couch, next to Squid.

Mom arrived, and was handing out mail to the boys who still talked to the outside world. There weren't many, and in no time, Mom was gone. I sighed. My grandmother hadn't written yet; and on second thought, my brother hadn't written, either.

Where were their letters?

All of a sudden, I felt very hopeless.

Could anything else possibly go wrong at this stupid freaking camp?

My hands, my cheek, digging, eating crap…

And those freaking annoying dreams!

My head started reeling. Everything was crashing down at once. Then I felt a hand on my arm. "Something bothering you?" Squid asked. I looked into his concerned eyes. I sighed.

"Everything hurts." I laughed. "Even my head."

Squid smiled. "It'll get better, I swear. Your hands'll heal, your scratches will disappear. Sooner or later Black'll leave you alone."

I shook my head. That's not all. What about these dreams, Squid? Will they stop? Can you tell me that?

At least the dreams didn't hurt me. They were just irritating, and analyzing them was impossible.

"I need to go write."

"What?"

"I'm going back to the tent. To write."

"…okay…I'm coming with you."

I didn't care anymore. I shrugged and got up, heading towards the tent with Squid in tow. He probably thought I was going crazy. Like Zigzag. I sighed.

At least Zig could watch I Love Lucy reruns on television instead of dreams about soap operas.

I got to the tent, sat on my cot, pulled out a pencil and notebook.

And stared.

What am I supposed to write?