Horrors of Camping
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Something Out There
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July 4th, 2013
"Oh, you're going to look so beautiful on your wedding day!"
"Your poppa would have been so proud!"
A deathly silence fell as they remembered Poppa—so big, so hearty, and so wonderful. And now he was out there, in the cold, as dead as the winter trees…
Just like half their neighbors.
We should have left! We knew it was dangerous! But no, we couldn't, because of the damn snow—!
The dream transitioned from a scene of white fabric to a scene of something else entirely—a girl with golden waves and beautiful green eyes, dressed in shorts and a Camp Scarlet sweatshirt that was slightly different from the one Dawn had. For some reason, the girl came off as not exactly old-fashioned but definitely older to her, as if she was from an older generation. This felt kind of silly to speculate on, since this was just a dream.
The girl was beautiful—too beautiful. It was so unfair. Why was she alive? And why was she dead? She hated her—the girl, why was she so damn beautiful? She hated her, and her stupid counselor boyfriend who she flirted with and kissed whenever she got the chance.
"You're going to look so beautiful on your wedding day!"
She should have lived! She should have gotten married and have a happily ever after!
"Your poppa—"
He's dead!
"—would have been so proud!"
I hate her. I hate her. I hate her. I hate her.
She hated them all—always so happy and carefree and beautiful. She especially hated the beautiful ones. But there was always that one she hated the most—she hated them with a passion.
"Oh, you're going to look so beautiful on your wedding day!"
"Dawn, are you okay?"
Dawn jumped, startled, as Misty's voice spoke from behind her.
"Y-yeah! No need to worry!" She smiled, reassuringly.
"Where were you this morning? I didn't see you at breakfast or lunch." The carrot top frowned. "Neither did May or Zoey. Not even Ash or Paul saw you."
"I overslept," she replied simply.
"Were you having nightmares last night? I woke up one time and you were tossing and turning. Like, bad," she told her. Her frown deepened. "And you kept muttering something in your sleep."
"Yeah, bad dreams…" Dawn muttered. She mimicked Misty's frown, her eyebrows furrowing together. She was staring at the portraits and plaques that took up nearly the whole far wall.
All those girls died, she told herself, feeling the same chill go down her spine that she felt when she first realized all those pictures on the wall were there as some sort of memorial for them.
I wonder how many pictures there are? How many counselors have died here? She wondered, fragments of her dream coming back to her. She remembered what Kenna had said, about how her sister had quit counseling because of all the deaths.
"Hey, Misty?"
"Yeah?" The carrot top turned towards her.
In the background , Dawn could still hear the chatter of childish voices and all the usual cafeteria noises.
"What other stories have you heard about this place? You know, asides from the one you told me and everyone else on the way up here," she questioned, curious.
"What other stories, eh? Well," she thought for a moment, her forehead scrunching together. "Oh, wow, I haven't really thought about them for a while… I know a lot of them though. Do you wanna hear the ones about the 'ghosts' or the 'monster'?"
"Either is fine with me," she responded. "Although I guess you can start with the ghosts…?"
Misty nodded. "Well, I heard this one story about how one of the counselors here a few years back woke up screaming because she swore she saw a white figure, a ghost, in some long white dress or shawl or something standing by her window, looking outside."
"That's creepy," Dawn commented. Already she felt goosebumps rising along her arms.
Misty nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I also heard this one story about how this girl that went here who went practically insane before running off into the woods in the middle of the night, never to be seen again."
"Really? Why did she go insane?" Dawn questioned, surprised.
"Well… from what I've heard, her campmates apparently said that the girl believed she was being stalked by a ghost or something."
"Stalked? By a ghost?" Dawn was definitely surprised.
"Insane, huh?"
Dawn wasn't sure whether she meant the story or the girl, so she kept quiet, her lips pursed tightly together.
"The creepiest stories I've heard though are the new ones, like the ones I've heard about what happened last year."
"What happened last year?" Dawn asked, feeling uneasy. Asides from the death of Ruby Claret…
"The girl who died here last here—Ruby—well, right before her death, she had what could have been a near-death experience when she nearly walked off a cliff."
Dawn frowned, perplexed. "Walk… off a cliff…? Why would she…?"
"She said she thought she saw someone, a girl with blonde hair wearing some old-fashioned gray gown."
"A girl with an old-fashioned gown," Dawn repeated, crossing her arms. "Why would anybody in old-fashioned clothing be here?"
Misty shrugged. "No idea. She imagined it, hallucinated or something. Anyway, she didn't fall off a cliff, but she did get hurt pretty badly when she got bit by a seviper running in the weeds."
Ha! So I'm the only one who has gotten attacked by the pokémon here, Dawn thought.
"She was out of it for a while, and when she came to it, she started rambling about seeing a trail to the Scarlet Waterfall and pioneer ghosts and some terrible monster and some other stuff I can't exactly remember."
"That's strange," Dawn noted. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Dawn. "Hey! Wait a minute! How come with Ruby you always refer to her 'dead' yet all the other girls are referred to as 'having gone missing in the woods in the middle of the night'?"
Misty sighed, barely audible, her eyes glistening with a strange type of sadness. "You don't know, huh? None of the other kids have told you yet?"
"Told me what?" Dawn questioned, confused.
"Ruby Claret is most definitely dead, Dawn. She's the reason why Camp Scarlet has more than fifty percent less campers than last year. She's the reason last year's camp director resigned as well as all the remaining counselors. She's basically the reason all of us are here today, in a way."
"Misty…" Dawn was shocked by how her voice—as well as her whole body—shook suddenly. "Why is Ruby most definitely dead?"
"They heard her screaming in the middle of the night," Misty started grimly. "They heard her screaming repeatedly, but no one could find her or where her screams was coming from. All they could find was blood. Lots of blood. Puddles and puddles of blood."
At this point Dawn was most definitely shaking with fright. "P-puddles of blood? Seriously?"
"That's what I heard," Misty confirmed gravely. "And tests confirmed the blood was Ruby's. After hearing all those screams in the middle of the night, realizing Ruby was missing, and then finding all that blood, it was practically common sense that something bad had happened to Ruby."
"That is so awful…" Dawn whispered, suddenly choked with grief for this girl she never even knew. "I wonder what happened to her…?"
"No one knows," Misty murmured. "There's only rumors, legends even."
"About the monster getting her," Dawn sighed. Misty nodded, also sighing.
"Well… there's no use in depressing ourselves any more than we already are," Misty commented. "Come on, it's after dinner. Don't we have a Truth or Dare game to be attending?" She smiled, and Dawn forced a smile back.
"Yeah… I almost forgot about it…"
"Well, c'mon then! Let's go! They're waiting!"
Linking her arm to Dawn's, she started to skip off, Dawn skipping less enthusiastically beside her.
"Hey, there you two are! Finally! For a moment, we thought you two were going to bail!" Ash exclaimed, grinning as he opened the door for Misty and Dawn.
Misty snorted. "As if!"
Dawn glanced around the room. Everyone – with the exception of Paul – were seated in a circle in the middle of the boy's cabin floor. Meanwhile, Paul leaned against the wooden post of the boy's bunk bed, his arms crossed over his chest. The circle widened to make room for her and Misty.
"So who's going first?" Ash asked cheerfully. "Any volunteers? Anyone?"
It was silent as everyone looked around, waiting for someone to start the game.
"I'll go first."
Dawn was surprised as she heard Paul's voice speak these words. She turned towards him, her eyes evidently reflecting her shock. Yesterday he was so against playing but now he was actually volunteering to go first!
"Awesome! Now you just have to pick someone!" Ash exclaimed, grinning.
"Drew – truth or dare?"
"Dare," he exclaimed boldly, smirking.
Paul thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing just slightly. Dawn smiled as she watched him think. He looked cute, standing there all pensive and stuff.
"I dare you to whisper in Dawn's ears the name of the girl you like."
Drew's eyes widened considerably. He had obviously not been expecting this kind of dare from Paul. Dawn's eyes had also widened in surprised; but this surprise was mostly from actually being included in one of Paul's dare.
"Are you kidding me? That's more of a truth than a dare, if you ask me!"
"Oh, would you rather tell everybody in this cabin who it is then?" Paul asked.
Drew sat there for a moment, glaring challengingly at Paul. Dawn watched the two with narrowed eyes, surprised by the amount of tension suddenly crackling in the air. It occurred to her suddenly that out of all the boys, Drew had always been the one Paul got along the best with. Dawn smiled at this realization.
Friends, always meddling with their friend's love life, Dawn thought.
"Fine. But I'm telling her outside," Drew said. He gestured for Dawn to follow him as he stepped around their circle of friends. Dawn followed suit, catching May's eyes on the way. Her expression was unreadable.
As the cabin door shut behind them, they stood awkwardly next to each other. Drew sighed and ran a hand through his bangs.
"Do not repeat this to anybody, not even your friends, especially not your friends, okay?" Drew told her, unable to meet her eyes.
Dawn raised an eyebrow at this request but nodded. "No need to worry, I won't."
"I'm serious, don't. Please," he added, sighing again. He ran another hand through his bangs.
This time she rolled her eyes. Geez, what was he so worried about? "Girl Scout promise, I won't tell," she pledged. "Now, come on, spell the secret already! Who is it you like?" She waggled her eyebrows at him, grinning.
Drew glanced around, sighed one last time, and placed his lips close to Dawn's ears as he quickly whispered a name. Dawn's eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth.
Dawn knew her face was probably red when she walked in a few seconds later with Drew. She kept her lips pursed in order to stifle the bursts of laughter and giggles that threatened to explode from her chest. She was unable to meet May's eyes as she took her seat between Misty and Zoey. She stared at the wooden floor, unable to hide a small smile.
"Kenny, truth or dare?" Drew asked.
"Hmm… truth," Kenny decided, not nearly as bold as Drew.
Drew thought for a moment before saying, "List something you like about each girl."
"Oh, well, that's easy enough!" Kenny declared. "Umm… I guess I'll start with Misty. Well, Misty, I don't know you all too well but I do like how you have such a great friendship with Ash. It's very cool how you two are such great buds and all, even after so long. I think it also says a lot about what a great person you are, too."
Misty smiled at this, obviously pleased.
"May, well, I don't know you all too well either, but from what time we have spent together and what I've noticed, you seem like a very sweet and nice girl, which is what I like about you."
"Aww, thanks, that's so nice of you," May said, smiling.
"Dawn – well, where to begin?" She felt Zoey shift besides her. "To me, you'll always be DeeDee—" Dawn felt her eyes twitch at this statement. "—and what can I say? You are definitely one of my best friends. You're so nice and sweet and outgoing. What not to like about you? You're so motivated as a coordinator and a pokémon stylist. You're just a really awesome person, and I hope that we'll always be friends, no matter what." He smiled at her, and Dawn smiled back, a light blush dusting her cheeks.
"Thank you, Kenny… that's so sweet of you. And I know we'll always be friends."
Kenny grinned, obviously pleased.
"And Zoey—" Dawn glanced at Zoey, who had tensed up besides her. Kenny paused for a moment, thinking. She saw something pass briefly over Zoey's face at this pause—an unreadable emotion that had looked out of place on Zoey the brief seconds in had been there.
Kenny smiled. "Zoey, well, what do I like about you? I like how you're not afraid to put your opinion out there, even if it can be kind of harsh, just to help others. You're very smart, and well, let's face it, I would be screwed if I didn't have you as my bird watching-slash-pokémon tracking buddy!" He laughed.
Zoey's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the actual affection in Kenny's voice. Nonetheless, a small smile graced her lips.
"And I also like how you're so independent, and you're a really strong coordinator. I also like how you're not afraid to get dirty and climb a tree! I know I just annoy you most of the time during our activity together, but I actually think you're really fun to hang out with. Especially when you actually join me on the bird-calling." He grinned at her.
"I think you mean correcting you on your bird calls," Zoey replied. "And you don't annoy me that much actually…" Okay, that was kind of a lie, but most of her annoyance actually stemmed from when she felt as if she was being compared to Dawn. Which was all the time.
"Well, I'm glad," he said. "Now truth or dare, Zo?"
"Truth," If only because she did not feel like getting up to do a dare.
"Same truth I was given! Well, kind of – list something you like about each of us guys!"
"Okay, well, I guess I'll start with you. I'll keep everyone's as short and concise as possible," she said. "Well, what I like about you Kenny, is your sense of humor. You're a dork and a weirdo, but you're definitely funny at times."
Kenny grinned at this, obviously pleased.
"Ash, what I like most about you is your kindness. You're such a nice guy, and you always try to do what is fair, especially when it comes to your pokémon, which is admirable."
Ash also grinned at her and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, thanks, Zoey!" Zoey nodded, turning her gaze towards Drew now.
"Drew… I don't know you that well," she started, repeating the same words Kenny had used for May and Misty. "But what I like most about you is…" She paused for a moment, thinking. "Your charisma. You do have a way with words, at certain times."
"Zoey, don't lie, you know it's my charm that you like best," Drew said, flicking at his bangs. He was smiling.
Zoey smiled. "See? You have quite a way with words." Finally, she turned to Paul. She wrinkled her nose slightly before forcing herself to smooth her face.
"And Paul—" She saw him roll her eyes. She, too, wanted to roll her eyes but resisted the urge to do so. "Well, what I like best about you is…"
She had no idea what she would say. She really, honestly, did not like Paul that much. In fact, the only times she felt even a slight flicker of liking for him was when…
She could feel Dawn fidgeting from beside her.
"Well, what I like best about you," she started again. "Are those little moments when you display those brief and rare amounts of kindness to a certain somebody in this room, some of which I've borewitness to."
Paul frowned as she said this, looking a mixture of confused and uncomfortable. Oh, but she knew he knew what—and who—she was talking about. Oh ho, she knew…
"Who are you talking about?" Dawn asked from beside her.
"You know who," she responded.
Dawn frowned. No, she did not know… What was Zoey talking about? Whatever it was clearly made Paul uncomfortable.
Drew glanced at Paul, smirking. Pay back!
Meanwhile, Ash took turns glancing from Paul to Zoey and back, obviously as confused as Dawn. May whispered something to Zoey, which resulted in the response— "later".
"I wonder who she's talking about. It seems like she's suggesting Paul likes somebody here," Misty whispered. Dawn felt her heart soar at this.
"Really?" she said.
Misty nodded. "That's what it seems like. And look how uncomfortable he is! Zoey must have really struck a nerve or something. Maybe he really does like someone here!"
"Maybe," Dawn agreed, pursing her lips together. "But… Zoey did just say something about him showing someone kindness. She didn't say who. She didn't even say she. Heck, she could be talking about a guy for all we know."
"But it's so obvious she meant a she," Misty exclaimed, clearly excited. "Besides, he's so uncomfortable it must be a she!"
"Or maybe he's just embarrassed that she said he was being kind to someone? I mean, he does have that whole badass attitude going on. Maybe he doesn't want everyone to think he's going soft or something?" she suggested.
Misty shrugged this off. "Nah… I just got a feeling!" she whispered, her eyes sparkling. "He likes someone here! Hey, I wonder…"
"Wonder what?" she asked. She felt butterflies in her stomach. Was it really possible Paul might have liked someone here? What if it was her he liked?! Dawn pursed her lips together, trying her best to contain her excitement.
"I wonder… if Zoey likes Paul," she whispered, thoughtful.
This was like a bucket of water over Dawn's little spark of hope.
Zoey, liking Paul? Could that really be possible?
"Dawn—truth or dare?"
Dawn blinked, feeling dazed. It took her a few seconds to comprehend that it was Zoey asking her this question. She felt sick suddenly, a bitter taste filling her throat. She felt sick even as she said, "Dare."
Zoey raised an eyebrow. "You're really picking dare with me? After last time?"
"Last time?" she questioned.
Thongs—bras—running outside in the rain, around the boys cabin. The memory flashed briefly through Dawn's mind.
Oh shit!
"W-wait, can there be a switchback? Y'know, so I can choose truth instead? Haha, I meant truth, not dare, whoopsy! Silly me," she laughed, fanning herself nervously.
Zoey smirked, a devious glint filling her eyes. "Sorry, Dawn. No switchbacks."
Dawn gulped nervously.
"Finally! It looks like things are starting to get interesting!" Ash declared, fist-pumping. Dawn wanted to kill Ash for that comment.
"I dare you to whisper dirty things in the ears of…" She glanced around, her eyes stopping on Paul's. His eyes narrowed as her eyes lingered on him and she smirked. "Well, hell, Paul. He looks like he could use some sugar and spice in his life."
She likes him, was Dawn's thought. That's why she's including him in my dare.
Nervously, she glanced at Paul. He looked pissed. She glanced back at Zoey. She looked smug.
"C'mon, Dawn, what are you waiting for?" Ash yelled, smirking. "Go get 'em, tiger!"
Dawn blushed, embarrassed. "Shut up, Ash…"
From behind her Kenny wolf-whistled.
She wanted to face palm herself. What were they so excited about? It's not like they would hear anything she would be saying. Hell, she could say just about anything, and they wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
"Whisper something dirty, eh?" she muttered, stopping about half a foot from Paul. She smiled suddenly, already knowing what she was going to say. She tried her best to ignore the annoyed look Paul was shooting her – and just about everybody else – and leaned in close so her lips were nearly touching his ears:
"Ash's underwear, Kenny's socks…"
Paul raised an eyebrow, surprised. This was not what he was expecting. And he doubted this was what Zoey meant she told her to whisper "dirty things" in his ears. Nonetheless, he couldn't deny that he was amused.
"I wonder what she's whispering…"
"I have no idea, but Paul seems to like it."
"Misty's mouth when Ash scares her or when she sees a bug pokémon, us after a day of hiking in the mountains…"
"Okay, I think that's enough dirty stuff to whisper to him," Zoey declared. "So what did you whisper to him?"
"Dirty stuff," Dawn giggled, winking.
Zoey raised an eyebrow. "Like…?"
"I said Ash's underwear, Kenny's socks, Misty's mouth after Ash scares her or after she sees a bug pokémon, and me and Paul after spending a day hiking in the mountains."
"That was not what I meant by whisper dirty things in his ears," Zoey told her, her expression stoic. "But I do praise you on your cleverness. Good job."
"Thank you," she giggled.
"Now, umm, I guess it's my turn. I guess I'll ask—" Dawn did not get a chance to finish her sentence before the door was slammed open and the silhouette of two beautiful girls stood in the doorway.
"Little Sis!"
"I cannot believe you all decide to have a gathering and, like, don't invite us," Lily exclaimed, flipping her pink hair behind her shoulders. "Rude, much?"
"Violet! Lily! What are you two doing here?!" Misty exclaimed, shocked at the sight of her two older sisters.
"We were looking for you, and did not find you nor your lover boy by the lakefront, so we decided to come here and see if any of these boys, like, saw you two," Lily explained.
"But instead we find, like, everybody except us here! What's the deal, little sis?" Violet demanded, placing a hand on one hip.
Dawn sweat dropped, a sheepish smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Poor Misty. The look on her face at that moment was priceless.
"I—I—well, we were, um," she stuttered, flustered. "We were just…"
"Yeah, why didn't you invite your sisters?" Drew asked, smiling at the two older ladies charmingly. "I'm sure they could make this game a little more interesting, being here."
"Game? What kind of game are you guys, like, playing?" Violet questioned, tucking a blue strand behind her ear.
"Just truth or dare," Ash responded cheerfully. "You guys should totally play with us! I'm sure it just didn't cross Misty's mind to invite you guys. You know how she is at times."
"Sweet!"
"Awesome!"
"Um, not to sound rude, but don't you two usually hang with Daisy and Tracy after hours?" Misty questioned, raising an eyebrow. She did not trust her sisters. At least, not while playing truth or dare with them and Ash.
"Yeah, but, like, she's been in such a mood lately," Violet exclaimed dramatically, sighing.
"Like, yeah," Lily agreed. "She is always sooo crabby lately, and every time we see her she's like stuffing her face with nutella and bananas, or complaining of backaches or stomachaches or something."
"She's like driving us insane," Violet huffed.
"Maybe she's stressed or something," Kenny suggested.
"Um, yeah, no, but whatever. Anyway," Violet glanced around the cabin room and noted how crowded it was. "If we're all going to play truth or dare we should, like, play outside!"
Dawn frowned at this idea. "Why outside?"
"It will be more exciting!" Lily exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, plus it's too crowded in here," Violet declared. "And there will be more dares we can come up with that we can do outside."
"Well, if we do go outside, we should probably go out by the forest," Kenny suggested. "You know, so we don't wake up the kids. Oh, and we should also bring flashlights."
"Good idea," Drew said. "I'll get the flashlights. We have a lot in one of the drawers in here."
"Um, I'll help you carry some," May volunteered. Drew smiled.
"Awesome. You can also help me pass them out, and distribute them evenly. I think we have five, and there are ten people here. But we're also split into five groups, so we should probably just give one flashlight to each group. Do you want to carry the flashlight for our group, or should I?"
"Umm, I guess you can. You know, if you don't mind," May responded, blushing slightly.
"Of course not."
About a minute later a flashlight was passed out to each group.
"Remember, stay together with your buddy!" Violet chirped cheerfully from behind Dawn. She turned her head to see the blunette winking at a very embarrassed Misty.
"Well, I think for the very first time I can say I'm glad I'm an only child," she muttered under her breath. Paul also turned his head to look at the flushed carrot top to see what she meant and gave a short nod.
Briefly, Dawn wondered if Paul has suspected Misty's feelings for Ash yet. He was a smart guy, but then again he didn't exactly come off as the type of guy to notice someone's romantic's interests in someone else.
But then again, he had noticed May's romantic feelings for Drew, she thought. Hmm…
About five minutes later they all arrived at the edge of the forest.
"So, like, whose turn is it?" Violet asked.
"It was mine," Dawn answered, raising her hand a little. "Um, I guess I'll ask one of you two then…" From beside her, Misty was frantically mouthing a 'don't!'. "Umm… Lily! Truth or dare?"
Lily thought for a moment. "I'll start with truth."
Dawn pursed her lips together, thinking.
"Ask her what is the wildest thing she has ever done," Misty whispered, jabbing her in the side.
"Little sister, I can hear you, and shush!"
"What is the wildest thing you have ever done?" Dawn asked. As a last minute decision she added, "With a boy."
"What is the wildest thing I've done with a boy?" Lily pursed her lips together thoughtfully. "Well, unlike what my baby sister may have been led to believe, I am still pure. Okay, maybe not, like, totally pure but still I'm pure in the way that matters. The wildest thing I've ever done with a guy is strip for him. Totally regret it. That guy was a jerk bag."
"I bet," Misty muttered.
"Misty! Truth or dare?" Misty rolled her eyes, having already anticipated this.
After a moment, she decided her safest bet was to go with dare. At least then Lily couldn't totally embarrass the crap out of her when she asked her if she liked Ash and she was forced to that admit yes, yes she did.
"I'll go with dare—"
"Actually—wait, I don't want to ask you," Lily interrupted, shocking Misty. Sweetly, she turned to Ash. "Ash, truth or dare?"
"Umm… I guess I'll go with truth," he said.
"Truth? But, like, Misty was gonna choose dare. Obviously, someone doesn't nearly have as much balls as my little sister," Lily laughed. Violet snickered. Ash gaped.
"What?! Okay, fine, dare then! Dare, I pick dare!" he declared, crossing his arms indignantly.
Misty wanted to face palm herself. He fell right into Lily's trap! It was so obvious Lily wanted him to pick dare.
"Excellent." She flipped a pick curl behind her shoulders and stood up, and placed one hand on her hip. A smirk slid across her face as she directed her eyes on Ash. Nervously, Ash gulped. "It's about time we heat this game up."
"Ohhh, it looks like this game is about to get good!" Kenny whispered excitedly to Zoey.
"I dare you, Ash Ketchum, to—" She paused, for dramatic effect. Dawn was aware of Paul, from the corner of her eyes, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath. "—kiss my baby sister. On the mouth."
Lily and Violet exchanged triumphant glances.
Misty and Ash gaped. In shock.
Around them everyone else was silent, most likely equally shocked.
Briefly, Dawn wondered if anyone else was beginning to regret allowing Lily and Violet to play with them… They had been playing for less than ten minutes, and already they were coming up with more challenging dares than anyone else.
Dawn's lips pulled up in a weary smile, beads of sweat forming above her eyebrows. Well, truth or dare is supposed to be a somewhat challenging game. Well, tonight should be interesting with them here, she thought.
"Are you serious, Lily?!" Misty sputtered.
"Absolutely, one-hundred percent!" she chirped. "I told you it was time to heat things up. And you guys are, like, really good friends, so why not? It's just a kiss. No big deal." She smiled, obviously pleased at herself. "Right, Violet? It's just a kiss."
"Just a kiss," Violet agreed. "No big deal, Misty. Right, Ash?"
"Well, umm, ummm…" Ash was blushing like crazy.
"Pika…" Pikachu muttered under his breath. He jumped from Ash's shoulders, leaving the poor trainer all on his own.
"No big deal to you guys!" Misty huffed under her breath, folding her legs beneath her.
"So… are you going to kiss Misty, or what?" Dawn asked. She couldn't help herself! The thought of Misty and Ash, two of her best friends, kissing and then possibly becoming something more was too cute of an idea to resist!
Misty shot Dawn a glare which she responded to by rolling her eyes.
Puh-lease, she was on Misty's side. And like Lily and Violet said, it was just a kiss. And she liked Ash, and who knew, maybe Ash liked her back! Maybe it would just take a little kiss between the two to make him realize he reciprocates her feelings if he doesn't already!
"If you don't do the dare, you have to do something twice as bad! Those are the rules of truth or dare," Violet piped in cheerfully. "So your go, Ash!"
"Umm, well, um… are you okay with this, Mist?" Ash asked, sheepish. "I mean, if you don't want me to, you know, umm… well, I could always do the worse one…"
Misty looked up, her cheeks still pink, and sighed before shaking her head. "No, its fine, Ash… I mean, like they said… it's just a kiss, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a dare after all, right?"
"Yeah… just a dare," he agreed. Awkwardly, he sat in front of her. Misty continued to sit cross-legged, looking increasingly uncomfortable and nervous.
Dawn was acutely aware of Paul looking away, into the darkness of the forest, as Ash inched closer and closer to Misty. Dawn knew she should look away – she wanted to – but she couldn't. She watched Misty's face, fascinated, as Misty's eyes fluttered close the moment Ash's lips met hers.
I want that, Dawn thought, surprised by her sudden yearning for something as simple as a kiss.
She had never even had a first kiss before. She had never even cared to have a boyfriend before. She had always been too busy focusing on her career as a coordinator or pursuing her dream of becoming a pokémon stylist to really care for something as petty as a relationship, or a first kiss, but now…
She frowned, a disconcerting feeling settling over her. Dawn wasn't sure why but suddenly she felt as if they wasn't alone in the forest…
Unsettled, she looked over her shoulder, but nobody was there. Yet, she could feel it, some kind of simmering beneath the surface, some angry presence…
Her frown deepened.
She turned around to find Paul watching her. Quickly, his eyes darted from her face to behind her at the forest, before turning back to Ash and Misty.
As they pulled apart, it became evident that both their faces were red from blushing so much. Misty, for one, looked breathless and more than a little dazed.
"Umm… Paul, truth or dare?"
Paul thought for a moment, obviously much more wary after Ash's dare. Finally, without a moment of hesitation, he chose "Truth".
"Hummm," Ash's cheek began to die down in color as he took on a thoughtful look. Suddenly his eyes gleamed and a smile slid across his face. "Truth, ey? That means you have to answer whatever I ask you honestly, right?"
"No shit," he retorted, obviously annoyed. Dawn frowned, feeling uneasy.
"Excellent," Ash said, giving a low chuckle. When Dawn glanced over at Paul again, she saw the plum-haired trainer was scowling, his arms folded across his chest. "And we can ask any question we want, right? No matter how… bad it is?"
"Ask him any question you please," Violet chirped back cheerfully.
"Whether it be sexual, have sexual innuendos, bring sexual tensions, or awkwardness to the game, ask away. Heck, even ask what kind of shampoo he uses. Just ask any question you please, dear Ashy-boy," Lily also responded cheerfully.
Dawn glanced back at Paul and saw his scowl deepen even more, although know his posture took on a more flustered look.
"Just ask the damn question you wanna ask so we can move on with this stupid game," he snapped.
"Geez, moody," Lily whispered, her face deflated. Violet nodded in agreement, narrowing her eyes at the plum-haired teen.
"What turns you on sexually?" Ash asked, his eyes gleaming as a grin overtook his face. If Ash was aiming for an embarrassed Paul, he certainly got it.
Dawn was shocked by the light shade of red Paul turned at this question. Of course, to cover up his embarrassment, he just scowled even more and looked away.
"What kind of stupid question is that?" he asked.
"A very good one apparently," Ash responded. "Since you're not answering it!"
Paul said nothing, his eyebrow twitching as he seethed in silence.
"Plus, it's a question anyone can answer," Ash replied matter-of-factly. "I mean, c'mon, we're all human. I mean, I admit, there's a few things that a girl can have or do that can turn me on. Hell, even pikachu has some things that get him all randy! Right, buddy?"
"Chuuuu," Pikachu grumbled, obviously embarrassed as he glared at his shameless trainer. "Chu!"
Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash, but bit her lip, choosing not to say anything.
"Eh… Pikachu's just shy. Well, come on Paul, spell the beans! What gets you going?"
"I know what gets me going," Drew murmured from a few feet away, a small smirk gracing his features as he chuckled.
When Dawn glanced over at Paul again she saw he looked less mad and flustered than before. In fact, he actually looked as if he was finally contemplating the question.
After a minute of pondering, he finally answered: "Confidence, a good figure, and nice legs."
Confidence, a good figure, and nice legs, Dawn repeated in her mind. Briefly, she wondered if she possessed any of these qualities. She felt confident most of the time and she portrayed a good amount of optimism, but did Paul see her as a confident person?
And what about her body? Did he think she had a good figure or nice legs? Sure, she was a petite girl with a flat stomach and a slight curve to her figure, but a "good figure" could mean anything from having big boobs to a big booty to a fit body and everything and anything in-between.
"Great! Now what else turns you on? Scratching? Biting? Groping?" Ash waggled his eyebrows at this last one.
From the corner of her eyes, Dawn saw Misty face-palm herself and grumble something under her breath. Ash looked at her, puzzled.
"How the hell would I know?" Paul growled under his breath, back to looking annoyed.
Ash shrugged. "I don't know. Use your imagination?"
"Whatever. Fine, probably groping. Kenny! Truth or dare?" Paul asked before he could even give Ash another chance to comment or ask another stupid question.
"Oh! Umm," Kenny gulped, pulling at the edge of his collar. He grinned nervously. "Well, I guess I'll go with… dare!" He finally responded, feeling gutsy.
Paul smirked, his eyes lighting up considerably with unforeseen amusement. "I dare you to follow the trail into the forest, all alone, up until you reach the tree with all the carvings on it."
Dawn knew which tree Paul was talking about. They passed it all the time, on the way to the mountains to hike, on the way back, on the way to the training ground Paul liked to train on. It was a tree filled with carvings of hearts with initials inside of them, names of past campers/counselors and silly pokémon drawings. It wasn't too deep in the forest, only a five or so minute walk from where they currently were, but considering it was nighttime and he would be going alone, Dawn knew she would chicken out in a moment if dared to do something like that.
"Are you crazy?! Are you trying to kill me?!" Kenny exclaimed immediately, shocked. "Man, give me another dare, anything but that! Hell, give me a dare like Ash was given! I would gladly do that over going to my death sentence in this forest!"
"You wish," Paul retorted. "You either do this dare, or you can do something twice as worse, like walk to the end of the forest and back.
"But—!"
"Your choice," Paul said. "This, or walk to the end of the forest."
Reluctantly, Kenny stood up, tugging at the end of his sleeves. Gulping nervously, he took a step closer to the part of the forest where a trail emerged from beside some rocks.
"Are you sure he should do this?" Zoey asked, sounding unexpectedly worry. "It can be dangerous."
"He has his pokémon, he'll be fine," Paul retorted, earning an annoyed scowl from Zoey. "And it's not like this is the only forest he has been in."
True, but this forest is different… The thought crept into Dawn's head with no notice, and she was unable to suppress a shiver that ran down her spine.
Kenny took another reluctant step towards the forest.
"May Arceus bless your soul," Lily murmured.
"Gee, thanks," Kenny grumbled under his breath, sweat dropping. Sighing loudly, he spun around dramatically, and announced, "If I shall die today, I just want you all to know that first of all, Dawn—"
Kenny never got the chance to finish the rest of his speech.
Suddenly there was a thundering crack, as if something big was being split in half.
Everyone went silent. Everyone sat still, barely breathing as they turned towards the forest.
What was that?!
The monster, the thought crawled through her mind, chilling her, killing her.
She had a vision of snow, white snow, blanketing the forest, the only color in this dreadful wasteland aside from the crimson speckles that lay scattered in the snow.
There was another crack nearby, but Dawn remained still, captivated in her thoughts.
There was something out there.
"RUN!" Misty yelled, already running away.
Amidst the panic and chaos, Dawn stood still, not quite sure what was going on. A hard shove pushed her forward and out of her shoes, which had been a pair of black sequin- covered moccasin-like flats with a tiny pink bow on the front. They had warm, light pink fuzz on the inside that made them perfect to wear during a cool summer night, and were actually fairly new. But, unlike sneakers, they were not good shoes for running in.
Giving her no time to react to her lost shoes, Dawn felt someone grab her hand and pull her forward. With the last few moments finally catching up with her, she ran, just like all her other friends, just like the person holding her hand, terrified.
After a while, her feet began to hurt and throb as she scraped it on hard rocks and twigs. Nevertheless, she kept on running, fear and adrenaline her motivation, even as a slow resentment crept into her.
What had they even been doing in the middle of the forest at nighttime?! What were they thinking?! And why the hell were they even still running, nothing was chasing after them. They were only running because they heard a stupid noise that any pokémon living in the forest could have made. It was probably just an ursaring, not some "monster" that doesn't even exist. They were so stupid, and now she had lost one of her favorite pair of shoes in the forest.
Dawn was breathless by the time the group finally slowed down to a complete stop. She was breathing heavily, nearly rasping for breath. Worse, her ankle had started to throb with pain again, and she was certain she could feel blood beginning to pool around her feet.
The only thing that even remotely cheered Dawn up at that point was that Paul was still holding her hand, his grip strong and reassuring in hers. With his hand in hers, she felt protected, as if nothing – no matter how big or monstrous it was – could touch her.
For a moment, everyone looked at one another, as if uncertain whether they had imagined the past ten minutes or not.
"We need to go back," Dawn said finally, still slightly breathless. "Someone pushed me out of my shoes back there."
"No way!" Misty exclaimed, taking a step back. "There's no way in hell I'm going back there!"
"Me neither!" May agreed, still shaking with fright. She was hiding behind Drew, her hands gripped tightly around one of his arm. Drew looked pleased that May chose to come to him for comfort and protection.
Dawn sighed, growing more frustrated and upset by the moment. "It was nothing though. I mean, nothing's chasing us… right?"
Everyone remained silent, uncertain. Even Zoey looked shaken up.
"Zoey?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Sorry, Dawn, but I'm with May and Misty on this one," she responded quietly.
"Let's just go back to camp," Drew agreed. "We've had enough… adventure for tonight."
"Agree," Ash muttered. "Paul?"
Paul said nothing, but he didn't have to say anything for Dawn to know what his answer would be. He, like all the others, was done for the night.
I guess I'm just gonna have to deal with losing a pair of shoes, Dawn thought sadly, her eyebrows furrowing together. Her throat felt tight, which was kind of silly. After all, they were only a pair of shoes.
Somehow though, Dawn knew her lost pair of shoes was not exactly the root of her sadness. It was something else, something else that had happened that night that made her feel like mourning.
As they finished their walk back to their cabins, Dawn felt Paul's hand loosen on hers. Quickly, she pulled away, tucking the hand under her armpits as she crossed her arms. She felt like crying. It was so silly of her to want to cry, especially when she didn't even know why she felt like crying.
It couldn't be just because she lost a pair of good shoes… could it? No, no it was something else. Some sadness, gnawing deep inside of her…
No one said anything, not even a "goodnight" or "see ya later" as everyone separated, the boys to their cabin, Lily and Violet to theirs, and the rest of the girls to their own.
About half an hour later, when Dawn was ready and in bed, she still felt cold all over even as her eyes slipped close, and she dreamed of something much more precious that had been lost one cold, unfortunate night…
July 5th, 2013
Dawn awoke early the next day. In fact, it was probably not even five in the morning when she awoke. The first thing she thought of as she blinked her eyes and sat silently up in bed were those of her shoes which (she hoped) laid abandoned by the edge of the forest.
Carefully, she crept out of bed and opened her drawers. As quickly and quietly as she could, she changed out of her pajamas and into a pair of dark denim shorts, a white tank top, and a red plaid top. Next, she put on some gray socks with piplup prints on them and her black converse sneakers.
She opened the door only to come face-to-face (or, technically, face-to-chest since he was so much taller than her) with Paul. She was shocked for a moment, before duh, she realized he was here as he always was so he could train his pokémon without having to worry about clashing with the authority (AKA Daisy).
Paul said nothing as he took in her appearance. He just nodded and turned away, as always expecting her to follow him as he led the way down the same path they always took in the early morning. Usually she was still half-asleep and grumbling, but not today.
Dawn followed Paul silently, careful to keep about three feet between them. She was trying to work up the nerve of asking him if they could stop by the place where she lost of her shoes before heading to his normal training ground.
But every time she began to form the words, she started to feel ridiculous.
She should have just gone back and grabbed her shoes.
After all, there was nothing out there, nothing that had chased them like they originally believed.
And even if none of her other friends were going to go back with her, she could have still gone back and found her shoes on her own; even if they weren't going to accompany her, she knew her friends would have waited for her if she had simply asked them to.
The more she thought about, the sillier she felt. And then the more ridiculous she felt wanting to ask to drop by a place where she lost her shoes. Even the fact that she had lost her shoes running from some imaginary monster felt ridiculous. Who loses their shoes running from something that's not real?!
Dawn was so busy being lost in her thoughts and criticizing herself, she didn't even notice when Paul stopped until she walked past him and she realized there was no plum-colored hair in sight.
"Huh?" She turned around to find Paul a few yards behind her now. But this wasn't the usual place he dragged her to when he wanted to train… it wasn't even close to that place, they were still only on the edge of the forest. She frowned, confused.
"Why did you stop?" she asked.
Paul raised an eyebrow, as if questioning her IQ level. "Don't you want to get your shoes that you lost from last night? Or have you decided overnight to donate them to the pokémon that live in this forest?"
Dawn felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and that sense of ridiculously returned, tenfold. Now that she was actually paying attention to the setting, she realized they were right next to the spot they were at last night – the same spot where she had been pushed out of her shoes.
"Oh… right."
About a minute later, she returned carrying a dust-laced pair of her favorite shoes.
Well, I'm going to have fun carrying these around, Dawn thought wryly as her and Paul ventured deeper into the forest.
Next Chapter: Stupid Little Game
Also next chapter, more pokéshipping! And other shipping development (less Ikarishipping – at least at the beginning – the beginning & maybe the middle will have more of the other three shippings I've been somewhat neglecting in favor of my OTP haha :p).
Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Sorry for the long wait, I'm trying to kind of drag this story out a little so I can work more on the rest of the chapters I haven't yet finished. -_- Anyway, the preview for the next chapter will be up shortly (hopefully - if I can find a good snippet of the chapter to put up :p), and next update will probably again be in about 2-4 weeks. Hopefully shorter, rather than longer. Good news though? Next chapter will be close to 17,000 words! =D (well, this is good news if you like really long chapters haha, if you prefer shorter chapters you'll hate the next one xD)
Reviews? Thoughts? Predicitons? etc.? Sorry if there's any mistakes, didn't really edit this chapter