Chapter 25: Nike in Trouble
Thursday Night
Nike walked back toward Orchard. The rain had started again, and it was very dark. She had been using the super-secret-internet in Mary Lodge to check up on her favorite bands, as she was known to do. The entire camp seemed as if it had been split up into pairs, and Nike still could not even get Tony to look at her twice. It simply was not fair. She supposed that it all had to do with the fact that she was bigger than all of the guys except for Vash... who was not really a guy anyhow. He had been pissing her off in Mary, and she was glad that he could not come over to her unit.
"Stupid camp..." she muttered, kicking a rock into the swiftly moving Connie. The creek was nearly five feet under the bridge now, and it was still rising in the rain. Instead of going straight back to Orchard, Nike walked past the log cabin and into the woods on the other side. It was one of her favorite places to sit and think. Thankfully, nobody knew about it. She made her way around the bend in the Connie through the woods near where the dirt bike riders often visited the camp grounds. The rocks on the bank were slippery as she picked her way a bit farther up stream.
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David looked out of his tent flap onto the wet hillside that was Orchard. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, and Nike still had not returned from the other side of camp. He was starting to get worried. The only problem was that he could not figure out why he was worried.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the top of the tent instead of the soggy ground outside. Nike had been staff for nearly forever. She also was quite capable of taking care of herself. She was probably fine...
The thought haunted David for nearly ten more minutes before he pulled on his pants and shoes to trek down to the cabin to call over to main camp.**
He did not want to get Nike in trouble in case she was just on the other side of the bridge doing something else, so he decided to call over to Trail's End because he could hear voices floating over the creek.
"Hello?" someone answered, shushing people in the background.
"Hey. This is Dave."
"Oh, hey Dave. This is Gryffin. What's up?"
"Just wondered if any of you had seen Nike lately. She never came back after All Camp."
"Hey guys!" Gryffin whispered loudly. "Did anyone see Nike after All Camp?"
"Yeah, I did," Spot said, looking up from his position under Race for a moment. "She was headin' back ovah da bridge. She was half way across already when I saw 'er." Race bit a particularly tender place on Spot's neck and he promptly returned his attention to his boyfriend.
"She's on your side of the creek there, Davey."
**sigh** "Okay. Listen, since you are all awake anyhow, do you think you could come help me look for her? She has got to be over here somewhere, and I don't even know where to start looking."
"Yeah, sure Dave. We'll be over in ten minutes."
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Vash looked up from his sullen place sitting on the porch of the dining hall. Why didn't anybody like him? Some had told him earlier, during pre camp, that they would not see him because of the rule about dating staff members. That did not seem to matter to anyone now. The stupid Newsies had shown up and ruined everything.
The pig snorted in a very pig-like manner. He was about to get up and rumble off obscenities about the female staff members, but something else caught his attention. He could hear voices in the darkness and soon after he heard the creaking of the wires on the bridge.
"I'll show them," he thought. "Oh yes, I'll catch them out of bed and beyond their boarders now. Then, I will be the hero of the camp. Oh yes... not tonight, Kitch*Nsynk."
With that, he followed as silently as a lumbering oaf can down the soggy path and across the bridge, a very sour look on his face indeed.
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David hung up the phone and let his head fall onto his arm against the wall. Dammit, why did he always have to be the responsible one? Rain dripped off of his hair and onto his arm, which was wet already anyway. Outside, he could hear the rain starting to slow down.
A few minutes later, the entire group of people who had been hanging around in the Trail's End Flushie building entered the cabin much quieter than anyone would have expected them to do. Race, Spot, Snipeshooter, Kristan, Snitch, Artemis, and Gryffin all filed into the building.
"So do you guys have any idea where she might be?" Dave asked, cutting the need for small talk.
"No," was the general response.
"Knowing Nike," Gryffin started, "She wouldn't have gone back across the bridge again so late at night. She also would not leave camp this late, especially with the dogs that live at the top of the hill there. Unless she walked straight through the middle of your unit and went up past the obstacle course. I don't know if she could make it up that hill in this weather anyhow."
"She didn't. I would have seen her."
"That just leaves this side of camp then," Arty said, her head on Snitch's shoulder. They were such an adorable couple, that Dave felt himself getting jealous just watching them.
"Uh... yeah right," Dave said, waking up from his momentary stupor. "Me, Spot and Race are gonna head off toward the canoes then on the other side of the cabin. The rest of you go spread yourselves out and look everywhere between here and the corral. If anyone finds her, come back here and blow the whistle by the door. Okay?"
They nodded agreement and set off across the grounds, flashlights in hand. Dave led the way down toward the swollen Connie, Spot and Race in his wake.
"Hey, Race," Spot whispered.
"What?"
"Wanna continue what we was doin' earlier?" Race stopped and just sort of looked at Spot, who was smirking as he eyed his boyfriend. Before Race could respond, Spot pushed him off the path and into a tree, where their lips touched and both forgot about anything else that was going on in the world.
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David could make out a pathway in the darkness where somebody else had forced their way through the underbrush and around the stinging nettle.
"Hey guys, I think I..." David's voice trailed off mid-sentence, as he realized that there were no longer any boys behind him. "Damn Spot and his teenaged hormones." David sighed and shined his flashlight down the path. He could not see anything. The Connie sounded as if it were rapids. The path was just above the waterline.
"Nike?" he called tentatively into the gathering gloom. "Nike? You here?" With a final look around the last clearing, he pushed on down the newly- forced path.
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"I don't see her anywhere," Gryffin said, pushing a spider web away from her face.
"Me either," Kristan said.
"I hate to say this, but maybe we should just go tell Happy. I mean, this is serious. Nike could be really hurt somewhere."
"Jus' a bit more lookin' aroun' foirst," Blink said, shining his flashlight through the brush near the cow pasture. "If she ain't on dis side a da creek, den we'll go tell da boss lady. No sense gettin' people in trouble dough, if dey don' need ta be."
"I hate when you make sense," Gryffin said, kissing Blink's cheek simply because she could.
"And I hate when you two get all lovey dovey. I should just start calling you Mary Sue." Kristan rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that was really Mary-Suish. I should just take it out of the plot. But, being as I am lazy and I want to kiss Blink, I'm going to leave it in there and gripe about it for the rest of the chapter."
"Okay, as long as you're aware, Gryff."
"I am, thanks Kristan. Let's go find Arty and Snitch and Snipe and see if they found anything yet."
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"Nike!" David exclaimed when he saw the slumped figure on the ground. She lifted her head quickly. It was almost too quickly for anyone to have really been sleeping, but she was, simply because that is the way the story goes.
"David? What the hell are you doing here? Go away. This is my place."
"Nike, it's nearly two in the morning and you're soaked to the bone. You're coming with me back to Orchard and you're going to go to bed before you get sick."
"Enh, what would you care anyhow." She turned her head and tossed a rock into the swiftly moving waters. She watched the water swallow it up. The rock must be feeling so comfortable, being rubbed smooth by the water and the slow, sinking sensation of sinking to the bottom of the polluted creek, never to see the light of day again. David pursed his lips at her statement.
"Come on, I know we haven't been the best of friends since we got here, but I never had anything against you. Maybe if you would open up and tell people what you're thinking some of the time, they would be more receptive to you."
"What are you talking about?" Nike snapped back at him. She stood up on the rocky surface and began to walk toward the Newsie. "I tell people exactly what I think of them every day of my life. It isn't my way to lie to people abo...AHHHHHHHHH!"
SPLASH!
"Nike!" David yelled. Nike's screams rose from the water. She had had enough sense to grab onto one of the protruding roots near the shore, but it was obvious that she would not be able to hold on for long because of the dampness of everything combined with the cold that was penetrating her body. The water was rushing by, grabbing at her clothes and threatening to break her grip.
Nike wondered vaguely what it would be like just to let go. The water was cool and refreshing, even though the cold was nearly biting if she turned her body the right way. She remembered the rock, sinking slowly into the depths until all was once again calm. What would it be like, she wondered, just to let it all slip away...
David looked around wildly. There was nobody else in sight, and the cabin was much too far away to try to get to the whistle. He threw himself on the ground and reached out over the water for Nike's hand. He knew that he would be no help to her if he jumped in after her, because the water was moving so quickly that he could not swim against the current.
"Here! Grab on!"
Nike looked up at David as if he were something she had never seen before. The flashlight on the ground shone directly at David's head, and it caused him to look as if he were wearing a halo. Nike gave a feeble kick, and her leg collided with a log under the water. She regained her senses, at least for the moment.
"No way, I'll just pull you in!" Nike yelled back at him, spitting the disgusting Connie water out of her mouth.
"Get over yourself and grab my arm. I can't hold on to you by myself. I need you to help me, god damn it!"
Nike glared at David. The glare was worthy of Spot Conlon himself, but she obliged and grabbed his arm. Her fingers were like ice when they touched David's skin. Nike's expression changed from a deadly glare to outright shock and amazement. David did not have time to contemplate this though. The shock of the cold from her fingers was nearly enough to make him forget what he was doing. Less than a second later though, he had both arms around Nike's shoulders and was half dragging, half pulling her up out of the Connie.
The water tore at her body as she scrambled up the ridge. David threatened to topple over her into the rushing waters himself several times, but somehow he managed to stay on the ground, though he was so soaked that he may as well have been swimming in the Connie himself.
When Nike was sitting on the bank again, David fell back into the tree behind him. He was panting heavily, and beads of sweat mixed with the rain. Nike had other sorts of water from her eyes mixing with the raindrops on her face, though she would never admit it to anyone. She had seen Death himself standing over David. Twice, the cloaked man had raised his foot, as if to push the boy into the water, but he had stopped.
David slowly recovered his breath.
"Don't you ever, ever give me a reason to have to do that again," he said, clutching his side.
Nike simply nodded. David was not aware of how close he was to the creature Death, and Nike was still trying to cope with this herself. Thousands of questions queued up in her mind. The one who bullied his way to the front was the question, him or me?
"Come on, we got to go tell the others." David pulled Nike to her feet and led her back down the path toward the docks of the Connie and toward the cabin. Soaked to the bone and more tired than he could ever remember being in his life, David could not explain the happiness that he felt leading the tall girl back to safety.
End Twenty Five
**In reality, Orchard does have a phone to main camp, but the other units do not. In this though, all units have phones.
A/N: Great and humble apologies to one and all. I love you all dearly, but here at school there are these little things called finals and final projects that are coming up soon for me, and the teachers have been bombarding us with work as of late. I can only promise you one update a week for the rest of term. By then, the story should be over anyhow. Except for next chapter... that will be up in a few days being as it is already ready to go. ^_^ I love you all! Please Review!
Shoutouts!
Yank: You have so much to learn, child. You can drool absolutely ANYTIME even the WORD Newsies is mentioned. Anything else said after that does not matter, because that word is enough to make any sane girl drool. ^_~ Personally, I would be frightened of any plan that Chip comes up with to get you your Gabriel, but good luck with it anyway! (pssst! If you actually get him, can I borrow him for a little while... just for pictures and stuffs. I won't do anything naughty, I promise. ^_^)
Chipper: Yay for cheetos for breakfast, though personally I prefer cold pizza. ^_^ I love you very Mushly too! hehe... that is a long story, and I don't even remember how it really started. Once upon a time when Kristan and I were talking and we were acting like we were on crack, as we always do. ^_^
Shot: I'm glad you enjoyed. ^_~ I didn't break 200 yet... but it has to be this time now!
Artemis: I do enjoy the quote, Arty, because I absolutely love Terry Pratchett. I wasn't having the campers think of WHY Snitchy would want to kidnap you. They didn't find a motive for him. If you really really want to keep Snitch's swim trunks, they're yours. But just remember, that Vash will be walking around at the pool too, and he'll see your boy all naked and stuffs because you didn't leave him any clothes to wear. : P As for No Sex in the Champagne Room, that is a song by Chris Rock, and it is fairly amusing. You should listen to it sometime. I'll announce in the epilogue who is into bondage, because I'm not telling you now. **sticks tongue out again** You can be gagged with whatever you want to be gagged with... wait... no... that just sounds wrong... you can be gagged with either a bandanna or duct tape, your choice. (there, don't that sound better?) Yes, sweetie, the whole "I'm Artemis and I look cute in my teenie weenie bikini" did really take place.
Mush!Muse: Hey Jack, what's a bikini?
Jack!Muse: Ah HA! Did ja hear dat fellas? Mush don't know what a bikini is!
Blink!Muse: So, Race, what is a bikini?
Race!Muse: Idiots. A bikini is a bicycle for girls.
Me: Sorry Arty, couldn't resist. ^_^ By the way, that was not my idea, it was some other wonderful fanfiction author who I don't know. You would have to ask Artemis to get her name. ^_^ But I think this is terribly funny, and perfect for the situation. It was camper-you talking there, I think. I don't go into Blink's thoughts... guess I will when I re-write this to fix it and make it all pretty and such. ^_^ I like wearing Blink's clothes because they smell like boy. Yum! Okay, now I've written you nearly a page long shoutout, get back to the damnable story!!
Cassie: Snitch was just an accident. He did not know that Artemis was in there, but he was not as freaked out as Skittery, mind. ^_^ Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Luv ya Mushly!
Robin: Spinney chairs are dangerous. Be careful. I've heard that they eat you in your sleep. **eyes room warily for spinney chairs** This is over 188 pages, not including shoutouts, just so you know. ^_^ Hope it counts for you, because it doesn't count for Cassie. (yeah, she already tried) ttyl!
Maddie: Dave and Eeyore engaged? Ickie! When was this? Gah! **dies from shock** ***magically revives at the mention of the name Dave again, thinking it is the Newsie*** ****pouts because there is no Newsie Dave here**** I did your skit on random inspiration from Artemis, because I needed something to happen at dinner. Hope you like!
Christine: Yeah, dumping Happy in the water was fun. We were all soaked too, but it was awesome because it was her... Shot was not a camper for real, she is one of my reviewers, and she goes to a deprived camp where they don't do skits. **pouts for Shot** So I wrote her into this one so that she could get a bit of a feel for it. This is really just the first real week of camp now. I'm ending the story after the first week of camp, but I'm doing an epilogue that includes the banquet and the last candle light ceremony before the boys have to leave. I am writing the summer, not the rest of our lives. Maybe I'll do that later. ^_^ Yes, you can kiss Mush, you have all summer still. ^_~
Christine again: Yes, you can kiss Mush. Hope you got your project done!
Storm: Yeah. ^_^ There is a severe lack of barn staff in the upcoming chapters, but that is because you are all busy and have better things to do at night than this. ^_^ Luv ya Mushly!!
Brownie: Yes, Cheetah is crazy. I didn't understand her all summer, and I don't suppose I ever will. I love Duct Tape and Camp Awards. It would really rock if they made Camp Awards out of Duct Tape. **Grins maniacally** Today it is Thursday night. The campers leave on Friday. They have only been there one week, but that week takes forever. When I re- write it, I'll put up a time frame list so that it is less confusing. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for reading!
Luthien: I did not eat too many brownies at your party.
Blink!Muse: Yeah, and she wouldn't let me have any
Mush!Muse: Really? She let me have loads.
Blink!Muse: **pouts**
Race!Muse: **smacks both of the other Newsies** Shad up, both of ya. Blink, you ate half a trey of brownies, and Mush you didn't eat any cuz you'se allergic to chocolate, remember?
Mush!Muse/Blink!Muse: Oh yeah...
Race!Muse: Anyways, Luthien, thank yas for readin' and I hope you like da rest! Carryin' da banner!
Pyrotic: I'm glad that someone else understands me. Someone who is not quite as crazy as the rest of us. Wait... you're one of Lulu's friends... nevermind. I still live for reviews and readers though, even if they are just as psycho as I am! Luv yah on! **Bursts out into bring on the men**
Kristan: I can't wait to read your story. My muses came back to life today. I think it had something to do with the four doughnuts I ate. Hehe maybe. Good luck on your test on Friday. May the Force be with you! I knew you'd get a kick out of Jack. Luv yah on!
Christine for the 3rd time: I'll try to put Savannah in here somewhere, but I don't know how much I'll mention any more campers. Don't worry, I'll work it in somewhere. ^_^ I wish I didn't have school. *pouts* No, I still have to get up in the morning. Enjoy your days off in high school while you can!
Thursday Night
Nike walked back toward Orchard. The rain had started again, and it was very dark. She had been using the super-secret-internet in Mary Lodge to check up on her favorite bands, as she was known to do. The entire camp seemed as if it had been split up into pairs, and Nike still could not even get Tony to look at her twice. It simply was not fair. She supposed that it all had to do with the fact that she was bigger than all of the guys except for Vash... who was not really a guy anyhow. He had been pissing her off in Mary, and she was glad that he could not come over to her unit.
"Stupid camp..." she muttered, kicking a rock into the swiftly moving Connie. The creek was nearly five feet under the bridge now, and it was still rising in the rain. Instead of going straight back to Orchard, Nike walked past the log cabin and into the woods on the other side. It was one of her favorite places to sit and think. Thankfully, nobody knew about it. She made her way around the bend in the Connie through the woods near where the dirt bike riders often visited the camp grounds. The rocks on the bank were slippery as she picked her way a bit farther up stream.
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David looked out of his tent flap onto the wet hillside that was Orchard. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, and Nike still had not returned from the other side of camp. He was starting to get worried. The only problem was that he could not figure out why he was worried.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the top of the tent instead of the soggy ground outside. Nike had been staff for nearly forever. She also was quite capable of taking care of herself. She was probably fine...
The thought haunted David for nearly ten more minutes before he pulled on his pants and shoes to trek down to the cabin to call over to main camp.**
He did not want to get Nike in trouble in case she was just on the other side of the bridge doing something else, so he decided to call over to Trail's End because he could hear voices floating over the creek.
"Hello?" someone answered, shushing people in the background.
"Hey. This is Dave."
"Oh, hey Dave. This is Gryffin. What's up?"
"Just wondered if any of you had seen Nike lately. She never came back after All Camp."
"Hey guys!" Gryffin whispered loudly. "Did anyone see Nike after All Camp?"
"Yeah, I did," Spot said, looking up from his position under Race for a moment. "She was headin' back ovah da bridge. She was half way across already when I saw 'er." Race bit a particularly tender place on Spot's neck and he promptly returned his attention to his boyfriend.
"She's on your side of the creek there, Davey."
**sigh** "Okay. Listen, since you are all awake anyhow, do you think you could come help me look for her? She has got to be over here somewhere, and I don't even know where to start looking."
"Yeah, sure Dave. We'll be over in ten minutes."
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Vash looked up from his sullen place sitting on the porch of the dining hall. Why didn't anybody like him? Some had told him earlier, during pre camp, that they would not see him because of the rule about dating staff members. That did not seem to matter to anyone now. The stupid Newsies had shown up and ruined everything.
The pig snorted in a very pig-like manner. He was about to get up and rumble off obscenities about the female staff members, but something else caught his attention. He could hear voices in the darkness and soon after he heard the creaking of the wires on the bridge.
"I'll show them," he thought. "Oh yes, I'll catch them out of bed and beyond their boarders now. Then, I will be the hero of the camp. Oh yes... not tonight, Kitch*Nsynk."
With that, he followed as silently as a lumbering oaf can down the soggy path and across the bridge, a very sour look on his face indeed.
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David hung up the phone and let his head fall onto his arm against the wall. Dammit, why did he always have to be the responsible one? Rain dripped off of his hair and onto his arm, which was wet already anyway. Outside, he could hear the rain starting to slow down.
A few minutes later, the entire group of people who had been hanging around in the Trail's End Flushie building entered the cabin much quieter than anyone would have expected them to do. Race, Spot, Snipeshooter, Kristan, Snitch, Artemis, and Gryffin all filed into the building.
"So do you guys have any idea where she might be?" Dave asked, cutting the need for small talk.
"No," was the general response.
"Knowing Nike," Gryffin started, "She wouldn't have gone back across the bridge again so late at night. She also would not leave camp this late, especially with the dogs that live at the top of the hill there. Unless she walked straight through the middle of your unit and went up past the obstacle course. I don't know if she could make it up that hill in this weather anyhow."
"She didn't. I would have seen her."
"That just leaves this side of camp then," Arty said, her head on Snitch's shoulder. They were such an adorable couple, that Dave felt himself getting jealous just watching them.
"Uh... yeah right," Dave said, waking up from his momentary stupor. "Me, Spot and Race are gonna head off toward the canoes then on the other side of the cabin. The rest of you go spread yourselves out and look everywhere between here and the corral. If anyone finds her, come back here and blow the whistle by the door. Okay?"
They nodded agreement and set off across the grounds, flashlights in hand. Dave led the way down toward the swollen Connie, Spot and Race in his wake.
"Hey, Race," Spot whispered.
"What?"
"Wanna continue what we was doin' earlier?" Race stopped and just sort of looked at Spot, who was smirking as he eyed his boyfriend. Before Race could respond, Spot pushed him off the path and into a tree, where their lips touched and both forgot about anything else that was going on in the world.
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David could make out a pathway in the darkness where somebody else had forced their way through the underbrush and around the stinging nettle.
"Hey guys, I think I..." David's voice trailed off mid-sentence, as he realized that there were no longer any boys behind him. "Damn Spot and his teenaged hormones." David sighed and shined his flashlight down the path. He could not see anything. The Connie sounded as if it were rapids. The path was just above the waterline.
"Nike?" he called tentatively into the gathering gloom. "Nike? You here?" With a final look around the last clearing, he pushed on down the newly- forced path.
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"I don't see her anywhere," Gryffin said, pushing a spider web away from her face.
"Me either," Kristan said.
"I hate to say this, but maybe we should just go tell Happy. I mean, this is serious. Nike could be really hurt somewhere."
"Jus' a bit more lookin' aroun' foirst," Blink said, shining his flashlight through the brush near the cow pasture. "If she ain't on dis side a da creek, den we'll go tell da boss lady. No sense gettin' people in trouble dough, if dey don' need ta be."
"I hate when you make sense," Gryffin said, kissing Blink's cheek simply because she could.
"And I hate when you two get all lovey dovey. I should just start calling you Mary Sue." Kristan rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that was really Mary-Suish. I should just take it out of the plot. But, being as I am lazy and I want to kiss Blink, I'm going to leave it in there and gripe about it for the rest of the chapter."
"Okay, as long as you're aware, Gryff."
"I am, thanks Kristan. Let's go find Arty and Snitch and Snipe and see if they found anything yet."
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"Nike!" David exclaimed when he saw the slumped figure on the ground. She lifted her head quickly. It was almost too quickly for anyone to have really been sleeping, but she was, simply because that is the way the story goes.
"David? What the hell are you doing here? Go away. This is my place."
"Nike, it's nearly two in the morning and you're soaked to the bone. You're coming with me back to Orchard and you're going to go to bed before you get sick."
"Enh, what would you care anyhow." She turned her head and tossed a rock into the swiftly moving waters. She watched the water swallow it up. The rock must be feeling so comfortable, being rubbed smooth by the water and the slow, sinking sensation of sinking to the bottom of the polluted creek, never to see the light of day again. David pursed his lips at her statement.
"Come on, I know we haven't been the best of friends since we got here, but I never had anything against you. Maybe if you would open up and tell people what you're thinking some of the time, they would be more receptive to you."
"What are you talking about?" Nike snapped back at him. She stood up on the rocky surface and began to walk toward the Newsie. "I tell people exactly what I think of them every day of my life. It isn't my way to lie to people abo...AHHHHHHHHH!"
SPLASH!
"Nike!" David yelled. Nike's screams rose from the water. She had had enough sense to grab onto one of the protruding roots near the shore, but it was obvious that she would not be able to hold on for long because of the dampness of everything combined with the cold that was penetrating her body. The water was rushing by, grabbing at her clothes and threatening to break her grip.
Nike wondered vaguely what it would be like just to let go. The water was cool and refreshing, even though the cold was nearly biting if she turned her body the right way. She remembered the rock, sinking slowly into the depths until all was once again calm. What would it be like, she wondered, just to let it all slip away...
David looked around wildly. There was nobody else in sight, and the cabin was much too far away to try to get to the whistle. He threw himself on the ground and reached out over the water for Nike's hand. He knew that he would be no help to her if he jumped in after her, because the water was moving so quickly that he could not swim against the current.
"Here! Grab on!"
Nike looked up at David as if he were something she had never seen before. The flashlight on the ground shone directly at David's head, and it caused him to look as if he were wearing a halo. Nike gave a feeble kick, and her leg collided with a log under the water. She regained her senses, at least for the moment.
"No way, I'll just pull you in!" Nike yelled back at him, spitting the disgusting Connie water out of her mouth.
"Get over yourself and grab my arm. I can't hold on to you by myself. I need you to help me, god damn it!"
Nike glared at David. The glare was worthy of Spot Conlon himself, but she obliged and grabbed his arm. Her fingers were like ice when they touched David's skin. Nike's expression changed from a deadly glare to outright shock and amazement. David did not have time to contemplate this though. The shock of the cold from her fingers was nearly enough to make him forget what he was doing. Less than a second later though, he had both arms around Nike's shoulders and was half dragging, half pulling her up out of the Connie.
The water tore at her body as she scrambled up the ridge. David threatened to topple over her into the rushing waters himself several times, but somehow he managed to stay on the ground, though he was so soaked that he may as well have been swimming in the Connie himself.
When Nike was sitting on the bank again, David fell back into the tree behind him. He was panting heavily, and beads of sweat mixed with the rain. Nike had other sorts of water from her eyes mixing with the raindrops on her face, though she would never admit it to anyone. She had seen Death himself standing over David. Twice, the cloaked man had raised his foot, as if to push the boy into the water, but he had stopped.
David slowly recovered his breath.
"Don't you ever, ever give me a reason to have to do that again," he said, clutching his side.
Nike simply nodded. David was not aware of how close he was to the creature Death, and Nike was still trying to cope with this herself. Thousands of questions queued up in her mind. The one who bullied his way to the front was the question, him or me?
"Come on, we got to go tell the others." David pulled Nike to her feet and led her back down the path toward the docks of the Connie and toward the cabin. Soaked to the bone and more tired than he could ever remember being in his life, David could not explain the happiness that he felt leading the tall girl back to safety.
End Twenty Five
**In reality, Orchard does have a phone to main camp, but the other units do not. In this though, all units have phones.
A/N: Great and humble apologies to one and all. I love you all dearly, but here at school there are these little things called finals and final projects that are coming up soon for me, and the teachers have been bombarding us with work as of late. I can only promise you one update a week for the rest of term. By then, the story should be over anyhow. Except for next chapter... that will be up in a few days being as it is already ready to go. ^_^ I love you all! Please Review!
Shoutouts!
Yank: You have so much to learn, child. You can drool absolutely ANYTIME even the WORD Newsies is mentioned. Anything else said after that does not matter, because that word is enough to make any sane girl drool. ^_~ Personally, I would be frightened of any plan that Chip comes up with to get you your Gabriel, but good luck with it anyway! (pssst! If you actually get him, can I borrow him for a little while... just for pictures and stuffs. I won't do anything naughty, I promise. ^_^)
Chipper: Yay for cheetos for breakfast, though personally I prefer cold pizza. ^_^ I love you very Mushly too! hehe... that is a long story, and I don't even remember how it really started. Once upon a time when Kristan and I were talking and we were acting like we were on crack, as we always do. ^_^
Shot: I'm glad you enjoyed. ^_~ I didn't break 200 yet... but it has to be this time now!
Artemis: I do enjoy the quote, Arty, because I absolutely love Terry Pratchett. I wasn't having the campers think of WHY Snitchy would want to kidnap you. They didn't find a motive for him. If you really really want to keep Snitch's swim trunks, they're yours. But just remember, that Vash will be walking around at the pool too, and he'll see your boy all naked and stuffs because you didn't leave him any clothes to wear. : P As for No Sex in the Champagne Room, that is a song by Chris Rock, and it is fairly amusing. You should listen to it sometime. I'll announce in the epilogue who is into bondage, because I'm not telling you now. **sticks tongue out again** You can be gagged with whatever you want to be gagged with... wait... no... that just sounds wrong... you can be gagged with either a bandanna or duct tape, your choice. (there, don't that sound better?) Yes, sweetie, the whole "I'm Artemis and I look cute in my teenie weenie bikini" did really take place.
Mush!Muse: Hey Jack, what's a bikini?
Jack!Muse: Ah HA! Did ja hear dat fellas? Mush don't know what a bikini is!
Blink!Muse: So, Race, what is a bikini?
Race!Muse: Idiots. A bikini is a bicycle for girls.
Me: Sorry Arty, couldn't resist. ^_^ By the way, that was not my idea, it was some other wonderful fanfiction author who I don't know. You would have to ask Artemis to get her name. ^_^ But I think this is terribly funny, and perfect for the situation. It was camper-you talking there, I think. I don't go into Blink's thoughts... guess I will when I re-write this to fix it and make it all pretty and such. ^_^ I like wearing Blink's clothes because they smell like boy. Yum! Okay, now I've written you nearly a page long shoutout, get back to the damnable story!!
Cassie: Snitch was just an accident. He did not know that Artemis was in there, but he was not as freaked out as Skittery, mind. ^_^ Glad you enjoyed the chapter. Luv ya Mushly!
Robin: Spinney chairs are dangerous. Be careful. I've heard that they eat you in your sleep. **eyes room warily for spinney chairs** This is over 188 pages, not including shoutouts, just so you know. ^_^ Hope it counts for you, because it doesn't count for Cassie. (yeah, she already tried) ttyl!
Maddie: Dave and Eeyore engaged? Ickie! When was this? Gah! **dies from shock** ***magically revives at the mention of the name Dave again, thinking it is the Newsie*** ****pouts because there is no Newsie Dave here**** I did your skit on random inspiration from Artemis, because I needed something to happen at dinner. Hope you like!
Christine: Yeah, dumping Happy in the water was fun. We were all soaked too, but it was awesome because it was her... Shot was not a camper for real, she is one of my reviewers, and she goes to a deprived camp where they don't do skits. **pouts for Shot** So I wrote her into this one so that she could get a bit of a feel for it. This is really just the first real week of camp now. I'm ending the story after the first week of camp, but I'm doing an epilogue that includes the banquet and the last candle light ceremony before the boys have to leave. I am writing the summer, not the rest of our lives. Maybe I'll do that later. ^_^ Yes, you can kiss Mush, you have all summer still. ^_~
Christine again: Yes, you can kiss Mush. Hope you got your project done!
Storm: Yeah. ^_^ There is a severe lack of barn staff in the upcoming chapters, but that is because you are all busy and have better things to do at night than this. ^_^ Luv ya Mushly!!
Brownie: Yes, Cheetah is crazy. I didn't understand her all summer, and I don't suppose I ever will. I love Duct Tape and Camp Awards. It would really rock if they made Camp Awards out of Duct Tape. **Grins maniacally** Today it is Thursday night. The campers leave on Friday. They have only been there one week, but that week takes forever. When I re- write it, I'll put up a time frame list so that it is less confusing. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for reading!
Luthien: I did not eat too many brownies at your party.
Blink!Muse: Yeah, and she wouldn't let me have any
Mush!Muse: Really? She let me have loads.
Blink!Muse: **pouts**
Race!Muse: **smacks both of the other Newsies** Shad up, both of ya. Blink, you ate half a trey of brownies, and Mush you didn't eat any cuz you'se allergic to chocolate, remember?
Mush!Muse/Blink!Muse: Oh yeah...
Race!Muse: Anyways, Luthien, thank yas for readin' and I hope you like da rest! Carryin' da banner!
Pyrotic: I'm glad that someone else understands me. Someone who is not quite as crazy as the rest of us. Wait... you're one of Lulu's friends... nevermind. I still live for reviews and readers though, even if they are just as psycho as I am! Luv yah on! **Bursts out into bring on the men**
Kristan: I can't wait to read your story. My muses came back to life today. I think it had something to do with the four doughnuts I ate. Hehe maybe. Good luck on your test on Friday. May the Force be with you! I knew you'd get a kick out of Jack. Luv yah on!
Christine for the 3rd time: I'll try to put Savannah in here somewhere, but I don't know how much I'll mention any more campers. Don't worry, I'll work it in somewhere. ^_^ I wish I didn't have school. *pouts* No, I still have to get up in the morning. Enjoy your days off in high school while you can!