Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Higher Ground. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: PLEASE NOTE that Ezra's task has been changed. Instead of being 'find something new about EACH of the Cliffhangers', it is now '.about the Cliffhanger of your choice'. Although I didn't get as many rebiews as I would have hoped, I have decided to continue this fanfic, or at least for a little while longer. I would like to send my gratitude to the readers who are still reviewing and encouraging me. Your support is greatly appreciated.
1 Second Chances
1.1 Chapter 8
The stars shone brightly in the night sky and a cool breeze whistled through the forest leaves as alluring orange sparks flickered from the warm fire, lighting 's Shelby's tear stained face. Peter and Sophie had already parted to their tent, leaving their lost students by the fire, aching in their own silence. Shelby glanced across the circle of logs at Daisy as she wiped tears off her moist cheeks, embarrassed to have let her guard down yet again. From the blank and distant stares the blonde was getting from her peers, it was impossible to tell if they had noticed.
"Daisy, what's the thing you regret the most since coming to Horizon?" Shelby asked calmly, trying to get the group to talk a bit. Maybe it would distract her from the pain that was tearing up her heart. Daisy looked at the fire, wanting to answer the question honestly, but not wanting to give too much away.
"Wearing a mask at the one time I shouldn't have." Daisy offered a vague answer. "Auggie, how about you?"
"Screwing with Jules' mind." Auggie replied simply. "I should've just been honest about how I felt. How I still feel." Auggie explained. Juliette smiled. "EZ?"
"Trying to impress someone who still won't look at me the same way they used to since my failed attempt to spell out how I feel." Ezra kept his eyes on the fire, trying desperately not to look at Daisy. Finally he gave in to the urge, glancing up just in time to catch the look that Shelby was giving her best friend. To him it was unreadable, but to Daisy it could only mean one thing: tell him! "How about you Jules?" Ezra asked, tearing his eyes away from the girl that, deep down in his heart, in the place that seldom became visible, he knew he would always love.
"I regret letting my mom invade my mind, pushing me to hurt myself and others in ways that I will never forgive myself for." Juliette replied quietly. "Chase?" she asked, hoping he would show the others a bit of the side she had seen earlier in the woods. Chase swallowed, knowing that all the attention was on him. 'Back home' he would have loved the attention, but at Horizon it was different. Here they saw right through his act, and were waiting for him to show the pain that was buried deep inside.
"Since the first time I came or the second?" Chase asked. Juliette shrugged.
"Which ever." She replied.
"No. Both times." Shelby contradicted.
"Ok. The first time would have to be listening to Shelby's conversation with Daisy on the hike. No. Telling everyone else what I had heard, and calling Shelby a." Chase's voice faded away, as he struggled to get the words out.
"Don't say it." Shelby warned quietly. Taking his ex-girlfriend's advice, Chase continued.
"And the second time I guess would be." He thought for a few seconds. "Would be waiting so long to apologize."
"Apologize for what?" Juliette prompted, knowing what Chase was trying to say. Maybe if he said it, everything would be ok again. The brunette thought to herself.
"Apologize for what I did and what I said. I just.it wasn't my fault." The last part of the sentence was so quiet that only Ezra, who was now sitting next to Chase, heard it.
"What do you mean, it wasn't your fault?" He asked.
"Never mind." Chase replied, regretting ever saying anything.
"No, you started, so you have to finish." Daisy spoke up, suddenly interested.
Chase stared into the darkness that loomed behind the bright campfire circle. He wanted to get up and walk away, but he knew that he no longer had the choice. No matter where he tried to hide, his secrets would hunt him down. Sighing he looked at Shelby, who looked away. She still couldn't look him in the eye. Finally Chase spoke.
"For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be like my Dad. I would follow him everywhere. If my Dad didn't like a food or place or person, neither did I. When my parents fought, I would be mad at Mom too. My classmates never really liked me 'cause I was always a little slower than them. I didn't understand the math and I couldn't spell 'Mississippi'. I didn't fit in and I thought that if I was someone else, that people would like me." Catching a look of confusion that passed from Daisy to Shelby, Chase paused. Breathing in he filled his lungs with a clean gust of air, and then slowly exhaled, calming himself enough to continue. "After a while my Dad started to catch onto what I was doing. One day he took me aside, and looking me in the eye, he told me something that clearly defined my purpose in the world. He told me that I had to stop being like him, because if I continued, I would never be loved. He said that his life has been a failure, and that no matter what, I would never be loved.From that moment on it was my goal to prove him wrong. Shelby when I met you, the only thing that went through my head was that this was my chance. You were new and you didn't know my background. I thought that if I got you to sleep with me, then maybe I could prove my Dad wrong." Chase explained. There was only a short pause before Shelby asked a question that had been burning in her mind.
"Ok, then why the rush? How could I love you if I didn't know anything about you?" Shelby questioned
"My parents were getting divorced. My Dad was moving to Florida the next day." Chase answered
"So in other words you had a time limit." Daisy said bitterly. "You're lucky I want to stay at horizon Chase. If I didn't, you don't want to know what I'd do to you."
"Haven't I heard another version of this?" Scott asked with a dry chuckle as memories of the threat Daisy had made in the solo cabin flashed through his head. Shelby smiled slightly, remembering what she had been told about what Daisy had said.
"I'm keeping my word about that one." Daisy answered, her gaze pausing on Scott's hand, which was loosely clasped in Shelby's. For the millionth time since Daisy had come to horizon, she wondered what it would feel like to be in the kind of relationship that Scott and Shelby had. What did it feel like to be loved? She wondered, her pensive stare meeting briefly with Ezra's dark brown eyes. Giving into the aching fear that churned in her heart, Daisy looked away, still not able to look her friend in the eye.
"What about you Scott? What's your biggest regret?" Shelby asked, glancing at her silent boyfriend. The silence had become too much, and the question was all she could think of to say that would get her mind off that horrible night with Chase. Scott thought for a few seconds.
"Where do I start?" he joked. "There are so many things that I regret. Being such an ass when I got here, not to mention that whole X-race incident. You know the whole 'I am my own team' thing. Running.both times. Uh, what else? Being so horrible to everyone.especially Shel. Being so wrapped up in myself. Interrupting Shel's solo. That certainly caused a few problems."
"You think?" Daisy asked dryly. The group laughed. Scott just smiled at her. It was obvious she was only half-serious.
"I don't know what else." Scott tried to continue, but he didn't really know what else to say. Everything couldn't be worth regretting, could it?
"Don't worry, I think you mentioned pretty much everything." Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "All that really matters is that there have been good things you've done too."
"Yeah? Like what?" Chase asked, interested in finding out more about Scott.
"That list would take forever." Auggie replied, smiling at his friend. "You've done your share of good things here, man." He complimented seriously.
"We all have." Daisy said what was on all her friends' minds. "I mean, ok, so we've all had our share of screw ups, but isn't that why we're here?" Daisy asked a rhetorical question. The group nodded their agreement.
"We should probably get to bed." Jules announced suddenly. The group looked at her, surprised. With a little smile the brunette nodded her head towards Peter, who was standing outside his tent, pointing at his watch.
"We're getting up early tomorrow so you guys should get some sleep." Peter ducked back into his tent.
"Peter's probably right." Ezra agreed. As the each group member wandered off towards their tents, Jules walked up to Shelby.
"If I didn't say it before, I'm glad you're back." Juliette said cautiously. A slow smile appeared on Shelby's face.
"Me too." She replied. Jules smiled, following her friends towards her tent.
After kissing Scott goodnight, Shelby took a long look at the sky. Searching the dark night sky for the brightest star, Shelby closed her eyes the way she had every night in Agnes. Taking a deep breath, she made a wish and walked slowly into the darkness, where shadows and nightmares would forever haunt her sleep.
Author's Note: PLEASE NOTE that Ezra's task has been changed. Instead of being 'find something new about EACH of the Cliffhangers', it is now '.about the Cliffhanger of your choice'. Although I didn't get as many rebiews as I would have hoped, I have decided to continue this fanfic, or at least for a little while longer. I would like to send my gratitude to the readers who are still reviewing and encouraging me. Your support is greatly appreciated.
1 Second Chances
1.1 Chapter 8
The stars shone brightly in the night sky and a cool breeze whistled through the forest leaves as alluring orange sparks flickered from the warm fire, lighting 's Shelby's tear stained face. Peter and Sophie had already parted to their tent, leaving their lost students by the fire, aching in their own silence. Shelby glanced across the circle of logs at Daisy as she wiped tears off her moist cheeks, embarrassed to have let her guard down yet again. From the blank and distant stares the blonde was getting from her peers, it was impossible to tell if they had noticed.
"Daisy, what's the thing you regret the most since coming to Horizon?" Shelby asked calmly, trying to get the group to talk a bit. Maybe it would distract her from the pain that was tearing up her heart. Daisy looked at the fire, wanting to answer the question honestly, but not wanting to give too much away.
"Wearing a mask at the one time I shouldn't have." Daisy offered a vague answer. "Auggie, how about you?"
"Screwing with Jules' mind." Auggie replied simply. "I should've just been honest about how I felt. How I still feel." Auggie explained. Juliette smiled. "EZ?"
"Trying to impress someone who still won't look at me the same way they used to since my failed attempt to spell out how I feel." Ezra kept his eyes on the fire, trying desperately not to look at Daisy. Finally he gave in to the urge, glancing up just in time to catch the look that Shelby was giving her best friend. To him it was unreadable, but to Daisy it could only mean one thing: tell him! "How about you Jules?" Ezra asked, tearing his eyes away from the girl that, deep down in his heart, in the place that seldom became visible, he knew he would always love.
"I regret letting my mom invade my mind, pushing me to hurt myself and others in ways that I will never forgive myself for." Juliette replied quietly. "Chase?" she asked, hoping he would show the others a bit of the side she had seen earlier in the woods. Chase swallowed, knowing that all the attention was on him. 'Back home' he would have loved the attention, but at Horizon it was different. Here they saw right through his act, and were waiting for him to show the pain that was buried deep inside.
"Since the first time I came or the second?" Chase asked. Juliette shrugged.
"Which ever." She replied.
"No. Both times." Shelby contradicted.
"Ok. The first time would have to be listening to Shelby's conversation with Daisy on the hike. No. Telling everyone else what I had heard, and calling Shelby a." Chase's voice faded away, as he struggled to get the words out.
"Don't say it." Shelby warned quietly. Taking his ex-girlfriend's advice, Chase continued.
"And the second time I guess would be." He thought for a few seconds. "Would be waiting so long to apologize."
"Apologize for what?" Juliette prompted, knowing what Chase was trying to say. Maybe if he said it, everything would be ok again. The brunette thought to herself.
"Apologize for what I did and what I said. I just.it wasn't my fault." The last part of the sentence was so quiet that only Ezra, who was now sitting next to Chase, heard it.
"What do you mean, it wasn't your fault?" He asked.
"Never mind." Chase replied, regretting ever saying anything.
"No, you started, so you have to finish." Daisy spoke up, suddenly interested.
Chase stared into the darkness that loomed behind the bright campfire circle. He wanted to get up and walk away, but he knew that he no longer had the choice. No matter where he tried to hide, his secrets would hunt him down. Sighing he looked at Shelby, who looked away. She still couldn't look him in the eye. Finally Chase spoke.
"For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be like my Dad. I would follow him everywhere. If my Dad didn't like a food or place or person, neither did I. When my parents fought, I would be mad at Mom too. My classmates never really liked me 'cause I was always a little slower than them. I didn't understand the math and I couldn't spell 'Mississippi'. I didn't fit in and I thought that if I was someone else, that people would like me." Catching a look of confusion that passed from Daisy to Shelby, Chase paused. Breathing in he filled his lungs with a clean gust of air, and then slowly exhaled, calming himself enough to continue. "After a while my Dad started to catch onto what I was doing. One day he took me aside, and looking me in the eye, he told me something that clearly defined my purpose in the world. He told me that I had to stop being like him, because if I continued, I would never be loved. He said that his life has been a failure, and that no matter what, I would never be loved.From that moment on it was my goal to prove him wrong. Shelby when I met you, the only thing that went through my head was that this was my chance. You were new and you didn't know my background. I thought that if I got you to sleep with me, then maybe I could prove my Dad wrong." Chase explained. There was only a short pause before Shelby asked a question that had been burning in her mind.
"Ok, then why the rush? How could I love you if I didn't know anything about you?" Shelby questioned
"My parents were getting divorced. My Dad was moving to Florida the next day." Chase answered
"So in other words you had a time limit." Daisy said bitterly. "You're lucky I want to stay at horizon Chase. If I didn't, you don't want to know what I'd do to you."
"Haven't I heard another version of this?" Scott asked with a dry chuckle as memories of the threat Daisy had made in the solo cabin flashed through his head. Shelby smiled slightly, remembering what she had been told about what Daisy had said.
"I'm keeping my word about that one." Daisy answered, her gaze pausing on Scott's hand, which was loosely clasped in Shelby's. For the millionth time since Daisy had come to horizon, she wondered what it would feel like to be in the kind of relationship that Scott and Shelby had. What did it feel like to be loved? She wondered, her pensive stare meeting briefly with Ezra's dark brown eyes. Giving into the aching fear that churned in her heart, Daisy looked away, still not able to look her friend in the eye.
"What about you Scott? What's your biggest regret?" Shelby asked, glancing at her silent boyfriend. The silence had become too much, and the question was all she could think of to say that would get her mind off that horrible night with Chase. Scott thought for a few seconds.
"Where do I start?" he joked. "There are so many things that I regret. Being such an ass when I got here, not to mention that whole X-race incident. You know the whole 'I am my own team' thing. Running.both times. Uh, what else? Being so horrible to everyone.especially Shel. Being so wrapped up in myself. Interrupting Shel's solo. That certainly caused a few problems."
"You think?" Daisy asked dryly. The group laughed. Scott just smiled at her. It was obvious she was only half-serious.
"I don't know what else." Scott tried to continue, but he didn't really know what else to say. Everything couldn't be worth regretting, could it?
"Don't worry, I think you mentioned pretty much everything." Ezra chuckled, shaking his head. "All that really matters is that there have been good things you've done too."
"Yeah? Like what?" Chase asked, interested in finding out more about Scott.
"That list would take forever." Auggie replied, smiling at his friend. "You've done your share of good things here, man." He complimented seriously.
"We all have." Daisy said what was on all her friends' minds. "I mean, ok, so we've all had our share of screw ups, but isn't that why we're here?" Daisy asked a rhetorical question. The group nodded their agreement.
"We should probably get to bed." Jules announced suddenly. The group looked at her, surprised. With a little smile the brunette nodded her head towards Peter, who was standing outside his tent, pointing at his watch.
"We're getting up early tomorrow so you guys should get some sleep." Peter ducked back into his tent.
"Peter's probably right." Ezra agreed. As the each group member wandered off towards their tents, Jules walked up to Shelby.
"If I didn't say it before, I'm glad you're back." Juliette said cautiously. A slow smile appeared on Shelby's face.
"Me too." She replied. Jules smiled, following her friends towards her tent.
After kissing Scott goodnight, Shelby took a long look at the sky. Searching the dark night sky for the brightest star, Shelby closed her eyes the way she had every night in Agnes. Taking a deep breath, she made a wish and walked slowly into the darkness, where shadows and nightmares would forever haunt her sleep.