A/N: Sorry for taking long. Nothing much this time. Thinking of changing the title, ideas? Feeling kinda poetic, so this chapter will be a bit funky and a bit long. Lotsa flashbacks. Try not to get confused. And, before I forget, here are the parings for this story, altogether. (Zero/Bear..Awww!(all thought it) X-Ray/Naomi..egads!(now) Latyoa/X-Ray..gasp!(later) Dakota/Twitch)(Zero has FLOOFLY hair...fly away XD!)

Chapter Five: Dream Time

Rain pounded the windows. Lightning lighted the dark, rainy sky. The wind howled mournfully through the trees. Through it all, she snuggled under the blanket, huggled closer to the boy known as Zero. She was unusually quiet, solemn. She pondered her next move, and then rested her head onto his left shoulder. He seemed to take little notice, but turned and smiled at Bear. Her hazel eyes were closed, so she couldn't see.

A sleepover. Inside a tent. During a rainstorm. How lovely. But, nonetheless, it was a camping trip in Zig's farmyard sized yard. Huddled inside, was the whole gang, Bear included.

"So, like, the guy came into the house and he like, murdered her, you know," The old, yellowing flashlight illuminated Twitch's fidgeting face. He waited for a gasp, or something. Anything, "you guys are, like, stiff, you know?" He cracked a small grin, glanced at the whole group, but rested on Sarah, the joker, for a reassuring smirk. Nothing. Sighing, he put the flashlight down, on the bottom of the tent.

"No, Brian. That story was stiff," The 'leader' X-Ray sneered, raising a few laughs from Squid, Armpit and Twitch, himself. Half the boys were asleep in the tent, anyways. He picked up the flashlight, his body almost invisible in the dark and shined the light onto the sleeping girl, beside Zero, "Let Bear tell her story." Hearing her name, the girl stirred, yawned, and looked at X with a 'what?' look on her face, similar to Zero's before.

Stirring gently, she raised herself, leaning onto Zero, "My story? Are you sure? It's sad. I mean, really sad," Her eyelids fluttered over her eyes, but opened when Armpit reached over and poked her. With a small, delicate snort, she looked to all the guys and began her story.

~*~*~

Sarah had moved around a lot before she came to this place. Of course, she hated leaving, but loved leaving the other place behind.

"Sure," she groaned to herself, unpacking her room, "you like it now. Wait until school starts." And she was right.

From the first day, she was picked on. Mostly by Stephanie. By far, Sarah was prettier than Stephanie, though a bit chubby (she had lost a lot of weight after moving). As she would walk into class, everyday, Stephanie would make rude comments, gestures and worse, provoking the other girls around her. Her little 'band.'

This had gone on for weeks, months. Her grades slipped, and she lost her grip, trying unspeakable things, many times. Eventually, she snapped on the girls. Leaping at Stephanie when she went to far. This had caused Sarah a suspension from school. Her parents, they loved as always and decided to move afterwards. And they did.

~*~*~

"Dude, that's crazy." Zero seemed to be the only one still awake. X-Ray was snoring loudly, Armpit was shifting in his sleep, and Squid muttered about...sheep, while Twitch was running in his sleep, beside Zigzag and Caveman.

Sarah nodded quietly, letting Zero shift and lie down, becoming more comfortable. Looking at the sleeping boys, she yawned, herself, but wasn't ready to sleep, "Do you remember the first day we met? All the guys. And you had just come back from that...Orange River...Blue Stream...place?" She strained her brain, trying to remember.

"Green Lake," Zero laughed, but was soon replaced by a serious look to it. His voice was rather soft now, as he tried to find that memory lodged back in his head.

~*~*~

"Hey, look. A new kid!" Zigzag pointed to a large, green car and a large moving van, behind it. Someone was sitting against the window, sneering and growling and mumbling at this place. Besides that, there were people moving things inside and out, tearing doors open. As she held her head inside her hands, the girl looked out, and to her left. There was a small group of gawking boys. She felt like a show dog, but turned her head away, and to the other side.

"This place," She hissed at herself, as she spat and walked out of the car. Brushing some hair from her eyes, she looked at them, and raised her shoulders in a small shrug, but walked the other way, "Here we go again," Again, she felt herself being drawn to the group. A small intenseness burned behind her eyes, and she could feel herself finally screaming at, them, "Hey, boys. Take a picture, it'll last WAY longer!!"

"Hey chika, take a chill pill!" The Hispanic teen boy yelled back. The boys nodded their agreements. But, somehow, her eyes were fixed onto the smallest one. He was her age, dark skinned, curled hair. She thought to herself and made a waving gesture with her hand, and turned, and left.

The next day, after a rough sleep, the girl went to see if the boys were still there, especially the small one. Gingerly, she pranced to the curb, where they gawked the other day. Nothing. She felt a small, sharp stab of pain where her heart was, but ignored it and growled at herself. Okay, she though to herself, where did they run off to? She shook her head. Why was she caring about them anyways, they'd be like all the others.

"Hey?" She turned around, her head spinning, to see an odd pair standing in front of her on the street curb. One boy, the older one was taller, blonde with frizzy, curly hair. But next to him was the boy she saw before. The girl could feel her heart racing, but why? They didn't have sneering faces like the other girls before, so she decided to speak.

"Yeah," was all she could manage. But she coughed slightly, and straightened up, relaxing her shoulders, "I'm Sarah, though people tend to call me other things. But that doesn't matter. Who are you?" She looked at the small boy now, her gaze darting unsurely.

"Caveman. And this is Zero," The blonde gestured to the boy, who cave a small nod hello.

"Who were those other boys, that were with you earlier?" She asked, looking straight at Zero and expecting him to answer. But he just stared.

"Zigzag, X-Ray, Squid, Armpit, Magnet and Twitch," The one called Caveman answered, his voice still untoned. Noticing Sarah's quirky gaze, he added, "We all have little nicknames. And, Zero doesn't talk much.."

"Err, whatever then," She turned around, holding her hand onto her hips, and sighing. Not bothering to say goodbye, she turned on her heel and started to walk slowly to her house down the street. Sarah didn't even turn back to see if the two were still there. She just kept walking until.

"Wait, Sarah, you wanna meet the boys?" It wasn't Caveman, but Zero this time. She turned her head, watching the two with her hard, searing gaze.

"Are they like you?" She asked, a small smile wiping her round face. With a nod from Zero, Sarah found a spot between him and Caveman, "Of course. Lead away!" She laughed.

After a few minutes, and basic intros, Sarah was sitting at the park, in the grass with the other guys spread around them in a circle. She was between Zero and Twitch, next to Zero was Caveman, then X-Ray, Ziggy, Squid, Armpit and Magnet. A question prodded her mind, until she asked them, "Hey, guys. Can I have a nickname too?"

"Well, whaddya like?" X-Ray answered, "What's your favorite animal?"

Twitch looked at him questionably, at least he -earned- his nickname. He reached around her at Zero and hit him softly on the arm. Zero smirked and Sarah though for a moment, "I like bears. And I, well I act like one. I can hurt people if they bother me." To the boy's surprised looks, she added, "I bite, too. But not often," she whacked Zero lightly on the arm.

"Alright, then," Armpit nodded, "you're Bear now. Welcome to the club."

~*~*~

Zero yawned, Bear shifted beside him and laid her head on the pillow next to his.

"I remember that," Zero laughed, his eyes closed, "We though you were kinda weird, but we love you anyways, girl," He ruffled her head of curled hair. She snorted and swiped at him.

"You're kinda weird too, not speaking and all," She yawned herself, scratching her head and drifting off to sleep slowly, "'Night Hector."

"'Night Sarah,"