"You play sports, right?"

Erika and Scott sat idly, taking a much-needed rest. It was midday, and Erika still hadn't eaten. They were engaged in idle conversation. Erika picked at the grass as she responded.

"Yeah, before I was kicked off all the teams," she said coolly. "I lived for sports."

Scott looked at her in a somewhat new light. "Cool, me too. For me it was football."

"Soccer."

"Yeah I saw you going at it in that game against the Ridgerunners. Did you ever play any football?"

Erika returned a blank stare. "Why?" she questioned.

"We need some more competition at Horizon," he responded, grinning.

"Well," she began, "I was on the school team, before I decided I didn't care about shit and cut class, and coach threw me off. But what the hell did I care?"

It was a moment before he replied. "Why'd you do it?" he asked quietly, seeing eerie reminiscence in her story from his own past.

"What?"

"Decide you didn't care about anything?" Scott explained.

"Just, the stuff that was going on in my life... I have no reason to care about anything." she answered. She cleared her throat. "I'm working on it."

"So you wanna play a little football when we get back, see if your skills are still sharp?"

"Still sharp as ever, I can tell you that now."

"Great. We can have a match within the cliffhangers."

"Yeah, okay," she replied in a monotone.

Scott sensed there was something in her tone. "What?" he asked.

Erika rose. "We gotta keep moving. Soon we'll have to build fire."

"Oh, no problem, we got that covered."

"Well good, because I haven't got a clue."

Scott rose as well. "K, let's get out of here, see how far we can get before it gets dark."

Scott and Erika trudged onward as Sophie suddenly emerged from their shadows.

"You guys are faring pretty well!" she said suddenly, making her presence known. Erika and Scott both jumped and turned at the sudden sound of her voice. "Good work guys," she continued. " I guess experience does come in handy, huh Scott?"

Scott wasn't particularly enthused with the question. "What? Yeah."

"It's getting dark, guys. Scott, don't tell me you've forgotten completely how this works," Sophie said, continuing, walking beside the two students.

"Fire- we need to make a fire," Scott said in realization.

"That's what I was pointing to. Erika? How are you holding up?"

"Alright, I suppose," Erika replied nonchalantly.

Sophie smiled. "Guess it wasn't as bad as you thought, huh?"

"We have to get some firewood," Scott declared.

Sophie paused. "Scott," she said, "I'll allow you to untie the twine for a few minutes in order to gather the firewood. I need a minute to speak with Erika."

"Did you actually say I could untie the twine, or did I just imagine it?"

Sophie merely smiled. "Only for a few moments, Scott."

Scott quickly untied the twine from his leg, turning to his counsellor in gratitude. "Freedom!" he assessed.

"The firewood," Erika reminded him. Scott nodded and scrounged for branches laying about.

Sophie and Erika sat down. Erika was, to Sophie's surprise, the first one to speak. She stared off into the distance as she did. "You know, it's actually kind of nice outside, you know with all the plants and things. And I've never been much of an outdoorsy person," she said.

Sophie smiled genuinely. "Realized you've been missing out huh? So how are you guys doing for food?"

Erika shrugged. "I haven't eaten once today."

Sophie stared Erika down in concern. "Erika- you need to eat something," she said.

"I'm not eating the shit Scott's eating. It looks even less edible than that lame-ass excuse for food they serve at Horizon."

"You're missing the point, Erika," Sophie replied pointedly. "This is about learning to survive without all the things you take for granted. It's a real survival mission."

"Well, I guess I'm surviving without food. That's survival. I can wait until morning."

"Erika, that's not healthy," Sophie warned.

"Who cares? The state my body's in is nothing compared to my mind."

Sophie stared intensely at the difficult student. "You want to talk?" she asked softly.

Erika smirked. "I'm not going to," she said nonchalantly.

"Why not?"

"I wouldn't know how, I wouldn't know where to start, I wouldn't know where it would end," Erika stated, refusing eye contact with her counsellor.

"I can help you with it," Sophie offered.

Erika looked at Sophie defiantly. "You could only try."

Sophie furrowed her brows. "So what's this about, huh?"

"Life," Erika answered simply.

"You have to be a little more specific than that."

"Sorry. Can't help," Erika said.

"You don't need to do this to yourself, you know?"

"I am more than aware. I choose to torture myself, slow and painfully."

Sophie Becker stared at the student with sympathy, but without comprehension. "Do you think that'll help what's eating at you?" she asked.

"Sophie, I know you're well intentioned. But you can't help me."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a lost cause. I am the way I am."

"Do you like that person?"

"Who cares? I'm stuck with her. But I can deal with it."

"Are you sure about that?"

"That person is strong, that person takes nothing from nobody," Erika reassured.

"I see." Sophie sighed, somewhat hopelessly, knowing that Erika would not give up easily. She glanced around to find that Scott had returned with an armful of branches. "Well looks like Scott's back. I'll give you some room."

Erika smiled genuinely, a gesture Sophie found curious. "I appreciate it," Erika said.

Sophie shook her head. "No problem," she replied. "Scott- I'll tie you guys back up."

"How thoughtful of you," Scott replied.

Sophie smiled at the remark. "Anytime."







Night had fallen, and Scott and Erika had set up their sleeping bags, untied, free of the bind. It was completely dark, the veil of darkness had fallen. Erika hadn't found sleep with her stomach growling as it was. Scott sat upright in his sleeping-bag, and looked to be deep in thought. Erika sat up also. Sophie was asleep nearby.

"Can't sleep?"

Erika turned to her speaker. "No," she answered. "You know, I'm really hungry."

"You know where to find the cedar plant."

"Scratch that- I'm not hungry anymore."

Erika could hear Scott chuckling. "What's up with you anyways?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Messing with everyone you can," he explained.

Erika sighed. "It's just so I'm not the one getting messed. That's all there is to it."

"You know, I don't think so."

"You know, Peter threatened to take me to juvie if I didn't get my shit together." Erika changed the subject. "You ever been to juvie?" she asked.

"No, but I heard enough about the place that I know I'd rather be here," Scott said.

"Yeah. Nothing like taking the easy way out."

Scott shook his head. "I got the only thing that means anything to me here. I'd never leave her if I could help it. Almost did though."

Erika arched an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. My dad wanted to take me out of Horizon, and I left this place. But I came back for her."

Erika was at a loss for words, not knowing what to make of what he had just said. "Wow. That's.. that's nice," she managed.

Scott sighed. "Yeah."

"Listen, I'm a real jerk for saying what I said. You forgive me, Scott?"

"Do you mean it?" he asked.

"Yeah. I didn't know then, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

A pause lingered, before Erika broke the silence. "You must really like her."

"Like you can't imagine, Erika," he answered, wishing he could have been at the docks with Shelby that very moment.

"You love her?" Erika asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Scott admitted.

"How are you sure?"

"What do you mean?"

Erika swallowed. "How do you know it's love? Do you believe in it?"

"Yeah. I just know. It's the way I am around her, you know? She makes me want to be a better person. You don't believe in love?"

"I dunno. I've had some rough experiences in love and relationships and all that shit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?" Scott asked.

"Like things I don't feel like talking about," Erika replied stiffly.

"Yeah, ok."

"Alright then."

Another pause lingered between the two. "You know, you and Shelby are more alike than you know," Scott said suddenly.

Erika rolls her eyes. "You know Scott, there is more to a person than their physical attributes.."

Scott interrupted Erika's words. "She was initially just this hard shell that no one could get through to. It was hard for to communicate with Shelby at first, but she comes around, eventually. She took a while, for me."

"And? It was worth it?"

"What? To wait for her to come around? Hell yeah."

Erika reflected before she responded. "Hm," she began. "Not sure I understand that, but ok. You have something really good, Scott, even if I don't like her. You talk about her like she's some kind of.. god."

"She is. To me. I guess you weren't kidding when you said you had some rough experiences in relationships and stuff. We all do, you know."

Erika resisted the urge to smack him. "Yeah, right. It must have been awful hard for you, huh. Listen, I don't expect you to understand, we're not having this conversation, Scott."

"Listen, Erika. My life isn't perfect, or else I wouldn't be here."

"You CHOSE to be here."

"I had some pretty messed up parents, and step parents. My dad did some pretty messed stuff," Scott said, purposely evading the details.

"Yeah, well, you at least had a father growing up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"At least you had some kind of figure," Erika began, not heeding her words. "At least someone cared enough about you not to go fuck up and land.."

"Yeah..?"

"Oh, fuck this."

"Listen, I don't think you're right," Scott said. "Is having a bad father better than not having one, really? I'm not so sure. Shelby would tell you, no."

"You don't want to know the kind of shit my dad got himself into," Erika argued. "Trust me, you're lucky."

"I still don't agree," Scott returned. "Just because my dad's in my life, doesn't mean he cares all that much. Doesn't mean he knows anything, or wants to. If my dad was never in my life.. I'd probably be at high school right now, playing football.."

"Dating cheerleaders, I know, and I don't care, Scott."

"I didn't ask you to, you know," Scott replied defensively. "You don't seem to care about much."

"It's hard to care about things when you don't have anything. It's hard to care about your father when he's the piece of shit that he is."

"And what's that?"

"What? What kind of shit do you mean?" Erika questioned.

"Yeah. You've been rambling this whole time and I still don't know what you're talking about," Scott replied blatantly.

Erika refused to answer him. "You know, I didn't even know he existed until like a few months ago."

"Ok, whatever. You don't wanna tell me, I don't care. It's your life. I'm tired," Scott said, exasperated, shifting in his sleeping bag so he wasn't facing Erika.

"Good, because I wasn't planning on telling you anyways," Erika replied, lying down in her sleeping bag also.

"K, great. Night."

"Night."