Disclaimer: Louis Sachar is my hero, and I own no one. Consider yourself disclaimed. Whee! On another note, I got the order right for the water line. I feel so proud. *Sniff* Finally, I'd really like to think anyone who has reviewed. I was tempted to stop this at one chapter, just because the unoriginality of it threatened to drive me insane. However, your feedback has kept me going, so thank you very much!

"…So, I ended up driving it over a bridge, and into the muddy banks of the river. I tried to run away, but they caught me before I was even out of the embankment. So, in the end, it was auto theft, avoiding arrest, and underage driving." Andrea concluded, heaving a weary sigh as she recalled so clearly that night in the pouring Detroit rain. She looked up from the table, the napkin that she had been absentmindedly playing with lying in unrecognizable shreds on the table. The seven boys each fixed her with stares, some disbelieving, others mildly confused as they put the details of her story together.

            "So wait, you're, what, thirteen? Fourteen?" Stanley asked, a hint of suspicion on his voice.

            "Sixteen," Andrea answered shortly, all too aware of that suspicion, "I had a birthday while the court case was pending."

            "And you really thought you'd make it to Canada?" Zigzag asked incredulously.

            Andrea shrugged, a half-smile playing across her face. "I guess so."

            "Man, new kid, even for us, that was pretty stupid," Magnet chimed in.

            Squid snorted, "And stealing a puppy isn't?"

            Magnet moved to speak again, but paused, blinking, as his gaze flickered from anger to realization. "Good point."

            No one seemed to have any further questions, comments or accusations, and as Andrea looked around, she saw each of the boys lost in thought, perhaps recalling their own hellacious stories that condemned them to this prison. That is, all save for X-Ray. His eyes were trained on hers, magnified by his thick glasses, as a knowing smirk spread across his face.

            "So, new kid, hope you're ready for your first hole. You're not gonna try to get out of it, are you?" he asked, not bothering to hide the gleeful smile on his face.

            Andrea blinked. She had forgotten all about the first hole. "Actually…I was thinking that I would wear something tight, stick my chest out, and see where that gets me," she considered, thoughtfully stroking her chin.

            X-Ray gaped at her, and the others snapped out of whatever reverie they had been living in, long enough to do the same. "Y-You'd what?" he stammered, quickly clearing his throat.

            Andrea flashed a split-second smile. "I was joking, X. I have no idea what I'm going to do. Grab a shovel and start digging?"

            "Good thinking, new kid, no way are the Warden and Mr. Sir going to let you play the 'I'm a girl, save me!' card anytime soon. Mom too. Face it, you're just like the rest of us, and no one's going to bail you out."

             "Actually, I think I was going for the 'I'm a girl, let me provide what you don't have and get out of digging for it' card, but I think I like yours better. It makes me sound like an even bigger simpering priss," Andrea replied more sarcastically than she had intended. She wasn't sure if it was the alien smell of the food, the no holds barred attitude of X-Ray and the other D-Tent boys, or the looming dread of what the next day would bring, but suddenly she wasn't in the mood to be reminded of how slight the chance was that she'd make it in this wasteland of boys.

            X-Ray looked at her, the shock on his face making it plain that he hadn't been spoken to that way in a long time. "Whatever. I suggest you get some sleep, new kid. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day," X-Ray advised. Without another word, he left his seat at the table, and stalked toward out of the mess hall, melting like a panther into the starry night.

            An awkward silence followed, as each boy seemed to be struggling to find something to say.

            "Er, I think I'll go to bed too," Magnet said at last, standing up and brushing himself off.

            "Yeah, same here," added Zigzag.

            "Yup," chimed Stanley.

            "Ditto," added Armpit.

            "Night," piped Squid.

            Before Andrea knew what had happened, each of them had filed out of the door, bantering back and forth until their voices were but an echo in Andrea's head. She looked from the open door, to Zero, sitting silent as stone with a blank expression on his face.

            "Are they always so hasty in making an exit, or am I just a pain to be around?" Andrea asked, hoping to break the silence between them. He hadn't said a single word to her since she had arrived, nor had she seen him say anything to anyone else. It looked as though this would be no exception, for his gaze did not falter. "Right, I'll just be going then," the mumbled as she stood up and turned to walk away. "Goodnight."

            She was nearly out the door when she heard a quiet voice calling after her. "Night." She turned, getting one last look at his back before stepping out the door and into the night.

            Still clad in the clothes that she had come in, Andrea hugged her arms at the slight chill of the night as her footsteps echoed across the grounds. Reluctantly she stepped into D-Tent, and all conversations died out. She crossed the space to the only cot that wasn't being occupied and sat down with a creak. Her fingers brushed the scratchy wool blanket that was folded neatly at the end of the cot, and breathed in the hybrid smell of dust and sour milk. Welcome home, she thought to herself as she spread the blanket across the bed.

            "Man, I remember my first hole," Armpit began, a sly smile beginning at his cheeks. "I asked you to kill me where I stood halfway through, didn't I, X?"

            X-Ray laughed, "Yeah, but you were no worse than Ziggy. He was in so much pain he spent the entire night mumbling his method of escape in his sleep. Not much has changed since then, eh Zig?"

            Zigzag chuckled and nodded.

            "I know what you mean," Stanley finally joined in. "The size of those blisters on my hands, man…"

            Magnet smirked, "Yeah, those were nasty, man. It's all part of it though, along with the backbreaking work…"

            "All right, I get it!" Andrea snapped, glaring at him. "It's a boy's work and by the end of the first day I'm going to be sobbing and begging for your help. I get it, okay?" Sighing heavily, she flopped back on the bed, not caring how childish she sounded. She stared at the canvas ceiling, painfully aware of six pairs of eyes on her. Her stare was only broken when she heard soft footsteps entering the tent. Zero strode silently over to his cot and sat down, and as if on cue, the tent was plunged into the darkness as the lights in the camp were extinguished for the night.

            Andrea rolled over, the creak of the springs chasing away any thoughts of sleep. She listened to the soft conversations and inwardly cursed herself as silent tears began to spill from her eyes and stain the pillow. No! she raged. If she allowed herself to fall apart today, she would be sobbing for help after the next day. With such thoughts in her head, and with the soft murmurs of the boys around her, she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

I suggest you get some sleep, new kid. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.

            The blare of a horn, crude and unwelcome against the perfect stillness of the night sky, jerked Andrea awake as she bolted upright. All around her, campers sleepily arose, mumbling assorted obscenities as they cursed the inevitable dawn. Andrea quickly pulled on the jumpsuit, her half-conscious stupor telling her that it would be better to change now than when the boys around her actually realized which way was up. She shuffled out of the tent and followed the other campers to the large square where Pendanski and Mr. Sir stood, barking orders of "Get moving, Brandon," and other assorted commands. Andrea moved to her place in line, behind a stretching Squid. She reached the tool shed filled with shovels and grabbed one, blearily rubbing her eyes.

            "Breakfast is to the right, Andrea," Pendanski pointed out, jerking his thumb toward a flimsy table piled with tin containers of tortillas covered in what looked like honey. Lurching back into motion, she trudged over to the table and grabbed a tortilla, wrinkling her nose at the sticky mess that began to drip onto her hands. Shrugging, she took a bite, and nearly spit it out, the gummy mix of bland tortilla and sickeningly sweet honey making her gag. Clenching her eyes shut, she choked the first bite down, coughing as it slid slowly down her throat. She did the same for the second bite, and the third until it was gone. She grimaced as she wiped her mouth of excess honey and began to follow the crowd of boys as they began to march toward the desolate wasteland that stretched for what felt like eternity.

            "Hey, Andrea, no worries. The first hole's the hardest," Andrea looked up and watched Stanley smile through his fatigue.

            Andrea cocked her own weary smile. "Thanks, Stanley."

            "Umm…it's Caveman, all right?"

            Andrea snorted, as laughter bubbled in her chest. "Right. You're Caveman like I'm Lips and Hips."

            "But…you are lips and hips."

            "Shut up."

            The first gray streaks of dawn had already begun to taint the black velvet sky by the time Mr. Sir ordered them to stop. He steered Andrea toward a patch of ground and commanded her to dig.

            "Good luck, girly girl. You're gonna need it. With any, you'll be finished before the hottest part of the day. But, I doubt it." He smirked and walked away. She followed after him long enough for him to fill her canteen, and watched the water truck drive away, the dust it kicked up seeming to disappear into the quickly warming air, just like her hope of surviving this place. Sighing, she walked back to the patch of land and stared at it. She stabbed the shovel into the hard earth, but it bounced back, causing her to jump back with a slight yelp. She heard snickers from some of the nearby boys, and looked up to see X-Ray, Armpit, Magnet, Squid and Zigzag forsaking their precious time in the dark to watch her interestedly.

            Sticking her tongue out in concentration, Andrea found one of the cracks in the ground and thrust the shovel into it, nearly dropping it in surprise when she saw that it sank into the earth. Stepping on the shovel, she pushed the shovel to its very limit before sloppily heaving the dirt off to one side. "I did it!" she beamed as she stared at the indentation in the ground. Brimming with satisfaction, she rewarded herself with a drink of water. Glancing up, she saw the sun's angry brow had already begun to peak above the horizon. This wouldn't be so hard; she just had to keep digging. The boys had been trying to psyche her out, and that was it. Digging holes would be a snap.

***

            A number of hours later, waist-deep in the baked soil, Andrea realized she couldn't have been more wrong. Her muscles screamed with every stroke of the shovel she made, and the back of her neck was already beginning to redden with every minute that the sun beat down upon it. Her legs and back felt stretched to the very limit, and layers of blisters had formed on her thin hands. Seeing an increasingly familiar cloud of dust in the distance, she hopped out of the hole and grabbed her canteen, draining the last of it. She sauntered over to the boys, and winced as each of them clapped her on the back.

            "How's it goin', new kid?" X-Ray asked with a grin.

            "Fine, I guess," Andrea lied as she eyed the approaching truck.

            "Good," he grunted, "Now get in line."

            "Wh…" before she could have time to finish the sentence, Armpit and X-Ray had grabbed her by the collar and shoved her toward the back of the line. Her thick-soled boot caught a crack in the thirsty dirt and she tumbled face first to the ground. Quickly standing up, she blew her hair out of her eyes and brushed herself off, only to cringe at the burning in her hands. Andrea pulled her hands away from the jumpsuit, staring at the jagged red cuts etched across her palms atop the blisters she had formed earlier that day. Her eyes flicked to the legs of the jumpsuit, and saw that thin red lines of blood mingled with the grime. "Sorry, X-Ray," she mumbled, quietly taking her place at the back of the line.

            Moments later, the water truck screeched to a stop, and Mr. Pendanski hopped out, his nose slathered in sun block just as it had been the previous afternoon. "Hello, Rex," he greeted, the tension gone from his voice.

            "Morning, Mom," X-Ray replied almost quietly. His air of power had completely vanished, and it didn't take Andrea long to see why. Water was life in this wasteland, and Pendanski had the water. Therefore, Pendanski was life, and angering life didn't seem like an option.

            One by one, X-Ray, Armpit, Zigzag, Squid, Magnet, Stanley and Zero walked back to their holes with canteens filled, until Andrea was the only one left. Pendanski took her canteen and filled it, but when she went to grab it, he held it back.

            "How are things going for you, Andrea?"

            "Just fine," she muttered, staring at the water jug.

            "Oh good, and the boys are treating you nicely?"
            "Er…" Andrea tossed a glance over at X-Ray, who was eyeing her suspiciously. "Yeah, everything's fine. Thank you, sir." At long last, he handed her the canteen, and she walked back to her hole, hesitant to start again. Mechanically, she grabbed the shovel, and began to dig again, putting herself in a place that she couldn't feel the aches in her muscles, the homesickness in her stomach, or the scorching sun on her back. Just keep going; just keep going…she reminded herself over and over, until she forgot all of it. Forgot where she was, forget who she was, forgot everything that made her cry the night before.

            "Hey, Andrea," a voice suddenly called her out of her perfunctory daze. Her gaze snapped up, and she saw Squid staring down at her. She squinted and shifted to one side, moving so that the sum was directly behind his back, casting an incandescent glow about him. "You know, you've been done for a good while now."

            "What?"

            "Your hole. You know, digging deeper won't earn you extra points, just extra back pain."

            Andrea blinked, chasing the last of her thoughts back to the dusty corners of her mind from whence they came. Looking around, she realized that she was in a hole not up to her waist, but above her head. She stood the shovel upright, and saw that the sides were as deep as a shovel length and then some, and she was able to lay it down in any direction across the bottom. She took a step, and all of the pain she had felt earlier returned, magnified by what felt like thousands, and she nearly collapsed as her knees buckled. Squid just watched her, an amused eyebrow raised as she attempted to jump out, only to fall back down.

            "Want some help?"

            "That would be nice," she snapped.

            He snorted, a superior smile beginning at his lips. "Well, if you're going to yell at me, maybe I'll just leave. I've already paid my debt to society today, so there's no sense in me playing Good Samaritan in the hot sun with a girl who doesn't want my help," he grinned and began to walk away.

            Andrea scowled to herself. "Damn it," she muttered to herself. "Wait!" she called after him, and he appeared in her sight, his grin wider than ever.

            "Yes?"

            "I'm…sorry. Now could you help me out? Please?"

            "Hmm…"

            "Please, Squid?" she begged, deciding at that moment she was not above begging on her knees, and considered doing so.

            "All right fine," he granted at last, reaching down to pull her out.

            With her only free hand, Andrea grabbed hold of his arms and he pulled. But, either he had overestimated her weight, or she had underestimated his strength, for moments later, she was flying through the air, before crashing to the ground a few feet away with a loud "Hunh". She gasped for breath as she rolled over, clutching her stomach as Stanley and Magnet, the only two campers left digging, turned and stared. She stood up, the ache in her legs nothing to the sharp pains in her stomach as she fought to regain her breath. Squid walked over to her, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped.

            "Sorry about that," he said casually, his tone suggesting that he was anything but sorry.

            "Not to worry," she breathed, grabbing her shovel, which had landed several feet in the other direction. Squid slung his own shovel over his shoulder and began to walk back to camp.

            "G'bye then," he murmured as he walked away.

            "Thank you," she called after him, but he was already out of earshot.

            "What was that all about?" Magnet's harsh Hispanic words reached her ears and she spun around and cleared her throat.

            "What was what about? Me having the manners to thank someone for helping me?"
            "Sure, if you want to call it that," Stanley riposted with a grin.

            "Whatever you say, boys. Have fun digging, Caveman. Magnet."

            With a sigh and a slight flinch as she took her first steps, Andrea began the long walk toward camp.

***

            The sun had begun to sink in the sky, painting it a deep shade of blood red, as Andrea drug her half-limp form back into the square at the center of camp. Looking behind her, she could see that Magnet was on his way back, and Stanley had just hunched over his hole and spit into it. She cast a glance at the showers, feeling she needed to be clean more than anything else, and then over to the wreck room, wanting nothing more than to sit down. She looked between the two, before hobbling over to the shovel shed and hanging up the shovel with a light clang.

            Finally realizing that if she sat down she would never be able to get up, she shambled over to the showers and stripped down to as little clothing as she dared. Suddenly, Andrea realized that she needed her other jumpsuit and a shower token, but couldn't get up the strength to get back into her clothing. Without a moment's hesitation, she dashed, if you could call it that, over to D-Tent, and grabbed everything that she needed, thanking her lucky stars that no one was in there, and that the grounds were deserted. Running back to the showers, she inserted the token and plunged into the icy stream, caring nothing for the temperature. She didn't care anymore whether or not she was clean, but she never wanted to leave that stream of frigid water. She watched as the dirt that had caked itself to her face and body melted into the water, turning it murky brown as it rolled off of her body. She had just thought to reach for the soap when there was a mechanical click and the water shut off. Cursing slightly, she stepped out of the showers and dressed herself, watching the drops from her dark hair fall to the ground and disappear instantly, lost forever to the parched land.

            Finally feeling slightly refreshed, Andrea shuffled toward the wreck room, feeling almost comforted by the noise. She suddenly saw a lumpy orange chair, and made for it. Without looking, she plopped down and tilted her head back. A grunt ruffled her damp hair and she turned around. Yelping loudly, she leapt off of the seat, and fell to the ground, apologizing profusely while everyone around her shared a laugh. She looked up, and saw a pimple-faced boy with greasy blonde hair hanging in his eyes. He smiled wickedly at her, and she backed away.

            "Er…I'm sorry," she mumbled, slowly rising to her feet. She walked over to where most of D-Tent was assembled around a banged-up pool table, and listened as they laughed some more. After awhile, she began to laugh along with them, whether by realization of the hilarity of the situation or sheer insanity from fatigue, she wasn't sure.

            "So, new kid, Squid tells us you got yourself stuck in your hole. Smooth. Real smooth."

            Andrea grinned, not caring that his tone was mocking. "Thanks. I try."

            "Man, I'm hungry!" Stanley called as he walked in the door. "Dinner?"

            The rest agreed and the all walked toward the mess hall, just as the dinner bell began to wring through the evening. The eight of them followed the crowd of the wreck room and into the cafeteria. Andrea stood the back of the line, just as before, and watched as food was slopped on her tray once again. She followed Stanley and the others to the table and sat down. After a few minutes of silent consumption, Magnet looked at Stanley and grinned evilly.

            "So, Andrea, what's with you and Squid?"