Zigzag's P.O.V.

I woke up to a loud blood curdling scream that woke everyone up. I jumped out of my cot. I could see shadows moving around near me meaning that the other boys were getting up to check it out too. Even Magnet, who had trouble getting up for the trumpet in the mornings, was up. I scrambled to find my shoes and followed the other boys who were already going out. What I saw was a man lying in a small puddle of blood. "IT'S MOM!" Squid yelled from somewhere beside me. Mr. Pendanski managed to pull himself into a sitting position. He was breathing heavily. I could see the Warden making her way into the crowd.

"What happened to you?" she asked, pushing through and standing by Mom.

"R-rattlesnake" he choked out. Then he fainted.

"Get him in a car and get him enough anti-venom to get him there alive," the Warden muttered as if it was an everyday thing to have a counselor bitten by a rattlesnake. She started walking back towards her cabin slowly. Mr. Sir and another counselor pulled Mr. Pendanski (who had blood pouring out of his arm) to his feet and managed to drag him to his truck. I looked around. I could see Thorne off to one side of the crowd, eyes wide with fear. I made my way over to her.

"It'll be OK Thorne," I told her, trying to sound calm. Her eyes widened some more and focused on me.

"He is going to die," she whispered. I squeezed her hand.

"No, he isn't" I told her reasurringly.

"I should have stopped her," she said, ignoring me.

"Stop who?" I asked, concerned.

"The rattlesnake?" X-Ray asked, coming up beside us.

"Rhythm," she muttered. Squid gave her a quizzical look.

"Rhythm?" he asked slowly. Thorne's eyes widened at the sound of her name.

"He's going to die," she repeated, pressing her face into my neck. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her ear.

"Stop protecting her," X-Ray muttered venomously. I sighed.

"X, she couldn't stop her. She had a rattlesn-"

"The hell she couldn't!" X-Ray shouted, cutting me off. "Mom could die. We could get a worse counselor!" He threw back at me. Thorne pulled away from me, looking at my face for support and then turned toward X-Ray.

She gave him a wavering look and said "She had a ra-"

"SHUT UP!" he screamed. Thorne's eyes flashed and her muscles tensed. She slapped X-Ray as hard as she could. He staggered and held his hand over his cheek. I could see a bright red mark coming up in between his fingers already.

"Hit her back!" Armpit said. I tensed, preparing myself to stop her from being hurt, even if it meant becoming X-Ray's punching bag.

"I don't hit girls," X-Ray said, turning around and walking toward the tent. All of us followed him with our eyes. One by one the rest of the boys followed suit. I gave Thorne one last look before leaving.

Thorne's P.O.V.

The only thing I did for the next three days after I slapped X-Ray was sleep, shower and dig. I wouldn't make eye contact with anyone. Not even Zigzag. Not that it was too difficult. Everyone was ignoring me, or at least not seeking me out. On the fourth day a familiar blonde headed boy walked in carrying a tray of food. Zigzag sat down beside me and shoved the tray into my lap. "You have to eat," he muttered. I looked up at him thankfully.

"Zigzag..." Once I'd finished the food and cup of water I looked over at him. He stared back at me cooly.

"X-Ray said to tell you he isn't mad at you," he said. I looked out toward the Mess Hall.

"I just stood there...I didn't do anything about it...I let her...but it wasn't my fault" I told him. He looked over at me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I know" he whispered, allowing me to relax under his touch. I put my head in his lap, one hand on his knee. He stroked my hair before finally standing up, probably thinking I was asleep, and resting me on a pillow. It was almost a physical pain to lose his touch.

"Zigzag?" I whispered. He turned around and crouched down at my eye level.

"Mmhm?"

"Stay with me?" I begged, hating the neediness in my voice. But he just moved around to my back, managing just barely to fit himself onto the cot behind me, and wrapping one strong arm around my waist, kissing me on the shoulder.

"As long as you need me."

Armpit's P.O.V.

That new counselor was one weird dude. He was bald and pale as paper. Mr. Gretsky (we called him Skelly cuz he looked like a skeleton) held meetings EVERY night. He said that if we wanted to correct ourselves we needed to start immediatley. I thought he was full of crap. I was mad at Rhythm for getting this dude here and mad at Thorne for not stopping her, and putting X-Ray in a pissy mood. He wasn't mad at her though. I wondered why, but nobody every questioned X.

Rhythm's P.O.V.

I didn't mean for Mr. Pendanski to get hurt. It was just going to be a little prank. I was just going to scare him. But even if I had meant it...Mr. Pendanski was gone. GONE. Why was everyone so mad? I had to be penalized, even though no adults ever found out. Squid, and nobody else for that matter, would talk to me for a few days after that. Diamond included, and she didn't even know Mom. She was too busy drawing "Mr. Perfect Structure Magnet" all day. That started the night Thorne and I made up...