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Chapter Six - The Picture

Madeline woke up the next morning with, thankfully, no queasiness that had ailed her the day before. But her elbow stilled ached painfully. She had to sleep on only her right side all night, something that was very uncomfortable to do on such an already uncomfortable cot.

Zero had watched her for most of the night. Every so often she would fidget, gripping her badly bandaged elbow. He felt sorry for her. It wasn't her fault ZigZag was being a jerk.

He looked over at him. The blonde boy was laughing about something with Squid and Armpit. His gaze turned back over to Madeline as he laced up his boots.

She seemed so unbreakable on the outside. Her eyes never met those feelings, if you even took the time to look into their deep emerald pools. They were a mixture that he couldn't seem to figure out, but he desperately wanted to.

'What am I thinking?!,' he thought. He shook his head and followed the others outside.

***

ZigZag and Madeline didn't say a word or even look in each other's direction all morning while digging. They were both still mad, Zig at her for punching him and Madeline at him for tripping her.

By the time Pendanski came around with lunches, Zig was complaining yet again about how quick she was digging.

"Ok, Firecracker, seriously!" he exclaimed, grabbing a sandwich. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't start Zig. I'm a quick digger - plain and simple," she spat and walked back to her hole.

***

Madeline tiredly stumbled into the tent, cradling her elbow and nearly tripping yet again over her own feet.

She coughed up dust as she grabbed her swimsuit that she took a shower with. Suddenly, a thick wave of dizziness passed over her and she knelt down on the floor, holding her head in her hands, moaning softly.

A hand started rubbing her back, helping her tense muscles to relax. It took a minute or two, but the dizziness soon left. She looked up to see Zero standing beside her.

"Thanks," she said meekly. He nodded and laid down on his cot, staring at the ceiling.

Madeline walked out of the tent to get her shower.

***

ZigZag, Magnet, and Squid were just coming back from digging when Madeline was walking back from her shower, her orange jumpsuit with the sleeves tied around her waist and her bikini top on.

Squid whistled and Magnet started laughing. She rolled her eyes and pushed in front of them to get to the tent. Magnet spotted a dark spot on her lower back.

"Hey chica, what's that thing on your back?" he asked. Zero's eyes cautiously moved from the ceiling over to Madeline who was drying her hair with her towel.

She looked down at her back and grinned slightly.

"A tattoo," she said coyly, moving the sleeves of the orange material so they could all see the red rose tattooed perfectly on her skin. She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. Zero also noticed she had a belly button ring, a tiny silver stud.

"So have you perverts had your share for the day or am I going to have to do a striptease for y'all too?" she said sarcastically, throwing a white tank top over her bikini top. Squid snorted. She smiled.

"Thought so. Now get your damn minds outta the fucking gutter, PLEASE!"

***

Later, all the boys, including Zero, had wandered off to the Wreck Room, leaving Madeline alone in the tent. But she didn't mind this time.

"Almost done...," she said to herself. She finally placed the pencil down and blew lightly against the paper, brushing all the eraser shavings off. Holding the pad up, she looked at her work.

"Eh, it'll do," she said with a cocky grin. But inside a bubbling feeling was overcoming her.

***

Dinner had come and gone and the boys had returned to the Wreck Room and other tents. Madeline had challenged A-tent to a game of pool against her and the rest of the tent. Zero had opted out.

He was about to lie down on his cot when he saw a folded piece of paper lying against the scratchy sheets. Curiously, he picked it up and opened it. He gasped.

It was a picture of him. But it was more than a picture, it was a drawing. Perfectly drawn out and expressing every detail of his face, an angry and set jaw, round eyes, and his curly hair. From the way it was drawn, it showed him lying on his cot. But instead of him looking at the ceiling he was looking straight ahead in it.

There was some writing in the margin and the corner, but Zero couldn't read. It was one of the disappointing parts of his childhood - never being able to go to school.

He looked at the picture one more time, smiling to himself before folding it up and putting it in his crate.

***

Madeline chewed on her fingernail anxiously all through the counseling session, keeping her eyes on the floor.

'Why did I have to sign my name in the corner? Why?! God I'm so stupid... he's going to think I'm crazy. I belong with ZigZag...,' she thought angrily.

"Yo Firecracker, you coming?"

Her head snapped up to see Armpit staring at her strangely. Everyone else was walking out the door. She stood up and followed them.

Later that night, her thoughts about the picture she had drawn had not subsided. She turned over on her cot, a shot of pain cutting through her elbow.

"Damn," she whispered. Zero's eyes opened. She was too occupied in her elbow to notice. She laid back down and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm God if I get any sleep tonight," she said quietly to herself, and walked out of the tent.

Zero quietly got out of his cot, grabbed the picture from his crate, and followed her.

***

Madeline sat down in the dusty dirt a couple yards away from the tent. She looked up. There weren't any stars tonight. She sighed and ran a tired hand through her brown hair.

"Want some company?"

She turned around and saw Zero standing a few feet away from her. Her attention was soon fixed on the folded up piece of paper in his left hand.

She merely nodded and turned back around. He sat down beside her. They just sat that way in silence, for what seemed like an eternity, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"You're a really good artist," Zero finally said, unfolding the picture. She smiled.

"T-Thanks. I didn't think it was that great but...," she stopped and felt her cheeks growing red.

'Thank God for darkness,' she thought, biting her lip.

"I thought it was really good," he said, looking at her. She smiled again.

"I've been drawing since I've been able to hold a pencil," she said softly. "It's the only thing besides music that just... I dunno... sets me free."

Zero nodded, understanding. Silence overcame them again.

"We should probably be getting back," Madeline said, looking over at Zero. She suddenly noticed how deep his eyes were. They were filled with sadness and anger and every single emotion you could think of that damages a sixteen-year-old.

"Yeah," he said, smiling a little.

"You know you should do that more often," she stated, standing up.

"Do what?"

"Smile," she said plainly. "You look so amazing when you smile. It's a shame you don't do it that often."

His smile faded.

"Usually there's nothing worth smiling about," he said softly, turning around and walking back into the tent.

Madeline felt her heart break for Zero. She looked up at the starless sky and sighed. He was right. Around here there wasn't anything worth smiling about.

Usually.

*~*

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