Rachel sighed and put her hands down by her side on the cot. She could
not sleep. Partly from the horrible bruises she had on her head, ear,
stomach, and leg. Her nose kept bleeding occasionally. As she lay on
her cot, everyone else sleeping, she couldn't help but think that Squid
seemed to be following her everywhere she went. Always there, always
compromising, trying to make her feel loved.
Rachel thought harder and harder, just thinking about everything that's happened in the past month.
He's always there for me. Rachel thought. I'm getting sick of it! I never thought I'd say something like that, but I just want to be alone. I want to be alone! And I can't take another one of Mr. Sir's no-word violent lectures. And I'm not going to stay here anymore. I want to be like Barfbag, away from Camp Green Lake.
Rachel rolled over on her cot and thought some more. She had a number of things on her mind, so she decided to go walk it off.
She pushed open the tent flap and walked out of the tent.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Carla and The Warden talking to one another by the Wreck Room. The Warden's cabin was pitch black. It was the first time Carla had been seen with a human's eye for a long time.
Rachel narrowed her eyes in curiosity as she made her way around the tents, being as quiet as she could, carefully surveying her movements as to keep the pain from coming back. Until finally she made it to the side of The Wreck Room. She stopped tip-toeing as soon as she was well within earshot of the two.
They were whispering.
"Yes, I know that, Carla! Pendanski was stupid to mention anything. I understand that he doesn't know what's going on, but that was bullshit, what he pulled. I'm surrounded by cow terds." Rachel heard The Warden having a fit with Carla.
"What is she doing here?" Carla exclaimed.
"I would like to know the same thing Carla, so I would appreciate it if you stopped asking me that!" The Warden said sternly.
"It needs to be answered." Carla said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Excuse me? I am very well aware of that Carla." The Warden answered, "And now we've got a stupid cop calling here looking for her! I have a feeling that the cops are well on our case. We have to get that money right now. So I called your father. He didn't seem very worried about it, a little jumpy actually."
That's impossible! He's dead! Rachel thought.
"Yeah he's always been that way. Look at how Rachel got away so easily." Carla whispered.
"My point exactly."
"So is he coming or what?" Carla asked.
Rachel leaned forward to hear what they were saying, because this was crucial information that she needed to find out. She lost her footing in a small hole by the Wreck Room's base and she fell in a heap of dust. She couldn't help it, and coughed.
"What was that?" Carla asked, "Go check. Someone might be over there."
The Warden looked at Carla, "Excuse me? Don't tell me what to do young lady. You go over there." she said.
"Huh, I ain't scared." Carla said, as she made her way to the side of the Wreck Room.
Rachel's heart was pounding. She held her breath and looked around. There was nothing to hide behind, so she got up as fast as she could and ran the other direction. She looked back and saw Carla look around, but she didn't spot Rachel. It was too dark, and the light of the moon wasn't bright enough to illuminate Rachel's shadow.
Rachel turned her head forward again and before she knew it, she was in the bottom of a hole, pain going through her ankle.
"Oh," Rachel wimpered, "Shit!" She clutched her ankle.
Rachel ignored the pain as much as she could and rested her head on the back of the hole. She started panicing. Her father, still alive? And why had she stressed over his death, when now, her worst nightmare had come true? She felt ignorant and stupid, and extremely guilty for treating all of her friends the way she had. Especially after everything they've done for her.
She froze. In front of her were 2 Yellow Spotted Lizards. But she felt at ease. They never went after her, but something was telling her to pick one of them up. So she did. She held her arm out and starred vacantly at the lizard. Millions of thoughts were going through her head right now. She didn't want to handle it anymore, she couldn't take it. She was weak. Something had suddenly hit her. Her father was alive, and he was going to try and kill her. He did try the first time. She felt so lost.
Rachel brought the lizard closer to her arm, when she heard shuffling of feet. She looked up and saw Squid standing above the hole. He jumped in.
Rachel was delirious. Was she dreaming? Everything started to go blurry. Squid grabbed Rachel and pulled her out of the whole, and he kicked the lizard away.
Rachel was now lying on her back on solid ground, out of the hole and away from anything like the Yellow Spotted Lizards, when she started sobbing. She covered her face with her dirty hands.
Squid knelt down by her and pulled her hands away. He lifted her up and grasped her into a warm hug. No need for words.
Song for this chapter
"You" by Switchfoot
There's always something in the way
There's always something getting through
But it's not me
It's You
It's You
Sometimes ignorance
Rings true
But hope is not in what I know
It's not in me
It's in You
It's in You
It's all I know
It's all I know
It's all I know
And I find peace when I'm confused
I find hope when I'm let down
Not in me, Me, In You
It's in You
I hoped to lose myself for good
I hope to find it in the end
Not in me, Me,
In You In You
It's all I know
It's all I know
It's all I know
In You
In You
It's in You
In You
There's always something in the way
And there's something getting through
But it's not me
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's all I know
It's you
It's you
It's all I know
Rachel thought harder and harder, just thinking about everything that's happened in the past month.
He's always there for me. Rachel thought. I'm getting sick of it! I never thought I'd say something like that, but I just want to be alone. I want to be alone! And I can't take another one of Mr. Sir's no-word violent lectures. And I'm not going to stay here anymore. I want to be like Barfbag, away from Camp Green Lake.
Rachel rolled over on her cot and thought some more. She had a number of things on her mind, so she decided to go walk it off.
She pushed open the tent flap and walked out of the tent.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Carla and The Warden talking to one another by the Wreck Room. The Warden's cabin was pitch black. It was the first time Carla had been seen with a human's eye for a long time.
Rachel narrowed her eyes in curiosity as she made her way around the tents, being as quiet as she could, carefully surveying her movements as to keep the pain from coming back. Until finally she made it to the side of The Wreck Room. She stopped tip-toeing as soon as she was well within earshot of the two.
They were whispering.
"Yes, I know that, Carla! Pendanski was stupid to mention anything. I understand that he doesn't know what's going on, but that was bullshit, what he pulled. I'm surrounded by cow terds." Rachel heard The Warden having a fit with Carla.
"What is she doing here?" Carla exclaimed.
"I would like to know the same thing Carla, so I would appreciate it if you stopped asking me that!" The Warden said sternly.
"It needs to be answered." Carla said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Excuse me? I am very well aware of that Carla." The Warden answered, "And now we've got a stupid cop calling here looking for her! I have a feeling that the cops are well on our case. We have to get that money right now. So I called your father. He didn't seem very worried about it, a little jumpy actually."
That's impossible! He's dead! Rachel thought.
"Yeah he's always been that way. Look at how Rachel got away so easily." Carla whispered.
"My point exactly."
"So is he coming or what?" Carla asked.
Rachel leaned forward to hear what they were saying, because this was crucial information that she needed to find out. She lost her footing in a small hole by the Wreck Room's base and she fell in a heap of dust. She couldn't help it, and coughed.
"What was that?" Carla asked, "Go check. Someone might be over there."
The Warden looked at Carla, "Excuse me? Don't tell me what to do young lady. You go over there." she said.
"Huh, I ain't scared." Carla said, as she made her way to the side of the Wreck Room.
Rachel's heart was pounding. She held her breath and looked around. There was nothing to hide behind, so she got up as fast as she could and ran the other direction. She looked back and saw Carla look around, but she didn't spot Rachel. It was too dark, and the light of the moon wasn't bright enough to illuminate Rachel's shadow.
Rachel turned her head forward again and before she knew it, she was in the bottom of a hole, pain going through her ankle.
"Oh," Rachel wimpered, "Shit!" She clutched her ankle.
Rachel ignored the pain as much as she could and rested her head on the back of the hole. She started panicing. Her father, still alive? And why had she stressed over his death, when now, her worst nightmare had come true? She felt ignorant and stupid, and extremely guilty for treating all of her friends the way she had. Especially after everything they've done for her.
She froze. In front of her were 2 Yellow Spotted Lizards. But she felt at ease. They never went after her, but something was telling her to pick one of them up. So she did. She held her arm out and starred vacantly at the lizard. Millions of thoughts were going through her head right now. She didn't want to handle it anymore, she couldn't take it. She was weak. Something had suddenly hit her. Her father was alive, and he was going to try and kill her. He did try the first time. She felt so lost.
Rachel brought the lizard closer to her arm, when she heard shuffling of feet. She looked up and saw Squid standing above the hole. He jumped in.
Rachel was delirious. Was she dreaming? Everything started to go blurry. Squid grabbed Rachel and pulled her out of the whole, and he kicked the lizard away.
Rachel was now lying on her back on solid ground, out of the hole and away from anything like the Yellow Spotted Lizards, when she started sobbing. She covered her face with her dirty hands.
Squid knelt down by her and pulled her hands away. He lifted her up and grasped her into a warm hug. No need for words.
Song for this chapter
"You" by Switchfoot
There's always something in the way
There's always something getting through
But it's not me
It's You
It's You
Sometimes ignorance
Rings true
But hope is not in what I know
It's not in me
It's in You
It's in You
It's all I know
It's all I know
It's all I know
And I find peace when I'm confused
I find hope when I'm let down
Not in me, Me, In You
It's in You
I hoped to lose myself for good
I hope to find it in the end
Not in me, Me,
In You In You
It's all I know
It's all I know
It's all I know
In You
In You
It's in You
In You
There's always something in the way
And there's something getting through
But it's not me
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's you
It's all I know
It's you
It's you
It's all I know