Changes Chapter 13 lost fixture, a higher ground fanfic

Disclaimer: I don't own Higher Ground or any of it's original characters. I do own Carla.

AN: Like always: thank you so much for your reviews! You'll maybe notice that this chapter has a missing scene (in Peter's office). I couldn't come up with a believable way to write it and decided I'd rather leave it open to the readers' imagination than post something unbelievable. I hope it works nonetheless.

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David was the first of the Cliffhangers in the cafeteria today. He had been hungry, plus being there early gave him the opportunity to watch the others come in and find out who would be the best target for one of his trademark annoying comments. He was surprised, and even a bit worried, when the others started to file in and nothing sprang into his mind. Normally he had a lot more ideas than he ever dared to voice. Was he loosing his sharpness? He had a reputation to hold up! When Scott and Shelby came in, holding hands, he forced himself to say something, even though it was less witty than his remarks usually were.

"Hey! What do I see! The golden couple back together!" he cried.

Scott responded with a short "Knock it off!", but otherwise both of them were too happy to really be annoyed.

Breakfast went on with the usual banter. Only David was uncharacteristically quiet, but not so much the others would notice. Then Peter came in. David was sitting with his back to the door, but he got the clue from Scott and Shelby's reaction, how they were fast to put some air between them.

"David."

When he heard Peter say his name, he turned around, racking his brain to find out what he could have done wrong to warrant Peter's attention. The look on Peter's face was hard to read. Maybe he looked like someone who was about to do something he hated doing. That worried David even more, but he still didn't know what to make of it.

"Could you please come to my office when you're done with your breakfast."

David nodded, well knowing that it wasn't really a question. After Peter had left, he found that he was just staring at his food, not being able to eat anymore, his stomach in painful knots.

Auggie, who sat directly opposite David noticed that something was off. "Hey, mano, what did you do this time?"

David tried to shrug it off. "No idea." But he couldn't bear sitting there anymore. He got up and went to Peter's office, leaving the remains of his breakfast on the table.

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Carla knew that by now the students would be in their classes, so she wandered around the deserted campus, looking closely at everything. Doing that served multiple purposes. One, it passed the time. Two, it allowed her to think without her thoughts overheating. And, last but not least, it would give her better orientation, something she always strived to achieve. She had to admit to herself that she liked what she saw. She could even see herself living somewhere around here.

The woodshed she inspected more closely, because she thought that she had seen something between the pieces of wood…yes, packs of cigarettes, someone definitely had a stash here. She snickered. Where there are rules, they are broken. Carla wondered whether she should tell Peter about her findings? But then she decided against it. Whoever hid that here couldn't exactly be chain-smoking; and she was all for breaking rules every now and then. Peter on the other hand…yeah, she could see him as a stickler for the rules, real stiff. Well, I'll look around some more, never know when it might come in handy…

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Math, the last class of the morning had just ended and everyone went to get lunch. Just then Auggie realized that David hadn't come to any of their classes. Sure, he had been called to the principals office, and maybe he had some punishment now. But David hadn't bragged about any prank, in fact it seemed like he genuinely didn't know why Peter wanted to speak to him. Also, he had been strange throughout breakfast.

Auggie decided to speak about his observations with someone else and ran to catch up with Daisy. "Hey, Dais, you got a minute?"

"Sure, as long as you can talk while walking. For some obscure reason, I feel like I'm starving. Can't wait to get lunch. So, what's the matter?"

He didn't really know how to phrase his concerns. "Uhh… I think there's something wrong with David…"

Daisy laughed dryly. "And that's supposed to be news?"

"No, I don't mean his usual behaviour. Didn't you notice that he was weird at breakfast? 'Specially after Peter told him to come to his office? And he didn't come to class."

Daisy eyed him like he was a strange kind of bug. "Well, who would not be nervous at being called in the principal's office? And maybe he's on shuns."

Auggie rolled his eyes. He didn't think Daisy could be this dense. "But we've all seen him being called to Peter because he did something. He normally thinks it's all a big joke. But this time he didn't even finish his breakfast. And the way he looked…I just got the feeling that something is not right."

Auggie's seriousness and insistence made Daisy think. Auggie wasn't exactly best friends with David, so when he was concerned about him, there might be something to it. She respected the voice of intuition. "Alright, I believe you. But why are you telling me? Maybe you should ask David?"

"I thought, maybe you could talk to him? You're the Cliffhanger he trusts the most…"

Daisy contemplated that. "Alright. I try to catch him after lunch. But now I really have to eat."

David didn't appear in the cafeteria for lunch, and Daisy was beginning to worry, too. After all, his card had pointed to something dramatic…Just when she was done eating and preparing to look for David, Peter came over to them. Daisy could only wonder how he timed his appearances like that.

"Cliffhangers, please stay here for a moment." Peters request was answered by groans only.

"Since you're all so enthusiastic, how about we don't have group today? Unless you want to, of course." As he saw their faces lighting up, he smiled inwardly. "Naturally, I can't leave you off the hook completely. I'm giving you a writing assignment. 1000 words about what you think happens after we die and how it affects the way you live your life. Any questions?"

Some now regretted their enthusiasm at not having group, others were perfectly content with writing instead of talking. Daisy used the opportunity to ask. "Where is David?"

"I don't know. He wanted to be alone." Peter didn't know if actually leaving him on his own was a good decision, but he couldn't change that now.

"What's the matter with him?"

"Sorry, you have to ask him yourself. Alright, you're free to go."

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When she finally got out of the cafeteria, Daisy immediately started to search for David. Now she didn't do that just because she had promised Auggie; now, after what Peter had said, she was really worried. On the way outside, the answer suddenly came to her. She wanted to kick herself for not seeing it earlier. The card she had drawn for David, and, even more telling, the assignment Peter had just given them . . . someone must have died.

Surprisingly, she didn't have to search for a long time. David was sitting at the docks, staring in the water. Purposefully making noises so as not to startle him, Daisy went closer and sat down beside him. Normally, he would have made some comment by now, but today he just remained as he was, not even looking at her. She could see the tension in his shoulders and was sure that if she were to start talking now, he would just be defensive. So she decided to just sit beside him for the time being.

Twenty minutes later, when he seemed more relaxed, Daisy finally asked him. "What's the matter? You didn't come to class today . . . Peter give you the day off?"

That almost brought a smile to David's face, but not quite. "Something like that." He said matter-of-factly, still not looking at Daisy.

"Now, why would he do that?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Now there was irritation in his voice.

Daisy smiled a little. "That's what I did. He said he couldn't tell; and to ask you."

That came to David as a surprise. The way everything was going here, with little or no privacy, group sessions . . . he had somehow expected Peter to tell everyone. What he couldn't decide was whether this development was good or bad.

When she saw him staring into the water again, Daisy decided on a more drastic approach. "So, what happened, someone die?" Her choice of words and her tone left it open to interpretation. If he really didn't want to talk about it, he could treat it as a joke and tell her to leave him alone.

But that's not what he did. Instead, he turned around and fully faced her for the first time. "Yes, someone died. My father."

"I'm sorry."

With a dismissive gesture, David answered. "You don't have anything to be sorry about. You didn't kill him."

Daisy remained silent, waiting for David to say something.

He finally did. "He was on his way to an Army base . . . His plane crashed . . ." He unconsciously rubbed his neck. "He . . . had me listed as his next of kin. So they sent a fax to Peter's office . . . and he told me . . ."

"Well, that sure explains the assignment Peter gave us." Daisy tried to lighten the tension.

"What assignment?"

"We have to write about what we believe happens after we die. I don't know if you have to write it, too. He didn't seem too concerned by your absence."

David laughed. It was a short, dark, definitely not happy sound. "Either I have to write it, too, or I have to read everything you guys write. I almost think the second one."

"In that case . . . I'll try to make mine worth reading. But seriously, how do you feel?"

David shrugged. "I wasn't particularly close to him. I don't really feel . . . sad, or sorry, for him. He never was much of a father for me. It's more like a . . . shock, or something. Like I said, I didn't like him too much. But he was like . . . a fixture in my life. Stability. He was always the same old him, always predictable. Now . . . He's gone, and that was . . . totally unpredictable. Does that make sense?"

Daisy had never expected him to talk about his feelings so openly. "Yes, it does make sense . . . Do you want me to tell the others, or do you want to do it yourself? Because they will want to know . . ."

"I think it would be easier for me if you told them."

Daisy nodded. "I'll do that."

"Thanks."

Having said everything there was to say, both of them resumed staring into the water.