Thanks for the reviews, everyone, they keep me happy! And I hope this chapter will keep you happy! (Sorry it took a day longer than usual, but I'm on swim team, and I stay late at the pool.)

Disclaimer: No, for the seventh time, I don't own Lost. Sheesh.

Chapter Seven: Others

The Others' Main Room

"If anyone follows me," Kate ordered in a firm voice as she yanked Henry to the doorway, "he dies. Okay? None of us have any problems with killing him. He's told us everything we need to know."

"How do we know you won't kill him anyway?" demanded someone who Kate assumed was a vice president or second-in-command.

Kate's eyes turned cold. "Because we're not like you people," she said. "We don't kill unless we absolutely have to."

"That didn't stop your little Ana Lucia," one of the guards reminded her, in reference to when Ana Lucia killed an Other. "Or any of your tail-surviving friends, for that matter."

"Well then," Kate said bitterly, "you should be glad. They certainly got what they deserved, didn't they?"

There was no response, and Kate didn't want one. Instead she yanked Henry out, knife to his throat and gun to his head, and led him out of the camp.

Alex stopped her when she was outside. "Kate," she said, "please don't do this."

Kate sighed. "Listen to me, Alex. You don't have to help them. Your mother—we know her. She loves you so much. You're the reason she stays alive in this place. She'd give anything to get you back."

"I appreciate that," Alex said, "but it means very little to me. I've never known my mother. I'm not saying it's her fault, but I haven't, so I'm not that desperate to now."

Kate shook her head. "They're bad people," she said, meaning the Others. "You could have a good life."

"I'm sorry," Alex said softly. "I don't think that what we do to you is right. But they raised me with care, and my loyalty lies with them."

Kate took a deep breath and left the camp. She left it all behind. It had only been a day, but it felt like an eternity.

The Hatch

Sawyer, Jake, and Charlie were all sitting very exhaustedly in various areas around the hatch, glowering at each other but too tired to make any moves. Jack was going back and forth from one to the next, trying to get them all healed, when all he really wanted to do was let them rot. Why should he heal them when they had just tried to attack him?

Charlie was first. Jack tried to stay calm, because he knew that out of his three patients, Charlie was the most innocent. "You remember what it was like to get stitches before, right?"

Charlie sighed. "Yes, I remember. It was just dandy, really."

Jack shrugged. "Sorry, but it's all I can do." He dabbed some alcohol around the bleeding streak that Jake's high school ring had caused and began stitching. "All your other wounds are just bruises, but they're deep. We've got some bandages we can wrap around you to try to get them to heal, but mostly I just need you to be careful, okay? Just walk if you have to move, but mostly it's best if you stay sitting down. Practicing your guitar would be fine."

Charlie wondered if Ellie would still be in the mood to play with him. Probably not. She definitely wasn't the kind of girl who would be excited about the prospect of two guys fighting because of her.

"Thanks," he finally said. "I'm sorry we brought you into the fight."

Jack nodded. "I am, too," he said.

Charlie didn't mention the fact that he found it completely annoying when people said "me too" or "I'm sorry, too" after someone apologized. Instead he nodded and smiled as Jack left to take care of Jake.

Jake's wounds were almost all bruises, besides the deep imprint one of Charlie's armbands had left on his neck, which Jack applied ointment to. Finally Jack reached Sawyer.

"I don't have to do this," Jack said, "if you don't want me to."

"If I'm gonna die, Doc, it would be nice to have you fix me," Sawyer said bitterly. He hated relying on Jack for medical help. "Otherwise I'll manage."

Jack nodded. "You'll survive," he assured Sawyer. "Just don't bang yourself up any more than you already have."

"'Scuse me, Doc, but I think it was you who banged me up," Sawyer snarled.

A grin played at Jack's lips that made Sawyer fume, but neither said anything. Jack left to take a shower, and the three hopeless cases were left sprawled around the hatch.

The Expedition Survivors' Shelter

"Hey," Claire greeted Ellie with a tired smile. Aaron was in her arms, but that probably wasn't the only reason Claire was tired.

Ellie looked up from her guitar politely. "Hi, Claire," she said, keeping her guard up. She knew Claire couldn't be too happy that her day-long boyfriend had already gotten into a fight concerning his ex…who, incidentally, was Ellie.

Claire sighed and sat down next to her. "I don't suppose there's a way you can calm me down by talking again?" she asked.

Ellie smiled. "I could try," she offered.

Claire shrugged. "I was mostly joking. It's just…" She looked ashamed. "I keep putting my faith in the wrong people, you know? I mean, Charlie and I used to spend all our time together, and then he was dangerous to the baby, and I was certain I had chosen the wrong friend there. But now he seems great."

Ellie bit her lip. Great.

"And John Locke kind of replaced Charlie with raising Aaron, but then he just went of and started doing God knows what about the hatch and all kinds of things that just don't seem to be as important as keeping a baby alive. But I was certain that he was a good influence for Aaron."

"If there's one thing I can promise you," Ellie said, "it's that no matter how long you've known a person, you could still be completely wrong about them. Like Jake. I mean, I always thought he was this insufferable, perverted, rude idiot while I was going out with him. But I saw him with you, and he was a completely different person."

Claire laughed. "I have to admit, I had the wrong assumptions about you, too. But it really is great to have another friend on this island." Claire blushed. "I mean, if we are friends…"

Ellie instantly felt her guard go up, but she didn't say anything. She was fine with a little innocent bonding, but she didn't want them to become beach buddies or whatever and end up fighting, like everyone else in Ellie's life.

"It's just," Claire said, "that there weren't very many girls here before the Expedition. I mean, there was Shannon, but she wasn't the kind of girl I get along with, plus she…well, you know. And then there's Kate, and she's nice, and she delivered my baby, which was great, but she spends all her time in the hatch with Jack and Sawyer. And Ana Lucia was all about being tough and everything, and I can't really be like that because of Aaron, and Libby was always so intellectual, and I never even knew Sun spoke English until a few weeks ago, and…"

Ellie couldn't help but smile again. If there was one thing the 815 survivors could do that few others could, it was make her smile. "Claire," she said, silencing the rambling blonde. "It's okay. I understand. There's an unusual assortment of people on this island."

Claire nodded. "And the other girls from your boat are great, but they just talk about the most confusing scientific things, so really that just leaves you."

"Claire," Ellie said slowly, "it's fine. We're friends."

Ellie couldn't believe what she'd just said any more than Claire could. Neither of them were good at letting their guards down, especially Ellie, but she had just effortlessly managed it. Was it the island, or was it the influence others had on her? Ellie wasn't sure, but her "new life" on the island seemed to be blooming yet again.

Deep in the Jungle

"This is a terrible idea," Henry told Kate as they traveled back toward the survivors' camp. "My people will find me. And they will make sure I return to them."

Kate snorted. "I doubt it. Because if we see even one of them coming, you're a dead man." She said it coldly, but she was sick of the taunting and torture the Others had brought upon them, all so they could stay sane.

"If I die, I can assure you that plenty of your people will die," Henry hissed.

"I can assure you," Kate replied grimly, "that we're not as pathetic as you may think. We have arms, we have brave people, and we have a doctor. We're doing pretty well on our own."

"Because we're letting you," Henry muttered.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Not all of us," she muttered in response. "You've killed some of us, robbed some of us…" Her mind reeled to Claire and she said, "Even drugged some of us," remembering the needle, when they were trying to steal Aaron when he was still inside her. "And taken some of us," she added, remembering Walt. Luckily, Michael and Walt had been reunited the day before the Expedition crashed.

"Why did you take them?" Kate asked. "The children, I mean. What use were they to you? Walt was nine or ten, right? He was loyal to his father."

"Different reasons," Henry said, "and I don't have to tell you anything."

Kate snorted. "Excuse me, but I have a knife to your throat, and I've killed someone before. So I repeat, why do you people want children? I heard you took a lot of children from the tail survivors, too."

Henry gulped. "We need a new generation of children," he said, "if we want our race of people to continue through time. We would raise them to be like us, and they would carry out our lives on the island."

"But why Walt?" Kate asked. "He wouldn't do it. He's too old."

"Walt," Henry informed her, "is very special. It's amazing that none of you noticed, but you have a psychic amongst you."

"Walt," Kate repeated, "is psychic?"

Henry shrugged. "He is. But he is too powerful for even our psychics to deal with."

"You…he…" Kate couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it.

Henry nodded, but not enough for the knife to hurt him. "He is, but without proper care, it won't matter. He won't know how to use or control his gift."

Kate snorted. "Now you think you can just convince me to give him to you?" she asked.

"No, no," Henry said. "I told you, we don't want him any more. It's very bad luck that he is so powerful. Bad luck to both of us. He can hex your side, and he can hurt ours. We knew when you came here that there was a young psychic along. We just had no idea how powerful he was."

Kate sighed. There was so much about her own people that she didn't know. "What about Locke?" she asked. "What's his story? Why is he so…"

"We," Henry said, "do not know what the story is of John Locke. We didn't seem him as a wise or interesting man when we chose him. We chose him because he had a disorder, and we wanted to test the island's powers and see if it would heal him."

"Did it?" Kate asked, not knowing what the disorder was.

"It did," Henry said. "Which is why we have done all of this. Because the island is amazing, and we must preserve it."

The Beach

"Thank you, everyone, for coming," Hurley said politely. It was evening of the survivors' third day on the island, and Jack had suggested having a meeting to discuss what was going on. He was sick of secrets and wanted to clear the air with everyone.

Hurley's talking quieted everyone, but many of them had already been quiet. Ellie was sitting next to Claire and they were talking quietly amongst themselves, but Jake was just behind them, which tensed up all conversation. Charlie was further away, as per request of Jack (he'd split up all the fighters from earlier that day), but he was watching them closely, ceasing the talking between everyone around him. Jenny and a few of the other college students were chatting amiably, but most everyone else was too tired to keep up positive attitudes.

"Jack will be here in a few moments," Hurley added, glancing at Jack and Sawyer, who were standing and arguing a few feet away from the crowd.

Finally Jack gave Sawyer a dirty look and walked up to the front of the gathering. "Hey," he said casually, wanting everyone to feel welcome. "Listen, I just wanted to have this little meeting because a lot of people have been asking Sawyer, Locke, and me about what's going on. This is just to clarify."

He paused, and no one said anything. It was obvious that he didn't have a speech prepared.

"Uh," Jack said, "I guess I'll take questions. Just ask me anything you've been wondering."

Charlie spoke first. "Okay, what's all that stuff you and Sawyer were arguing over about?" he asked. "It had something to do with Kate."

Jack sent another dirty look to Sawyer and said, "Kate went into the jungle last night, looking for answers." This caused a loud murmur amongst the many survivors.

"Did she come back?" Bernard asked.

"Not yet," Jack said with a clenched jaw.

"Did she say she was looking for the Others?" Sayid asked. "Did she bring anything to protect herself with?"

Jack nodded. "She took guns from Sawyer's stash. She didn't say whether or not she was looking for the Others, but we're assuming she is." He looked uncomfortable with the topic. "Listen, this meeting isn't just about Kate. We don't know much about her situation. Does anyone have any other questions? I know that the Expedition survivors don't know much about the hatch or the Others, so if there's anything we know…"

Ellie spoke up next. "Was the guy in the hatch before you an Other?"

Jack shook his head. "No, his name was Desmond. His boat crashed on the island, and there was a man who took him into the hatch when he landed."

"How do you know he wasn't lying?" Jake asked.

"I knew him," Jack said after a moment of hesitation. "I mean, we weren't best friends, but I met him once near the hospital I worked at. He's a good guy. He's not an Other."

"Speaking of Others," came a voice from behind them. And there, looking tired as hell but also very determined, stood Kate. And she was tightly holding onto the handcuffs of the imposter of Henry Gale.


Sawyer was the first to do something. Before anyone could say anything, he ran up to Kate and kissed her, no questions asked. He just shoved Henry aside, grabbed her arms, and kissed her. It only lasted a few seconds, but it made Kate's entire body tingle, and she decided that her entire trip was worth that one kiss.

Jack didn't exactly look thrilled with Sawyer and Kate's kiss, but he definitely looked thrilled with having Henry back.

"How did this happen?" Sayid demanded, walking up to them.

"Uh, who's he?" Ellie whispered to Claire as Sayid, Sawyer, Jack, and Kate got into a circle and started talking softly.

Claire looked pained. "I don't really know," she admitted. "Charlie said something about an Other that they caught and kept prisoner in the Hatch, but he escaped. I guess Kate found him again."

"This is stupid," Jake groaned from behind them. "They make this big deal about telling us everything they know, and then the second they learn something new, they get into a clump and hide us from it."

Ellie had to admit he was right. But unlike him, she did something about it. She walked over to Jack and poked him hard. "'Scuse me," she said firmly, "but wasn't the point of this cute little gathering to tell us what's going on and not keep us in the dark?"

"Pippy Longstocking makes an excellent point, Doc," Sawyer said to Jack, his arm protectively around Kate. Ellie rolled her eyes about the nickname given to her because of her red hair.

"I'm sorry," Jack said with a sigh. He turned to John, who was watching nearby. "Listen, Locke, can I trust you to put this guy in the hatch's cell? Sayid will come to help in case he tries to escape."

Locke nodded, looking pleased. "I'm surprised you trust me now, Jack."

Jack shrugged. "I never said that," he said flatly, and walked in front of the crowd, motioning for Kate to follow him. He didn't say anything to Sawyer, but the blonde followed, anyway.

"That," Jack shouted, "was Henry Gale, the prisoner who escaped a little less than a week ago. And I can't tell you how great it is for us that we have him back. But we have even better news," he said. The crowd looked eager to know more. "Kate knows the answers to almost all your questions now. About the Others, about the island…everything." He stepped back, and Kate stepped up.

Kate, however, wasn't as bold as Jack was. She looked uncomfortable, like she'd rather be anywhere else, and crossed her arms, hunching herself. She looked nervous and still effected by her trip, and Sawyer could tell this was a bad idea.

"Let her go to the hatch, Doc," Sawyer muttered to Jack, backing up a little. "Let her rest and take a shower. She can tell them later."

"Ellie's right," Jack argued. "They need to know what's going on when it happens. It isn't fair that we always get the first word."

Sawyer rolled his icy blue eyes and turned back to Kate, who was eyeing him nervously.

He took a deep breath, refrained himself from getting her out of there, and instead gave her an encouraging smile. This was enough for her, apparently.

"Uh," Kate said to the crowd, "I guess I could try to answer questions."

They looked tentative, but finally Hurley spoke up.

"Okay," he said, "who are they? I mean, were they born here?"

Kate shook her head. "They're normal people, kind of like us, and they were born back in the real world. They moved here because they knew about the apparent 'healing' powers the island has, and they wanted to escape from the real world."

"Why did we crash?" asked Sun. "Please, I still do not understand."

Kate glanced at Jack, not wanting to get into the details.

"Desmond—that is, the man in the hatch before us—was late pushing the button, which I think you all have heard of," Jack explained. "This caused an increase in the magnetic pull of the island somehow, and it caused our plane to crash. There's much more to it that we don't understand yet, but that's the basics of it."

Michael spoke next, sounding nervous. "So the Others…why do they keep trying to sabotage and hurt us? And why do they like children so much?"

Jack let Kate answer the next one.

"They want to live here forever," Kate explained, "and to never be exposed." Her voice was shaky, but not because she had an audience. She looked unsure of everything going on with Henry, and she doubted that a public hearing was the most important thing to do right now. "But I guess they don't have enough girls or something, because they said to promote the next generation of Others on the island, they'd have to raise them from an early age. Hence the children."

"Did they have anything to do with us crashing?" Charlie asked. He had used to deny even the existence of the Others, but that was just denial, and it was time to start facing the facts. Now he just wanted answers.

Kate nodded again. "As some of you know, Claire and Eko had a psychic involved in their means of getting on the planes. I'm sure some of you do, too," she said, looking around at everyone. "Apparently the Others on the island have psychics among them, and they used theirs to communicate with one or more in the real world." She shot Sawyer another look that clearly said Get me out of here.

He glanced at Jack, who immediately shook his head.

"So you're saying psychics got us here?" Jake demanded.

"Not you," Kate said. "They crashed your ship because they didn't want to be exposed…" She frowned. "Sorry, hold on a minute, okay?" She ran over to Jack and Sawyer.

"Listen," she said before they could object. "I just stuck some handcuffs on the guy and told the people they shouldn't follow us. That doesn't mean they won't. We should be worrying about protecting ourselves, not press coverage!"

"This isn't press coverage," Jack argued. "This is the people's right to know what's going on with the island they crashed on."

"Also known as press coverage," Sawyer snorted. "Freckles is right. We should be worried about protecting them, not informing them."

"Informing them is protecting them," Jack argued.

"Not in my book," Kate objected. "Look, Jack, the best thing we can do is get some guns, station about five people around everyone else, and hope to protect everyone. Okay? I told you, Henry is their leader. They'll do anything to get him back."

"Kate," Jack said, "just go tell them what's going on."

It was one of the first orders she'd ever gotten from him, and it hit her hard. Kate couldn't stand being ordered around by anyone, especially Jack, who she had kissed. That was just wrong to her.

"Tell them yourself," she said bitterly, and grabbed Sawyer's arm. She pulled him out of the wet sand and over to Sawyer's shelter, where the guns were.

In the Crowd

As Jack was telling everyone to stay calm and that they would learn everything else once Kate had time to "collect" herself, Ellie and Claire were in the process of a very uncomfortable conversation.

The conversation itself wasn't uncomfortable. It was just the usual, casual small talk about life before the island—how Ellie was a senior at Emory and how Claire had a boring job at "Fish N Fry." It wasn't very interesting, but it was flowing, and it made them both a little more relaxed.

The uncomfortable part was Jake practically breathing down their necks the whole time. Finally, a few seconds after Claire was talking about the rubber factors of calamari, Ellie said something about it.

"Jake," she said, hoping Claire wouldn't mind being interrupted and sending a polite apology with her eyes, "don't you have anyone to talk to?"

Jake shrugged. "Not really," he said from behind them. "I mean, Charlie, Jack, and Sawyer have all gotten a few punches in on me. Sayid doesn't like me because of the fight, Hurley is avoiding me for no apparent reason, and Gin speaks a different language."

"Why don't you go talk to Michael?" Claire suggested. The words were polite, but they were said in a very "please-get-away-from-me-now" kind of way.

"What about?" Jake asked in a bored voice.

"You could ask him if he wanted help building something," Ellie offered. "Isn't he a construction worker?"

Jake frowned. "That sounds kinda boring."

Claire thought his childish attitude was cute, but Ellie found it extremely annoying. Then again, their boys had pretty much switched since they'd met, so it wasn't surprising.

"You'll stay in shape," Ellie reminded him, knowing that if anything could convince him, that would. Sure enough, he ran after Michael in an instant.

"Where is Kate?" Claire asked tiredly. "Don't you feel sometimes like they're part of that weird leader group and we're just their little followers?"

Ellie laughed, but she looked concerned. "Yeah, but I think Jack really wanted us to know what was going on. Still, did you see Kate's face? She looked really nervous."

"Maybe she's scared of public speaking," Claire suggested. "It's a phobia of mine."

Ellie shook her head. "I don't think so. I think she's scared of what she heard or what she saw. Claire, I think the Others are going to come after us."

Near Sawyer's Tent

"Kate," Sawyer said as he was being pulled to his tent, "are you sure you're not hurt?"

Kate looked up for a second, surprised that he had called her Kate. She was so used to her nickname (Freckles) that it didn't sound right when he said Kate. "Yeah," she said after a moment's hesitation, "I'm fine."

"So they didn't hurt you?" he asked to clarify. "Because if they laid one finger on you—"

Kate was glad he cared so much, but she interrupted him for something more important. "Sawyer," she said, "they could be standing behind me right this second. Why doesn't anyone seem to understand that? We have to get your guns!"

Sawyer looked at her for a second, still not really worried about the Others, but he saw the panic in her expression and nodded. He jogged over to the flap under his tent, opened it, and started pulling guns from the hatch out.

"How many?" he asked her.

She smiled, thankful that finally someone was listening to her. "We need one for you, me, Jack, Sayid, and…" She frowned. "I think I wanted five, but Locke's staying in the hatch, right?"

Sawyer shook his head slowly. "No, he's over there on the beach. He just got back." Sawyer pointed behind Kate, and she groaned.

"Just get a fifth gun for Charlie or someone, okay?" she asked, and started to leave the tent.

"Hey," Sawyer said, stopping her. "That was cool and all, but you better swear you aren't gonna do that again, okay?" He didn't say it in an ordering way, but in a requesting way, complete with a smile and a laugh.

Kate smiled. "I can't promise that," she teased.

He shrugged. "Fine. Then next time, at least invite me."

Kate's smile grew as she stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "I will," she promised, and left to find Locke.

The Beach

"John," Kate shouted, running up to John Locke, who was standing with Jack in front of the rest of the people. "What are you doing?"

John looked confused. "Jack said that you were just taking a break with the meeting."

Kate glared at both John and Jack. "First of all," she said, turning to Jack, "I'm done with your meeting, at least for today." She turned back to John. "And secondly, even though I doubt any of you want to listen to me, you can't leave Henry alone in the hatch! I told you, the Others are coming, and they might even know the combination. Or they might have dynamite—who knows? But Henry is our best bet for safety, and you left him alone!"

John interpreted this while Jack spoke.

"Kate," he said, "I understand what you're saying, and Sawyer's over there loading guns right this second. But don't you think you could tell people what's going on, just to sum it up?"

"I told them almost everything," Kate said, "and I didn't have to. Isn't it more important that they're defended against the Others than just knowing about them?" She was sick to death of repeating herself, but she was also frantic with worry. The Others were not good people.

Sawyer walked back over to them.

"John," Kate said, taking a deep breath, "please go back to the hatch. I have to stay here."

John shook his head. "They can't know the code. It'll be fine, Kate."

Kate's normally pale green eyes got hard and bold, and she slowly shook her head, looking completely panic-stricken. "John," she said loudly, "you have to go. We don't need you here!"

"Who's going to use the fifth gun?" Jack asked.

"Charlie shot one before," Kate said quickly, not wanting to stall John any more than she already had. "And he did kill a guy. So I'd say he has more experience than, say, you."

Jack looked a little hurt, but he nodded. "Locke, you should go ahead."

John finally nodded and left.

"Charlie," Kate shouted. "You're taking one."

Charlie looked pleased and eager to help. He ran over to them, sending a quick and hopeful smile to Ellie. Without thinking, she returned it, scowling at herself afterwards. The last thing she wanted to do was encourage things like the fighting he had just done.

Great, she thought. And now I sound like my mother.

Meanwhile, Kate was explaining the situation to Charlie with words at about the speed of lightning. She, Jack, Charlie, Sayid, and Sawyer all took the guns.

"Everyone, please get as close to each other as possible!" Jack shouted to the others. "In order to keep everyone safe, we want to pack together and stand everyone with guns in a perimeter around the circle."

Everyone started muttering, not wanting to move. The Expedition survivors didn't know the 815 survivors well enough, and there were social discomforts like Jake, Claire, and Ellie, as well as a few very rude 815 survivors complaining about being squished against Hurley, who was apparently "taking up too much room."

"Guys," Kate shouted, "this isn't about comfort. Okay? We could've been followed. Don't you prefer a little discomfort over death?"

But people just muttered degradingly, obviously not believing that what she was saying was true. Kate's heart was pounding. After being in a room with those sinister people, she didn't want them to win again. But if the survivors couldn't start taking her seriously, they probably would.

They heard a twig snap, and Kate and the others immediately lifted their guns, but the survivors didn't seem to notice. They were all still grumbling, not seeming to care about a twig.

"Get together," Kate hissed, "for your own protection."

But a mean-looking thirties man from flight 815 looked disgusted with Hurley to the point that he pushed Jenny and Andrew out of the way to get more room. The engaged couple was pushed out of the packed circle and in front of Jack. He started to pull them back, but it was too late.

Two gunshots startled everyone. Kate assumed it was Sawyer shooting at nothing, but a second later, they heard a small, sharp shriek. Kate took a slow gulp and slowly turned to find Jenny, the happy face of the beach, with two bullets in her chest, blood streaming down her shirt. Above her, holding onto her for dear life with tears streaming down his face, was her fiancé Andrew. Behind them was a shuffle of leaves, and whoever fired left.

And now people took Kate seriously. Unfortunately, it was too late.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN

I don't mean to bring down everyone's day, but I needed a serious chapter, since I spent so much time on the whole young love/jealousy/brawl things. Still, in case you miss them, there's going to be pretty much a little of everything next chapter: fluff (romance), more sci-fi "Other" stuff, and (of course) anger. No fights, though. I think a chapter of fights is enough.

Just so you know, this story's going to be about sixteen chapters. It's not that much, but a few of the chapters will be even longer than chapter 6 (which was 10 pages on my computer), so you'll still have plenty to read. Updates might take longer now, but they'll still all happen within a week, hopefully. So I should be done…erm…within 8 or 9 weeks? Yeah, that's right. I'll be done by two months. Probably a lot less, depending. I update fast.

Thanks for the reviews from my faithful old reviewers and now some new ones, too! You guys are the best! Here are your responses…

astronomylover: As you read, it was her camp…but the drama still continues! (TNT music in the background) Anyway, thanks for the loyal and encouraging review, as usual.

samdean4567: Hey, is your username like on Supernatural? I've only ever seen like 2 episodes, but they were good, and those were the boys' names. Anyway, thanks, that review really made me happy.

xlostangelx: I love your screenname. Ha…anyway, your reviews were really funny and entertaining to read. I agree, Skate and Chellie power! Anyway, I was thinking about putting Claire with Jake…but then I realized what a jerk I made him and changed my mind…well, maybe. Wait and see! But I hate when every single person has to end up with someone else, because like you said, why don't some of them just stay independent? (I hate—erm, dislike—Jack on the show too…he's such a fop. Like my word?) And thanks for your review about the fight too! Keep reviewing! (wow, that was long.)

meangenius: Thanks for your many reviews! Sorry about Ellie being mean to Charlie, but that'll change soon when you continue reading. Keep reviewing!

Thanks everyone and review some more!

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