"So then he pinned me down and that's when things started to get serious."

Maddie blinked in response. Why did that sound so...strange…? Maddie looked at Chastity with confusion as they sat together at the dinner pavilion. Normally Maddie would've been sitting with Marcus and his friends or with Thomas, but she had promised Chastity to eat with her. It was no big deal though, Alicia was running late to dinner and Marcus's friends understood that she was taking her job seriously, both as a tour guide and as a friend to Chastity. Chastity didn't really seem to need Maddie to feel included though. Her first day at camp and already people were hovering around her like moths attracted to a light. Other campers sat around them, listening to her talk and recount her story. Apparently she had been telling a lot of people about how successful her training session had been so more and more people had been asking her to recount it for them.

Maddie found the longer she was with Chastity the more enthralled she became with just how stunning she was. She always seemed to be perfect. Maddie couldn't tell if she hated or loved her for it. Though it made sense. Immediately after the orientation film Chastity had been claimed as a daughter of Aphrodite. Children of the goddess of love and beauty often had this sort of...charm to them, it almost made them seem not human at times due to how "perfect" they tended to look.

Overall, Chastity seemed to be the exact opposite of Maddie. Both from the way she acted to the way she dressed. She always seemed calm and collected, proud and strong, holding her head up high so she could look down on anyone who came in her path. Maddie also always felt the need to touch her hoodie or hold herself when Chastity was around, to ensure herself that her perfect green shield was still in place. Just from one day with Chastity, Maddie knew she was everything Maddie wasn't. It made her a little self conscious. She had finally started moving past her awkward ticks and speech and yet, being around Chastity she felt like she had made no progress at all.

"-it was a great adrenaline rush. You know what I mean?"

Maddie snapped her thoughts back to Chastity and quickly nodded, not really knowing what she had been saying but thinking it was okay to agree. Other campers started laughing and casting glances to Marcus behind them. Maddie shifted in her seat nervously. What if more people started asking Marcus to be their training partners? Would she not be able to learn and practice and fight with him anymore? She still had very little control over her battle mind. If she was fighting for his attention she would surely lose to those who were better and stronger.

Chastity smirked and stood up. "Well, I better head out now. I still gotta unpack and everything. I'll see you tomorrow though, right Maddie?"

Maddie's headshot upwards to Chastity and she smiled. The fact that Chastity was surrounded by all these other campers and still chose to single Maddie out? It made her feel good about herself. Like she was important. Or at least that Chastity saw her as the friend Maddie wanted to be with her.

"Yeah sure! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Chastity left with a handful of Aphrodite kids as they walked with her to get her settled in her new living arrangements. Maddie took this time to hurry over to Marcus and the group who were in the middle of a conversation.

"...you being so dominant and demanding that you wouldn't let her catch her breath for more than five minutes!" Kelly was exclaiming as Aaron and Hunter roared with laughter in their seats. Marcus' muscles were tense and his face was unusually red.

"What's so funny?" Maddie asked, sitting down next to Marucs, her eyes scanning the group curiously.

"Nothing!" Marcus directed his attention to her and welcomed her with a head pat, a gesture that had almost become a handshake or high five to them now. "I'll tell you when you're older."

Maddie crossed her arms and pouted at the table. She had been hearing that phrase a lot more from her friend lately and honestly, it was starting to get on her nerves. What could be so big that you only learned about as an adult? When would she be old enough? She was only two years younger than them.

"Oh, come on Marcus! It does have to do with her new friend after all!" Aaron said.

"Drop it Aaron. Nothing. Happened."

"So you're saying you didn't give the girl the workout she keeps saying you did?" Hunter wheezed in between bits of laughter.

"Look, it was a combat lesson. That was it. Maddie asked me to tutor Chastity-"

"Oh, tutor now? And what lessons did you teach her I wonder? You use your whip?" Aaron grinned. Marcus stood up, mouth open before he froze due to a voice clearing their throat behind the group. Marcus slowly turned to find Alicia standing right behind him, eyes narrowed and a forced smile on her face.

"Hey Marcus. I heard you had quite the... interesting day."

"Alicia. Hi."

"Is that why you weren't at the lake before dinner?" Alicia replied, her tone turning sharp.

"The... Lake...?"

"You forgot. Of course you did, why am I not even surprised. You asked me to go canoeing with you before dinner."

"Crap. Right. Listen, I'm really sorry. Maddie asked me for a favor and-"

"Ah. Of course. Maddie asked you, and you can't turn her down I suppose." Alicia said, the fire starting to fade from her eyes. "After all, it's not like her to ask you for things."

Maddie's heart twisted in her chest. Had she messed up? She usually tried to not ask her friends for favors. At home, every time she had asked for help she had either been a bother, a nuisance, or annoying. So she knew better than to ask. But her friends had kept telling her it was okay to ask them for help or favors and not to do everything on her own anymore. So she thought...she had assumed it had been okay. She just wanted to make Chastity happy and feel welcomed just as she had when she first arrived at camp. Now Alicia was mad at her and Marcus was in trouble for it and...

"I'm sorry Alicia... If I'd known Marcus had plans, I wouldn't have asked him..." She hugged herself and dared to meet Alicia's eyes, fearing for her wrath. If anyone should be in trouble it should be her. Not Marcus. He was just trying to be nice.

"No, no, sweetie you're fine!" Alicia said, sitting next to Maddie and giving her a hug. "We'll just agree that Marcus is a big dumbass who can't remember things unless you write them on his face okay?"

Maddie gave a slow nod and forced herself to smile. Marcus was still getting the blame though. He was still facing the wrath of Alicia and getting mocked and laughed at by the others. This was all her fault. Why hadn't she asked Aaron? Or Thomas? Why had she gone straight to Marcus? Now not only was he being taken away as her dueling partner because of how good Chastity was telling everyone he was, now she was causing him to be hated by his friends. She had messed up. She had screwed up again. Just one more idiotic move. Maybe her mom was right...maybe she really couldn't survive out in the world by herself…

"Look, I'm really sorry... would you maybe wanna go after dinner...? After all, I hear canoeing by moonlight is pretty romantic..."

"Romantic?"

"Um... I mean..."

"No. I like the sound of that. Let's go right after dinner." Alicia smiled at him and went to go make her offering to the gods.

Aaron whistled in astonishment at Marcus while Hunter just nodded his head and clapped softly. "Well played my friend. Well played." Hunter said.

"Yeah, who would've known you could actually be smooth." Aaron added.

Maddie just blinked in astonishment. The change in mood from Alicia was something she had been used to with her mom so it wasn't that that had been weird to her. It was the fact that Marcus had calmed her down with just the offer to go on a canoe ride. Did Alicia like canoeing that much? No...it felt like there was something more important there that she was missing.

Still. Alicia hadn't blown up. She hadn't lashed out and started hurting Marcus or Kelly or her. Everything was okay again. Everything was fine. Even though she knew this she still felt uneasy and anxious. She was still shaking slightly and having a hard time breathing normal or letting her thoughts settle. The others started joking and teasing once more around her but Maddie still felt on edge. She quietly excused herself and headed off to her cabin.

As she walked she kept her arms tightly wrapped around her body. Trying to steady herself as best she could. Alicia was not her mom. Alicia didn't hate her. She hadn't messed up…

"Maddie!"

Maddie practically jumped out of her skin and spun around to see Thomas running up behind her, waving her down.

"Thomas...you scared me."

"Sorry sorry! I saw you leaving and wanted to catch up with you. After all, I didn't get to have dinner with you tonight like usual."

"O-oh! Right! I'm sorry. Chastity invited me to eat with her tonight and I didn't want her to be alone on her first day at camp and then I went to Marcus and his friends because there was a commotion and I totally forgot about-"

"You're fine shortcake. I figured you'd end up going to them. They are your default after all I guess...though I wish you would keep in mind your other friends as well once in a while."

"I do! I do keep you in mind Thomas! I don't forget about you! I promise!"

"Well you better prove it then, huh?" He messed with her hair and let out a bright laugh. "You okay though? It looked like you had barely eaten."

"I did eat! When I was with Chastity."

"A bowl of soup is not exactly a meal."

"Wha-! How do you know that?!"

"I was only three tables away. And you're one of my prized patients and my lovely little assistant. Of course I gotta keep an eye on you, making sure you're eating properly."

"That's not fair!"

"It is when you're with me." He pulled her into a side hug and squeezed her shoulder playfully. "Anyways, what was up with that hot head Marcus? And Leash- I mean Alicia?"

"Oh...I don't really know...one minute Alicia was really mad because Marcus didn't keep true to a promise he made her and the next they were talking about canoeing under the moon tonight and everything was fine again."

Thoma glanced at Maddie, his eyes curious and alert. "A canoe ride? By the lake at night?" Thomas grinned and pumped his fist in the air. "Finally!"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Maddie, it's so obvious those two like each other. It was only a matter of time. Thank the gods it's finally happening. Though…it will probably mean they'll be spending a lot of alone time together...Which means you may be out of a training partner. Would you rather me take you up instead? I can give you tons of tips that Marcus could never teach you and it'll give us more time together. Who knows maybe we'll even…" Thomas trailed off, his eyes seeing a distant future and hope.

"Oh...I didn't even realize that they...will they really forget about me?" Maddie's mind once again reminded her of the earlier anxieties and fears. Was she going to be left behind? Ignored? Replaced?

"I mean, c'mon Maddie! Don't tell me you don't know how relationships work! When a guy and a girl like each other they want as much alone time as possible. It's just best if you don't tag along or bother them."

"Oh...I see…" Left behind. Ignored. Replaced.

"Don't worry. We'll be so busy together you won't even notice Marcus isn't around anymore. I have so many things I want to do with you."

Maddie allowed Thomas to steer her back to her cabin, both of their minds now picturing what this new development would lead to.