Brutaka's Game Chapter 10

Mr. Petrik looked up and placed his hands on his waist. "Zach, how did you get up there?"
Lewa sat thirty feet above the ground, on a branch. He looked down and shrugged. "I climbed."
"Well get down here, we're going to have a huddle."
Lewa climbed his way down and sat near the campfire, next to Mackenzie. Janet walked up and scooted herself close to him. Mark stood behind him and began recording the event with the camera.
B.J. took center staged and clasped his hands together. "Alright everyone, it has come to my attention that we adults can't always be here to keep an eye on things. So after talking with Eric and Mr. Petrik we are going to prepare you to take care of yourselves until we have dealt with these Toa and their people."
Lewa gulped.
"Starting today Eric will teach you the basics in first aid. Tomorrow you will all be firing a gun. Any questions?"
Lewa slowly raised his hand. "Uh, what will we do once we do all of this?"
"Nothing really." replied B.J. "This is to prepare you for a worst-case-scenario."
"Oh." Lewa's head sunk into his shoulders.
Eric then took the stage. "Alright, so who's familiar with ABC's and CPR?"
Some of the older teens raised their hands.
"Great, so for those of you who don't, these are basic medical procedures that can save you from suffocation and heart attack. Can I have someone volunteer to be a dummy?"
"I nominate Sarah." smirked Janet.
"Ha. Ha." Sarah barked sarcastically.
"From what I see, you need it most," replied Janet.
"Enough," said Eric. "Mackenzie, would you please?"
Mackenzie nodded and stepped forward.
"Now, she's going to lay down and you each are going to take turns doing ABC's. What you'll do is place your hands together like this, place the palms right below the ribs and push down a few times. Then you'll take a gasp of air and force it down her throat. But for the sake of dignity you won't do 'the kiss of life'."
Some of the kids laughed.
"Darn it," said Janet as she looked at Zach. "I would've volunteered if we did that."
From inside the tent Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Alright, who'll go first? Caitlin?" asked Eric.
Caitlin stepped forward and practiced on Mackenzie.
"Good," nodded Eric.
Ashley, Kyle and the kids took turns practicing. Soon Lewa was up. He did as Eric instructed and pushed down two times before Mackenzie yelled and shot herself up.
"Ow! Careful!" she barked. "You're pretty strong for a skinny guy."
It took a moment before Lewa realized he still retained his strength. "Sorry. I'll be a little more gentle next time."
Mark tilted his head to the side with intrigue.
Eric stepped in and clasped his hands. "Okay, let's move on to CPR's.

Lewa walked in his tent with a plate of spaghetti in each hand. "Hey," he smiled.
Sarah looked up and stared at him.
"I brought you something to eat."
"Thanks." she replied flatly. "But I'm not that hungry."
"How can you not? I haven't' seen you eat since I've got here."
Stubbornly Sarah sat herself up and placed her legs over her bed. Lewa handed her a plate and sat down on the opposite side. As he ate he observed Sarah moving very stiffly, occasionally cringing her teeth.
His smile went away. "Does it still hurt?"
Sarah nodded as she took a bite. She swallowed and spoke. "Sometimes it throbs and burns and other times it just burns."
There was a long period of silence between them.
"So, tomorrow we're going to start 'shooting'. The problem is I don't know how to work-use a gun."
Sarah stared at him for a moment before talking. "No problem. B.J. will help you with that."
"Yeah well, in case you didn't know, he's not too fond of me. In fact I don't think anyone here is."
"There's Janet."
Lewa's shoulders dropped. "I mean amongst the older people. I can't seem to gain their trust or respect."
Sarah wiped her mouth and put her plate to the side. "They're a little over protective, especially with these Toa around."
Lewa stiffened up.
"Anyway, thanks for the meal." Sarah lay back on her stomach.
"No problem." Lewa took the plates out and to a tub of water, where Mackenzie and Caitlin were washing the dishes.
"Hey Zach," said B.J. "We could use some more firewood before it gets too dark."
Lewa nodded. "No problem." He left the campsite and ventured into the woods. By the time he gathered an armful he heard a familiar voice call out to him.
"Lewa?" whispered Pohatu.
Lewa spun around and saw his brother will an armful of wood as well.
"How goes it?" asked the Toa of stone.
"So far so good. Still don't know what they're planning, but I do know this: Whatever it is, they want someone there recording it for their history."
Pohatu had a long look on his face. "Then this is pretty big."
"Yeah." nodded Lewa.
"Then you better hurry on this." He then handed Lewa the firewood and smiled. "And on this."

When Lewa awoke he found himself as a Toa. He quickly buried himself in his sleeping bag and changed back into a Human. When he came out of his tent it was early morning and hardly anyone was up. Those who were up seemed interested in what was going on inside a tent on the opposite end of camp. Lewa approached them and observed the startled and gloomed looks on their faces.
"What's going on?" asked Lewa.
B.J. turned around and faced him. "Stephanie is dead."
Lewa was blow back by the news. "What? How?"
"That's what Eric is trying to figure out." B.J. then placed his hands on his waist and shifted his weight. "Hate to tell the rest of the group about this," He said more to himself than Lewa.
Lewa returned back to his tent, with sunken shoulders. Inside, Sarah and Mark were still asleep. He sat down and rested his arms on his knees. Even though he had only known these Humans for a few days, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Stephanie. Seconds later his eyes widened, as he realized he had become attached to the Humans. Fighting the Humans as a Toa was now going to be harder for him. That would not bode well for his brothers. However, he couldn't leave yet. He had to know what they were planning. Sarah then stirred around. Lewa broke his thoughts and looked at her.
When Sarah opened her eyes she noticed the long expression. "Something wrong?" she asked tiredly.
For several seconds Lewa didn't know what to say. "I-It's Stephanie. She's gone."
"Why did she leave?" yawned Sarah.
"No, not that kind of gone. Gone, gone."
Sarah's face contorted into a serious stare. "What?"
"They don't know how. Just thought you should know." Lewa then stood up and left the tent.

Lewa jumped in surprise and covered his ears as gunshots ran out.
"That was good," nodded B.J. "Janet it's your turn."
She held the pistol out and waited. When she fired, the gun kicked up and back. She screamed and almost dropped the gun.
"Yeah it can be a little tricky to get used to that," said B.J. He then looked over. "Zach, are you going to fire that or not?"
Lewa looked at the Ar-15 riffle in his hand. "Are you sure about this?" He asked nervously.
"Yes," replied B.J. "Now hold it firmly and pull the trigger."
Lewa used the sights on the gun and aimed at a tin can twenty yards away. He pulled the trigger and felt the recoil. The combination of its force and the sound it made was more than enough to make him jump in surprise.
"You missed. Try again," said B.J.
Lewa pulled the trigger and this time knocked the can off the boulder. He smiled at his success, while some of the students cheered.
B.J. placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good. That's it for today."
Lewa handed his gun to Mark, who glared at him as he left. The group made their way off the rocky slope and back into the forest.
B.J. started out leading the group, but slowly made his way farther back, towards Lewa.
"Hey, about the last few days. I know we've been a little rough on you," said B.J. "But please understand that we're under a lot of stress right now."
"I kind of noticed." Lewa replied lightheartedly.
"But just know that we do appreciate what you're trying to do for Sarah. But Eric is our medical expert. He has her taken care of."
"I know. I just want to help."
"And you will." replied B.J. "We're going to do several more scouting trips and gather an arsenal."
"We're going to attack the Toa?" Lewa asked, with a mix of eagerness and worry.
"Not quite. We're going to take care of a few other things first. Once we're secure, then we'll deal with the Toa."
When they reached camp, Eric was leaned up against a tree, waiting.
"Can I have a word with you?" Eric asked to B.J.
The pilot followed him several yards away form camp. "What's going on?"
"Stephanie suffocated."
B.J.'s eyes went wide. "Someone murdered her?"
"Not sure. Medically she has no history of breathing problems. However evidence on her body says she died of a lack of air, but there's no bruising around her neck."
"A freak incident perhaps?" asked B.J.
"I'm not ruling anything out at this point."
"What do we tell the others?"
"Nothing. The last thing we want is for everyone to start pointing fingers at each other."
B.J. was silent for a moment. "You're right. We'll rule this an accident for now, but if something changes, I'm getting to the bottom of it."
Eric nodded and they both walked back to camp. The medic found Lewa playing a round of soccer.
"Hey Zach."
After kicking a ball to Caitlin he turned around and approached Eric.
"Yesterday I found some of your home-made ointment and put it on Sarah's leg yesterday. There's already a significant improvement. As embarrassing as it is for me to ask, could you show me how to make some of it?"
Lewa was surprised. He didn't want to admit however, that yesterday Sarah had told him about it and used some of his healing powers on the same leg while she was asleep. "Sure."
Before they could start on it, Ethan called out. "Alright everyone, supper's ready."
Lewa frowned. He wasn't sure what strange food he was going to eat this time. Ethan scooped up a spoonful and poured it into Lewa's bowl. Lewa stared curiously at strange plants inside.
Mark took a bite. "Not bad. What's in it?"
"Oh, just the usual," replied Ethan. "Carrots, potatoes, secret blend of spices. And that weird eel-looking thing we keep hunting."
Mark gave him a stumped look. "Wait, you mean the ones with spikes on their backs and heads split open?"
"That's the one."
Lewa froze, right as he was about to take a bite. He realized he was going to eat a Kraata. "W-w-why would you eat one of theses?!"
Ethan looked at him as if he was crazy. "Because its good for ya. Now eat up."
Lewa looked at his dish again. Would a dead and cooked Kraata infect him and expose his secret? He didn't want to take the chance.
"Um, I just remembered, I'm not that hungry."
"Oh c'mon." said Ethan. "Don't tell me you're vegetarian."
"Actually, I am," rushed Lewa. "But I'm sure Sarah would like some." He rushed past Mark and went into his tent.
Mark had been staring at his dish for over a minute. He wasn't please to be eating the creature, but he kept eating anyway.

"So, how is it?" asked Lewa.
"It's pretty good." shrugged Sarah. "I don't know what kind of meat they used, but it's a little tough."
"I don't think you want to know." Lewa replied.
Sarah placed the bowl down. "I know I don't say this often enough, but thanks for what you're trying to do."
"It's nothing." Lewa replied sheepishly.
"So, how did the shooting practice go?"
Lewa shrugged. "It was alright. I was a little nervous around the gun."
"First time using one?"
"Yeah."
"I was nervous when I first fired a gun. Of course when you see a bunch of women try to use one it gets very entertaining." smiled Sarah.
"It kind of was." chucked Lewa. There was a long, awkward silence between them until Lewa spoke again. "You know, I don't think I got to know you personally."
Sarah almost blushed. "Oh, well, uh. I'm from Oregon, I enjoy going out on adventures, whether it's hiking, skiing, or rafting. Just don't ask me to climb or repel. Oh and I have three younger brothers and sisters. What about you?"
Lewa's mind almost went blank. "Lets see here, I hate water, have six brothers and sisters that I like to joke around with and where I'm from we love to prank each other."
Sarah smiled. "Sounds like you have a lot of fun at your place."
"Yeah."
Suddenly Mark entered. "You two should join the others, they're making s'mores or something like that." He then lay down on his bed.
Sarah looked at herself. "You know, it's about time I get out of this tent." She put on a yellow shirt, with a gray and white diamond pattern running down the side. Stiffly she stepped out, with Lewa right behind.
The kids, along with Takara, Mr. Petrik and B.J. were around the campfire roasting marshmallows.
B.J. was the first to notice Sarah. "Shouldn't you still be in bed?"
Sarah shrugged. "A little fresh air won't hurt." Slowly she sat down.
Lewa sat next to her and found Janet scooting herself over to him. She handed him a stick with a marshmallow on it. It was already roasted and he took a bite at it.
Its soft, warm and gooey texture proved to be the worst thing he's ever felt in his mouth, regardless of how good it tasted. What made it worse was that it was sticking to the roof of his mouth.
Janet smirked. "Next time eat it with this." She handed him some crackers and a chocolate bar.
He tasted them individually and then stacked them the way he observed everyone else doing it. The combination of soft, smooth and crunchy textures and their flavors was a surreal experience for Lewa.
The next thing he knew the teens began telling each other stories of past camping experiences. Lewa had to fake a laugh to fit in with everyone else laughing. He then decided to share his own story: of Jaller back riding an ash bear. He was careful enough to make sure they had no hint of Jaller being a Matoran.
Sarah would occasionally try to add something to the conversation, but someone would interrupt her mid sentence and babble on about what memory her words sparked up. Soon she got tired of it and stood up.
"Well I'm going to bed."
"Alright," said Mr. Petrik. "Goodnight."
Everyone else bid her goodnight as she lumbered back inside her tent. Mark was still awake, reviewing the camera footage.
"You know we don't have a way to recharge those right?" asked Sarah.
"Yes." Mark replied flatly. "But with several batteries, I expect this to be over relatively soon."
"I doubt it." Sarah said to herself.
Mark then looked up at her. "So what do you think of Zach?"
Sarah shrugged. "He's pretty nice. Sure gets along with everyone."
"That's what bothers me."
She looked at Mark with surprise.
"I don't trust him, and you shouldn't either. He's… Too nice, and a little nosy."
"Maybe he's just socially awkward." She rolled into bed. "Well, goodnight."
Mark said nothing and stared back at the footage.

With B.J. and the adults taking turns keeping watch, Lewa struggled to find a way to sneak out of camp. After an hour waiting and laying in bed his eyes became heavy and he drifted to sleep.

"Pst. Lewa."
Lewa stirred around.
The stranger whispered louder. "Lewa!"
Lewa opened his eyes. Dawn was breaking and Tahu was at the tent door staring down at him. His eyes shot wide open and scrambled up. "Tahu!" he whispered. "Get out before someone see-spots you!"
Tahu raised a brow. The Toa of air looked at himself and found he was a Toa again.
"The guard is sleeping pretty soundly. So long as we leave quietly," said Tahu.
Soundlessly, the two Toa left the camp and when they were a good distance away Tahu stopped and turned around with crossed arms.
"Tell me you learned something."
Lewa could sense the impatience in his tone. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, quite a bit really, but I don't have a complete picture on what they're planning."
Tahu was about to rub his forehead.
"But they are gathering resources and have been preparing the younger ones."
The news did nothing to change the look on Tahu's face.
"On the bright side, I'm starting to gain their trust. I might be able to influence them into unwittingly set themselves up for a trap."
"You're asking for more time."
"Yes, I know. But I just need another day or two. I'll try to talk them into going through Kini-Nui and we'll have them in our hands."
Lewa was not sounding confident and Tahu picked up on it.
"Brother… are you getting attached to them?"
Lewa's fake smile disappeared. "Well, not exactly."
Tahu sighed.
Lewa spoke frantically. "It's not what you think. It's just this one Human who I've been trying to connect with. I'm just using her to learn a little extra about them. She's actually been quite a bit of help. All I have to do now is talk her into handing Kopaka's sword to me"
Tahu stared flatly at him. "They have his swords?!"
"Well, just one of them. And I thought you knew."
Tahu crossed his arms again. "I know now." The Toa of fire sighed.
Just then they heard a twig snap and they both froze. Both Toa looked around, but after a minute saw nobody.
Tahu faced Lewa. "Just be careful." He then began to walk away. "I'll be sending Pohatu and Onua to keep a close watch on you."
As he left Lewa took a deep sigh of relief and began walking back to the camp. As he was about to reach the trail he stopped and saw Sarah leaving camp with a backpack full of gear and Kopaka's sword. He quickly changed back into a Human and rushed through the woods, gathering the materials needed for Sarah's medicine. He then grabbed his backpack and ran after her. It might be his only chance at getting the sword.