Hello everybody. It is good to see you. Seriously, I have a stats thingy that tells me how many people read my story. So hello! Have you ever thought about reviewing? Anyways, thanks again to my editor, the mysterious and mystical paddawhump. Normally, I thank her for her brilliant notes and edits, and today, I thank her for every one of her helpful little comments, from the very start. She's actually the reason I'm getting this chapter out so quickly. So enjoy, and leave a review to thank her.
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I had been excused from digging a hole today. It was the day before my departure of Camp Green Lake, and they wanted me to pack, shower, and get ready to go, because they wanted me to look like I hadn't spent the last six months digging holes in the hot Texas desert. Like always, I hadn't listened to them. I wasn't going to sit in the tent. I took the trek out to the dig site for the last time. I donned my white bikini, and my coveralls, unzipping them to my hips, and letting the rest hang. I'd gotten a really good tan while I was here, and today I wanted to work on it.
The guys were unusually quiet, they knew I was leaving, and I was surprised to be sad that I was going home. I would miss them, Armpit, X-Ray, Zero, Squid, Zig Zag, Magnet, and of course, Beast. I walked out with them, and leaned against the shovel I'd swiped from the library. I started digging with them, but I didn't focus on size, I was focused on singing. Today was the last day at Camp Green Lake, and the boys had told me they would miss my voice. So today I would sing every song I knew, over and over again for a very long time.
By lunch, I had three feet done, my regular, and Mom gave me a meal. After we ate, I kept digging, but I didn't stop at five feet. I climbed out of my hole, and into Squid's. He was the slowest digger in the tent, so I started digging with him, singing all the while. When he was done, only Zig Zag and Magnet were left, so I climbed into Ziggy's hole to help him. When we finally finished, the sun was a lot lower in the sky than it normally was for me.
We walked back together in complete silence. When I finally made it back, I realized none of my cabin had showered yet. They'd been waiting for me. I picked up my relaxation set of clothes, and walked to the shower with them. We stripped down together, and I noticed that they were remarkably good at keeping their eyes where they should be. We showered in solemn silence until they started a contest to see who was bigger. It was then that I smacked them all, and finished my shower.
A-Tent was sitting inside their tent, and I couldn't see Beast. In fact, we hadn't spoken for the last three days. I wanted to talk to him, but knew he wouldn't talk unless he wanted to. So I left him alone, and mourned from a distance. I went back to the tent and packed all of my stuff, including my bikini, and the belt I'd been using during the day to hold my coveralls at my hips. I pulled out a baggie of twelve tokens I'd been saving, and slipped two onto each boy's cot. I searched for a song to describe the pain I was feeling, but could find none.
When the boys entered the tent, still a little damp, I had everyone write out their full name, their nickname, phone number, address, and email address. I wanted to write them when they got out of here. My time at Camp Green Lake, I knew, had changed me fundamentally. We just sat and talked for a while, then went to dinner. During the meal, I tried vainly to catch Beast's eye, but he wasn't looking at me. He didn't even look at our table.
I think it broke my heart that he wasn't looking at me. It was like he wanted nothing to do with me, and I thought sadly about how he never had kissed me. Our time in the wreck room passed quickly too, though the room was strangely quiet. I realized it was because they were all sad I was leaving, and I felt warmth for the boys I'd spent my six months with. Beast still hadn't looked at me, and we all traipsed back to the tent, quiet with our grief. Before we went to sleep, the boys begged for one last song, so I sang them what I could remember of Vanessa Carlton's "1000 Miles."
"Making' my way down town,
Walking fast,
Faces pass,
And I'm homebound.
Just staring blankly ahead
Making my way
Making my way through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall, into the sky
Do you think time,
Would pass me by,
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
Tonight
It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder if you ever think of me
Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
drowning in your precious memories
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall,
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by?
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles,
If I could just see you,
Tonight.
And I, I, don't wanna let this go
I, I, drown in your memories,
I, I, don't wanna let this go,
I, I don't
"Making' my way down town,
Walking fast,
Faces pass,
And I'm homebound.
Just staring blankly ahead
Making my way
Making my way through the crowd
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder
If I could fall, into the sky
Do you think time,
Would pass me by,
Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you
If I could just hold you,
Tonight."
One by one, they each hugged me goodnight, and I laid down in my bed, eyes brimming with tears. Silently, they ran down my cheeks as I cried. When I was too exhausted to cry any longer, I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.
--
My dream was vivid. It was about me and Beast. In my dream, he was walking and I saw him. I cried out to him, joyful at seeing him outside of camp, but he didn't see me. He just kept walking, not even hearing me calling to him. When I tried to run to him, my feet wouldn't move.
It was then I woke up.
Beast's calloused hand was over my mouth, and his dark eyes were gazing into mine. I held still against my bed, aware of the goose bumps that spread over my skin. I realized I was in my bikini top, and my coveralls were only half zipped. I must be driving him crazy. He gestured for me to follow him, so I did.
He led me to the basket ball court, and my mouth quirked up with the irony. The first time he'd said he would kiss me, the last time I would see him. He bent over, and retrieved the orange ball. He was still silent, but I knew he wanted to play. I stood on the mid-court line, and he passed me the ball. I passed it back, and he passed it to me again. I faked right, then spun left, knowing his right side was slightly weaker than his left. He didn't get the ball, but he kept pace with me, staying low. At the base of the hoop, I went for a jump shot, and at the top of my jump, he grabbed me around the waist, hugging me to his body.
I had just a second of anticipation before his lips crushed against mine. My eyes closed, and I felt my feet touch the ground. I kissed him back, I'd been waiting for this. His tongue dabbed at my lips and eagerly, I let him in, humming at the taste of his mouth. His tongue wrestled with mine for dominance, and I moaned at the motion. Desperately, hungrily, his mouth ravaged mine, and one of his hands held my waist. The other one twined itself in my hair, pulling me closer to him. I kissed him with all of the fervor I possessed, his hands played havoc with my heartbeat, and his scent muddled my mind so thoroughly I couldn't think straight. After a long time, we separated, breathing raggedly. He leaned his forehead against mine, and I rested my arms around his neck.
Gently, he leaned forward and started again, sweetly this time. Gently, he kissed me on the lips, then the nose, eyes, forehead, and then he attached his lips to my throat, sucking and nipping my skin gently. It was his hands that got me. They were pretty innocent, until they started caressing the skin of my abdomen, roaming to my back, and over my taut abdominals. Tentatively, I kissed him, then kissed my way over his neck, licking and sucking gently. I left red marks, and this pleased me in a way, I'd have a mark, a claim over him. My hands ran over his perfectly defined torso, then came to rest with my fingers in the valley of his back, tracing his spine. He stopped again, and looked me in the eyes. With a hoarse chuckle, he kissed my forehead, "Oh, the things you do to me."
I hit him in the side with my right hook, "I don't want this to be just because I'm leaving. I want you to kiss me because you want to, not because there's a deadline."
He smiled sadly, "Yes ma'am."
I was struck with a wave of sadness. This would be the last time I saw him, ever. The thought brought tears to my eyes, and I buried my face in his chest, body shaking with my sobs. His strong arms came around me, and gently, he rocked me. I cried for a long time, and the whole time he let me. When I finally stopped, I looked up into his warm black eyes, and he wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "It's okay Lace. It's okay."
I hugged him again, "No, it's not. I'll never see you again."
My voice cracked on the last word, and he stroked my hair, with a tenderness I didn't know he possessed, "No. You will see me again. When I get out of here, I'll find you."
I pulled back, and looked into his eyes. There was no way. He would be in here for a long time, and forget about me. But I wished for it to be true, so I nodded. I nodded, then hugged him, laying my head on his chest for a long, long time under those court lights.
--
The bus was here bright and early, before the boys even headed out to dig. My boys walked me to it, carrying my stuff for me. They'd wanted to carry me there, but I said no. I still had some dignity. Armpit loaded my stuff onto the bus, and then I hugged every one of them, eyes filling with tears. Zero was last, and he hugged me especially tight. When I backed off, he pointed behind me, and I turned around. Beast was standing there. I was still, not sure what to do. After all, our relationship had changed so quickly, I didn't quite know what to do about it. He did. He took two long strides forward and pulled me to him, hugging me so tight I couldn't breathe. His scent filled me up, and I sighed out deep. He kissed me once on the top of my head, then stood back, "See ya around Ladybug."
"Goodbye Beast."
I turned and got onto the bus. The driver closed the door behind me, and I sat down in a seat across from my back pack. Today I'd worn a white tank top, and a pair of red boxing shorts that went down to my knees. When I sat down, something poked me from inside of the shorts, and I stuck my hand into the pocket. There was a necklace with a pewter, Hawaiian style fishhook on it. There was also a little note attached. I unfolded the note, and scanned it. Unfortunately, it brought a whole new round of tears to my eyes.
"Lacey,
I think I might love you.
John."
Fingers shaking, I tied the necklace around my neck, and then I put my head in my hands and cried for a good ten minutes before I could stare out the window at the barren landscape. I hummed a little tune, and the words escaped my lips silently.
"Barely even friends,
Then somebody bends,
Beauty and the Beast."
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If you cried, let me know. If you thought about crying, let me know. If you wanted to cry, but weren't able to, let me know. And if you're going 'em, that was your worst chapter yet, don't write another word' let me know as well. I'd rather know what you think than stay up late at night wondering what those mysterious readers that don't review thought.
Em.
PS: And fear not gentle reader, this is not the end of the lacey and beast saga. There is more to come.