Author's note - sorry, I separate the note from the story but sometimes the site mixes em up. It's not my fault. And actually until now I haven't really thought of Beaver's age. I dunno, it's like it's mature, but he's really immature too. I think I'll make him younger than Jackson. So he'll be maybe sixteen. And thanks for Beaver praise. I think everybody mentioned him in their review. I was actually working toward his liking. Cause when I introduced him, of course I liked him. But since I liked him I wanted other people to like him. So he'll be comic relief and Jackson insight, maybe. I dunno where to go from here, so remember if you wanna see something, just tell me. I'm also trying to work everybody into the story so it's not just Jackson Melissa and Beaver. That was a long note. Now enjoy.

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"I think there needs to be a group meeting," Daley announced, entering Jackson room. "Welcome back, Jackson. From wherever your mind went. But we need to lay down some ground rules," Daley said, eyeing Beaver.

"It's just food," Beaver said quickly.

"He's hungry," Jackson added, almost like Beaver were an underfed dog.

"I don't care," Daley said. "We're all hungry and it kinda sucks that he gets the food everybody else needs."

"Alright." Jackson turned to Beaver. "No more stealing food."

Beaver shrugged, almost abashed. "Alright."

Daley narrowed her eyes. "And tell him to stop starting fights with Rodney."

"Why?" Jackson and Beaver asked in unison.

"Because it upsets the mood on this goddamn ship," Daley shouted back.

"You heard her, Beeve," Jackson murmured.

"Fine," Beaver said.

"Why are you always so hungry?" Melissa asked Beaver when Daley had left.

Beaver shrugged and shook his head. "I dunno. It's just…all this food…there's a lot of…I have to go to the bathroom." Beaver stood abruptly and quickly left the room."

Melissa glanced back at Jackson who was sharing a sheepish grin. "I've never seen him uncomfortable before."

"I didn't mean to say anything bad. It's just…he's usually so open so…" Melissa told him, feeling guilty.

Jackson waved away her apology. "Don't feel bad. Beaver wasn't the worst case in foster care, but his real folks almost starved him to death when he was maybe six. After that, after foster family after foster family, they were all poor and they didn't have a lot of food. So now every time he can get a little extra food he pigs out. It's not because he's a pig or selfish or anything. He's just concerned."

"Oh," Melissa murmured. She hadn't even thought about what could have happened to Beaver. She hadn't even considered the fact that he too could've been a foster kid.

"Are you cold?" Jackson asked.

Melissa just realized that she was shivering. "Yeah, I kinda am," she answered.

Jackson pulled up the end of the blanket he was covering up with and Melissa took the hint to sit on the bed, beside him, and share the blanket. She could feel Jackson's body heat radiating under the blanket it. She scooted over more so their legs touched. "Are you okay, Jackson?" Melissa asked, staring over at him.

"I'm fine," Jackson answered quickly. He was already tired of that question.

"I mean. Really," Melissa pressed. "Past all the injuries and problems. Are you really okay?"

Jackson was quiet for a moment. That was a deep question. "I'm not sure," he answered after a moment.

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"How close are we?" Daley asked Rodney. Rodney glanced down at the computer that now held their map.

"Still a good ways. It should really take four or five more days." Rodney answered

"That's insane," Nathan said, glancing down at the map too. "That's how long it took back in the eighteen hundreds. Are you sure he's telling the truth?" Nathan asked Daley.

"You saw the map. It's awhile away," Rodney said defensively.

"We'll, it's not like we haven't waited longer before now," Taylor chirped up.

"I think he's lying," Eric said. "We should…give him…a hundred whippings and then he'll think twice about lying again."

"Eric," Nathan said in a warning voice.

Eric shrugged and held up his hands. "Fine. But when he gets out of line because you refuse to show your leadership, don't get angry if I say I told you so."

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"What's your problem?" Taylor asked. She now stood in Beaver's door way. Beaver lifted his head to stare at her before lowering it back down onto his pillow.

"I've endured a large quantity of pain in my years of experience, and now I'm experiencing fatigue," Beaver answered. Taylor cocked an eyebrow. "I'm tired."

"Oh, well why didn't you just say that?" Taylor asked, striding into his room and sitting down at the foot of his bed.

"Do you want something, Taylor?" Beaver asked.

Taylor shrugged, leaning back against the wall behind Beaver's bed. "What's got you all twisted in a knot?"

"We're going back to civilization," Beaver answered.

"That's it? We're going home," Taylor agreed, cheerful.

"Not everybody has some big house and loaded parents to go back to," Beaver murmured.

Taylor pulled a bit of Beaver's blanket over her lap. She hadn't thought about that. She knew Jackson's past and she knew they both were hesitant about returning, but she hadn't thought that maybe they were better off on the island than home. "What's it like for you? At home?"

"There is no home," Beaver answered. "That's the problem."

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"I ran away," Beaver answered, hating how lame that sounded. "I guess I pussied out. I couldn't deal with all the violence. I knew that it wouldn't end good so…I dip set."

"You mean, you really live on the streets?" Taylor asked. "That's terrible!"

"I know," Beaver murmured in agreement. "Things happen on the streets."

"To you?" Taylor pressed.

"Not yet," Beaver admitted.

"I'm sorry, Beaver," Taylor told him. "I guess everybody else was just so concerned about returning home for themselves, they couldn't think about how you and Jackson would take it."

Beaver shrugged. "I knew being on that island couldn't last forever. Humans have to congregate in a society sort. It's human nature. They have to act against each other or life, to them, is meaningless."

Taylor nodded. "We've been on that island for so long though, living at home's going to seem really weird."

"Soon the effects of the island will wash away…with all that sand water that everybody's sporting," Beaver said. "Soon the changes will reverse and everybody will be exactly how they began. Soon nothing will matter."