A/N I'm so sorry for the shortness of this chapter. Though it was posted the same day as the last, it wasn't written the same day. This chapter was incredibly hard for me to write. Not because of the chapter content, but because I was constantly writing through tears. Most of this chapter was written the day after I found out my friend died. I was going to give up on my writing for a while, but I didn't think that was fair to my readers. So, I wrote this chapter through my clouded head. I really didn't want to revise it, so I'm not sure how good (or bad) it actually is. I'd appreciate reviews to tell me. But, I apologize if this - and any other upcoming chapters - is too short. I just wanted my readers/reviewers to know I am writing through a grieving heart.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Fault: Responsibility for a mistake or an offense; culpability.

"Well," Jack tried to come up with a bright side to this situation, "if there's one ship, there's sure to be others. So we just keep the smoke going, and another one will pass by!" Again, the hunters murmured in agreement. I had a feeling they would agree to anything Jack said.

I, on the other hand, did not want to agree with everything Jack was saying. But I didn't want to disagree, either. So I kept my mouth shut.

Piggy decided Ralph wasn't doing a very good job at guilting Ralph, so he intervened, "We could've gone home, Jack! We could've gone home! Instead you had to kill a pig! You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and and your blo-"

Piggy's rant was cut short when the sound of flesh against flesh rang through the air. Suddenly, Piggy was grasping his red cheek from where Jack had slapped him. He continuously cried out about his glasses, which were now on the rocky ground. He felt around for them, but Simon picked them up first. He handed them to Piggy, who put them back on his round face, but only to find that the right lens had been cracked by the impact of the ground.

"Let's start the fire so we can feast!" Jack screamed, ignoring what had just happened. The hunters ignored it, too. They started preparing to cook their kill. Ralph sighed, and took Piggy's glasses. He re-lit the fire using the non-cracked lens.

I felt awful. I had stood by while these awful events took place. And I should've had the courage to stand up since it was all my fault. If it hadn't been for me, we all would've been on a ship heading home.

But since I couldn't go back in time, I should at least have the bravery to stand now and be the one to take the harsh words and the abuse.

But I just stood there amongst the hunters, like I was one of them. Which I knew I wasn't. I couldn't hunt like them, think like them, be like them. Maybe that was a good thing, though. I could slowly see the decent of the hunters into savagery. I didn't know what would happen once they were full-fledged savages, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be pretty. I wished I could stop it, but how was I, a fifteen-year-old girl, supposed to stop a pack of teenage boys from losing themselves to the hunt? Especially when Ralph, who was supposedly our leader couldn't even stop them?

I made my way over towards the fire. Everyone was gathering, getting ready to eat their meat. I took a seat next to Simon, who always seemed neutral about everything. There was an empty spot beside me, which Roger then filled. I said nothing, and shifted my weight towards Simon.

Once the pig had been cooked well enough, Jack used his knife to cut off the meat. He decided that your size of meat depended on how much he liked you.

Ralph barely got any. Simon got an average size. He didn't give Piggy any at all. What seemed to surprise everyone was the meat sizes of my piece and Roger's. Mine was noticeably larger, whereas Roger got the second-biggest piece. He glared at me with such an intensity, I thought I felt my skin burning. I was glad Jack was only a few feet away; Roger would never try anything with him so close. Especially considering I was his favourite.

"Am I not getting none?" Piggy asked in his annoying voice once Jack sat down with his meat, equal to the size of my piece.

Jack scowled at him and muffled a 'Shut up, fatty' through a full mouth. Simon threw his piece at Piggy's feet, claiming he didn't want any. Jack's eyes became angry as he stood up and roughly cut off another sizable chunk of pig meat.

"Eat, damn you!" He seethed angrily as he threw the meat towards Simon.

I looked down to my hands where my half-cooked, giant piece of pig meat laid. I hadn't taken a bite. My mind was just racing too much for me to chew. I was racked with guilt. It was my fault that these boys may never see their families again. My fault. I knew some of the blame could fall on Jack for talking me into joining the hunt, but the truth was, I wanted to go. I could've resisted him if I had really wanted to, but I didn't. I wanted to hear his intoxicating voice and stare into his hypnotic eyes as he all but begged me to join him.

What I had done scared me. I knew leaving the fire was a bad idea, but Jack had somehow convinced me it wasn't a big deal and we could always re-light it. He never thought a ship was coming. He didn't believe in rescue. And if I joined him, would I give up on all rescue, too?

I looked at all the littluns who sat around the fire. I tried to imagine what would happen to them if there was never going to be rescue. Not only would the littluns feel it, but we all would. I knew some kids would be dragged down to a state below civilization. I knew if I joined Jack, I would be drowning with them. Something more terrible than ever would be unleashed in Roger, and I knew exactly who he would take it out on. Me. And maybe the littluns.

So, I had to find a way out. Not off the island, because I couldn't control that. But, a way to save our civilization. And I needed to start in the center of our ultimate downfall. The one person who I thought was most at fault, other than myself.

No, not Roger, but Jack. Somehow, I would have to get it through the chief hunter's head that he needed to give up hunting and join Ralph in leading us towards a better future on the island.

Yeah, right.

A/N Please review!