Author's Note... Again: I'm actually going out of town for a week, so I decided to update again today... Might as well, right? Hope you like it, nya.

III.

Fainting Spell

"Ok, we're all here," Dryden mumbled through the pen in his mouth after taking attendance. "I'm hoping you all still have your itineraries with you. If not, you're screwed and will have to kiss my ass to get one of the last ten copies I've got. Anyway, for the rest of you who still have it, there's a map provided in the back of the packet that marks where everything is. Once you are assigned your cabin number, go settle in. You're smart, so find it yourself. Just to review, the packet has everything you need to know about the trip. We'll be meeting tomorrow morning inside the main lodge. You're free until then. Don't try to play the tourist, and don't be late."

At those last words, I suddenly sensed someone staring intensely through my back. I turned and noticed it was Van. Of course he'd be staring daggers into my back, I was late for the bus, so he probably figured I'd be late tomorrow morning. I smirked. Dawn was beyond the time I wake. Tardiness would definitely not be a problem for me.

"I've got the cabin numbers here," Dryden held up a chart. "Because you've been assigned permanent partners for the whole trip, the staff decided it'd be best to keep them together for communicative purposes. Therefore, cabins have been assigned by partners."

My mouth hung open in disbelief. I heard a chorus of dismay echo through my classmates. I didn't have to voice it to express my own dismay over the arrangement, but I was certainly much more against it than anyone.

"So listen for your name and cabin number, cause I ain't callin' them out more than once," Dryden announced. "Hitomi Kanzaki and Van Schezar! You're cabin three. Here are your keys."

I blinked. This had to be a sign. And a good one too. Even in the unluckiest of predicaments, I still managed to get a cabin whose number was three? Yes, I'd decided. A sign it would be.

"I call top bunk," I said as Van unlocked the front door to our cabin.

"But you called window seat on the bus," Van argued. "If anything, I should call the bunk I want."

I rolled my eyes. This guy was such a baby! "Fine, call it then."

Van flicked the light switch and gazed around the cabin. "I call bottom bunk."

I cringed. "My call would've gotten you the same bunk!"

"Whatever," he said and pulled the strap to his large duffel bag over his head. Resting it next to his rolling suitcase besides the bunk bed, he rolled onto the twin-sized mattress and breathed a deep sigh.

I couldn't help letting a sigh out myself when I put my backpack down.

"Is that all you brought?" Van asked without opening his eyes.

"I pack light," I shrugged and walked around the cabin. On one side of the room, there was the bunk bed, and on the other were two closets with cubbies to fill our stuff with. And on one side, there was a door leading to a small bathroom, and on the other was the front door. In the middle of the room was a large desk with many drawers that I assumed were filled with scientific equipment. Good, I can use the new ingredients in this area and try out some different formulas, I thought, remembering that I had already taken a dozen pills since I made my latest batch. The sixth pair must've worked, because since we arrived Fanelia, I hadn't felt sick at all.

"I'm going for a walk," I told Van.

"Dinner's gonna be served soon," Van reminded me, with his eyes still tightly shut.

I looked away from him and stared out the window of the front door, unconsciously feeling the slight lining of my ribcage through my shirt. "I know," I simply answered as I walked out the door.

The sun had long set over the horizon when I stopped walking the grounds near the Pier. My small carry bag was already filled with dozens of plants and berries waiting to be chemically altered into something that could possibly be the cure to my illness. Unable to carry anymore, I decided to return to my cabin, but before I could take another step, I felt my stomach growl. I never had that much of an appetite, but I knew I was pushing myself and needed to eat.

It was probably about nine o'clock or so, so going to the dining hall wouldn't do me any good. Perhaps I could find something in my bag back at the cabin. From where I was standing, I knew the cabin was at least two miles away. That distance had definitely never been a problem for me obviously, but at that moment, I was feeling abnormally weak. I'd gone for days without food and water before, but never had I felt as weak as I did that moment.

It was strange how extremely well I felt when I descended the bus earlier this afternoon, and as soon as I left the cabin to go on my walk, I felt the headache return as well as a pulsating pain begun to radiate through my body. It started out softly; gentle enough that I knew it was there, but not enough to really hurt me. With each step I took, I could feel the blood in my veins boil and my muscles were screaming. I couldn't help but scold myself for walking out this far with my current state.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks when I heard an echo of laughter coming from behind a thick brush to my left. My keen sense of hearing caught onto youthful voices, but I was too far away to distinguish them. I would've ignored them, but there was a sweet, burnt scent that tickled my nose. It made my stomach growl even louder. The cabin was still a ways to go, and I couldn't help myself from being drawn to that delicious smell.

I made my way to the brush and peaked through the branches and leaves. The youthful voices I had heard belonged to my classmates of course, but it just had to be the beautiful ones. Instinct told me to walk away, but they were roasting marshmallows over an open fire, and I desperately needed to eat.

"Hold up," I heard Allen say. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Great... I thought. Van's here.

And indeed it was. Lost in the thoughts of my dismay, Van had shoved the brush aside and inevitably ended up just inches from my face once again. I didn't react, but oddly so, nor did he.

"Oh, it's just the nerd," Allen announced to a snickering audience.

"You weren't at dinner," Van said without a single twitch.

"I wasn't hungry," I replied, trying hard to match his steadiness, but failing. "But..." I tried to swallow my pride. For the first time, I was actually asking for some sort of help, and I could barely bring myself to do it. It was like trying to swallow a gigantic jawbreaker, you want to eat that much, but it is difficult to eat it at once. "But I am now."

Van just stared, unmoved still.

"Yo Van," Allen called out behind him. "Your mashmallows are gone!"

I peered behind him and noticed a branch holding four marshmallows had caught on fire and burnt them all into ashes. Even in its inedible state, I couldn't stop myself from staring at it with hungry eyes. My mouth was salivating, and my hand had unconsciously rested itself atop my stomach.

My attention returned when Van finally turned his back on me and walked back to the fire. My eyes shifted downward. Suddenly, my courage had disappeared, and in my slight embarrassment, I turned and walked away from the fire. I knew I couldn't ask them. Not them.

Not long after, I heard Allen call out, "Where are you going?" while heavy footsteps were approaching me fast. It took all of my strength to look over my shoulder, and I nearly tumbled over when I saw it was Van. He had come running with another branch in his hand, which had poked three marshmallows that were freshly lit on fire. When he got to me, he blew the fire out and handed me the branch.

"It tastes better burnt," he said while trying to catch his breath.

I hesitated at first. One could imagine the confusion that was written all over my face. But my hunger overrode any doubts I had and I immediately took the branch from his hand.

"Go straight to the cabin," he ordered before leaving me to return to the fire. Normally, I would scoff and scold him for trying to tell me what to do, but at that moment, it didn't matter. I sunk onto the ground and devoured the three marshmallows in an instant, licking the branch dry until there was nothing but bark left. It wasn't much, but just enough to give me some strength to return to the cabin.

Half an hour later, I had returned to the cabin. I was exhausted. I was sure the marshmallows I had eaten just thirty minutes before had long dissolved on my journey back. I stumbled through the cabin door, preparing myself to rummage through my backpack to find any food. But my nose caught onto a delightful scent before I could even turn on the light. When I did, I found a tray on the table in the middle of the room. There was a cover on it, but when I went to take it off, there was a whole meal gleaming at me.

"Where did this come from...?" I asked no one in particular.

"Hitomi?" I heard a voice call out behind me. I turned and found Yukari, a shy and timid girl from my class.

She carried an empty flask and had an open notebook in hand. "I hope I'm not bothering you, but I was in the cabin next door and saw you walk by..."

"Working on an assignment?" I asked, eyeing her supplies.

"Oh, yeah," she replied with a nod. "It's for extra credit actually..."

I stared. "Need some help?"

Yukari's eyes lit up like a child before a Christmas tree. "Really?" she squeaked. "I hope I'm not a bother..."

"Not at all," I said while pulling out two metal stools. "So what do you need help with?"

Yukari's eyes looked passed me. "You haven't eaten dinner yet?"

"Hm?" I turned around and looked at the tray of food again. "Oh, that. It was already there when I got back. Probably Van's."

"Maybe he got it for you," Yukari said carefully. I stared at her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry! It's just that, at dinner, Dryden complained when Van went back for seconds and took a whole tray of food. He just apologized and said he'd eat it in his room, so..."

"So maybe he realized how full he actually was," I said. "Now what do you need help with?"

After helping Yukari complete her extra credit assignment, she left, and I still hadn't taken a bite of Van's dinner.

"It belongs to him," I whispered shakily. "Why should I?"

And then, I collapsed on the floor.