Chapter Two - I Never Sleep
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"Where did you go?" Roger asked.
Jack jumped. He hadn't noticed the boy's presence. As loyal as Roger had always been, he had always been weary of the other boy. He was so quiet, spending his time sneaking around or watching everyone with a monochromatic expression on his face. No one ever knew what he could be thinking. Or where he could be hiding, apparently.
He had just returned to Castle Rock and was so absorbed in his own mind that he probably wouldn't have noticed if his entire tribe had been blocking the entrance. Jack's spear was hanging loosely from his hand as he had been dragging it along the ground. He'd spent the walk back thinking about Ralph. For better or for worse, it seemed like the fair-haired boy was on his mind a lot lately.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Where did you go?" Roger asked him again. "I've been on watch half the night. I saw you leave. That was some time ago. Where have you been?"
Jack avoided the question for a moment. He wondered if it was worth it to lie to Roger, the one who was always loyal. The one who had come over to his tribe not for food or because it was more powerful, but because he had wanted to for Jack. But he was chief, he had control, and saying what he had really been doing was his decision.
"I was looking...for Ralph."
Roger's eyes tripled in size. "You were looking for Ralph? Why would you do that?"
"It's night. Of course, he must be sleeping. What would make him think that we would be searching for him so late? I thought that, maybe, I could find him. I brought my spear...in case I did. During the day he's probably always on the run from us. But if I could catch him while he was unsuspecting..." Jack trailed off, fearing he was being repetitive and that Roger would see through him. His explanations were never that long, and Roger wasn't as stupid as most people took him to be.
The smaller smiled, leaning back against the walls of Castle Rock.
"Of course, Chief. You are completely right. I agree with your thinking. Any luck?"
Jack shook his head. "No. I searched in every bush I passed. I saw no sign of him."
"Of course, he is still out there."
"Oh, no doubt. Hidden better than I would have guessed." Roger tried to interject a comment but he was quickly cut off as Jack swept by him. He was in no mood to discuss Ralph with anyone.
He passed by the boys, all of them lying near each other. Their blood stained chests rose and fell, and Jack walked silently through the maze before stopping. He always slept farther from the boys as a way to represent his superiority. But he wouldn't chance the boys finding out that he didn't sleep anymore.
He lay down, his body used to the feeling of hard rock beneath his skin. They had all grown accustomed to it and had tried to make it better, but Jack didn't bother with making mattresses of grass and leaves. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping, but instead delighted in the boys' words of awe that he was able to fall asleep with the jagged points piercing his skin. It was like a bed of nails, but he didn't mind.
"I was looking...for Ralph."
Jack could have been happy that he hadn't really lied to Roger. He had been looking for Ralph. He had, or so he thought, snuck out unnoticed when Samneric were switching positions with a then unknown boy to spend the night making sure their fortress was safe. He had searched in every bush he passed, hoping to hear the sound of a boy breathing or see a glimpse of fair hair falling over a golden face.
But the reasons he was looking for him and the reasons he had told Roger were quite different.
He remembered walking between the creepers and seeing blood, wondering if it was left from a pig hunt of if it was Ralph's, his ankles getting cut as he walked through the forest. He listened hard, hoping that he would maybe hear the other humming or stepping on a twig, hoping that a crack would echo through the forest. He had all but given up hope when he saw something moving among the trees.
And then Jack heard a sigh.
He immediately stopped moving as he watched the fair-haired boy, his head down as he lazily picked his way through the dirt. He didn't look happy and he didn't look worried. Ralph seemed to not even be thinking that it was possible the tribe would be looking for him this late.
Jack inched forward, trying to get a closer look at the other boy. That's when his foot stepped on a fallen twig and Ralph stopped. Jack bent low to the ground, the way he did when he was hunting until he was almost crawling on all fours and stole forward, using the moment to its advantage. A plan was forming in his mind, quickly formulating as he distanced himself several feet from Ralph.
He watched as the boy stopped looking around and continued forward.
Talking a deep breath, Jack stepped around the tree and leaned his shoulder against it. He watched the other, his head returning to its downcast position, before making his presence known.
(He was so beautiful.)
"Hello, Ralph," he said.
The entire time he was fighting his desire to break out laughing. He watched Ralph squirmer under his questions - something that delighted him to where he didn't even try hiding his smile. He thought he was stronger, that he was in control of where the conversation was going. But he didn't realize how comfortable he had grown until his anger had gotten the better of him.
"Why haven't you?"
He frowned. "Why haven't I what?"
Ralph laughed. "Attacked. Tried to find me. You know there's no one else on this island besides me. Why wait? Why not come and kidnap me? It's your entire tribe against me. I can't be hard to find."
Why hadn't he?
He knew the answer. He knew why he hadn't tried to find Ralph. He knew why he hadn't told his tribe it was time. What happened if they found him first? Who knew if they would listen to him? What if they forgot and ran him through with their spears and Jack was left starring at his lifeless body as blood poured from open wounds? What point was there of being alive on the island if the one reason he had ever desired power in the first place was dead?
Was he about to tell Ralph all this?
Definitely not.
But before he could speak, Ralph continued to taunt him.
"You have your spear right there, Jack. Just pick it up and run me through with it. You're taller. You're stronger. I'm weak, I haven't eaten in days. I couldn't put up much a fight. Why don't you kill me?"
Jack glanced down at his spear. He could. He could pick it up right now. But didn't he just say he always got what he wanted? And he didn't want Ralph dead. That, he knew.
He hadn't answered any of Ralph's questions for some time. He hated feeling the shift of power, it was not something he was accustomed to. But he had to say something. Jack bent down, picking up his spear and twirling it in his hands.
"It's like I told you, Ralph. I get what I want."
He had walked away, wishing he could run through the forest back to Castle Rock. Jack wanted so desperately to have seen the look on his face and to know what the other was thinking. He wondered where Ralph was now and hoped he had fallen asleep.
The sky was dotted with stars, but the comfort the night time had once brought him was no longer there. How long could they be stuck on this island? Jack felt so cold, so alone. He turned his head, watching the other boys. He looked at their faces, but he couldn't see them, could he? He saw clay and blood, staining the innocence of boys who, until weeks ago, knew nothing of war and murder.
Jack shut his eyes. But he knew that sleep did not await him.
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A.N.: Yes, I know, this was an extremely boring chapter and nothing really happened. I just needed to buy some time before big things start...
Anyway, I just want to quickly thank a few people. hosegirl08, Tobi-Uchiha, and XbuttonsX for leaving reviews, thank you so much! I can't tell you how much it means to me that people actually like this. ferretstheslave, thanks for the favorite! I can't even believe it! And finally, LoopyTheFoxz, XbuttonsX, and horsegirl08 for alerting! Really, I can't tell you how much any of that means to me.
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