I apologize for the long update time, but I finally figured out the direction for this chapter. I know it's a slow start, but hopefully it'll pick up soon.

Chapter 3: Signs

I waited out in the hallway until Dawn told me she had changed into dry clothes.

Until she had arrived, I don't think I had appreciated how beautiful the resort truly was. The room was small, but it had a working fireplace, a polished cedar desk with comfortable leather armchairs, a shower, flat-screen TV, and a mini-fridge.

Dawn was sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for me to join her. Her expression was calm, almost tired.

"I'm sorry that I let him deceive me," she whispered. "I can't believe that I-"

"Don't," I said quietly. Her eyes widened slightly, before she leaned in my direction. "Thank you,"

"He tricked me too," I replied honestly.

"Not for that," she answered, and I realized what she meant.

"I reserve my speaking for the ones I trust," I told her. Maybe it was a shift in the light, but her cheeks looked pinker for a second.

"What happened to you on the island?" I asked. Her head drifted down, turning her focus to her lap.

"Scott sabotaged us. I saw through his lie, but he stopped me. He had stolen things from the others earlier, and he...he hid them in the bag before I could warn the others. And after that...there was nothing I could do."

I could only nod. I didn't understand why Scott did what he did, but I knew very well that two people had been kicked out because of him. Two people who trusted him and were doing their best to help.

"Don't worry, B," Dawn reassured me. "There's a reason for everything that happens. We just haven't found it yet,"

I smiled. "I guess not,"

It had been awhile since I had talked for so long with somebody else, and it had been even longer since I had enjoyed it. She listened to what I had to say, never giving any form of judgement, just asking questions, knowing which subjects I wanted to avoid.

"Tell me a little bit more about auras,"

She smiled. "People tend to be much more derogatory about my readings...Life gives off all kinds of energy, some things you can sense, some are harder to detect. All living things possess this...and the combination of all the energy is what forms the aura. It is the gateway to one's soul...and their history. The shades of color you see in the auras tell something's history, their desires, their personality...it allows you to see things in a different way,"

I nodded. "So when you said my aura was purplish-green, what did that mean?"

She paused. "You are selective in the people you make friends with, you love to learn, secretive, loyal, determined, humble, enjoy balance and stability..."

I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to. These were the things that described me. Well, if I said I was humble, it wouldn't mean very much, but she was right on all accounts. I was picky with my friend choices. I found joy in learning, and I liked a stable life. Especially with everything that had happened when I was younger.

"That's...impressive,"

She smiled weakly. "I only wish I had been able to see what was brewing in Scott's mind...I was distracted..."

"By what?" I asked.

Her gaze didn't change, but I could sense a difference in her body. It was hard to describe...as if she was constricting, tensing up inside.

"Do you remember what I warned the eve of Dakota's elimination?"

At the time, I had been slightly too worried about going home myself to think about it, but eventually it came to me.

"...something bad was going to happen, right?"

"And now she has returned to the island," Dawn murmured, her voice quiet. "Something inside...waiting to be released..."

Her eyelids fluttered, and suddenly she was asleep in her chair. The conversation was over. As carefully as possible, I took her and carried her to her bed, tucking her underneath the covers. She looked so peaceful, so calm, so much better than the limp girl from the garbage bag.

"Goodnight Dawn," I whispered, carefully closing the door behind me. We could continue this conversation tomorrow.

Or so I thought.

The next day gave me no solace to Staci's endless barrage of jibber-jabber. I could find no time alone with Dawn to talk with her, and I had no intention to talk with Staci around. The last thing I needed was to give her another topic to ramble on about.

"My great-great-great [insert relative here] [insert name here] invented [insert basic noun here]! Yeah, before that, everybody just did [whatever]. And my great-"

Shut up, baldie, I thought about a million times.

Dawn's suitcase came at about noon. I accompanied her back to her room, mostly as just an excuse to get away from Staci. As soon the door was behind me, I sighed in relief, at least until I heard Staci talking through the door.

At the sound of this, Dawn merely raised an eyebrow, whispering something to herself until pulling an assortment of paper bags from her case. She opened one, sniffed inside, set it down, and repeated until she found the one she was looking for, which she then brought with her to the hallway, disappearing down one corridor.

Finally, she came back with a cup of something warm in her hands. I realized that the contents of that paper bag had been some sort of tea, but I couldn't place the scent of it. It was...familiar, and yet foreign. Some sort of blend, I suppose. Dawn handed the cup to Staci, who stopped talking for half a second to take it and start drinking. As soon

"-and before him, everyb...body just..."

Staci's voice started to slur, but like any type of slurring like I had heard before. It was like her voice was being played at different speeds, and repeatedly changing in pitch. The oddest thing about it was that the more illegible her voice was, the more it sounded like she was trying to say something else. I turned to Dawn, who seemed just as bewildered.

"-just...j...ju"

The mug shattered on the ground as Staci collapsed. Both Dawn and I took a step back in shock. "Staci?" Dawn asked apprehensively.

There was no response.

I surged forward, reaching for a pulse. Just as I had found it, she started to speak again.

"Can't stop...talking...need...someone...help...please..."

And suddenly, Staci was sitting back up again, telling me how her great-great-aunt Bertha had invented lying on the ground. Dawn turned as still as a statue, eyes not looking in any particular direction, but I knew that she was thinking what I was thinking, which was confirmed when Sam arrived at the resort that night. As bad as it sounds, he was too focused on his Game Guy for either of us to truly leave him out.

"What did you give her?"

"It was a blend of chamomile and lemongrass, but I drank that tea before, and nothing ever happened like what Staci experienced,"

"What confuses me is what she was said right before she got right back up," I added. "That part about 'can't stop talking' and 'help',"

Dawn gulped. "What worries me is that...the moments before she recovered, I saw something in her aura, something I saw before in Dakota,"

It took me a second to realize what she meant. "Are you saying that something is going to happen to Staci too?"

"I'm saying that it may already have happened,"

It's beginning to happen.

Any ideas what's going on yet? Be sure to leave your thoughts on this chapter in the review section, and hopefully you'll enjoy what I have planned for the next chapter.

-AP