It took a good thirty minutes to get to the art hall, and by the time they got there, virtually everyone had left to go get ready for dinner, which was in an hour.

Connor opened the door, and cool, unpolluted air smacked her in the face.

She shivered, suddenly cold, probably due to her wet hair.

Erin wrapped her arms around her waist, and followed Connor in.

The first thing she noticed was how clean and white the room looked. It was an open room, about twenty-five to thirty feet long by the same or wider. The walls were white, and three were lined with windows to allow as much light in as possible.

There were art easels, a sectioned off area for ceramics, where a red-head with her hair pulled up behind her in a pony-tail was working, headphones stuck into her ears.
There was an Asian guy sitting at one of the easels turned from them, and an elderly lady sat in the back.

She looked up and started toward them when they walked through the door.

"Welcome to the Art Hall." She said.
Erin looked around the room. It wasn't very hall-like.

"I'm Theresa, and you can let me know if you need anything," she informed them with a smile, and went back to reading her magazine.

Connor smiled down at Erin, and ambled around to a table with a cup over-filled with pencils, a cup of markers, and a cup of crayons.

Connor sat down, and pulled a piece of paper off of a roll behind him, and handed it to Erin. She took it, and pulled a black pencil from the cup.

Connor cut himself a piece, and set it in front of him, staring at Erin.

"So why the Art Hall?" she asked him.

Connor shrugged. "I dunno. I knew not many people would be here, and there's nothing better to do, so…why not?" he asked, stood up, and got himself an easel.
"Want one?" he asked, but Erin shook her head. "I'm good with the old fashioned flat surface." She said proudly, patting the table.

Connor shrugged, and hefted the easel to where he could still talk to Erin.

"So," Erin said, drawing long black lines across her paper with a ruler.

"So." Connor replied, composed.

"What'cha gonna draw?" she asked.
Connor looked at her, his brown eyes peeking out from under his thick, dark eyebrows.
"I can't tell you that," he told her. "It's a secret."

Erin rolled her eyes. "Sure." She replied, and went back to her line drawing.

Connor smiled, and collected supplies for whatever he was going to draw.

"What are you going to draw??" Connor asked her, placing his pencils and paints in certain order next to him on a supplied table.

"A comic strip." Erin replied simply.

Connor choked back a laugh, which caused him to cough violently.
"Why…a comic strip?" he asked her in between a cough.
Erin smiled to herself. "To prove to you that I make the best stick-figure men ever." She replied, and set to work on her first frame.

The two worked in the Art Hall for a good forty-five minutes before Erin looked at her watch. "Oh, Dinner is about to start," she informed Connor, who had gone into a silent mode, working diligently.

His jaw was so firm when he concentrated, and Erin would have loved to try and draw him, but she knew it would turn out like a lop of mud on paper.

His steady brown eyes followed his hand loyally as it moved across the paper sporadically. His hand never quivered, never second-guessed itself. It just went, like his brain released all control over him limbs, and they took on a mind of their own.

He caught her looking at her once, and she hurried to look away, to finish with her comic strip, her cheeks flushing red. And out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn he smiled at her.

Connor nodded. "Good," he said, folding his work so quickly that Erin didn't have a chance to steal a glimpse. "I was getting hungry anyway," he added.

Erin snickered. "I know, I heard your stomach."

Connor grinned, touching his stomach as though it was growling at that moment, and went to put his stuff away.

He came back, grabbed Erin's hand, and led her out of the Art 'Room', as Erin had decided to call it.

He let it go once they were outside, and for a fleeting moment, Erin almost grabbed it again.

They walked to the Dining Hall, yet another hall which was not a hall by any speculation of the word, talking about their backgrounds.

"So, tell me about this brother of yours," Connor suggested, putting a hand out to brace Erin, who was walking and balancing on a log that served as a road lining.
"My brother, Andrew always has a full bladder, and is really good at blowing up the bathroom," she said with a giggle, knowing he would love that when she called him later.

Then, Erin gasped, falling off the log from her surprise, and Connor jumped to catch her, succeeding.
"What?" he asked her, authentically worried.
"I forgot to call my family today!" she said, half horrified, and patted her jeans for her phone.

It was still back in her bag, in the back of her car. With a groan, she said out loud to herself, "I'll call them tonight," she said, slightly upset.

Connor raised an eyebrow at her. "Want to borrow mine?" he asked, reaching for his phone in his pocket.
Erin put her hand out to stop him. "No, no, that's fine. Besides, he'd jump to conclusions." She replied.

"What conclusions?" he queried.

Erin looked into his chocolate eyes that were ever-so hazel.

"He would get upset that I was calling on a guys' phone, and he might even drive all the way out here," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Ah," Connor replied, letting Erin grip his fingers as she hoisted herself up onto the ever-going log again. "So, he's the protective type?" he asked.
Erin snickered. "More like…personal guard dog." She corrected him.

Connor eyes got big, and his head jerked a little. "Wow, how old is he?" he asked, assuming that he was in his twenties.

"My age," Erin replied, watching her log.

"So, you're step-siblings?" Connor asked.

Erin shook her head, and looked up at him. "I'm a twin," she replied, as though he should know.

The ends of Connor's mouth went down, and his eyebrows went up. "I didn't know that." He replied.
Erin nodded. "Yeah, it has its ups and downs. Like, Andrew is kind of the popular kid in school. He's a jock, but people actually like him, and so naturally, like most guys, he didn't want his baby sister going out with anyone unless he approved of them, which wasn't likely to be anyone I chose, because I am kind of a jock, and he knows all his buddies because they share a locker room…and you get the picture," Erin trailed off.

Connor did understand. Guys talk about everything in the locker room. Which girls were bangin', which girls were hot enough to be banged, which girls were sluts, which girls were just a booty-call, so on. And no doubt, Andrew had to listen to a few conversations about his sister, who would be on the "bangin'" list, no doubt about that.

"So, did you ever date anyone?" he asked

Erin shrugged, tilting her head from side to side. "They were all…well, jerks. I dated one kid who got beat up in the locker room because he said something about me and Andy didn't like it. So he and his friends ganged up on him. And he broke up with me that night on the phone. Something about a 'freakin' crazy bastard for a brother'." Erin giggled. "But don't get me wrong, he's really cool. He understands me. I wonder why…" she trailed off sarcastically.

Connor smirked, and held Erin's hand as she made a jump from one log to another.

"Well, I'm guessing you're close." He told her.
Erin rolled her lips. "We have to be," she replied, still staring at her log, almost as if she was afraid to look up.

"How so?" Connor asked.
Erin shrugged. "Ever since my dad died, he's been the man of the house, you know? And mom had her issues there for a while, and so we learned to work together to get things done. Amazingly so, we did really well while my mom recovered." She offered.
"It doesn't sound like you had much time to recover there, though." Connor suggested.
Erin stopped suddenly, and looked at Connor. "What makes you say that?" she asked him.

Connor looked at the ground, then back to her. "Well," he started, shuffling his feet. "You and your brother helped your mom out for a couple months while she recovered. Did you ever sit out and mourn yourself?"

Erin's face drew back, offensive. "Of course I did. He was my father. He is my father." She replied

Connor held up his hand in defense. "I wasn't accusing you of anything, I'm just merely curious." He replied.

Erin nodded. "Yeah, sorry."

Connor shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about. I was prying." He told her.

Erin smirked. "You know," she said, getting off her log to walk beside Connor. "I've never told anyone the story about my father. Most people just know that he died in the war. No one but my close family, and a few friends know the truth.

"It's kind of weird, talking to you about it. Not because you're prying, but you're not, you're just curious. My counselor tried so hard to talk to my brother and me, but we wouldn't budge. Everyone else at school whispered about us behind our backs, we were tired of thinking about it all the time. And here I am, opening up to you." She said.

Connor shrugged. "I'm a listener." He proposed.
"I guess so," Erin replied, and they reached the Dinner Hall.

-~-

"There you are!" came Ben's roaring bass voice, and Erin turned to her immediate right, greeted by a huge black guy with a bald head and massive shoulders.
"Ben!" Erin replied, and smiled, waving.
"Where have you guys been?" Luke asked, walking up beside Ben.
"The pool," Connor replied, closing the door behind him, giving the two gentlemen a wary look.

He knew what they would think about him being with Erin alone at the pool for most of the day.

Luke reached forward to mock-touch Erin's neck. "Obviously, you're scorched," he reported.

Erin looked towards Luke's finger. "Oh," she grumbled, pulling down her shirt, revealing a brilliant red tan on her shoulders. She sighed. "So much for sunscreen," she grumbled.
Ben sucked in air, and made a face, and Connor grimaced. "Thaaaat's gonna hurt in the morning," he sighed.

Erin rolled her eyes. "Oh well," she replied, thankful she'd packed her bottle of aloe vera sooth-a-cane for sunburns.

"Come on, I'm hungry," she told Connor, and led the way to the lines.

This time, there was a line for Mexican, again, and another line for chicken and dumplings. There was a pasta bar, filled with three different kinds of pasta, and two sauces, and a salad bar.
With delight, Erin headed for the salad bar, almost rubbing her hands together.

Filling a plate up with lettuce, veggies and corn, she walked over to the Mexican bar, and got two plates, one with three tortillas on it, the other with fillings, and two large mini-cups of salsa and sour cream.

For a drink, she got a glass of water, and waited patiently for Luke and Ben to finish up. Connor was eying her carefully from the soda machine, almost with a glower. She smiled at him, but he didn't react.

Curious, Erin turned around to see Brandon staring seemingly back at her, but she had a feeling the fierce looks from either of them was not meant for her. Then, Brandon got up and walked toward her, now smiling.

Chris' words came back to mind all of a sudden. "While you two were gone, Brandon paid a visit, and came up here..."

"He's seemed pretty irritated that his new girlfriend was out with Connor…" "Brandon came looking for you, and he…well, I told him you were out, and he told me to tell everyone in the house to stay away from you. He said…he'd go to extremes to make us listen."

Would Brandon really try to keep getting with her?

"Erin, baby, I missed you."

Apparently.

"Hey…" Erin replied, tentatively, looking around for Ben or Connor.
"So…what happened today? I thought we were going out?"
"Going where?" Erin asked, trying to stay calm. All she could think about were Chris' words. He said…he'd go to extremes to make us listen. To make them stay away from Erin. Like he had some kind of claim on here. Like every guy in the stupid cabin had some rule about her.

"Baby, I thought we were…you know, dating." Brandon said, looking over her shoulder, and his face dropped. Suddenly, Brandon's attractive features didn't seem to interest her any longer.

Connor came up steadfast on her side, unwilling to leave it until Erin came with him.

He didn't say anything, and Erin didn't look at him, but she knew he was glaring at Brandon.

"What gave you that impression?" Erin asked quietly, afraid Connor would drop his tray at any moment, and start a brawl in the middle of the cafeteria.

Brandon's gaze flickered back to her. "Well, you kissed me, remember?" he asked persistently.
"I didn't know that was a binding contract." Erin replied carefully.

"Well, it is." Brandon snapped angrily, and Connor's tray beside her shook, making the plates and the silverware clatter together.

Erin smiled. "Well, I'm sorry, but…it was just something of the moment. It didn't mean anything." She told him cautiously.

Brandon smiled. It sent shivers down Erin's heated back. "Oh, no dear. It meant something." He reminded her.

Connor took in a heavy sigh, obviously impatient with the conversation they were having, but Erin was trying to keep it as affable as possible by not raising her voice.

"No, Brandon, it didn't. I'm sorry. But…we're not together. We never were."

Brandon stiffened, his neck becoming a pillar. She could hear his teeth clenching together, and then Ben and Luke were there by her unaccompanied side.

He gave each of them a look, saving the meanest for Erin, and stalked away.

"What a creep," Luke shot after him, unconcerned if Brandon had heard him or not, and the four of them went to find a table.

"BEN!" came a voice at the top of the stairs, and they looked up. Mike, his black hair and slanted features, were waving at them from the opposite side of where they were, so they filed, one by one like sheep, up the stairs and across the balcony to where Mike had saved them a spot.

"What was that?!" Mike asked, unusually enthusiastic for Mike.

Ben set down his stuff, and pulled out a chair next to him. "What was what?" he asked his voice low enough to make Erin's heart thrum like it usually did when bass was played too loud. Or maybe that was her vocal chords.

"All that!" Mike shrieked, pointing down where they'd previously stood.

Erin looked over the balcony, half-expecting to see her still standing there being assaulted by Brandon.

Connor slammed his tray down on the table, sitting by Erin, who was next to Luke. His drink sloshed over a little into his plate of food.
He groaned loudly in frustration, and clenched the back of the seat until his knuckles were white.
"It was a misconception." Luke informed Mike, who was staring at Connor.
Connor's jaw was set incredibly tight, and his once milk chocolate eyes with flecks of mint and white chocolate had glazed over into a murky, burnt chocolate.
"I'll say," Mike replied, amazed by Connor's reaction.
Erin smiled, and let her fingers graze over Connor's soothingly, her warm fingers sliding up and down Connor's fingers and the top of his hand, which were as cold as ice, due to the constriction they'd been under.

Eventually, after Erin was halfway done with her salad did Connor finally calm down.

She ate her salad and engaged in the conversation, but her right hand was rolling over the top of Connor's just as it had earlier, and eventually, he sighed, shook his body a little, and stabbed his food with his fork.

At this, Erin's hand went in between her knees, and she continued eating like nothing had ever happened.

Mike gave Erin a look that suggested he wanted to bring up the initial conversation, but Erin gave him a warning look, and Luke shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly.

Connor's head was bent throughout the entire meal, unresponsive to any conversation that was going on, and the table just let him be.

"Oh!" Erin exclaimed, sitting back, throwing her hands behind her head. "I'm full!" she announced.

Luke snickered, but Ben looked at her longingly. "Are you going to finish your pasta?" he asked, looking from her to the half-full bowl of pasta with red sauce.

Erin swished her hand and Ben swiped the dish before Erin could say, "Take it all."

Just then, Connor tapped Erin's hand under the table. "Can we go back to the Art Hall, I mean, Room?" he asked.
Erin shrugged. "Sure." She replied, and pushed her chair back. "I'll see you guys at the cabin…Hey, do any of you know if Chris has eaten?" she asked the boys. They looked from each other and shrugged.
Erin nodded. "Alright. I'll grab him something to eat." She announced, packed empty dishes on her tray, and picked it up, followed by Connor.

Silently, they went downstairs to empty their trays. Quickly, Erin glanced to the spot where Brandon was previously, but he was absent, and a whoosh of air escaped her anxious lungs.

She walked over to the lines again, excusing herself, and piling food into two take home boxes for Chris, knowing he would be starving, and hurt.

Then, Connor and Erin left together.
They were quiet for a little while, listening to crickets chirp their songs of the night, and walked the guided path, lit by street lamps covered in flying bugs that occasionally got zapped here and there.

Then, "Erin?"

Erin smiled. About time. "Hey," she replied with a smile.

Connor took one of the take-home boxes from her, and cradled it like a football in the crook of his arm. "I'm sorry I reacted like I did." He apologized.

Erin nodded. "There's really no need to be sorry. I'm really grateful you were there. If you weren't, I don't know what he would have done." She informed him.

Connor snorted. "He wouldn't have done anything; there were tons of other people around." He assured her.

"Still," Erin continued. "You were there with me, so he didn't say some of the things that were probably on his mind."

"Oh, I know what's on his mind," Connor growled, and Erin let him to himself again.

"Sorry," he said again.

Erin shrugged. "It's fine." She replied.

"And the way I acted at dinner was kind of embarrassing." He attested.

Erin nodded. "Yeah…considering the fact you're not supposed to talk to me or anything," she said.

Connor winced. "Yeah…I'm sorry about making a deal about you behind your back, too." He said.

Erin laughed. "Stop apologizing. I'm not mad."

Connor grinned, and with his free hand, pulled her his towards his in a walking hug, and let go quickly.

The two came up the to the Art 'Room', and stopped. It was dark inside.

Erin looked at Connor. "It's locked, I'm sure."

Connor shrugged. "I didn't really need to come here anyway. I just wanted to get out of there." He enlightened her.

Erin giggled. "I figured as much, but I didn't want to say anything." She replied.

Connor set in the path to their cabin, walking a little closer to Erin than was usual.

"You're really cool. You know that?" he asked her.

Erin guffawed. "Why is that? Because I get in a lot of boy drama?"

"No," Connor replied quickly but carefully. "You just are. You're not completely absorbed in teen magazines or checking out the hotties or showing off at the pool." He replied.

"You seem like the kind of guy who would like a girl like that," Erin told him truthfully.
"You think I'm that shallow?" he asked incredulously, his eyes wide. "I'm not that materialistic. Sure, it's nice to know that a girl thinks I'm attractive, and in a way, it boosts any guy's confidence, but I don't spend every moment of everyday making sure girls see what's for the pool, you know?" he asked.

Erin snickered. "Yeah." She replied. "You know, when I first came here,"
"Two days ago," Connor reminded her.
"Two days ago," Erin agreed. "I thought you were just going to try and tick me off in everyway you could."

"Why is that?"

Erin tilted her head in indifference. "Just the way you come off to people at first sight."

"Oh, so you knew my whole life story before you even said hello?" Connor demanded ironically.

"No," Erin defended herself with a smile on her face. "I just thought you were going to be that kid who dated every single girl in camp, and then when they were all used up, you went out with them again, but in reverse order to shake things up."

Connor started to laugh halfway through Erin's statement, but by the end, he was cracking up, making it hard for Erin to finish.

Erin slapped him playfully. "Shut up," she told him, unable to be mad for even a moment.

"Wow, that's amusing." He told her.

Erin pouted, a smile betraying her as a fake.

Connor stopped in front of her, and she crossed her arms, her chin touching her chest, and Erin popped her lower lip out.

Connor stood in front of her, analyzing her with one head slightly angled to one side.

"You know, you are super cute," he said to her, rendering her completely defenseless.

That was the last thing Erin had been expecting him to say. She wasn't expecting anything along the lines of beauty. She had anticipated him making fun of her for pouting, or pretending to baby her.
But no! He had to be unpredictable.

The look Erin was fronting disappeared instantly. "Thank-you," she replied courteously, searching for a compliment for him.

"You're very handsome." She replied, completely truthful.

Connor shook his head. "See, that's not fair." He told her, shaking a finger, and stepping closer.
"How so?" Erin challenged a glimmer in her eye.

"I said you were cute. You have to find an equivalent to that." He informed her.

Erin rolled her eyes. "Do not. It's the best man who wins." She retorted playfully.

"And since I'm the man, I say you're beautiful, and you have to deal with it." Connor stated, and stepped up to her, close enough so that Erin could smell his detergent, and she had to tilt her head up to see him correctly.

"Whatever," Erin replied, shrugging his compliment away.

"No, don't whatever me," Connor instructed.

Erin gave him a devious look, thinking she was close to winning. "Don't say what you don't mean." She told him.

Connor's eyes popped out question marks, and he took her face in his hands. "I've never said anything to you that was less than completely truthful and real." He notified her.

Erin's heart melted on the spot.
She stared into his eyes, taking turns with each eye. "That, Connor, is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She informed him.

Connor smiled at her, and blinked slowly.

"Hey!" Came a loud, booming, and more distinctively, angry voice from somewhere in the woods.