Disclaimer Time: I don't own LotF, William Golding does. But if I did, I probably would have introduced females and twisted it into a romance novel for sure.

"The wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts."

-Carl Jung

"…there's a Beast trying to kill us?" Cassie asked. No, she wasn't fearing for her life, but she was making sure she heard correctly. A Beast unleashed upon the island? It was absurd, like the bedtime stories she heard when she was little. She was asleep in the jungle for three days. If there were a Beast, she wouldn't be alive.

"A terrible Beast! He bit me on the leg and chased me! We have to tell everyone!" he cried. Cassie stood before him, speechless. She was aware her heart was beating faster than usual. She bent down to the boy.

"Come along. We must fix your leg," she said soothingly. The child began to cry again and flail his limbs. Cassie let out a shriek and ducked her head. The child's breathing was quickening. His eyes were going crazy, moving to and fro without stopping. His body was beginning to shake.

Cassie needed to get help. She knew she wouldn't be strong enough to carry him back to the camp. His only chance was if she could run back and wake someone. She turned and began to run.

"Please…don't leave…me," the boy sputtered.

Cassie was already moving again, ignoring the boy's pleas. She ducked and dodged the forest and in less than a minute, was stumbling upon the beach. She kept running, running towards a familiar shelter. She could see a figure standing outside stretching themselves.

"Thank God," she whispered hoarsely. As the tall figure turned, Cassie took her thanks back.

"What the hell happened to you?" Jack asked. Cassie spread her arms and looked down at herself. Some of the boy's blood and dirt had rubbed onto her skirt and legs. She looked back up at Jack's snickering face.

"You think this is funny?!" she yelled. "There's a bleeding boy back there," she jabbed her thumb towards the jungle, "while you're chuckling your god damn head in!"

"Oh, calm down. He's not my problem."

"Damn it! I don't care if he's your problem! He needs you help. I can't carry him back!" Cassie yelled. Boy's heads were poking out of the shelters around them. Jack cocked his head to the side and answered in a mockingly sweet tone.

"That's not my fault either that you're scrawny."

Cassie became blinded with fury. She didn't know the extent of the child's wounds. He could be bleeding himself dry for all she knew. Meanwhile, Jackass Merridew was having a chuckle at the boy's ill expense. She felt like screaming and throwing a tantrum. She wanted to break something and scream some more. Bottom line, she'd had enough.

She curled her right hand into a fist and looked up at Jack. He stood there smirking down at her. She hoped he didn't like his pretty face.

WHAM!

Jack stumbled backwards, clutching his face, his eyes wide with surprise. Cassie stood with her fist still curled tight. She looked around at all the boy's faces. Her triumphant smile faded away. Ralph's mouth was agape, shaking his fair head with disbelief. The dark haired Simon looked at her with disappointment, as if punching Jack had been the wrong thing to do. It wasn't, wasn't it? The twins, Samneric, were huddled outside a shelter. Fear was in their eyes. Roger was furious. His glare burned her body. Piggy had a knowing look on his face as if he knew what she was going to do and what it would lead to. Cassie finally glanced up at Jack. He was shocked, speechless for once. He looked at her as if she were a purple monster. His reaction, although expected, hurt her the most.

His surprise melted quickly into hot anger. He leapt forward and tackled Cassie into the cool sand.

"You bitch!"

"Jackass!"

They were a frenzy of limbs and bodies rolling in the sand. At one point, Jack had Cassie pinned into the sand. His leering face inches from hers. She felt like socking him in the face again. With a furious cry she rammed her knee between his legs. His grip loosened enough for her to roll him underneath her. Their fighting lasted only a minute. Bigguns were dashing out of their shelter and pulling them apart. Simon and Ralph each had a grip upon Jack's arms with Samneric creating a wall in front of him. Meanwhile, Roger and Maurice had hold on both of Cassie's upper arms. She kicked and struggled against their hold.

"Let me go so I can kick his ass!" she screamed.

"The same way you thought you were strong enough to wrestle me?"

"The same way I punched your face!"

"Stop!" Ralph shouted. Both Jack and Cassie ceased their yelling. "Both of you stop this. We should be helping the boy Cassie found in the jungle. Now, if I catch you two fighting again, you'll be separated and find yourself doing extra chores around camp. Are we clear?"

Cassie could hear her grandmother's voice in her ear. What were you thinking you gutter child! A lady never raises her voice, let alone commits physical violence. You have not defended yourself, but brought shame unto yourself and the family. For once, act civilized and respectful. You're behaving like a bloody savage! You may behave like a gutter rat, but you were not brought up as one. Behave!

Oh Grandmother Cassie thought. No girl can act like a lady forever. You only live once and I've already messed mine up.

"Fine. No fighting," Cassie said. Ralph looked expectantly over at Jack. He was grinning foolishly as if Ralph had told a hilarious joke instead of threatening him. He turned to Ralph. They were almost matched for height, probably nearly six foot. Cassie was five and half herself and they were just a few inches taller than her. Up close however, Ralph was a bit taller.

"Well, Jack?"

Jack smirked and shrugged. "Sure. You won't catch us fighting again." Cassie caught the emphasis on 'catch'. Oh dear…

"Good. Cassie, where was the boy?" Cassie pointed towards the trees behind the shelters and to the left. Ralph, accompanied with Maurice and Simon, took off towards the tree line. Cassie was left standing in the open, a bit unnerved by the stares of the remaining boys. She knew the little boy would need something for his leg, so she left to find some water and her sweater.

By the time she returned everyone was gathered around the little boy, listening to what he was saying. Cassie had to elbow her way through the mass of boys to reach the heart. The boy that was 'attacked' was deep into his story.

"As I was walking back, it attacked! It wrapped its long arms around my body and pulled me down. It bit into my leg, but I wasn't scared. I raced back here to tell you all. If we don't do something it's going to get all of us!"

Cassie kneeled down next to the child's leg. Now that she could properly look at it, it wasn't as bad as it looked. She dipped a sleeve of her sweater into a water filled coconut shell and began washing the blood away. She glanced up at the child's face. He was pale and looked shaken.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"George."

"George. That's a nice name. George, it looks like you cut yourself, like you fell on a rock or something. It doesn't appear as if anything bit you." Cassie gestured towards the red line across the George's leg. There weren't any teeth marks or chunks of his leg missing. He'd probably gotten scared and fell. There wasn't anything on the island except them.

The boy's light eyes widened. "No, there was a monster! It had long, tentacle arms!"

"There was no Beast. You were only frightened by the creepers," Piggy said. Ralph nodded in agreement.

"There is no Beast George," Ralph added sternly. The child was shaking his head.

"There was! There was! He's going to catch and eat us, I swear!"

"George, logically, a Beast could not survive on this island. There wouldn't be enough food. Plus, we would have seen it," said Piggy. A few of the boys murmured with agreement.

"Plus, if there was a Beast, it would have eaten us by now," Cassie added. She lifted her head from George's knee to see fear in all the smaller boy's eyes. Simon had one hand of his eyes and was shaking his head. Piggy was glaring at her from behind his ridiculous spectacles. Jack was snickering. Perhaps she should leave it to Piggy and Ralph to convince the boys.

"What if it's hunting us as we speak? What if it's waiting for us in the jungle so it can eat us one at a time?" someone spoke from within the crowd of boys. Ralph frowned.

"There is no Beast. What kind of Beast leaves no evidence? We haven't heard it or seen any tracks. No indication such a thing exists."

As the debate between Beast and No-Beast continued, Cassie couldn't help but imagine her own battle in her mind.

Say something encouraging! Tell them there's no Beast. Tell them it's their imagination. The fear of the unknown is playing with their minds. Tell them Cassie!

Nothing you could say Cassandra will convince them. There will always be the doubt in their minds. You know there's no Beast, so what's the problem with encouraging their fears? So they will afraid. Good. They should be afraid of something. You'll know it doesn't exist. You'll be brave to them. Tell them the Beast is real.

Cassie interrupted an argument happening Piggy and George.

"What if the Beast's living in the trees? It wouldn't leave any trail. It would explain why it hasn't bothered us on the beach. There aren't enough trees," Cassie said nonchalantly. All at once the boys began to shout.

"She's right! It must be living in the trees!"

"We're all goners!"

"That's ridiculous. What kind of Beast would live in the trees? A giant squirrel?"

"We should burn all the trees!"

The sound of a horn interrupted the squabbling. It silenced all the boys and left some covering their ears. Ralph stood in the middle of the circle with a large pink and cream shell pressed against his lips. He lowered the shell and the horn faded from the air. He raised one hand into the air to catch everyone's attention.

"Listen to me! There. Is. No. Beast. Not on the island, in the trees, in the water, or living in the sand beneath our feet. George, you cut your leg on a rock. You didn't get attacked by a Beast. Now, we have more important things to do than worry about imaginary creatures, such as watching the fire. Don't you want to be rescued? To be sleeping in your own bed instead of sleeping in the sand under palm leaves? We are going to forget about the Beast and focus our energies on surviving and watching the rescue fire. So there'll be no more talk about this Beast," Ralph ordered.

There was a silence surrounding the group of boys, plus Cassie. She supposed some of the boys were doubtful about the existence of the Beast. She, on the other hand, was studying the reaction of the other boys, the ones who didn't believe in the Beast. They were admiring Ralph. Even Piggy looked content with his speech. They weren't looking at Ralph, a fellow stranded boy, but as their leader.

Cassie glowered at Ralph. She wanted to be him right now. She wanted everyone's respect. She wanted everyone to listen to what she said and do what she commanded. She wanted their obedience. She wanted everyone to think she was the best. She wanted everybody to look up at her as their leader.

Jack broke the silence.

He turned away from Ralph, pushed past the circle of boys, and disappeared into the jungle.

Slowly, the rest of the boys followed suit. Some headed in the direction of the fruit trees, some headed towards the ocean, and others went back to their shelters to obtain a few more minutes of sleep. Even George stood up and walked away with a few boys that looked about his age.

Cassie was left alone holding her now bloody sweater. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't hungry enough to find fruit. She didn't know anyone well enough to hang with them. She remembered how nice a swim sounded to her earlier. She tossed her sweater aside and walked down the beach away from where the boys were swimming. If she was going to get wet, she wanted to be alone where she could strip off more of her clothes.

After the events of that morning, it would feel nice to be alone, too.

The sea was alight with the morning sun. Waters of aquamarine, cerulean, and sea green were sparkling in the rays of the burning sun, illuminating them to form a watery kaleidoscope. They shimmered with temptation, luring every soul to swim in its colorful delights. Each frothy wave pulled gently at your toes. The sounds of the waves washing upon the shore were like the songs of the sirens, encouraging you deeper into the depths of the ocean. The waters of the ocean were enticing.

Cassie sat in the damp sand, legs extended, leaned back, absorbing the chilly touch of the waves. They crashed beautifully in front of her outstretched legs and seeped up to her feet. Just as her feet were covered with the shimmery water, the waves receded leaving her wanting more.

Growing up, Cassie had many accomplishments. She knew how to read and write. She could perform imitations of Grandmother McCartney flawlessly. She knew the woods behind her house like the back of her hand. She was the first person to cross Dead Man's Canyon on the fallen, rotten log blindfolded. She spent the night in the old Firestone cemetery and didn't have her soul stolen. One thing she had never mastered was swimming.

Cassie didn't grow up near the ocean. Of course, during the summer, everyone in town was allowed to swim in the pond in Blue Moon Park. Cassie had wanted to go swimming like her classmates, but all her classmates had mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles, or friends to swim with them. Cassie only had her father, her father that worked all day, every day for England. Her only other family living close to her was her grandmother, Mackenzie McCartney, referred to as Grandmother McCartney and the Hag of Hawthorn Road. So Cassie lived through her childhood without learning to swim.

So, now she sat in soggy sand, having to settle for the lapping of the waves against her feet. She considered wading deeper, but her fear of drowning kept her on land.

As the next wave sloshed around her feet, a figure plopped down next to Cassie.

"Hello, Cassie."

"Jack. Do you often intrude upon a person's private space?" Jack narrowed his eyes.

"It's a beach. It's not very private."

"Fine then. Do you often intrude?"

"I'm not intruding. And have you been here the whole time?"

"Yes. Why ask?"

"That would mean you've been sitting here for several hours. Why are you a mile down the beach? Did you not think anyone would be looking for you?"

"Your concern's touching. You spent the last couple hours trying to find me? I suppose you're not as good as hunter as you think you are." Cassie scoffed.

"For starters, I haven't been looking for 'several hours.' You're just at the bottom of my list of priorities," Cassie's eyes brightened angrily. "Secondly, a dolt could have followed your footsteps along the beach. Anyone with a nut for a brain would have figured that out. And lastly, why the hell go down the beach if you're just going to sit in the sand like a sodden shoe?"

"Well, err…" Because I can't swim. "Because I…err…can't swim in my skirt! It would drag me down," Cassie waved her hand at her skirt, falling midway down her calf. Jack smirked deviously.

"Take it off then."

"That would be highly inappropriate and unladylike!"

"Oh, okay. But physical violence is a thumbs-up?"

"I'm no worse than you! At least I show concern for the wounded like a civilized member of society. I'm not an indifferent savage."

"Savage, huh? This 'savage' here, hasn't physically assaulted anyone here. In addition to that, I do care for the wounded. I carried your ungrateful ass back to camp, didn't I?" Cassie blushed a light pink. Drat she thought.

"If you care, why not jump to the rescue when someone needs it?"

"Jesus. I said I cared. I didn't say I cared for everyone. And, if you could decease running your enormous trap like a caffeinated monkey, I have a question for you."

"My trap?!"

"God, you never stop. If I'm so uncaring, cruel, and uncivilized, might I asked why you find it amusing to torment the littleuns into thinking there's a Beast." Cassie blinked.

"Err…I…I never said that was a Beast." She stammered.

"You implied it, my dear. We both know that you know there's no Beast. So, and I'm only driven by my curiosity, not by concern for the children's fears, why you would encourage the Beast's existence. You're so defensive about acting caringly; I wonder why you're a hypocrite."

Jack leaned back into the sand with his arms behind his head, a smile on his face. He looked perfectly serene. Cassie, on the other hand, was having a miniature panic attack inside her mind.

Oh shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Calm down, Cass. Just say…you thought it was funny. No, that sounds even worse than purposely instilling fear for the sake of fear. They need something to fear? No. That sounds conceited. Maybe I don't have to answer. Maybe he'll just let it go. Oh gosh, if Jack noticed I'm sure someone else did! Aauugg!

There were several different types of smarts, at least in Cassie's perspective. Piggy, for one, was the classic intelligence smart. He seemed most likely to know boring facts, such as the capital of Greece or the definition of defenestration. Ralph was smart when it came to leadership and command. He knew what needed to be said and what needed to be done. They wouldn't have picked up on her sudden switch of sides, would they?

Jack, on the other hand, wasn't seeping with intelligence or leadership abilities. He appeared more…cunning. Sly. Clever. In other words, able to plan and deceive skillfully for what he wanted. Plus, when it came to an area of interest, nothing seemed to pass by without going unnoticed. So, in this case, what was interesting him? Was it Cassie's hypocrisy, or the effect of the Beast upon the littluns?

Which ever the answer was, she still needed a response to Jack's demanding question. It needed to enough to satisfy his interest, but not enough to make her seem like a heartless savage.

"Pass." What? Cassie mentally slapped her forehead.

"Try again."

"Why does it matter?" Cassie asked. Without waiting for an answer, she stood up and brushed the grains of sand off her clothes. As she turned to leave, Jack caught hold of her right hand. In a whirl of movement, Cassie founded herself on her back near the ocean shore with Jack above her. He smirked down at her. She glared back at him.

Cassie. Compose yourself. Sternly tell the young man to let up off you. Be polite, but forceful. Be a lady for heaven's sake!

Oh, come on Cassandra. Really, are you going to let him pin you down? Kick him off. Bite him. Do whatever it takes to break free. Worry later, fight now.

As Cassie debated how to react, Mother Nature took care of the situation for her. Lying underneath Jack gave Cassie the best view of a particularly tall wave. It tumbled downward onto Jack and Cassie, and startled Jack enough for Cassie to wriggle free. The wave surged up the beach, and then peacefully receded back into the ocean. The receding water revealed Cassie and Jack both sputtering for air. Both of them were soaked with salt water. Cassie felt like she was wearing an extra ten pounds. All of her clothes were sticking to her body, especially her heavy skirt.

A shadow appeared in front of Cassie's sight. She looked up through her soaked tendrils of hair to see Jack sneering down at her.

"So, wanna give me a good answer?" Cassie clawed her wet brown hair out of her face.

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"You want the littluns to fear an imaginary Beast. That's not odd enough?" Cassie stood up, crossed her arms, and raised her nose into the air.

"It's none of your business, so buzz off."

"Okay." Just as quickly he had pinned her in the sand, he had her in his arms. Cassie shrieked with protest. Jack only chuckled. He was carrying them into deeper water. The beautiful water earlier now seemed much darker, almost black. The water was up to Jack's waist. Cassie shook and squealed angrily.

"Take me back. Now!" Jack shook his dark red head and grinned.

"I'll rephrase the question. What do you think you'll gain from creating fear amongst the littluns?"

Everything.

Destruction. Excitement. Power. Thrills. Division. Obedience.

"Don't be a dolt. Nothing's gain from fear. Absolutely…nothing…" Cassie's voice faltered slightly. There was a change in Jack's step. He wasn't striding across the ocean floor, but inching slowly forward, bobbing up and down…

"Can you not touch the bottom?! Take me back now and I won't tell Ralph what you're doing." Cassie threatened. Jack cocked his head to the side.

"Doing what? You said you could swim. So, to review, you wanted the littluns to fear an imaginary monster because 'pass' and nothing can be gained through fear?"

Alright. That might not be entirely true…

"Yes."

"Alright." Jack dropped her.

Cassie sank faster than an anchor. For a whole second, she was numb with shock. The second passed and her mind screamed "Get to the surface!" Her heavy skirt complete immobilized her legs. If she tried kicking them, they just became more entangled in the lengthy, bulky material. So she flailed her arms feebly.

Her head barely broke the surface. Cassie opened her mouth and breathed in water and air. She could make out a figure standing barely out of reach. She was sinking again and her arms were tiring. Perhaps if she wasn't wearing such bulky clothes, she could make it to shore. She was tired though. And heavy. And panicking.

I'm going to die! I'm going to sink and drown!

"I…I can't…can't…!" Cassie's head sank under the water.

Swim.

She spiraled downward a few feet into the sandy bottom of the ocean. She outstretched her arms and clawed for the surface. She couldn't reach it. Her lungs were almost on the verge to explode plus her stomach was achy from the massive intake of salt water. The salt water was also causing her eyes to burn. She took one last look at the sun before shutting them.

Cassie was running through the forest. Wenny was catching up in her pursuit, but Cassie was faster.

She tripped over a rock in the path and tumbled head first in a stream. She sputtered for air and turned around. Wenny was standing on the edge of the stream. Her long, delicate fingers were extended towards Cassie. In the back of her mind, something warned her not to touch those fingers.

Wenny was crying.

"You're-"

Cassie was pulled out of the puddle.

She didn't open her eyes until she couldn't feel the push and pull of the ocean. She was pulled onto shore. The hotness of the sand wakened her mind. She began coughing up mouthfuls of sea water. Opening her mouth depleted the rest of her strength.

She was placed against something soft. Whatever it was, it was very comfortable. She wished she could sleep against it every night. Cassie wanted to know what she was up against. She groggily opened her eyes and was met with a beam of sunlight. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness before looking at what she was leaning against.

Jack peered down at her from where she rested against his chest.

"You didn't mention you couldn't swim." Cassie knew she needed to conserve her energy. Arguing would be a waste of what energy she had left.

"My skirt weighed me down," she replied hoarsely. Jack grinned impishly.

"I told you you should have taken it off."

"Haha. I thought you didn't care about people?" She closed her eyes.

"You're my responsibility. That's different. It kinda makes me your…guardian, I guess." Jack replied scornfully. Cassie laughed weakly.

"You throw me into danger, then save me from it. That's horrible." The sun's rays were soothing against her wet skin. She was drifting into sleep.

"I saved you though, didn't I?"

AN: Alas! Finished. Behold the corny fluff attempt. . A lot of dialogue for this chapter, and I'm not great with dialogue. This chappie was written so many times. Hopefully, it was humorous to read.

NEWS: Due to a change of thought, the title's going to change from "Light Upon Man" to "Wicked". For more info why, visit my main page.

Thanks to redcatlover22, StarLove18, BloodredCrimsonhands, bodanger, and hecate0808 for their fabulous reviews! They were wonderful!