The next day was a bit hectic for Karkat. Kankri started lecturing him about the trip once he got up and he nearly missed getting to school on time for the bus to pick him up. He sat next to Sollux while Gamzee and Tavros sat in front of them and Calliope and Roxy sat behind them. The bus ride was long and loud and Karkat mostly tuned out what was going on around him. He was sitting by the window so he just looked out it and let his mind wander.

Eventually the bus went passed a forest. Karkat felt himself tense up, even though it wasn't the forest he'd lived in as a kid. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He didn't want to start getting some flashbacks.

"You okay KK?" Sollux asked, shaking his shoulder. Karkat opened his eyes and nodded.

"I'm fine." he said. He looked out the window and was relieved to see they'd passed by the forest. He could feel Sollux's eyes on him but he ignored him and just kept staring out the window. He couldn't just tell Sollux he was afraid of getting flashbacks of his parents' murder whenever he passed by a forest. Okay, actually, it was only when he passed by one with mostly arbutus trees. Luckily there were only a few forests with any in them in Alternia.

It was hours before the bus finally arrived at their destination. It was some snowy mountain with a ski resort. When they got there they were immediately shown to their cabins. The girls' and guys' cabins were across from each other. And each one had a chaperone who had the key to the cabin. This was to keep the boys from getting into the girls' cabins and vice-versa.

Kankri, Sollux, Gamzee and Tavros were in a cabin together with their chaperone being some teacher they didn't know. The cabins were rather small with only three bunk beds. Sollux was going to sleep on a top bunk until Karkat pointed out he'd roll off in his sleep and hit his head. So instead Karkat got a top bunk and Sollux got the one underneath him. Tavros got the bottom bunk next to Gamzee and the teacher got a top bunk.

For the first day they were just getting used to their surroundings. There was a main cabin that had the eating hall and a lounge for everyone to share. They all hung out there with Roxy and Calliope, who got a cabin together. There was a nice fireplace with couches in front of it, but they were all taken when they got there.

"Why don't we hang out outside?" Gamzee suggested. So they stood outside and began making snowmen. Tavros made a snow sculpture of a large snake. Karkat had to admit it was pretty impressive. But once he finished it Calliope walked over to it and kicked it until it was ruined.

"Hey!" Tavros exclaimed.

"I don't like snakes!" Calliope yelled. She looked rather freaked out. She kept rubbing her left arm and staring at the ruined sculpture like it would bite her. But the sculpture hadn't even looked that real. Gamzee patted her head and whispered something to her. She nodded and apologized to Tavros. Once again Karkat thought he saw that change of expression in both Roxy and Tavros. What the heck?

During the evening Karkat, Sollux, Gamzee and Tavros stayed up late telling weird jokes and stories. Sollux had plenty of stories from the town he was from. He told them about some girl who accidentally set off the fire alarm at his school by throwing her shoe at her brother but he dodged and it hit the fire alarm. Karkat and the others laughed and told stories of their own. Except Karkat didn't tell any stories, he just listened.

Then their chaperone yelled at them to go to sleep and turned out the light. Karkat lay down for awhile but after a few hours he realized he couldn't sleep. He just kept tossing and turning. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to sleeping in the cabin? He supposed that that could make sense…

"Gamzee?" Tavros whispered. Karkat looked over at Gamzee and saw that he was clutching his sheets and moaning something while shaking his head.

"Gamzee, what's wrong?" Karkat asked. Gamzee just mumbled something Karkat couldn't understand. Tavros reached over and shook his shoulder but Gamzee didn't wake up.

"What'th going on?" Sollux asked sleepily.

"Looks like Gamzee's having a nightmare." Karkat said. Tavros shook Gamzee's shoulder again but Gamzee just growled and shook his head harder. Then he sat up suddenly, gasping.

"Gamzee?" Tavros whispered. "Are you okay?" Gamzee nodded, breathing hard.

"Fine." Gamzee said.

"You sure?" Karkat asked. "You were having a nightmare."

"Yeah…I haven't had it for awhile." Gamzee said. "Not for a couple months."

BAM! BAM! Karkat jumped at the sound of someone knocking on their door. Gamzee got up and opened it, revealing Roxy and a crying Calliope.

"She-she woke up screaming and she won't stop crying." Roxy explained. "She said to get you-"

Gamzee pulled Calliope into a hug and started whispering quickly in her ear. Calliope sobbed and clutched his shoulders tightly. Gamzee kept whispering and picked her up. He carried her outside and out behind the cabin. Probably for privacy, Karkat assumed. He looked at Roxy and Tavros and frowned.

"Okay, what is with you two?" he asked. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"Tavroth liketh Gamzee and Roxy liketh Calliope." Sollux said. Tavros and Roxy stared at him, both looking shocked.

"Wait, what?!" Karkat exclaimed.

"You never notithed?"

"Well, I kinda suspected the Tavros thing. But Roxy surprised me."

"Thought I was too hot to be gay?" Roxy asked, smirking. Karkat groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Do you think they like each other?" Tavros asked.

"Why don't you athk them?" Sollux asked. Tavros shrugged.

"I dunno…"

"Th-the nightmares are getting worse." Calliope wailed. Gamzee stroked her hair and whispered "Shoosh" to her.

"Yeah, I got one too. Don't worry, they're just nightmares, they can't hurt you."

"But when I wake up the scars are burning." Calliope rubbed the spots where scars were hidden from view. Gamzee stroked them softly.

"That happened months ago. You're fine. He can't get to you again."

"I'm still scared." Calliope sniffed and Gamzee wiped her eyes. "Every night, I'm still scared he's going to come and find me."

"He can't get to you. I made sure of that, didn't I?" Calliope nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

"It'll be okay. Really."

"…Will you sing me a lullaby?" Gamzee smiled and nodded. He rocked Calliope gently in his arms.

"You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep. 'Cause they'd fill the open air and leave teardrops everywhere, you'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare. I'd like to make myself believe, that planet Earth turns…slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep. Cuz everything is never as it seems…"