Chapter 6: Let's Go To Camp

Day six of camp "Let's Ignore the Bird-Girl Who We Stole the Laptop From!"

Great. Just great.

My daily activities were writing diary entries into my book, drawing pictures, catching fish for breakfast to last everyone until the next day, and amusing myself as I watched the rest of them try to get past the password stage. I had learned everyone's names at this point, although I had never told them.

I was sitting near the lake, drawing a picture that interested me at the moment when I heard Total near the group hovered around my laptop . . . yet again.

"THIS IS RIDICULOUS!" Total yelled angrily, and five bird-kid heads looked at him. I only smirked, knowing that he had snapped, but was caught off guard when I felt him sit next to me. I looked at him, astonished, as he put his head in my lap. "I'm so bored! They do nothing but sit around that computer ALL DAY! No one pays any attention to ME!" he said, venting his anger. I smiled, scratching behind his ear the way he liked it. After a while, he glanced at me, enjoying his scratch too much to actually sit up. "This may sound weird, but I don't know your name yet" he said. I sighed, contemplating whether or not to tell him.

"Ember" I replied silently.

He went quiet for a minute before actually sitting up.

"Why did you tell me and not them?" he asked, cocking his head slightly.

I let a small smile escape me; he was just so cute. "I guess I have a soft spot for animals" I said, and Total frowned.

"I am not an animal. I'm special! You're lucky I don't bite your hand right now" he said, a low growl forming in his throat. I chuckled.

"You only like me because I bring fish for you and your friends every day" I said, amusement on my face.

"Whatever" he replied, putting his head back on my lap.

We talked for a while; him about his friends and their adventures mostly. He asked me questions, too, but nothing too personal. I guess he noticed how closed off to everyone I was. It was near sunset when he sat up again, yawning. "Can you please just unlock the laptop so that they can stop obsessing over it? It's really annoying" Total said. I laughed, then stopped when he gave me a pleading look.

God, he's using those eyes at me . . . I thought to myself, biting my bottom lip. Why was I still keeping the laptop on lock-down? Sooner or later I would have to use it to see if Itex was up to something new. "Did they send you over here to persuade me or something?" I asked, half-jokingly.

"No, but I know that they'd want me to ask. They want to get revenge, too. We all do . . . " he said. I sighed again.

Stupid soft spot . . . I thought to myself. "Fine. I'll do it. But not tonight" I said, going back to my drawing. He sighed, and I could see a content little smile on his face as he closed his eyes. Before I knew it, Total was snoring in my lap, his paws twitching every once in a while. He really is a cute dog . . . no wonder they keep him around . . . I thought to myself before I saw Nudge stand in front of me.

"Hi" she said, which was the shortest sentence I had heard her say since I was with them.

"Hi" I responded, my eyes glued to her. I could tell that she was feeling very uncomfortable. And I could feel someone staring at me from the group, although I didn't see who it was. What's up with people coming up to me tonight? I wondered, watching Nudge as she sat beside me. There was a moment of silence before she erupted.

"OK, so I tried really hard to try and get into your computer but I can't for some reason, even though I can feel the passwords that you put in before, but none of them work at all. So you must be, like, a super computer wizard or something and I was just wondering if you do decide to unlock it if you could tell me . . . or maybe show me how you did it or whatever . . . " Nudge said, not even seeming to take a breath. She seemed excited and nervous at the same time, as if she stumbled on a great discovery but was afraid to mess with it.

On the outside, I had a calm but slightly perplexed look on my face, but on the inside, I was truly speechless. No one had ever asked me to help them before, much less teach them. I also gave myself a mental pat on the back for taking the precaution of not letting my hands touch the keyboard. But then, a little sadness swept over me, and I had to look away from Nudge's eager face and start drawing again.

"I already told Total that I'd unlock the computer tomorrow . . . but, I'm sorry . . . I can't teach you anything. That thing that I do...I just came with it; that's how I was 'made' " I said. Her face fell slightly, and I felt crushed that I had made her look like that. Great, so not only do I have a soft spot for animals, I have a soft spot for sad puppy dog eyes . . . I groaned to myself, trying to concentrate on my drawing.

Suddenly, Nudge was looking over my arm as she moved closer me.

"That's a nice drawing" she said, looking at my book. My muscles grew tense; no one had ever seen the inside of my notebook, and just a brief glance from Nudge made me want to throw her into the lake and freeze her there.

Calm down . . . it's just a drawing . . . I said to myself, my muscles loosening a little.

"That looks like Angel, and Total, and Iggy . . . " Nudge said, pointing to the figures on the page.

"It's not done yet" I said, putting in another head into the picture.

"Are you going to draw all of us?" Nudge asked, looking in the direction of the group.

"Yeah, I guess I am" I mumbled, remembering that Total was still sleeping on my lap. "Maybe when I'm done, I'll let you see it . . . " I said, looking at her. She turned her attention to me and her face lit up.

"That would be awesome! Make sure to make me look good, like, REALLY good. I mean, unless you can't, at least make my stick figures look decent, like a goddess or something. That would be so cool" she said, her mind already fluttering around the idea. I chuckled and stood up with Total in my arms and my notebook in my hand, just realizing how dark it was by the way the fire that the flock had started illuminated.

"I'll see what I can do" I said, walking with her back to the "camp".

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