Chapter 6: Meetings, Greetings And Many Feelings.

A chapter with many questions, and very few answers.

Damien's room (Playa Des Losers)

1:59 PM

Well, now what? What was he even supposed to say? The way she randomly asked the question was so weird and out of place. If he said yes, he would have to stay with her longer and presumably talk more about the situation. And with how much he didn't want the others to believe that they were a thing, this would have made everything worse. Not to talk about MK's blackmailing. If she, somehow, found out about them being in the same room, that would have resulted in more material and evidence to blackmail Damien. On the other hand… she really seemed like she was about to break down in the moment. Would it be an asshole move to just say no? Probably. What to do…

"I- Well, I guess you can stay, if it helps." There goes nothing.

Scary Girl didn't look up, eyes still focused on the floor. Damien could have sworn that he heard her mumbling something like "thank you" underneath her breath, but her voice was so low that he wasn't even sure.

He closed the door again and turned back to her. Scary Girl was now sitting on the floor, arms around her legs, and her head down laid on her arms. She looked like she was about to cry, and she probably did let a few tears out, judging by the chocking sounds she made and the way she was shaking.

"What a great situation, right?" Damien thought. Unsure of what to do, he did the only thing that made sense in his mind. He sat down, next to Scary, and waited for her to talk when she felt like it.

Some minutes went by, but with each minute the chocking sounds became less and less frequent, and the shaking stopped soon after. Finally, she looked up, and turned her head towards Damien. Her make up near the eyes was a bit melted, but not too much. She probably was able to suppress the tears a bit. Her eyes were undoubtedly wet, but fortunately they weren't red. Her iconic smile was nowhere to be seen, and instead, she had a sad expression on her face. To Damien, she almost looked like when his mother came back from work after a long day and was completely exasperated and tired. But the context here was clearly different.

However, to be fair, she did seem exasperated and tired, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. But that didn't matter that much now. He looked back at her, trying to give her the best reassuring smile he could. Even if he couldn't look at his face in that moment, he could tell that he was not the best at making people feel comfortable in hard moments.

But Scary seemed to at least appreciate the try. She gave him a little push on his arm jokingly, and for the first time since she entered in the room, she was able to smile a bit.

"You know you don't have to act like you care, yeah?" Scary said, while turning her focus on the floor again.

"Oh, well, it's not like I lack human empathy, y'know?" At that, she gave him a little "Hum" and her smile started to fade away.

"I know. Unlike me. God, I'm such a mess, ain't I?" Well, the lighthearted conversation they seemed to have, was now coming back into being a heavy topic to talk about.

"Hey… don't say that. I mean, yeah, sometimes you seem to lack human emotions, but it's not like, you are a monster or something."

"Oh really? You didn't seem so sure about that just a couple of hours ago, dumbass." For how much Damien hated to admit this, his brain was in the right here. He was just lying so that he could make her feel better and hopefully get her out of the room. "Man, what a douchebag."

"You don't have to lie. Do you think that I don't know what you guys think of me? Do you think I don't know what I am? I'm a freak Damien. And there's no way to deny it. I'm probably mentally ill. Even now, I'm just having a breakdown over nothing. I should have expected that yesterday would have gone bad if I joined you in the pool. But I did that anyway cause I'm a mess and I only know how to ruin the others' day, and for some reason my head just screams at me to do it and I like it and-" She stopped on her tracks. A terrified look on her face took the place of sadness, like she just now realized what she was saying and doing.

Damien couldn't even react or process anything that happened in time, that Scary Girl was immediately up and rushing towards the door.

"Wait! Scary?! Where are you going?!"

"It was an error, sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to stay, bye." And with that she was off to her room. Fortunately for her, the room was right in front of Damien's. She quickly opened the door and closed it behind her, while Damien was just now getting up from the floor.

"Scary, wait!" But it was useless, she was already inside by the time he reached her door. Only in that moment he realized how he was calling and screaming in the hallway the name of the person he wanted to have the least to do with. "Did someone hear that?" He looked around nervously, seeing if someone was in sight. No one… Good.

For as much as he was worried for Scary's sudden breakdown and escape, he couldn't risk anyone seeing him knocking at her door or hearing him calling her name. So he retrieved back into his room, closing the door locked behind him.

"What to do? What to do? What was all of that about? Did she just info dumped me with her problems?" His mind was running fast, he had to think of something. Scary was clearly having a bad day, so that random breakdown had to be related in someway with whatever is bothering her, right? Seems logical. "Point is, what's bothering her?" Was this about yesterday? She seemed like her usual self before MK showed up. What could have happened to make her change mood so drastically.

"Okay, think Damien. What happened yesterday?" He tried to do a quick recap of what transpired the day before. "I first saw her when I entered in her room. She was next to me, I left, didn't see her till night, then she wanted to join me in the pool, I tried to escape, and she pulled me back in the water- er, what else? I said that I was trying to avoid her and then MK showed up and she dived in the water and now she's sad. What am I supposed to do with these informations?! This explains nothing! Ughh!" This seemed to fix nothing. He still didn't understand why she was sad. "Was it because I said I wanted to avoid her? Is that the reason?" Seemed like the most logical, but with someone like Scary Girl logic seemed to not resonate with her.

A knock on the door interrupted his thinking. "Did she change her mind so quickly?"

When he opened the door, an unfortunate surprise was on the other side. MK was there, great.

"Hey Newton! Just to know, did you memorize my number yet?" She talked about this whole deal so casually, it was actually quite unnerving for Damien.

"Oh… not yet. I was going to, but I fell asleep." He had to play his cards right. If MK discovered that he and Scary Girl were together in his room, she would use it against him for sure.

"Right… anyway, I heard that some weird stuff is going on back on the island."

"Uhm, yeah? We had to face dinosaurs, it's not that big of a shocker."

"Not that type of weird stuff. I heard someone got injured."

"Holy crap! I knew it! I knew someone would get hurt! About time, finally someone's gonna sue this damn show!"

"Oh God! Did you hear who got hurt?"

"Not sure. But I've heard the interns here talking to each other about being two of them. I also heard that they weren't sure about whether or not the injured players would have to be brought to a hospital or here."

"Uh. So, where are you going with this?"

"What I'm saying is, if someone gets hurt and get sent here, all the contestants will have to help out with the injured players. Aaaand since that seems like a ton of work to be done, and even worst, having social interactions, I'm basically giving you your first task for me. I'm sure you'll not have any problems with it, right?" As she said that, she raised her phone and swung it in front of Damien's face.

"Ugh… fine!" He hated this so much, but what could he do? The only way for him to get rid of this problem would be by taking her phone away. But for sure MK already had a copy of that fake audio to use, so it would be worthless.

"Pleasure doing business with you Damien! Later!" And she retrieved to her room.

Great. Now what? Scary Girl had a breakdown, MK was giving him his first task, and two players got injured. What if those players were Priya and Millie? "Oh God, please tell me they're fine!"

So many different emotions were taking over him, but he had to stay calm. His mind had to be relaxed… "Wait! Relaxed! That's it!" Last time he needed to relax he went to the pool, and who uses to swim in the pool every night? Scary Girl would be there for sure… right? "Maybe this isn't the best idea… she clearly doesn't seem in the mood. Nor to talk nor to swim." Then what? Should he just wait until she feels better? When will she feel better? Had she always faked to be like this? Like this smiling demon that finds happiness in others' pain? Too many questions and no answers. "Man, this place is supposed to be relaxing, and yet I'm only getting stressed so much…"

Hotel's SPA (Playa Des Losers)

03:59 PM

Since he realized that the pool wasn't the best idea to get relax, Damien decided to go for the hotel's SPA. After all, if they were going to stay there for some time, better use it well before MK's tasks take over his next weeks.

He put on his swimsuit and entered the whirlpool. Maybe this would have actually helped him getting some rest.

It was indeed a nice experience, but the intrusive thoughts about the events of some hours earlier didn't leave his mind.

"Come on, come on. Just relax already dammit!"

He put his hands over his head, like that would have helped getting the thoughts away. He was so focused on trying to relax that he didn't even notice he was being looked weird by Caleb.

"Uh, you okay dude?" Caleb asked. He was also in his swimsuit and was just outside the whirlpool. He looked confused by Damien's "way" of relaxing.

"Oh! Yeah! Nothing to worry, hehe. Just uuuuh, fixing my hair! They are a mess!"

"Dude… you're wearing a hat."

"Idiot." Of course he was wearing his hat. Well, that's another way of getting embarrassed in front of his fellow ex-players.

"Are you sure you're okay man? You seemed pretty weird earlier today" Saying that, he also entered the whirlpool.

"Yeah dude, totally fine!" His face said otherwise.

"Look, I don't like to be egocentric, but I'm at least smart enough to understand that you're lying." Yeah, it probably didn't take a degree in psychology to figure that out.

Damien sighed and finally gave up with the faced of being fine. "You're right. I haven't properly been doing good, y'know?"

"And why is that, if I may ask?" What was he supposed to say now? Certainly not about Scary or the blackmailing. "Play it safe, just don't state directly what's the problem. Go around it."

"Do you ever get the feeling that people jump to conclusions on you quickly?" There wasn't really a way to put it that didn't also imply the presence of someone else in Damien's problems. He didn't expect Caleb to care about what he asked either way, but just to be safe he generalized the question. To his surprise, Caleb seemed to take the question rather seriously. More than he expected.

"Yes. Everyday. I mean, who am I to judge someone from the exterior. Look at me."

"Uh, that's not what I mea-" But before he could finish his sentence he got interrupted by Caleb.

"I got the first boot because they others thought I was a threat. They didn't even bother to know me."

"Oh... I'm sorry man, must be hard."

"Yeah, you know how many times people look at me and think that I'm just the eye candy of the group? Way too many to even count, I tell you."

"Oh yeah, I remember. When you first reached the dock, everyone was kinda all over your looks. The intern girl even crushed the boat, I was afraid someone would have got hurt."

"Yep, but like I said, happens all the time."

"Oh, by the way, speaking of people getting hurt, did you hear about the two players that got injured on the island?"

"Yes, the interns told me. Apparently, they were from my team. Like I could remember any of them. I got booted so early that the only ones I can recall the names are Bowie and Emma."

"Oh thank God, Priya is fine!" That was the only good news he heard all day.

"I heard we all have to take care of them if they get sent here."

"Mhh, kinda. Only the ex-team members. So me, Nichelle and MK."

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah. Every time a contestant gets eliminated, the player of their team that was previously booted off has to greet them here. Since this is also a medical situation, we all have to help out. But as I said, only the ex-team members. So, you guys are fine."

"That explains why MK was so quick to give her work to me."

"But I'm sure that if Nichelle is going to help out, then Axel will not be too far away from her, probably."

"Yeah, I noticed they tend to stay close to each other. Are they…?"

"Not that I know. Those two are quite secretive."

"Seems fair."

"Speaking of…"

"Oh God, please don't ask about me and Scary, please don't ask about me and Scary, please don't ask about me and Scary, please, please, please!"

"Have you got any closer with your ex-teammates?"

"Thank the lord!" "Not really, no."

"Mh, I can see why. One is Axel, and the other… y'know."

"Yeah, I know."

"What's the deal with her?"

"Don't know man, guess she's just like this… Tell me, did she do anything crazy the day she got here? She got the boot the day prior to my elimination, so I'm not sure of how much chaos she could have caused."

"Not really. I mean, she totally creeped us out when she got here. She had an umbrella and a skull with her. But after she got the keys from Axel, she didn't really show up anymore."

"So, she was always in her room?"

"No. She stayed by the pool for an hour or something in the morning, but we all collectively agreed to avoid her. After she left the pool, we actually stopped seeing her around. Last time I saw her before retrieving to my room on the evening, was at the restaurant area to get some chips and sodas. Stuff that I could never eat daily, y'know?"

"Understood" "So she was always like this? Did it get worst in these two days or I'm just overthinking it?"

"Hey, can I ask why you seem to care so much for her?"

"Oh come on! Now that I thought he wouldn't ask!"

"Care? What you mean by that?" He tried to give a smile to Caleb, as a way to look like he was confident about the topic. But by now he knew his smiles made everything worst.

"You asked me about Scary Girl yesterday, and now you're asking what she did before you got here."

"Oh Caleb! It's called survival instinct. You gotta know what could strike you next! Hehe…heh" "Really? That's the best you could do?"

Caleb seemed to be thinking about Damien's response, but ultimately seemed to believe him. "Fair enough."

"Better get out of here before the questions get too personal."

"Well, it was nice talking to you Caleb! I'll let you enjoy the whirlpool now, see you around!"

"Later"

Damien quickly left the SPA and made his way to his room. He stopped on his track however, as he felt his stomach desperately asking for food.

"Man, I didn't eat since yesterday. Better stop by the restaurant area."

Restaurant Area (Playa Des Losers)

04:20 PM

Damien looked around to see what he could take away and eat in his room. He opted for some chips and a chocolate bar. To drink he got a can of cold tea and a bottle of sparkling water. He was now ready to come back to his room and enjoy this fine meal, but something stopped him from doing so. He noticed Axel all by herself from the other side of the room. As Caleb pointed out earlier, Nichelle and Axel were always one next to the other. Seeing Axel alone was weird.

His first thought was just to not get involved, he had enough problems to deal with. But then he thought back to his conversation with Caleb. He didn't really get any closer to his old teammates, and since he didn't know when another one of his fellow campers would have joined him, he might have as well tried talking to the ones here. Even if the only options were extremely dangerous people.

He carefully got closer to Axel who now sat on a chair nearby a window. She was looking at the ocean outside. You could even see the island from there.

Even if Damien put all of his stealth abilities (which were undoubtedly low) to the test here, Axel was immediately able to react. She quickly turned to him with her usual expression, startling him.

"What do you want?" She didn't really seem up for a conversation, but he couldn't run away from this one. He pushed himself to this point, worth a shot.

"Oh, well- nothing really, just-"

"If you are just going to stammer, leave. I don't care." She seemed more upset than her usual self. Usually, she would get this mad only if they were in a challenge.

"No, no! I just wanted to- ugh… I wanted to know if you were okay." Better get right to the point, Axel didn't really seem like someone with enough patience for his ramblings.

Axel stood there for a moment, her expression didn't change, but Damien could feel that something was different in her.

"Why do you ask? Did Nichelle send you here? Just tell me already!"

"No, no, no! I was going to my room, but you looked lonely, so I was just making sure you were fine! That's all!" Just to be sure, Damien took a few steps back. But Axel didn't move. She simply turned her look back to the window, looking outside.

"I'm doing fine. Now go."

"Should I push it further? Maybe not the brightest idea."

"Look, I don't need a degree on psychology to understa-"

"I said I'm fine!" Axel tuned back to him, and now she was visibly angrier than before. She stood up and got closer to Damien. The boy knew that this was when he crossed the line. He immediately tried to run away, but he soon discovered he wouldn't need to.

Axel stopped herself from punching Damien in the face, and instead set down to the chair again. Some seconds went by, and no one talked. Axel spoke first, breaking the silence.

"Look, I'm not doing great. But could you at least be honest with me?"

Damien looked rather confused, but nodded, nonetheless.

"Did Nichelle ask you to check on me?"

That was the second time she made that question. Damien's suspects were right, something happened between Axel and Nichelle.

"No. No one sent me here. I just approached you by my own volition."

Axel went silent for a moment, before speaking again. "Well, now you know. Could you not make word of this with the others?"

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Thanks."

Not seeing anymore a reason to keep pushing this conversation further, Damien turned towards the exit.

"Damien, wait a moment!" Axel called him back? Weird.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." He didn't think it was going to be about something too personal, and he was right.

"Do you believe in forgiveness?" Weird question, but still better than answering anything Scary Girl related.

"Yeah. But only if I see the other person being truly sorry. Why you ask?" Axel was quiet once again. This time Damien broke the silence first.

"Look, if you think that Nichelle wouldn't forgive whatever happened between you two, don't worry about it. She doesn't seem like that type of person to me."

"But what if she expects an apology from me?" For the first time since he knew her, Axel didn't seem to have a solution to this kind of situation. She might have come prepared for every challenge the show would throw at her, but she wasn't prepared for this.

"Then apologize to her! That is, if you think you are in the wrong of course." By her face, Damien could tell she knew she was, indeed, in the wrong.

"How do you apologize to people?" Yeah, good question. Damien wasn't exactly the best in this. But he could at least try to give advice.

"Well, just go to her and ask if you two can talk and do it. You have to be honest with her, speak from your heart, and make clear every issue you may have with her, and then you two can figure it out how to fix any possible problem."

Axel seemed to take mental note of that. She stood up from the chair again, and Damien was about to run away again fearing the worst. But fortunately for him, Axel simply started running towards the exit with a determinate look on her face.

"Thanks Damien!" And she left.

Damien was now alone with food in his hands, a bit confused but happy for Axel.

"That went better than expected!" "Yeah, how about you also learn how to apologize too?"

His mind was right, but just the thought of seeing Scary Girl after what happened before, terrified him. But not like he was used to. He was scared, but not from Lauren's evil persona, but from the real Lauren.

"Lauren, huh? I almost forgot about her real name."

He exited the restaurant area and quickly came back to his room. He didn't enter, however. He turned his view from his door to Scary's door. Having her always so close to him made him feel uncomfortable. The reasons behind that changed in those 3 days, however. The night he arrived he felt dread in having the girl that gave him nightmares next door. Now he just felt like he was responsible for whatever she was feeling now.

"Should I check on her?" The first voice in his head asked.

"You literally caused her what could be best described as an emotional breakdown. Are you purposely trying to make her feel worst?" Another voice responded.

"Why do you care really? She showed you no empathy when she chased you with a jackhammer. She gets what she deserves."

"So, we should just let her cry? That's really what you want to do? And what about your morals Damien?"

Damien was so focused on his thoughts running all over in his mind, that he didn't even notice he was now facing Scary Girl's door.

"Well, worth a shot."

He knocked at the door, but the words simply wouldn't leave his mouth. From the other side there was no response for a while. Then, when he was finally ready to speak, he heard her voice from the other side.

"Who is it?" And now Damien was the one not responding at first. But he couldn't let this feeling of guilt take over him forever. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"It's me. I know you are in a bad mood right now, and it's probably because of me. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry if I came off as rude yesterday, and I never wanted you to be so emotional about it." For a few seconds Damien considered running immediately back in his room before he could hear whatever reaction he would get out of that, but refrained himself from doing so. Surprisingly enough, Scary Girl responded quickly to the boy.

"Don't apologize. I just needed some time alone. If you want to talk, I'm here."

"Well, I don't want to push you into saying what got over you. But- hey! I got food if you need. Hehe" Not the best response probably, but that seemed to work out decently.

The door to Scary Girl's room opened slowly, and the girl peered her head outside. She had her hair free from her usual pigtails, but the make up was still on her face. She gave a quick look at what Damien held in his hands, then looked at him, and then moved aside, allowing the boy to enter.

Once he got in, she closed the door quickly and locked it for further measure.

Little did they know a certain thief just took a picture of Scary letting Damien enter her room.

"Hehe, this is just SO easy. Boom baby!"

A.N: Sheeeees, sorry for the BIG hiatus. With school starting once again I had little time to dedicate this fic. But I promise to do the best I can to be decently active. Also, the art for Chapter 5 and this chapter will have to take a little break, since I'm also working on other stuff.

Anyway, I have to say that I'm decently proud of this chapter. Probably my best one so far (which is an undoubtedly low standard).