Chapter 9, A cryptic phone call, and the boys with no soul

The mood was cold and anxious as Joe, Frank, and the two inept undercover adult detectives, walked down the desolate halls to court c where they were going to finally have the chance to call their father. They took a strange route, through hallways with unfilled rooms, probably to avoid other counselors who may ask questions.

Since the winter break session had fewer 'campers' than the year round sessions, each building had unused hallways.

It was strange walking through the hallways at night, when not even the smallest of sounds could be heard around them.

No shuffling of feet, no whispers, no occasional fits of laughter just for boys to come to their senses and remember where they were and look hopeless once again…

Guards patrolled outside, but thanks to the route they were taking inside, they were alone. And they would be exiting the building right at court c, so with any luck, they wouldn't run into anyone on their way at all.

Joe didn't look at Frank as they walked, he felt too ashamed.

Ashamed about how sensitive he felt lately, ashamed for almost blowing their cover in the nurse's office, and ashamed for keeping such an embarrassing secret from his brother, his best friend… whom he never usually kept anything from. And what would Frank think when he realized what Joe was hiding?

Frank was his biggest supporter, but even he would think Joe is being stupid, overly-sensitive… right?

No. That's the thing. No, Frank wouldn't think he was being overly sensitive… but…

Even if he didn't judge Joe, Joe's emotions would affect him. Joe's stupid, overly-dependent sensitivity would cause Frank guilt, worry, and might even affect his decision on where to go to college. Most likely, Frank would let his overprotective big brother self overshadow his own wishes. He'd choose a college close to home, one that doesn't have a good criminal justice program, just so he could spare Joe's feelings. He'd stop talking about how excited he is for college… for Joe's feelings. He would beat himself up for not noticing sooner… that Joe's feelings are hurt. Or, worst of all, maybe he'd put his entire future on hold and take a gap year to be close to Joe… all for… yeah you guessed it, Joe's feelings.

Maybe, he and Frank were a bit too codependent sometimes, but usually it worked in their advantage. It made them close to unstoppable as a detective team, unbeatable whenever they played friendly games of football with their friends, and unbreakable as brothers.

But… in this case, it could really hurt one of them.

So yeah, Joe had to keep quiet! He had to swallow this, he had to stop letting it consume him. Maybe, just maybe, he could tell Frank about his sensitivities once Frank announced where he'd chosen and had been accepted to go to school, but not before then.

Joe couldn't be that block for Frank, he just couldn't.

He'd suck it up and be fine, and then join Frank at whatever college he goes to the year after, cause no doubt, whatever college he chose would have an amazing criminal justice program that Joe would absolutely want to pursue as well, then… they'd go from there, and hopefully not be too different and with such separate lives by then.

It'd be fine.

Hopefully.

Joe shuddered, and as they rounded the last corner to court c, he felt Frank grab his right arm in his hand, and Joe swiveled to look at him.

"Joe, I'm sorry." He said, quick since they didn't have much time.

Joe was confused, "What the heck do you have to apologize for?" He asked.

"Boys, we're here." Thomas interrupted them, as they walked out onto court c. It was strange to see it so void of life, sweat, and tears.

Hank held out an old fashioned flip phone, and Joe snorted.

"What's with the way back machine?"

Hank rolled his eyes, "Well smartass, flip phones are harder to trace. This is what you'll be using for your weekly calls to your dad. It's also what you'll use if you ever get phone privileges, which is… unlikely…"

"Wait, what?" Frank spoke up, ignoring Hank's blatant disrespect, "What do you mean we'll be using flip phones if we get phone privileges?"

"And they told me you were smart…" Hank muttered under his breath, "What, pray tell, do you think would happen if someone got ahold of your regular phones, with your multitude of pictures, contacts, and evidence that you're not who you say you are? NO! If you get phone privileges, you'll have to text and call people through one of these," he pointed to the flip phone, "For the safety of the mission."

Joe blanched, "And what about our real phones, where are they? With the sergeants? Where they can look at them anytime? I highly doubt they're any safer there."

Thomas, stepping in to try and get everyone to calm down, spoke softly "We already thought of that, we got your phones from storage and are holding onto them ourselves until it's safe for you to have them back."

Now Joe was fuming enough, he was physically vibrating, and Frank's hand now on his shoulder, was the only thing grounding him from freaking out on these two numbskulls.

"I don't think they're any safer with you, than they'd be with us." Frank said, with barely contained calmness.

But the adults seemed to be done with this conversation.

"You have 15 minutes to call your dad, we'll leave you be while we go guard the entrances of c court. When we come back, we'll tell you what we've found out so far."

They handed Frank the phone, and left to stand guard.

"What the fuck!" Joe growled, "I can't believe the audacity of those two. What do they think we are, incompetent children?"

Frank squeezed Joe's shoulder tightly for a second, "I think they do think that." Then he sighed, "But we don't have a choice but to just try and prove them wrong." He ran a hand over his forehead, wearily.

"Look, Joe…" He started, and Joe figured he was about to apologize again, and hated what he was about to do in response.

"Later, Frank." He winced right along with Frank as his older bro flinched in reaction to the dismissal, and Joe hated himself even more. "Let's talk later," he tried in a softer tone, "We need to call dad now."

Frank sighed, but seemed to understand. "Ok, you're right, but Joe, we need to talk later, really talk."

Joe nodded, without meeting Frank's dark eyes.

"So uh, this phone call." The younger boy changed the subject, "We're not telling the whole truth to dad, right?"

This time Frank snorted, "Yeah, definitely not. If we tell him everything, he'll pull us right out of here and make someone else figure it out. As much as I don't want us here… I know you're right that we need to be."

Joe nodded again. "Half truth?" He asked, ignoring the awful swirling guilt in his stomach knowing he was doing the same thing to Frank currently.

"Half truth." Frank agreed, and they entered their dad's phone number in the keypad, that they thankfully had memorized.

The phone barely rang for half a second before their dad picked up, obviously anxiously waiting for the call on the other end of the line.

"Boys! Thank goodness." He sounded exhausted, older, as if the last few days had been as tortuous for him as it was for them.

And honestly, it probably was, what with how much their dad worries.

"Dad!" Joe's smile could be heard through how happy his voice was, surprisingly not even having to hide the pain they'd endured the last few days. Frank looked the same, beaming at the sound of their father's voice.

"How are you? Have you found anything out? Do you need me to come get you?" Their dad asked, already sounding lighter too, but also sounding a lot more like their aunt at the moment than himself, haha.

"Dad, Dad, slow down." Frank stepped in, "Yes, we have a few leads, I think we can really solve this."

He failed to mention how well they were doing, otherwise.

"Really? Oh great, fill me in." Their dad sounded proud, and in the background they heard him whisper to someone "Though I never had any doubts."

Joe felt better already. If they had their dad's confidence, there really was nothing they couldn't do. Maybe these weekly calls would be good to keep them grounded, remind them why they were here.

But of course, the jovial mood couldn't last long, because to tell their dad what was going on, even without telling the whole truth, they had to tell him about Montgomery, and to tell him about Montgomery, of course they had to tell him about the awful drill, and some of the bad treatment that went on.

They failed to mention the fact that they did the drill in the rain though, or without at least some climbing gloves or minimal equipment. Their dad knew Montgomery fell from not being strapped in, but he didn't need to know that zero equipment was given aside from that, either.

They also told their dad about the boy in the nurse's office, and gave him his name so he could look into it more on his end. He promised to look the name up in the police database computer right after the call. When they told him about the dead-eyed boys and the general depression and anxiety everywhere there, the screaming of someone in the nurse's office, and Montgomery's miraculous recovery, things went silent for a minute.

"You're telling me a boy had a broken bone one minute, and then was healed the next?" Their dad sounded incredulous.

"Yeah Dad, exactly that." Frank monotoned.

Silence again.

"I think someone should come get you out of there, and leave it to the adults to figure this out. This is worse than I ever could've imagined."

Shit. The brothers looked at each other anxiously, this is exactly what they were trying to avoid. Though, for a split second Joe saw relief flood into Frank's expression, but it was brief.

"Dad, no, please." Joe pleaded, "We have leads, we have plans, we are going to figure this out!" He was aware how desperate he sounded, and surprised too, that he was so desperate to stay in such a terrible place. "If you take us out now, this case won't be solved. Boys will continue to go missing. Trust me, the adults they have here right now… they aren't going to figure this out on their own."

Frank nodded, even though their dad couldn't see them, and chimed in, "Joe's right dad. Look, I know this is crazy, but we've made friends here, real friends, real kids who don't have anyone else… capable… helping them here. If we leave now, the odds of anyone figuring it out are small. Plus, us suddenly leaving looks bad. It might raise suspicions to the leadership here that they're being watched, and there'd be no way to get anyone in here to replace us, and the counselors on our side would be in deep trouble for having associated with us. Dad, at least just wait till we have some more evidence than a note from a nurse's office. Without evidence we can't shut this place down, and Dad… we can't leave. You know that."

Leave it to Frank to spell it out, so much better than any pleading Joe could do, would.

Yet another reason, Joe would be lost without his brother by his side.

There was another tense moment of silence, a deep sigh, and then their father spoke.

"I don't like this, I don't like this one bit."

"Thank you, Dad." Joe said, relieved, but, just like Frank, fleetingly, very fleetingly, wishing his father really was getting them out of here.

"Don't thank me yet." Their Dad replied, his same, rough exhausted voice from earlier coming back, "I'm only giving you another week and a half."

What?

"Dad, the camp goes for another 2 and a half weeks after this one…" Joe started, but his dad was quicker.

"I don't care. I am giving you a week and a half. For those kids. But I don't like this one bit, and if I get wind that you two are in any danger beyond what you're in now, I will cut it even shorter. You have one and a half weeks to figure this out, or I am pulling you out. I am not losing you. That's final."

His words made it abundantly clear that it was not up for negotiation.

"And I will make those two adults you're there with, communicate with me more. Screw this once a week phone call, I will be in constant contact with them, even if that is a bit dangerous, so I can hear from them what's going on. And once you get phone privileges, I expect constant contact with you two as well. We have troops just outside the camp at all times already, ready to take the camp down as soon as they have the evidence to be able to do so. The lawful… right to do so. As soon as you have the evidence, we're getting you out. All of you kids." He sounded incredibly frustrated at their lack of ability to just storm the camp already.

"Ok Dad, got it." Frank responded, "And I have to ask, why? Why can't you guys storm the castle already? I have to ask again, because surely, things have changed?"

Joe didn't even fight the urge to roll his eyes at how dorky his brother was.

They'd asked their dad before, why the police couldn't shut the camp down, but it seemed right to ask again with everything that had happened since they'd gotten there, in case something had changed. Besides, their dad wasn't able to give them the names of the parents helping to fund the camp, since they remained anonymous other than the police being able to pinpoint the funds came from workers for the federal government. A sect working for the white house itself, but no clear evidence it was for the president himself.

Their dad sighed again, "Believe me, I think we should be able to. The boys going missing, the stuff you've shared should make a difference… but unfortunately, even if we stormed the castle now as Frank says, without physical evidence, or a lead to where the missing boys are… well things haven't changed… let's just say, as I told you briefly before you guys arrived there, the parents supporting this camp have enough pull in the government, and money, to be able to bury this. I mean, they have enough pull and money now to have maintained their anonymity this long. Or, even if they can't bury this, without a lead to the boys, they'd probably remain missing, without hope of being found. We have a better chance of finding them while things are still operational. Believe me boys, we thought of all the angles before the idea of undercover work was ever even considered. Even if we shut this down, with the political pull these parents have, we doubt we could get it shut down for good, unless we have the physical evidence. Most likely storming the castle now, would mean a temporary shutdown of the camp, and by the time it is opened again, it would be near impossible to get in to find evidence again after."

Fuck. Triple fuck. So it was still as bad as they'd been told.

The brothers shared looks of sorrow.

"That is so incredibly messed up." Joe whispered, and Frank pulled him into a side hug.

"It is." Their dad said, "It really is. But, I believe in you boys, even if I am terrified for you… you already got a name from the nurse's office, and though it's possible it could have nothing to do with all of this, I have a gut feeling you're right and it does. I will get this name run through the computer as soon as we get off this call, figure out who this boy's father is, and get back to you within 24 hours through the adults you're there with. I can't believe I am saying this, but hang in there boys. You can do this. 1 and a half weeks."

The brothers nodded, but responded quickly as well. "Ok Dad, 1 and a half weeks, talk to you soon. We'll get those phone privileges."

"Good, I have no doubts you will." Their father said, then with more emotion in his voice, not contained, "I love you both."

Joe saw Frank wipe away a tear, even as he did his own, "We love you too, Dad."

Then they hung up, and the adults were there.

How long had they been there? How much had they heard? Did their dad's confidence in them sway the adults opinions at all?

"Finally." Hank huffed, "That was a bit over 15 minutes."

He sounded angry, so ok, probably not.

"Tell us what you've learned so far." Frank said, no nonsense, ignoring Hank like he so often ignored things they said.

Hank looked about ready to snap with just that one command, but thankfully Thomas was a lot calmer, and once again stepped in.

"Fair enough, you've been waiting for information."

Joe scoffed, but Frank nudged him warningly in the side softly to be quiet.

"So far we know 11 boys have gone missing, and we have their names. They're all foster kids, or kids with dead beat parents, or parents who are no longer in the picture who live with grandparents or other family members. No family of the missing boys have put up much of a stink to find their kids, which has only helped the camp to keep going. Officially on the record, the boys are marked as being runaways, but there are too many of them for the police to not just let this one go. We have the names for you boys, stored on the flip phones you'll get when you have phone privileges, but we can let you see the list of them now really quickly, too."

He opened a notes folder on the flip phone and showed it to Frank and Joe.

MISSING BOYS NAMES:

Alexander Jackson

John Phillips

Harold Manks

Isiac Tomlinson

Jason Shuemaker

Henry Todd

Matthew Bronson

Kase Hastings

Larry Max

Phillip King

William Knots

"We already knew the names of the boys missing though, before coming here." Joe rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks to us." Hank growled, "We found this list and let the police know, that was our first, and biggest find. It is thanks to us that the police knew who the other missing boys were. Phillip King was the only name 100% certain as to having gone missing since his parents initially reported it, before being ok with the official report of him as a runaway. Thanks to us!"

So, the adults have been here for a few months, and their biggest find really was only the names of the boys who'd gone missing? Cause they'd had to have been here for months, since the names of the missing boys was public knowledge in pop culture by now!

Thomas put a calming hand on Hank's shoulder, much like Frank would do with Joe, and spoke up again.

"Of course we've found other things since then as well. Such as the hidden door. In the same office as the list of the boys missing, we found a strange handheld key, that you can conceal in the sleeve of your shirt, and used to open the hidden door right by the main electrocuted door. The key was buried underneath some floorboards, so we believe, and have found to be true, that the sergeants and counselors don't know of the hidden door's existence. It took us a month to find the door since the key could've gone anywhere. Now we use it to sleuth on the sergeants that are stationed outside of the door during the day, when we have the chance."

"And how did you find it in the floorboards?" Frank asked, a genuine, innocent question that for some reason had even Thomas looking fleetingly angry.

"We got lucky." Was his response.

Joe squeezed Frank's arm discreetly.

Ok so that was weird. Really weird.

"Anyways, we also found out that senior kids get hurt all the time, but seem completely fine the next day." Thomas beamed at this discovery, like it was something amazing, when in fact, it was something the boys had seen within just a few days of being there.

"Wait you know about that? Then how come the police don't?" Frank narrowed his eyes.

Again, even Thomas looked angry for a second, before schooling his features. "We haven't told them yet, we are looking for a way to prove it first, before telling them, since we imagine it'll just sound like we're crazy if we tell them now."

"Yeah, you won't have to worry about that now." Joe rolled his eyes, "We just told our dad we saw that happen to our friend Montgomery."

Hank snarled, "So then you're liars! Cause that has never happened to the snowflakes in the different short term sessions we've seen since we came here."

Frank had to physically restrain Joe from jumping at Hank that time.

"We're not stupid, and you must not be paying that much attention, cause it happened yesterday to our friend."

They all glared at each other.

"Like I was saying," Thomas gritted out, as annoyed as they'd ever heard him before, "We've seen it happen to many of the seniors, more than we can count. They are severely hurt one day, and fine the next. But since we can't just snap a picture of the before and after, we have no proof yet. But something is up with the seniors and how they all look."

Joe scoffed again, "Yeah, you didn't need to tell us that, that much is obvious. So, anything else?"

The adults went on the defensive.

"Nothing else, yet, but that is a lot to go on."

Hah. Not much more than what we've gotten in our simple few days since we arrived. Joe thought, only managing not to say it out loud when Frank shot him a look.

The same look that told him they needed to talk on their own.

Something was very fishy about Thomas and Hank, something that only seemed fishier and fishier, with the more time that passed.

They had to talk, ASAP, and then if they were right about something being off with them, they needed to let their dad know somehow.

Dang! If only they'd spoken with the counselors before calling their dad, since this talk made them feel suspicious of the two.

"It's time to get you boys back to your rooms, any longer and we'll be in trouble. We chose this time for the calls since this is the time other parts of the camp are more heavily guarded, but soon the guards will make their rounds here. Cause oh yes, that's another thing we've learned, the detailed schedules of patrols." Hank said, looking smug.

By now, Thomas had schooled himself back into the calm man they'd met, and smiled kindly at them, "Let's head back to your rooms. And remember to tell your roommates that you aren't allowed to share what the punishment was but that it was bad, and act all hurt or exhausted for a bit."

"Wait, don't you want to know what we've learned?" Frank asked as they began to walk.

"No time." Thomas responded, "But don't worry, we'll get that information from your father."

Frank frowned, but didn't push it.

As they walked back to their rooms that night, and finally turned the corners to their hallway, Joe didn't have even a second to hug Frank or talk to him before he was being roughly pushed back into his room, so hard that he fell flat on his face… most likely for the show of it since Tyler who was anxiously awaiting his return, and Madson who was eagerly awaiting to see how he looked after being punished, had been awake when Hank had shown up to 'collect him for his punishment' earlier.

He fell with an overly dramatic 'Ooof' and a loud groan to help embellish that he was hurt, feeling pretty bad when it resulted in Tyler, who had obviously been crying, rushing over and helping Joe to sit up.

The door was shut behind him before he could even seek out his brother's face one more time.

"J-j-j-joe…" Tyler huffed, but couldn't get anything else out beyond that, tears were still streaming down his face.

Ah fuck this, though he had a cover to keep, he wasn't about to let his friend think he was suffering because of him. After all, that had to be what Tyler was thinking, since he suggested they skip breakfast and the 'punishment' he'd been collected for was because of that.

"I'm ok Tyler." He soothed, patting the boy's arm, "Really. The punishment wasn't so bad."

Madson decided then was the perfect time to step up and be an ass.

"Awww the whittle girlfriends calling each other by their pet names." He laughed loud, "It's so obvious by how you look, that punishment was awffulllll, you look so beaten down. HAH! I don't see any scratches on you though, where are they, huh? Huh?" He started to scan his eyes all over Joe which was super uncomfortable.

"Back off Madson, uhh, you won't see any physical injuries…" Joe thought quick, then mentally apologized for what this was going to do to Tyler, "I can't give details, but it was more of a… physiological punishment…"

He made himself look down pathetically, hating that in doing so, this would give Madson more power, and hurt Tyler more as well. Damn there stupid cover.

Unexpectedly, Tyler pulled him into a hug, his wracking sobs moving the both of them with the power of his tears.

Joe felt awful. Could this place get any worse, but all he could do was hug Tyler back, promising he'd be as good as new by the next morning.

Madson guffawed, taking immeasurable pleasure in their suffering, and they went to bed that night, having to listen to him badger on and on, laughing at their misery, and promising more bad things were coming their way soon.

Poor Joe lay there on his bed, after finally having convinced Tyler to lay down in his own bed, having to listen to Madson's hurtful jabs and laughing guffaws, and the silent sobs of Tyler Hall.

All the while, wishing desperately that he could talk to Frank, get his own baggage off his chest, and let Frank be a mother hen. Or, at least talk to Frank and process everything this crazy night had been for them.

But of course he didn't get that chance, not even for a while the next day either.

They were woken up as usual, super early in the morning for exhausting, brutally physical drills after a minimal breakfast, nothing of note happening to them until lunch, right before they would be spending 2 hours with the seniors in 'the yard', and finally having a chance to talk to them, and each other.

Trudging into the cafeteria, completely winded and exhausted, bruised and sore from their morning drills, next to Tyler who still hadn't said another words since the night before, and wouldn't look either Joe and Frank in the eyes, they sat down to eat, and Joe was surprised to see John Parker joining them. He'd sat by himself earlier in the day, brooding.

"Joe, Frank." He looked them in the eyes briefly, "Tyler, Brandon,", and everyone at the table gasped at his use of their first names.

No one knew what to expect, or what else he would say.

Turns out though, he wasn't going to say anything. That must've been John's weird version of an apology, and acting like he had not stormed off and been incredibly rude the day before.

The others were wary, but no one commented on it, all of them taking John's use of their first names to be some sort of truce at least, and Frank shot Joe a look that said he would explain soon enough.

Everyone expected Montgomery to talk, to fill the silence that came from the rest of their rag-tag group, like he usually did. But, that was another thing that Joe noticed at lunch, something with Montgomery was… off.

His eyes, though not pained or red, looked a bit more dull, than they had yesterday, and he'd not had the chance to even spare them a glance that morning since their brutal drills that included wearing very heavy backpacks over their shoulders and running laps had occurred, and his brain had been otherwise occupied by yesterday's events still.

But now that Joe thought about it, as he silently ate his runny potatoes and baked beans, Montgomery hadn't been very chatty at all that day, even that morning at breakfast.

No, with Tyler upset at himself, Parker not being around till now, and Montgomery acting off, they had the most silent lunch that they'd had since arriving.

Even with their silence, they still got looks from passers by and neighboring tables. Everyone now wondering, why this crazy group had gone from an explosive fight, to being as quiet as mice.

What a weird, freaky group, what's up with them? Most of them thought.

Joe made himself finish his food, and frowned at seeing Frank had only finished half of his.

His big bro was looking worse for wear that morning too, rubbing at his temple like one of his famously awful migraines was coming, and Joe worried about the longevity of Frank's health if he continued not to eat enough, as he noticed Frank hadn't finished one meal since they'd gotten there. He made a note to talk to Frank about that too.

Hey, little brothers have to take care of their big brothers sometimes too.

With the ending of lunch though, both brothers perked up a bit. It was finally Thursday, and finally time for their 2 hours with the seniors. 2 hours was a long time to be able to talk amongst just the two of them, and also attempt to talk to the seniors. According to Tyler's explanation a few days ago, the hours in the yard were left for 'recreation', where they could walk around talking to others, or play basketball, or sit on benches and bleachers. Tyler had said the yard resembled what a prison recreation yard looked like, and that they didn't know the point of the 2 hours there, just that most of the staff went off to do something unknown during that time.

Before it even arrived then, both Joe and Frank knew there had to be a bigger significance to these two hours, and now they were finally upon it.

They walked in trudging, tired lines down to this new part of the camp Joe and Frank had yet to see, and were bemused to see it was once again raining.

Thankfully though this time, it was very light rain, rain that took a lot longer to catch in one's eyelashes or soak one's clothes.

They arrived to the yard, and it did look exactly like a prison yard, from the concrete floors, to the barbed wire fences, and the bleachers along the edges just inside the fences. They took attendance at the gate and were let in, Tyler immediately turning to sulk off into a corner on his own.

When the brothers tried to follow him to talk, he just shrugged them off, asking them for "Sp-sp-space, plea-ase."

They frowned, but Brandon, even through his dulling eyes, gave them a half smile and told them he would go and try to talk to Tyler on his own, and John was with another crowd of boys that they sometimes saw him talking to in the hallways, or when they were trudging along in lines.

So, it was opportunity enough to start on their second plan- talking to the seniors.

But first, they really needed to talk through a few things on their own.

Frank grabbed Joe's arm in his hand again and gently led him over to behind one set of bleachers that was not in use, jammed into one of the corners of the yard.

They had just disappeared behind the seats that looked identical to the ones in their high school gymnasium, when once again, Frank pulled Joe into a bone crushing hug, one that he gladly returned.

Frank and Joe weren't exactly the type that hated hugs or anything like that, but it wasn't normal for them to hug every chance they got. More like they just hugged on special occasions, or when one of them needed comfort. Usually hugs like this were reserved, and pats on the back or high fives, arms slung over shoulders or playful nudges were more of their thing.

Yet here, in this place so full of dread, darkness and pain, it was becoming a new normal for them.

And Joe squeezed his brother as tightly as he had the night they'd lost their mom 4 years ago, and for so many days and nights after that, for months.

Hugging his brother like he might lose him too, any second.

And, according to his brain lately, that was coming up sooner rather than later.

"Joe, I'm sorry." Frank spoke up, saying those dreaded words again, as he had tried to the night before, "I'm sorry for being rude and brushing you off after the nurse's office stuff."

Joe rolled his eyes, pulling out of the hug, "Frank, you don't have anything to apologize for you big idiot."

Frank looked confused.

"It's me who should be apologizing. I almost ruined the whole thing, then I brushed you off when you were just trying to help me."

Oops. Probably the wrong thing to say, he could see it the moment Frank shifted gears.

"Yeah, what was that about? What's going on with you?" He asked, but his voice was gentle again, not angry or overly prying.

It almost made Joe want to just come out and say exactly what was bothering him, but then he remembered his promise to himself from earlier, to wait and tell him after he already chose his college.

So he sighed, knowing he at least had to talk a bit to Frank, enough to get him to let it go for now.

"I can't tell you," and before the look of hurt could overtake Frank's face he continued, "Yet Frank. I can't tell you yet. But I promise to tell you, after all of this is done."

"Why not? Why not just tell me?" Frank's voice was pleading now, "Please Joe, something has been bothering you for a while, why won't you just trust me?"

Joe's eyes widened, so Frank had known something was up. Pretty dumb of him to assume otherwise, Frank always knew these things about him.

Before Joe could stop it, he felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Damnit! Damnit!

Frank noticed that too, immediately, and his features softened, even more.

"Joe, whatever it is, I won't judge you for it."

Joe scrubbed at his eyes before any tears could fall, choking on his next words, "I do trust you Frank! I always have, and always will trust you. It's not that I don't trust you it's just…"

He looked into Frank's brown eyes, his pleading now, "I can't right now, Frank. Not because of you, I just can't right now. Please."

Something, something in his eyes must've shown his own desperation, because Frank crumpled, and Joe found himself being pulled into the second hug in less than 10 minutes.

"Ok, alright Joe. I mean you're scaring me a bit, but ok you don't have to tell me yet, as long as you promise to tell me later."

Joe nodded his head against Frank's neck, a few tears falling before he could stop them.

"I promise. And besides, when I do tell you, you're going to think I'm silly for being this emotional about it. It's nothing big, I promise, Frank."

He pulled out of the hug and wiped the few tears from his cheeks. Watching as Frank battled obviously with himself, on whether to keep pushing or not.

But Frank was nothing if not supportive, especially of his own promises. Joe knew when he told Joe he'd drop it for now, that he really meant it.

Frank took a few deep breaths, but then he brought them back to their present moment.

Behind bleachers, in a camp of sorrow. Trying to solve a very important, very time critical mystery.

"So, let's talk the plan, the counselors, and Dad's time limit."

Joe nodded, and just like that they were back in their detective modes.

"Those two, Thomas and Hank. I don't trust them. I mean, before last night I just thought they were idiots, now, I think they're smarter than they want us to think… they're up to something." Joe listed, as Frank took mental notes for his detective notebook.

"Oh for sure. There has to be a reason they keep deflecting our need for information, and are not interested in ours, beyond just seeing us as two idiot kids. And what was with their explanation for finding the key to the hidden door?" Frank shot back.

"No clue! They must really think we're stupid, if they think we believe they just stumbled across a key hidden under floorboards. And their excuse for not sharing that many senior boys have had the same thing that happened to Brandon, happening to them, doesn't make sense either."

Frank nodded his agreement, "But that also brings us to the seniors again. Maybe one explanation as to why they are so dead in the eyes, is because they're constantly getting hurt, and somehow managing to be perfectly fine physically the next day."

"Agreed. I think whatever is happening to them, is what happened to Brandon. He hasn't been his normal self today, and I am really worried about him."

They talked a bit about Brandon's lack of energy, that made it almost like he was a normal teenager, instead of the hyperactive boy they knew him to be. They also briefly talked about John, and how he'd apologized to Frank, an actual apology, last night after he came back from their 'punishment' with a simple "sorry" and asking what had been done to them. Apparently, Frank had told his roommates that the punishment was too bad to even talk about, and the others hadn't pressed for details. He'd spent the night acting like he was too weak to speak much.

Finally though, after they realized they were spending too much time talking things over, and running out of time to talk to the seniors, they got back to their plan, which was arguably, way way simpler than the plan they'd had to check out the door, and incredibly less idiotic.

They were going to split up and try to talk to as many seniors as they could about the camp, why they were there, and try and get them to spill any information about the kids who were miraculous recoveries from injuries, just like Brandon.

A simple plan at it's surface, but probably not easy to execute.

The seniors were noted for their lack of emotion other than occasional bouts of anger or aggression to the snowflakes, and usually avoided at all costs.

So when Frank and Joe left the bleachers to talk to them, and saw the seniors took up most of the space in the middle of the yard, talking quietly to one another, sitting in silence, or even just standing in complete silence staring daggers at the snowflakes at the edges of the yard, or in the corners, once again all eyes were on Frank and Joe as they approached, looking like two chickens with their heads cut off.

Even when splitting up, and going for the seniors not right dab in the middle, they knew right away, this was not going to be easy.

Looking away from Frank, Joe steeled himself and went to talk to one of the less intimidating seniors, almost freezing to the spot when he saw something odd, in the middle of all the seniors.

There was a tall guy, taller than anyone Joe had ever seen, wearing slightly different colors than the grays and blacks of the uniforms the rest of the campers wore. He wore a navy green uniform, almost like an army uniform, and he was surrounded on all sides by whispering boys.

Actually, the closer Joe got, the more he saw, how the boys on the outer ring surrounding the army dressed boy, were so dead in the eyes they just stood and swayed, and the closer it got to the boy in the middle, the more alive the boys seemed, from boys who actually blinked and looked around glaring, to boys snickering and laughing together, all the way to the middle, where boys were all serious, whispering so quietly there was no way Joe would be able to make it out.

It was almost as if… the boys were a shield around the middle, like lifeless soldiers guarding their commander.

Joe blinked rapidly, and continued on, deciding it best to try and talk to someone on the outside first, before going straight for the belly of the beast. He didn't notice, the eyes from the senior crowd's middle, suddenly turning to stare at the back of his head.

"Hey, uhh, I'm Carter, what's your name?" Joe asked one of the dead eyed boys on the outer circle of the seniors crowd.

Probably a stupid question to start with, but what else was he supposed to say? 'Hey you, tell me why you look so lifeless? Tell me where the missing boys are, or how people are suddenly superman and invulnerable?'

Nah, that would never work.

"He won't talk to you." A voice said suddenly, and with it, the entire yard hushed into silence. "Neither of them will."

A chill wracked its way down Joe's spine. Something about that voice, so deep, yet so void of emotion and life, affecting him in a way no other voice ever had before.

He slowly turned around. Everyone, and that means everyone, was watching as the boy with the green uniform addressed both Frank and Joe, even though they were on opposite sides of the senior crowd.

From the far corner of the yard, Joe saw Tyler and Montgomery's eyes widen in horror at them, and somewhere unseen by the two of them, John was facepalming at the two idiots.

Ok, so maybe, they needed to work on their planning skills, trying to come up with better plans.

As first time undercover detectives, apparently sometimes they sucked.

"Nobody, especially not the dead brains, are going to talk to you snowflakes." The green clothed boy spoke again, and the boys parted like the red sea as he walked closer to them.

Sensing danger, Joe sidestepped quickly over to Frank, even as the boy continued to walk towards them, three brutish boys following in his wake, and several behind them as well.

Crap. This wasn't good.

Frank as usual, and with more fear in his body than Joe had ever seen, stepping slightly in front of him.

For whatever reason, defying great explanation, this was terrifying to them both.

Maybe it was the fact that the boy's voice was ice, or the fact that he'd called the lifeless looking boys on the edge 'dead-brains' but whatever the reason was, the boy walking towards them walked like he lacked a soul, moving but with no emotion whatsoever, not even in his eyes, or in the crinkles next to them, or his lips, where most people showed some sort of emotion.

"I suggest you back up before you're beat up. And to never try approaching us, ever, again." He spoke, and on either side of them, boys grabbed onto their shoulders, holding them in vice grips they couldn't get out of even if they tried.

Joe winced at the strength in the boys hands, and shuddered hard at realizing, the boys holding onto him now were the lifeless swaying boys, who looked up and past the leader in green.

"Fr-Frank." Joe couldn't stop himself, the fear that came from his voice, and Frank looked back at him, trying to convey confidence he clearly wasn't feeling.

"It's ok, Joe."

But the boy was upon them now, close enough that they could see that his eyes were gray, so gray that they didn't hold pupils, and he smelt of… something familiar.

Roses! And lemons!

The same smell Joe smelt when Montgomery had come up to him right after his miraculous recovery, but stronger, a lot stronger.

Suddenly there were other hands yanking Joe and Frank back from the seniors that were slowly surrounding them on all sides.

One pair stronger, and one pair shakier, but both steadfast.

Blinking out of his fear, Joe saw both Tyler and John of all people, trying to help them get away. Brandon Montgomery, was nowhere to be seen.

"Ok! Ok! We're leaving, we're leaving you alone." John spoke up, and there was fear in his eyes, too. Fear that almost matched that of the boy's in the nurse's office. Like he knew something important, something dreadful.

"We won't bother you again." He repeated, and Tyler to his right, nodded his head in agreement, even as his body shook in fear.

The green clothed boy narrowed his eyes, but that was the only showing of anything even remotely resembling emotion. But he stopped advancing towards them, long enough for those two boys, two of their friends now protecting them, to pull them away briskly, past the looks of horror on the other snowflake's faces, and past the dead-eyes of the boys with no souls, back behind another set of bleachers, where John wasted no time in rounding in on them, absolute fury in his eyes.

"You two, are the biggest, most idiotic assholes I have EVER met!" He screamed at them.

Somehow outside the bleachers the noise was rising, people gossiping, people crying, people scurrying around, trying to get back to ignoring the seniors daunting presence.

Joe clutched onto Frank's arm, too freaked to even be embarrassed, as Tyler clung to his arm as well.

"What the bloody fucking hell were you two thinking, just going up and talking to those seniors like that? Haven't anything, anyone has told you around here registered?!"

For once, both Frank and Joe were at a loss for words.

"T-t-th-they are awful. Aw-awful." Tyler spoke up, the first they'd heard of him in hours.

"Who are you guys!? Why are you like this?! Why do you seem to have a death wi-" Parker kept on going, but then, just like that, all four of them saw it.

All four of them froze, rooted to the spot, mouths agape in horror, breaths lost like they'd just had the wind knocked out of them.

From their corner behind the bleachers, in the near distance, they saw it.

Outside of a nearby building, shoved up against a wall, with a counselor in all black pining him there, was the boy they'd seen in the nurse's office stealing drugs.

Leo Adams.

The counselor had one hand over the boys mouth, but the yard was close enough to the building that they could see the terror in his eyes. Not close enough that they could be seen, even if they weren't behind bleachers, but close enough to see it all.

Close enough to see the needle in the counselor's hand.

Close enough to see it come down and into Leo Adam's neck.

Close enough to see the boy start writhing in pain, twisting in seizure like movements, before falling limp…

And being dragged away…