Day: 11

Cold fingers are on my neck as I sit straight up in the hammock. I roll out sideways, landing hard against the ground. My hands find their way on to the cloak of the boy kneeling in front of me, whose soft hands shake against mine. He rubs my hands, I can hear him breathing.

I suddenly realize the boy was not trying to strangling me. Who in their right mind puts their hands on a sleeping person's neck to try to wake them up?

"Harry?" I ask, surprised.

It's dark and it's hard to see the boy, but I can make out his basic features. Big ears, short, black hair, just like Harry.

The boy shakes his head quickly back and forth, his hands resting on mine.

"Thomas?" I whisper.

He nods, so I put him down. It's been a while since I've actually seen Thomas. He has been with Lyle and Max so much, and I have been with them so little. I decide that I will talk to them in the morning, see how they've been doing all this time.

"What's going on?" I ask.

Thomas grabs my hand and takes me outside the tent. We walk through the campground to the medic tent. Once we get inside I see the two boys, who finally made it back, lying together. Caleb is still passed out, but he has finally rolled onto his back. At least his face is out of the dirt. The other boy, Wilbur, is frothing at the mouth, spit pouring down his cheeks. His fingers twitch back and forth, and his eyes are glossy.

"Where's Jared?" I ask Thomas, suddenly wide-awake. "Do you know where he sleeps?"

Thomas shakes his head back and forth. It seems the kid still isn't speaking.

I run out of the tent and begin looking along the tents for Jared. I finally get to a tent where I spot Jared, floating high-up in a hammock. I step on one of the hammocks down lower, trying carefully to avoid the boy. The boy grabs my ankle and pulls me down, pinning me of the ground as he falls on top of me.

"Charlie. What are you doing?" The boys seethes.

It's Alex.

"It's Wilbur, we need Jared." I tell him.

Alex quickly gets off of me and stands up. He yanks on a rope attached to Jared's hammock and Jared immediately falls to the ground, feet first.

Jared groans, getting up. "What's the emergency?"

"Is this how you always wake him up?" I ask. "Seems extravagant, and completely unnecessary."

"Something is up with Wilbur, would you go..." Alex trails off, ignoring my question.

Jared nods walking out the tent. I begin to follow him before Alex grabs hold of me.

"If you're smart you'll go back to bed. We don't need you getting in his way, alright?"

I rip my arm from his grip but walk out of the tent anyway.

Thomas does not follow me, he just stands inside the tent. I begin to walk back in before Alex gently pushes the kid out.

We walk back to our tent in silence. I crawl into my hammock and wait for sleep to reach me.

I can't believe I got waken up for this. What a waste of a good night.

I wake up the next morning, and walk out of the tent. I wade through a sea of all the boys running around and get to the Medic tent. I walk inside and see the tent empty, except for Caleb and Wilbur. I guess Jared took care of him.

I walk back out only to be greeted immediately by Thomas. He grabs my hand and takes me over to where Max and Lyle are sitting in a circle. They are eating some sort of egg, I doubt it's from a chicken, and some various green vegetables. I choose not to ask.

"Hey we haven't seen you in a while. Not since your little escape down the island. Apparently you took some nasty berries, rotten stuff they are. You got to be careful what you eat. Pan even came up to us after and warn all of us about eating anything that he didn't put out on the table, because you're lucky you didn't get poisoned and die. There's lots of poisonous stuff here, even poisonous snakes. We learned all about them in training while you were gone. They have other kinds of animals here too and-"

"You slept well then Lyle?" I ask the boy.

"Oh yes definitely. I had to keep up my strength because I heard that Keaton and Gregory and Samuel are taken us out training again today so I had to be-"

"Keaton trains you guys?" I ask, thinking back on the three cocky boys.

"Yes, it's too bad you haven't been to training a lot. It's an awful lot of fun. But you've been out on the island doing real interesting things, fighting actually animals and-"

"How about you Max?" I ask the boy. "Are you excited?"

He nods. "I've only been to one training thing after the incident with the bee sting, but Jared finally cleared me to go back again permanently."

"That'll be nice. How do you find it Thomas?" I ask.

"Tommy hates training. Won't as much as look at a sword. It makes Gregory angry all the time. Keaton makes Gregory stay calm, otherwise he'd have bitten off Marcus's head by now. It's all pretty cool." Lyle jumps in.

If they weren't so young I'd probably find these boys unbelievably annoying instead of endearing. I imagine it's because I only have to take them in small doses.

"I'd go to training but I do have a lot of clothes to be cleaning. You know how it is; everybody does their part around here. I'll see you all later." I tell them as I big to walk off.

"You'll come see us again, right?" Max asks.

I meet his dark brown eyes, then smile.

Max is by far the sweetest of the bunch. I definitely should find some time to spare with him.

"Yeah of course."

I dump the wheelbarrow over so that all the dirty clothing comes out. Devin glares at me as he picks up clothing and moves it over towards the water.

I grab an arm full of clothing and move it over to the edge. I carefully get closer and closer to the water.

I haven't gone near the ocean since the mermaid attack.

I get up and walk away, bringing the wheelbarrow with me up into the forest.

"Where do you think you're going?" Devin asks.

He seems cross.

"To find something better to do with my time." I spit back.

I push the wheelbarrow up and through the forest. It's much easier bringing back the wheelbarrow now than it was a few days ago. Suddenly it occurs to me that I haven't even been here a full two weeks. It already feels like a life time of being here. So much has happened since I arrived.

I get back up and stalk over to the tent filled with clothing. I refill the wheelbarrow and begin to push it back outside.

It's been over a week since I last took a shower and I'm beginning to reek like the rest of the boys here. I've gotten to the point of no return. The smell coming off of my skin is visible in the cool air. It's getting unbearable.

I let go of the wheelbarrow and walk over to the tent where we cook food. Inside are multiple buckets of water. I grab one and quickly stalk back to the tent filled with clothing.

I make sure the front entrance is shut and quickly peel off my cloak and remove my hat. This is as close as I'm getting to being naked here. Water rushes around me as I tilt the bucket over my head. Though it probably doesn't do much, especially since I don't have any soap, it feels nice all the same.

I reach over to where we keep the clean clothing and grab a thick woolly cloak. The rough material scratches my skin as I try to scrub off the smell and any of the water that remains on me.

I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I grab hold of it, twisting their fingers, bringing them down to their knees.

"Charlotte what the hell?" The boy grunts.

My fingers are twisting Johnny's. I immediately let go, dropping to the ground in front of him. I scoop up my hat and tuck my soaking wet hair back inside, as I scramble to get into my cloak as well.

"Jesus Johnny, you can't sneak up on me like that, especially not when I'm exposed." I tell him.

"Yeah well, you are the one who was exposed." He moans, rubbing his fingers. "You could've been seen."

"When did you get out of prison?" I ask.

"Just this morning, I got lucky, a warning." He shrugs. "Jesus, Charlotte, what the hell were you thinking? Anyone could've seen you? What if Devin had come in here?"

"I smell disgusting, I haven't showered in days."

"But you are alive aren't you?" He demands. "Who knows how long that will last, especially when you are going around taking off your clothes?"

I roll my eyes, but do not protest as he drags me out of the clothing tent and back into our own tent. He sits us down on my hammock and stares at me.

"We have to get out of here." He tells me. "You kept telling me it's not safe and you are right. It isn't."

"I'm getting myself out already. I made a deal with Pan-"

"You made a deal?" He demands, standing up. "With him? What, do you think he's just going to let you off the island?"

"It's a bet." I tell him. "I'll win-"

"A bet? What does he get when you lose?"

"I'm not going to Johnny, have faith in me. He promised he'd let me off in fifty days-"

"Oh, so now you're going to stay here for nearly two months, just because he made a bet that he is going to win? You are willing to bet our safe passage off? What does he get if he wins?"

"Nothing!" I say standing up. "He doesn't get anything!"

"And he'll just let us go. Like that?" His face is beginning to get red, and his eyes are twitching.

"I- I only have my safe passage-"

"Only you? Great that's all we need then. Only you, never mind me getting back. My foster parents must be worried out of their minds, but why do they matter, they're foster parents. Not real like you and your sister. Why should I want to get back to my family, not when you can be selfish and only save yourself?"

"Johnny stop it. This has nothing to do with your foster parents. I should've asked for you, but I didn't have any other-"

"Choice? Oh I get it you didn't want to abandon me, but you're willing to step over me to get-"

"Stop being so selfish! I'm doing what I can."

"You aren't! That's what's funny. You think you are sweet and kind but you are going to leave me here for your own personal needs."

"I care about my sister more than I care about you! Is that a crime?" I shout.

I'm on the ground. Dirt fills my teeth, and I can taste my blood rushing out of my gums. Johnny slapped me, straight across the face. Slapped me into the ground, so hard I'm bleeding.

I get up to my feet and glare at him. Shoulders huffing up and down, face beet red, he is angry. He is on fire. My hands find his shoulders and I push him. He slightly stumbles back.

"Charlie I'm sor-"

My hands find him again and I shove him back farther, this time he goes out the tent doors.

"Charlie calm down."

I try to shove him but this time he blocks my arms, grabbing them in his thick meaty hands. I swing out my foot and take him out at the knees. His body collides against the ground as I jump on top of him, pounding my fists against his chest. He lies down as if he feels nothing.

My fist is nearly on his face when I feel someone's hands wrap around my waist, ripping me off of him.

I thrash about in the boy's arms, trying to get him to let me go, muttering and screeching, but he is relentless. I am dragged back into my tent. The boy throws me down against my own hammock, and I fall over it backwards. I get up ready to charge the boy. It's Harry and Alex.

"What the hell is wrong with you both?" I challenge.

"You were causing a ruckus," Harry soothes.

"Harry get out." Alex commands.

Harry has a look of shock on his face. "What do you mean, get out?"

"Just, just trust me." Alex turns to him.

The two stare for each other for about thirty seconds, before Harry gives up and marches out of the room. I begin to get up to follow him before Alex shoves me back down on the hammock. Since I am not particularly graceful, I roll straight off the back of the hammock on to the ground. Again.

"Get out of my way." I tell Alex.

"Sorry, you seem to use your physical strength before your brain, so I thought you'd respond better to me shoving you." He deadpans.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I shout standing up.

"I think you know what I mean." He chuckles.

I walk closer to him and go to shove him, until he grabs my arms, spinning me around into some sort of lock, and pushing me to the ground, with his hands on me.

"I may be a lot of things, but about to take a hit from you is not one of them." He laughs.

I struggle to no avail.

"When are you going to get it through your thick head that you have to keep out of the lime light to keep out of trouble?" He questions. "Don't go attacking people, don't go disappearing, don't go charging into danger, and certainly don't go talking to Pan."

He gets up off of me and I roll on to my back, glaring at him.

"And stay away from Harry." He adds before storming out of the room.

~~~~~~~

I do like this chapter, and it's finally longer than 1500 words. Finally.

 I miss the young boys, and I like when Charlie is out of control. Neither she nor Johnny are right here, but I enjoy giving Johnny a slap in the face.

I know too much. Maybe the future is all Charlie's fault. All stemming from this chapter. Or maybe not.

What do you think of violent Charlie? Love or loathe? Who's your favourite supporting character? I'd love to hear from you.

Anyway, enjoy the weather, be it good or bad where you are. I'll see you Saturday.