Harold was vaguely aware he was dreaming when he watched the sunset on the fishing pier, but he didn't really care very much. He rarely dreamed, and when he did, it was normally about alien invasions. It sounds funny, sure, but the aliens almost always slaughtered his entire family and most of his friends. And he was always powerless to stop them.

But sometimes the aliens just brought muffins, so it balanced out.

This was different. This was peaceful. Harold was facing the ocean from the dock he entered Camp Wawanakwa.

He heard footsteps behind him that sounded vaguely familiar. He turned around and saw himself, but a few things were different.

He had green-rimmed glasses and a wispy goatee that didn't even reach his chin. His hair was longer and he was much skinnier. But there was no mistaking that breathy voice or genial smile. He was another Harold.

"Are you me from an alternate universe?" asked Geeky Harold.

"Of course." answered Rugged Harold "Who else would I be?"

The lake suddenly became darker and more choppy, as if that exchange wasn't supposed to happen. Black clouds exploded into being.

Geeky Harold chuckled to himself "Sweet. I did well in your universe, looks like."

Harold was strangely extremely gratified with his eccentric counterpart's instant approval of him. He did his best to not care about what other people thought, but technically, this wasn't another person. It was another Harold.

"What caused this diversion?" asked Rugged Harold.

"Did your dad leave, too?" asked Geeky Harold. Rugged Harold simply shook his head. Geeky Harold gave Rugged Harold a wry smile "Well, that explains it."

Rugged Harold opened his arms "You need a hug?"

A range of emotions rushed through Geeky Harold's face. Shock, confusion, sadness, hope and...was that jealousy? Nevertheless, he accepted.

The black clouds dumped rain on the duo. But neither Harold ever felt a single drop. The rain was diverted in a dome around them. Something was protecting them.

Rugged Harold cringed internally. Geeky Harold was almost cartoonishly skinny. It was worrisome. "Hey, man, remember to eat your veggies. That'll get you stronger way quicker than you'd think."

Geeky Harold smiled again, but this time there was less pain in his face. He was hopeful. "We'll meet again." he said airily. He said it as if it was already decided.

With a giant flash of lightning and the annoying blare of an airhorn, Harold was startled awake. Somehow, meeting another Harold from another universe would wind up being one of the least weird things that would happen to him that day.

xXx xXx

Gwen was a morning person. So when Chris blasted his megaphone at 6:30 in the morning, she wasn't all that bothered. Now the rest of her cabin, on the other hand, felt varied forms of anger ranging from passing annoyance to full-blown tantrums.

All except Heather.

Heather intrigued Gwen, as morbid as that sounded. Her pensieve nature. The ways her eyes flitted about a room quicker than Gwen would've thought possible. Heather worried the perky goth stereotype. Heather had picked her to latch on to and did not socialize with anyone unless Gwen was also present.

Gwen guessed that Heather had analyzed the entire cast and chose her because she was the least dangerous person in the group. Which partly, she appreciated. But a small part of her wanted to be feared. Or revered. Feared was such an ugly word. Certainly her Jason Vorhees jersey inspired at least some sort of unnerving.

Gwen sighed. Her friends back home teased her for being, as they put it 'a strawberry shortcake pretending to be a piece of black liquorice'. She sighed. She didn't like how spot on Shutnik was sometimes.

Chris announced that campers wouldn't be allowed to take naps that day, and that the challenge would start in the evening. Gwen briefly tried to think of what Chris could possibly be planning, but it was fruitless.

Heather gravitated to Gwen almost automatically. It was natural already, despite them not knowing each other for longer than a week. It was Gwen and Heather. It was Heather and Gwen.

"You wanna try and make some friends today?" asked Gwen.

"Who?" asked Heather. Whenever Heather spoke, it felt like an anomaly. Her voice was a deep alto, but also breathy and soft. Her mouth barely moved when she spoke, almost as if she was trying to make it look like she hadn't said anything at all.

"Maybe Cody and Sarah?" mused Gwen "They seem nice."

Heather tilted her head, mulling it over "If things go awry, do you think you could take Sarah in a fight?"

Gwen gently swatted at Heather's elbow, "It won't go that badly, I promise."

Heather exhaled deeply through her nose "Okay, I trust you. But if Sarah uses me as fishing bait…"

"Shush." ordered Gwen. Heather smiled impishly, a rare occurrence. Gwen couldn't help but pause and admire Heather's smile. It was truly something to behold. Heather looked like she could take on the world. And win. Gwen would love to be by her side if she ever tried.

Cody and Sarah were on the docks, bickering about whether or not Post Malone was soft rock or rap.

Cody noticed them first and hurriedly waved them over "Now, don't think about this, just gimme the answer. Is Post Malone a rapper or a soft rocker?"

"Rapper." Gwen responded.

Heather's eyes widened like a deer in headlights. Cody raised an eyebrow for a second and seemed to back off a little bit. He seemed to recognize that Heather was to be handled with care.

"Told ya." said Sarah, placing her hands on her hips. Cody snapped his fingers in mock frustration.

Heather's eyes started to dart around again. From Sarah to Cody to the edge of the dock. Her anxiety was contagious, too. Now Gwen was fully expecting something to horribly amiss.

If Cody and Sarah noticed something askew, they didn't show it. "You can't listen to Circles and tell me that's a rap." Cody said. "And what do you know. You listen to country music! Willingly!"

Sarah turned to look Cody dead in the eyes "Shut your trap."

Cody, for his part, didn't give an inch. "Make me."

Heather tugged on Gwen's sleeve. She nodded quickly and power walked out of there as quickly as she could. From a distance, she could hear Cody yelp and a giant splash behind her. It didn't really take a detective to figure out what had happened.

"Sorry about that, Heather." mumbled Gwen "I didn't realize they'd be so…"

"Loud" Heather finished "No, it's okay. It's not your fault. Or theirs, either."

Gwen caught her drift instantly "It's not your fault, either, Heather."

Heather shrugged "It shouldn't be this hard for me to make friends." The conviction in Heather's voice broke Gwen's heart. Of all the things Heather chose to be confident about, it just had to be about her own awkwardness. It was moments like these that Gwen wanted to hold Heather until she made everything better.

Gwen was a little peeved that wasn't how life worked.

"You wanna try someone else?" asked Gwen, starting to nervously straighten her skirt even though it was perfectly fine.

"Maybe Zeke?" asked Heather.

Zeke was near The Lodge, and thankfully, he was alone.

Gwen introduced herself (and Heather) but Zeke didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were nearly vacant. His general expression was just...downcast. His breathing followed a strict rhythm. He snorted, and Gwen came to the realization that he was somehow asleep standing up.

She gently tapped him on the shoulder, and Zeke jumped what had to be two feet in the air. Heather flinched violently and retreated into herself.

Zeke looked around ferociously before his eyes settled on Gwen and Heather, and he started to calm down. "Guess I'm not as smooth as I think, eh?"

"Not really." quipped Gwen. Zeke frowned in mock hurt, before his eyes traveled to Heather and pursed his lips with genuine concern. His large, dark brown eyes were filled with concern. Gwen could mistake them for black, with a passing glance. Like an endless void she could get trapped forever in.

"You okay, stretch?" asked Zeke tenderly. He reached out slowly to see if Heather needed any assistance

Heather, much to Gwen's shock and joy, took Zeke's hand. He grunted and pulled Heather back to her feet. "Sorry 'bout that, Stretch. I'm a little jumpy."

"A little?" I asked.

Zeke gave me a tight smile "Okay, so maybe I'm super jumpy."

"Why?" asked Heather bluntly. Gwen had to physically restrain herself from facepalming. Asking a question like that wasn't how to make friends. Gwen forced herself into the backseat of the conversation. This was something Heather had to do for herself.

Zeke stroked his chin "I dunno. Always been that way, I guess."

Heather tilted her head, like she always did when she was thoughtful "I read somewhere that being jumpy is a common indication of stress-response hyperstimulation."

Zeke scoffed "English please, Stretch?"

"You're anxious."

Zeke's expression turned thoughtful "Huh, makes sense. What're you and Pastel doing before the challenge tonight?"

"No plans." said Heather.

Zeke tilted his head, almost mimicking Heather "You wanna do somethin'? Maybe mess with the brats over there?" he asked, guestering to Beth and Katherine.

Heather looked at Gwen for approval, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "It would be our pleasure…" Heather hesitated for the tiniest second "Paperboy."

Zeke laughed heartily "You got nicknames, too? I like you, Stretch."

Gwen's heart skipped a beat when Heather smiled.

xXx xXx

Katherine hated it here. The mosquitoes were ravenous. The bird calls were bonechilling. Not to mention, the thought of a bloodcrazed sturgeon biting off her leg kept her off the beach.

If it wasn't for the hot tub the Screaming Bass had earned, she would've lost her mind already. There was nothing else to do other than wander and socialize. And Katherine hated wandering and socializing. They were both pointless. Especially on an island where everyone was out to get you.

The Screaming Bass earned this tub. But you didn't. Taunted a voice in her head. You should've jumped. Now, everyone likes Beth more than you.

Katherine sighed and sunk deeper in the hot tub. She was vaguely aware of Beth shamelessly flirting with Owen nearby, even though he was clearly more interested in Justin. It wasn't her place to point that out, though. She was already on thin ice. One wrong move, and Beth would have her sent home.

She smiled silently to herself. Owen and Justin were pretty cute together, even if they weren't explicitly romantic. Katherine lived in Ottowa, where gay love stories were commonplace, and Owen and Justin were at the beginning of one. She was sure of it.

Katherine couldn't help but feel disappointed that the two hottest guys on the island were more interested in boning each other instead of her.

Don't be bigoted, she chided herself, always be a bitch, but never be bigoted.

It's a shame Beth didn't hold herself to the same standards Katherine did.

Katherine shook herself from her thoughts and listened in to Beth and Owen. Eavesdropping. Was that really what she was stooping to now?

"So, I was gonna go back to the cabin and dry off. Wanna come with?" asked Beth, wiggling her eyebrows. Normally, Katherine didn't mind when people had a lot of sex. Sex was a part of life. It doesn't change people, at least it didn't most of the time. But here, it was a weapon. A weapon that Beth was using to get unsuspecting men on her side.

"Nice try, Beth. I'm fine where I am." said Owen, flashing her a knowing grin. Beth huffed and puffed. Katherine expected her to blow the Three Little Pigs houses down with her attitude. So much for unsuspecting men. Katherine wanted to cheer Owen on right in Beth's face, but doing so would ruin the fragile good standing with the Screaming Bass. People like Beth and Trent wouldn't soon forget she was too much of a coward to jump off the cliff.

Beth stormed out of the hot tub and into the cabin with the energy of a hurricane.

"Sorry about that." said Owen, scratching his neck with a lopsided grin "I thought she would take that better."

It took Katherine a few seconds to realize Owen was talking to her. "You don't have anything to apologize for. You don't have control over how she acts."

Owen started to flick his earlobe as a nervous tic. Sure, Katherine had never seen Owen do that before, but her two years feuding with Munafis over who was queen of her high school had made her a very observant person. She could spot a nervous tic a mile away.

Beth stormed out of the cabin "Oh, yeah and your art sucks!"

Katherine heard LeShawna say "Okay, whatever you say." in an extremely bored tone.

It was about at that point that Katherine realized that Beth's weakness was her obscenely short temper. Something she would take advantage of later.

Katherine's evil plan was interrupted with a pie to the face. Oh, yeah. Katherine remembered My team hates me even more than they hate Beth. It doesn't matter if she's a worse person. I'm less valuable than her.

Katherine smiled sadly to herself. Portiv would kill her for thinking that way.

She wiped the whipped cream from her eyes, and saw Gwen and Zeke cackling and the quiet girl, Heather, stifling a grin. Zeke wasn't even on the Screaming Bass, and he still had no problem dunking on her.

Katherine got up and left without a word. She flung open the cabin door, screamed at LeShawna to get out, which thankfully she did, and started to bawl. Not even just crying. She was bawling like a toddler.

She wasn't going to win. She was just going to get strung along until someone decided she wasn't useful anymore.

A/N: Sorry about the wait ladies and gents. The Inverse Universe is back, and I have some plans. Please leave a review, as they genuinely make my day (and writing) so much better