Not mine. Read on!

Ricky looked at his surroundings. It was dusty. That was his first thought on the place, on the plus side though it didn't look like there was to may places to hide a microphone and camera. Not that he would let that fool him, oh no he knew better. They probably thought that they could lure him in to a false sense of security. It was there fault that he had set that class room on fire in the first place. He had found all the cameras and microphones in there. He had tried to tell people, teachers, police, his parents, and his physiatrist, and not one of them had believed him. They said he was crazy. Not in those words of course, but basically that's what the met. Acute Paranoia. that's what they said he had, he didn't agree. There was nothing wrong with him. He did not see what every one else did.

The was introduced to Mr. Sir. Mr. Sir. He giggled a little at the name. He had been told that he had to typed of laughs,
his regular laugh and his 'I'm crazy' giggle. Or so he had been told. He himself never noticed. The guy he was following,
a Mr. Pendanski, took him to tent D. His was introduced to the boy's there and was told the routine before the guy left. He stared at the boys and they stared back.

"Hi man." a tall white kid stood up. "Despite what Mom tells you my name is Skinny not Charlie." It looked like,to Ricky,
surpassed Skinny in both skinniness and in height "That there is Dude," the aforementioned Dude flashed him a peace sign.
" Barf Bag," he pointed to a skickly looking kid, "X Ray," a kid with thick glasses nodded to him. "Armpit," a wave this time. 'Ahh that's what that smell is.' thought Ricky. "And Squid." the kid Skinny finished.

"So dude what brings you here?" Ricky attention snapped to the guy who had flashed the peace sign. Dude he reminded himself.
Ricky was good with names. It was a handy skill to have when you though everyone was after you.

"Burned down a building." he mumbled wearily.

"Why?" asked the kid with thick glasses.

Ricky wondered if he should tell them. Most people didn't believe him and called him crazy. He hated that, even if he had acute paranoia, which he didn't, it wouldn't make him crazy. He had to tell them eventually so why not now?

"That's were the stuff was." he said simply. Maybe they wouldn't push the issue. No such luck.
"What stuff?"

"The cameras and microphones."

"You burnt down a building just 'cause there was some cameras and mics in it?"

"Not just anyone's stuff." He defended. His actions were justified, even if no one else thought so.

"Who's stuff was it?" Slim asked. Entering the conversation for the first time.

"FBI."

They all looked at him for a second then burst out laughing. "Dude your crazy!" Dude chocked out in between laughed. The others nodded there heads in agreement.

"I am not!" Ricky cried out. Why did no one believe him? "It's not my fault they follow me"
This statement only seemed to make them laugh harder.
"Your one of them paranoid people aint yea?" Skinny asked him.

"It's called acute paranoia, and no I'm not." Ricky said angrily.
"Dude he so is man." Dude said. "He even knows the fancy name for it dude!"

This was to much for poor Ricky. He needed to calm before he did something he was going to regret. There was only one sure fire guarantee to do that to. He stomped over to his cot and started rummaging through his bag. The whole tent stopped to watch, waiting to see what was going to happen. Ricky almost sighed with happiness as his hand closed around his a soap box.
He has snuck in his lighter in a bar of soap, knowing full well his stuff would be searched and that a lighter would definitely not be aloud. He opened the box and pulled out the soap. The rest of the boys looked on very confused as Ricky took the bar between both hands and snapped the bar in half. He looked down at the two halves of soap and saw his beloved lighter sticking out of the soap. He pulled it out and dropped the soap back into his bag, no longer caring about anything else but the small metal box in his hands. He swiped soap particles off it the flicked the lid open. A small flame erupted from his faithful Zippo. He stared at it for a second or so then flicked the lid closed. This process lasted for about five minutes before the rest of the boys lost interest and went back to whatever they were doing before Ricky had arrived. The boys came and went on and off not that Ricky noticed, he was to lost in thought. It was rare that he became unaware of his surroundings, just part of acute paranoia. Normally the only timed this happened was when he took to much of the medicine the doctors and hid parents made him take when he got to jittery and paranoid. He had never liked taking it, he wasn't crazy so he didn't need it. But this was different and he didn't know why. Suddenly Skinny announced it was time for lights out and to Ricky's surprise all the boys listened. Skinny seemed to be leader of D tent which Ricky found odd. Skinny was well skinny. It looked like anyone in the tent was bigger than Skinny. He and skinny were about the same size but the only difference was that Ricky was at least a head taller than him. He gave a mental shrug and went to bed. Of course he didn't sleep. They might come after him. Or maybe these boys would, they were criminals after all. Wait! What if this was a elaborate hoax they were playing on him. Maybe these boys were tiny FBI agents in disguise tiring to trick him. That had to be it! This Skinny fellow was probably the team leader leading by rank instead of a teenager. It was obvious! Plus it would explain why such a small person could boss around boys so much bigger than him. Ha! Ricky was to smart for them. He didn't know there purpose for keeping him here but it couldn't be good if they stuck him so far out in the middle of nowhere. He made a resolution. He would not sleep so they could not sneak up on him and he would refuse to eat so they couldn't poison him with anything. Plus he will avoid talking when ever possible so not to give them anything they could use against him later. And true to his word Ricky slept not a wink that night but instead stared at the canvas roof of the tent. He had had many sleepless nights so it didn't bother him as much as it would a normal person. With acute paranoia came insomnia. To paranoid to sleep Ricky had developed the ability to go days without sleep before he collapsed with exhaustion. It would eventually come. He had been in the hospital four times for it already. Dawn crept into the tent as the sun began to rise.
The night had passed quickly for Ricky. This turn of events had given him much to think about. The other boys began to stir so he quickly closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

The other boys began to get out of bed, much grumbling included. Ricky thought that they were going to leave him there, but then someone hit him semi hard in the stomach.

"Ricky, man, get up dude." a very tired Dude mumbled to him. Ricky jumped as he felt the hit and looked wildly around expecting another attack.

"Hey man calm down we aint gonna hurt ya." a tired Armpit said.

'Yeah right.' thought Ricky. 'I'm on to you. I'm on to you all.' The small part of his brain that believed he might be paranoid started screaming warnings that all was not as it appeared to him. Ricky pushed that thought aside without paying it any attention. He looked at them suspiciously then got up and got dressed. He followed behind the other boys to breakfast.He got in line and got food he had no intention of eating. He followed his fellow tent mates to a table and sat down next to Armpit. They ate in relative silence, none particular talkative this early in the morning. Ricky didn't mind.
He pushed his hot, mushy, grey cereal around with a spoon for a while before he got quite bored.

"Man you gonna eat that?" asked Dude from across the table. Ricky shook his head no and pushed it toward him. Dude nodded his thanks and began shoveling in Ricky's cereal of if he expected Ricky to ask for it back, which he had no intention of doing. Afterwards he followed his group outside.

"Ricky can I talk to you a minute?" The boys turned and saw Mr. Pendanski standing there with a big fake grin pasted on his face. Ricky shrugged nonchalantly and walked over to him. Thought he looked calm on the outside his insides were screaming for him to get out of there, this could not end well.

"Don't worry boys your friend is not in trouble I just need to talk to him for a second." The boys nodded but didn't move.
Mom grabbed Ricky by the arm and pulled him a few feet away from the boys so they were out of earshot.

"Ricky I was asked to give you your medication for your little problem." He whispered quietly to Ricky as he held out two little white pills. Problem? Oh no! His heart clenched in fear. No he would not take it. The medicine the 'doctors' gave him to keep him quite. There here to! Well he would not take it. He was not crazy. He would never take that stuff again as long as there was a breath in his body. Who knew what was really in that stuff anyway? They would not get to him.

"No." He said.

"Excuse me?" Pendanski asked confused.

"You heard me. I said no." Now Pendanski was really confused. He had not expected this to be a problem. I mean he had to lock up the medicine to keep the campers way from the stuff.

"Ricky I'm afraid you have to take it. It keeps you all here, you know?" Now that was one of the worst things he could have possibly had said.

"Hey I'm not crazy." He said defensively and loudly. Drawing the other boys attention back to then. He hated being called crazy. Paranoid and crazy are to different things and he had neither.

"Come now Ricky take your medication and go on your way." Mom was starting to lose patience. He held the pills out to Ricky. Ricky looked at the pills then at Mom in disgust. He slapped Mom's out stretched hand away, sending the pills flying.

"Now Ricky calm down and take your medication." Pendanski was not going to ask again. The drew a bottle out of his pocket and took out two more pills. He grabbed one of Ricky's arms and pressed the pills into the captured hand.

"Get off me!" Ricky yelled as he struggled to get away, failing to notice the crowd that was being to gather. Despite his struggles Pendanski held on determinably. With one last cry of 'get of' he punched Pendanski as hard as he could in the face. Not only did it get his arm released but it sent Mom sprawling in the dirt. He quickly scrambled up and pulled out his hand gun. Ricky, thinking he was going to get shot backed up. Pendanski raised the gun straight in the air and fired once. At once counselors cane running from all directions in answer to the shot fired. By the time they started to arrive Pendanski was on the ground wrestling with a frantic Ricky. At one they joined in pinning the helpless boy to the ground which did nothing to reassure Ricky. The more people that held him down the harder he fought. Soon though there were too many and he was overcome. He lay pinned to the ground under seven or eight counselors no longer able to move a muscle. He was scarred. He didn't want to take the drugs, it made his head feel funny and he couldn't think straight. He started screaming how he wasn't crazy and how he didn't need it. Pendanski's face appeared above him trying to calm him down, it wasn't happening. After several failed attempts on Mom's part Mr. Sir finally took over.

"Give me 'em." He said gruffly to Pendanski holding his hand out for the pills. Mom handed them over as Mr. Sir instructed one of the counselors to hold Ricky's head still. As Ricky gave a scream for help, begging his tent mates for assistance. Mr. Sir pushed the pills into the poor boys mouth and covering it with his hand. Ricky gave a muffle scream but still refused to swallow the pills. He used his tongue to lodged the two pills between his cheek and teeth.

"He's not swallowing them Sir." Said the counselor holding Ricky's head.

"He will if he wants to breath." Mr. Sir said gruffly as he moved his had up slightly to cover both the boys nose and mouth.

"Hey!" Someone yelled. He thought it was X Ray but he wasn't sure. Ricky bucked against the restarting hands as he fought for air.

"Just swallow boy and I'll let ya go." Sir said, but Ricky's oxygen deprived mind couldn't comprehend. "Someone go to my office and in my desk drawer is a little clear bottle and a syringe. Bring it hear now!" Pendanski yelled and one of the counselors ran to obey. The boys from tent D, seeing one of there owns face turning blue from lack of air charged forward to help. The counselors not holding Ricky down drew there guns stopping the boys in there tracks. Ricky finally stopped struggling as his energy left him and black dots began to appear in his vision.

"Here! Here it is!" said the counselor who had run to go get the requested, rather, demanded medical supplies. Pendanski wasted no time in grabbing the little bottle and needle. He filled the needle with a clear ,liquid , pushed Ricky's sleeve up, and injected him with the substance. Ricky's eyes glazed over and he went limp beneath the horde of hands. "Okay let him up." Sir said and everyone drew back. The rush of air caused him to cough but other than that Ricky did not move.

"Ricky man?" X Ray said coming over to him. No one stopped him as he knelt by he boy and started talking to him. "Ricky man." He said again slapping his friends cheek a little trying to get the boy to focus on him. Ricky's eyes swiveled up to look at him.

"Dude you ok?" Dude said coming up behind X Ray. Ricky didn't respond, he just stared at them through drug glazed eyed.

"Get him back to his tent." Pendanski said and a few counselors came and carried the boy away.

"What are you all doing here?" Asked Mr. Sir. "This aint a girl scout camp. Go build some character."

The D tent boys sighed and walked out onto the lake.