Horrors of Camping

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Death of Me

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Dawn stumbled out of bed, out of Paul's arms. She swayed, weak from having food poisoning and staying in bed all day.

"May—she's—I need to," she stumbled towards the door, but Paul grabbed her wrist, holding her back.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. "You've had food poisoning all day. In factm you probably still have food poisoning. You need to get back in bed and rest."

"No! May needs me!" she insisted.

"May is with Drew. She is in very capable hands," he replied monotonously.

"May is hurt! I know it! I had a dream—"

"Oh, and you believe everything you dream?" he asked, snorting. He finally dropped her wrist from his hand.

Dawn puffed out a cheek, offended. She opened the door and walked out into the cool summer air—

"Hey, that wasn't permission to leave," Paul exclaimed, grabbing her wrist once again.

"Let go! I mean it! I need to help May!"

"May is fine—"

"No, she's not! She's not! I just know it, I have this feeling in my gut!" And suddenly she was crying again, and she fell to her knees, unable to stop her shaking or sobfest.

Paul seemed to soften at this, and he let go of her wrist which fell limply to the ground as she continued to cry.

"Fine, if you're so worried about her, I'll go get her," he grumbled, trying to cover up his sheepishness with annoyance.

Just then Ash walked out of his cabin, and of course that idiot had to assume the worst when he saw Dawn crying—

"Paul! What the hell! What did you do to D—"

"Stop! He didn't do anything!" she cried. "Ash, May is in the forest! She is hurt!"

"What? How would you know that? You've been asleep and recovering from food poisoning all day, haven't you?" he asked, confused. "Where's Misty?"

"She's in the shower," Paul responded.

Ash narrowed his eyes, wondering how Paul knew his girlfriend was showering before remembering Paul had been in Dawn's cabin all day – probably to make up for being such a dickhead earlier. Either way, Ash was still slightly pissed at Paul.

"It doesn't matter where Misty is! May is in danger or she is already hurt!" Dawn exclaimed, growing more and more frustrated by the minute.

"Well, if she's in the forest like you said, how are we supposed to find her? Is she on a trail at least?" Ash asked.

"Oh for God's sake," Paul exclaimed, throwing a poké ball in the air. "Honchkrow, find May and Drew. That's a green-haired guy and a brown haired girl. Get on this, pronto. And look in the forest."

Dawn seemed impressed by Paul's quick thinking. Ash just grumbled something under his breath incomprehensively.

"What do we do now? Wait?" Ash asked, after a moment of silence.

Dawn sighed, a tired, weary sound. Paul glanced at her and his face softened; she looked so sick, so tired, even in the crimson moonlight; she had bags under her eyes, despite all the sleep she had been getting, and he could see faint pink welts on her arm.

This girl was like a walking crisis.

Which was somewhat the opposite of how he really saw her. He knew she could be strong and independent and stubborn—this last one was clear by her insistence on accompanying him on their last camping trip; she knew exactly what she wanted out of her life and what she wanted to do with it.

But ever since she got here this place had been like a curse for her – tearing her down and down again, but she just kept getting back up, refusing to stay down for long.

He stared at her for a second, wondering if she really was breakable. She looked weak and frail with the day's events wreaking havoc on her body, but there was also a determined glint in her eyes, a fire that refused to be put out.

"Krrrrow!"

Honchkrow crowed from above, and they all glanced up to see Honchkrow gesturing overhead with its wings.

"Krrrrrow!"

Ash took one glance at Dawn and said, "I'll go check on them. Paul… you stay here with Dawn, I guess." He then started another series of incomprehensible grumbles under his breath. Pikachu followed hot on his heels as he followed Honchkrow into the forest.

Dawn didn't say anything as they waited there; she just stared out towards the forest, as if she expected May and Drew to appear any second.

Misty exited the showers, humming softly to herself, before she noticed Dawn and Paul. "Hey—what are you doing out here, Dawn? Are you feeling bett—"

Dawn shot up suddenly, nearly punching Paul in the face as she did so. Paul shot an annoyed look at her, about to make a sarcastic remark when he saw the look her face.

Both Misty and Paul turned to see what she was looking at at the same time. He felt his heart drop in his chest as he saw Honchkrow flying up ahead, followed closely by Ash and Drew—the latter carrying a brown-haired girl in his arms.

He got a weird sense of déjà vu as he suddenly remembered when he had to carry Dawn in his arms – first, when she got bit by that arbok, and then when she had fell into a ditch.

Dawn already had tears streaming down her face, and Paul suddenly felt a need to comfort her. He placed a hand on her shoulder – the best he knew how to do.

"Ohmygod, what happened?" Misty exclaimed, her eyes wide.

As Drew got nearer Paul could see dry tear streaks on his cheeks – any other occasion Paul would have felt the need to call Drew a pansy, but in this case, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

"She—she tripped and rolled down a hill," Drew said, slightly breathless. "She crashed into a giant oak tree."

"Is she okay?" Dawn asked, her voice hoarse.

Drew didn't answer her, and Paul felt Dawn's shoulder tense beneath him. She reached up suddenly and grabbed his hand, grasping it as if it was her lifeline.

Ash opened the door to the girls' cabin and Drew walked inside. Paul watched as he walked over to one of the beds and placed May on it, with the utmost care.

Finally, Dawn released his hand, and she stood up; she followed Ash and Misty into the cabin and Paul followed her.

When he entered the cabin he saw just how bad May looked.

"Get Daisy, get Brock, get someone," Drew ordered Ash and Misty, his voice hoarse. "Have them call a doctor or something!"

"Oh, May… I'm so sorry," Dawn whispered, tears filling her eyes once more.

Paul glanced at her, and then turned back to the brunette. She had blood rolling down her forehead, and Paul's guess was that she was probably going to have a concussion. She had scratches up and down her arms, and she had mud, dirt, and blood from said scratches on her clothes. Her red-button up shirt was even torn, revealing a white undershirt underneath that was also covered in bloodstains. Her arm looked bent at an odd angle, which probably meant it was broken.

"Dear lord, like another one bites the dust," Daisy exclaimed dramatically, despaired at the sight of May. "Does nobody listen to dear old Daisy when she says don't go out during the night? Like, why does the Big Guy up above hate me? I do not need stress right now, I'm too pregnant for this!"

At this last comment Ash and Paul raised an eyebrow, shocked by this revelation. Drew was too focused on May to show any sort of surprise.

"Brock, my dear friend and man-nurse, like, fix this! Work your medical madness!" Daisy said, sighing.

"Well, I don't usually work my medical expertise on humans, but I'm sure this can't be too much different from treating a pokémon," Brock said, taking out his first aid kit.

As he made his way to May, he shook his head, sad for his dear friend.

Drew moved out of the way, so Brock would have space to work. He clasped his hand together anxiously, twisting them.

Paul walked outside as Zoey and Kenny entered; it was getting way too crowded in there for his taste. He was surprised when Dawn followed him. He had expected her to stay inside with her friend, especially since she had been the one so worried about her that she had been screaming and crying for her only minutes before.

As she fell to the ground and gagged, he realized why; he had forgotten momentarily about her food poisoning. She looked and sounded pitiful, making little choked gasping sounds as she dry-heaved. She had been dry-heaving for a greater part of the day.

"I don't think your stomach has any contents left to throw up," Paul commented humorlessly.

"Shut up," she gasped. "Gosh, if you're gonna make fun of me the least you could do is hold my hair."

Paul smirked, mildly amused by her own small attempt at humor – unless she was serious.

"Krrrow…"

Paul looked up to see his forgotten pokémon, peering down at him and Dawn from on top of bathroom's roof. Paul sighed and took out his poké ball.

"Honchkrow, return."

Paul leaned against the cabin, folding his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes. He should have just left and gone to sleep. He should have, but…

He glanced down at Dawn who had also crawled back to the cabin to rest against it. Her breathing sounded labored and her eyes were closed.

He thought of May, who was still in the cabin being treated for her wounds; May, bloodied and beat up.

Overhead, the scarlet moon shone eerily in a star-riddled sky.

Thump.

Paul was slightly startled as Dawn's head fell against his leg. He looked down to see that she had fallen asleep and she had fallen against him.

Paul sighed. Well, it was better she fell asleep against his leg than falling asleep and hitting her head on the ground instead.

Paul wasn't sure how many minutes – or hours – passed before Ash, Misty, Kenny, and the rest of them piled out of the girls' cabin, all of them looking tired, weary, and exhausted. The only one who was still in the cabin with May was Drew.

Ash shot Paul a look between curious and mistrustful as he noticed Dawn leaning against his leg, asleep.

"So how is May?" Misty asked Brock, her voice low so she wouldn't wake up any of the kids in the other cabins.

"She's going to be fine," Brock announced, taking off his gloves. Paul couldn't help but think he looked like a real doctor as he did that. "She's going to be sore for a few days, and should probably stay confined to her cabin for a while. Her arm and ribs were heavily bruised, her wrist was broken, and her head was bleeding, but I don't believe she will have a concussion, but just to be sure I'm going to have to check on her in the morning again. All in all, I think May is just very lucky that she didn't get hurt any worse than she was."

Paul glanced up at the moon as he said this; maybe it was just his imagination or his eyes playing tricks on him, but it looked as if the moon was growing redder and brighter.

"That is a relief," Misty sighed. "First, Dawn and now May… this Camp…" She shook her head as if shaking off bad thoughts. "Well, at least everyone is alive and well."

Paul looked away as the moon's brightness became too much to bear.

"Agreed!" Ash declared through a muffled yawn before stretching his arms high above his head. "Well, I'm going to head to bed now. I'm beat! I never realized how exhausting it was to be scared for so long!"

At this Misty rolled her eyes and muttered "idiot" under her breath. Ash ignored this, and hugged the carrot top before placing a quick kiss on her lips with a loud "mwah!". Misty blushed, turning fifty shades of red.

"Hey, like, no public display of affections! This is a kid's camp!" Daisy scolded, glaring at the raven-haired trainer.

Ash just scratched the back of his head sheepishly and chuckled.

"It was worth it," he whispered later to Misty as Daisy marched back to her own office before kissing her one last time – this time on the forehead – before heading back to his own cabin.

Zoey and Kenny hesitated outside Dawn's cabin before hugging each other quickly and departing with quick "see ya"s and "goodnight"s.

Brock had left with Daisy and Tracy, and Zoey and Misty were now both inside the cabin, and Drew still resided in there as well, so now it was only him and Dawn again.

Paul thought about just shaking her awake, but there was a part of him that didn't want to disturb her.

He thought about carrying her back to bed, but he thought it might be awkward if she woke up while he did that. Plus, her friends were inside and they might get the same idea Drew had gotten earlier…

Paul scowled at the memory and felt annoyed all over again as Drew's and Ash's words replayed in his mind.

Just because they have a shitload of hormones, he grumbled inwardly, his teeth clenching together now.

"What…" Paul looked down, startled, as he saw Dawn was finally waking up. "…time…?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily, before dropping her arm tiredly to her side. She looked pale and exhausted, probably a result of her previous sickness.

"H-how is May?" she asked, glancing up at him through tired, squinted eyes.

"She's fine. Brock and Daisy already left, so she must be in stable condition," he replied. "Ash and Kenny left too. The only ones left inside is Drew and your friends."

"Th-they did?" Her eyes widened in shock, and Paul raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was so surprised.

She shot up suddenly, nearly falling in the process as she swayed dizzily. Paul placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her, but she quickly brushed it off, mumbling, "I'm fine, I'm fine, no need to worry".

"Sorry for being such a nuisance tonight, I'll just go inside now, goodnight," she mumbled quickly, moving past him clumsily.

Paul watched her, shocked. He hadn't expected her to excuse herself so quickly after waking up, especially when it was so obvious she still wasn't at her best.

Or maybe it wasn't her eagerness to enter her cabin that shocked him, but something else.

Something she said.

Something that made him think her words held another meaning or meant something slightly different than he would originally believe.

"Sorry for being such a nuisance tonight, I'll just go inside now, goodnight…"

Paul walked away, frowning, as her words played over and over again in his mind.

No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen!

She was supposed to die!

Die!

Why aren't any of them dead yet?!

A mass of gray clouds began to form rapidly in the sky, darkening everything considerably. A cold wind blew, kicking up white sand. Meanwhile, the lake shone in the distance, gray and eerie.

It's those stupid boyfriends. Always saving the day. Ruining my plans.

I hate it.

Scarlet drops began to fall from the sky, slowly at first but then picking up speed.

But soon… even they will realize… even they will see… or at least, one of them will see that despite their best efforts, even they can't save them… even he can't save her.

And despite what he pretends to feel – or not feel – for her, he will soon realize…

The rain picked up speed, drenching everything, turning the lake crimson, turning the sand red, as well as the trees and everything in its path. Soon enough the whole camp was soaked in blood.

…that even feigned indifference won't save him from a broken heart.

July 19th, 2013

The next morning Paul sat on the edge of the table, a plate of toast and eggs in front of him as well as a glass of orange juice. No one sat in front of him, and maybe on any other day since the boys and girls have started sharing the same table, Dawn would have sat in front of him. However, today, she steered clear of him, choosing to sit next to Misty and in front of Drew, the farthest she could sit from him.

She couldn't lie, there was a part of her that yearned to sit in front of him; a part of her that yearned to sneak glances at him as he ate, to admire the sharp angles of his face, the tanned hue of his skin, and the darkness of his eyes and how they reminded her of onyx; a part of her that yearned just to be near him, to be so close to him… but she ignored that part of her, fiercely repeating Paul's words to Ash in her mind, to remind herself of why she shouldn't give in to her yearnings.

"May is doing better," Dawn informed Drew before he could ask, which she knew would be the first thing he would do once she got there. "She still hasn't woken up though, so…"

Drew frowned, obviously worried by this.

"But she will," Dawn reassured him. "I'm sure she will soon. It's not like she's in a coma or anything." She smiled at him as she said this.

Nonetheless, this didn't help Drew's worries in the slightest.

Misty cleared her throat sheepishly.

"It looks like you're doing better as well, Dawn. You're not still sick or having any more symptoms of food poisoning?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, no need to worry. It was probably just food poisoning," she replied. "I probably ate something bad. Although I'm still not really sure why I fainted yesterday… I don't believe food poisoning causes fainting." She frowned as she said this.

"Maybe it was dehydration?" Zoey suggested.

"I was drinking coffee though," she replied, even holding up the cup of coffee she had now.

"Well, coffee is still not the best source of hydration. Drinking water is definitely the best way to stay hydrated," Zoey said, rather matter-of-factly.

"Hm. Well, that's very informative."

"Zoey is always informative," Kenny declared, smiling as he gazed at Zoey warmly, admiration clear in his eyes.

Dawn was shocked by the obvious display of affection Kenny was showing Zoey, especially after remembering how Zoey had apparently rejected his dance offer only two days before.

Zoey smiled back at him, her eyes crinkling at the edge.

Dawn stared at the two, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging partly open as she watched them.

Something had changed. She could see it. Those two – Zoey and Kenny – were they—? But if so, since when? Yesterday?

"Hey, Dawn – what's up? Why are you looking at Zoey and Kenny so weird?" Ash asked, oblivious as always.

Zoey and Kenny blushed as they realized the attention Dawn was giving them. It suddenly occurred to Dawn that she was probably the only other one aside from them who knew about Kenny asking Zoey to the dance and then Zoey rejecting him.

Dawn continued to stare at the two, daring them with her eyes to confirm what she already suspected to be true. Kenny began to fiddle nervously with his fingers, and Zoey turned to her food, poking at her scrambled eggs and trying just a little too hard to look indifferent.

Dawn smirked. They were so official.

"Uh… Dawn?" Ash asked again.

Just then she noticed everyone was staring at her – Paul included – as she smirked triumphantly at Kenny and Zoey.

She turned back to her coffee, careful to avoid Paul's eyes as she turned away. She smiled to herself, happy for her two friends. She wouldn't give away their secret. They would let everyone else know when they were ready or when they felt it was appropriate. After all, maybe they were waiting for May to wake up, so Zoey could tell all her friends at the same time.

"Oh… nothing Ash, don't worry about it," she replied.

Drew entered the girl's cabin, his hands in his pants pockets, just as May's brother, Max, exited, a glum look on his face. Drew nodded at him as he walked by, but the boy just walked on, apparently too lost in thought or despair to return the gesture.

The brunette was still sleeping peacefully in her bed – or maybe she wasn't sleeping, maybe she was just still unconscious from when she was first knocked unconscious.

Drew frowned at this thought, his hands clenching into fists.

He sat on the edge of the bed and cleared his throat.

"H-hey," he said.

Silence followed, eerie and empty.

Drew wasn't sure what to say. What could he say? She probably couldn't hear him anyway. She was unconscious, asleep – whichever one it was – and was probably in a lot of pain. She was hurt and could have very nearly died, and it was his entire fault.

So what could he say? Words could never make up for what happened to her.

Drew took a shaky breath, and with a shaky hand reached to grab hers.

It was so pale – so small, especially when compared to his. He stroked her hand absentmindedly with his thumb and then squeezed it.

"I'm sorry, May," he said finally, his voice coming out choked.

He dropped her hand gently and stood up to leave. He turned back one last time though, to look once more at May.

He reached over and brushed her bangs away from her face, before cupping her cheek in his hand. He stared at her, guilt and sadness clawing at him. Slowly, carefully, he bent over, his bangs already falling in front of his eyes. His lips hovered mere inches from her lips before he stopped – he remembered how May had admitted to him she still hasn't had her first kiss yet.

He sighed softly and instead placed his lips against her forehead in a tender kiss.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

He turned away and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Drew sat in the Arts and Crafts cabin, at one of the long tables the kids usually sat at, twirling a perfectly straight red pipe cleaner between his index and middle finger.

His mind kept drifting back to May. May, with her sparkling sapphire-colored eyes, filled with laughter, anger, or sadness. May, with her bright, cheerful smile. May, helping the younger children with whatever art or craft they were working on that day.

He could almost see her now, at the opposite table, cheerfully explaining to of the younger kids – he imagined the timid Carly – how to water paint.

He felt his gut clench and water gather behind his eyes as he remembered she was back in her own cabin, still sleeping – supposedly. Both Brock and Daisy decided it would be best to take May to the hospital – a full four hours away – if she didn't wake up by tomorrow morning.

Drew blinked back the moisture in his eyes as the first two kids entered the cabin.

Surprisingly, one of them was Rudy. Usually he spent his days by the lakefront when given the choice between lounging at the lake or doing arts and crafts.

Alex must have wanted to do crafts today or something, he thought, glancing at Rudy's geekier buddy.

About a minute later, Maribel and Summer entered.

"Ugh! You? Don't you usually hang out at the lake?!" Maribel exclaimed, pouting as she saw Rudy.

"Yeah, so?! Me and Alex decided we wanted to do something different today!" Rudy exclaimed, also pouting as he turned stubbornly away.

"Actually, I wanted to hang at the—"

"Alex, shhhhh!"

"He's lying, he only came here because he knew we were going here today," Summer declared smugly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "He likes you Maribel!"

"Eww, gross!"

"I do not!" Rudy protested, huffing.

The two pre-teens turned away from each other, scowling, but Drew could see from where he was sitting that they were both blushing.

Young love, he thought, smiling sadly as he also thought of Shia and Nova and their obvious affection for each other. His thoughts then wandered again to May, alone in her cabin…

He shook his head, determined to think positively. May was fine. She was going to be perfectly okay. She had to be okay.

"Hey Drew, where's May?" Abby asked as her and her posse of four entered the room.

"Is she okay? We thought we heard a commotion last night and Kenna looked out the window and she swears she saw you carrying May and then all the other counselors gathering around and looking all freaked out and stuff," Samara exclaimed, her clear gray eyes widening as she recapped last night's events.

Drew was silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts, as he pondered how much he should tell them.

"May… had a bit of an accident last night," he admitted. "But… she is expected to make a full recovery. In fact, she is in bed recovering right now. That is why she's not here right now."

"Ohmygod, really? What happened?" Kenna questioned, eyes wide. "It was a scarlet moon last night! Figures something bad happened!"

Drew frowned at this last part, wondering how a red-moon could possibly have any relation to May's accident. "I rather not discuss this at the moment," he said, standing up.

He checked the watch on his wrist and saw it was around the time he usually started the activity.

He stood up and stood in front of the room. After a quick scan of the room he determined he had about half the campers, maybe a little more.

He began to twist the red pipe cleaner around his finger. "Okay, since it looks like everyone who is coming is here—"

"Hey, where's May?" Rudy interrupted, his question setting off a string of murmurs.

Drew sighed. It was going to be a long day…

"So did you see Dawn and Paul last night?" Misty asked as she idly watched the kids playing in the lake from her high chair. "Dawn fell asleep against his leg and he wasn't kicking her off or anything."

"Yeah, so?" Ash asked. "I still say he's a jerk."

"But not a big enough jerk to move or wake her up or anything," Misty insisted.

"Misty, we've been through this already, I have known Paul longer than you, so I think I know him a little better."

Misty felt her temperature flare at this. She hated it when he used that point against her. It was so annoying – and it was the reason she kept trying to paint Paul in a better light than Ash saw him.

That, and she had listened to him bitch about him for hours last night (before May's incident) when they could have been doing something romantic or talked about something much more pleasant.

"Maybe, but people change over times, Ash. You're just being biased."

"Biased? How am I being biased?!" Ash exclaimed, snorting.

"You remember how he was as a kid, seven years ago, and now you can't get that image of him and who he used to be out of your head. Maybe you're not being biased exactly, but your opinion of him does seem pretty warped from that experience."

"That makes no sense."

"It makes plenty of sense if you use your brain," Misty countered calmly.

Ash glared at her, pouting.

"Well, look at you, being Paul's biggest fan all of a sudden," he grumbled.

Misty scowled, annoyed. "I'm not his biggest fan, Ash, all I'm saying is you're being a little unfair to him."

"Not even! If you heard half the crap he said about Dawn, you would agree with me that he's a jerk!"

"Enlighten me, then. Tell me what he said about Dawn," Misty replied. "C'mon, Ash, let's hear it."

"He said she was a nuisance, that he could care less about whether he saw her again after this camp ended, crap like that," he said.

Misty frowned. That did sound pretty harsh.

"And why did he say that? What were you guys talking about?" she queried.

Ash shrugged. "Drew was just accusing Paul of liking her and stuff or caring for her, and he got all super mad and defensive and started saying that."

This piqued Misty's interest. "Why did Drew think Paul liked her?"

"Why does it even matter?" Ash responded, annoyed.

"Because I actually think Paul liking Dawn isn't that much of an impossibility unlike you," she shot back.

"What? You think Paul likes Dawn too?!"

"Well, okay, maybe I don't exactly think he likes-likes her, but still," she said. "I would say he does care for her at least. Just think about it."

"I have thought about it and he's an asshole," he responded, sniffing.

Misty sighed, exasperated. He was never going to listen to her about Paul at this rate or even consider her opinion on the whole matter. There was absolutely no reasoning with him.

Yeah, she didn't know Paul as well as he did apparently and she definitely hadn't known him as long, but she still had eyes and a brain. She could make her own judgments on Paul.

Misty frowned as she casted a quick, sidelong glance at Ash.

He was slouching in his own high-chair, appearing way more relax and carefree than Misty felt. Pikachu was asleep under his chair, snoring softly.

Misty knew he was only about a foot or two away from her, and yet she couldn't help but feel as if a chasm now separated them. What bugged her most was not the feeling of slowly drifting apart, but that she knew she was the only one who felt that way.

Misty shook her head, unable to shake away the feeling of worry and doubt suddenly plaguing her.

Deep down, Misty knew it wasn't just their argument about Paul that was bugging her though.

Dawn and Paul's hiking activity was cancelled again that day due to Daisy's worry that the trails may be too slippery and muddy to hike safely into the mountains. And so their kids were once again given the opportunity to join either Misty and Ash on the lakefront or Drew in the Arts and Craft cabin.

Dawn and Paul meanwhile were instructed by Daisy to survey the mountain trails and determine their condition.

As they passed through the forest in silence Dawn couldn't help but remember the last time she and Paul had passed through the same dense area of trees.

Dawn briefly closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of rain water dripping down the back of her neck, soaking her hair, Paul's jacket… The mixed but intoxicating scent of rain and cologne on Paul's jacket wreathed around her, adding both a sense of comfort and confusion. She remembered her heart racing a mile in her chest as she replayed the last few minutes in her head again and again – she could have sworn he was about to kiss!

Dawn opened her eyes again and snapped back to reality.

But of course, she had just been foolish. Foolish and hopeful. His intentions had never been to kiss her and he never planned to kiss her. He made that clear to Ash yesterday.

Dawn's sneakers swished noisily in the mud and rainwater as she walked, lost in thought and wallowing in her own despair. She was despaired, yes, but she refused to show it to Paul. He didn't know she liked him as more than a coworker, as more than a friend, and she was determined to keep it that way. She had never told anyone she liked him and now she never would.

As she thought this, other memories began to creep to the surface on her mind, proving that she just loved to torture herself. Her own words taunted her now as they echoed hauntingly back at her:

"You may be rude, but you can also be a lot of other things. You may not show it easily or all the time, but I know you can be thoughtful and sweet and caring. You just have a different way of showing it. You don't fool me."

You don't fool me, she thought, frowning. But I was fooled, wasn't I?

Because surely she must have been wrong about him… wrong about their relationship. He didn't give a crap about her.

And again, his words from yesterday began to replay again in her mind, cold and indifferent.

"You're awfully quiet today."

Dawn's head snapped up, shocked by the jarring sense of déjà vu the words brought. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms. He had said those exact same words to her a few weeks ago, when she first realized she liked him.

Dawn bit her lip, thinking over her next words.

Just saving you the earache.

Well, I just decided not to inconvenience you today.

So me being quiet is really that surprising, huh?

"I just got a lot on my mind," she responded finally. She had remained a few feet ahead of him as they trekked through the forest, and she continued to remain in front of him as they hiked into the mountains.

"Such as?"

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before running her fingers nervously through it. She puckered her lip slightly, wondering what she would tell him.

"Just what I'm going to do once this camp is finally over."

"Hn."

Annoyance bubbled inside Dawn at this answer, but she said nothing. If she was going to get over her silly crush on Paul, she was going to have to learn how to deal with his short answers without a response of her own.

Although Dawn did find Paul's silence kind of strange, but for a completely different reason he found her silence strange. She had worn cutoff shorts and her Camp Scarlet sweatshirt. Her burn marks – with one being a good sized welt, about the size of half a poké ball, while the others were smaller and dime-sized – were visible on her legs. She had actually worn the shorts almost with the hope that Paul would provoke her somehow, by making a sarcastic comment about her tendency to always get injured or something similar. She wanted to argue with him; she wanted him to give her a reason to be angry at him, for her to not like him anymore.

Actually, the other reason they were out checking the mountain terrain was because their last camping trip was going to be tomorrow – assuming all the trails weren't flooded. Last time she had gotten hurt Paul had been pretty vocal about her not going.

Dawn frowned as she pondered his silence now, but then after a few moments, shrugged, deciding it was probably because her burns weren't actually as bad as her last injury – or even her arbok's injury.

Actually, while her burns only stung a little from the slight breeze, her ankle still throbbed and ached every now and again as they walked. Every once in a while she would even have to stop for a few moments to gather her bearings under the feigned impression that she was waiting for Paul to catch up, before continuing their trek up the mountain which appeared to be mostly mud cracks and dry mud beds now.

Dawn sighed, echoing the light breeze that blew through the trees.

What did it matter if Paul fought with her or not, it still didn't change his feelings for her. And so she was going to have to change her feelings for him…

And with that resolve in mind, she casted a mental barrier around her heart, leaving it cold and menacing.

"Hey."

Dawn turned around, surprised to see Paul holding his out toward her.

It took her a moment to comprehend why he was holding it out to her.

Her hand went to her opposite wrist, where the bracelet she had made the first day of camp was gone. Paul was holding it in his hands. Most of the charms had fallen off but he held those in his hands as well.

Carefully, Dawn placed her hand palm-up next to his, careful not to make skin contact. He dumped the contents in his hand into hers, his knuckles barely skimming her.

Dawn didn't say anything. She considered saying thank you, but she couldn't speak; she was too busy concentrating on keeping the mental barrier around her heart in place.

Don't overthink this. Don't overthink this. This is nothing. He was just being… kind.

"You continue leaving trails like that behind and soon enough even that fabled monster will be able to find you," he told her.

Drew entered May's cabin right before dinner. Max was in there when he entered. He had been in there a greater portion of the day.

"Has she wakened yet?" Drew asked, feeling his heart clench as he anticipated the answer. She woke up a while ago… he's going to say that… she had to have woken up by now!

But Max shook his head, a frown on his face. "No… not yet," he sighed. He walked out after that, presumably to go eat dinner, leaving only silence in his wake.

Drew stood there, unable to take his eyes off the door that Max had just exited through. He shivered; he couldn't shake this cold feeling, or the thought that May may never wake up again…

Drew felt like a weedle, or maybe a small seviper, was crawling under his skin, crawling through his chest and up his throat, constricting and convulsing uncontrollably, as something like a half-strangled sob sounded from his throat. The rest of his body began to convulse, and then shake uncontrollably, as a cold chill entered his body and the room.

She's going to be fine… May is going to fine… she's going to be awake soon. She will be, damn it!

He refused to cry. He wouldn't cry because that would be like admitting defeat.

Drew began to finger one of the little rose creation in his hand, the one he had specifically made himself for May… the rest were gifts, made by a majority of the students who had attended Arts and Crafts earlier that day. Each rose had a slip of paper taped to it that said who it was from. Rudy… Maribel… Summer… they had all made her one, just like his, after he had explained how to make it.

They weren't real roses. But in Drew's opinion, they were better anyway, because real roses would eventually die. These wouldn't.

Finally, Drew turned around, willing himself to face May, the girl he loved dearly.

His heart clenched heartbreakingly at the sight of her. She laid so still and she was so pale… yet purple and blue and yellow bruises still colored her pallor skin, making Drew's stomach sick.

He wondered briefly if she was in any pain, or if she couldn't feel anything while she was asleep so soundly.

Drew sat down on the chair Max must have previously been sitting in. He stared at her face, a hollow sadness creeping into him.

If she dies… if she never wakes up… I'll never forgive myself, he thought.

"You have to be okay, May," he whispered, his voice hoarse and choked with emotion. Damn it, he was weak. "You have to be."

For a moment, he thought he saw her left eyebrow twitch, but then he passed it off as nothing more than his imagination.

Drew smiled, a bone-tired smile. "I missed you today, May… Arts and Craft wasn't the same without you. The world wouldn't be the same without you… So I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can… please, please just let me know that you're alright. That you're gonna be alright."

Silence.

Heartbreaking silence.

Drew leaned forward, his hand skirting and then hovering just a centimeter above her own. It hovered there, shaking ever so slightly. Briefly, her knuckles touched his palm, a twitch of her finger.

Drew nearly jumped back, his eyes widening.

Did he even dare breathe? What if he was dreaming?

Silence continued to fill the room, and for what felt like the longest time, Drew could barely breathe. But she continued her prolonged stillness, her face growing shadowy as the sun began to set behind the mountain.

"May…" He whispered, his heart plummeting.

He sighed, heart broken, and her eyes fluttered open, shining an eerie gray in the growing darkness.

"D…Drew?" she whispered, voice hoarse.

Drew's eyes widened, his heart stopping in his chest.

She was awake! She was actually awake.

"You're okay," he whispered, nearly choking on the words. His eyes began to mist.

She attempted to sit up, her arms trembling at the effort. When she accomplished that, she placed a trembling hand on her head, right where her head was wrapped in gauze.

"What happened?" she croaked, glancing around the bedroom.

"You… you had an accident," Drew told her, blinking away the unformed tears in his eyes. "You rolled down a hill. You hit a tree. You've been unconscious until… until just now."

"I… I have been? How long has it been?" She asked.

She placed a hand on her throat, and Drew guessed that she must have been pretty parched from not drinking anything for nearly a day. He handed her the glass of water that had been sitting on the nightstand all day for her. She took it appreciatively, taking a careful sip before guzzling it.

"Just since last night, almost a day," he told her.

Her eyes widened considerably.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, before she could freak out.

"Sore… like I was hit by a rhydon," she admitted. "Tired. Really, really tired and sore…"

Drew smiled, half-heartedly. His smile trembled at one end. He was so, so relieved.

May brushed sweaty bangs from her forehead and he took in her face, and noticed for the first time a purple-black bruise painting the top right of her forehead. He frowned at the sight of the ugly bruise.

May also frowned, but for a different reason. She stared at her fingers, her eyebrows scrunching together as her hands trembled on her cover.

"How… how long have you been here?" she asked Drew.

"I just got in here maybe five minutes ago, but… but I've been checking in on you all day, whenever I get the chance," he responded. He paused, his shoulders bunching together nervously, hesitant.

May noticed this sudden shift in Drew. She glanced over at him, her eyes questioning.

"I… I was worried about you May. I was worried you may not wake up," he confessed, his voice soft.

May was surprised by the tenderness on Drew's face as he confessed this and the sincerity in his eyes. It caught her off-guard, it made her feel vulnerable, which she thought was strange since technically it was Drew who was the vulnerable one at the moment.

May was silent, her thoughts and heart racing a thousand miles an hour in her chest.

"Well… there was no need to worry, I guess. I'm fine," she said, softly. With a hint of bitterness, she smiled and said, "I'm not the one who has been having bad luck all summer. If anything, I'm the lucky one."

Drew blinked, shocked. May immediately felt her heart deflate at his expression. Drew smiled then, thinking, he deserved that remark.

"I deserved that."

"Deserved what?" May asked, her voice quiet.

Drew sighed, feeling heavy all over, as if a great weight was pressing in on him.

"You know…" May was silent. "I've been a jerk to you for the past few days, May… and I'm sorry for that."

May sucked on her lower lip, contemplating his words, letting them sink in. "You don't have to apologize, Drew…"

"Yes, I do, May," he insisted. "I have been a jerk to you. I haven't been taking you seriously," May's hands clenched in her lap at these words. "And I owe you an apology… it's the least I could do. I—" He broke off, his breath catching in his chest.

May looked up, confused.

"I have been a little harsher than I should be with you… but—but that's because…" He sighed, shaking his head, as he ran a hand through his hair. "There is no excuse. There is no excuse for how I have been treating you."

May frowned, wondering what he had originally been about to say.

"Well… I'm sorry, too."

"Don't be."

Suddenly, he learned forward, his fingers brushing and then gently cupping her cheek. His face hovered mere inches from hers. May's heart jumped and then started to rapidly, surprised by Drew's close proximity. He was so close, she could see mere flecks of topaz in his emerald eyes, just around his pupil, and a freckle right by his eye and a few on his nose.

Weird, I thought his eyes were all green, she thought, starting to feel light-headed. But then again, her own eyes had flecks of gold in them if she stood in the right kind of light.

"May, I…" He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. He had to speak before he lost his nerve. "I think I love you."

May's eyes widened and her heart was definitely galloping in her chest now, a faint sheen of sweat developing on her forehead.

I think I love you.

"May?" He pulled away slightly, frowning, a crease developing between his eyes. Immediately, his mind began to curse at his mouth.

I think I love you? Of course, she didn't love him back! Or it was too soon! They weren't even dating! Of course he had spoken too soon!

He began to back away, and May's eye widened, shocked.

"Drew, wait, no, I—" With a burst of strength she didn't even realize she had, she pulled him back and nearly on top of her.

"May, I—" His eyes looked so shocked and so regretful.

Before May could even think things through – her mind was racing a million miles an hour along with her heart – she pulled him even closer, until her lips were only a mere inch away from Drew's.

She stopped, wondering, waiting. She glanced up at Drew through her eyelashes, questioning. Their eyes connected, and his were now full of the same wonder.

She closed her eyes and touched her lips to his. First, it was a mere brush, just enough to send tingles up and down May's arms and spine. Then, she pressed her lips closer, his lips soft and malleable and tasting of berries. She melted inside.

He ran a hand along her face, tracing the curves of her cheekbone, while his other hand stroked her hair. She wanted to cry from how tender and loving everything felt.

They pulled away.

May stared up at him, breathless, and he did the same.

"So, um, are we still going to the dance together?" she asked, smiling shyly.

May looked up as Dawn entered the cabin later that night. She was unable to suppress her smile as she saw the blunette. Dawn took one look at her and smiled too. She knew. But then again, May supposed they all knew by now.

"First Misty, then Zoey, and now you," she said jokingly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Well, it looks like I'm the only single one here out of the four of us now!" May opened her mouth, about to say that she was pretty enough she will have her own boyfriend soon enough too, but Dawn continued, "How are you feeling? I mean, asides from the thing with you and Drew, how are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Um, well, it's kind of hard to breathe at times, and my wrist hurts, but asides from that, not so much. I think the painkillers are helping a lot," she replied. And Drew, she thought, smiling. She rubbed the outside of her wrist ruefully. "If anything, my biggest complaint at the moment is this cast. It's sooo itchy! Or maybe it's just because I'm not used to wearing this kind of material."

"Oh, yeah, I had sort of the same problem with my ankle after a few days when I had to wrap it. Actually—" She paused, wrinkling her nose momentarily as she thought. "I take that back. I think it only itched because it was healing still. Okay, never mind, forget I said anything."

"Well, at least, it was me who got hurt this time and not you again," May laughed.

"Again?" Dawn declared, feigning offense. "Excuse me? Are you trying to imply something, May?" she laughed.

"Oh you know, it's not that I'm calling you clumsy or anything," she joked back, smiling. Slowly it slipped into a frown as she said, "But you have had your fair share of bad luck here. With the arbok bite, you falling into that ditch, and then you also spilled coffee on yourself when you fainted…"

"Oh. Well…" She cleared her throat, sheepish. She wasn't sure what to say to that. "That was just what you said. You know, bad luck. It sucks you had to get hurt as well though."

"Well, yeah, it does suck," May admitted. "I may not be in too much pain now, but… I suppose that isn't going to last long once I actually have to do stuff again."

"Yeah, well, that isn't going to be happening anytime soon," Dawn declared, standing up. "You just stay in bed and rest up! Is there anything you need, May? Coffee? Food? Any other refreshment? A magazine?"

"No, I'm good. Drew brought me food when he came here," she responded, smiling happily at the memory.

Dawn was silent, and May glanced up to see she was clenching a fashion magazine, her hair falling in her face. She took a slow, deep breath, brushed her hair out of her face and smiled.

"I really am happy for you, May. Both you and Drew. I know how much you have liked him since you two were young."

"Thank you, Dawn. It means a lot," she said sincerely, matching her smile. "Hey, who knows. What's with all the partners hooking up, maybe you and Paul will be next," she teased.

Dawn scoffed. "Yeah, that will happen like, never," she declared bitterly. May frowned, catching the bitterness in Dawn's voice.

"Dawn, are you okay?" she asked, confused.

"Huh? Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. No need to worry!" She smiled tightly, but May was not convinced.

"You… are you sure?" she asked again.

"Yeah! Positive! I'm good here! Like I said, I'm just happy for you and Drew! And Zoey and Kenny, and Ash and Misty! Yep, I'm just happy for all my best friends, no need to worry here. I'm all good… yep!"

Now May was definitely not convinced. She could sense there was something on Dawn's mind, or something she wanted to confess even.

May decided to try a different approach.

"So is there anyone you have a crush on? Say, anyone back home in Sinnoh?"

"Nah."

"Nah?" She frowned.

"Well, I mean no. Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

Dawn shrugged.

"So… there is someone you like?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well, you're not outright denying you don't like someone," May pointed out.

Dawn didn't say anything. She started to pace the room before she stopped in front of her bed, sat down, and stared out the window. There was a light curtain of fog outside, obscuring the boy's cabin and the kids' cabins in the distance. She bit her lip, chewing it together.

"So… who do you like?" May asked gently. "I mean, I don't remember you liking anyone before we came here. In fact, I know you didn't like anyone before we came here. I remember you and Zoey both talking about how you guys wanted to focus more on your career as a coordinator before worrying about boys and getting into relationships with them."

Dawn continued to remain silent, almost as if she was waiting for her to piece together the puzzle of who she liked.

If she didn't like anyone before coming here, then could that mean she likes someone here? It's not Ash or Kenny or Drew… is it? Certainly she doesn't like someone who is already in a relationship?

For a moment she felt her heart twist at the thought of Dawn getting a crush on Drew, but then she squashed that thought.

No, she doesn't like him. She can't. She said she was sincerely happy for me and Drew… And if she did like him, she would have outright denied liking anyone in order to spare my feelings. So assuming it's someone at Camp Scarlet she likes, that leaves Ash, Kenny, Paul, Brock…

May's head snapped up and she looked at Dawn. She was still staring out the window, but the fog had cleared, allowing in some moonlight which shone on Dawn, blanketing her in a pearl-white cloak.

"I'll tell you this, he doesn't like me back." She smiled as she said this, but May could see the sadness in her eyes.

And suddenly, May wanted to shake herself, for being so stupid and for not seeing it before. She had let her jealousy of Dawn get the best of her whenever it came to Drew, fearing the blue-haired beauty and chartreuse-haired teen would end up crushing on each other and falling in love, and here Dawn didn't even like him like that. She liked Paul.

It came rushing back to her.

The sad expression she wore after arguing with Paul, it was the same expression she usually wore after arguing with Drew.

"I never even knew you liked him…" she said quietly, almost apologetically.

"You know who it is?"

May paused for a moment, and then, "Paul?"

Dawn remained silent. May decided to take that as a yes.

"How long have you liked him?"

"A few weeks, I guess. Maybe longer. It feels like I've liked him longer." She frowned as she said this. "It almost feels like I've liked him for months already, or years… I don't even know when it happened. One moment I was just going on in life, and then, boom! I realized I liked him. It's so weird. I didn't want to like him; I tried not to, but… I just can't."

May nodded. She knew what she meant. "Yeah… that happens."

Suddenly, she smiled. "I guess I really am the cursed one," she said, chuckling.

May's eyes widened, alarmed by this comment.

Dawn was spared a response when Misty and Zoey walked in.

"So look who decided to join the boyfriend club!" Misty yelled, slamming the door shut behind them.

At these words, Dawn decided to make herself look busy by rifling through her drawers, probably looking for her pajamas. May was right, about a moment later she pulled out her pair of piplup pajamas.

"I knew you two were going to get together eventually, it was just a matter of time," Misty continued, smiling hugely. May couldn't help but smile back, blushing, as Misty continued to gush to her about what a cute couple her and Drew made.

"Gosh, Misty, you didn't gush this much over me and Kenny," Zoey joked, trying to sound offended.

"Ah, well, you two were a bit more… unexpected," Misty responded, laughing nervously.

"Oh come on, we couldn't have been that unexpected."

"True. I mean, what would have been really unexpected was if you and Paul got together. You two are the complete opposite of two peas in a pod. Although… I admit, at one time I thought you might have liked Paul."

"What? Why would you think that?" Zoey asked, disgusted. May snuck a glance at Dawn and saw she was frowning.

Misty shrugged. "It was just something you said one time, when we were all playing truth or dare. You made some kind of comment that suggested he might have liked someone, and I don't know, somehow I turned that into you possibly liking him," she responded, shrugging again. "And I mean it's not like you two would have made that bad of a couple."

Zoey's face contorted as Misty said this, obviously horrified at the thought of Paul and herself as a couple. But then she relaxed her face and said, "Yeah, well, when I said that I was referring to someone else."

"Paul likes someone?" Misty questioned, tilting her head to the side.

Zoey snorted. "Like I know," she responded. "Maybe. Beats me. If he did, he sure as hell wouldn't admit it to me."

"Well, if it was any of us three, he's screwed since we're all obviously taken," Misty declared. "Although I'm pretty sure out of all the girls here, you and Dawn would be the ones he would be most likely to have a crush on since he actually knew you two before coming here—hey, where are you going, Dawn? Are you taking a shower?"

"Yeah, I figured I would take one since Paul and I are going to be out in the mountains again tomorrow," she responded.

Misty looked slightly disappointed. "Aw, but you're gonna miss out on our conversation. Like hey, maybe it's you Paul likes! I mean, not that it matters, since you probably don't like him back—"

"Paul doesn't like me like that. I don't think he feels that way about anybody," Dawn interrupted. "He's too committed as a trainer to worry about something as petty as liking someone, I'm sure."

"I don't know about that," Zoey remarked slyly. "Feelings can develop… unexpectedly."

May shot a glance at Zoey. Did the tomboy suspect Dawn's feelings for Paul? Or did Dawn already tell Zoey about her feelings for him? May had gotten the impression she was the first one Dawn had told.

"He sounds a lot like you then," Misty teased. "Seeing how you want to focus on your career as a coordinator and fashion designer for pokémon before settling down with some boy."

"Yeah," Dawn smiled, but May detected a hint of sadness behind her smile. She yawned, but May could tell it was fake. It was funny how she suddenly saw things about her best friend now that she knew the truth about Dawn's crush on Paul. "Well, I'm gonna go shower and then hit the sack. I'm beat! I'll see you guys later."

She hurried out, shutting the door loudly behind her.

"Hey, is it just me or was Dawn acting kind of weird?" Misty asked, frowning.

"Maybe it's all this boyfriend talk," Zoey suggested, also frowning. "She is the only one who doesn't have one now. It probably makes her uncomfortable."

"Oh! Right! We should probably me more considerate, and not talk about our relationships all the time when we're around her, huh?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, that would probably be the right thing to do," Zoey agreed.

Snow fell outside in flurries, covering the ground in a thin layer of snow.

Look at them all, so happy.

Dawn sat in front of the window, her knees pushed up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees as she watched the snow fall outside.

Smiling, laughing, flaunting their relationships.

The snow quickened, white snowflakes blurring and hiding the rest of the landscape.

And then here you are, miserable, unhappy, lonely…

The wind howled viciously outside, causing the cabin door to rattle precariously. Storm clouds, nearly the color of charcoal, rolled across the sky, darkening everything in sight. The blizzard raged on, quickly depositing feet of snow in mere seconds.

They don't even see you…

They don't even know you're here…

They don't care.

They're happy.

Happy and in love.

Cold resentment and jealousy began to simmer in her, taking form in the vocalization of a shrill, hate-filled scream.

They don't care! They don't care!

He doesn't even care!

She was alone, and all her friends were happy and in love and continuing on with their lives. And him? He was nowhere to be found. And so she was truly alone.

I guess you're just like me now, a voice whispered in her ear, sending chills down her back.

Outside the snow turned crimson, the color of blood, as blood droplets replaced the snow outside.

In life and in death, you're alone.

Dawn woke up, soaked in sweat and tears.

July 20th, 2013

Dawn's hair was still drying from the shower she took that morning when she and Paul commenced on the journey to their usual camping spot for the last time.

Dawn was both glad and relieved this was hers and Paul's last camping trip of the summer. She knew she would miss the camping trips once she left Camp Scarlet for good, but at the same time she was glad since the trips were always so exhausting. Plus, it meant it would be the last time she would have to camp out with Paul.

The sun beamed down on them now, a rare occurrence at Camp Scarlet. It burned Dawn's scalp, drying her damp hair in a matter of minutes.

However, by the time her, Paul, and their eight kids arrived at their usual camping spot, the nice weather was replaced by more clouds. Thankfully, the clouds ranged in shades from white to dove gray and appeared to carry no precipitation.

"Is this our camping spot? Are we next to the Scarlet Waterfall?" Kacey, a pretty eight year old with wavy turquoise hair and matching eyes, questioned.

"No, we are not," Paul answered gruffly, annoyed.

"No, we are not. We don't know where the Scarlet Waterfall is, Kacey. No one does. It might not even exist," Dawn replied more kindly, narrowing her eyes at Paul. "Chances are it doesn't exist. It's probably just a rumor someone made up."

"Pffft. They say the same thing about the monster, and the monster is real," Jared, one of the older campers, muttered.

"Get to work on the tents," Paul barked, glaring at the curly-haired preteen.

Jared's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and fear. "Yes, sir!" he exclaimed, saluting.

Dawn coughed, to cover up her laugh.

"I heard the monster lives next to the waterfall," Alex, a boy a year or so younger than Jared, whispered. "And that the monster only comes out during the scarlet moon, when the waterfall also turns red."

"I heard the same thing," he whispered back, nodding.

"Monsters don't exist. If you're going to talk, at least talk about something more productive," Paul ordered, glaring at the two younger boys.

"Geez, what's in his pants…" Alex muttered.

"More like who's not in his pants," Jared cracked. The two boys laughed, and then scurried off, scared, after Paul turned his glare to them once more.

"Are you trying to run a dictatorship here, Paul?" Dawn asked him sarcastically.

Paul narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"Hey, Mitchie! Wait, stop! That's not how you set up tents! You're gonna break it if you do it that way!"

"Hey, girl scout, looks like someone needs your help," he told her, his voice cold.

Dawn didn't say anything as she walked past Paul, her arms folded tightly across her chest, to help the girls set up their tent.

A breeze blew past Dawn, whispering in her ears:

In life and in death, you're alone…

Dawn gasped and turned around quickly, her hair whipping her back. Paul turned towards her, startled by her sudden movement.

"What?" he asked.

She stared at him, wide-eyed, and then glanced around the rest of the campground. She felt chilled, an unexplainable fear filling her.

"Nothing," she said, turning back around.

/x/x/x/

Dawn stared sullenly into the blaze of the crackling fire, her eyebrows scrunched together. All the kids had been summoned to their tent for the night, but she could still hear them whispering and giggling to each other. Meanwhile, she was trying very hard not to think of her plum-haired partner who had gone to the river nearby to wash off.

You're alone…

Dawn glanced around, spooked once again at the sound of the wind whispering through the trees.

You're not alone, the kids are here too. And you have your pokémon. If something was to happen, like an ursaring wandered through the campsite, you would be fine, Dawn reassured herself.

Nonetheless, a part of her wished Paul would hurry back from his quick bath in the river, but she pushed this thought to the back of her mind.

I can't wait to finally leave this place, Dawn thought. She used to enjoy the great outdoors and camping, but now with this camping trip she found herself wishing more and more that it was over already.

Dawn stood up and began to gather some more sticks to place in the fire. She was tossing them in, one stick at a time, when a flock of spearows erupted from nearby, screeching loudly.

Startled, Dawn forgot about the fire and turned quickly towards the noise of disturbance. As she turned, a breeze blew past and flames leaped out, also strengthened by her previous ignitions, and licked her wrist.

"Damn it!" Dawn exclaimed, crying out in pain. She hissed, tears momentarily blurring her eyes before she blinked them back. The pain subsided quickly, but after a quick examination she saw the flesh around her wrist was red and slightly swollen. She touched it gingerly and winced.

At the sound of approaching footsteps, she quickly rolled down her sleeves and sat back down, smoothing her Camp Scarlet hoodie. She glanced up as she heard Paul stop a few feet away. He was staring at her, his dark colored eyes intense. She quickly averted her eyes, her heartbeat thumping loudly in her chest. She pulled nervously on her sleeves.

"Why were you grabbing your wrist a minute ago?" he asked.

How the hell did he see that? Dawn wondered, annoyed with both herself and Paul. He just got here!

"Did you hear all those spearows a minute ago? I wonder what startled them," Dawn said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, I heard them. Now quit avoiding the question," Paul told her, his voice gruff.

Dawn felt herself scowl. "What do you care? You have barely said a word to me all day."

"Well, it's not like you have been Miss Chatty like you are usually are either," he shot back. "Now what happened to your wrist? Did you burn it?"

Dawn didn't answer. She gazed into the fire, biting her lower lip anxiously. She heard Paul's footsteps approach and she just knew he was going to try and grab her arm to inspect her wrist.

She felt herself tense as he stopped a foot from her. He grabbed her arm and carefully pushed up the sleeve. Dawn bit her cheek, annoyed. In her defense, the burn didn't even look that bad. It was red, sure, but all burns were red. It wasn't blistering yet, so Dawn took that as a good sign.

Paul sighed, aggravated.

Dawn continued to gaze into the fire, determined to remain stoic, determined to feel nothing. She wasn't going to be sad. She wasn't going to be angry. She didn't care. She was indifferent to Paul. Indifferent.

"I swear you're going to be the death of me," he grumbled. Dawn found this a slightly odd thing to say, but she remained silent. "I'm not even gone an hour and you manage to get yourself hurt again."

Dawn bit her cheek, but was unable to remain silent. She tore her arm from Paul's hand, pushing the sleeve down once more.

"It's just a burn. It's not even that bad," she said, now glaring into the fire.

"Yeah, this time. But you still manage to get yourself hurt more than any other person I have ever known and we have only been here two months. How can you be a past girl scout and yet get yourself hurt on everything and anything that has to do with nature?"

Dawn found she had no answer to this. She didn't know why she was always getting herself hurt. It's not like she had always been this accident prone.

By now the whispering and giggling had stopped. Everyone was asleep – asides from her and Paul, of course.

"How have you even survived this long without someone around to keep an eye on you?" Paul asked, his tone scolding.

Something in Dawn snapped at these words. "What do you care? You don't. So quit acting like you do," she told him, standing up.

Paul stared at her, slightly shocked, but this only fueled Dawn's anger.

"You think I'm just some damsel in distress, and maybe I am, but I never asked for some knight in shining armor to save me – I never asked for you to help me. And if I die in these mountains from my clumsiness or being cursed or something, then so be it."

Paul slowly came out of his shock as his mind processed her words. "So, what? Would you want me to just let you walk off a cliff because you're not paying attention to where you're going?" he asked, annoyed.

"Sure. If I die, it will be my own fault. And then I'm sure you will just have one less problem on your hand," she responded coldly.

"Even so, that would be quite an asshole thing of me to do. To just let you die," he said, his expression and tone taking on indifference. "I imagine Ash and your other friends would be quite angry with me."

"They would get over it."

"What about you?"

"I imagine if I died from falling from a cliff, I would have no choice but to get over it. And if I lived… well, if I walked off a cliff, it would be from my own doing I assumed. And it's not like it's your responsibility to take care of me," she responded. "Although I would hate to inconvenience you with my death."

Paul frowned, an uneasy feeling filling him.

She smiled then, and it was such a contrast to her previous expression and tone that Paul felt shocked once more.

"Besides, don't worry, I think I actually like it better when you're an asshole to me. At least then it gives me no false illusions about how you really feel about me."

Despite her smile, her voice remained as cold as ever, but Paul could detect a hint of bitterness beneath it. And for the first time ever, Paul questioned the possibility of Dawn possibly liking him – as more than a friend, or partner, or whatever they were.

He stared at her, in her Camp Scarlet sweatshirt and her piplup-print pajama shorts and felt like he really saw her for the first time, as if he was seeing her with brand new eyes. The firelight danced over her features, highlighting her cold eyes and accentuating her cheekbones.

She turned away, and he felt a cold breeze blow pass him.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight," she said, walking away. "Don't forget to put out the campfire when you're done for the night."

Chapter 18: Monstrous

What's your favorite chapter so far?
Your favorite shipping?
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Your favorite moment in this story so far?

And much apologies to the long wait! I swear I only had one scene left to write (technically I had two, but I figured I kept you guys waiting long enough, and the second scene I can always include in the next chapter), but then school happened and homework and essays. Oh god, so many essays. And then I kind of lost motivation for this story (mainly because I kind of forget everything I planned, but luckily, I keep really good notes, and there's only three chapters left to write and I already wrote a few scenes for the next two chapters, so hopefully the next three chapters won't be too difficult for me to write).

I would like to say I'll have the next chapter up soon, that probably won't happen until June or July, so I will apologize now. I am sorry for the long wait for this chapter, and the long wait for next chapter, but I hope you all still enjoyed this chapter and will enjoy the next few chapters!

Drop a review below if ya want. Let me know if you see any glaringly obvious mistakes.