Chaperoning.

Again.

… but worse.

Lucy had to deal with all those students? For a week?

Yes, her students were great. Yes, she loved teaching. But but but but she did not sign up for looking after a bunch of highschoolers as they ran rampant, collecting bugs and water samples.

The person that did sign her up for this? Natsu.

In fact, a good deal of the students on the biology field trip weren't even her students, so she didn't know them at all.

The whole thing was structured like a summer camp, with bunk beds and cabins and a mess hall and everything. And she, lucky Lucy Heartfilia, happened to be counselor of Cabin Thirteen.

"Aw, cheer up, Luce," grinned Natsu, waving around a scorpion he'd picked up from the dirt path by her cabin. "Look at this little guy. He's trying to sting me. How cool is that?"

"That's not "cool", Natsu, it's scary and dangerous," said Lucy slowly, trying to keep her voice even and not trembling with fear. "Put it away."

An evil smile grew on his face and he moved it towards her, almost cackling.

Lucy's ensuing squeal was heard throughout camp, and actually caused of teachers/students to run over and see what had happened.

Soon, there was a mass of people swarming around, gaping at the scorpion in Natsu's hands, and Lucy began to plot her escape.

But, before that could happen, Erza arrived on the scene.

She smacked the scorpion out of Natsu's hands with a fierce yell, before yanking Natsu back by his collar.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, brandishing a razor-sharp pointed pencil. Natsu shrunk back in terror. "I came to investigate a scream, and what do I find? Don't touch the wildlife, Mr. Dragneel! That could've been an endangered species."

"Actually, that was a common striped bark scorpion," blurted Natsu. The dark aura around Erza began to intensify dramatically.

Lucy face-palmed. She knew that his lack of a verbal filter would get him into trouble someday.

As Erza dragged Natsu off for a lengthy lecture about disrespecting the Vice-Principal, Lucy decided to leave him to his fate. She returned to her cabin, tired out already, and idly checked her watch. Apparently, her campers wouldn't be returning for another hour – that was enough time for a nap, right?

But, just as she began to lie down, the door of the cabin fell off its hinges.

She screamed, again, and the camp's actual counselor (camp ranger? camp watcher? person-who-works-for-the-camp-people?) walked over, a wry smile on her lips.

"Oh, I had a feeling this would happen," she said, shaking her head. "Cabin Thirteen has a reputation of, well, falling apart. We'd press charges, but, in this case, it's just the cabin's fault. We have a legend here about that, you know. Says that nothing in the cabin stays. Oh, don't look so scared – it doesn't apply to people, at least not yet."

"Oh… right," responded Lucy, not feeling reassured. "So things just… fall apart?"

The camp person shrugged, assessing the door. "Guess so. I'll contact the folks, and we'll have the door back on by evening," she said, tapping her fingers over the broken hinges. "Let me know if anything else goes wrong."

"Anything else? Is that likely?" asked Lucy, suppressing a squeak. She shook her head… this was all a myth. All just legend and folktales – like Harry Potter or Macbeth… shoot. She meant the Scottish play. She didn't just think the unlucky name – no, nope, definitely not.

"Ah, yeah. Something else is bound to go wrong while you're here – probably multiple things," replied the camp worker, interrupting Lucy's thought session. "Don't worry too much."

"Of course. Right. Not worrying," said Lucy.

Of course I'm worrying, said her brain.

"Oh shut up," she hissed back at it – unfortunately out loud.

The camp worker looked affronted. "Excuse me, miss?" she asked.

"Oh, uh. Not you. Shoot. I'm sorry; I'm so sorry. I was just talking to myself and-" Even more unfortunately, when Lucy began to slowly back away, she hit her head on the bunk bed behind her. "Ouch! Ow… Aw, sh- no, oops. Shoot. Again. I'll just, uh… I'll just go now. Sorry."

She hightailed it out of her cabin and into Natsu's. Luckily, none of his campers had returned. Unluckily, neither had he.

She face-planted onto his bunk in a dramatic show of self-pity and thought about whether Erza was done lecturing him. Then she grimaced, touching the bruise forming on the back of her head.

Wow. She knew this was going to be bad as soon as Natsu told her about it, but wow. Lucy Heartfilia was definitely not a happy camper, and (she never thought she'd say this, but…) she couldn't even wait to get back to her house and face that stack of essays she needed to grade.

She might even enjoy it.

…

….

Well, probably not. But, really, this place was testing her luck – and everyone knew Lucky Lucy was one of the unluckiest faculty members of the entire school.

A/N: Wow. I don't know what to say...

Okay. Here goes.

I already said this in my other fic that was recently updated, but I'm back and alive - except I won't be updating very frequently? I'll try my best to update when I can, but I'm sorry. I'm letting you all downnn.

Also (surprise! More sucky news.) I won't be responding to reviews individually anymore 'cause they've piled up a bit. But please please please know your reviews are appreciated with every ounce of my withered heart, and I read them all and love them and fangirl all over them even if I don't respond back with a thank-you anymore.

I apologize again for being a dick.