Chapter One

"I know everyone you know, You know everyone I know Our Venn diagrams are one circle, You grow up when I'm not looking We grow apart without knowing, And all of a sudden I'm leaving..."

"Alex, do you have everything packed?" Mom's voice reached my room, despite the music blasting from my iPod. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see her leaning against my doorway, arms folded as she watched me in amusement. "Are you sure you have enough for the week?" she added.

"Mom, it's only for a week," I reassured her with a sheepish grin. "Besides, it's not like I'll be alone. I've got friends tagging along."

Mom only shook her head, and I rubbed the back of my head when I realized where she was going with this.

This week was the official beginning of summer vacation. Our high school had offered a special curriculum camping trip for students who were doing poorly in math. Unfortunately, I happened to be one of those students who absolutely hated math. Anything that had to do with numbers, really, was something I could live without.

Mom had only agreed to letting me sign up for the trip because she thought it would be good for me to get better grades. Especially since next year was senior year. She always believed that getting good grades was the best way of getting accepted into some of the best colleges, and I was only just beginning to realize how right she was.

"I know you've been friends with Jacob for years, Alex, but don't you think it's time to start branching out?" she suddenly asked. I looked at her in surprise, wondering just where she was getting at. "After all, you'll be a sophomore next year. One more year and you'll be off to college."

Oh, now I understood. Mom had this irrational fear that I was going to leave her once I graduated. Honestly, after everything we've been through together, I was in no hurry to abandon my only family. After my father left us, we only had each other now.

For years I'd always promised her that I wouldn't leave her. Not unless something drastic happened. Mom had always been there for me when I needed her, and I planned on returning that favor one way or another.

"It'll be fine, mom," I promised her. "And no, I won't be getting into any 'trouble'," I added after she narrowed her eyes.

Seriously, after what my father had done to me, there was no way in hell I was ready for any serious relationship. There was still the bitter memory of what he had done all those years ago burning in the back of my mind. Something like that never went away, and I kept it as a reminder of why relationships weren't always a good idea. Mom always used to joke that I was one of the few girls my age not dating anyone, or who was even interested in starting a relationship. She never knew the truth behind my reluctance to start one, and frankly, I'd prefer keeping it that way.

With that being said, I finished packing my backpack and slammed it shut. Once I was finished packing, I ran down the stairs and to the front porch. Sure enough, Jacob Faux, a fellow student with short brown hair and eyes, was waiting for me outside already. He turned and grinned once he saw that I was ready. I almost smirked when I saw the backpack he slung over his shoulder. It looked as if he'd packed for a month, when in reality, we were only supposed to be gone for a week.

I almost snorted in amusement at the sight. Jacob was never one to enjoy camping in the first place. The only reason he agreed to tag along was because his grades were as atrocious as mine were. That and it was good to have another friend to hang out with.

"Took ya long enough," he said sheepishly. I only rolled my eyes at that and slugged him in the arm. "Ow, guess I had that one coming," he muttered while rubbing his arm. "What is it with you always resorting to violence?"

"Got the insect spray packed?" I asked, ignoring his cheeky comment.

"Haha, very funny," he grumbled, though he was laughing as we got to the bus.

This was going to be a fun camping trip. I didn't care whether or not my least favorite classmates were tagging along. Just getting away from home for a couple of days might prove useful for me in the long run. But I knew for sure that I couldn't stay away from home for too long.

My thoughts kept drifting back to the way my mom had been acting just before we left. Guilt gnawed at my stomach as I wondered how she was going to handle graduation. She knew I wouldn't stick around forever once I graduated from high school. I hadn't made any plans to go to college, but that was mostly because I had no idea what I wanted to do.

I don't want to leave her like he did, I silently told myself after squeezing my eyes shut for a moment. Instead of dwelling on the thought, I tried focusing on the music blasting through my headphones, hoping to distract myself.

"So I say I'm sorry I can't, I've got plans As I watched the time slip through my hands, What you don't know now, One day you'll learn, Growing up is a heavy leaf to turn A heavy leaf to turn..."

The trip to Lake Ariel felt like it had taken forever. Abigail sat next to me, offering a broad smile upon seeing our familiar faces, while Jacob sat and talked to another student. Abigail was another good friend of mine. We'd been good friends since the first grade, almost as long as Jacob and I. Our friendship really hadn't changed since than. Unfortunately, Abigail had said at the end of the school year that she wanted to be friends with the most popular girl in high school.

As for Jacob, well, he'd been my best friend since we were younger. He was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on. He was there for me when my father had disappeared on me, and when he did all the terrible things to me that I could never say out loud.

And that girl happened to be sitting not far from us. Jessica Sanders was by definition, the vein of my existence. She lived to make me miserable when my father left us. Her family was rich and owned a horse riding ranch not far from the school grounds. Every now and than she would host big parties, and it took everything to get invited to those parties.

Since when was I ever interested in going to those parties? I nearly rolled my eyes at the thought. It wasn't as if I had any reason to go. I wouldn't have likely felt comfortable around the kind of people that went anyways.

"Take me with you, 'Cause even on your own, You are not alone Take me with you, 'Cause even by yourself, my love You are something else..."

Music was one of those things that always helped me concentrate. Jacob used to joke all the time that I had an interesting taste in music, because it was constantly changing. Walk The Moon was no different, and I loved the eighties vibe they gave off with their music.

"So, have you heard the rumors about Lake Ariel?" Abigail suddenly asked.

I pulled out an earbud and looked at her skeptically.

"You mean about it being haunted?" I retorted. She simply shrugged as I glanced out the window. "Yeah, I've heard."

"I just wonder if it's true," Abigail murmured in a longing tone. "I mean, wouldn't it be cool if someone just vanished?"

I bit the bottom of my lip, remembering what had happened to my father eight years ago. Jacob was the only other person who knew what he did to me. Even Abigail was unaware of the truth. A few years ago, he disappeared off the face of Earth. The cops had explained to us that it was like he didn't even exist. I called bullcrap on it, but of course, it wasn't like my opinion ever mattered. Who the heck would listen to a kid who clearly had no idea what they were talking about? To them, I might as well have been an innocent kid who hadn't experienced what my father was like when he was drunk.

My thoughts suddenly drifted back to what Abigail had said.

Of course, I had heard the rumors of Lake Ariel's mysterious disappearing acts. Just a few years ago a group of people had been camping there, only to vanish three days later. No one was sure where the group had disappeared to, but it was likely the government facility nearby had taken them.

"Well, I wouldn't wish that upon anyone," I whispered.

Abigail gave me a look that suggested I was crazy. Hey, I didn't want anyone getting hurt unless they deserved it. After everything my father had done, I was never a fan of inflicting the same kind of pain he had on me upon anyone else. It would only prove that I'd stooped to his level, and that was the last thing I wanted.

Fortunately, the bus had finally pulled to a stop. Thirty minutes went by, and the trip wasn't as long as I was expecting. Miss Attwater, the math teacher, was standing beside Mr. Blight as she searched for the papers in her duffel bag.

"Alright, I want everyone to be on their best behavior while we're here," Miss Attwater told everyone. "And these maps will act as your guide throughout the area. Please try not to get lost when exploring. And stay with a partner or a group. The trails are perfectly safe, but there's no guarantee that you won't run across black bears, coyotes or snakes while you're out there."

The moment I stepped outside was when I regretted going on this camping trip. Jessica had been behind me at the time, and pushed me forward. Of course everyone was watching at the time, and laughter burst throughout the crowd when I landed in a pile of mud.

"Oh, sorry, I'm such a clumsy girl," Jessica sneered as she stepped forward and onto the grass nearby.

"That's enough, Miss Sanders," Mr. Blight snapped. "Unless you'd like to run a few laps around the lake?"

Leave it to our school to force the gym teacher on a math trip. This was going to be fun. Because no one else wanted to watch a bunch of high school students over the summer, the gym teacher had volunteered himself to go on the trip.

No one looked forward to dealing with Mr. Blight. He had this attitude about him where he expected everyone to get everything done at a certain time, no matter their physiology or mentality. Both Jacob and I had made a vow to never get on his bad side after seeing the way he handled those who tried defying his instructions. His idea of punishment was usually to embarrass the students by making them do laps or stand outside the gym for a few minutes during class.

'You okay?" Jacob asked as he helped me up.

"Well, other than being soaked and covered in mud, I'm perfectly fine," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"There are showers in the cabins," Miss Attwater reassured me. "And Jessica, you will be excluded from campfires tonight," she added to Jessica, who was now scowling in annoyance.

My moment of triumph was short-lived when I realized that Jessica would probably just do something far worse later on. I shook my head at the thought, grabbing my suitcase and making a run for the girl's cabin. Luckily it was only a few steps away from where the bus had parked. And sure enough, Miss Attwater had been right.

I let out a sigh of relief the moment warm water touched my skin. This camping trip was beginning to seem more like a nightmare than a challenge to get better grades. I was beginning to wonder if going really had been a mistake.

The only reason I'd agreed to go along at all was because I wanted to improve my poor grades. We'd only ever gone camping a few times when I was younger, and that was after my father disappeared. But when times fell hard, vacations soon became few and in between. This was technically the first time I went camping in nearly five years.

"Hey, Alex, over here!" Jacob waved to me once I was outside.

Small circles around campfires were formed as the sun began to set. I looked around to try and get my bearings as I wondered what we would do tonight. Miss Attwater had said that the real fun wouldn't begin until tomorrow. But she always had something planned under her sleeve.

"We were just telling ghost stories," Abigail said, her voice giddy with excitement when I reached them.

"Sounds exciting," I murmured halfheartedly.

"Well, Matthew's the best storyteller around," Abigail chimed in.

By now Jacob was fighting his laughter while Matthew's cheeks turned a bright red. I couldn't help but smirk at the sight. Abigail had a huge crush on him, and I had a feeling Matthew felt the same. Of course he would never admit his feelings, and neither would Abigail. It was fun to watch them though.

"Hey, why don't you tell the story this time?" Jacob asked, glancing at me expectantly.

I looked at him warily. He knew how much I hated being put on the spot. Considering I usually sat in the back of the classroom just to avoid being called out by the teacher, he of all people knew what I preferred. But of course, he also knew how to get under my skin.

"Okay… how about the story about the girl who disappeared?" I suggested after giving it some thought. This was a story my mom had told me when I was younger. I was always freaked out by the story, thinking it could be true. "So, ten years ago this school hosted a camping trip similar to what we're on now during the summer," I started as everyone quieted down to hear. "Rumors have it that it was a rainy season, and the lake was deeper than people expected. A girl around our age was part of the trip, and she wandered away from her cabin during the night. She claimed that the lake was calling to her, that she saw someone drowning. When people started calling her crazy, she decided to go and explore the lake herself and find out the truth.

"People say that she jumped in to find out who was drowning. They never found a body. Only a shoe that she wore that day. To this day, people say that you can see her spirit roaming the lake's shore, calling people into the water depths below."

By now everyone was staring at me with huge eyes. I had a feeling none of them would be sleeping tonight. I couldn't hide the sheepish grin that followed as I realized that my story had gotten under their skins. Then again, they had been asking for a good ghost story.

"Well, I guess you're a better storyteller than I thought," Matthew said grudgingly.

I only stuck my tongue out at him in response.

"Alright, I think that's enough storytelling for tonight," Mr. Blight announced after a moment of silence followed.

He clapped his hands, breaking everyone from their trance. I tried not to laugh at their expressions. Moments like these really made me wish I had a camera.

"Tomorrow we'll be working in groups, so get some rest," Miss Attwater added.

Relief washed over me as I followed the others back to the cabin. There were four bunk beds inside. Fortunately Abigail and I were sharing one; she had the top while I had the bottom. With me being afraid of heights, I didn't want to sleep any higher than recommended. Once I closed my eyes, that was when things started getting strange.

…

"Did you hear that?" the husky voice of Fishlegs asked as he along with the other riders of Berk stood on a sea stack near the island. "Did anyone hear that sound?"

The others just gave him weird looks, and Fishlegs' shoulders slumped in defeat. He was already jumpy enough to begin with, but news of the strange attacks on the island had left him reeling. Meatlug did her best to give him comfort, but even that wasn't enough sometimes.

A month had passed since Hiccup stopped the war between Berk and the dragons. Since than they had been struggling to keep everything in check, including the dragons. But lately, a new dragon had appeared on the edge of the island. Stoick had been furious when he discovered one of their ships completely destroyed. And no one had seen signs of the attacker, only hearing an eerie screech that sent men raging mad.

"Guys, we've got to keep an eye out for this dragon," Hiccup told everyone as their dragons shifted uncomfortably.

"Your dad was pretty serious about it," Astrid put in. "Are you sure you know what we're up against? What if it's another Red Death?"

Everyone shuddered at the thought of facing that beast again. Hiccup especially did not have fond memories of it. After the fierce battle they had endured a month ago, none of them were ready to take on another beast like that.

Suddenly an eerie screech echoed against the cold wind. The dragons began shuffling with unease at the sound. Toothless lowered his head and growled, eyes slanted with anger when something flew past them. For a moment the young riders were too stunned to move when that something hovered in front of them.

A beast, white as snow with piercing blue eyes stared back at them, or glared. Feather-like wings and a long, elegant neck made up half of it's body. The other half had a whip-like tail with tail-fins shaped like a scythe.

"T-That's a b-big dragon," Fishlegs stammered.

"Yeah, looks like it wants to eat you," Snotlout added with a smirk.

"Can it eat Tuffnut first?" Ruffnut volunteered.

"No one is eating anyone," Hiccup reassured them after Tuffnut nodded in agreement. "Let's see if we can befriend it."

"Careful, Hiccup," Astrid murmured when the dragon let out a warning growl.

Hiccup hesitantly held out his hand. The dragon continued hovering there, it's wings beating so fast that the young teens were struggling to stand on their feet.

Suddenly Toothless leaped over the other riders and knocked Hiccup to the side when the larger dragon snapped it's jaws. Hiccup watched the creature in amazement as it flew away at an impossible speed. Toothless warbled in concern as he nudged his best friend.

"Thanks bud, I was sure that could've gone more smoothly," Hiccup sighed after rubbing the Night Fury's head affectionately.

"Guys, I've only read stories about that dragon," Fishlegs said, his voice shaken after what they'd encountered. "That dragon was a White Terror!"

"A White what?" Snotlout asked in confusion.

"White Terror," Hiccup replied with a shake of his head. "Very dangerous, very fast. We have to catch up with it before it destroys another ship."

"And just how are we supposed to do that?" Astrid demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"We give chase."

The others groaned in annoyance, but they knew that he was right. Once they had taken flight, it wasn't hard to spot the dragon flying low in the trees. Toothless and Stormfly were the first to catch up to the dragon. Despite it's massive size, the dragon seemed to move among the trees with ease.

What happened next caught them all off guard. The dragon suddenly swung around and fired an icy blast at them. Toothless veered to the left while Stormfly was caught in the fire, squawking in surprise at the sudden chill.

Ice-spitting dragons were rare enough on Berk. But to find one that was as quick and dangerous as this one left the gang feeling frazzled. Luckily, the others were able to dodge the full brunt of the attack, though not without being thrown off-course in the process.

"Stormfly, hold on!" Astrid cried as her dragon went tumbling down.

"Come on, Toothless, we need to help them," Hiccup ordered, but the Night Fury had stopped in his tracks.

Toothless let out a warble of confusion as a blinding light surrounded them. In a flash, everyone had vanished from their sight. Toothless was alone with his rider, staring into the eyes of the White Terror. In that moment, something lit within Toothless' eyes. A spark of recognition and understanding as the White Terror seemed to communicate with him. Then, everything went dark.

This chapter has been edited, in case anyone is wondering :)

AN: I know I took the last one down, and for that I apologize. This version of the Paradigm will be very different from the original. I've already got most of the first part written (there will be many parts involved), and that means this won't be taken down like the last. And yes, this time it is a crossover. I've been wanting to do something like this for months now, and this time I will not give up on it. So thank you everyone for your patience, and please let me know what you thought of this!