Chapter 3

At some point or another the exhaustion from lack of proper sleeping the last few months must have finally overcome Max because the next time he blinks his eyes open David is there next to him again this time in a chair with a book in his hand. He turns to the small table to him and stares past the sweating glass of water to the two small blue pills resting next to it. David by this time, having noticed the movement on the cot, is questioningly watching Max as he continues to stare with a wary expression at the table. Its then that what Max is staring at dawns on him. "Max…. they're just a form of pain reliever…you don't have to take them if you don't want to…" David says giving Max a knowing and sympathetic look. The boy turns to David with a look of relief and shame, he knows that David would be the last person to ever try to drug him but it's hard to remember that when all he can think about it the numerous times that his parents did just that. Coming to some conclusion that Max still wants to take the medication to help with the pin, David quickly thinks up a solution to absolve Max's fear that the drugs are anything more than what David stated they are. "Why don't I take one first and then after a little while when you see that nothing happens if you want to, you can take the other one. How does that sound?" Max, being uncharacteristically quiet through it all, gives him a small nod then scoots down the edge of the cot closer to David's chair watching as the older one popped one of the blue pills in his mouth and took a sip of the water glass to drown it down with. "What time is it?" Max asks noticing that the light around the tent is increasingly softer than when he must have dozed off. "It's close to supper time now, everyone just finished up with the wood collecting and should be heading up to the mess hall about now. Would you like for me to run up and grab you something?" David asks just now realizing that he cannot remember the last time he or Max had anything to eat. "No, there is no way in hell you can convince me to put that shit you call food inside my body today" Max responds in a sneering tone. "Oh, come on Max, you have to have something to eat!" David cries back in reply "Eat shit David," is Max's only response to the pleas of the counselor. "How about some chew chunky chocolate granola bars huh? Would you eat those? I have a few stashed away in my cabin mainly for rain days and when Gwen's really having a bad day." David says glancing at Max to see if the idea of chocolate had any effect on him. "Alright, Alright fine, damn just stop with the pleading would ya? Makes you sound even more like a pussy than you usually do." Max said resigning to the idea of eating something to get David to shut up. "Language Max…" was all David said, stopping by Max's cot on his way out of the tent to ruffle Max's unnaturally puffy head of air. He was not even two steps outside of the tent when the shout of Max's voice had him turning right back around in a blur of motion. "David wait up!" Max shouted sprinting out of the tent and towards David. "Damn you and your long legs," Max grunts out finally catching up to him "I'm coming with you" he says loud enough for David to hear him. "I shouldn't be gone that long Max, there really is no reason for you to come with me." David replies smiling at Max. "Yeah well someone's got to make sure you don't get lost trying to get there." Max responds sarcastically, kicking dirt around on the ground with his shoe. "If you say so…." David says with a questioning look on his face, he knows there's more to it than that but he also knows that whatever it is isn't something that Max is going to tell him without a struggle. So with a clench of his fists and wave of resolution, he starts forward again towards his cabin more determined than ever to help Max, no matter the cost.