Here's the next chapter. I know it's been a while since I last updated, but here is the next chapter. I own NOTHING but the plot. Thanks to Meliriecarna for BETAing this chapter. I hope you enjoy.

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I kick the sand in frustration before I sit down. My pencil hovers over the page, the eraser pressed against my lips as I stare at the blank sheet. Why is Nathan so annoying? I blink and look back out toward the empty horizon over some large brown rocks. Lex is exploring them with me as his babysitter while the others do their jobs. I remember Nathan's words from this morning and sigh. He took my job with the excuse that I needed rest and the others had agreed with him.

Tapping the pencil against the blank page, I sigh and want to laugh. Nathan acts more like the leader now even without being voted one. My eyes shift farther down the beach where Jackson's trying to fish, without much luck. I take a deep breath and fall back onto the sand. Damn writer's block I think as the pencil rolls off my hand. Looking up at the bright blue sky, I feel the serenity of the beach, away from all the drama.

"Hey, Melissa, you okay?" Lex calls over to me.

Raising myself back onto my elbows, I look at him and shrug. Instantly, he climbs off the rocks and walks up to me. I sit up and sigh.

Lex crosses his legs and asks, "Are you sure? You seem really quiet..." He bites his lip and looks down at the ground, "Sorry, I didn't mean …"

I place a hand on his knee and give him a tiny smile. Why does everyone have to feel sorry? Most don't even know the story, so why the apology? Again, I try and smile as I close the diary, pick up my notebook, and jot down a question.

So, what are you looking for up on the rocks? I ask.

"Oh, there are these really cool tide pools, filled with tiny sea creatures to live in small areas. It's so cool. I tried to show Daley once, but she…um, it's not really her thing," Lex explains.

I nod at her name. It seems like there's nothing that she actually enjoys even with her little stepbrother. Though examining those things isn't my thing, I understand that Lex finds it fun. Fun, that word seems almost foreign to me these past few years.

He clears his throat, looks down at the diary, and asks, "So, what were you writing?"

I shake my head and sigh. Lifting my hands, I mime writing and then slap my left hand into my right palm.

Lex's eyebrows raise in surprise and he shakes his head. "I don't get it, Melissa."

I hide a small smile; maybe he's not so smart after all. I repeat the gesture and again he shakes his head.

After a moment he says, "Writing palm, um writing diary?"

I shake my head and repeat the gesture one last time. His eyes are glued on my hands with a thoughtful expression on his face. Slowly, he lifts his own hands and begins to copy my gestures. I watch him carefully and he does it two more times. He frowns slightly then looks up into my eyes.

"You have writer's block?" he asks softly.

I smile and nod. Off to my right, I hear Jackson curse at the fishing pole and I press my lips together in silent laughter.

Lex laughs, too and then asks, "Do you want to help me look for stuff?"

Shaking my head, I point back over to the rocks. He smiles at me, hops up, and returns to his exploration. I smile and look down at my hands, a slight tingle from where Lex had touched them. My fingers trace across my palm; no one has ever done the gesture themselves to understand. They simply expect me to write all my thoughts down or to speak. I look over at him and tap the pencil against the notebook. Lex never stops amazing me. Those large brown eyes are always open with curiosity. My gaze shifts down the beach and I see Jackson lying back down in the sand. Just then, I hear Lex cry out in pain. Automatically, I throw the notebook aside, jump up, and run over to him. The rough rocks scrape against my palms as I jump over to reach Lex. He's knee deep in water and a tiny red mark is on his right knee. I scramble over them and try to lift him out of the water.

My hands immediately begin to run all along his body to check for other injuries and I glance over at Jackson. Cursing inwardly, I wrap my arm around Lex, but he pushes away from me.

Excitement is etched on his face as he holds something out for me to see. "Look, Mel. Isn't it great? It's a clam or an oyster, I think."

I glance over and see Jackson sprinting over to us.

"What happened?" Jackson asks, holding his hand out to help me up.

I look over up at him and shrug.

Jackson studies me and says, "We need to get you two back to camp. Just to be…"

"No, I want to show you guys something, please..."

Jackson pauses and looks down at me. I look back up at him and bite my lip tenderly. I can feel Lex watching me too and finally I nod. His smile grows larger as he scurries up and across the rocks without any help. Jackson releases me and follows Lex without a word. Gradually, I follow them and stare at Lex as he waits patiently for me.

When I get there, he crouches down beside the pool and begins to explain. "I was walking along and I tripped over them, it was just luck really…"

His words fall away from me as I see Jackson looking at me. Those same steel blue eyes accuse him for not watching him more closely. I glare back at him, but he has already turned back to what Lex is pulling out of the water. My eyes shift down and I stare down at a small rock in Lex's hand. It's white with a green and gray tinge around the middle and edges.

Jackson takes it and fiddles around with it and says, "Lex…it's a nice rock, but…"

Lex laughs and rolls his eyes at Jackson's apparent stupidity. "It's not a rock." He picks up another one and cracks it against a rock. "It's clam or an oyster, I don't know which, but it's food," he says, smiling.

I smile back at him and give him a high five. He found more food. Maybe it will be possible to survive and with more than just fruit, dried food, and regular fish. I nearly jump in excitement, but Jackson stops me before I try.

He smirks and asks, "Do you really want to hurt yourself even more?"

My cheeks burn and I quickly try and pull my hair in front. Why am I such a baby? We have more important things to be thinking about. What's wrong with me?

Lex clears his throat and asks, "Melissa, do you think we could use our shirts to carry them back to camp?"

I nod and begin picking up some of the rocks. Jackson and Lex follow my lead and soon we're heading back to camp. No one says anything as we enter the camp. I spot Eric lying on the ground as usual and smile, same old Eric. As we approach him, he sits up and nods in our direction with a small salute to Jackson. His eyebrows furrow in confusion as Lex dumps the oysters onto a plastic bin.

"What the heck are those things?" he asks.

"They're oysters or clams. In other words, food," Lex explains.

Eric stares down at the shells and wrinkles his nose, but a look of hunger passes across his face. He reaches out. Jackson crouches down beside the bin and begins to open one.

"Wait, we need to test those to make sure they're not toxic or anything," Lex says.

Jackson looks over at him and shrugs setting the oyster aside. Off to the right, I hear footsteps coming toward us. I look over and see Nathan coming out of the woods with two jugs filled with water. Sweat drips down his forehead, but the idea of heat seems to leave him when he spots the sea food. Through the silence, I swear I can hear his stomach growling and I smile.

"You gonna stand there all day?" Eric asks.

Nathan blinks and shakes his head. "How…where did you find these?"

Jackson shrugs as I walk up behind Lex and place a hand on his shoulder. Nathan stares at me for a few seconds then glances over at the new source of food.

Dropping the jugs by the fire pit, he asks, "so are we gonna eat?"

"We need to wait until everyone comes back," Jackson says.

Nathan runs his fingers through his hair and nods. He glances over at me and smiles. "Did you enjoy your break?"

I shrug and pick up one of the empty jugs. Instantly, Nathan reaches out, but I shake my head and jog off into the jungle, happy to be doing something active. I don't mind looking after Lex, but still it's nice to do something productive. Daley's words from this morning creep into my thoughts, but I shrug it off, there's nothing I can do about it now. As I walk down the familiar path, I shudder, despite the heat, I can't escape my nightmares. It happened last night and I can still hear my name being screamed in alarm and I try to respond but already I'm lost in darkness. My grip tightens on the jug as it hits my leg, bringing reality back into view.

Already, I hear the flow of water pouring into the well and I take a deep breath. Kneeling down beside it, I allow the cold water to run freely over my hands as a few drops escape the funnel into the container and I screw on the top. Walking back to camp, I can already hear some fight at the fire pit.

"Taylor, that was the deal. We all agreed," Daley says, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

Everyone is standing in a semi-circle around the fire pit with the oysters or clams piled next to them. From my view, I can't see Taylor's expression, but her voice says it all. "No, I'm not eating that. It's disgusting."

"Come on, it's for science and food," Lex tries to reason with her.

I press my lips together in silent laughter. Science and Taylor just don't seem to go together.

Nathan takes a step toward her saying, "Taylor, it's okay. Just try and think about it like…like"

"Why don't you eat it, Nathan?" Taylor asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

I cock my head to one side and then shake it. Why is there never a moment of silence around here? Jackson was about to say something when Taylor spots me and began waving her arm in a 'come here' gesture.

"Melissa, tell them they can't make me eat that booger!"

"You lost, Taylor," Daley says placing her hands on her hips.

I glance between them and see the oyster that Nathan is holding out for Taylor to take. Staring down at the raw meat inside the shell, I cringe; it really does look like boogers. Again, Taylor shakes her head and pouts like a five year old. Daley opens her mouth, but Jackson grabs the oyster and swallows it whole. No one speaks but all our eyes are locked onto him in shock and possible curiosity. Are the oysters poisonous? Could Jackson die and if so, when?

Clearing his throat, Jackson asks, "So, how long till we know?"

His question seems to be aimed at anyone, but Lex answers. "I think a few hours, at least."

Jackson nods and Lex begins to instruct him like a doctor issuing orders on what he should do. All the others soon drift away from the fire pit. Lex questions Jackson, like every five minutes. I look around and try to find my notebook and diary; my fingers are itching to write. Damn, where is it? I ask myself as I survey the campsite. No one seems to notice as I slip back down to the beach to retrieve my notebook and diary.

The sand feels warm against my fingers as I pick up my books from the ground. Grains of sand rub against my skin as I stare out to the empty horizon. Waves crash against the rocks gently in a steady beat like drums. I glance over and see the empty horizon; my heart sinking in fear. We had found more food, but home was still miles away. How could we be so stupid to think that additional food would solve our most important problem?

Shaking my head, my eyes begin to scan the ground for my notebook and diary. Only a few minutes later, I find them half buried beneath the sand. Dusting the diary off, I flip back to the page I was working on beforehand. Carefully, I tap my pencil against my chin and then continue to write. The words seem to flow onto the page as an image plays out in my mind. It doesn't seem possible, but Jackson and Lex really seem to care about me, at least enough to pay attention to me. I smile as more words form on the page. Images of the two boys who seem to be at least trying to understand me.

My gaze shifts across my fingertips attached to the page, remembering the small tingle of compassion for the little genius as he tried to understand my 'speech'. Hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end as I slam the diary shut, turn around, and spot Jackson only a foot away staring out at the ocean again. He's staring at me and gives a small nod of his head in my direction. Automatically, I return the gesture, but he has already turned away from me. Pressing my lips together, I pick up both my books, walk over, and sit down next to him. Jackson glances over at me, but doesn't say anything; lost in his own thoughts probably. I stare at him and then look back towards camp. Wasn't Lex supposed to keep an eye on him? After a moment, I flip open my notebook and place my pencil to the paper.

"I had to get away for a little. He kept on bugging me and I feel fine," Jackson says quietly. I pause and look at him, my eyes wide. I hadn't even written anything and yet he seemed to be able to read my thoughts. Shaking my head, I write something else down. You know he only wants to make sure you're ok, I say, turning the notebook out to him. He glances over at me and then down at the message and shrugs. "I know, but he was driving me crazy. I'm fine."

Well, how long has it been since you eat them? I ask.

Again, he shrugs. "Two hours at most."

My mouth drops open the slightest as I turn to the diary. Turning to last entry, I scan it, all three pages. How was it possible that it had been two hours already? Nothing had ever taken me away from reality like that except for…I shake my head, no point in thinking about it now. Jackson glances over at me, his eyebrows rise in anticipation and surprise. Instantly, I shut my mouth and look away from him. No…why did he have to be like everyone else? Just waiting for me to speak…aren't I good enough as I am? Without a word, Jackson sighs and stands up, brushing the sand off. I look up at him, but still he doesn't say a word to me, and just heads back to camp. I sit there, watching him go, and sigh. Somehow I always seem to push people away from me. Silently, I watch the waves crash against the shore for a few more minutes, my mind blank except for the sound the water.

Reentering camp, I see Jackson crouched down next to the pile of oysters and is beginning to crack them open. Lex is sitting next to him and helps him separating them into more piles on top of other containers. After a moment, Lex spots me and waves me over with a small smile.

"Hey, Melissa, come on over. We can eat them," Lex says, taking another opened shell from Jackson.

I walk over to them; my stomach quietly growling. The raw meat inside looks like rubber white goo…eww! Quickly, I look over at Jackson, but he still doesn't look at me. I take a deep breath and jot down a question, handing the notebook over to Lex. He reads it and shakes his head, tipping his baseball cap up to look at me.

"No, we have to eat them raw otherwise it takes away from the nutrition they can give us," he says.

"Okay gross, but I don't care. I'm hungry," Eric says, from my right, carrying two full jugs of water.

Soon everyone is around the pile of open oysters No one made a sound except for the chewing of the oysters. Swallowing them whole, I barely taste the slimy texture as my stomach unknots as it's filled. Even Taylor, after a little pushing from Jackson, is eating the meat wrapped in seaweed. After about an hour, we drift back to our chores and soon me and Lex are the only ones left.

"So…what did you think? They weren't that bad, right?" he asks.

I look over at him and nod, a small smile forming on my face. Somehow Lex seems to be one of the only two people to get me. Resting my hand over my stomach, I sigh, content. At least we won't go hungry thanks to Lex. Without a word, he starts collecting the left over shells spread around the camp site. For a moment, he looks over at me with those large brown eyes. I bit my lip and nod, placing my notebook and diary aside and begin to help him clean up. We continue for a few more minutes in silence, just comfortable with each other.

"Hey, Melissa, watch this," Lex calls over to me.

I turn and see him tossing an empty shell into another container half away across the camp, hitting the target. A genuine smile forms on my lips as I move over to him. Letting some of shells fall from my hands onto the ground, I pick one up. For a moment I pause and look over at him.

He smiles at me and says, "Go ahead, try it. Just swing your arm back and then try and toss it into that box"

He tosses another one that bounces off the box. Following his example, I toss mine, but it falls short too. Yet, somehow missing it makes me more determined. Soon Lex and I are tossing and laughing at the small little game we created. Celebrating each victory with a high five and increasing the distance between us and the box, while the misses we move closer. It doesn't seem possible, but the time and our dangerous situation seem to be forgotten as our smiles and Lex's laughter grows. Every few minutes, Nathan wonders back with water, but we have enough to let the boiling slide for a few hours. He doesn't say anything to us and for that I'm grateful. Lex and I are having too much fun to pay much attention.

"What the hel...heck is going on?" Daley asks from behind us.

I spin around, my hand about ready to fling another shell, and see a large pile of fresh seaweed draped over her arms. Her fierce blue eyes stare at me and glance over at her step brother with disapproval. Slowly, I lower my arm and stare back at her; my heart beginning to pound in anticipation for an outburst. Rolling her eyes, she sets the seaweed aside and crosses her arms over her chest; her voice struggling to remain calm.

"What were you thinking, Melissa, we don't have time for games. We have to work on staying alive, not just waste and time and energy on stupid games. And you need to get back to collecting water-"

"I thought Nathan was doing that?" Lex asks, taking a tiny step toward Daley.

"Taylor got him to go down with her to the tide pools to collect more oysters, since she now loves it like sushi. Jackson's busy trying to catch fish and I'm collecting more seaweed to eat. And Eric's off being his lazy old self." Her gaze snaps around to me. "And you, you're one the leaders and you're just wasting your time on dumb games…"

Her sharp eyes flicker from me to Lex and back again, but she doesn't say anything else. Lex opens his mouth, but I place a hand on his shoulder and shake my head. Without another word, I stand up and head back to my job. Daley's words run through my mind over and over again as I walk farther into the jungle. My arms already sore from tossing the oysters for the last hour or so. It doesn't make sense, was it wrong to just forget about our problems for a while? I smile as an image of Lex floats through my mind.

He is a great kid. Around me, the wind picks up and I shiver as I kneel down next to the well. The cold water feels so refreshing as I dive my hand into, scooping up it up. Still her words echo in my mind even as I try and shrug them off. Nothing seems to work and that look…that questionable look unnerves me. What did Daley think I did wrong? Gradually, I walk back to camp, silence surrounding me. As I get closer, the silence is broken as Daley's voice floats through the trees. Instinctively, I pause and close my eyes, concentrating on the sound of her voice only a few feet away.

"You can't encourage her, Lex. She needs to toughen up and think about the rest of us and stop acting like a child-"

"Melissa was just-"

"Trying to get out of work, like Taylor? She's so immature sometimes," Daley says, picking up another pile of seaweed.

I glare at her back; tension radiating off of me. How dare she say that? She had no idea what she was talking about. Damn her, she always thinks she knows best…when she's just a kid like us. I turn on my heel and head back to the well with the two full jugs, tears already fighting to escape. Only a few feet away, I hear screams from back at camp. Dropping the jugs, I run back and pause…my heart pounding against my chest. Eric is lying on the ground motionless; all color drained from his face as sweet drips down. Beside him, I notice Jackson and Nathan trying to help get him into the tent. To the right, I see Taylor sway and collapse on the ground while Daley and Lex just seem to stand there. Running up to them, I pull on Daley's shoulder, but she ignores me.

"Not now, Melissa. Lex any ideas on what happened?" Daley asked, brushing her hair behind her shoulder.

"It was probably something he ate," Lex says uncertainly.

Taylor shrieks and brings her knees up to her chest. Her eyes are wide as they look around at the three of us. "Are we gonna die? I mean….we all eat the same things."

I run over to her and wrap my arm around her, trying to soothe her. Nothing will work out if we all panic. My own breathing is shallow; my throat closing up as memories rush past me. Though no one says it, the tension hovers in the air like thick fog.

Seconds later, Nathan pops his head out of the tent. "He's not breathing….Lex we need you."

Lex sprints into the tent without a word as Taylor asks, "What's wrong with Eric, Nathan?"

Nathan lowers his eyes onto the ground and shakes his head. "We don't know…he's sweaty and he's barely responding to us…and I think he has a fever."

As he lists all the symptoms, I remember back to my brother who almost died from an allergic reaction. Quickly, I grab my notebook and dash into the tent. Eric is lying on the sleeping bags with a wet green bandanna placed on his forehead. He keeps mumbling answers to questions that are thrown at him, but I ignore them. Pulling up his gray shirt, I see the light pink hives all across his body. Next to me, I tap Nathan on the shoulder and gesture to Eric's skin. Nathan pales and bats my hand away and calls over to Jackson. "Hey, man…any idea what we do…look at the hives."

Jackson gulps and shakes his head. "I don't even know what it means…any ideas Lex?"

As they try and figure it out, I jot down something in my notebook. The words come out in broken English as I force my hand to steady itself. No one seems to notice me while Nathan is rummaging through the first aid kit.

In frustration, Nathan asks, "What the heck am I looking for?"

Without thinking, I thrust the notebook at him and he reads it, shaking his head. "It doesn't make sense, Mel."

Jackson rolls his eyes and takes the notebook from him. Looking over at me, he reads the message out loud slowly. "Needs a…ant…antihistamines…can be…" his eyes lock on mine for a minute, all color drained from his face. "Can be…fatal."

I nod, but Nathan is already digging through first aid kit again. After a moment, he pulls out a round bottle with a clear cap covering the top. All four of us look at the bottle without a word, fear pulsing through the air. Taking a deep breath, Jackson asks, "So...how does it work?"

I grab back my notebook as Lex explains. "There should be a spring loaded needle with a dose of antihistamines for an allergic reaction like this."

"Then what do we give it to him?" Jackson asks again. My hand trembles as I try to write faster, but Nathan pulls it out of my hands in frustration. "We don't have time for this Melissa."

"Guys…guys, he's passed out," Lex cries, his voice shaking.

My heart pounds against my chest as I glance between Eric and the medicine. Medication and doctors hadn't saved her, but my own fears couldn't hold me back. Each second seems to last for a minute as I watch Eric's face grow paler and paler. Taking a deep breath, I grab the bottle, pull off the top, and raise it up, but Lex grabs my arm.

I glance over at him as he says, "It has to go in his leg."

I nod and shift my aim and jam the needle into his right leg. At contact, the tension seems to have disappeared as we glance over at Eric. Jackson glances over at me and asks, "now what?"

"Now we wait," Lex says softly as he leans back against me.

Slowly, I pull back, take my notebook back, and hold my hand out towards Lex. He takes it gratefully and looks over at Nathan. "When he wakes up, give him these." Lex hands him a small packet, "The adrenaline I don't think lasts long."

Steeping out of the tent, Daley and Taylor glance over at us with wide eyes. Lex takes a step forward and answers their millions of questions as I drift back to the forest. I pause as Lex calls out my name. Turning around, I wait for him to catch up to me, my diary in his hands. He holds it out to me and smiles. I return the gesture and he leans closer to me.

"Forget what Daley said, she doesn't mean it. And I like hanging out with you, Mel," he says quietly.

My eyes close for a moment as a true smile forms on my lips as I ruffle his hair. After a moment, he runs back over and continues to answer more of Taylor's questions. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Daley staring at me and I shudder. Her sharp blue eyes seem to cut right through me, accusing me of something. Shaking my head and flip back to my last entry and continue start another one. My hands are still uneasy as I try and write. By the time Nathan comes out of the tent, sunlight is flickering through the trees, coloring the sky a dull pink.

Taking a deep breath he says, "Eric's okay. Still weak, but he's gonna be fine."

I sigh in relief and jot more stuff down in my diary. Today was one hectic day, but we made it through. I glance over at Jackson and Lex as the two start collecting food for dinner. Both of them really seem to be trying to understand me and Lex's little game was awesome…an escape from the dangers that surround us every moment of the day. Looking back down at the page, I smile. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? End of Day 5.

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Please review with as much detail as possible thanks. I hope you enjoyed it.