Prologue.

"Mr. Schuester, Artie's chair got stuck in mud again!"

This camping trip was a stupid, stupid idea. Quinn knew it as soon as her foot connected with the mud that went all the way up to her ankle. It had been a wet, rainy week in Lima, and the forest and field were covered in mud and the air was full of mosquitos and she had to share a seat with a pouting Finn the whole ride to the outskirts of Lima. Were they were supposed to bound. But of course, that wouldn't happen with a grumpy Finn, Brittany bouncing between Santana and Artie while one glared and the other still stole glances at Tina and Mike, and with a disturbingly quiet Rachel. Not that she wasn't at least a little thankful for that. She thought it was going to be a failure as soon as the idea left her teacher's mouth, but when she saw where they were going to stay for the weekend, and felt the tension of everyone's problems between each other in the air, she knew she should have just stayed home.

None of the games Mr. Schue had thought were suitable for a muddy field, so they had to settle for a fire and sitting in dead wood while Rachel and Mercedes tried to monopolize the singing and Artie got into impromptu awkward rapping sessions with Puck. Yeah, she should have just stayed home.

Quinn lasted half an hour before discreetly getting up and going to sit by the river. She watched from there, as an outsider, as everyone sang and laughed away their troubles, and she didn't feel like they missed her or noticed she was gone. But it was okay, she guessed. Because she didn't feel like she belonged there. Everyone was happy and careless, and those who weren't just had frivolous troubles of unrequired love. None of them, she was sure, felt like she did, with a void inside her chest and a constant headache that didn't let her think. Even Sam didn't turn away to look for her, which was pretty telling of their relationship.

Mr. Schuester clapped his hands as everyone got up and the boys went to get everyone's bags from the bus. Quinn sighed and stood up as well when Rachel began to walk her way.

"We've been assigned to share a tent along with Brittany; I request your help with setting it up."

"I don't like camping." The blonde grumbled as she followed Rachel to the pile of tents and bags. "I don't know how to do this."

"No worries, Quinn. I was a girl scout for five years and I'm perfectly capable to make a tent. You just follow my lead as usual and –"

"I thought gays weren't allowed to be scouts." Brittany chirped from behind Rachel.

"Brittany!" Quinn gaped.

"…that's why I never joined."

Quinn saw, mortified, as Rachel stared incredulously at the blonde, beet red and mouth agape.

"Let's just put… let's put this stuff together, right?" Quinn stammered out.

Rachel nodded and they started to make the tent in silence, which soon turned into Rachel giving out orders and Quinn snapping every two sentences. They were the last ones to finish, and by the end of it, Brittany had gone to Santana's tent to never return, and they ended up farthest away from everyone, just at the line of trees.

"Quinn?" Rachel murmured from the quiet of their tent, snuggled in her sleeping bag.

"I'm awake."

"Why did you leave the bonfire today?"

Quinn burrowed herself deeper in her sleeping bag. Why was it always Rachel who noticed those things?

"I didn't feel like singing." She tried to sound nonchalant.

"We're in Glee Club."

"So? Not everyone is a swell and singing woodland creature like you." Quinn snapped. Then she cursed herself, closed her eyes tightly and bit her tongue.

"I'm not like that." Rachel said quietly. The blonde sighed.

"I know." Then after a beat. "Sorry."

"You never feel like singing lately." Rachel said hesitantly after a minute of silence.

Quinn's heart sped up.

"How did you… why do you care, Rachel?"

"I'm captain of the Glee Club."

She didn't sound too convinced and Quinn was only mildly disappointed, but she didn't say anything. That's how things worked with Rachel, they never dug too deep.

"Do you think you'll feel like singing tomorrow? We leave in the afternoon and perhaps I could think of –"

"Sh, Rachel." Quinn sat up.

"What?" Quinn put her hand up, palm facing the brunette. "What is it?" Quinn didn't answer and Rachel watched as she slowly unzipped her sleeping bag. "Do you hear something?"

Quinn nodded.

"Stay here." She whispered and got onto her knees.

"Quinn!" Rachel whisper-shouted. "It's probably someone getting up to urinate. Probably Noah."

"I can hear him snoring from across the field." Quinn answered distractedly, putting her shoes.

"You shouldn't go out." Rachel chided, but she was unzipping her sleeping bag, too. She could hear noises and movement from outside. Quinn glared at her.

"Stay here, Berry." Rachel almost recoiled at her arched eyebrow. Almost.

"I'll go with you, Quinn." She protested. The blonde was unzipping the tent door. "But I still think we shouldn't –" Rachel cut herself mid-sentence as Quinn tensed. Her shoulders straightened and she threw her arm back, as if to stop Rachel from moving. Rachel couldn't see what was outside with Quinn's body blocking the opening, but she didn't have to wait too long.

In just a second, there was an animalistic growl and a scream as Quinn's body flung backwards, a hairy mass on top of her. Rachel screamed as she threw herself on top of it, pushing its mouth away from the blonde's neck. The side of her body hit the side of the animal as Quinn screamed Rachel's name and Rachel Quinn's, then cried out for help. Rachel crouched over the blonde as Quinn screamed at her to run. She felt her arm weakly trying to push her and a sharp, excruciating pain on her side. Everything was a blur of screams and snarls and the last thing she heard was a sobbing scream, asking her not to die.