1Hey, thanks for reading! This is the third chapter and I hope you enjoy it. It's longer than I expected, but I hope it isn't too much.
Please leave a follow or review if you like the chapter and be sure to write anything you'd want to tell (errors, thoughts, etc) me down in the comments. Have a nice day!
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Neil poked at his food with a fork and shifted around some of that morning's leftover porridge, now a dessert at noon. He wondered about what had happened earlier in the day, and felt tinge of pain when he recalled the image of the small trail of smoke coming out from his computer. Although he did feel angry at Max, as he wrecked his computer and refused to apologize afterwards, Neil couldn't deny that he himself was ashamed of how he handled the situation. Grabbing Max and tackling him onto the ground –what was he thinking? Was he some sort of caveman? Such a violent reaction couldn't come from a man of science! No, he acted wrong and even more so because it was with his friend –though Max sometimes acted as if they didn't know each other.
Without notice, someone bumped into him. Something soft and fleshy slammed against his side. Neil's reflections were cut short by the untimely arrival of Nikki.
"Yo, what's up, Neil?"-asked Nikki before fist-bumping him-"How was that? I've been practicing a new move that I saw in a fighting game. I'll call it deadly butt-bump, yeah!"
Neil let out a small snicker. "It isn't that deadly, but you get extra points for the name." He said.
"Yeah, I should really work on it today. Speaking of today, have you seen Max? I haven't seen him since we went to the forest." Nikki asked.
Neil didn't want to answer her question, but there was no point in avoiding the topic. "Yes, I have. I came across him in our tent, just after we arrived at camp. He was doing something weird with my computer and it broke, so we had an argument and then a fight. It wasn't that violent -if that's what you are wondering- just some pushing around. But we got tired and Max left. I have no idea of what he has been up to for the last two hours, though." Explained Neil to a concerned Nikki, who, as he retold what had happened in the morning, sometimes shifted from excited -having known that a fight had broken out- to sad.
"Hmm, I see. Neil, I guess you aren't that big of a pushover. I guess you might be cooler than I imagined. I'm going to keep that in mind for our next adventure." Said Nikki.
"Is that all you can say? After I told you something that affected me and my social bonds, all you can say is, in summary, that's wild dude." Said Neil, putting his last statement in quotation marks with his fingers.
"I mean, what did you expect from me. I'm not so boring to be a psychologist." Nikki observed before looking around for Gwen and letting out a sigh of relief at her absence.
"That's fair. It's just that… I was hurt by Max, but the feeling is worse whenever I think about how I handled the situation. I allowed myself to be controlled by anger and I might have hurt Max just as much as he hurt me." Commented Neil. Once he was done and reviewed his conclusion, sadness bit him and he felt awful.
Despite being the youngest of the trio, –and generally blunt in the emotional department- Nikki couldn't stand the sight of one of his friends in such a sour mood. So, after a minute of silence between the two in which Nikki chose the correct words to use, she spoke. "Oh don't worry, Neil! I'm sure Max's just doing his own thing. Maybe he already forgot about the fight and is just robbing someone, or lying to someone, or anything else that he does when he's upset. And even if he's still mad, I can guarantee you that he won't stay like that forever. It's just a matter of time before we are back!" Said Nikki with a soft tone. She gave Neil a light stroke to his arm and beamed a heartwarming smile at him.
"I guess you are right. I think I shouldn't assume that he's mad at me."-concluded Neil, while playing with a gray, cold blob that Quartermaster said was rice pudding-"It's just that I can't get over the fact that he'd casually ruin something for me like it is nothing! I just feel angry when I think about it. Aren't we supposed to be friends?"
Nikki pouted a bit, unsure of what she should say to Neil. After quickly reviewing the incident, she spoke, "Neil, I get what you say. Max sometimes can be very mean to people, but that doesn't mean that he wanted to wreck your computer from the start. Perhaps, he wanted to show you something cool, or just enjoy what you made. I mean, it isn't often that Max gets interested about something which doesn't involve messing with David, so I think that you should keep it in mind before getting mad at him. That is just how Max is, and I am sure you don't plan on being bitter to him forever."
Neil nodded. Nikki was somewhat right; Max had tried to get over their argument when he proposed to go mess with David. It was an apology… well the closest thing that he could get from Max. Yet, he didn't accept it and let Max go while keeping a grudge towards him. Nikki was right, and being friends was more important than a bunch of outdated circuits. Besides, he now had an excuse to work on his computer without being interrupted. "Thanks, Nikki. You are the best." Softly said Neil. He was glad to have her by his side.
Nikki let out a giggle before giving Neil a friendly noogie. His wild hair made it hard, but she was used to it by now. "No problem, pal. Always here and always will be." Said Nikki before hitting her chest with her right fist and doing a peace sign with her left hand. She eyed the food and made a gesture to ask Neil if she could have it. He pushed the tray towards her and she laughed in delight. "Oh, come with Momma!" Nikki exclaimed. She then began devouring Quartermaster's weird food like she was a starving piranha.
Several minutes went by, Neil sometimes turned to see Nikki shoving disgusting amounts of food into her mouth. She really was built different, though he already knew it from their many adventures together. Her quirkiness and sheer endurance had come in handy many times since their arrival at the start of the summer –one of such times was that exact same day. Recalling their adventure and wanting to lighten up the mood, Neil spoke to Nikki, "pretty wild how we didn't end up abducted by that creepy homeless guy, right?"
Nikki stopped her rampage and looked at Neil. "Mhmm, at some point, I didn't believe we were going to escape his van. That guy sure made good knots and knew how to tie kids' hands. Though, he didn't count on these!" Said Nikki. She opened her mouth to reveal a set of shiny, white, and incredibly sharp canines.
"Ugh, creepy. Are you sure you aren't part wolf?" Asked Neil. Nikki laughed, but she didn't deny it and just resumed eating her food.
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Three kids sat around a small cafeteria table. On top of the gray table, a small pile of trail mix bags were being overlooked by the trio. Neither of them had much of an idea of what they should do with the packages, nor how would they split them. Each one contributed to stealing them, yet none couldn't accept less than the other. From the moment they met inside the tent, a tense silence grew ever more unbearable and the calm irritated them to no-end. However, only one had the means to seize the biggest slice and his large hands anxiously tapped the table, waiting for the correct moment to make his move.
He carefully watched as Max grabbed one of the bags and held it against the light coming from a light bulb at the tent's ceiling. Agitated and wanting to get over with the operation, Nurf spoke with angry, demanding tone. "Well, now what? Are we supposed to wait until we retire to open those bags? I'm hungry!" Said Nurf as he shifted around in his seat.
"Relax, I was just checking that we got the good stuff." Max replied before slowly putting the bag near the others.
"You didn't answer my question." Nurf stated. He was sick of the pressure that meant working with Max. Moreover, even if he'd never admit it, the small boy gave him the creeps. Ever since he had arrived to the camp, Nurf had to keep an eye over his shoulder and step-up his bullying methods just to keep everyone in line. Not to mention that, once Max founded his own group, Nurf's business –namely assaulting Dolph or messing with Nerris- had become harder.
Cooperating with Max and stealing David's stuff was just a way of showing everyone that, though he didn't take shit from anyone, he still could work and be kind to someone. Or that was what he was going to conclude after telling his side of the story to the other campers.
"I think I did answer what is really bothering you. Am I wrong, Nurfington?" Said Max with a smug grin.
The tone in which he had said it. It made Nurf's blood heat up. And how did that little rat dare calling him by his full last-name? Max was slowly draining his patience, and it wouldn't be long until violence broke out between them. Yet, Nurf wasn't in the mood for a fight. Everything worked and they got what Max promised, so he took a deep breath and remained silent.
"No words, huh…"-said Max as he walked around the table, heading for the tent's exit-"I'll go take a shit. You guys should talk of how we are going to split those five bags. I said equal parts, but I didn't expect to get that much." With that said, Max left the tent and got lost in the surrounding woods.
"Doesn't he know what happens to people after they to talk to me like that? He might be above average in the streets-smart department, but I'll show him who is in control once he comes back." Thought Nurf. To relieve some steam, he squished the armrests of his plastic chair, measuring the strength of his grip. Soon, the white plastic bent and then a large piece of one of the armrests was ripped-off by him. He chucked it onto the ground and wondered how calm he would feel after doing the same with Max. After considering the implications of doing that to another person, Nurf dismissed the thought and idly sat with his eyes trained on the entrance.
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The calm returned to Nurf's tent. A nervous Preston looked around and waited for Nurf to speak. Though participating in a suspense plot had been cool while it lasted, Preston didn't want to spend more time near his bully and risk being tied up to the target once again. He did want to get the same as his partners in crime –he had been important, after all-, but arguing with them was an easy way of ending up worse than how he began. Mustering all the courage in his body, and hoping for the best, Preston muttered, "I think you should give me just one bag."
"Hmm?" Nurf grunted. Surprised at Preston's words.
"Yes, even though my participation was CRUCIAL! to our overall performance, I couldn't let the main cast go without the bulk of the glory. You guys must take the biggest rewards."-Preston declared and grabbed the half-eaten bag of trail mix from the pile-"I am fine with this and the valuable experience. Thank you." Preston beamed a small, scared smile while proudly holding his crappy reward.
"Sounds alright to me. Let's just wait for Max, but I won't imagine him saying no to your idea." Nurf said without looking at Preston and with his face leaning on his hand. He couldn't be bothered by whatever Preston wanted; at the end of the day, he was always meant to be the fall guy if they were caught, and the junior partner once they succeeded. It had been an unspoken agreement from the moment Max told him about the plan. Preston's offer only made things easier for when he had to negotiate with Max.
Preston understood that the conversation was over, so he just place his head between his arms, which were resting top of the table, and waited. He remained like that from what felt like an eternity. In the meantime, he began drifting asleep and his breathing became softer. He needed some rest after having endured being effectively a hostage since , when Nurf abducted him as he was making his way from his tent to a latrine. Using one of his fingers, he played with a long strand of his hair, and with the other, he gently stroked his thigh back and forth, in the area Nurf had grabbed him when they discussed Max's plan. A warm sensation filled him up as he focused his attention to the forest and its sounds, wondering how it would feel if he left the tent and laid on sunny clear covered by soft moss.
He no longer had ill feelings towards any of the boys, he just wanted peace and rest… But a sudden crash sent him into alarm. Nurf had slammed his fist onto the table, leaving a small dent on it, and was standing up with an angry expression.
"Why the FUCK hasn't he come back?" Asked Nurf to no-one in particular.
Preston immediately chose to keep his mouth shut and lowered his head to its original position, almost sunk in the table. He looked like a scared ostrich hiding in the dirt. He began trembling as Nurf trashed a chair around and slammed it against the floor. He didn't want to be in that situation and begged the theater gods to be teleported to anywhere else. His mood had shifted entirely and the stress levels in his body skyrocketed. Preston began to tremble, and the faint gleam of tears became visible once Nurf let out a frustrated scream.
"YOU! I know you are awake. I can see your leg moving!" Boomed Nurf. His voice was almost a growl.
Preston still kept his frightened stance. Too scared to move or react to Nurf's words.
"Look at me while I am talking to you!"-Nurf commanded, even angrier than before. Preston complied, took out his head from in between his arms, and locked eyes with Nurf-"Stay here or I will tear you a new one, understood?"
Preston weakly nodded, too drained to raise any sort of opposition. Nurf let out a grunt, muttered a curse, and stormed out of the tent with his pocket knife pulled out.
Preston felt relieved after Nurf was out of sight. He briefly considered making a dash towards the woods and escaping to magic camp where Nerris and Harrison could protect him, but the fear instilled by Nurf's threats and the knowledge that Nurf wouldn't forget his escape, made him remain neatly seated on his chair, awaiting for any developments. Once again, he had only the companionship of his own thoughts and the sounds of the nearing woods, yet he couldn't achieve the same level of peace as before, and instead, he anxiously squirmed and played with a metal spoon he found inside his trail mix bag. It was left there by David, who didn't enjoy big portions and liked to measure his daily food intakes to maximize happiness.
He waited for Nurf's return for about ten minutes. Then, just as he was reconsidering his options, Max stepped into the tent. Preston was surprised to see him, but it was definitely better than welcoming a rampaging Nurf.
"Oh HEY! Maxwell, how have you been?" Preston asked. He wanted to lighten the mood.
"Meh, not horrible but not great either. You get it, am I right?" Said Max with a small snicker, sounding polite and even happy!
Preston didn't expect Max's cordial tone, but he chose to play along with it. "YES!, indeed, I know that feeling. It's not something which you can hate nor love, but it's better than nothing, heh…" Preston replied while rubbing his neck.
"Totally"—Max said. He got closer to Preston and tugged at his jeans-"Hey, Nurf told me he wanted you to come help us bury the bags. Y'know, so David won't find them and Gwen doesn't have something to blame us."
"Yes, that's a MAGNIFICENT! idea. But I'll keep my bag, because –obviously- it is too small to be noticed by the counselors."
Max shrugged and gave a confident smile to Preston. "Sure buddy, you can keep your bag. Nurf already told me about your agreement, and I have mad respect for it. Now, we should really get going and dig a hole to put those bad boys in."-Said Max while pointing to the bags piled up on the table. He put a hand on Preston's shoulder and they both began walking towards the forest-"You are making things easier for us. You will soon find out that it works best like that. Because, not everyone wants to fight over these things."
Preston eagerly nodded. Finally, the nightmare was soon to be over and he would return to camp with his small treat... possibly even a guarantee from Nurf so he wouldn't mess with him that much from now on. It was a breath of fresh air, and even more so as they stepped into the dark, pine forest.
It seemed as if the sun had died out once they set foot on that wilderness. The sounds of frogs, deer, and birds gave it an otherworldly ambiance to that part of the forest. They advanced trough poorly lit areas filled with bushes and small plants. Sometimes loud noises startled Preston, but Max reassured him that they were on the right path and that they would meet Nurf soon. The direction from which they came was increasingly hard to remember, and Preston found himself looking back on his tracks to get a sense of where the camp was. Everything was becoming darker, and only a couple of sun rays lit up the trail between lush and big trees. As they got deeper and deeper into the forest, Preston couldn't help but think something wasn't right. However, after emerging into a clear, Max told Preston that it was there where they would meet Nurf.
Preston pricked up his ears to see if he could hear Nurf's voice. And, yes, he did hear something but not what he expected. A series of faint, distant grunts and growls were all he could hear. It was Nurf's voice and he sounded as if he was struggling, or even in pain. He began to worry, and everything had become darker all of a sudden. He followed the direction from which the sound came and ignored Max, who was following closely behind. He got closer and the sounds grew much clearer and louder. Nurf was angry and sounded tired, but why? Preston didn't know what to expect once he found Nurf. "Is he alright? Did he hurt himself while digging?" Those were questions Preston asked himself throughout his small trek, which abruptly ended next to some tall bushes.
He pushed them aside. In front of him, a medium-sized tree overlooked a clear patch of grass where a hole was dug. Above, in one of the branches, a rope hung about eight feet (2.5m) from the ground. One of its ends was tied to a wide branch, and the other end was tied around a pinkish ankle; Nurf's ankle. Just a couple of feet away from a shocked Preston, Nurf was suspended in the air, trapped by his ankle and currently trying to untie himself from the rope. Nurf's bulk made it impossible without help, so Preston took a couple of steps forward to try and help him, oblivious to the shadow looming behind him. Max had gone awfully silent over the last several minutes.
Preston was less than a feet away from Nurf, when he felt something push him to the side… someone tackled him. He didn't expect to fall for so long. Confusion and fear were mixed with pain, as he tried to stand up, but the dizziness and the shock of the moment didn't allow him. Preston looked around and found himself at the bottom of a deep hole. He searched around for a stair or any other object that he could use to get out from that hole, but there was none. He was once again trapped.
He shifted his gaze up and saw a bright, impossibly white smile full of wickedness. And a pair of cyan eyes gazing back at him, shining with an almost supernatural glow. Wild locks of jet-black hair fell onto that round, tanned, shit-eatingly smug face. it was Max.
"What the HELL you think you are doing? YOU BANDIT!"-Preston screamed, beyond done with his own luck. He tried to stand up and reach for his captor, but a sprained ankle stopped him and made him wince at the sharp pain.
"Nothing really, I'm just making sure that none gets even a bit of my prize. You can't go around sharing your own stuff with somebody else." Replied Max in a sickly uninterested tone.
"YOU TRAITOR! Just wait until I get my hands on YOU!" Exclaimed Preston. Anger felt almost new to his body. Yes, he did feel frustrated by the poor performances of the campers whenever they acted at one of his plays. But, this… this was the pure fury that so many theater guides said could only be achieved after years of practice. It was real wrath and longing for vengeance.
Max chuckled and said, "I'd like to see you try."
Preston crawled around in the hole and stopped near one of its walls. He hit it with his fist, trying to let his frustration out. "Do you know what I had to endure today? Do you have any idea of what YOU! are doing to others? Don't you care?"
"No, that's my answer to your three questions, next!" Replied Max.
"This day has been the worst, just please let me out…" Said Preston with a faint voice. He was fatigued and beaten after being dragged around all day. He was innocent, and now he was being denied what he was promised. He scratched the dirt and trashed around with his legs.
"Well, then get ready for it to last longer, because I'm not letting you out until this is all resolved and I can get away freely. Let's see…"-Said Max. He placed a hand below his chin and wondered about the possible outcomes of his plot-"Maybe three or four days tops?"
Preston let out a cry and pounded the floor with his fists.
"Oh don't be such a baby. You have good company."-Max stated while pointing up towards Nurf, who looked about to pass out from height sickness. Max laughed and started walking out of the clear, towards the bushes marking the exit. Just before he left them, he said-"Besides, you still have your part, don't you?"
Everything stopped for Preston, as his anger screeched to a halt at a sudden realization. His life hanging on finding that object, or so he thought. He took the bag out and looked at it intently. Even with the shaking of his hands, he was able to open it and find what he was looking for. He yanked the shiny spoon out from the bag and stared at it. A sly grin crept up Preston's features, now reflected in the polished steel and set for revenge.
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