(Daniel’s POV)
What woke me up early this morning was the sound of my phone vibrating under my pillow. I didn't normally sleep with my phone here, but I guess I fell asleep with it in my hands yesterday night. I opened my eyes and pulled my phone out, confused as it was still pretty dark outside and I didn't remember setting any alarms for this early in the morning, heck I looked over and David was still asleep. I saw the screen of my phone and my whole body froze. This wasn't an alarm, I was getting a call.
A call from Simon. I quickly slid the green phone button to the left to answer it and brought the phone up to my ear, turning to face the wall and whispering into it.
“Hello?” I answered, I heard breathing on the other end for about 20 seconds until Simon actually spoke.
“What is going on you are way past schedule!” Simon yelled this, and it caused me to jump and turn the volume down on my phone.
“I…” I began to speak but Simon cut me off.
“You what? You nothing! What is going on Daniel? You told me this would be easy for you and it's taking you forever!” Simon yelled, my mind was racing trying to think of an excuse to give him for this situation, but it was hard to come up with one, I was usually good at lying.
“I thought it was going to be a cakewalk but it turns out it's not. There's a guy here who is onto me so I have to be really careful around him, I'm trying my hardest and I can assure you the entire camp will be dead as soon as I get an opening.” I lied, Simon was silent for a but but then came back and believed what I told him.
“Ok, but you better hope you finish the job quickly, you wouldn't want me to have to send out someone else to clean up your mess now would you?” Simon threatened, I said no and shook my head even though he couldn't see me. He laughed a bit and then said goodbye, hanging up the phone before I could say anything else. I sat there in a bit of a shock, my hand shaking slightly with the phone still sitting in my palm. What was I supposed to do about this? I lied this time but I can't lie again when he calls me back next, and if Simon takes this into his own hands David and the campers are going to end up in that dreaded tube that slowly filled up inch by inch with blood…
“Hey, why are you up at the crack of dawn? That's not usual for you.” I heard someone say across the room. I looked up from my phone and spotted David, yawning and slowly sitting up in his bed. He looked like he was just waking up and I hoped this was true so he didn't hear me talking on the phone or at least process what I actually said. I tried to think of a lie about why I was just this early. I was lying a lot this morning.
“I just… I didn't really have a good sleep so I ended up waking up super early and can't fall back asleep.” I answered, this was a pretty good lie, not to complex or too simple, and very believable. David rubbed his eyes and smiled at me.
“That's too bad really, but the good news is your awake and ready for a day full of fun!” David cheered, I gave him a strange look in regards to the fact that he thought waking up early was beneficial in anyway, I guess he thought I took it another way because his whole face went red and he started waving his arms around everywhere.
“You know like family friendly rated G fun as we do camp activities and things like that!” David basically shouted this, I looked at him in a confused way and thought I heard him mumble ‘were not going to be calling anyone daddy or anything like that’ but it was such a weird statement I convinced myself that he didn't actually say that and I was hearing things. I just disregarded what he said and stood up, going over to the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.
I looked at myself in the mirror, my blonde hair was a bit of a mess and my skin was slightly sunburnt from the previous day, my camp Campbell counselor shirt looked weird on my body because it wasn't white which was the colour I normally wore. As I stared at myself, I noticed that there was something else different about me that wasn't the colour of my shirt.
There was something in my eyes. Before I got here, my eyes were pretty dull, just a pale blue colour with nothing going on with them. They looked dead. Now, looking at them in the mirror, they looked alive again, and they were a brighter blue then before. It was strange, but it was true. I smiled a bit in the mirror at how much more happy I looked being here at the camp and most importantly with David. David was rebuilding me knowingly to the person I once was before all this cult stuff, I thought that original Daniel was long gone, but maybe David could put me back together again.
The light in the bathroom flickered a bit the longer I looked in the mirror. I looked up at the light and it seemed fine, I thought perhaps it was running out of juice or something. I turned back to the mirror and it flickered again, this time for longer. I heard a noise then, I couldn't make out what it was saying at first, but then the lights flickered again and I heard what I heard what it was saying.
“Daniel~” it was a whisper of my name, I looked around the bathroom to see where it was coming from, and I kept hearing it, each time it would get a little louder. The lights continued to flicker. I turned to my right and I would hear it to my left, I turned to my left and I would hear it from my right. I'd turn around and hear it from behind me, and I turn behind me and hear it from…
“...Daniel…” The lights flickered again. It was coming from the mirror. I slowly turned back towards the mirror and saw my reflection facing me, but when I turned and moved the reflection didn't. I looked at it confused, and it looked back at me emotionless. I leaned forward towards it and it didn't move. I stared into its eyes, and it stared blankly into mine. The lights went off again, and when they came back on the reflection was pressed up against the mirror, sharp teeth protruding from its stretched out mouth, blood coating them and drool pouring down its chin. It's eyes were big, red and crazy looking. It's blonde hair was a mess and its entire shirt was stained with blood.
“...yOu DoN't BeLoNg HeRe DaNiEl…” it said in a distorted voice. I was breathing heavily, using every inch of my being not to scream bloody murder.
“...tHe LoNgEr YoU sTaY, tHe FaStEr He FiNdS yOu, AnD tHe FaStEr He KiLlS eVeRy LaSt OnE oF tHeM…” the reflection groaned, it's head hung there and it's long claw like finger nails scratched the other side of the mirror.
“dO yOu WaNt ThEm To DiE dAnIeL?” it said, then it repeated the phrase, this time louder.
“dO yOu WaNt ThEm To DiE dAnIeL?!” and louder
“DO YOU WANT THEM TO DIE DANIEL?!”
“DO YOU WANT THEM TO DIE DANIEL?!”
“DO YOU WANT TO DIE DANIEL?!”
“IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT DANIEL?!”
I screamed and the lights went crazy, I jumped back and fell on my ass onto the floor and just kept screaming as the lights went on and off and the reflection just kept shouting in this dark horrible voice. Suddenly everything stopped all at once and the corner of the door hit my leg. I looked up to see David there, breathing fast and looking down at me.
“What's going on?! If everything ok?!” David asked me, I was huffing and laying on the floor, scared out of my wits, confused as to what was going on. I felt like I was going crazy, did I just dream all of that stuff? There's no way it was real - my reflection couldn't just change into something that wasn't me… unless that thing was me. I started to panic, but I stared at David, his eyes filled with general concern and care. I slowly stood up and gestured to the mirror, making no sense as I spoke out half phrases. I then pointed to myself and made said some nonsensical things.
“I… I… I don't know what happened.” I said, it was only then I realized I was crying and clenching my chest. A tear dropped down my nose and onto my hand. David’s eyes widened and he stepped forward. I took some more breaths trying to calm down and eventually I did. I walked over to David and felt his aura around him. It was warm, caring, safe. Next thing I know I was hugging onto David tightly and he was standing there confused.
“I don't know what happened.” I choked out, David placed one hand on my back and patted me gently with it.
“It's ok. Unexplainable things happen all the time right? There's nothing we can do about them.” David said, I tried to relax and take his advice but I was still so scared. I couldn't believe what had just happened, I had no words or explication for it. All I could actually process at the moment was the fact that I was lying in David’s grasp and he was protecting me. That's all that was going through my mind.
I let go of David after a bit and thanked him and also apologized. He said there was nothing to be sorry about and that if anything else were to upset me today or any day I could always go to him for help. David was and good guy, and he checked up on me all throughout the day. During camp activities he would stop me for a second and ask if I was good and I replied yes each time because I did feel good. The day went by quickly, and soon, day became night, and stars began to dot the sky above us. The kids were sent to bed after having a surprisingly normal day with me and David, and David was just tidying up some things around the campsite. I kept staring at the sky and just admiring how beautiful it was. Back where I grew up I wasn't allowed to look outside, and in the city with Cameron I never saw this many stars in the sky.
“It's really nice isn't it?” David asked me, noticing that I was staring at the night above me, I nodded to him.
“it really is. I don't think I've ever seen a sky covered in stars like this my whole life.” I explained, David laughed and waved his hands.
“Well aren't you lucky then to finally get to experience this lovely night sky for the first time! I have just the idea for you to enjoy the sky more!” David cheered, he really was way too happy for his own good. David ran off into the cabin to get something and came back over as quick as possible. He was holding a big blanket and a 2 litre bottle of pop in his hands. He spread the blanket out on the grass and I took off my shoes and sat down on it, he sat down beside me and placed the bottle in the middle of us.
“It couldn't find any cups and the mess hall is probably locked up for the night so we're just going to have to share this.” David spoke, I shrugged, twisting off the cap causing the fizzing liquid to make a bubbling sound.
“That's fine, but pop? Really? I thought we upgraded to alcohol!” I joked, David’s face went all red and he just started to stammer and shake his head, causing me to laugh.
“I’m just kidding, we're not going to be adding alcohol to the equation for a while.” I told him, this made him stop stammering but his face was still red. I took a sip of the pop and placed it gently in the middle of us on the blanket and made sure it was going to tip over and spill. David took a sip out of it a few seconds later and we just sat there in silence looking at the sky.
I got this feeling, I was a weird one, but not in a bad way. For once in my life I actually felt safe. Even though I had gotten a call from Simon this morning and even though I had a meltdown in bathroom, I felt the most safe I had probably ever felt in my entire life. And I knew it must of had something to do with David.
He sat their, smile on his pale face, eyes staring at the stars as green as ever, brown hair sitting atop his head, styled very similar to my own, his yellow bandana lay on his chest while his brown vest hung off his shoulders and sat on top of his baggy green camp Campbell shirt. His shorts stopped just above his ankle, and his stocks started just below it, leaving his pale but blushed skin exposed.
David turned to me and shot me a smile, and I clung onto that feeling that was radiating off of him. The warm feeling of safety, caring, truth… and more. He took a sip of the pop and then passed it to me. I took another sip and then I laughed while staring at the bottle opening.
“You know, I don't know if it was just me or what but when I was younger and drank or of the same thing someone else did it was called an unintentional kiss.” I explained, David gave me a bit of a weird and embarrassed look, as if to say ‘why are you bringing up kissing?’ and honestly, even though he didn't really ask this question, I had an answer for it.
Today was a day of firsts, first call from Simon, first time I had a hallucination, first time I shared a pop with someone, first time I had ever felt true safety and first time I saw a sky as beautifully full of stars like this one. So I wanted to add one more first to this list.
I didn't even hesitate, I put the pop down, leaned forward, and attached mine and David’s lips without a second thought.
First kiss with meaning to it.
A/N whoa a lot of stuff happened in this chapter.
Just thought I'd check in and say thank you to all of you who are reading this! That read count is INSANE and I love it!
Wattpad was showing some little wards for smaller categories recently and I think they just took some away or something but when they had them this book was #1 in Daniel camp camp, #4 in DavidxDaniel and highly ranked in the overall camp camp tag which I think is great.
Love you guys so much, thanks for all your patience with my updating and I will hopefully see u asap!
Xoxo, Barry.