A/N: Some of you may be wondering why the episode "Mascot" is skipped. My story excuse is that you needed a couple of days to recuperate under doctor's orders (cause last chapter you got a concussion). My irl excuse is that "Mascot" is a... meh episode. I wanna make sure that when you add yourself into the story, the plot feels different, not like you're reading a crappy version of the transcript. How different would things be if you were added to a search party for a mascot? Yeah, not that much. So... onto this chapter!
(Oh, and P.S.: remember, these are 10-year-olds. Most of them. Just reminding you because they don't know a lot of things like we do, so keep that in mind not just in this chapter but throughout the whole book. "Why don't they understand this really easy thing?" because they're just elementary school kids.)
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It was fucking midnight. You wanted to get some rest, but no! As soon as you got better, you couldn't have a single fucking minute of peace. I mean, yeah, you had those two days of relaxation, but that was because you had a concussion to worry about because a group of 10-year-olds thought they knew how to drive a fucking bus! You just wanted one day of non-concussion peace. According to Max, that wasn't allowed.
As soon as you got signal to move, you did so. This was an adventure, and all adventures have some fun to them, but, at the same time, you wouldn't mind getting caught and being sent back to your tent. Hey, at least you could get some fucking sleep. Sleep without pain since the past couple of days.
The four of you ran over to the docks as quiet as you all could.
"Alright guys," Max said. "Our first attempt to bust outta this godforsaken hell-hole didn't work! But tonight's gonna be different because we have a secret weapon." Oh Jesus, again? Well, you had to go along with your "I'll just entertain you" story. Otherwise, you so would've gone back to bed. Oh yeah, and you would've ratted out the rest of the group, too. No hard feelings, of course. You just liked to see the look of pure horror on their face.
The lake had some fog to it so it was hard to see who or what was there. All you knew was that there was a secret weapon Max had and you could see a shadowed figure from the other end of the dock. The shadow walked up, revealing itself.
"Billy Niksslip," Max introduced.
"Call me Snake," the guy said.
"He's an ex-Wood Scouts," Max explained, "and he's one of the best. Isn't that right, Billy?"
Snake took a bite out of his candy cane. "Got my search and rescue badge in two weeks. Got my wilderness and survival in one." Damn, he was impressive. How did Max even know this guy? Probably talked to him on one of the days where you were stuck in your tent.
"That's amazing!" Nikki said.
"I never had a choice," Snake said.
"The Wood Scouts are some of the most intense militant campers on Lake Lilac. Billy here escaped."
"And why is he helping us?" Neil asked suspiciously.
You thought for a moment. "Yeah, Neil does have a point." This kind of seemed suspicious, you told yourself.
"I'm not doing this for you," Snake said. It was unsure who he was talking to specifically. "I made a vow."
Uh huh, you thought. Definitely suspicious. Why did Max even trust this hella shady guy? Most likely too blinded by the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel to even think twice about who he's talking to.
"Well okay, let's get in the boat," Neil said.
You shrugged, what's the worst that could happen? He leaves you there to swim back? Oh no, so bad, you thought sarcastically.
~Time Skip brought to you by the Wood Scouts~
The outside world was nearly silent. The only sound that filled your ears was the sound of the motor going on the boat. The moon was full tonight and radiated so much light. You hated to admit it, but the moon was one of your favorite things. It's not like a hippie thing, it just gave you comfort whenever you needed it. The only thing you despised about the night was that tonight was fucking chilly. Jesus, you should've brought a jacket. Then again, Max literally dragged you out of your tent in your fucking pajamas. Why didn't he give you time to change like he did with Nikki and Neil?
Neil and Nikki sat on one side of the boat while you and Max sat on the other side with Snake at the back controlling the boat. Max was your only source of warmth. Well, that and your whole body whenever it wanted to, especially in the face. It kept on bothering you. But, thankfully, that all went away. You no longer felt nauseous in your stomach and your face no longer heated up.
"So, what are you gonna do on the outside?" Neil asked.
You shrugged. "Who fuckin knows," you said.
"Probably live with the animals," Nikki said. "Try ta get raised by wolves, maybe work my way up to alpha, pee on stuff. What about you guys?"
"I think I'll go to my dad's house and tell him mom sent me to an abusive summer camp. Tend to like him more, so she'll try to buy back my love."
"That was really dark, Neil," you and Nikki said simultaneously. "Jinx!" you guys said. The two of you chuckled before the conversation continued.
"What about you, Max?" you asked.
Nothing. Max was simply looking out at another island.
"Max?" you repeated.
Nothing. At least, you thought he was going to say nothing.
"Billy," Max said, his tone full of concern, "where are you taking us?"
"Shortcut." Was all Snake said.
You decided you were too lazy to turn yourself back around and continued to look out into the waters with Max. He turned to look at you, suspicion glaring in his bright green eyes. And then your face grew warm. Jesus! You thought this was over! How were you still sick? Now wasn't the time. Your stomach also grew a knot, which fucking sucked, but you couldn't tell if it was because you were sick or you also felt suspicious about the whole ordeal.
Max's expression quickly turned into worry as he looked around. You followed suit, trying to find anything that could give you a definite answer to your guys' suspicion. That was when Max jabbed you in the ribcage.
"Ow," you hissed. "What?"
He looked down at the boat and so did you. You attempted to read the lettering upside down.
"Property... of...the...Wood-"
"Wuah!" You spun around to see Max on the ground and Snake with his sharp candy cane in hand.
"Gah!" Neil shrieked. "Jesus Christ!"
Anger boiled up in your body quickly. "What the fuck did you do to Max?" you barked.
No response. Instead, Snake growled and glared at you before approaching you.
"Just what the fuck do you think you're- GAH! Hey, put me down!" you shouted. "What're you doing to me?"
"No girls allowed!" he yelled, throwing you off the boat.
"(Y/N)!" you heard Max yell. You heard another scream and another splash.
"Nikki!" you heard Neil yell. There went the other splash. Of course Neil dived in. Jesus, you'd think Neil would stay behind and help Max out on the sudden sabotage attack. Guess not.
You desperately attempted to catch up to the boat and it somehow worked, mainly because Snake was no longer manning the motor. As you climbed back onto the boat, you saw Nikki and Neil fail to catch up. You also saw Snake punch the living shit out of Max. Normally, you'd be all in for total violence and gore, but for some reason, you felt like you were punched. When you saw Max drop cold you felt fear, which was weird considering you weren't at home.
Unsure of what your body was doing, you finished climbing over the boat and landing face first. You froze at the sound of footsteps approaching you.
"Hm, guess we'll have to captives," you heard Snake say.
~Time Skip brought to by the Wood Scouts... again~
Location: Camp Wood Scouts. Reason for being in a shitty area: you and Max got captured.
The two of you were tied up, the backs of your chairs pressed up against each other. All you could feel that resembled Max was his fluffy hair. Taking in your surroundings, there wasn't really much to take in. Sure, the tent was huge, but it was very blah, too. There was very little to take in, except for the hits to the face.
SLAP!
SLAP!
SLAP!
Both you and Max were being hit in the face constantly. You weren't sure why, but it was pissing you the fuck off. First of all, it hurt really fucking badly and second of all, Max was getting hit, too! You couldn't believe it, you just met the asshat kid and in under a week and you were already pissed that he was getting hit. Since when did you care about someone so much so quickly? Jesus, you really would have to get that checked out.
"Why do you keep hitting me?" Max yelled. "And why is it cloudy only on your side of the lake?"
"That's enough, Petrol," a voice said. Ah, so that's who was going back and forth between hitting you and Max. Did he have a brother named Diesel? Hah! That was a good one, you.
"Don't wanna over-tenderize the new meat," the voice said. The person behind the voice walked out of the ominous shadow.
First of all, that guy looked hella ugly. What was up with his face, dude? He had these weird, nasty bumps all over them. Is that what they called acne? And his teeth! His teeth reminded you of Timmy Turner, like damn. Beaver teeth for days! Second of all, did every Wood Scout member have this secret agreement that they all had to reveal themselves via "spooky" shadows? If so, it wasn't cutting it for you. It just seemed... cliche. And weird. Just flat out weird.
"Who the hell are you?" Max asked. Good question, you thought. You could barely keep your head focused as it was a bit hard to turn your head while your whole body was restrained with rope.
"Cedar Scout, first class, Edward Pikeman. Senior patrol leader of Wood Scout troop 818," he said, introducing himself. You rolled your eyes. Could he get any more annoying? "And it looks like you are our latest recruit," he said, pointing at Max.
"Hey! What about me?" you asked. If Max was going to be recruited, then why were you tied up, too?
"You," Pikeman said, "are going to be sent off to the Flower Scouts!"
"Oh hell fucking no!" you said. "I threw up in my mouth just thinking about them."
~Flashback~
"Welcome to the Flower Scouts, (Y/N)! My name is Sasha, and these are my two besties, Erin and Tabii!" Sasha chimed in her high pitched voice.
"Tabii is spelled with two i's," Tabbi added.
Your pupils dilated in shock and disgust. "Oh fuck. I've gotta get outta here."
~End of Flashback~
"So, technically, I'm not allowed to go back there," you said. "Anyways, why did you kidnap us?" you asked, switching the topic as quickly as you could.
Pikeman slowly walked around in a circle. "Enrollment into our organization has reached an all-time low. So, we had no choice but to forcibly recruit new members into our program."
"I mean, have you considered your enrollment is low because you guys do things like kidnap other campers?" Max asked.
"Oh, we don't kidnap campers," Pikeman said.
"Actually, yeah, you do that. In fact, you did it right now, dumbass!" you interrupted.
"Shut up, you!" Pikeman yelled.
"Don't tell (Y/N) to shut up!" Max growled defensively. What was his deal? He sounded like an over-protective boyfriend. "Uh, only I get to do that!" he tacked on.
"As I was saying," Pikeman spoke, "We don't kidnap campers, that would be immoral."
"ThAt WoUlD bE iMmOrAl," you mocked.
"Would you just shut the fuck up, already?" Pikeman yelled.
You stuck out your tongue. "I'm afraid not," you responded cheekily.
Pikeman grumbled something under his breath before continuing. "As I was saying-"
"No, (Y/N) has a point. That guy literally stabbed me in the back!" Max said, moving his head to gesture at Snake.
Pikeman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, he rescued you both," he said, "after you guys ran away from Camp Campbell. Remember?"
"Actually," you said, "I was just going along to keep Max entertained."
"Oh, my god!" Pikeman yelled. "Can I not be interrupted for one fucking second?"
"Sure," you said, growing a cocky grin.
Pikeman held his breath in suspicion before going on. "Now, we're going to make a Wood Scout out of you, Max-"
"And me!" you shouted.
Pikeman gritted his teeth as he came stomping over to you. "What did I ask you to do?"
"Be quiet for one second," you said.
"And what did you do?" Pikeman hissed.
"Be quiet for one second, just like you asked. In fact, I think I gave you a few seconds more than our deal, so you should be thankful that I gave you more than the deal we agreed on-"
SLAP!
"Don't touch her!" Max yelled. Seriously, he acted like your boyfriend. What was his deal? Well, you guessed he was caring towards you like a friend. But still, it sounded more... boyfriend-y than friend like in your opinion.
Pikeman stared at Max before grinning evilly. Oh Jesus, what was his plan now?
"Looks like Max here doesn't have the motivation to become a Wood Scout," Pikeman said, putting on his fake thinking voice, "Whatever shall we do? If only there was something, or someone," he said, looking directly at you, "who would be the perfect motivator for our new recruit!"
You rolled your eyes. "Oh fuck."
~Time Skip brought to you by the Wood Scout's Rope Course~
"For fuck's sake!" Max cursed out as he was brought out to the rope course.
You groaned, still tied up. "How the fuck is Max, or anyone for the matter, supposed to finish this course?" you asked.
Pikeman stared at you before going off on a tangent about the intricacies of the rope course that was in front of you and Max. Max took the time to lean in talk to you.
"Look, I have no fucking clue on how I'm gonna get to the other side, but I promise you we'll get out of here somehow," he whispered.
Your stomach tied up more knots and your whole body grew uncomfortably warm at the moment. You shook your head, trying to get the feeling to go away. When that didn't work, you decided to shove all of that in the back of your mind and focus around you. What could you take advantage of that could get you two out of there?
That's when you saw it.
You leaned in closer, your face getting warmer. You ignored the feeling as you needed to concentrate. "I have an idea, Max. You're just gonna have to go along with it, okay?"
Max scrunched up his face before looking at you with confusion. "Al... right? But that still doesn't help me with the rope course."
You grinned at him. "Who said you had to do it?" You looked over at Snake and hollered at him. "Hey, Snake! Do you know where you got those candy canes like the one you have?"
Snake looked over at you. "Uh, yes. Why?"
"Can I have one?" you asked.
Snake shrugged. "I don't see why not," he said. He dug into his pocket and grabbed an unwrapped candy cane. He walked over to you and shoved the candy cane in your mouth before walking off.
Pikeman was still going on and on about the rope course, just talking Max's ears off. Max looked over at you and gave you the "could you hurry up already" glare. You nodded, ready to put your plan into action.
HACK!
HACK!
COUGH!
WHEEZE!
"Oh my god!" Max shouted. "(Y/N)'s choking on that candy cane! Jesus Christ!"
The three Wood Scouts looked over at you. "Oh shit!" Snake said.
"Hurry up, men. Untie her and someone to the heimlich maneuver on her!" Pikeman ordered, fear wavering in his voice.
You looked up at Max to see what he was doing. He was simply standing there, frozen in fear. Did he actually think you were choking on that candy cane? Again, he's a glorified dumbass, but what were you gonna do?
As soon as you felt the rope restraints loosen, you grabbed Snake, spat your candy cane out, and took his before you gave him a proper uppercut. He dropped to the floor and remained unconscious.
Petrol grabbed your body and restrained your arms, attempting to pin you down. You took this opportunity to push yourself up with your legs and kick Pikeman with your feet. With the amount of force you used, Pikeman stumbled and wasn't able to recover in time. He walked himself off the platform and fell down to the bottom of the rope course.
Petrol gave a loud grunt as he let go and ran over to the edge of the platform. Before he could turn around you ran over and gave him a hearty shove, sending him over the edge and leading him down to the bottom of the course along with Pikeman.
Not wanting to waste any time, you ran over to Max and used the sharp point of the stolen candy cane to cut the rope that restrained Max.
"Wow, that actually worked!" Max said.
You grabbed his hand and ran over to the ladder. "Come on, let's go!" you shouted.
The two of you quickly climbed down the ladder and ran back over to the dock.
"Next time you come up with a plan," Max said in between breaths, "lemme know, okay? You had me worried!"
"You? Worried? Is everything alright, Max?" you teased.
"D-Don't ask about it!" he said defensively.
"Alright, alright," you said, grinning. Your stomach couldn't stop tying knots and it scared you. Yet, if felt, exciting. Thrilling, even. You weren't sure how to feel or why you felt that way.
You would check with the counselors once you got back. Now wasn't the time to think about that, you thought to yourself. Now was the time to focus on the moment. Now was the time to get back to the camp.
And only then would you attempt to get to the bottom of why Max made you feel sick every time you looked at him, talked to him, interacted with him, or was even near him. It was starting to get really annoying.
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A/N: Agh! I tried making this one shorter. I mean, it is, but still. Over 3K words. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Be sure to lemme know your thoughts! I really enjoy reading every single comment. Until then, peace!