Thoughts

Scott is the first one to Katie, and knowing now Jason is okay and she's okay, he takes her in his arms in a strong embrace. He didn't know why, but for a moment he'd almost been afraid he'd been losing her too.

Camryn starts to dry her tears and can't manage any words, but simply retreats to the tent again, needing to see for herself that Jason was alright.

Crawling up next to him, she just kneels and watches him sleep, another tear running down her face. She'd been so scared...and this thing was so complex...she didn't understand it. She didn't understand what went through his mind, the emotions it brought on, or how it could affect him physically, so violently.

Reaching out, she brushes a strand of his hair from his forehead and just strokes his head for a minute. She felt as though she'd almost lost him, and it was a despairing thought. And yet...there was a new feeling there now. Something that troubled her. She'd known about these episodes, she'd known about how Katie could help, but this was the first time she'd been there and...how was it that Katie could help Jason and not her? The unexplainable connection almost upset her...her words hadn't been enough. Her prompting had done no good. What if this ever happened again?

Biting her lip against more tears and forcing those kinds of thought out of her mind, she places a kiss on Jason's cheek and finally withdraws again. Seeing Kyle and Phil's looks of question, she gives a little nod, then heads to her own tent.


Scott finally releases Katie from his hold and looks her in the eye at arm's length. "The guys said we could spend the night up here...I think it's a good idea. It's really late and by the time we walk back down to the car it'll almost be time to get up anyway. I already called Laura so she knows what's going on, and she's going to check on Domino for me too."

Questions flicker in his eyes. Unvoiced questions that he dared not ask. This had been a little more traumatic than anyone there would like to admit, but it was so confusing, and something that no one could fully understand. The confusion created a form of fear that the future was foggier than anyone would like.

Drawing Katie back again, Scott gives her a tender kiss on the lips before brushing her cheek with his hand. "Get some rest, alright? You can bunk with Camryn...I'll come get you if anything changes with Jason."


The night isn't long enough. After the frightening experience, only a few hours remained until morning. Minds raced with a strange combination of fears and relief...confusion and prayers of thanks.


Jason's eyes flutter open and he blinks, taking in the dim surroundings of the tent. Moving just a little, he feels like his whole body is one big dead weight. Managing to prop himself up on an elbow, he counts the bodies in the tents and realizes there is one more than there should have been. Squinting, he realizes it's Scott. ...Scott?

All at once, the night before comes flooding back. From when he'd fallen, to the nightmare, to finally being pulled out of it by Katie. Amazingly, he'd experienced no nightmares after that, though he'd been so exhausted, his mind had probably just shut down.

The others in the tent were still sleeping peacefully. Jason was glad of that...he'd probably caused them all enough trouble the way it was, without them losing all their sleep over him too.

Sliding out from under his blankets, he realizes that he's slept in sweaty clothes all night...what he wanted most right now was a shower, but that wasn't possible. Grabbing a pair of shorts, he crawls to the entrance of the tent, careful not to wake anyone up.

The gray morning was damp and cool, the sun just waiting to peek over the horizon. A thin fog had settled over the campsite and the small lake. Jason's legs didn't want to work...his mind was lethargic and it hurt to think, but he needed to start functioning again. He needed to settle down again to make sure he really was okay and could proceed with the day. He needed to think through what had happened, and process the discouragement he felt for putting his friends through this.

Heading to a small corner of the lake right by the campsite, Jason slips into his shorts and eases himself down into the water. It was cold. Cold enough to make him shiver at first. But it was refreshing. It was revitalizing. It woke up his senses and helped clear his mind.

Dunking himself, he comes up freezing, but unwilling to get out yet. Instead he stays a while, just letting his thought wander. He was confused...hurting. He didn't understand what had happened to him. He thought he could always pull himself out of a nightmare, but last night...he had no doubt in his mind that if it weren't for Katie, he'd still be in the darkness, or dead from the shock his body had gone through. Another thought had struck him that he didn't like either...Katie had been able to help him before from a distance, just by their connection or through her voice over a phone. But last night...Jason didn't like admitting it, but he had felt absolutely nothing until she had been close to him, touching him. What if she hadn't been able to come?

Too scared to even think down that path, Jason finally gets out of the lake and finds a nice large rock to sit on, pulling his knees up to his chest. The air was cold on his bare skin, but he didn't mind. Just letting himself drip dry he watches for the sun, staring out across the lake.