Sunday, July 21
Arabella looked around as she stepped out of her cabin, trying to find someone who might know where Hunter was. Since it was still rather early and a Sunday morning, the camp was pretty quiet. She took a deep breath and headed over to the Hermes cabin right away. That seemed like a good spot to start. Arabella bit her lip and she knocked on the door. There was a bit of rustling from inside and a guy that Arabella didn't know answered the door. "What?" He groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eye.
"Hi, I uh..I'm looking for Hunter. Is he in here?" She asked him and the guy shook his head, closing the door in her face and probably going back to bed. Arabella sighed and she turned away from the cabin, looking around. When she saw a familiar shape in the arena, her heart raced and she ran towards him as fast as she could. Hunter. He was there in the arena. She was going to talk to him, she was going to find out the truth and they were going to be happy together. As she got closer to the arena, Arabella picked up speed until she was practically running. She rushed up to Hunter and before he could say anything, before she could think, before she could stop herself, Arabella took his face in her hands and she pulled him down to her, kissing him tightly.
Hunter heard quick footsteps behind him and he turned to see Arabella running toward him. He scowled at her and opened his mouth to speak but before he could she surprised him. She shocked him, really. She pressed her lips to his in a long kiss. Hunter thought he was dreaming for a moment, but he soon realized that he wasn't. That this was real and the person kissing him was the same person who took away his sleep. Who took away his ability to eat this morning. She hurt him and he wasn't sure if this was to make up for it or if this was an apology, but whatever it was, it was too late. She pulled away from him, looking at him with wide eyes and Hunter looked back, his stomach twisting. "What do you want?" He said quietly, his face emotionless. "And can I have my jacket back?"
Arabella looked up at him, a mix of emotions rolling around inside her. There was no doubt in her mind now; Hunter was the one. He was the one who had saved her and he was the one who she kissed. Things were supposed to be great now. Why was he looking at her with a blank face and a bitter voice? Why was he acting like this? Why wasn't he hugging her and telling her that he was happy? Was he angry at her? Arabella cleared her throat and she nodded, gingerly putting the jacket in his arms. Before he could pull his arms away, Arabella dropped the watch on top of it. "I was wrong, Hunter." She said softly. "I'm sorry"
Hunter looked down at the watch and then grabbed the strap of it with two fingers, holding it out to her. "I don't want this. I did. I had this idea that I would wait for you to be single since I didn't want to interfere with the choices you made and I would give this watch to you and tell you that I was the one who saved you." Hunter said with a sigh. "And I imagined that you would hug me and that we would go to the beach and we'd talk and we'd get to know each other and maybe at the end of the night I would ask to kiss you and you would say yes and it would be the best night of my life." Hunter took a deep breath. "Now, I can't stand to look at this watch. Or you, really. I thought that you would have learned to trust me the first time you didn't and you were proven wrong. I thought that you would trust me from then on." Hunter shrugged and shook his head. "I get that you have been lied to and betrayed in the past. Who hasn't been, but Arabella...No. Never mind. Take the watch."
Arabella looked down at the watch and she took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions and figure out how to respond to him. This wasn't what he had imagined. Yes, she had made some mistakes but couldn't they work through it together? Arabella closed her eyes for a moment before looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Hunter...I...I messed up and I'm sorry" She said in a soft voice. "Can we talk about this or something?" Arabella asked him, trying not to sound too hurt or too desperate. She didn't want to push him away or make him even angrier but she didn't know what to say to him. "Just...tell me what I can say or do to make this better."
Hunter looked down at Arabella and sighed. "Arabella, what am I supposed to say? That you need to promise to always assume I'm right? So we can live on thin ice for the rest of this relationship?" He asked with a shrug. "Arabella, I was sure that I loved you. I was sure of it since that night on the beach. You left and it calmed down enough to get it off my mind, but then you came back and the feelings came back and I broke up with Marina because I thought that maybe you loved me back, but you didn't. Not until you found out that I was the guy who saved you. You never did. If you had, you would have listened to me as I begged for you to believe me." Hunter said, raising his voice. "You would have let me defend myself before you tore through the woods to get away from me! You would have waited for me to find you before you left for a year to be with Ethan! I was going to tell you then, but you didn't think about me. You didn't think about the sand angels we made that night on the beach or how relaxed we felt around each other. You thought about whose heart you were going to break next and I realize that now. I realize that is why the Aphrodite cabin exists. To make sure the other demigods don't get distracted by love. So you and your sisters can break our hearts into pieces and guarantee that we don't ever fall in love again. I'm sorry, Arabella. I'm sorry for thinking that you were anything different. Now, please leave me alone."
Arabella looked up at him, frozen for a moment. She didn't know how to respond and she didn't know what she could possibly say to him. In all honesty, she had no idea that Hunter felt so strongly about her and she had no idea that she had hurt him so much. Arabella couldn't stop the tears as they started to slide down her cheeks. After a moment, Arabella looked down and twisted the watch in her fingers. "I didn't know..." She started but she stopped, knowing that nothing she said could possibly make this better. Nothing she could say would make it right. Finally, Arabella took a step towards him and she placed a little kiss on his cheek. "I'm so sorry, Hunter" she breathed then placed the watch back in his hand and started to walk away.
"No, you're not." Hunter said quietly, looking down at the watch in his hand. "Maybe you can find some other jerk to believe!" He took a deep breath then looked up at Arabella as she walked away, hugging her arms to her chest. Hunter sighed and then dropped the watch to the dirt, turning back to the arena, drawing his sword. He headed toward one of the dummies and then stopped, clenching his sword tightly. He tried to move again, but he couldn't. It was like he had hit a wall that was telling him to turn around. That was telling him to go back to her or go back to the watch. He grimaced and then threw his sword into the ground. Hunter turned around and walked back, picking the watch up and gripping it in his fist. He looked at Arabella and then back down at the watch in his hand. After another moment, he slipped it into his pocket and turned around, trying to forget about the girl walking away.
Sunday, July 28
A week had passed. A whole week of feeling like crap and wishing that she could just leave. A whole week of planning her departure from camp. Arabella was, in all honesty, desperate to leave Camp Half-Blood. Finally, she was going to be walking over that hill and getting into her limo and driving back to Manhattan. She was going to be able to walk in Central Park and go to Starbucks in the morning and go to fashion shows. Arabella was looking forward to seeing her family and her puppy again. She just wanted to be home. Camp didn't feel like home for her anymore. With a small sigh, Arabella walked into her cabin after supper and she sat down on her bed. The cabin was empty so she figured that it would be a good time to pack and have a bit more time to herself.
Hunter had barely left the arena in the past week. He hadn't really eaten or gotten any sleep. Jake, Marina, Kyle, and other people had all taken their turns trying to get him to eat something or to get some sleep or to at least get out of the arena, but Hunter had blown them off. He just needed to survive a week. He needed a week. Then the people left. Everyone would be gone and he could be alone. He wouldn't have to put up with all of the pity and the sympathy. He could just be alone. That's all he wanted. Was to be left alone.
Arabella yawned, tired from not sleeping well for too many days in a row, and she moved to the end of her bed. She sat herself down on the floor in front of her trunk and pushed it open, pulling out her luggage. As she packed away her things, she thought about what her life would be like if she never went to Camp Half-Blood. Maybe she would be a cheerleader at her high school and she would have a boyfriend and a group of friends. Arabella bit her lip, folding her clothes and slipping them into her bag. She reached inside to grab a pair of shoes but her fingers brushed against a box. Gingerly, Arabella pulled the box out and placed it on her lap. Her heart skipped a beat as she pushed the lid off and ran her fingers over the hundreds of envelopes, all with Hunter's name on them.
Hunter slashed through another dummy then hit it with his shield, following up with another swipe from his sword. His arms were tired. His whole body was tired, really. He kicked the dummy down then stumbled back a little, catching himself with his sword, using it like a cane. He turned to the next dummy and started shuffling toward it, his sword scraping along the ground. He was tired but every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Saw her hugging Brett. Saw her writing on Ethan's hand. And every time he felt the same heartache that he did the first time he saw it. He quickly shook himself and let his shield slip off his arm. He managed to raise his sword and he swung it at the dummy, making a sloppy slice into its arm.
Arabella closed her eyes for a moment, resting her hand on top of the box. There were so many things that she wished she could say to Hunter and they were all in that box of letters. She had poured her heart and her soul into those letters while she was away and they were all words for Hunter. Faster than she would have thought possible, Arabella put the lid back onto the box and she jumped up, hurrying out of her cabin. As quickly as she possibly could, Arabella walked over and knocked on the door to the Hermes cabin. There was a long pause before she knocked again. Furrowing her brow, Arabella glanced around and saw a lot of the Hermes kids walking around the camp and talking to each other. So, Arabella lightly pushed the door open and she padded inside. she moved around until she found a bed that was neatly made and had a trunk that said 'Hunter' beside it. She placed the box on top of his bed, by his pillow, and pulled an eye liner pencil out of her pocket. 'For Hunter' she scribbled on the top in her loopy, girly writing. Before she could change her mind, Arabella turned and walked out of the Hermes cabin.
Hunter squared off with the dummy. He took a deep breath and clumsily slashed at the dummy, his sword thunking against the thick wooden post holding it up. He sighed and pulled away, regaining his stance.
"Hunter, you look like you could use some rest." A calm voice said from behind Hunter. Hunter turned and saw the centaur activities director walking up, looking at him with concerned eyes.
"I'm good, Chiron, sir." Hunter said curtly, turning back to the dummy. "Let me guess. Marina sent you. She was worried about me. Well, take it from me. I'm just fine." Hunter said, feeling the anger that he felt at being betrayed and managing to make a convincing cut, beheading the dummy in front of him.
"Hunter, I'm here out of my own personal concern, but yes. Ms. Goldman and Mr. Koenigsdorf let me know that they hadn't seen you eat, drink, or sleep in the past week." Chiron said, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder which he quickly shrugged off.
"I told you I was fine." Hunter said, picking up his shield. "Sir." He added, turning back to the dummy.
"Hunter, at this rate, you're going to drop dead from exhaustion. Even demigods need rest." Chiron said with a sigh. Hunter ignored him and lopped off one of the dummy's arms. "Alright. You've left me no choice. Hunter, on the authority of the gods, I order you to return to your cabin and rest until tomorrow. I don't know what it is that's making you behave this way nor do I want to know what it is, but I'm ending whatever this is right now. Return to your cabin immediately." Hunter clenched his sword tightly in his fist as he turned toward Chiron.
"Yes...sir..." Hunter said through clenched teeth before dropping his shield to the ground and throwing his sword into the dirt, the sword sticking straight out of the ground. "αυτό είναι σκατά ταύρου." He said angrily as he passed Chiron and headed out of the arena.
"Watch your mouth!" Chiron shouted after him as Hunter exited the arena.
Arabella hurried back to her cabin, her arms wrapped around herself. She was desperate to leave that camp and get home. Things were pretty crappy and she needed to leave before Hunter saw those letters. Just as she got back to her cabin door, Arabella looked back and saw Hunter walk out of the arena, looking angry. Her heart skipped a beat and her stomach clenched up with anxiety. So she rushed inside, grabbed her bag and moved as quickly as she could to leave her cabin and head out.
Chapter 60: Hunter
Saturday, July 20
Hunter felt numb. As he pleaded and tried to defend his actions to Arabella, he was nearly bursting with emotion. Sadness. Regret. Anger. Frustration. Desperation. But as soon as the door to the Aphrodite cabin clattered shut, he felt numb. How could she not believe him? Of all the people in camp, how could she not believe him? He turned and walked back toward his cabin, passing the campfire. He didn't much care to sit down and try to salvage the night. He had been so close and now that he had gotten that close, he hated being so far away. He hated not having her there as a friend at least.
He noticed Jake looking at him and he was about to get up, but Hunter shook his head. He didn't want to talk to Jake. He didn't hugely want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to climb into bed and lie face down and fall asleep and never have to wake up. He could live in a world in his dreams where he was happy. Where she believed him and he was kissing her good night and looking forward to waking up the next day. A dream where he wasn't alone. A dream where he could wake up and then walk over to the Aphrodite Cabin. He would knock on the door and as soon as Arabella would open the door, his heart would speed up and his cheeks would get red just from realizing how lucky he was to be with such a kind and smart and beautiful girl.
Instead, he was alone. He was walking back to his cabin with nothing. No kiss good night. Not even his jacket. Now Jake was going to try and cheer him up tomorrow. The sad thing was that Hunter didn't want to be cheered up. Hunter didn't want some temporary relief from the emotional pain by hearing a joke or being told a story. He didn't want a few moments of false emotion attempting to cover up what was actually going on. He wanted it to be gone. He wanted the emotional pain to be gone.
He walked into his cabin and made a beeline toward his bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about the night, replaying it in his head. How good it felt to have her leaning into him. How she smelled when he put his arms around her. How she fidgeted through her thinking face. How she bit her lip. How she leaned closer to him. How he almost kissed her. How he explained. How she didn't believe him. How betrayed she looked. How he tried to convince her. How he pleaded for her to believe him. How she left him.
The more he replayed his night, the angrier he felt. How could she not believe him? She used Hunter's shield and she knew it. She thought he was Ethan during Capture the Flag last week. She heard him explain every detail. He knew everything. It was him and she hadn't believed him. Now, she'd never find the guy who saved her. She'd give Brett, the biggest douche in camp, a chance. She believed him. Ethan. She gave him a chance. Someone she considered a friend. He got a chance. He got the best chance and probably the best eight months of his life.
What did Hunter do? What had Hunter done to deserve such presumption? Had he not proven himself as different enough from the other guys in camp? Had he not given enough evidence to show his direct involvement in saving her those three times in Capture the flag. He lifted up his shirt sleeve and ran his finger along the scar from the cut she had bandaged last year. It served as a memory and now all he wanted to do was slice it open again. Then maybe she'd care enough.
Maybe she just enjoyed breaking hearts. Brett had tried to break her heart but maybe she broke his first. Ethan might have actually loved her, but she broke that off before he could too. Jake liked her. Maybe she was only friends with him to break his heart later. Maybe Hunter had assumed that she was different from the rest of Aphrodite cabin, now he knew that he was wrong. She's a heart breaker. That's what children of Aphrodite do. That's all they can do.
Sunday, July 21
Hunter didn't sleep last night. He had curled up into a ball once people had started to come in from the campfire and pretended to be asleep, so that he could avoid any conversations. Hours passed and he still found himself hugging his knees to his chest, laying on his side, hoping that he would fall asleep so that he could dream that nothing was wrong, but nothing happened. He didn't sleep. When the sun shot through the windows, he decided to get up. He didn't care if it was too early. He didn't want to be there. He needed to be somewhere else.
He stood up out of bed silently, reaching into his trunk and retrieving his clothes. He changed and went to grab his jacket when he remembered that Arabella had it from last night. That meant he would have to talk to her again. Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the thought, his fists clenching tightly. He didn't want to talk to her. He hated her. She was everything about Aphrodite cabin that he hated.
He headed out the door, sword in hand, shield on his back. He took a deep breath of the morning air as he stepped off the porch, headed for the mess hall. He knew that Summer was almost over and he was grateful. If the camp was empty then that meant he wouldn't have to deal with so many people who would see how badly he was hurting and try and help him. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want their help.
He walked into the mess hall and sat down at his table, a tray of food in front of him. He stared at it and wondered what it taste like. He only wondered because as he stared at his first food in several hours, he wasn't hungry at all. He could have anticipated it, but he was hoping to maybe avoid it.
Hunter stood, leaving his food on the table, and then headed back outside just as Jake was walking up.
"Oh, my gods, Hunter." Jake said, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter looked at him but didn't say anything. "When I saw your bed was empty, I thought the worst, but then I thought the best and now it turns out to be just average." He said with a small laugh. Hunter started walked toward the arena and Jake followed. "Look, man, we should talk about this, because...Because it probably hurts like Hades and I'm your friend." Hunter just kept walking, but he was becoming annoyed with Jake. Was it not obvious that Hunter didn't want to talk about it? "Come on, man. Let's just--"
"Fuck off, Jake! I'm not going to talk about it!" Hunter said before running toward the arena, leaving Jake behind. "Idiot..."
Hunter felt numb. As he pleaded and tried to defend his actions to Arabella, he was nearly bursting with emotion. Sadness. Regret. Anger. Frustration. Desperation. But as soon as the door to the Aphrodite cabin clattered shut, he felt numb. How could she not believe him? Of all the people in camp, how could she not believe him? He turned and walked back toward his cabin, passing the campfire. He didn't much care to sit down and try to salvage the night. He had been so close and now that he had gotten that close, he hated being so far away. He hated not having her there as a friend at least.
He noticed Jake looking at him and he was about to get up, but Hunter shook his head. He didn't want to talk to Jake. He didn't hugely want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to climb into bed and lie face down and fall asleep and never have to wake up. He could live in a world in his dreams where he was happy. Where she believed him and he was kissing her good night and looking forward to waking up the next day. A dream where he wasn't alone. A dream where he could wake up and then walk over to the Aphrodite Cabin. He would knock on the door and as soon as Arabella would open the door, his heart would speed up and his cheeks would get red just from realizing how lucky he was to be with such a kind and smart and beautiful girl.
Instead, he was alone. He was walking back to his cabin with nothing. No kiss good night. Not even his jacket. Now Jake was going to try and cheer him up tomorrow. The sad thing was that Hunter didn't want to be cheered up. Hunter didn't want some temporary relief from the emotional pain by hearing a joke or being told a story. He didn't want a few moments of false emotion attempting to cover up what was actually going on. He wanted it to be gone. He wanted the emotional pain to be gone.
He walked into his cabin and made a beeline toward his bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about the night, replaying it in his head. How good it felt to have her leaning into him. How she smelled when he put his arms around her. How she fidgeted through her thinking face. How she bit her lip. How she leaned closer to him. How he almost kissed her. How he explained. How she didn't believe him. How betrayed she looked. How he tried to convince her. How he pleaded for her to believe him. How she left him.
The more he replayed his night, the angrier he felt. How could she not believe him? She used Hunter's shield and she knew it. She thought he was Ethan during Capture the Flag last week. She heard him explain every detail. He knew everything. It was him and she hadn't believed him. Now, she'd never find the guy who saved her. She'd give Brett, the biggest douche in camp, a chance. She believed him. Ethan. She gave him a chance. Someone she considered a friend. He got a chance. He got the best chance and probably the best eight months of his life.
What did Hunter do? What had Hunter done to deserve such presumption? Had he not proven himself as different enough from the other guys in camp? Had he not given enough evidence to show his direct involvement in saving her those three times in Capture the flag. He lifted up his shirt sleeve and ran his finger along the scar from the cut she had bandaged last year. It served as a memory and now all he wanted to do was slice it open again. Then maybe she'd care enough.
Maybe she just enjoyed breaking hearts. Brett had tried to break her heart but maybe she broke his first. Ethan might have actually loved her, but she broke that off before he could too. Jake liked her. Maybe she was only friends with him to break his heart later. Maybe Hunter had assumed that she was different from the rest of Aphrodite cabin, now he knew that he was wrong. She's a heart breaker. That's what children of Aphrodite do. That's all they can do.
Sunday, July 21
Hunter didn't sleep last night. He had curled up into a ball once people had started to come in from the campfire and pretended to be asleep, so that he could avoid any conversations. Hours passed and he still found himself hugging his knees to his chest, laying on his side, hoping that he would fall asleep so that he could dream that nothing was wrong, but nothing happened. He didn't sleep. When the sun shot through the windows, he decided to get up. He didn't care if it was too early. He didn't want to be there. He needed to be somewhere else.
He stood up out of bed silently, reaching into his trunk and retrieving his clothes. He changed and went to grab his jacket when he remembered that Arabella had it from last night. That meant he would have to talk to her again. Hunter closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the thought, his fists clenching tightly. He didn't want to talk to her. He hated her. She was everything about Aphrodite cabin that he hated.
He headed out the door, sword in hand, shield on his back. He took a deep breath of the morning air as he stepped off the porch, headed for the mess hall. He knew that Summer was almost over and he was grateful. If the camp was empty then that meant he wouldn't have to deal with so many people who would see how badly he was hurting and try and help him. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want their help.
He walked into the mess hall and sat down at his table, a tray of food in front of him. He stared at it and wondered what it taste like. He only wondered because as he stared at his first food in several hours, he wasn't hungry at all. He could have anticipated it, but he was hoping to maybe avoid it.
Hunter stood, leaving his food on the table, and then headed back outside just as Jake was walking up.
"Oh, my gods, Hunter." Jake said, putting a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter looked at him but didn't say anything. "When I saw your bed was empty, I thought the worst, but then I thought the best and now it turns out to be just average." He said with a small laugh. Hunter started walked toward the arena and Jake followed. "Look, man, we should talk about this, because...Because it probably hurts like Hades and I'm your friend." Hunter just kept walking, but he was becoming annoyed with Jake. Was it not obvious that Hunter didn't want to talk about it? "Come on, man. Let's just--"
"Fuck off, Jake! I'm not going to talk about it!" Hunter said before running toward the arena, leaving Jake behind. "Idiot..."
Chapter 59: Arabella
Saturday, July 20.
Everything had gotten so complicated so fast. Arabella thought for sure that if she could trust anyone in this camp, it was Hunter. Now she wasn't sure how to feel. She found it hard to believe that he was actually the one who had saved her last year so she was pretty sure that he was lying to her. The shield could have easily been in someone else's hands. Hunter probably let someone borrow it or something. Beyond that, she was mad at him. Even if he was the one who had saved her, why didn't he just tell her in the first place? If he had told her who he was on the very first night, it would have saved her all of this heart ache. Arabella wouldn't have had to deal with Brett or Ethan. Arabella had been happy, excited to get back to camp. She was looking forward to it and she was hoping for a good year. Then all of this happened and Arabella wasn't sure how to feel.
With a defeated sigh, Arabella tuned over so that she was laying on her side, with her head on her pillow, and she wrapped her arms around her soft teddy bear. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could just fall asleep and forget about everything that had happened. Maybe she would wake up and she would be in her bed in Manhattan with her arms around her puppy. Arabella took a small breath and it came out in a soft sob. Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she would feel stupid about this later on but as for right now, Arabella felt rather broken. She would have really loved to talk to her mom.
There was a rustling sound from outside of the cabin and in a bit of a panic, Arabella hurried to brush the tears off of her face. The last thing she wanted was for Brooke or someone like that to see her crying over a boy. Arabella kept her back to the door as she heard it creak open and someone step inside. "My gods, when are people going to learn how to make a fucking s'more?" A voice said. There was a pause before it said "Arabella?"
"Danny!" Arabella gasped when she realized that it was her brother and she sat up quickly, immediately feeling a total sense of relief. Danny was someone she could trust. Danny was someone who wasn't going to judge her for crying over a boy. Arabella looked over at him, her eyes locking with his and he let out a little sigh.
"What's wrong?" He asked her and he walked towards his bed, picking at a bit of marshmallow and chocolate on his shirt.
"I, uhm.." Arabella started but Daniel cut her off.
"Don't even try to deny that something is wrong. You're not getting off that easily" He told her, pulling off his shirt and quickly tugging on a new, clean one. Arabella glanced over at him with big, sad eyes. That was something that she usually loved but sometimes hated about Daniel; he always knew when something was wrong. She never had to say a single word to him. He just always knew. Daniel sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.
On slightly shaky legs, Arabella stood up and she walked over to his bed, almost collapsing on the spot beside him. She never told him anything about this. She never told him that Ethan had lied to her or that she had found Hunter's shield. Arabella had kept him in the dark, at arms length. All he knew was that she had broken up with Ethan. "Ethan lied to me" She started softly. "Ethan was never the guy who had saved me last year, he was never the guy who I was looking for and I'm pretty sure that he never loved me" Arabella sighed.
"Oh...sweetie" Daniel sighed, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Arabella closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I was talking to Hunter today and he tried to tell me that he's the guy from last year and I just...I can't take it" Arabella told him in a small voice. She could feel Daniel's arms tighten around her a little bit when she mentioned Hunter but she didn't think about it.
"It wouldn't make sense for it to be him. Didn't Hunter win that game on the first night?" Daniel asked and Arabella nodded. "Exactly. How could be have saved you and won the game at the same time?"
"I know...I don't really believe him" Arabella muttered, brushing at her eyes with her sleeve. "It just...it hurts so much, you know? I really trusted him and I thought that he was different. But now I see that he's just like every other guy"
"You need...." Daniel said before letting go of Arabella and crawling to the end of his bed. He opened up his trunk and dug around for a moment before pulling out a large, clear bottle from the bottom. He moved back to the middle of the bed and he sat down in front of Arabella, holding out the bottle to her. "You need some liquid therapy"
"You can't be serious" Arabella said with a little chuckle, taking the bottle out of his hands and looking at the Grey Goose label.
"Oh, I'm very serious" Daniel said with a nod. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him before looking back down at the bottle. Normally, she would have pushed it away and said no. She normally wouldn't be into it. But frankly, after the week that she had, Arabella wasn't about to turn down some liquid therapy any time soon.
"Oh...what the hell" Arabella muttered and she pulled the top off. She sighed a little bit before lifting the bottle to her lips and having a sip. Arabella made a little face when she felt the burning vodka slide down her throat and she passed the bottle over to Daniel, who quickly drank a shot.
"It just...it makes me so mad. I trusted Hunter. I thought that he was a good guy and then he had to go and do....this" Arabella said with a wave of her hand, adjusting herself a little bit so that she could fold her legs under her.
"I had a bad feeling about that guy from day one" Daniel said in a matter-of-fact voice. Arabella looked up at him then grabbed the bottle, taking another swig.
"Gods dammit! I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. Why do I have such shitty luck with love?" She huffed, drinking some more of the vodka. At this point, she could feel her cheeks warming up but she decided to ignore that fact. Daniel sighed, taking the bottle out of her hands and having a little sip.
"Maybe it's just not your time, hun. Maybe you'll leave camp this fall and you'll meet some really cute guy in the city. He'll be...he'll be an artist and you'll be his muse" He said, making Arabella giggle a little bit. "And you'll spend every day in his studio apartment and he'll draw you like one of his French girls!" Daniel finished, laughing. Giggling, Arabella took the bottle out of his hands.
"Oh...shut up" She muttered, smiling a little bit.
Sunday, July 21.
The sun was bright and warm, streaming through the window and falling on Arabella's bed. Her golden hair sparkled in the early morning sun and her breathing was deep and steady as she slept. But as the sun started to burn stronger, Arabella rustled in her sleep. She groaned, wishing that she could just lay in that bed forever. The heat from the sun was making her feel sick, though and the sounds from the outside of the cabin of people moving around were making her head pound. With a little sigh, Arabella slowly opened her eyes, squinting into the room.
Clearly, it was still very early in the morning as her sisters and brothers were still fast asleep. Arabella pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around her bed. Beside her was an empty Grey Goose bottle and a single shoe. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember what had happened the previous night but after the fourth or fifth drink of vodka, her memory was a little fuzzy. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the stuffy cabin and into the fresh air, maybe have an extra-long shower.
Arabella rolled out of bed, pulling off her shirt and slipping out of her shorts. She moved to the end of her bed and opened her trunk, searching around for a new pair of shorts and tank top. Once she was dressed, she was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on something under her bed. It looked like the sleeve of a sweater or something. Furrowing her brow, Arabella bent down and tugged on it, revealing a man's sweater that was much too big for her. She was confused for a moment before she realized who it belonged to.
It was Hunter's sweater. Trying not to get too emotional, Arabella held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. It still had his smell on it, like pine trees, soap and camp fire. Without thinking about it and before she could stop herself, Arabella pulled her sweater on, shoving her arms though the sleeves and pulling the zipper up. She bit her slip, slipping her hands into the pockets. It would have been nice to just have this sweater. To have gotten it after spending the night with Hunter and stealing his sweater while she kissed him good night. Arabella let out a little huff and she was just about to take the sweater off when she felt something in the pocket. Confused, Arabella pulled it out and looked down at whatever it was.
It was her watch. Her little pink Barbie watch that she had lost last year. The watch that had slid off her wrist and into the hand of whoever had saved her on that night. The watch that was now in Hunter's pocket.
He wasn't lying to her. Arabella could feel it in her heart and soul. How would he have the watch if he wasn't the guy who had saved her? Without missing a beat, Arabella slipped into a pair of shoes and she rushed out of the door.
She needed to find Hunter.
Everything had gotten so complicated so fast. Arabella thought for sure that if she could trust anyone in this camp, it was Hunter. Now she wasn't sure how to feel. She found it hard to believe that he was actually the one who had saved her last year so she was pretty sure that he was lying to her. The shield could have easily been in someone else's hands. Hunter probably let someone borrow it or something. Beyond that, she was mad at him. Even if he was the one who had saved her, why didn't he just tell her in the first place? If he had told her who he was on the very first night, it would have saved her all of this heart ache. Arabella wouldn't have had to deal with Brett or Ethan. Arabella had been happy, excited to get back to camp. She was looking forward to it and she was hoping for a good year. Then all of this happened and Arabella wasn't sure how to feel.
With a defeated sigh, Arabella tuned over so that she was laying on her side, with her head on her pillow, and she wrapped her arms around her soft teddy bear. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could just fall asleep and forget about everything that had happened. Maybe she would wake up and she would be in her bed in Manhattan with her arms around her puppy. Arabella took a small breath and it came out in a soft sob. Maybe she was overreacting, maybe she would feel stupid about this later on but as for right now, Arabella felt rather broken. She would have really loved to talk to her mom.
There was a rustling sound from outside of the cabin and in a bit of a panic, Arabella hurried to brush the tears off of her face. The last thing she wanted was for Brooke or someone like that to see her crying over a boy. Arabella kept her back to the door as she heard it creak open and someone step inside. "My gods, when are people going to learn how to make a fucking s'more?" A voice said. There was a pause before it said "Arabella?"
"Danny!" Arabella gasped when she realized that it was her brother and she sat up quickly, immediately feeling a total sense of relief. Danny was someone she could trust. Danny was someone who wasn't going to judge her for crying over a boy. Arabella looked over at him, her eyes locking with his and he let out a little sigh.
"What's wrong?" He asked her and he walked towards his bed, picking at a bit of marshmallow and chocolate on his shirt.
"I, uhm.." Arabella started but Daniel cut her off.
"Don't even try to deny that something is wrong. You're not getting off that easily" He told her, pulling off his shirt and quickly tugging on a new, clean one. Arabella glanced over at him with big, sad eyes. That was something that she usually loved but sometimes hated about Daniel; he always knew when something was wrong. She never had to say a single word to him. He just always knew. Daniel sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.
On slightly shaky legs, Arabella stood up and she walked over to his bed, almost collapsing on the spot beside him. She never told him anything about this. She never told him that Ethan had lied to her or that she had found Hunter's shield. Arabella had kept him in the dark, at arms length. All he knew was that she had broken up with Ethan. "Ethan lied to me" She started softly. "Ethan was never the guy who had saved me last year, he was never the guy who I was looking for and I'm pretty sure that he never loved me" Arabella sighed.
"Oh...sweetie" Daniel sighed, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Arabella closed her eyes, a tear falling down her cheek.
"I was talking to Hunter today and he tried to tell me that he's the guy from last year and I just...I can't take it" Arabella told him in a small voice. She could feel Daniel's arms tighten around her a little bit when she mentioned Hunter but she didn't think about it.
"It wouldn't make sense for it to be him. Didn't Hunter win that game on the first night?" Daniel asked and Arabella nodded. "Exactly. How could be have saved you and won the game at the same time?"
"I know...I don't really believe him" Arabella muttered, brushing at her eyes with her sleeve. "It just...it hurts so much, you know? I really trusted him and I thought that he was different. But now I see that he's just like every other guy"
"You need...." Daniel said before letting go of Arabella and crawling to the end of his bed. He opened up his trunk and dug around for a moment before pulling out a large, clear bottle from the bottom. He moved back to the middle of the bed and he sat down in front of Arabella, holding out the bottle to her. "You need some liquid therapy"
"You can't be serious" Arabella said with a little chuckle, taking the bottle out of his hands and looking at the Grey Goose label.
"Oh, I'm very serious" Daniel said with a nod. Arabella raised an eyebrow at him before looking back down at the bottle. Normally, she would have pushed it away and said no. She normally wouldn't be into it. But frankly, after the week that she had, Arabella wasn't about to turn down some liquid therapy any time soon.
"Oh...what the hell" Arabella muttered and she pulled the top off. She sighed a little bit before lifting the bottle to her lips and having a sip. Arabella made a little face when she felt the burning vodka slide down her throat and she passed the bottle over to Daniel, who quickly drank a shot.
"It just...it makes me so mad. I trusted Hunter. I thought that he was a good guy and then he had to go and do....this" Arabella said with a wave of her hand, adjusting herself a little bit so that she could fold her legs under her.
"I had a bad feeling about that guy from day one" Daniel said in a matter-of-fact voice. Arabella looked up at him then grabbed the bottle, taking another swig.
"Gods dammit! I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. Why do I have such shitty luck with love?" She huffed, drinking some more of the vodka. At this point, she could feel her cheeks warming up but she decided to ignore that fact. Daniel sighed, taking the bottle out of her hands and having a little sip.
"Maybe it's just not your time, hun. Maybe you'll leave camp this fall and you'll meet some really cute guy in the city. He'll be...he'll be an artist and you'll be his muse" He said, making Arabella giggle a little bit. "And you'll spend every day in his studio apartment and he'll draw you like one of his French girls!" Daniel finished, laughing. Giggling, Arabella took the bottle out of his hands.
"Oh...shut up" She muttered, smiling a little bit.
Sunday, July 21.
The sun was bright and warm, streaming through the window and falling on Arabella's bed. Her golden hair sparkled in the early morning sun and her breathing was deep and steady as she slept. But as the sun started to burn stronger, Arabella rustled in her sleep. She groaned, wishing that she could just lay in that bed forever. The heat from the sun was making her feel sick, though and the sounds from the outside of the cabin of people moving around were making her head pound. With a little sigh, Arabella slowly opened her eyes, squinting into the room.
Clearly, it was still very early in the morning as her sisters and brothers were still fast asleep. Arabella pushed herself into a sitting position, looking around her bed. Beside her was an empty Grey Goose bottle and a single shoe. Arabella ran her fingers through her hair, trying to remember what had happened the previous night but after the fourth or fifth drink of vodka, her memory was a little fuzzy. All she knew was that she needed to get out of the stuffy cabin and into the fresh air, maybe have an extra-long shower.
Arabella rolled out of bed, pulling off her shirt and slipping out of her shorts. She moved to the end of her bed and opened her trunk, searching around for a new pair of shorts and tank top. Once she was dressed, she was about to go to bed when her eyes landed on something under her bed. It looked like the sleeve of a sweater or something. Furrowing her brow, Arabella bent down and tugged on it, revealing a man's sweater that was much too big for her. She was confused for a moment before she realized who it belonged to.
It was Hunter's sweater. Trying not to get too emotional, Arabella held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. It still had his smell on it, like pine trees, soap and camp fire. Without thinking about it and before she could stop herself, Arabella pulled her sweater on, shoving her arms though the sleeves and pulling the zipper up. She bit her slip, slipping her hands into the pockets. It would have been nice to just have this sweater. To have gotten it after spending the night with Hunter and stealing his sweater while she kissed him good night. Arabella let out a little huff and she was just about to take the sweater off when she felt something in the pocket. Confused, Arabella pulled it out and looked down at whatever it was.
It was her watch. Her little pink Barbie watch that she had lost last year. The watch that had slid off her wrist and into the hand of whoever had saved her on that night. The watch that was now in Hunter's pocket.
He wasn't lying to her. Arabella could feel it in her heart and soul. How would he have the watch if he wasn't the guy who had saved her? Without missing a beat, Arabella slipped into a pair of shoes and she rushed out of the door.
She needed to find Hunter.
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