God this is short. I'm sorry. Also, it takes a while for me to type nowadays because my stupid middle finger is swollen and it hurts too much to touch anything.

Also, I'm focusing a lot more on my Homestuck stories, so apologies for that.

Read on~


"Jaime!" Bart screamed as the Hispanic male never resurfaced. He saw an unnatural amount of splashing near one side and a row of thick ridges appear. A cloud of red floated to the surface, and Bart screamed in despair, tears streaming down his face.

His only friend in this depressing group, and now he was gone. Whatever had gotten him—a shark, maybe—was huge and probably killed him. More tears rolled down his cheeks at the thought.

Tim had reached the bank of the pool. He hadn't told Jaime and Bart about the caiman, but since it had just eaten he knew it wouldn't attack. That it, until he glanced to the smaller ledge and saw Bart wailing. That could only mean one thing.

He swore under his breath and slicked back his hair. He didn't want Jaime dead, just for him to suffer. It was his fault Cassie—

No, it was too painful to talk about her death right now. He had to focus on Bart. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to the figure.

"Swim!"

Bart looked down where Tim was, about 40 feet away and shook his head. Was the ebony insane? He didn't want to die. But maybe…maybe he could help Jaime. He took one last look at the sky, wondering if it would be his last glance at the world, then dove in.

The water wasn't cold, more like warm. It felt nice, pulsing against his body. He squinted through the hazy water and suddenly something blocked his vision. He nearly swallowed a mouthful of water, but it was just a stray shoe.

A shoe?

Bart felt his throat close in panic, and he kicked up to the surface, his head popping up for a breath. He gasped, seeing he was closer to the shore than he thought. He dove back beneath the surface, using his arms and legs to propel himself through the water.

He was finally on the shore, the water and tears trailing down his cheeks in a mixed fashion. Tim took one look at him and sighed deeply.

"What got him?" Bart choked out, trying to control himself. He took a hacking breath and waited for an answer.

"Alligator." Tim said in a clipped tone.

"And you knew?" Bart demanded to know, eyes wide in shock.

"Yes. But I went in first." The ebony shrugged as if it was nothing, but a slight wince ran through his body. For the first time, Bart noticed jagged marks on Tim's side. Blood was leaking out rapidly, pooling into the shallow water of the bank.

"Oh my gosh! You need help!" Bart reached out to help, but Tim shook his head and pulled away, blue eyes unreadable.

"I'm fine."

"You've been bitten by an alligator! You aren't fine." Tim watched silently as Bart fussed over his wounds. No one had ever cared what had happened to him. Why was this stranger of a boy helping?


"So, maybe we should get to know each other?" M'gann asked after a while, breaking the silence. Conner scratched the back of his head and shrugged.

"I'll start. My favorite color is green and I like cooking, though I'm not very good at it. I like romantic things and carnival rides." She smiled.

"I like fixing cars. I work out a lot. I'm not a social butterfly like you." Conner raised n eyebrow when she laughed.

"You are like the opposite of a butterfly!" she pointed out; he looked down then back at her with a little grin.

"Oh really?"
"You're pretty muscular, and strong, and—" she cut herself off, cheeks flushing a dark red. He blinked then reached for her hand. He wasn't one to waste time.

Their fingers entwined, and they looked at each other with sparkling eyes.

Garfield woke up at that moment, saw the sight, and wished his mind had chosen a better time to gain consciousness. He made a face and tapped his sister's arm. She jumped and blushed, dropping Conner's hand.

The blue-eyed male cocked his head for a second, apparently hearing something. There was hurried footsteps and then two boys burst out into the clearing. Bart was soaked and Tim was covered in blood. M'gann gasped.

"Are you ok, Tim? Where is Jaime?"

At this last part, Bart's face crumpled, and he turned away, shaking slightly. Tim's face hardened; he ripped off a piece from his pants and sank onto the ground, closing his eyes. he seemed to be in pain.

"How?" Conner asked bluntly, and Bart didn't answer. He turned his attention to Tim, who sighed.

"A caiman got him."

Gar gestured to his sister, who explained, "It's like an alligator."

Tim nodded to confirm it, then went back to dabbing away the blood from his side. He gritted his teeth to stop from crying out in pain. M'gann knelt by him and helped him, using a wide leaf to wipe away the blood.

Garfield watched all this with wide eyes. Something about Tim fascinated him.

"Bette?" M'gann asked in a motherly voice, and he stiffened but dipped his chin in thanks. Confused, she turned to Bart and hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes. he hugged her back, body wracking with sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Bart. I'm so sorry." She kept saying, even though it wasn't her fault. She felt terrible for the boy, who probably felt even more alone that before.

"What now?" Gar tapped on her arm, and she bit her lip, eyes darting from the injured Tim to the tense Conner.

"Rest, maybe." She rubbed Bart's back again, frowning when his cries increased in volume.

"I'll be lookout." Conner strode away without a second glance.

Divided, the four looked at each other in despair.


Please review, and give me some ideas?

~samx