The Hanging Tree

s e v e n

a/n: so i changed the person who played Damian to Bob Morley^ also shout out to @TookeinPurple for the brilliant predictions 

NANCY WAS IN DAMIAN'S ARMS - she wasn't quite sure why, but she was. Another thing she wasn't sure of was whether or not she should notify him of her consciousness yet. She decided against it - it would probably be better to get a free ride up the mountainside than waste the little energy she had. How much time had passed since she was last fully aware of her surroundings?

It had to have been quite a long time, because Nancy was completely disoriented and barely capable of forming a coherent thought. Her sight was blurry and the trees around her were spinning.

"Nancy?" Damian whispered. "Are you okay?"

"How did you know I was awake?" She rasped - she thought that she was being pretty sly.

"You opened your eyes, idiot." Damian laughed quietly. "Can you walk or do you need me to carry you some more?"

"Why are you being so nice now?" Nancy was surprised by the sudden change of behavior - it was almost like he was bipolar or something.

"Because I like you, Swan. You're the least shady one here. You're not even supposed to be here."

Did Damian Pullman just admit to liking me? Nancy thought. You've got to be kidding.

"So...yeah. I think you're gonna need to carry me for the rest of the day. Maybe even tomorrow too," Nancy said, dramatically placing a hand over her head. "I feel quite faint."

"Deal," Damian agreed. "But only if you pretend to be asleep when Drew comes over. He freaks me out."

"Aw, Drew? Why? He's so sweet." Nancy whined. She liked talking to Drew. Plus, he was her partner-in-crime.

"I'm like 99% sure that he thinks that I'm working with our captors for some reason. Who knows what goes on in that demented brain of his? He thinks he's like Sherlock Holmes or something."

"His brain is not demented! And he does not - well, okay, that last part is probably true." Nancy admitted. Drew did think that he was the next big detective. Which wasn't going to happen unless they got out of the current predicament. Which also might not happen. Unfortunately.

"I bet you that if you ask him if he thinks that I have anything to do with this he'll say yes."

"How come you're so sure of this?" Nancy questioned, because that's what she liked to do.

 "Because he keeps looking at me all suspicious-like." Damian shrugged. "His glares are almost accusatory."

Nancy found herself wondering if it was bad that she thought his use of polysyllabic words was hot. Nah, she decided.

"So you like my display of knowledge, huh?" Damian smirked down at her. "I guess being Valedictorian has its perks."

"Oh my god, I said that out loud?" Nancy cried. "That's so embarrassing. And you were valedictorian?"

"Well, I was supposed to be. I will be, once we get out of here. Unless stupid Izzy Marin steals my place while I'm gone." Damian ranted and Nancy gaped. "What?" He asked. "I can be brilliant and still be the resident bad boy."

"Who said you were the bad boy?" Nancy teased, even though everyone in Moonlarkville knew Damian Pullman was the town bad boy. They had figured that out shortly after he had arrived. Now that Nancy thought about it, Damian hadn't even been here for a month.

"Uh, all one thousand people who live here." Damian answered automatically with a grin.

"Damian? Can I ask you something?"