Lost And Found (Dadvid. AU)

part one.

                  Forgotten.

The last day of summer had come, the morning dawning bright and clear. All the campers were excited to head back to their parents, everyone that is, except Max. He had been dreading this day all summer. There was a scowl on his face as he packed up, his feelings clear by his unwillingness to talk to anyone.

     “Hurry up Max!” came David’s cheerful voice from outside the tent. “Your parents could be here any minute!” Max scowled, knowing the chances of his parents coming to pick him up this early was next to nothing. He also knew if he didn’t get out there soon, David would come in, and the last thing Max wanted right now was a one on one chat with David.

     “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” He called back, a sarcastic tone already present in his voice. Max looked down at his duffle bag, double checking he had packed everything he had brought with him. Everything appeared to be there, so he grabbed Mr. Honeynuts and gently placed him in the bag. He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, then left the cabin without a backwards glace.

     Nikki and Neil were waiting for him, a little way away from the other campers. “Well, this is the end of this summer’s adventures!” Nikki said excitedly. “What are you gonna do without us?” she jokingly added.

     “Same thing I did before I met you.” He replied bitterly. He didn’t want to think about going back to his life without the only two friends he had managed to make this summer, or actually, in a rather long time. His expression was sullen, warning them not to ask many questions.

     “Oh.” Was Nikki’s crestfallen reply. Neil and Nikki tried to start up another conversation with Max, but he just tuned them out and gazed down the road the parents would be coming from. Eventually the conversation sputtered to a halt, both kids having run out of things to say to Max. The group was reduced to Max staring down the road, Neil and Nikki quietly chatting to each other, and the sounds of the other campers leaving.

     Max watched sullenly as the other campers left one by one. Nikki gave him a cheery wave as she climbed into her mom’s car. Neil gave him a halfhearted wave as he climbed into his dad’s car, unable to bring enough cheer into his goodbye after seeing his dad had come to pick him up.

     Max was the last one left, his duffel bag now hanging limply by his side. “I’ll wait with you, Max.” David said suddenly, walking up behind Max with his trademark grin of happiness. The two of them waited for hours, not talking. The sun moved slowly across the sky, the only sound being the whisper of the wind as it rustled the trees on either side of the road.

     The sun had started to set by the time Gwen walked towards the silent pair, her eyes focused on David. “Okay David the camp is all locked up and-” she broke off as she caught sight of Max. “Max, you’re still here?” she asked, her tone one of surprise.

     “Yeah.” Came the bitter response. Max didn’t even bother turning to look at Gwen, his eyes still fixed on the road. “His parents are probably just running late.” David suggested, his optimistic nature causing him to look on the bright side of things. He didn’t want to think that they had forgotten Max either, so he had to be the optimistic one.

     Gwen shrugged. It was a good of explanation as any. “Well, I’ll see you both next summer. Don’t forget to keep in contact, David.” She threw him the camp car keys and then turned and left, heading to her own car. David caught the keys and watched her walk back to her car, climb in, and drive off. Soon only a cloud of dust remained.

     Now the camp was completely empty, everything closed and locked up. The dust cloud settled, and the road was back to being a flat, dirt, and empty road. The atmosphere was grim, the darkness and silence combining to cast an aura of gloom. It got even later, and darker. The moon peeked up above the treetops, showing the lateness of the hour. The black night sky was huge and oppressive, only a few stars shining through the cloud cover tonight.