The Island of Time

All Kinds of Crazy

Darkness.

Cold. Quiet. Still.

And then... something stirs... moves towards him...

Deegan awakes with a start in his room, panting, covered in sweat. He huffs, trying to catch his breath. The memory of that... thing... he saw still haunts him. "God... what was that?" he says to himself.

Deegan gets dressed and heads down to the resort's restaurant to find a chaotic scene. It's set up with a window to the right, overlooking the forest. They are able to see the volcano and most of the island. The tables are set neatly and Sean is looking down at his plate with a distorted face.

"Raj, when you said you were going to cook breakfast, I figured, you know, pancakes and bacon. Not... what is this, again?" Sean says, with a look of pure confusion drawn on his face.

Raj smiles, remembering last night's party. "The Raj Hangover Special 9000! A perfect scramble of eggs, potatoes, oysters, and bananas, topped off with pickle juice!" He grins with pride. "Trust me, dudes. It'll cure your hangovers before you can say 'this tastes gross and weird.' Just try it!"

Jake takes a bite and makes a gagging motion. "This tastes gross and weird."

Zahra's face distorts, as she starts to quote Dr. Suess. "'I do not want this in this place. I do not want this in my face.'"

Craig smiles over at Raj, as he scarfs down his plate of Raj's concoction. "Y'all are missing out. This shizz is delicious."

Michelle glares at him. "I once saw you eat a rock!" (Peter? Is that you?)

Craig glares back at her. "That was a dare, and I won 10 bucks!" (Peter would do it for free)

As Deegan steps into the room, the noise dies down, and everyone turns to stare at him. They lock their eyes onto him and he freezes in he steps, nervous.

Jake smirks at him. "Well, well, well. If it isn't The Boy Who Cried Monster." A few of the others chuckle along with him. Raj adds on. "Seriously, Deegan, you shut down the party faster than the cops back home!" Estela glares at him, and growls, "That's what you care about?"

Deegan sighs. "Look, about that. I... I'm sorry. I know I kind of freaked everyone out last night." Craig frowns at him. "Pfft. Didn't freak me out. Nothin' freaks Craig out."

Sean elbows him. "Craig. Let Deegan talk."

Deegan smiles at him. "Maybe I saw something. Maybe I didn't. But... I'll try not to ruin any more parties."

Raj beams at Deegan. "Good, 'cause tonight... we're running it baaaack!" Everyone laughs, but one person looks at Deegan with disappointment... Estela.

Diego slides over to Deegan, holding a plate loaded with Raj's sizzling dish. "Hey there, stranger. You doing okay?" Deegan sighs, and leans his elbows on the table. "Yeah, I'm fine. It was just... a rough night." Diego puts a hand on his shoulder. "So uh... I hate to give you a middle school flashback..." He looks around, scanning the room. "But what table should we sit at?"

Deegan looks around, deciding between a table with Craig, Raj, and Michelle, and a table with Aleister, Grace, and Zahra. He decides to go over to Grace's table, and him and Diego pull up two seats.

Grace smiles at him. "Hi, Deegan! I was just about to tell Zahra and Aleister about something really interesting I've discovered!" Zahra groans. "All right nerdette, you've got sixty seconds 'til I die of boredom. What's your big find?" Grace nods slightly, then composes herself. "Well, I was walking down the beach and I saw some shells I'd never seen before." Deegan nods in agreement. "Huh, I think I might've seen those too." Grace beams at him. "Those spirally sharp ones that kind of look like little pinecones?" Deegan nods. "Well, I went back up to my room and looked them up in my marine biology textbook..." she leans into the middle of the table, and whispers, "...and there's nothing." She leans back into her seat. "I can't find a single shell in there that's even close." Zahra eyes her, confused. "Back up." She says. "You brought your textbooks... on vacation?" Grace sinks into her chair, embarrassed. "...Maybe?" Zahra smiles at her. "Congrats. You're officially the dorkiest person I've ever met."