Survival Of The Fittest

Lulu turned her head, staring at Liam again. She seemed to do that a lot. Honestly, she had never met anyone as odd as Liam before. Most of the people she knew managed to be relatively normal. Liam was going off on another rant of hatred. Something about wanting to burn a flower field and having some friends die. Then he started talking about Wednesday's katana. It was yet another name unfamiliar to Lulu's. She had no clue why someone else's katana was relevant in this situation but that wasn't what irked her. What irked her the most was that Liam had cursed. She hated it when others cursed unnecessarily.

"Hey hey...I understand that you're having a bad day..But no need to use vulgar language..", She told Liam quietly. She was referring to when Liam had placed the word "fucking" in between Liam's first and last name.

James was also watching the newcomer with piqued interest. He shrugged, deciding that things could be worse. Liam could have tried to attack Lenny and that might have ended badly. James might have even gotten caught in the crossfire.

James nodded at Lenny when he decided that they would all stay in the tree until the rain stopped. It was a good plan. James was tired of getting wet. He was starting to smell a bit like a wet dog. A little gross, but that's what he got for not showering in a week. Brushing back some wet hair and wiping his face with the back of his hand, he turned his head and listened to Anna chiding Liam about that whole katana ordeal. James had a feeling that Anna knew what she was talking about. She was smart. But was she smart enough to know that James was in danger? He doubted it, it was impossible to tell after all. Plus, Anna seemed to like Lenny in a friendly sort of way.

James decided to take a chance as he scanned over all the others. "Have any of you seen Bree?", He asked, looking hopeful. "I'm looking for her...", He said. He doubted this was against any of Lenny's rules, or at least...He hoped not.

Lulu sunk to the ground, in front of James. She set her stuff down by her side and looked up at Anna. "Oh yeah...Lauren should be close-by...I saw her emerge from the jungle...I think. With Carson.", She answered, pointing her thumb to the outside of the tree.

"Don't worry, I'm here," Lauren replied. She had managed to make it to the tree just in time to hear Anna's query about where she had gone. "Carson should be here shortly," she added.

It felt good to be out of the rain for once. It would have been even better if she could change out of her wet clothes into something dry, but that wasn't really something she could do. Not with two boys in their group... wait a second, were there three guys inside the tree? Lauren did a quick recount and surely enough, there were now three male students in their group. Four, actually, since Carson hadn't entered the tree yet. It looked like there was a new girl as well (Elizabeth Priestly... which probably meant that one of the new boys was her brother, Lenny. Lauren thought that she remembered hearing that the two of them were traveling together). What had started out as an all-female group had grown to a group of four girls and four boys... not that anything was wrong with that, of course. The presence of so many guys was actually helping to make Lauren feel a little safer, since they all seemed like they would be capable of defending against an attack, not to mention that just having a large group was a good defense, regardless of how capable the people who were traveling in the group were.

Of course, it was also a little nerve-wracking that they had to deal with two new, unknown guys when she was still trying to be comfortable around Liam, but these two seemed to be good people. They certainly had made better first impressions that Carson and Liam had, at any rate.

"Who are they?" she asked, trying to keep her voice down so that only Anna and Lulu could hear her (she had a distinct feeling that she wasn't doing a very good job of it, though). "Are they going to join our group also?"

Liam coughed. How dare they tell him what he could or could not do! What's wrong with having an obsession with a deceased friend's weapon, and swearing?

Then again, they might have a point there.

Liam sighed, looking up at Anna, and grinned. "Okay, maybe I've been a bit over the top about my desire to retrieve Wednesday's katana, but still..." Then he looked at Lulu again. "Oh, and sorry about that."

He looked back at Anna, and remarked, "You don't know what a katana is, girl? I'm surprised. A famous type of Japanese sword, used by Samurai, ya know? Slightly curved sword, with a single edge rather than double? Hers looked very... Unique. Maybe Danya is a collector? Who knows. I could pick it out from a whole heap of katanas. If we come across the guy with it, I'll know it when I see it."

Liam sat back on the wood behind him, chuckling. "But you know what I'd love to have? A laser, like that girl's... It would be an incredibly useful thing, for the sake of a light, maybe, a signal, distracting someone, flashing them in the eyes, tie it to the bottom of a gun to help your aim... Maybe even a fire-starter. A laser may be as useful as a gun, though not as deadly."

He closed his eyes, and sighed in relief. "Well, I'm just happy that we're out of the rain and whatnot... If Danya makes this a danger zone, I'm going to kill him. Then again, practically everyone wants to kill Danya, because he's a bastard. This game sucks, agreed? I just hope I'm not tempting fate with that one..."

He immediately began to whistle Greensleeves to himself, wondering what was going on in Danya's sick little mind... And if Liam was as crazy, if not more.

((Sorry about inactivity. Hurricanes sappin' my sentries! Also, I've been in the tree as long as Liam has, maybe a little less.))

Carson had been watching the group intently. He took his jacket off; the bloodshed he had presumed would happen didn't seem to be on the way.

He sat down, set his daypack next to him, and pulled his DS out. He started playing Contra 4; he was about halfway through challenge mode, and he felt this was a good opportunity to do a few challenges.

(Since I ripped the post order apart, I guess... it's my turn. o_o)

Anna turned to face Lauren with a smile. "Ahh... well..." she motioned towards Neil. "THOSE, my friend, are my.... friends. No one you should be worried about, I assure you." Or, in any case, one of them is someone I would consider a friend. I don't know what to make about the other two, but it's nothing major Liam began to talk again, and Anna turned to face him. He was going on that ka-tah-na again but this time Anna listened.

"You don't know what a katana is, girl? I'm surprised. A famous type of Japanese sword, used by Samurai, ya know? Slightly curved sword, with a single edge rather than double? Hers looked very... Unique. Maybe Danya is a collector? Who knows. I could pick it out from a whole heap of katanas. If we come across the guy with it, I'll know it when I see it."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Oh... those things? I've seen them..." She didn't say anything else. Hmm... I doubt the sword I picked up is the sword he's looking for, but I'm not going to show him it. After all, it appears that this sword is something he's looking for, and hell if I know what he'd do to me should he ever arm himself with it... oh dear, this is a rather onward position I'm in isn't it? This makes me wonder: if this was Wednesdays, then why in the bloody hell was it left alone? I was under the impression that she dropped it, but if her collar exploded then where was her body? Did somebody take the sword and then stuck it in the ground? Oh my, this is giving me a heavy headache. It's making me feel dizzy.

Her thoughts seemed to block out everything else Liam was saying, but she did happen to catch the part about a laser. A laser? Were there such things on this island? Seems like a pointless gesture, giving kids lasers. I don't suppose they're fake or just blind people, but if that's the case then why is it so important for Liam to get one? He is a confusing one I must say. And who is this 'that girl' he spoke about? Couldn't mean any of us, surely not. I know for a fact that I don't have a 'laser' on me and while I can't say the same for Lulu and Lauren, I will say that if they had one they would have told me by now.

Then Liam changed the subject again, and it made Anna stare at him with a confused glare. It was perfectly alright to hate Danya but it was doubtful he'd be so mean as to make the tree a 'dangerzone'. She nodded slightly however. "Buhh... y-yes. Indeed." She hesitated then spoke up again. "I must say though that you, Liam, are a very strange man."

Anna turned to James and frowned. "No. I know who you're talking about, but I'm sorry to say that I haven't seen Bree at all. You're looking for her, you say." She shrugged. "It's a big island but there are alot of people around. I'm pretty sure that we'll run into someone who has seen her."

Lenny looked around, not very happy about the crowd of people around, but knew he would make the best of it. He had to. One boy was playing his DS and Lenny listened as Liam and Anna went on about a sword. Why Liam wanted it so much didn't really matter. They were all stuck here in this large tree hiding from the rain. Danya had the power to send them all running away if he decided to make this a danger zone, and dawn was fast approaching.

That was something Lenny was not looking forward too. Dawn meant nothing bad badness, and that girl hadn't caught up yet. If the morning announcements come and Shameeca isn't around, then Lenny wins. Which means he'll execute James. A deal was a deal. A bet was a bet. Lenny smiled, hoping that James was fearful for his life. He should be. The girl probably ran away, not even trying to get to James.

Though, in response to Liam's comment about Danya possibly making this a danger zone, all Lenny could said was, "Well if he does make us run, it was nice seeing you all. Hopefully next time we all run into each other it's under the same nice conditions."

Elizabeth doubted that. It was necessity that drove all these people to be here peacefully in the hollowed out tree. Each person had their own lie to the group. Jame's lie was that he was a hostage of Lenny. His necessity was survival. Lenny's lie was that he had no qualms of killing, and took a sick pleasure in it. His necessity was his sister.

Elizabeth wanted to end the charade. She was afraid of what would come in the morning. She couldn't let Lenny kill James.

She would have to resist him. She would help James escape. She had to. No more would she be her brother's follower.

No more.

Lulu grinned and waved in Lauren's direction, relieved that she had finally showed up. She simply shrugged at Lauren's question about the others joining them. Lulu didn't really mind, 'nor did she care. Just as long as she was safe. She dug through her bag, plucking a water bottle from the contents and took a few sips before realizing there was a mosquito inside. "Eew..", She muttered, trying to fish the insect out.

Liam had apologized for cursing, which Lulu was grateful for, but then he started talking about weapons again. Katanas...Lasers...Lulu couldn't help but think of light sabers, straight out of a Star Ways episode. It would be almost humorous to see two students battling out with light sabers. She dismissed that thought as ridiculous and tried not to think of it again, though she was quietly giggling to herself. She coughed slightly to hide her laugh and slid her black frames up the bridge of her nose.

What he said made Lulu think. She didn't really want to kill this Danya man. I mean, yes, the game was a ridiculous but thinking about killing the man behind it all seemed just as violent as the game itself. She tried not to think much of it and focused her attention on Liam's whistling. It reminded her of her piano-playing days. Greensleeves was the first song she could play and could still remember the notes. She absently stared at the ground, thinking.

James looked a little crushed. "Ah...Well, I'm sure you're right. I just hope she's..okay.", James said, sighing. He realized right now, he shouldn't even be thinking of Bree. He should save his thoughts of her for later. Right now, he should only think of Shameeca. If she was still out there somewhere, looking for him, she could be his savior. That's dedication, especially for someone you haven't really met before...

He started to sweat a little, burying his head into his hands. If there was a God out there, James would pray to it. He would pray to every God, Goddess and cult deity that he could possibly think of. He needed all the miracles he could get.

Lifting his head, he looked over at Elizabeth. She appeared to be thinking. "Hello..", He greeted, trying to strike a conversation with her. He had nothing better to do, but realized that this conversation already seemed awkward and it hadn't even really started. What else could she say? "Hey..Oh yeah, sorry about my brother kidnapping you. Hope you don't die."

He turned his head for a second, staring out at the tree, peering through the rain, then looked back at Elizabeth.

Lauren hadn't considered that the tree might become a danger zone. So far, she'd been staying away from the places on the island that could serve as landmarks, so she hadn't been thinking about that too much. Did Danya choose which locations became danger zones, or was it random? If he picked them himself, he probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to make the tree forbidden. After all, with eight students there at the moment, they were probably one of the largest groups, with the possible exception of SADD. Danya would probably love to send them all running.

Still, no point in worrying about things like that until they actually happened. Lauren had a feeling that she'd once heard a proverb about something like that. There was still some time left before the morning announcements, so she may as well take a break after traveling. She sat down next to Carson, who had gone back to playing on his handheld game system. It must be nice to be able to tune out the situation they were in so easily.

((Okay, taking a look at our new posting order... It looks like I'm next. Man, I wasn't even aware of the posting order thing until now. XD))

Liam chuckled, suddenly stopping his whistling. Something just came to his mind. Those two that had attacked him... They were both familiar, but neither of their names had come to mind... Until now. He bolted up to a standing position, grinning. "FINALLY! I remember the two goits who attacked me and Clive are! Bobby Jacks and Madison Conner! I can't believe I couldn't remember before... That's right, Bobby stole Clive's gun, and Madison flashed me with the laser!"

Liam immediately started walking around in circles, tapping his chin in thought. He began to assess the situation now that he had identified his enemies. Bobby Jacks, first up... "I must have been lucky to survive someone who has been blantantly playing... Two of them. Bobby Jacks, you should all know, he's racked up quite a notable kill count. Eight people, the boxer has killed. I bet he's well armed by now, not to mention he's got Clive's gun too... I still can't believe that he has BLONDE HAIR." Still, I envy his kill count very much.

And Madison Conner... Oh, who could forget her? "Madison Conner... She had that laser dazzler, and a gun. She's killed two people so far, if I recall correctly, and chances are have made many more enemies." I. Want. That. Laser.

He sat back down in relief, and took a deep sigh. "Marvelous. Now I know what to do if I ever encounter those two again. Bobby, I'd probably attack him in a smart manner, couldn't trust him as far as I could throw him (I probably wouldn't be able to throw him at all), and I'd be rather cautious around Madison. That is all."

He looked back at Anna, smirking. "I'm a strange man? Thanks for noticing. Being "normal" is SO boring, don't you agree?"

(Yes. It's all your fault. Haha. )

"Yes," Anna nodded and found herself smiling at Lenny. "If we have to leave this tree for any reason, I certainly hope we run into each other again." Lenny is a good soul. There's no way he could kill and actually enjoy... Wait, is Liam talking again.

"..."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Are you... talking to yourself?" She laughed at Liam, in a very mocking way. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just... find that VERY funny."

Anna thought for a moment. This Clive... Clive Maxwell? Oh, I hated that boy. He was so pretentious when he was hated by everyone. No doubt he'd kill like the pig that he is... then again... She looked at the crazed boy again, biting her upper lip. If this boy would actually consider, not to mention actually ally himself with a man like Clive Maxwell, then he is more desperate than I thought... but... why? I have a very bad feeling. She spoke before Liam had a chance to notice her.

"To be frank you can't JUST assume that someone's playing. Well, in a way you can assume that Jacks is playing his hardest but you can't make heads or tails whether or not he's going around hurting everyone he meets. If he somehow stole a gun off of Clive then he obviously is trying to play it smart. At least smarter than you are. I'm not surprised that a man who thinks before getting involved has such infamy.

"And this Madison Conner... she was in AP Chemistry with Mr. Gault, I've seen her. She's the brunette that transferred in this year... I believe." Anna frowned. "Well that doesn't make any sense. She's... very sheepish. I don't think someone like her would adapt to this situation well enough to openly attack someone, especially when there's a gun involved... No, I think I might be confusing her with someone else. Isn't she that girl, the Native American... no, that was Starshine Bennett. Oh deary me, it appears that I don't know who you're talking about." Anna smiled. "Then again, I suppose I'm glad that Starshine stayed home. She was a very nice girl, no mistake about it."

Anna was rambling again. She had to work on that.

"Well, if I do see that girl I'll try to look out for her..." she grimaced. "No... no no, being normal and being strange are entirely unrelated. Being normal means that you're accepted with society, that you have peers, that you can identify yourself. Being abnormal isn't even the exact opposite of being normal because, it the end, we're all different, abnormal in this case. You can never be entirely normal... but you, no, you are STRANGE. And I say this with the least amount of hate, nor do I want to come off as a... bitch." Anna winced. "But you are a kook, and I could imagine someone calling you a quaint dingbat. I have listened to everything that you have said thus far, and not once have you ever seemed worried or apprehensive. In fact, you actually seem GLAD to be here.

"I am not going to say that I'm normal because people have said the exact same thing I'm telling you. So believe me when I say that when I BELIEVE you are the oddest person I have ever met, that means alot. And I wouldn't trust you with a broken spork in a restaurant in Highland Beach, much less trusting you now... not to say that you haven't a chance to prove otherwise, though I doubt you will."

She turned back to Lenny. "Oh. I apologize... you were saying?"

The trust was falling apart in the tree.

Though surprisingly, and thankfully, no one has turned to violence yet. Elizabeth looked at James who spoke to her. She smiled at him, though it was a forced smile. Fake. Not that she didn't want to smile at the boy, but she couldn't. She knew as each minute ticked by, the dawn was coming. With the dawn, she knew her brother would follow through on his promise. If Shameeca was coming to the rescue, she would need to come soon. She would need to bring company too.

For not only would she have to face down Lenny, who she could no longer read. She would have to face Liam, who from his speech was as far gone, if even more so, than Lenny. Though he wasn't actively attacking anyone yet. What an odd bunch of lunatics she found herself by.

No. Her brother wasn't a lunatic. She would save him. She would make him see.

She would follow him into the dark if she needed to. Then she would bring him back to the light. To the realm of the sane people. She would be his savior. It was her turn to be the hero.

Turning her attention from James, she listened as Liam talked about Bobby and Madison, and what he would do if he encountered them. He blatantly said he would attack Bobby if he saw him again. Though that boy did have a high kill count. Did he deserve to live? Her brother had killed. Did he?

Lenny listened with interest as Liam made his intentions clear.

The boy could not be trusted, that was for sure. No one could. However, he was willing to attack one of the biggest players on the island.

Lenny was not a player. Being a player meant actively going out to kill as many people as you can to put the odds in your favor of being the last standing. Being a player meant wanting to win. Wanting to go home.

Lenny did not want to win nor go home. His sister would go home, not him. He was just a man of opportunity. If the opportunity arises to have some fun, why not take it? He could aim his gun and probably kill at least two people in the tree before he was rushed. Would he though?

No.

That was boring.

Not smart.

Taking James hostage and forcing that girl to rescue him is fun though. Smart? Probably not. However, it would be fun if she showed up.

Truthfully, Lenny didn't want the dawn to come. He would kill James for sure, but that would be anti-climatic. He wanted a battle. He wanted the girl to work for him. If she brings friends to help, even better. Though Lenny would be outnumbered. His sister obviously couldn't help, so he would need help.

This Liam guy, from his speech, he was already gone. Not a player, yet at least, but he sounded like he had no qualms in killing. Anna, she was gullible. A nice girl for sure, and Lenny really didn't want to see her getting hurt. She deserved better than what most people on the island would give her.

"Oh nothing." He said in response to Anna.

Then he turned his attention towards everyone in the hollow tree, but mostly directing his speech towards Liam.

"Since we're all being open, I might as well come out and say that we all might be in a bit of trouble."

How should he go about this?

"James here made some bad mistakes during his stay on the island, and while he is a good person, some bad people want him. Me and my sister managed to rescue him a while ago, but I think they still might want him. They won't shoot him dead here, no, I'm afraid they'll want him alive. To do things to him that nobody should go through."

Lenny let that sink in.

"I'm tired of running from these people. One of them is definitely a girl named Shameeca. Black girl, kinda short. I think her last name starts with an M or something. I forget, however she might come alone, she might come with people. If none of you want to be involved in this, I understand, however, please think of James here."

Lenny looked at everyone sharing the space with him.

"He's tired of running, and so am I. I'm going to make a stand, and if they don't come, great, but if they do, I'm going to fight. I want to know who's willing to fight with us. I'm ready for the good guys to win for once. What do you say? Who's with me?"

Lenny knew James would have to agree with his story. He hoped for the good natured people here that they would stand by him to protect James. He hoped the promise of violence would be enough to get Liam interested.

((Breaking the post order for the sake of this...))

Liam chuckled, as he listened to Anna's reply. She made sense, of course, making her own opinion of his speech. Not to mention her normal and strange speech. "I'm, firstly, merely talking in terms of how I'd survive against them in logical terms... As for what you said about normal and strange, I concede. I got my terms wrong. How silly of me. There's no need to continue this discussion, we're basically on the same page on that point! We're all odd in our unique ways, hmm? That's what makes us... Human."

Then Lenny began his speech. Apparently, he wanted to protect James from some bad people. All well and good. But there was something wrong. Elizabeth was trying to act normal... But her movements, her expressions, they came off as false to him. Even afraid of something. But what? But in any case, it was a tell, and he knew it. Lenny would be harder to figure out if he had a tell.

Then he mentioned Shamecca. Now something was off. Lenny wanted the support of the others to make a stand against her. As soon as he finished...

Liam began to laugh. Like the Joker... Rising to his feet...

"AhahahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-BULLSHIT."

Liam gave Lenny a cold stare, as he began to walk around the group, clockwise, facing his side to Lenny. He was convinced that Lenny's story was wrong. "Sorry, old chap, but your story smells of cowpats. For one, your sister has a tell. She movements, her expressions, they're all... False. She knows something is wrong... She also seems scared. It could be that she's scared of the imminent attackers... But it looks more like she knows that you're not telling the truth, and her tells give that away easily. I am an observant person, and one of my many hobbies was studying the movements of the human body and their behaviours, including when they're lying."

Liam chuckled, continuing his circle of walking around Lenny, before presenting his second point. "I may not be the "social" type, but I tend to hear information about people. And your story falls to pieces on the very focus of Shamecca. I know for a fact that Shamecca is a "good" girl who would stand up to anyone to protect her friends. Why would she be coming her for James, and why would you three know she's coming? Her personality doesn't fit the story. That would mean that James is her friend... And she intends to protect him from someone. If Shamecca isn't the one threatening James... Then..."

Liam grinned, having hit the jackpoint. He just figured out what Lenny was REALLY up to. His right arm bended up to the front of his torso... "Then the person threatening James..."

"IS YOU!"

Liam's mighty roar of accusation was accompanied by him thrusting his arm out in front of him, finger-pointing directly at Lenny... And at the same time, as if the heavens themselves were on his side, a roar of thunder burst into the Hollow Tree, the originating lightning bolt not too far away, which made a bright light and a dark shadow which made everyone look half-light, half-shadow... And Liam was giving Lenny a very cold stare, which, on its own, would be very intimidating indeed.

Liam lowered his arm, continuing to stare at Lenny, smirking. "That would, in turn, mean that James is your hostage. It makes perfect sense. Shamecca is coming to rescue James from your clutches... What have you got to say to that, Lenny?"

Liam was on FIRE. He didn't know what hit him... Or why he even did that in the first place. Letting Lenny convince everyone that he was in the right would have resulted in wonderful violence... But perhaps Liam just liked a challenge, or the chance to be as awesome as he just was. If anything, this course of action would imprint well on his allies, and it could lead to Lenny getting killed as well. Even better.

Right now, Lenny had three possible courses of action, if he was indeed lying, which Liam now had no doubt he was. He could continue lying, but the display that Liam just put on could well have intimidated Lenny enough to destroy his composure, and expose his tells. Or he could shoot at Liam, and Liam would dash for cover immediately if Lenny made a move with his gun. Of course, Liam had made sure to move right near the exit of the tree so he could dash for cover as quickly as possible in such an event. Or Lenny would make a break for it, considering the guy was severely outnumbered. In any case, Lenny was screwed.

And to finish off, Liam grinned, and remarked, "Take That."

((OWNED. And with two Phoenix Wright references to boot! Smashing Lenny's story with pure logic and only two things to go by? Liam's first Crowning Moment of Awesome, IMO. And I didn't need to kill anyone or blow something up to do it!))

((Okay guys, sorry if my post isn't good or coherent, I got a little confused after Candescence posted. o__o;; Confusing situation..))

Lulu set her water bottle aside, rubbing the temples on her head. She felt exhausted and Liam had begun to rant about some boy named Bobby and some girl named Madison. By this point, she had almost become used to Liam's insane rambling. She vaguely wondered if Liam had always been like this or this is a result of the game.

Tuning him out, she rested her weary head on her knees, but not before taking off her glasses, placing them gently beside her. She tried focusing on the gentle sound of the pouring rain. It was actually a little relaxing and the rain made everything smell fresh. Sort of. Lulu had been in the forest for the majority of the game so who knew what the rest of the island smelled like. Lulu didn't care to check.

Anna started conversing with Liam. Her responses were witty and humorous, but Lulu couldn't really bring herself to follow the conversation. Plus Anna's thoughts were a little hard to follow...Lulu was just too tired.

James continued to stare at Elizabeth, pondering her smile. It wasn't a genuine one, that was for sure. But what smile could be truly genuine in this whole situation? James placed his thoughts in Shameeca and Bree. He hoped they were both safe. He hoped he would see them. Staring down at his shoes, he realized that his shoelace was untied and began to tie it, flicking off pieces of mud. His brand new white sneakers were caked with mud and soaked with rain. ...Dammit.

It was around this time that Lenny began telling everyone the "story." It was a lie of course. James listened without making any faces or surprise or shock. If anything, he tried to look a little guilty. As if he were at fault for this. Lenny knew James would play along. He had to.

Lenny's lie seemed so natural, so...perfect. Almost as if he had rehearsed it, like a part in a play. If James had been in the shoes of someone like Anna, he would have completely believed Lenny's story. Which wasn't too good for him.

He spoke up. "Yeah..I feel so bad about this, dragging Lenny and Elizabeth into this whole ordeal. And now you guys too! But I don't want to die..", James muttered to everyone, trying to seem pathetic. "Please help us.", He whispered to them.

Lulu was staring at Lenny and James. So James had gotten into some trouble and was wanted? Lenny, being one of James' friend, wanted them to help out in the fight? Lulu couldn't imagine herself fighting, but Lenny was right. '...I'm ready for the good guys to win for once.' That statement right there won Lulu over. "I guess I can try..Not sure how much help I'll be.", She told Lenny, touching her scythe that was leaning against the wall of the tree.

James glanced at Lulu for a moment and then over at Liam. He had suddenly had an outburst. If he thought that Lenny was a little nuts, this Liam guy had went downright psycho. Somehow, he had figured out this whole charade. James had no clue how he did it, but managed to keep his composure. What he really feared was how Lenny was to react. Would Lenny shoot James? Would Lenny kill everyone? James decided to continue playing the role of "Poor pathetic James running from the bad guys."

James gave Liam a stare. "What in the world are you talking about? I'm not being kidnapped. I really am teamed up with Lenny. Lenny's kept me safe up to this point! We've been running nearly all day. Now we're being accused of something that's downright insane!", James growled. "This game changed Shameeca..She's a cold-blooded killer now. That she is..", He muttered to Liam. He turned to face the others. Lulu, Carson, Anna, Lauren..

"I'd recommend you guys to stay away from him. He might accuse you guys of conspiring up some evil plot.", James scoffed. He was praying that he seemed perfectly natural. He hoped Lenny would be pleased with his performance, trying to disprove Liam's suspicion.

Lulu looked downright confused. She looked over at Anna and Lauren to see their reactions.

Beautiful.

That was the word that Lenny felt described the current situation. It could have gone better, sure, but still, it was beautiful.

Who would have though that the bony boy Liam would prove to be such a worthy adversary. He could make a perfect partner, at least for the next couple hours. For the next couple hours would decide the fates of a lot of people. If Shameeca showed there would be a fight, if she didn't then there would be one dead James.

However, James was making Lenny proud too. What a bunch of beautiful liars he was surrounded by.

Liars and crazies and goodies.

When Liam first broke into his speech Lenny was curious as to how it would go. The boy definitely was clever, and caught on to all of Lenny's mistakes. Not only Lenny's, but his sister, Elizabeth's. It wasn't her fault. She couldn't help it. He wasn't mad at her.

As he listened to the whole accusation, and watched as the finger was pointed at him.

So Liam wasn't just your average crazy on the island. He was smart, even if it was in a weird way. Though his smartness wasn't appreciated when Lenny was trying to rally support in case Shameeca did show up. Alone, he probably didn't need support. He had a gun, but if she was smart, she probably found others. That meant Lenny needed people on his side, and Liam was trying to ruin that.

Why though?

Even if he did figure Lenny out, why would he ruin a chance to be apart of something so brilliant as a fight where people would die? Lenny would get Elizabeth to safety first for sure, but he would keep his promise. He wouldn't hand James over without a fight. Lenny thought of what to say to Liam, as he kept his composure, staring the boy back with an equal intensity.

Then James spoke up.

He put on a good show, very believable in deed. That was enough to get Lenny to continue with the act.

"Are you serious? Why would I take him hostage in the first place? Listen to him. If I was really the 'bad guy' here I think he wouldn't be so scared. My sister doesn't have some sort of tell. She's just scared. We all are! We're on an island full of killers. Are you one of those killers Liam? The minute we turn are backs are you going to pull a knife on us?"

James ended his speech trying to turn everyone against Liam and Lenny hoped to play on that.

"Do we really want to trust a boy like this? Someone who throws out accusations so easily?"

Looking at Liam Lenny smiled and said, "Liam, I think we're all willing to forgive you if you help us. Right now we can't abandon James. Whether you want to play this game or not, you'll get your chance at bloodshed soon. If his pursuers track us down then we're going to have a big fight on our hands. Me and my sister can't protect James alone. We need all of you!"

"Lulu, will you stand with us? What about you Anna? Carson and Lauren, come on. It's time to make a stand. We can't keep running from sickos like Shameeca! Our friend is in trouble, and I for one am willing to pull this trigger on anyone who tries to take him from us!"

"Liam, I don't care if you think I'm lying or not, but if you are willing to fight, then stick around. It's going to be a long night."

Elizabeth felt sick.

Not only did Liam know, but James was forced to play along so well. Lenny told the lie so well, and she wanted to believe it was true. She wanted so bad to believe that she was standing with the good guys. That it was them against the bad guys. How did Lenny even know Shameeca would come?

Elizabeth doubted it.

Lenny made it sound like she was going to come with a group.

Also doubtful.

Though if she did, then maybe what Lenny was doing was for the best. He was right, one against a group was suicide. She would help James. She would keep the boy alive, she was tired of watching her brother hurt people. However she wasn't going to let anyone hurt her brother either. She had to help.

"My brothers not lying. We really need your guy's help."

Unfortunately for Lenny, his attempts to get to Liam's violent nature weren't working. It would have... If he were telling the truth. Liam wouldn't go with a liar. It just wasn't smart. It was a duel of words, not weapons.

Liam smirked, his inner flame still burning bright. He chuckled... And that chuckle morphed into a small laugh... Then to a full-on burst of laughter. These lies amused him greatly, and he would love to break Lenny's lies to pieces.

He began with Elizabeth. "My dear... You still have a tell. That's the most I need to say."

Then James made his argument. "James, my old chap... I figured you'd go along with Lenny, considering he has the gun, and he's, by logic, holding you hostage. But I know this game doesn't change people so... Drastically, especially since Shamecca hasn't killed anyone, otherwise we would have heard it over the announcements."

And then he looked Lenny in the eyes once more, chuckling, and made his point. "Your speech of protecting James... Inspiring. Of course, I would like to help a good person, but to follow a liar... It's just not smart. Inaccurate information can be quite costly. Why do you know that Shamecca would come here in the first place? Simple. You made a deal with her for James' life! If you were so intent on protecting James, surely you would make efforts to conceal his location? Don't bullshit me about some non-existent threat!"

Liam pointed his finger at Lenny once more, his expression now serious. "I don't throw accusations like this around so easily. Lies can be as deadly as a knife, and the only thing I am searching for, Lenny... Is the truth. Is that so much to ask? Logic is completely against you, I am convinced!"

He chuckled again, holding out the two weapons he had - the stapler and the garroting wire. "Look at this! I couldn't back-stab anyone with just these with a group around! That would be suicide. Quite a few of you would rather have no bloodshed... What if Lenny is indeed lying, and Shamecca is trying to protect James as well? What is she appears, and exposes the lie? What will you do then?"

Liam crossed his arms, smirking. "The only thing I wish to do is uncover the whole truth of the matter, and in your story, I see a miserable pile of secrets, a cesspit of lies! No matter how well James plays along with your story, a broken lie cannot be mended, this I know from experience. I would like to protect James as well, but for the RIGHT reasons! What if Lenny is lying? An innocent girl could be killed, and James could be executed as well!"

He brushed his hair back. "Dueling with words... Is far less violent than a duel with weapons, don't you agree? I will not be satisfied until I have the whole truth, even if I have to cross-examine Shamecca herself to get it! Do I make myself clear?"