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Summer on Lost Lake: Chapter 7
Lucas was devastated. He had returned to the tent to talk to Skylar only to find the tent empty. After waiting around for a few minutes, Tyler returned and informed him that Skylar had gone off to the bath tent without permission. Lucas didn't want to break the rules, but after a few bored moments he decided that if Skylar had done it then he could do it too. Besides, Gavin was at the bath tent now too, so he was just going to meet up with his elder.
As he neared the entrance he stopped when he heard a loud moan inside. It didn't take long for him to guess what was going on. He decided he would try to sneak up on them and scare them while they were fucking. That would teach them to have fun without him. He smirked to himself.
Getting down low to the ground, which was much closer these days, Lucas pulled the tent flap aside just enough to get a peek inside. It took a while for his eyes to adjust but the first thing he saw was Gavin haul Skylar back into the water to start fucking him. The look on his friend's face as Gavin entered him made Lucas's little dick twitch. It made him a little jealous, but the scene was so erotic that Lucas barely minded.
"Fuck, you're so tight, babe." He heard Gavin say just above a whisper. That left a strange feeling inside him that wasn't pleasant. Gavin had never called him "babe" before.
Lucas decided to let it go, even though it was a little hurtful he tried to give Gavin the benefit of the doubt. He knew from experience that sometimes people say and do things when they are horny that they don't necessarily mean. As Gavin started seriously fucking Skylar, and the little blonde boy's whines and moans got more intense, Lucas began to rub his now fully erect dick. Even though no one was watching him, he was embarrassed as he touched it by how small it was now, less than three inches if he had to guess.
Gavin grabbed Skylar by the hair and Lucas watched in open lust the rhythmic circular motion of Gavin's hips that seemed to make his abs ripple in the dim light.
"Mmm," Came Gavin's horny growl. "I've always had a thing for blondes."
It wasn't an instantly crushing sentiment. It took time for it to settle over Lucas. He remembered that almost every girl his big brother had ever brought home had been blonde. He saw the way Gavin thrust his dick in and out of Skylar with a big handful of his best friend's hair. These thoughts and memories twined together slowly to form one painful realization in Lucas's mind.
He wasn't good enough. Gavin liked Skylar better.
Tears started to form in his eyes. He looked down at his body angrily. He hated how he looked now, hated being stuck as a ten-year-old again. Why would someone as hot as Gavin want him when he could have beautiful blonde Skylar. Skylar had always had slightly better muscles than Lucas, and now... He wrung his pale skinny arms in helpless frustration as the tears began to fall.
Not knowing what to do, he paced around outside the tent for a bit. He wished he could just disappear. Gavin and Skylar could stay here and be happy together. Maybe Gavin could claim Damien's former younger, the other little blonde as well. They'd all be better off.
Making up his mind, Lucas returned to the tent. He didn't have many things to gather up, but he made some makeshift clothing out of some of the sheets and took a pouch full of dried fruit. Looking around to make sure Gavin and Skylar weren't on their way back yet, Lucas stole across the camp and took one last look back before disappearing into the tree line. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that everyone would be happier without him.
Gavin helped Skylar get dressed as they left the bath. The younger boy was exhausted after their sexual adventure and leaned heavily on Gavin, regularly taking time to stare at his body while they returned to their tent.
"Have you seen Lucas?" Gavin asked Tyler when they arrived. The other older boy was dozing lazily in his usual corner.
"Nope." Tyler informed him. "I just got back myself. He might be out `playing' with some of the other youngers."
Gavin frowned. He didn't think that was likely, but he pushed back the overprotective concern that rose inside him. "Maybe I'll go take a look. Skylar stay here." He gave the blonde a quick kiss on the cheek before going off in search of his little brother.
After about an hour of looking however, Gavin was beginning to panic. He had checked everywhere he could think of. Lucas was not down by the lake, he was not by the food tents, he hadn't gone to the bath tent, he wasn't anywhere. Just as he was thinking to try and ask for help, Jonah's voice called from across the camp.
"Gavin!" The leader came trotting over. "So, I don't know why, it's never happened before, but the Founder has agreed to speak directly to you and Lucas."
Gavin's worry lifted a bit. "That's great! Have you seen Lucas though?"
Jonah frowned at him. "No. He's your younger."
The approaching panic settled back on top of him. "I know, but we came back from the bath tent and he was gone."
"Ah..." Jonah looked thoughtful for a moment. "Were you in the bath tent right after you talked to me this morning?"
Gavin nodded. "Yeah, why?"
Ignoring the question Jonah continued. "And I'm assuming you had your other cute younger with you. The blonde one?"
Again, Gavin nodded, not sure where Jonah was going. "Yeah, Skylar was there. What does this have to do with Lucas."
"Could be nothing." Jonah remarked. "But he was kneeling outside the bathing tent while you were in there. I thought he was just peeping in on a pair of boys having a good time, but I'm assuming he was watching you."
Gavin's eyebrows raised. "Why would he do that?"
Jonah shrugged. "How should I know? It's not unheard of though when an elder has two youngers claimed for one of them to get jealous. Maybe he didn't like what he saw in the bath tent."
Gavin shook his head. "No, he's seen me doing stuff with Skylar before..." As he thought about it, Gavin's mind started to fill with dread. The only time Lucas had seen him doing anything with Skylar directly had been at their claiming ceremony when they had all been heavily influenced by the darata.
"You can go look for him." Jonah noticed the change in Gavin's demeanor. "But don't wander too far. The Founder doesn't always let people find their way back."
Deciding not to ask about Jonah's ominous implication, Gavin rushed back to the tent. He found Tyler idly chatting from a respectful distance with Skylar.
"Lucas is missing." He told the other older boy. Skylar reacted first though.
"Missing?" He jumped to his feet. "Where did he go?"
"I don't know." Gavin ran a hand through his hair with increasing desperation. "Jonah thinks he watched us in the bath tent and got jealous. Maybe he ran away."
Understanding dawned on Skylar's young face. "He doesn't like being left out." He said a little guiltily.
"Jonah said the Founder sometimes doesn't let boys back if they go too far." Gavin paced the tent.
Tyler had stood by now and was pulling on his clothing. "We'll find him. I can help. Will wanders off sometimes, but he always comes back."
"Thank you." Gavin said sincerely before turning back to Skylar. "You stay with me and we'll search to the north and west, Tyler can you search south and east?"
"You got it." Tyler inclined his head.
"We'll meet back here in about two hours unless we find him first." Gavin instructed, and the boys set about their task.
Lucas was beginning to think maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all. It seemed like the change that had come over his body might have affected his mind a little bit as well. He remembered he had been so sure of himself in his emotional state that leaving the camp was the right choice. Now, as his heartache became less overwhelming, logic began to set in slowly.
The forest around the lake was massive. What chance did he have of finding his way back to the scout troop, if they were even still there? If he found his way back, how would he explain showing up three years younger and dressed in an almost see-through bedsheet without Gavin or Skylar? He had been walking for about an hour and trying to keep moving in one general direction, but he had seen no signs of a trail or any kind of landmarks.
"I should turn around..." Lucas said aloud to himself. He had been occasionally mumbling to himself for much of his journey. Often, he would berate himself for not being attractive enough or fit enough for Gavin or insult his own intelligence for allowing himself to think that he was good enough. As his mind cleared though, his self-deprecation became less cutting. He thought about all the time he had spent with Gavin and with Skylar, not just on this trip but in the past as well. They obviously cared about him. The more he thought about it reasonably, the more he worried that maybe he was being silly. Certainly, there had been disagreements and sometimes even fights (which Gavin had always won) but he knew his brother loved him.
Just as he had made the choice to try to find his way back, Lucas saw a clearing up ahead. Wondering if maybe he had gotten turned around, he rushed forward into the break in the trees and then stopped, puzzled.
In the center of the clearing stood a cabin. Not just any cabin. THE cabin. The same one that he, Gavin, and Skylar had slept in the first night they had been lost. It was unmistakably the same, with the windows and door in the same place and the small porch coming off the front. It was the same and yet... it wasn't. Instead of being rundown and deserted, it now looked like it had been built only a few days ago. The log walls were sanded and clean, the railing of the porch wasn't missing any spindles, the wood didn't look rotted at all. All of the glass in the windows was unbroken and clear of dust, and planters full of blooming flowers hung from the window sills. Most interesting of all however was the column of smoke that curled out of the chimney. Someone was home.
It was nearing the end of their two-hour search and the sun was starting its descent. Gavin and Skylar were both becoming increasingly frantic.
"Lucas!" Gavin yelled into the forest for the hundredth time. Skylar echoed him a few seconds later as he swatted a low shrub out of his way.
"What are we gonna do?" Skylar asked hopelessly. Gavin was feeling equally frustrated. He knew that if they continued much farther they would be risking getting lost themselves, especially if they got caught out in the dark. Jonah's warning echoed in his mind.
Gavin took his time to respond, and Skylar respectfully stayed quiet as Gavin turned the dilemma over in his head repeatedly. It tore him apart inside but eventually Gavin came to a decision.
"We've got to head back." His voice was barely above a whisper. "Maybe Tyler found him, or maybe he came back on his own."
"But what if he didn't?" Skylar voiced the thought screaming through Gavin's head consistently.
With a heavy sigh Gavin answered, "We can't help Lucas by stumbling through the forest in the dark. He's smart. He'll realize that he's got to come back. Hopefully he'll find some place safe to spend the night."
"But what if he's lost?" Skylar asked pleadingly.
"Skylar," Gavin looked down at the worried blonde boy. "I'm worried about him too. If we could I'd keep looking for him all night long. But we'd be doing more harm than good. Our best bet is to head back and try again tomorrow if he's not already back at camp."
Skylar nodded, dejected, and Gavin put a comforting hand on his shoulder and guided him back in the direction they had come. They had only gone a handful of yards before they suddenly broke into a strangely familiar clearing.
"Um... Gavin?" Skylar asked in confusion. "This wasn't here before, right?"
"Nope." Gavin answered decisively, observing the smoke coming from the chimney of the cabin. "And there was no smell of smoke until just now."
Skylar looked up. It seemed to have somehow gotten darker in the span of a few minutes. Gavin noticed as well and checked his watch.
"Well that's not right either." Gavin noted with an almost amused tone as he read five PM on the face of the watch.
"What does it mean?" Skylar was visibly frightened by the sudden appearance of the familiar but seemingly refurbished cabin.
"I can't say for sure." Gavin began. "But if I had to guess, I'd say that we're about to meet the Founder."