O N E

Italics = Sign Language
[ unedited!! ]

It felt like 24 hours had flew past as she found herself flinging the bags into the boot of the van. Ana finally picked up the last one, throwing it in before slamming shut the trunk, wiping the sweat from her head before picking her jacket up from the floor. She had attended her last aerobic class with her friends as they all prepared to leave for summer camp. She glanced round the side to see Chet stretching his leg beside the van, while Montana stood beside him, back against the van as smoke blew from her mouth.

Ana walked over to her friend, copying her actions. Montana offered her cigarette, which Ana declined as she rested her head back. Xavier and Ray were still getting changed from the aerobics class, and Olivia had quickly gone to the toilet to save herself the struggle of needing to go when driving to the camp.

For Ana, it was going to be difficult not having Olivia around everyday for the next couple of months. She had grown up looking after her mom and Olivia, but as Olivia got older she didn't need to, but being the older sister she still felt more responsible. She wanted the next couple of months to fly by, so she could see her sister again.

"Is that Brooke chick coming with you?" Ana questioned, looking up at the sky and taking her mind off of not seeing her sister. Montana took another drag from her cigarette before shrugging her shoulders, closing her eyes.

"When Xavier offered she said she wasn't because she wanted to stay for college... but she called me this morning, just before class, saying that she wouldn't mind tagging along" Montana replied "Bitch is confusing"

"Seems like you're dealing with little miss perfect. She doesn't seem like much of a talker" Ana chuckled, earning a smirk from Montana. They glanced over at each other before Ana smiled "Are you dealing with a lost american virgin?" Montana laughed before nodding her head, moving away from the van.

"The exact words that I said to her" Montana replied, chucking her cigarette to the floor and stomping on it "She has got to get laid" Chet came over half way through their conversation, taking Montana's old place and standing beside Ana.

"I'm sure Chet wouldn't mind doing it" Ana said, nudging him slightly as he looked at the two confused.

"Wouldn't mind doing what, exactly?" he questioned.

"Partying with Brooke in bed" Montana said, in a playful voice while jokingly caressing her waist before she raised her eyebrows "We all saw you eye fucking each other yesterday, in class and after class. God I could practically smell the attraction" Ana and Montana laughed as Chet rolled his eyes.

"Alright that's enough" he said, smiling slightly. He pulled on his shirt before looking over at Ana while Montana climbed into the van "Are you sure you don't wanna come? It could be fun, you might miss out"

"I know my presence is going to be missed greatly" Ana told him, earning a chuckle in return. The brunette shook her head, looking down at the floor "As much as I want to come for Olivia, I just can't leave mom alone. I wouldn't be able to rest knowing that I'm away from her and she can't rely on me"

"That's exactly the reason why you should come, Ana" Chet replied "You can't have this constant pressure of looking after her. A little break would do you good" Ana scoffed before patting him on the shoulder, leaning away from the van. Chet looked at her before nodding his head, understanding her reasons.

"Just look out for her, okay?" she told him as he glanced at her "It's going to be the longest she's been away from me"

"She'll be fine, honestly. Don't worry about her" Chet reassured, looking behind him to see Olivia walking towards the van with Xavier and Ray beside her "She'll forget that you're not there because she'll be having so much fun"

"Jesus, so subtle Chet" Ana told him, pushing him playfully. The boy grinned at her, climbing into the van and waving goodbye as she walked towards her sister. Ana pulled her into a hug as Olivia watched her friends climb into the vehicle.

"It's going to be weird without you there" Olivia said once they pulled away as Ana smiled, nodding her head.

"It's only for a couple of months, and they'll fly by" she replied "You'll be back home before you know it and reading comics in class. You'll be having so much fun, you won't even notice that I'm not there"

"I highly doubt that" Olivia said, making Ana chuckle "Give Mom my love" the two smiled at each other before sharing another hug.

After this, once the van pulled away, there would be no contact between them for a couple of months. They knew that they couldn't call each other, because Olivia wouldn't be able to hear what she was saying. She could ask Chet or Montana to speak to Ana for her, but it wouldn't be the same. It would be difficult for the both of them, but they had hoped that it would be over as quick as they leave.

"Remember, if you need anything, get one of the guys to call me for you" Ana said, seriously as Olivia nodded her head "If they can't understand you or don't know how to respond to you, there's a notebook in your bag. It's only a little one though so try and limit what you say, if you can"

A horn sounded behind them as Ana jumped slightly, looking behind her to see that Xavier was waving for them to hurry up. Ana rolled her eyes before putting up two thumbs, as Olivia did the same. The two smiled before Olivia made her way into the van. Ana stood still, watching as Olivia sat in the passenger seat beside Xavier. She pulled on her seatbelt, looking back at her sister and smiling brightly.

"I love you" Olivia signed through the window as Ana winked at her.

She heard the engine start, and watched the back door slide shut as she slowly walked backwards. She held her hands in front of her as they prepared to leave the car park, but a screech stopped them from pulling away. Ana looked behind her to see that Brooke was jogging from one of the cars, bag in hand. The back door was instantly slid open again, revealing Montana's smiling face as the brunette reached Ana's side.

"You're just in time" Ana told her as Brooke smiled slightly, her chest heaving up and down from her running over "Go on then, get in quickly. Xavier hates waiting" just as quick as she was by her side, Brooke said a quick goodbye to Ana and ran towards the van, as she was then pulled in by Montana, the door sliding shut again. Ana glanced over at Olivia, her sister still looking at her before she waved goodbye, the van pulling away and leaving the car park.

Olivia watched her sister through the mirror, until she could no longer see her and she took a deep breath in. Silence filled the atmosphere around her, when in reality the group was gushing about how Brooke had survived an attack from the Night Stalker, and Xavier began singing along to the music playing in the van.

Olivia leant her head back, looking at the town they left behind for a couple of months. A small break would do her good, she thought. She kept reminding herself of that, but the feeling of being away from her home and away from her sister for so long made her feel incredibly anxious. She wasn't sure why she agreed to come along.

✧· .˚ .*

They were half way to the camp, and nothing but silence surrounded Olivia. She looked behind her a couple of times, to look at the rest of them sitting at the back as they all spoke to each other, but other than that she mainly focussed on the trees outside as they passed them at a high speed.

Xavier turned around every now and then to speak to the gang at the back, but his main focus was on the road ahead. Not far from where they were was a gas station, where they could leave the van and have a quick stretch while their vehicle would be charged up again for the remaining hour.

Olivia glanced at Xavier's fingers on the steering wheel as they tapped to the rhythm of whatever song was playing. She pursued her lips, looking down at her lap as she plunged into the thought of being able to hear. She didn't know any sounds, being born deaf surely ruined a lot of experiences for her.

She counted herself lucky though, because she became familiar with the fact that there was a small amount of deaf individuals who were able to speak, her included. She could speak, but she chose not to. The only people who had really heard her voice was Ana and her mother, but it was the rare occasion. She hated speaking when she couldn't hear what she was saying, just the fact that she didn't know if she was in fact saying anything or were her lips just moving.

She could lip read, but only if the person was speaking clearly enough to her. Her main way of communicating was sign language, and no one knew it better than Ana. Her mother took sign language classes and did all the reading that she could when she found out that Olivia was born deaf. It wasn't long until she began teaching Ana sign language at a young age, so she could prefect it when she was older, just like Olivia began learning it from when she was just little.

Thanks to Ana, their group of friends knew some sign language in order to communicate with Olivia – it was originally Chet's idea. Ana had known the group of friends longer than Olivia, the girl was first friends with Montana when she previously dated Xavier. Their relationship didn't last long, as their attraction for each other wasn't exactly a strong one and they realised there were more arguments than couple moments.

Olivia first met Montana when she attended her first aerobics class with her sister, Ana. Montana only did classes for men so she could check them out, so Ana mainly just watched and observed before joining classes herself. Ana and Montana met Ray at Justine Bateman's house party, and that was also the first time they met Chet. The four became close, and with Montana and Xavier luckily still being friends, she suggested that they should try out his aerobics class.

From then on, their the friend group became more stronger and closer. They all attended every single one of Xavier's aerobics classes, and they didn't dare to miss one. It was only halfway when Olivia joined and met the group of friends, but was told she could just sit in the corner if she wanted to.

Chet's attraction to Ana was what made him suggest the learning of sign language. The two were attracted to each other, no doubt, but Chet wanted to make sure that Ana's sister was involved just as much as she was. Mainly because he wanted to impress Ana but, also the fact that he was just sympathetic towards the deaf girl, even though he would barely show it. Ana and Chet knew it would never work between them and had multiple discussions about it, due to the fact that she was a couple years older than him.

Despite the reasoning behind his idea, Olivia found it touching.

Olivia had realised who knew it best and who barely didn't. She could tell from the way they all interacted with her, and how much they actually used it with her. Apart from Ana, Chet knew it better than anyone in their group of friends. He seemed confident doing it, and used it quite often. Then came Montana, the girl surprised herself when she was fairly good at it, but she sometimes got words wrong every now and then. Despite being able to use it pretty well, she barely did use it though, as her main focus was on Ana.

After Montana, it was Xavier. The blonde boy knew some, but wasn't confident at all using it. Small sentences he was good at, but longer ones, he was completely useless. He always understood what she was saying, but could sometimes not know how to respond. Olivia didn't mind of course, because she was always able to read his lips. Xavier was a clear speaker, and Olivia read his lips most of the time in order to understand what he was telling her. Lastly, was Ray. With Ray, it was as if Ana didn't teach him any at all.

He tried his hardest, Olivia gave him that, but he was never able to grasp it as well as the others. In the end, Olivia told him not to worry about it because the two barely spoke to each other anyway. He was quite relieved, but he would never admit it.

Olivia felt the van slowing down, and she looked out her window to see that they were pulling up to the small gas station. She was relieved, because she needed to stretch her legs before she reached camp. Once it came to a stop, Xavier wasted no time in pulling off his seatbelt and making his way out of the vehicle.

Olivia opened the passenger door, watching as the back door slid open and everyone climbed out, stretching their legs. The blonde looked around the small gas station, watching Xavier walk towards the building. She turned around to face Montana who began stretching her legs on the back of the van while twisting her neck.

There wasn't much that they could do there until their van was filled up to the full amount. The blonde placed her hands on her back and pushed forward, feeling her muscles tighten together as she sighed with relief. She looked to her left to see Chet coming towards her, shirtless but with a small smile on her face.

"You doing okay?" he questioned. Olivia smiled back at him, scratching the back of her head before shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah I guess. Why do you wanna know?" she replied as Chet shook his head. Brooke began watching the two, mainly Chet, with a small smile on her face. Chet thought for a moment, thinking about how he could sign his next sentence.

"You've just been quiet" he told her as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"It's not like I can say much" she said, earning a chuckle in return and she wanted nothing more than to hear his laugh. There was so many things that she wanted to hear, and a simple but of laughter would have brightened her day "Guess I'm just missing Ana"

"It's going to be strange for you" Chet reassured, before sending her a soft smile "Being away from her, but you'll enjoy it" Olivia smiled back at him, grateful for his reassurance but it still didn't fill the part of her that missed her sister. A few minutes later, Xavier came back, saying something to Montana before rolling his eyes.

Olivia didn't miss the warning look the man at the gas station gave her, and the worried look on the brunettes face. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion before everyone began piling into the vehicle again. She sat down in the passenger seat once more, the van shaking from when the back door was slid shut again.

Xavier handed the man some money before he looked at him, a serious look on his face. He told the blonde boy something, that Olivia unfortunately couldn't work out, as Xavier stared at him with confusion. He started the car, but before he could pull away, Olivia grabbed his bicep, making him look over at her.

"What did he say?" she questioned. He shook his head, an amused smile falling onto his lips while his eyebrows raised.

"Don't worry about it" he simply replied, making Olivia move her hand away from him. The van was started again and Olivia stared at her lap, wondering what he had told the group of friends. It was times like this that she wished she wasn't so protected by them. She would have liked to know what the man had told them, even if it did freak her out.

She knew Ana would have told her straight away.

Before they knew it, they were back on the road speeding past all the trees. Chet was now sat on the floor, positioned between Olivia and Xavier as he held the map. Olivia watched him as he began pointing to things on the map as Xavier looked around in confusion.

"Are you sure you know where you are going?" Olivia questioned again, a glare on her face as both Chet and Xavier watched her.

The two men didn't reply to her, instead Chet gripped the map tighter, covering his face and Xavier began scratching the back of his head. She couldn't hear the discussion they were having throughout the journey, but picking up on their facial expressions, she knew that they were lost and confused as to where they were going. She completely gave up, slamming her hands on her lap before staring out the window and looking at the trees. It seemed like the trees were her only friend at this point. She had done nothing but stare at them the entire journey.

It stayed like that for a few moments, Olivia watching the trees as they passed them at a high speed. It didn't last long, as the blonde began smelling something very strong and she regretted turning her head, as Xavier and Chet weren't paying attention to the road ahead of them as they lit a shared cigarette. She stared at them in disbelief, shaking her head before decided it would be wise for her to look out the front.

Just as she did, a face popped into her view and before they all knew it, they were jolting forwards as the van came to a stop. A sudden thud vibrated the van as they all sat there, in shock and worry. She saw the smoke from the front window and she wondered if the face she had seen was real or she just imagined it.

No one dared to move, but she was the first. She ripped off her seatbelt, everyone's eyes on her now as she rushed out the door, trying to see if she could find out what happened. Xavier and Chet shouted her name but weren't surprised when they had no response back, their minds going blank in that one moment.

She ran round the back to look behind the vehicle and her eyes widened as she saw a man lying on the side of the road, knowing that it was them that caused the incident. She wasted no time in running towards him, kneeling by his side as she held his face gently. She shook his shoulder slightly to get a response and all she received was a small movement of his head.

The rest of her friends came to join her, all looking down at him. Ray took the position at the top of the mans head, holding it gently as he began speaking to him. Olivia turned around to where Xavier was standing behind her before she sent him a heavy glare, the blonde boy looking away from her.

Montana came up beside her as Brooke lay a blanket over him. The man on the road looked at them all, confusion filling his face before his mouth opened wide and Olivia only guessed that it was a scream. She held his wrist gently, her eyes moving down to the place where her hand was and she noticed all the cuts and bruises on him, scrunching her eyebrows together. She glanced over at Montana who was also looking at them.

The group began speaking with each other, before they all began moving him slightly and Olivia only guessed that they were about to move him away from the road. Before she could help, he had an instant grip on her own wrist, her eyes widening at the sudden strength that he had.

She watched his lips move, desperately trying to figure out what he was saying to her before his eyes slowly closed, and the grip on her wrist became loose again. It all happened in a second, he whispered something to her and she didn't know what he said, but that instant curiosity was still there.

She stood up, watching the group deal with him as they carried him towards the van. She stood off to the side for a moment, holding her wrist where he had grabbed her as they began covering him up in the back. Xavier looked over to her, to see that she now had her back to them before he made his way over to her.

He touched her shoulder gently, the girl quickly looking at him before she looked down at the floor, moving her hand away from her chest. Before he had chance to ask her if she was okay, she stepped closer to him.

"What did he say, Xavier?" she asked as he gripped his sunglasses tightly "He said something to me, but I couldn't work it out. What was it?"

"He said that he tried" Xavier replied, shrugging his shoulders looking back at the vehicle that they were stood by "Whatever the hell that means"

They were now both staring at the van where their friends surrounded the man, all sharing stressful looks. Olivia thought about what he had told her, and she was more confused than ever. Today had been a confusing day for her, for them all. She had only hoped that her experience at camp redwood would become better over the next few days and months, but she wasn't aware of the dangers that the camp held.