Fearless ≫ Zach Mitchell

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t e n

~

"You guys should get some sleep," Ashton said quietly as she finished off the last of her share of blueberries that Gray had found. She was careful to keep her voice down, as they didn't know what was out in the woods at night. Hell, how many failed science experiments had these idiots set loose on this island? "I'll take first watch."

"No, you need your sleep. I'll keep watch first," Zach protested with a shake of his head. His now-dry gray sweatshirt was tied around his waist, one of the blankets he had found earlier wrapped around his body.  Ashton could basically feel then tension between the pair, and she couldn't help but feel herself grow hot under his gaze. They almost kissed. Ever since that moment, she couldn't not think about it. And now, nearly an hour later, she found herself smiling at the thought of it, thankful for the darkness that hid her face. She had no idea why she felt the way she did- she had only just met the boy that day, after all. But something about him was... different.

"Will the two of you stop arguing and make up your minds?" Gray snapped from where he sat beside Ashton, though his voice held the faintest sign of humor. "If it makes you happy, I'll keep first watch, and you guys can go make out in the lobby or something?"

Her eyes widening at his words, Ashton glanced over at Zach, once again thankful that the dim lighting hid the blush of her cheeks. Though Zach only shot her his signature half smile, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Sleep. I'll wake you when I'm about to pass out," Ashton said sternly, surprising herself with her
motherly tone. Gray had already made a pillow out of a blanket, another one covering his still body as he laid on the hard ground. Zach only simply chuckled at her words, scooting across the stone ground until he was right beside the girl. As he slowly slid down the wall (Ashton was thankful that he decided against arguing), he leaned in and pecked her on the cheek, catching her by complete surprise.

"Wake me if you need anything," Zach whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He took no notice at her sudden sharp intake of breath, laying down on the floor and leaving Ashton alone with her thoughts.

~

It was a good few hours (though she had no real knowledge of how much time passed) before Ashton began to grow tired. She forced herself to stay awake, however, knowing that she would never be able to sleep with the weight she had on her shoulders. Besides, Zach and Gray needed to sleep more than her. Soft snores fell from the two brothers' mouths, filling the unnerving silence of the room with at least some noise. The occasional call of a Brachiosaurus echoed throughout the night air, causing a sort of peacefulness to wash over her.

Though after another hour of forcing her eyes to stay open, she began to feel as if she were about to pass out at any given moment. Pushing aside her selflessness, Ashton slowly leaned over to Zach and began gently shaking him. It took a few good tries to actually get him to stir, though when he did, he shot up into a sitting position quickly.

"How long has it been?" He questioned slowly, his voice raspy from sleep as he rubbed his eyes. Ashton couldn't help but find it attractive, a small smile finding its way onto her face without her even realizing it.

"A few hours," she responded rather sheepishly, turning her head so that, even in the dim lighting provided by the moon above them, he wouldn't notice the rosy tint of her cheeks. She didn't know why she was blushing exactly- it confused her. Zach pursed his lips, clearly wanting to say something (most likely some snarky remark), though apparently decided against it. Sending the girl beside him a small smile, he scooted backwards so that he was now leaning against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

Taking this as her permission to sleep, Ashton slowly slid down the wall, putting herself in a more comfortable position. She allowed her heavy eyes to flutter closed, her head growing limp and falling sideways. Though instead of coming in contact with air, as she expected, her head fell onto something soft. Her eyes opening once more, she realized that she had, almost subconsciously, rested her head on Zach's shoulder. She quickly moved to sit up, sending him an apologetic smile, though Zach only stared at her. She felt something wrap around her waist, quickly realizing it was his arm, and she was pulled closer to his warm body.

"Sleep," his soft voice whispered in her ear, causing her chest to tighten oddly. Unable to hide the smile on her face, Ashton rested her head on his shoulder once more, closing her eyes and almost immediately falling into the world of sleep.

Zach was thankful for the silence that hung over the abandoned building. Without Gray's loud mouth rambling on about dinosaurs and Ashton's sarcastic comments after almost everything he said, it gave him some time to think.

Ashton's head rested on his shoulder, his arm had subconsciously found its way around her waist. Not that he minded- in fact, the action had put a smile on his face without him even realizing. On the other side of her, Gray was fast asleep. His head rested in the girl's lap, her hand on his shoulder, and soft snores fell from his little brother's mouth.

After a good half hour of complete silence, apart from the occasional call of a non-threatening-sounding dinosaur, Zach allowed his mind to wander elsewhere.

Elsewhere- as in the fifteen year old girl who was currently sleeping on his shoulder. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't stop thinking about her. His girlfriend was no longer a problem, as she broke up with him when they were attending the Mosasaurus Feeding Show, because he wasn't answering her texts. Not that he mined- it didn't bother him one bit.

But after what happened earlier that night, when Ashton and him almost kissed, he didn't know how he felt about her. He wondered what would have happened if Gray hadn't interrupted them. Would it have been different between them? After all, after the week was over, they more than likely would never see each other again.

But that was why Zach made a promise to himself, something that rarely happened to the sixteen year old anymore (he usually just went with the flow)- that he would spend as much time that was possible with Ashton Grady. He would get to know her as much as he could, so by the time the week was over, he wouldn't regret a thing.

~

Ashton awoke early the next morning. Whether it was due to the faint songs of the Brachiosauruses, or because her body was just so used to early mornings, she did not know. She soon learned that she was the last awake, as when she sat up, she came face to face with Zach and Gray, both looking wide awake.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," Zach greeted her softly, a large grin spread across his lips. His words caused her cheeks to immediately heat up in a blush, and she scoffed lightly. She hadn't even been awake five minutes, and the boy had already succeeded in making her blush.

"What time is it?" Ashton asked almost out of instinct, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I wouldn't know," Zach responded with a small chuckle. "You see, I was too busy trying to save my ass along with yours and Gray's from a monstrous dinosaur to grab my phone. So it's still in the middle of the woods somewhere, probably crushed to death by the dinosaur's feet."

"Wow, you chose people over your phone. That's a first," Ashton muttered, though her words were laced with humor. Her gaze shifting over to Gray, she noticed that the boy was wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "What are you smiling at?"

"When you were asleep, Zach and I found an old car," Gray explained quickly, causing Ashton to furrow her eyebrows. Catching onto her evident confusion, he continued. "We fixed it up and now it works! We can ride it back to the park."

"That's great!" Ashton exclaimed, already rising to her feet. The thought of being back in civilization, even if it was a living hell, excited her. Maybe she would be able to see Owen again; she hoped he was alright. Though as she scrambled to her feet, a wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her to stumble. Zach's arms immediately lashed out, wrapping around her small frame and steadying her before she fell. Blinking rapidly, Ashton only stared at him, sending him a thankful smile.

"Let's go, lovebirds," Gray said with a roll of his eyes, though he still laughed. "We don't have all day."