Mac barely noticed when Nat left the tent. Presumably she had to go to the bathroom. It wasn't too unusual for someone to have to get up in the middle of the night.

Mac noticed when Nat didn't return after a few minutes. Mildly concerned, she reached for her flashlight. She checked Nat's sleeping bag first, to confirm her suspicions—which were confirmed—then headed out into the dark in her sleep shirt, slipping her crocs on, and went to find her. If she'd got lost in the dark or been hurt, she might need help.

Mac felt a certain protectiveness towards the tiniest member of the quartet. Her smallness was more than made up for in Kaz's bulk, and Mac was no slouch in the hauling and dragging department. Everyone looks frail next to Kaz. Red, being, for lack of a better term, average seemed downright weak next to Kaz and Mac. In truth, Mac felt protective towards all three of them, physically of Nat, but also... well, Red wasn't the most present of thinkers, and Kaz was surprisingly easily to distress. Mac kept the actress focused and helped her concentrate and study, and was a valuable emotional support for the more-fragile-than-she-appeared linebacker.

She had appointed herself team mom, and she revelled in being useful in the role.

The dark felt a little oppressive. The sunny day had given way to an overcast evening, so there were no stars and no moon to provide ambient light. Mac's flashlight had to make do, and she made her way carefully; it wouldn't do to go on a rescue mission only to fall and break her leg, needing rescue herself. There was no real reason that Nat would head down to the lake, so Mac headed uphill, past their kitchen area, towards the cliff. She had quite enjoyed the walk by herself earlier, up this path, where Kaz had headed between camp setup and dinner. There wasn't a lot of island, but what there was was lovely.

There was no sign of Nat until Mac reached the cliff, and then there was every sign Mac could have needed.

The narrow beam of the flashlight, pointed at the ground, illuminated Nat's knees, first, as she was kneeling on the hard rock. Her legs were spread, her hands resting on her thighs, her back straight, her breathing slow and regular. Her eyes were closed, and she was smiling, showing no sign of discomfort.

She was completely naked.

"Nat?" Mac said softly.

No reply.

Mac took a step to the side, and the light caught another figure, larger than Nat's tiny frame by a good amount. In the same pose, in the same state of undress, and with the same beatific expression on her face, there was Red, her dark curls and dark skin standing out against the pitch blackness of the night.

"Nat? Red?"

Still no reply.

Mac moved closer to Nat, planning to shake her gently, when she caught the by-now-expected third figure just a little off to the side. Naturally enough, it was Kaz, in the same pose.

"Ladies? Hello?" Mac raised her voice. She completed the motion that seeing Kaz had interrupted, putting her hand on Nat's shoulder and shaking her lightly, receiving the same lack of response that her words had got her.

The noise of a footfall behind her made her turn, and the light came up on a young man. "Great sight, isn't it?" he asked casually.

"What?" She turned back, then faced the stranger again. "My friends kneeling naked? That?"

The man nodded, once, a knowing smile on his face. "Been here long?"

"What... what kind of question is that?" Mac asked. She had just woken up, and after a long day, she was feeling the call of that sleeping bag yet again. That odd question seemed to make it hard to think, all on its own.

A hand was outstretched. An offer. "I'm Jon Tucker."

"Well, Jon, maybe you should tell me what's going on..." She took Jon's hand, and it was like her words slipped out from under her. "Uh... sorry, Kennedy MacAllistair. My friends call me 'Mac.'" She yawned. "Th-those friends, behind me." She felt like she should go to them, help them, or at least wake them up, but she couldn't seem to let go of Jon's hand. Or look away from Jon's eyes.

"Can I ask a personal question?" Jon asked.

"I..." Her eyes felt heavy. "I would... rather if you didn't. I think I would have to answer. You're doing something. You've... done something. My friends. That's not normal. They're... Something's happening. Happening to me, too." Jon was no longer in light, and Mac realized that it was because her free arm, with its flashlight, had dropped to her side.

Jon moved closer. She could hear his feet. She could feel his warmth. "Do you walk in your sleep?"

Mac hesitated. There were words she wanted to say. Words she needed to say. They were forcing themselves to the front of her mind, pressing on her tongue and lips. But she refused them. She clamped her mouth shut, even as her weary eyes closed. Her body became oddly relaxed and rigid at the same time. Her breathing wanted to deepen and slow, but she pressed it forward to try to get a better handle on what was happening. The words themselves wanted to be said, as much as she wanted to say them, but she knew, somehow, that it would be a resignation. Giving in.

The idea of giving in felt only too appealing.

Did they give in? she asked herself. Kaz, Red, Nat? Will they ever be able to get free of whatever Jon Tucker's done to them?

Will I?

Jon's presence in the darkness seemed to be waiting. She could let go. She could run. She could head down to the canoes, head out to the mainland.

Abandon her friends to ... whatever Jon would do to them.

She couldn't abandon her friends. Without her to protect them...

"I will sleepwalk for you." For them.

She wasn't sure when or how her shirt was discarded, but it felt wonderful to kick off her shoes and fall to her knees.