Cabin 7 One-Shots

Reach

"Melody wait up," cried my friend Atlas.

I ignored her cries and continued to climb the tree.

"Melody wait." She ordered with such authority in her tone, my body halted to a stop. Part of me wondered how Atlas could do that. One command was so full of authority, you couldn't refuse.

"You're going really high. Just take a break," she recommended. I rolled my eyes and continued to reach high for the branches. One branch after the other, I could feel my anxieties melt away. It was like the higher I went, the more mindless I became.

"What's going on with you?" Atlas called, her hazel eyes wide with concern. She sat on a much lower branch. She had given up all hope in catching up with me. "You only do this when something is bothering you." I could hear the actual concern in her voice, but I didn't want to listen. I didn't want to talk; I wanted to climb. My arms restlessly kept going; I couldn't stop. If I did? I would remember my thoughts, and I was trying to escape them at the moment.

"Nothing's wrong, Atlas," I lied. "I don't need to talk."

"Fine, just please look down. You're super high up. It's dangerous."

"I'm fine. I do this all the time," I reassured.

"Yeah, and you've fallen before."

"Shut up," I snapped. Atlas became quiet. I almost felt guilty, but I was too irritated to care. I continued to climb. I could almost see the top. I just needed the view. I wondered how beautiful it would all look up there. I made up my mind and picked up the pace of my arms. I became a little excited. My arms went faster than they ever had. I was almost conscious of Atlas yelling at me below, but I didn't care. The world seemed to blur past me, and I enjoyed it. I reached for a branch, no longer paying attention to which one. I heard a snapping noise. My heart dropped, and I let out a sharp scream. Before I knew it, I was falling down. I remember feeling the weightless sensation of falling like on a roller coaster. My heart raced as adrenaline burst through my body. My arms flew around me, trying to grab onto branches to stop my fall. I remembered the sting of the branches whipping me as I fell. The sensation ended, and I slammed on the ground. Atlas ran towards me. I was conscious, hoping I wasn't so I wouldn't feel the pain. She sat by my side. Stress lines adorned her forehead. 

"You good?" 

I wanted to yell. "Of course not, I fell out of a tree." But all I could do was groan with pain.

"I'll go get Will." She got up and dashed towards camp.

 I just lay there, my mind analyzing my injuries. I noticed my arm was numb. "Great, broken, very broken." My head pounded, and my vision blurred. I knew Will would be furious with me. I didn't know how much time had passed. I tried to focus on other things to ignore the pain. It wasn't working well. Soon enough, I heard footsteps running in my direction. Will, Austin, and Atlas came into sight.

"We got you, Melody," Will reassured. His voice was impeccably calm, but I knew he would be furious later.

"I'm okay," I said as I tried to sit up, but black dots danced around my eyes, and my head buzzed with pain. I would have fallen back on the ground, but Will was already there.

They lifted me up on a stretcher. I was very conscious by the time they carried me through camp. Whenever someone would look over at me, Atlas would snap at them to keep their noise in their own business. For that, I really appreciated her.

Once in the infirmary, Will and Austin laid me in a bed. Will placed his warm hands on my head and closed his eyes. His face scrunched up with concern.