Love, Blood and Wilderness | YELLOWJACKETS

Chapter 44

    I hadn't seen visions of Jackie since Nat and I started dating.

    After we had found a bigger cave when spring arrived, we were finally able to implement a plan for us all. The council would meet in the old cave every couple of days to update each other on everything happening and create schedules. At the end of each one, we'd perform a ritual by recutting a scar on all of our hands and letting it drip on the symbol Lottie carved in the ground.

    The summer had brought us a lot of good, but also a lot of inconvenience. We had no sunscreen so all of our skin was peeling in burns. We would spend a lot of days in the lake cooling off. We were all sick from drinking so much water so that we wouldn't get dehydration. Our periods returned again. But we had food, we had a system, Nat and I had each other.

    However, summer was ending. We could feel it in the air. It was becoming less humid, the wind was picking up, the leaves were browning, animals were starting to disappear again.

    The sun was setting in hues of beautiful oranges and pinks. Nat and I were cuddled up on a cliff, watching the sun drown in the lake.

    The sun's lights were golden on our faces. Nat's slate blue eyes glowed under the rays. I could see the peeling on the bridge of her nose and patches of burnt skin.

    Her hair had almost completely turned back to its natural cocoa colour. She felt insecure about it, but I thought she was beautiful. The colour brought out her eyes, I told her.

    "It's getting colder," Nat stated, her cheek pressed against the top of my head.

    "I know," I told her, "but we did everything we could to prepare."

    That was true. We had collected a lot of water to use to clean ourselves, saved a lot of meat and berries to eat when the snow came and made plenty of new clothes out of animal fur.

    But it was coming up on a year since we've crashed. No one has come for us.

    "I need us to survive another winter," she said.

    "We will. You got us through the last one, you'll do it again," I assured her.

    "We have to. I want us to get out of here so I can take you on a real date."

    "What in your mind is a real date?"

    "Taking you out to a stupid cheesy movie or to dinner or bowling or something. I'm getting sick of playing rock chess," she grinned.

    "You seem like you'd suck at bowling," I giggled.

    "What, you don't think I'm good with my wrist?" She smirked at me, lifting her head from where it was placed and kissed my hair.

    "You asshole," I laughed and knocked her flat on her back, climbing on top of her.

    The sun shone on her, her face golden in its luminescence. She gazed at me with adoring eyes. Natalie Scatorccio was heaven sent.

    She cupped my jaw with her hands and pulled me in to kiss me.

    Her lips were warm and inviting. They moved against mine the way a calm wave did to a shoreline.

    The first time Nat and I kissed was exhilarating, rough and dangerous. When I kissed her now, it was gentle, adoring and everything I needed right now.

    It was the way Lottie used to kiss me.

    I didn't feel guilty about choosing Nat.

    But I did feel guilty that I didn't choose Lottie.