Puppet [LGBT - POLY - Complete - Edited]

Chapter 1

CONTENT WARNING: suicidal thoughts, suicide attempt, cutting, psychological abuse, and mildly explicit sex scenes. 

Chapter 1

Varian gazed into the murky lake. His reflection stared back at him. It was a blurry mass that faded in and out. The green-blue haze that fell upon the forest had traveled to the lake. His heart stuttered when he thought he saw something moving in the dark water. Footsteps came up behind him. He startled when two arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Boo!"

Kacey laughed as Varian jumped. His heart was pounding, a stabbing in his chest that made him breathless. He frowned and pushed Kacey back.

Still laughing, Kacey flopped to the ground beside Varian. The gravel road that lead up to the lake was only wide enough for them to sit shoulder to shoulder. The tall grass on either side of the path made the space feel even smaller.

Varian wouldn't say he was claustrophobic. He just didn't like feeling like he was trapped.

Kacey waved his hand in front of Varian's face.

"What are you looking at?" If it wasn't for the smile on Kacey's face, Varian would have thought he was making fun of him.

But Varian knew Kacey's humor. Him and Padriac were always dancing on the lines of being funny and being down-right mean. Hazel didn't like it when they took things too far. She didn't like hanging out with his friends period.

Varian shrugged.

He couldn't convey what he was feeling in words. He just felt empty. Like there was nothing there to begin with.

A silence fell over the two. It was strange only because Kacey was usually loud. Not as loud as Padriac. But louder than Varian certainly.

The water lapped against the the large rocks placed around the lake. Varian watched the tiny waves, content to just stay there.

It had been Mary's idea to come out here. Camping. He'd never been camping. He didn't think he'd even spent more than ten minutes in a forest and an even shorter amount of time by a lake.

He shivered as a gust of cold wind blew into him. Goosebumps ran up his arms. He was glad he'd decided to wear a jacket. Summers were never actually warm here and he wasn't going to start hoping for sunshine. At this point, he knew it was never going to happen.

The gravel crunched as another set of feet joined them. Varian looked up. It was Hazel.

She was the prettiest girl Varian had ever laid eyes on. From her long brown hair, her dark brown eyes, and her sun-kissed skin, there wasn't a single imperfection. She was wearing a thick jacket, a red flannel shirt, and jeans.

Though she smiled more than Varian, she wasn't smiling now. Her lips were twisted in a grimace, one that made her look as if she'd bitten into a sour apple.

"Hey," she said. Her eyes told him she wanted to say more. They flickered to where Kacey was sitting and then back onto him.

He got the message. Loud and clear.

He stood up, dusting off his pants. He'd been sitting there for a while. Mary and Padriac were out gathering wood for the pit. They were all waiting for them to get back so they could start dinner.

Before that, though, they'd put up the tents. One for the girls and one for the boys. They hadn't intentionally done it like that, but they all seemed to agree that it would be weird if Mary ended up sharing with Kacey and Padriac. They were friends, but they weren't close enough for that.