Toni's POV
We only made it three days in the cave. It just was not suitable for living in. Not that anyplace around here is.
"The weather in this place is spastic" I tell Dot as we lug the last of the supplies from the cave onto the beach. "Like how can it be this hot and this windy at the same time?"
"It's like we're being blasted by a giant hairdryer" she remarks.
"Yeah and then freezing our asses off in that cave at night." I will admit, those past three nights I definitely was not too upset when Parker inched closer to me for body warmth.
"Okay, dude, I get it. The cave was a bust, and it was my idea, but didn't I pay the ultimate price? A bat took an actual shit in my actual mouth" she goes on dramatically.
I crack a smile at this, "yeah, you really got to work on sleeping with your mouth shut."
"Can't help it man. That's just how I breathe. It just sucks that we''re out here again with nothing over our heads. Carnivores, aren't the deadliest force in the wild, you know."
"Don't make me guess what is."
"Exposure. Slow killer."
"Where does thirst rank?" I say through my chapped lips and dry mouth as I raise my diet coke, "Cause I'm blowing through my stash here." I eagerly take a sip, savoring the carbonated beverage knowing we won't have them for long.
"Hard not to. This reminds me of that like Texas-in-July heat, you know? The kind that makes old people drop dead on their way to the mailbox and sane people sort of...snap. Case in point." Dot nods her head at Martha who was bounding around a couple feet away, showing off her healed ankle to Leah and Parker who sat together nearby.
I smile at the sight.
"Leah, Parker, watch this, watch this, ready?" She skips around some more, a walking stick still in her hand. "DOesn't even hurt, I don't even feel it."
"Whoa." Leah enthuses.
Parker cracks a smile which makes butterflies swim through my stomach. I try my best not to absolutely swoon in front of Dot. I might be tough and all but I am undeniably a simp for Parker Rilke.
"You like her, don't you?"
Parker's POV
"Oh, you took your splint off?" my sister asked Martha.
"Yeah. I feel like a brand new woman." She tosses her walking stick aside. "I wonder if I'll actually say that, and mean it one day."
"I kind of hope not. 'A brand new woman'? They only say that in old shampoo commercials." I rest a head on my sister's shoulder, watching the waves breathe in and out on the shore line.
"Well, you get what I mean." Martha takes a seat on the other side of Leah. "I want to be changed by something."
"You don't think all this will do the trick?" Leah counters.
"I'd rather be changed by something good." Martha muses. "Like love."
Leah stays silent.
Suddenly, Martha seems to jump on her opportunity, "What's it like? Like, really being in love?"
Uh oh.
"Cool. So what did Fatin tell you?" Leah's demeanor changes in an instant. My head lifts up from her shoulder and I place a hand on her shoulder in warning however she seems to ignore it.
"Nothing...She read me some of the book, and the little notes inside."
"Great, that's great, so uh, any hot takes on what a creep he must have been? And that I'm nothing but a teenage fetish object?"
There's a lump in my throat. My heart begins to speed up.
"No, like -I don't, I haven't even...I thought the whole thing was super romantic."
There's a pause. I hold my breath, not wanting her to explode.
She takes a breath and finally I can release mine. "It's misery, Martha, that's...that's what love is. Misery, doubt, and a shit-ton of self loathing."
My heart breaks for my sister who keeps her gaze sternly ahead, on the vast, suffocating ocean we've been mocked by since the crash.
I hug her from the side while she stays as still as a statue. I'm worried.
--------
About 45 minutes of returning to the beach go by. Nora, Fatin, and Shelby had gone into the water to rinse off.
All of a sudden, the three girls come running up the beach, a bag of Takis clutched in Nora's hand. Takis!
They get thrown to the ground when the three reach us and we all form a circle around the enticing bag.
"I need these in my mouth right now!"
"Oh, Lord it's like a miracle!"
"Those are so much better than hot cheetos." Leah points out from my side.
Dot and Toni both reach for the bag at the same time, "They're mine!" "I get claim to these."
Toni rips the bag out of Dots grasp with a look of defensiveness.
"Alright, I'm not trying to start shit, but I bought those at the airport. I put them in my carry-on." Dot states.
"No way. I bought them at a mini-mart in Richwood along with an orange fucking gatorade like I always do." Toni shoots.
"She did, on our way to Fargo to catch our first plane." Martha steps in.
"Bam! Where's your witness?"
The rest of us are watching the short spat with intrigue but in reality, we would all do anything for that bag of Takis, no matter whose they were.
"Hey, hey, hey, how about we just take a step back and get a clear read of the situation." Shelby tries to diffuse the tension.
"The situation is that they're mine and anybody who tries to take them is a colonizer." Toni is not having it.
"Okay, just listen up for one second, we're all real sick of eating macadamia nuts, right? And here we have something that everybody wants with no surefire owner. So...I say we look at these Takis as a grand prize and we play for em!" Shelby suggests.
"Can't we just eat them?" Leah says exasperatedly from next to me. I nod in agreement, my stomach rumbling.
"Yeah, seriously. She's gone full youth-group counselor on us." Fatin pitches in.
"Play what?" Asks Rachel with ice in her tone.
"Three words. Shelter building contest!" Announces Shelby.
"No way!" Dot cheers.
Toni does not seem to like the idea.
I, however, am secretly very excited for this. From all of the survival shows I've watched, I should be pretty well equipped for this.
"We'll split into two teams, right, and whoever builds the best, most durable one wins." Shelby continues in her southern drawl.
"I'm out." Rachel announces. "How many times do I have to say it? I am not trying to make myself at home here. I want to leave."
"We won't survive without shelter, Rachel," Nora encourages, "...and the universe has a wicked sense of humor. Rescue will probably show up as soon as we finish."
"If you build it...they will come!" Dot quotes the movie Field of Dreams dramatically. "Come on, Field of Dreams, It's like a brilliant film."
Everyone laughs at Dot but I know exactly what movie she is talking about, it is pretty brilliant. I nod in her direction.
"Come on, Rach..." Nora continues.
"Fuck it. I'll play."
--------
Toni and Dot were made captains. We did a coin toss to see who would choose first, Toni won.
"Marty B, you know whats good" of course, she chose Martha first.
"Well, I want the W, so Rachel" says Dot.
"This is my fucking middle school PE nightmare" Leah mutters from beside me.
"I know, I wore a scoliosis brace from 4th to 7th grade so this isn't not triggering" Nora agrees.
I nodded my head along to what they were saying. I was not usually last pick but I also wasn't really first.
The group ended up deciding that the last person chosen gets to pick. Marty picked Shelby and then Rachel picked Leah because of her height.
"Join the fam Nora" Shelby called out.
Fatin and I were the only ones left and somehow it was decided that we'd both go to Dot's team. The numbers were not even but Fatin really did not show much interest in helping so no one complained.
Our group was pink visors; Dot, Rachel, Leah, Fatin, and me. Dot helped put black stripes on my face like they do in football with Fatin's makeup. I actually felt like I was having fun for the first time in a long time. I felt the cool ocean breeze on my skin and let the warm sand slip through my hands as I waited for instruction from our team captain.
And just as quickly as my sense of peace was brought on, it was interrupted by the sound of a heated argument down the beach. I turned my head only to see Toni storming off away from her team.
"Shit. Turmoil over there" Dot points out.
"Isn't that good for us?" asks Rachel.
"If you've seen any group challenge on any reality TV show ever, you'd know that it's the hot mess team that always pulls out the win" Dot counters.
I nod in agreement with my knowledge of such shows. Being secluded in that house for the past year gave me a lot of free time to binge them.
"So," Dot continues, "that's why I've got a game plan".
"Cool, let's do it" Rachel just seemed ready to get to work.
"You don't even want to hear it first?" Dot asks in response.
"Look, I'm cool with following your lead on this. This shit is not in my wheelhouse" Rachel explains, "And I don't think it's in Leah's".
"Yeah, no, extremely not" my sister confirms.
"And I bet my life that it's not in Fatin's. Parker on the other hand, who knows. Where is Fatin, by the way?" Rachel continues.
Right on queue, Fatin walks over carrying Marcus, "What'd I miss?"
"Where were you?" Leah starts.
"Relax, I was contributing," she places Marcus on the ground, "got us our sixth man here, he's a total fucking visor" she put a pink visor around his neck. I smiled at this but Leah did not seem impressed.
"Alright. Well, if we want to win those Takis then we gotta focus. What we're gonna do is come straight out of Daniel T.'s playbook. Second runner up, "Alone in the Outback," season 8. You see those pieces of driftwood over there? If we stand them up like this, find the right log as the spine, and find some brush for the roof, then we've got ourselves a winning A-frame" Dot lays out her plan.
"Tight. Let's go get it." says Rachel, just wanting to get this over with.
I start to walk toward the brush with Dot and Rachel and I notice a dark look on Leah's face as she turns to face Fatin. Oh no. "Why are you just sitting there?" she pokes.
"Oh, you meant, like everybody?" Fatin questions.
"I guess you could just chill here" Dot offers.
"No, she can't do something like, not constructive." Leah continues. I tug on her wrist as a warning but she ignores me.
"Okay, well then we'll go get the log from the cave. And, Fatin, you could gather some fronds for the roof" Dot suggests trying to ease the tension.
"You got it" she responds, "is that constructive enough for you?"
The tension is building and I am worried Leah is going to snap soon. Ever since she stopped dating the guy on the book, her patience has been wearing thin. With our parents, with herself, even with me.
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Toni's POV
The greenery of the forest surrounds me. I work my way through the brush with the axe and chop bits of branches and fronds for the shelter. I let my anger get to me again back there. This though, space and hard labor, helps me cool down. After a while I climbed up a tree and took a seat on a branch, sweat dripped from my neck. I took this time to reflect. On the crash, on the people I'm stuck with here, on Parker...
I've barely held a conversation with this girl but somehow I can't seem to get my mind off of her. I know something bad must have happened to make her quiet. I think I see myself in her a bit, from when I was younger, that's why I'm drawn to her I guess.
I remember being so afraid of the world as a kid. Being thrown place to place with no one to really look out for you toughens you up after a while. For a bit though, I was quiet too. I spoke, don't get me wrong, but I was not one to approach people or stick up for myself. I guess you could say I overcompensated for that now...
--------
Parker's POV
"You know, I can't believe I'm gonna say this but we could really use Fatin right about now" Dot admits as she digs a whole in the sand beside me with a big stick. I'm helping her with my own stick.
"If we lose this because of her ass, I'm gonna be pissed" adds Rachel as she lugs a heavy log over. "I do not do losing. Fatin!"
Speak of the devil, she walks over with a singular frond in hand. "You rang?"
"Where were you?" My sister asks in an icy tone, turning away from her work on our shelter.
Uh oh.
"I was preventing gingivitis" she holds up an electronic toothbrush.
"The hell? You had a toothbrush in your bag?" asks Dot.
"So what? It's not like anyone would want to share it with me."
"Well...my inventory was supposed to be comprehensive man."
"And honestly, I'm not above sharing, my feet are fuzzy at this point" Rachel points out angrily. I nod in agreement as I feel the soft surface of my teeth.
"We're slaving away out here and you're worrying about fucking dental hygiene?" My sister prods.
"I just spent 25 minutes finding fucking fronds for you guys. Excuse me if I want to take a 30 minute break." She shoots back.
Huh...yeah that math definitely does not add up. I try to hold in a laugh as Dot and I sure a look.
"Dude, those numbers don't add up" Dot laughs.
"Fuck this shit." Fatin turns around and begins to walk off.
Of course my sister decides to follow, "Where you going, Fatin? Oh, are you off to go scour the island for some random guy to fuck, since that seems to be the entirety of your personality?" she shoots.
Ah fuck, it's all going down hill from here I just know it. I try shooting a warning glare at Leah from where I stand but she doesn't notice.
Fatin turns around at this, "Ah! So this isn't about the fucking fort. It's about Jeffrey, isn't it? Yeah...I fuck a lot of guys because I find it extremely fun and because I'm not delusional about it."
Fatin was getting on my last nerve and I could see Leah's patience thinning by the second. I take a step toward them out of anger but Dot grabs my wrist, shaking her head at me.
"Like, if I was gonna go to pound town with some 30-year old, it's because I know he has a fetish for teenage pussy. I would never be such an idiot to think he was actually into me."
What an actual fucking bitch.
Leah reaches out and tugs her violently by the jacket, "You're fucking helping!"
"Jesus! You're fucking hurting me!"
Shit.
"Leah you don't have to do that!" Dot calls out.
"Let go of me!" And right on queue, Leah did...only for Fatin to fall into a brach, cutting her leg.
She gets up angrily, throwing a handful of sand at my sister, "What the fuck is wrong with you!? You fucking cut me!"
Leah just throws some back, "Get the fuck out of here!"
"You guys, stop!" Rachel yells.
Dot was still holding me back, I so badly wanted to punch Fatin in the face even if Leah was getting out of hand.
"Don't ever put your hands on me again." Fatin seethes.
"Or what?"
Fatin reached down, wiped her hand on her bloody thigh, and then wiped it on my sisters face. What the actual fuck is going on?
"You cunt" Leah laughs before walking off toward the ocean, stripping, and slowly dipping herself into the water until it consumed her.
We all walk toward the shore, watching.
"Man. That is some serious Virginia Wolfe type shit." Rachel comments.
"I don't even know what that means." Dot responds.
"It means that bitch is crazy." says Fatin.
My fists tighten at my sides.
"She said you were the psychopath of the group." Fatin looks to Rachel.
I can't deal with this right now. My sister is losing it, Fatin is being a bitch, and I'm still having bad nightmares which are pretty much leaving me sleep deprived. I've got to get out of here. I turn around and walk toward the forest.
"Parker!" Dot calls.
"Hey! Where you going?" Rachel adds on.
"She'll be back..." Fatin says to them not sounding too sure herself.
I just walk further into the greenery.
--------
Leah's POV
By the time I got out of the water, I realized my sister was gone.
"What the fuck guys! Where did Parker go!?" I frantically scan the beach.
"Relax. She just went for a walk she'll probably be back soon." Fatin reassures coldly.
"Hey, I'm sure she's fine" Dot outs a hand on my shoulder.
--------
Night had officially fallen and Parker wasn't back. The group piled into our fort with the bag of Takis.
"Hey, where's Parker?" Toni asks as her and Martha return from wherever they were.
"She went for a walk..." Dot explains, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Yeah, 3 fucking hours ago" says Rachel.
"We have to go look for her." I announce.
"Leah, I'm sure she'll be back soon, besides it's dark out it's not safe for us all to go out there." Shelby suggests with a bit of sympathy in her voice.
"It's not safe for her!" I begin to panic. I can't lose her...not again.
"Leah's right, she could be getting fucking eaten alive out there we can't just leave her!" Toni backs me up. A shoot her a thankful look.
"Alright, how about this, if she's not back within the next hour we go out." Dot mediates.
The group agrees on that.
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Parker's POV
I ended up finding a mossy area by a tree that I layed down on and dozed off. I needed to catch up on some sleep away from the chaos of camp. By the time I woke up it was dark and the light of the stars just barely poked through the forest ceiling.
Shit. I've been gone too long. I hope I haven't worried anyone.
Thankfully, I have a pretty good sense of direction and remember the way I came. The walk back was not even scary, it was somewhat peaceful actually. I hear the distant sound of the ocean sloshing about, the breeze sifting through the trees, and my soft footsteps on the muddy terrain. I smelt the salty ocean water, the wet dirt, and faintly a bit of smoke from camp. That's how I could tell I was getting closer. It was a little chilly, the wind wrapped around me raising the hairs on my arms.
Moments like these were the perfect opportunity to use my voice without fear of anyone hearing. I had complete privacy. I began to hum a tune to myself, brown eyed girl. I had blue eyes just like Leah though. However, while the melody floated through me I couldn't help but think of a certain brown eyed girl.
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Toni's POV
Just as we were about to leave camp in search of Parker, rustling was heard outside of the fort.
"Shit. Do you think it's a polar bear?" asks Fatin in alarm.
We all look to her with unimpressed faces.
"I am going to pray for your own intellect that was a joke" Rachel responds.
Leah walks out of the tent before any of us could stop her.
"Parker!" we hear.
At this, I follow her, exiting the tent. Sure enough, the blue eyed brunette stood hugging her sister. I feel a sense of relief flood through me.
"Don't ever fucking scare me like that again" Leah scolds.
They let go of each other and Parker turns toward me. Leah glances between us and then heads back into the tent.
"I'm glad you're not dead" I state. Oh god I'm so fucking stupid. Not smooth at all Toni! "I mean...I was -we were worried about you."
Parker just laughs at this. I'm thankful it's dark because I can feel the heat in my cheeks.
She steps toward me and places a kiss on my cheek before heading into the fort.
I'm left standing there with a dumbstruck look and the ghost of Parker's lips on my face.
--------
Parker's POV
I crawl into the fort after giving Toni a kiss on the cheek. I may not look it but my heart is racing.
"Hey! Good to see ya kid!" Dot calls as I make my way in, sitting beside Leah.
I smile back at her as the rest of the group welcomes me. Toni enters not long after me.
"We were going to send out a whole search party" Nora jokes.
Shelby passes me the bag of Takis which I eagerly take, eating a few.
"Not as good as I thought they'd be" Dot admits with a noise of disgust as she eats one herself.
"All I taste is dry" Leah says from my side after I pass her the bag.
"Hey, mind if I have some?" Rachel asks my sister, "And...I'll be careful, not to make any sudden movements, you know? You might be pretty jumpy sitting next to the psychopath."
And here we go again. Why are teenage girls so dramatic?
"Does anyone have any spare drinks they could loan me?" Fatin tries to cut the uncomfortable tension that she knows she caused. "I just tapped out."
"Dude, we're all running low. You're supposed to manage your own rations." says Dot.
I reach to my pocket to offer her one of mine but Leah puts her hand on my arm, stopping me. "How'd you get so thirsty? It's not like you've been exerting yourself." She shades.
"It could be the sodium bicarbonate," Nora offers.
"You know what, I'm sick of hearing this shit. Let me ask you something, all of you. Whose hypoallergenic pajamas were shredded to bind together logs? And whose sweaters are keeping you ingrates from freezing? Some people provide goods. Some provide services. I'm a goods provider therefore I get a pass on the services-" Fatin complains.
"That is such bullshit!" Leah explodes. "You're a goods provider because you had the stupid good fortune to find your fucking bag."
"You need to get your fucking talons out of my back, girl. For your own health...Can I please just have someones drink? A sip!"
"We vote," Leah begins, "Anyone who wants to give up a drink they carefully saved for somebody who did jack shit all day, raise your hand."
I kept mine down because I didn't want to get in a fight with Leah. No one else raised their hand.
"Oh my god, you know what? I'm out of here. Move." Fatin storms out of the fort.
"Should we go after her?" Martha asks.
"No. Fuck her." Leah spits.
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3rd Person POV
"Leah's doing beautifully, and so is Parker." the woman lies through her pearly white teeth with a smile so convincing it'd make you sick. "Leah is generous with her cohort, eager to participate in group activities, even making a few friends. We call these pro-social behaviors, and they're an incredibly good sign."
"Oh god," the worried mother on the computer screen sighed in relief, "that's so good to hear."
"Leah's never been much of a joiner, so yeah that's great. But how's Parker, is she..speaking?" the mother's husband speaks up from beside her.
"Parker is showing tremendous progress, she is still hesitant to speak to everyone but with a few friends she sure is a chatterbox."
"Wow," the father smiles, "that's amazing, amazing news." His wife beams from beside him.
"Well, it's early days, but I'm seeing so many other signifiers of emotional wellness. Initiative, self-care, curiosity -from the both of them."
"The winter was so hard for Leah, and this whole last year has been painful to watch for Parker," the mother delves, "with Leah's accident, she withdrew so much. Parker, just disappeared from the start of hers."
"Your daughters are stepping back from a dark precipice." The lying woman continues, "And they only stand to improve from here. This is not just therapy in the wild. The Montana campus is designed to nourish your daughters on a very holistic level. The Leah and Parker you"ll be reunited with at the end of the summer will be very much themselves, but also...entirely new women."
A/N -Oh my gosh this one is long. I am soooo sorry for the hiatus. I've started another semester of college and picked up a job so my schedule is crazy but I've been meaning to get a chapter out. I'm going to try and post another update within the week so stay tuned! Sorry if this one was a lot of dialogue I tried lol. And don't worry, we'll hear more from Parker soon...