❝happiness is a butterfly
try to catch it like every night
it escapes from my hands into moonlight❞
-happiness is a butterfly, lana del rey
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chapter fifteen, THE GROUP OF STRANDED TEENAGERS
DAY ONE
Sand coated Amelia Jade Whitlocks' hair, stuck to the dry pieces like glue. Her head pounded, her feelings and emotions rushing back to her as she peeled her eyes open.
The others lay, still asleep around her as she pushed herself from the sand, her body slick with sweat. The fire, the main cause of her overheating, still burning embers. Her mouth begged for water, the girl's dry throat ripping as she coughed.
Her back was stiff and sore, something about sleeping on the sandy ground. The first night stranded on a deserted island had gone as successfully as AJ could have imagined it.
She stole a few glances at the others as she stood and stretched. They had managed to find a few coconuts and some berries and that's what they had eaten the night before. But they couldn't survive on an island alone with only fruit.
Her eyes scanned the water, the fear of finding a boat almost as high as the urge to find one. Her feet felt the cold water before she noticed she was standing at the shore.
The water drew back and AJ's feet sunk slowly in the wet sand. She let her eyes flutter shut as she stood, basking in the early sunrise. Orange and yellow painted the sky, the air still cool. She shrugged off the flannel she was wearing and took a few more steps into the water.
Her body stiffened as the cold water hit her legs but she pushed past it. She walked until she knew it was deep enough and took a deep breath, plunging below the surface seconds after.
She gasped for the cold air as she came up, wiping her wet hair from her face. Shivering for a while before she started to swim, letting herself get used to the chilled water.
She didn't realize anyone else was awake until she heard the sharp intake of breath at the shore. AJ turned, startled. "hey" She breathed out, meeting the boy's blue eyes.
"hey" JJ greeted, the boy taking the same steps she did when she got in.
"How are you feeling?" AJ asked, tipping her head back and letting the water soak her hair again.
"Jesus Christ AJ, I'm fine" He assured her and she shot him a look. "okay sorry, I'm okay" She nodded and watched as he got further into the water. Her nerves were eating away at her and she had yet to let out any of her thoughts. She thought she was going to burst if she didn't. She thought-
"My brother who I thought was dead, and isn't is on the boat with Ward. And Ward killed my mom" She froze when the words escaped, her hand even shooting to her face to cover her mouth. JJ's eyes widened and the two blondes stared at each other for a few seconds.
"oh yeah, I have a brother" She finished before turning away from him. "and my name's Amelia" She breathed out, all of her secrets flying full force off of her chest. She didn't notice she had started to shake. "and the only person who knows my name is Pope. And Sarah and John B are the only ones who know about Logan"
"And, I didn't think I'd stick around this long. and I'm not even sure I belong with you guys but I am going crazy keeping this all in" She turned back to the boy and his face was soft.
"AJ, as much as you might hate it, you are a freaking pogue." JJ laughed and she smiled, a genuine smile. "are you okay?" He asked and she shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay, well then enough of this sappy shit."
"Good, you might not believe me now but I am not a fan of sappy shit" The two laughed until AJ's face fell.
"do you think if we buried the Juul in the sand it would dry up enough for us to use it?" JJ took a second to recover from the whiplash of a convo change before questioning it himself.
AJ pushed herself towards the shore, her mission set. Try to revive the Juul. "but won't it die anyways?" JJ reminded her.
"Shhh, don't wake the others." She shushed the boy, looking over the group of still-sleeping teenagers. "It will die eventually. Which is why-" AJ dug through the pocket of her flannel as she spoke to JJ with a hushed voice. "-we don't tell the others we have it so we can get the most from it" She let out and JJ shot a look at her.
"AJ, I like the way you think"
"I know you do" She laughed and started to put some dry sand around the Juul. Digging a small hole for it far enough from the shore to keep it dry. "give me that stick" AJ pointed a few feet from them and JJ nodded before retrieving it for her.
She stuck the stick into the sand to mark their treasure before standing and brushing the sand off of her wet skin. "We should try to find some more food to eat, we might be here a while" AJ reminded the boy and she didn't miss the way his eyes sparked with content. She didn't know just how much of a dream this was to him.
DAY SEVEN
The pogues had been stranded for a week at that point. A week since everything went down. The first few days they hadn't quite swallowed the pill they chose. They hadn't quite excepted all that they had to endure now.
On the fourth day something changed, they were still eating lots of fruits, Pope and Cleo venturing off to collect some berries. JJ and AJ collected water in coconut shells for Kiara to boil over the fire. Sarah and John B in charge of trying to create some shelter.
Pope got back from collecting berries and brought over a handful for AJ. She smiled, thanking him as she tossed a few in her mouth. Savouring their sweetness.
"we should try to build something on the cliff over there, so we can light it and send a smoke signal if ya know" Pope started, his suggestion falling short before he said it. The seven pogues swore off talking about rescue. In case it didn't come, in case it did.
"I'll help, come on" AJ signalled with her head for the boy to follow and they went off for a walk. "we should see what's up there first" Sarah stopped the pair, running over with a coconut filled with water.
"hydration" She reminded them and AJ smiled.
The pair hiked up the small cliff. The view meeting AJ's eyes as she stared out in awe. It was beautiful. Like John B said the first night, their own slice of paradise.
"This is a good place to build it" Pope's words met AJ's ears and she nodded, still taking in the view. The sun was setting and the blonde girl's eyes were filled with bleeding red sky. "it's so beautiful up here" She breathed out and Pope stopped, standing next to her and soaking it in too.
"it really is" He agreed and she turned, meeting the boy's eyes as he followed suit. They eventually returned to the task at hand and started to pull the materials over.
"It's gonna be dark soon, we should head back down. Finish this tomorrow" AJ suggested.
"yeah, we gotta work on a better way to catch the fish. We've only caught three since we got here." Their voices grew louder as they approached the fire JJ had started. Cleo moved over to make room for AJ to sit next to her.
"Oh AJ, can you help me with something" JJ's unnecessary and over-dramatic wink drew the attention of the rest of the pogues.
"What?" AJ asked as she walked over to where the boy was, feeling the watching gaze of the others.
"I think it's finally croaking out" JJ announced, holding the Juul between his fingers. He took a hit from it and AJ scoffed.
"if you think it's a goner then give it to me, Jesus" She stole it from the boy and placed it to her lips. She inhaled, sucking the flavored weed vapours into her lungs.
"Is that the fucking Juul?" Kiara's question made AJ freeze. JJ took the vape from AJ's hand and took a hit. The flashing red lights making AJ groan.
"fucking idiot, that should have been my hit" She argued with him and the others exchanged looks of shock and disbelief.
"you've had the Juul this whole time?" John B uttered the two guilty blondes shared a look.
"oopsie?"
DAY FIFTEEN
Logan Whitlock's hands wrapped around Amelia's throat. She struggled, tears pooling in her eyes as she stared into her brother's cold ones. He squeezed harder and Amelia thrashed around in his arms.
She tried to get out a scream, a cry, anything. All that resulted was a croak and it just made Logan squeeze harder. She shut her eyes, hot tears running down her face.
"Just like your mother Melly" Ward's voice met her ears and when she opened them her throat was free. The girl gasped for breath. She stumbled across the boat, still unable to yell for help.
When Amelia turned the corner Ward was on top of Brianne, the man pulling her up off the floor of the boat and slamming her head against the metal edge.
A scream ripped through Amelia's throat and she ran forward. "Mom" She cried out. She grabbed the woman's body, pulling Brianne to her chest. "Mom" Her sobs wracked through her body.
"Mom, wake up" She shook her shoulders but in a second arms were wrapped around her waist and pulling her back. "he didn't mean to hurt Mom, he wanted to help her but she was so damn selfish" Logan cooed in Amelia's ear.
"No! Mom!" Her body shot up and AJ could feel the sweat soaking her body. "AJ, AJ!" Pope's panicked voice met her ears and she looked around disoriented.
Her head pounded and she shook from fear, flinching when she felt a hand on her arm. "AJ, It's just me. It's Pope" His voice brings her back down.
"AJ, you're okay" She turned to him and his face softened. "do you wanna go for a walk?" He suggested but she shook her head. She watched as he stood and moved away from where they were sleeping.
"come here" Pope called her over and she took a breath, calming herself before following after him. He sat down on one side of their hand-made checker's set and AJ sat across from him. He suggested the game with his eyes and AJ nodded.
"what's going on?" Pope's question made the girl scoff as she moved her game piece.
"what's going on? we're stranded on an island" She shook her head, not wanting to get into it.
"We both know that's not what I meant" He moved his piece before looking back to the girl in front of him. "You've been having nightmares like every night"
"do you wanna know what it is? Really?" His softened features and small nod made the girl sigh. "I have a little brother, his name's Logan. A little after my mother died, before I tore through her office I was told he overdosed and died." She paused, taking in a breath.
Apart from JJ, Pope was the only one she wanted to open up to. Unlike JJ, this felt more difficult. It didn't spill from her lips in a rushed fashion. She had to force herself to speak.
"He, he's with Ward. He was on the boat. Ward saved him after" She bit hard on the inside of her bottom lip. "Ward saved him after he killed my mother" She didn't meet Pope's gaze. "is that a good enough answer for you?" She pushed herself away from the handmade board.
She moved closer to the fire, just to the left of JJ and tried to get comfy. The facts slipping away from her now. How could she hold onto facts when it didn't make sense that Logan was alive? Or that she had been holding onto the fact of her mother's accident when now everything was flipped on its head.
Her mother was murdered. And that came with a different grieving process than dying in an unforeseen accident. AJ didn't know how to deal with it all. Everything was pulled out from under her again. And she barely put herself back together the first time.
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(NOTES)
didn't want to rush past poguelandia
but also didn't want to spend
too many chapters on it, so this is my
compromise.