note:
i realized it's hard to put foreshadowing in your writing if it isn't screenwriting. lol. but if you read between the lines, the foreshadowings for this fic are in this chapter and the next.
also, part two was hard to put into words. if only i could direct and produce them in real life. lmao
[1996]
Their day didn't just start earlier than usual. But rather, everyone was also looking forward to making the preparations for the party.
Everybody was treating it like a day off for their usual tasks and chores, as they decided not to hunt or go to the lake to fish. Instead, they will spend the first half of their day decorating a spot not far from their cabin, where they will hold the celebration while Mari and Krystal prepare their food.
Natalie and Yumi were hanging the ornaments that Gen and Mel made, which are obviously just random objects they could pick up in the cabin or scattered around the area, that they managed to turn into something decent enough to be used as decoration.
Laura Lee, Lottie, Akilah, and Taissa were working on everybody's headdresses, as the three girls insisted, but Taissa was clearly working on something else. On the opposite side, Shauna, Jackie, and Ben were cleaning the utensils and preparing the other things they would use later.
In addition to the firewood in the center, Misty was currently arranging the stands where they would put the torches that would give them light once the sky turned dark.
Then there were the two brothers, who were setting up their improvised gong—per Jackie's suggestion—for when they made their entrances later. Javi was pulling up the heavy metal as Travis tied the rope around a tree to keep it hanging within Javi's reach at a level where he could hit it.
"I should have just helped Misty with the torch stands," Van complained as she tightened the knot she made connecting the dried logs they found earlier.
"We made a raft, Palmer. Who else could make a nice arch besides the two of us?" Agami replied, doing the same thing on the other side.
"Why would you even think of making one anyway? They already have decorated something for the entrance," said the red-haired girl, then signaled Agami to finally set up the arch, then pulled it together to stand.
"And they did a terrible job on it," responded Agami, grinning. "But what we're making is better. It should look good for the photos."
Van's face beamed upon hearing that. "Is it still working?" she asked Agami.
"Yeah, checked 'em earlier," the girl replied. "And I'm already on my last batch of batteries and films, why not use what's left of it for this occasion right?"
As they finished setting up the arch and decorating it with vines and wild flowers, the two of them helped with other stuff like getting the table from the cabin and carrying it all the way to their venue.
After everything was finally put into place, Jackie was the one to make the announcement of giving everyone at least an hour to prepare themselves for their party, which everybody agreed upon and immediately went to their own businesses.
Most of them were quick to grab their makeup kits and do each other's faces or start to style their hair. But Agami rummaged through her suitcase to find the most decent top and pants she had brought along to wear. Unlike the other girls, she didn't bring a dress.
If the dinner to the awards night that they were talking about actually happened, she'd be roaming in the area and taking pictures of them in her grandpa sweaters and corduroy pants while they all dolled up for the said event.
"Where are you going?" Natalie asked her, staring at what she was holding.
"To prep myself?" Agami replied in an obvious tone, showing Natalie her things.
Puzzled, Natalie spoke once again. "Outside?"
Agami let out a quick, heavy breath as she stared back at everyone who was looking at her with curiosity.
"Okay, you lot may have already given up on your hygiene—no offense—but not me," she told everyone, her thumbs pointing to herself. "I stink, and it sucks."
All she received as a response from everyone was their middle finger. She simply gave them a provoking smile as she spoke again.
"Adios, motherfuckers."
The water in the lake was cold, so cold, but she still took her time soaking herself and scrubbing every dirt off her body. But once she was satisfied, Agami put on her cream long sleeves, which she folded until between her elbows and wrists, then left a few buttons of them open to her chest. Her last pair of brown corduroy pants were the decent ones she had left. The rest of them were already either covered with holes or stains from venturing into the woods or fishing.
Once she arrived back at the cabin, everybody was almost ready to head out and go to the venue.
The first people that Agami got her eyes laid upon were Laura Lee and Lottie, who seemed to be on their way out of their cabin.
"You look nice," said Agami, her head nodding in approval while her eyes fixated on Lottie, who was wearing a pink pleated dress that reached below her knees. The girl was also wearing what Agami guessed was a self-made crown.
She then looks at Laura Lee. Her fair complexion complimented the white floral dress she was wearing, while the flower crown over her head made her look more innocent than she already is. "And you're wearing your favorite dress for Sunday mass. Amen, Laura Lee," she teased the woman.
"Well, you look clean," Lottie told Agami as she eyed the girl from head to toe.
"Thank you!" Agami exaggerated, placing a hand on her chest. "That's the best compliment any of us could receive!"
Natalie playfully smacked the girl at the back of her head. "You're thinking highly of yourself again."
Laura Lee, who was now holding something in her hand, approached Agami and carefully placed the last crown available over the girl's head, tucking a few strands of Agami's hair behind her ear as she fixed the headdress for the girl.
"Please don't be yourself just for today," said the blonde girl.
Everybody who heard what Laura Lee said laughed. After all, it's not something that would usually come out of the girl's mouth, which means Agami pushed Laura Lee to her limit with her comments.
Still, Agami didn't back down.
"How do I look?" she asked them, a wide grin on her face, as she fixed the crown on her head to her comfort.
"Like the repressed lesbian you are," Van responded in a flat voice, shrugging her shoulders.
Agami's smile disappeared quickly.
"I'd say the next time you're gonna wear a mask, make sure it fully covers your face and not just half," she countered to the red-haired girl, which caused another short burst of laughter from the group.
A few moments later, everyone was lined up on the other side of the entrance that the girls made, except Lottie. She was standing not far from her and Javi.
So Agami approached the girl and snatched the candle away from her hold, winking at Lottie playfully when she gave her a questioning look, but simply gestured to the brunette to join the rest on the line without saying a word.
Lottie understood what Agami meant, so she smiled at the girl as a thanks for her initiation, then stood beside Laura Lee.
With that, Agami lit the last candle on the weird tree stump they found and decorated in the area as she spoke.
"Let your Doomcoming begin!" she yelled, followed by Javi hitting their gong as everybody made an entrance.
She directed Jackie and Shauna, who were the first pair on the line, to walk their way on the other side where she and Van set up the arch.
The two obliged happily, posing for their own solos and doing one together.
That continued until the last pair arrived, Lottie and Laura Lee.
Laura Lee took her usual stance like a good little girl and smiled at the camera as Agami took her picture.
But Lottie seemed to be in her element.
She even used another piece of headwear that she made, which looked like some kind of antler decorated with little ornaments—and a net for some reason—then spread both her arms as she raised her head and stared at the lenses.
Everybody cheered for her.
"Okay, queen. Stay still. One, two, and—"
With that, Agami finally took the last photo of everyone.
A round of applause was made after that. The group experienced extreme excitement once more.
Suddenly, Ben spoke.
"You should have a picture yourself," he suggested. Some uttered their approval of that, while the others remained silent but still agreed.
Taissa took the camera away from Agami's hand before the girl could even speak.
"Go stand in the arch and try to look good for the camera," she teased Agami.
That made Agami feel a little nervous. She loves taking pictures of people and everything, but for some reason, she doesn't like being photographed.
"But I don't want—" her response was interrupted when Natalie pushed her playfully below the arch.
"C'mon, Dick. Just one," Natalie said. "Rhett would pay me good for a picture of yours," she added to her statement, then laughed, making Agami roll her eyes.
But she couldn't escape the situation anymore. Everybody's eyes were on them. So Agami, being herself, tried to shake off the anxiety in her system and decided to play it cool.
She grabbed the spear leaning on the table that somebody might have used earlier and just didn't have the chance to get back to the cabin after the preparations.
"What a competitive bitch," Jackie commented as she watched Agami do her pose like Lottie, who brought a prop for their photo.
The girl stood firmly under the arch of flowers, holding the long stick in a little slanting direction in front of her, then stared at the camera without smiling.
Although confused by Agami's choice of prop and pose despite having a lot of options for both, Taissa clicked the button, capturing Agami in the camera.
Their confusion was immediately answered when Agami spoke after.
"So if people find those films, they will think I am the leader of our tribe," she said, then finally let out the laughter she had been holding.
"You're a real fucking menace, aren't you?" Van stated before they all walked away from the arch and moved to where the table was.
It was a unanimous decision to have a feast just for the night, yet still not to the point that they'd be starving in exchange for the following days. It was actually just a little more than what they always have in their rations.
"Well, what do we have here? Mushroom soup, grilled of all kinds of mushrooms, and unspiced cacciatore," said Yumi, holding her bowl as she eyed the foods on the table. "All sprinkled generously with small chunks of meat and starlings."
"Don't forget the fish stuffed with mushrooms," said Gen.
"And the rotten berries," Melissa added.
"Nobody's forcing you to eat our cooking," Mari scoffed.
"Didn't say I wouldn't," replied Yumi.
As they ate, conversations were exchanged in different groups.
Shauna and Jackie were in their own world, looking like they were discussing something intense from the looks on the expression that Shauna was making and Jackie looking like she was trying to persuade her best friend over something.
There was Natalie and Travis sitting across from each other but not saying a word. The awkward atmosphere between the two was painfully obvious. Javi, who was not that far from them, was simply watching as he ate his food.
Lottie and Laura Lee were sitting with the younger girls, all having fun with whatever topic they were talking about.
Then there was Ben, evidently ignoring the girl in glasses sitting beside him and clearly uncomfortable but powerless to do something about it. Misty had already finished her meal except for the mushroom soup that she still had in her bowl, and she was overdrinking herself in pleasure with the rotten berries as if it would do something to her.
"Does this mushroom look familiar to you?" Agami heard Van, who was sitting beside her, ask, spooning out a specific mushroom from the soup as she showed it to her.
In her mind, it does look familiar. But Agami shrugged it off and showed the unspiced cacciatore she was eating to Van, with the edge of her fork pointing at the same mushroom on her plate.
"That mushroom is in every food we're eating right now, Palmer. Of course it would look familiar," she told the redhead, then went back to eating to finish off.
"Is this your party?" Taissa, who just got back from getting another mug of rotten berries, asked Agami jokingly. "It's lame."
Agami let out an inaudible but also gasped as if she were offended by the girl's statement.
"You won't be invited next time," she replied, then stood up, as she would dare to attempt to revive the spirit of their celebration.
Agami then roamed around and picked up the excess decorations laying in the area, made a few changes to them, and immediately called everyone's attention once she was done.
"What's a Doomcoming without the awards, right?" she asked everyone, then showed them the flower lapel pins she was holding, which was the only thing she could make at the moment.
And again, the dying atmosphere became lively.
"For I am the judge, and thou shall not complain," Agami joked as a starter, then roamed her eyes around since she didn't even think about what kind of so-called awards she would give.
"First of all, to the loveliest pair of this party, the sapphics, the beauty and the bitch—" she said, raising up the flowers she was holding like she was doing a toast. "Turner and Palmer!"
Another round of cheers for the couple was made. Van even spun Taissa around as the two shared another kiss before getting the pins from Agami.
"Then for the next award, we have the best dress for the male category," said Agami, choosing the one among the three guys who looked the most presentable. "Coach Scott!"
Misty's cheers were the loudest, and she was the one to get the pin from Agami's hold, putting it on Ben's collar afterward.
"And the best dressed for the female category goes to—" Agami stated, scanning everyone before making a decision.
"Mari!" she screamed, gesturing for the younger girl to get her pin. "Nobody can rock that cape other than you and your blue-green dress."
The girl even curtsied upon receiving her pin, which she chose to be placed in her styled hair.
"Before we go to the king and queen, the next award would be the crowd's favorite—" she said, showing the three remaining pins on her hand. "I am the crowd," she added.
For some reason, everybody got quiet. That pressured Agami a little, which is why she made the decision to choose the safest option.
"This will go to our boy, Javi!" Agami exclaimed, relieved to hear everyone's support for her decision.
The boy was happy to accept the pin, and Agami herself took the liberty to put them playfully in the middle of Javi's necktie.
"Now, to the King of Doomcoming," said Agami in a solemn voice at first, but then turned real quick in a flat, uninterested voice as she made the announcement of the winner.
"The award goes to Martinez. As if we have another choice," she stated, whispering the last part.
To not be a killjoy to their fun celebration, Travis accepted the pin that Agami handed to him and stood in the center as he waited for the last thing that the girl would announce.
"And finally, down to the Queen."
Agami exhaled heavily, clearing her mind and thinking of what to do next. In the end, she chose to forget her personal annoyance toward Travis as she made a decision.
"Our Doomcoming Queen is Sc—"
But her announcement was interrupted when her eyes met Jackie's not just intense gaze but rather looking like a threatening one. She couldn't help but swallow the lump that formed on her throat nervously.
"Taylor!" she yelled, masking her fear with fake excitement.
Jackie immediately went in Agami's direction to get her flower pin, then linked her arms to Travis' as she waved her right hand to everyone.
That session ended with applause and cheers for the winners, not a single one of them throwing a fit over the silly stunt that Agami pulled, given that everybody enjoyed the short moment that the girl created.
"So, what now?" Natalie asked everyone.
"Music. We need music," Jackie responded.
"I think what we need is a slow dance!" Misty added, her intentions clearly showing.
"The walkman is out of use," said Shauna, taking a sip on her rotten berries.
"We have a flute," Van replied, a grin visible on her face and implying a clear thing.
Agami let out a heavy sigh upon hearing that.
"You all don't like seeing me do nothing, don't you?" she said, then pulled the flute out of its holder that she just made and strapped it to her belt. "What do you want then?"
Silence enveloped the surroundings as none of them replied. Slowly, a humming was heard.
"Ba-ya-ya, ba-da-da-da-da, ba-ya-ya..."
While the others started laughing, a smile appeared on Agami's face after hearing the familiar song.
She stared at Lottie, signaling the girl to continue what she was doing as she waited for the right moment to play her flute in synchrony with her humming.
And with that, the first dance in the wilderness happened as if they weren't a bunch of people who survived a plane crash and were stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way out. All of them having genuine fun for the first time in a long time.
Agami was content with watching everyone having fun while she played the music they needed with the flute, taking all their requested songs that she could play just so they could continue to dance.
Everybody was within her sight. She even saw Jackie and Travis leave but chose not to make a big deal out of it.
The coach was already nowhere to be found as well, but she simply focused on what she was doing, on her role.
"Play us something that screams Dick," Natalie said, smiling widely at Agami as she teased her friend.
"Absolutely not," replied Agami, remembering how embarrassing it was when everybody heard her mixtape.
But it appears like Natalie was not the only one who was in the mood to make fun of Agami.
"Goodbye love."
They heard Laura Lee, a provoking smile plastered on her face.
"Goodbye love."
Then Van.
"Goodbye love."
Then Taissa.
"Goodbye love."
Then Natalie.
"Goodbye love."
Then Shauna.
Agami ran her hand through her face, covering it as she turned red. But she knew damn well that they wouldn't stop bothering her unless she did what they wanted.
"Goodbye love," Lottie sang.
Slowly, the melody of the old song was finally heard coming from the flute, with Agami playing them in perfection.
Although at first it was only intended to tease the girl, they ended up loving the music produced by the flute and couldn't help but dance one more time with one another, swaying around happily and freely as they all felt their bodies going lighter than usual.
Agami was a little confused after seeing Natalie leave them in the middle of the song, but Agami couldn't bring herself to stop playing and ran after her friend to ask what was wrong.
So she didn't. She continued to play the song to its end.
Until her eyes landed on Lottie. The girl seemed to be having a moment on her own, only making little movements as she danced with her eyes closed.
The sky is slowly getting darker, but the light coming from the torches surrounding them was enough for her to see the girl clearly.
Lottie was glowing. Lottie was mesmerizing. Lottie looked different than how she always looks.
Agami's knees weakened so drastically that she literally fell to the ground. She slowly moved backwards without standing up, her head and back trying to find something to lean on, then stopped when she hit something.
The girl realized she bumped on the same decorated tree stump, now being used as a rack where Lottie might put the antler crown she wore for the picture, which was now currently hanging over Agami's head.
Her heart hammered through her chest as her eyes landed on Lottie once more. Agami wanted to say something, but she couldn't manage to let out a single word in her mouth. She could only close her eyes when she felt the overwhelming, strange feeling enveloping her whole system.
Agami's mind slowly gave up on the thought of something, with Lottie as the last image she had seen before she closed her eyes, realizing one thing.
"Shit."