Back from my trip and doing my rounds of stories-to-update. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters.
14
Spellbooks and Stereotypes
The next morning, Pollux looked horrible. His hair stuck up, his eyes were puffy and he looked miserable. But he kept it together and helped everyone else toughen up too. They didn't find anything for breakfast apart a stream in which cold water flowed. That caused some grumpiness as they walked some more, not sure what else to do.
Suddenly, his feet felt weird, different. He looked down. Out of nowhere, his shoes had changed from ratty skater shoes to rattier black sneakers. He was actually dressed completely in black, completed with black gloves and a black hood with holes for his mouth and eyes. He turned towards Travis who was dressed the same.
"Copycat!" They both yelled at each other.
"What the Hades is this?" Clarisse said. They turned at the others and their eyes popped out of their skulls.
Clarisse was dressed in desert camouflage, with an M16 in hand, which might be why there were no animals in the forest. Pollux was wearing a toga with grapes stuck in his hair. Laurel was showing way too much skin according to camp/most public places regulation. Her shirt was hanging off her shoulder, showing her midriff, her skirt too short, fishnets, cheap jewelry, and her sandals were a mess of straps. Clovis wore these pink pyjamas with a teddy bear pattern, a matching little cap and a fluffy white dressing gown that made Connor sure they'd lose him to Morpheus' arms again. Will wore swimsuit trunks, flip flops and sunglasses.
"I guess she doesn't like jeans," Pollux said, picking at the grapes in his hair. Whenever he pulled one out another grew back.
"This is insane," Laurel said, flushing red at her outfit.
"I kind of like it." Clarisse said, weighing the gun in her hands. She pointed it up to the sky and pulled the trigger, but it didn't have any ammo. Smart move, Lou Ellen, Connor thought. She really had put a lot of thought into all of this.
"Guess not," Clarisse said. "What the freak is this about?"
The wind blew and dirt flew into all of their faces, making them spit.
"Okay, fine, we'll figure it out." Travis called out, spitting out some dirt.
"Stereotypes," Pollux said.
"What?" Connor asked.
"You two are thieves. I'm a drunk. Clovis is sleeping. Laurel is a hooker. Clarisse is a soldier." Pollux said. He looked at them as if he was expecting someone to speak up. "It goes with our parents."
"That makes no sense?"
"It makes all the sense, we just need… how?"
A wind blew, chilling all of them to the bone.
"Look!" Travis said. He was pointing to the sand and dirt and earth all around them. It was as if a giant finger was writing something down.
Ask
Her.
The
One
Who
Doesn't
Want
To
Be
Asked
Anything.
They looked up at Clarisse and Laurel, the only two hers around.
"I'd be down with giving any answer in the world." Clarisse grunted.
And so looks turned to Laurel.
She sighed and looked at the sky.
"This isn't just about that, is it?" She asked, putting a hand on her hip.
The wind blew again, and this time it had a bite to it. This time it dug into all of their skins.
What
Makes
You
So
Sure
That
It
Was
"Just
That"
?
Do
I
Look
Like
I
Am
Nitpicking
At
Things
That
Are
"Just
That"
Laurel's eyes were sprawled and her eyelid twitched.
"No way," she said softly. "That was a joke. A prank. And it wasn't just me." Laurel suddenly became defensive. "A bunch of people had to do with this. Drew, Ollie…"
"Yeah, because Drew is the patron saint of Things To Do That Are Okay." Connor said. "What is she talking about?"
"The Three Days in Black," Laurel said softly.
A sharp laugh ran around them. Forced, bitter laughing. Not the kind that Connor was used to, having been raised and having lived in Cabin 11 for the last six years. Or the one he was used to hearing from Lou, having been hanging out with her since the war.
A new message appeared in the sand, slowly but surely.
Looks like Shakespeare was
Wrong
About
A
Rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Or maybe it just depends if everyone's on the same
Page
About what a rose
IS
See,
The thing's a joke to you because you call it a prank.
I call it
Discrimination.