Later that night, everyone was trying their best to sleep and forget the terrible events of before.
Due to the potential threat of the wolves, it was decided to wait for day to break, and then Stan and frank would be able to come and assist the teens.
But until then, they'd have to stay the night in the warehouse, cold, lonely and afraid.
Lori was already making call after call explaining, apologizing, and only just convincing the parents that they can stay and that they'll be extra careful, and yes, Mrs. Whitney's Mom, her nails are still fine, jeez!
Everyone else sort of tried to sleep, but it was practically impossible.
The wooden floor was hard and cold, the lack of blankets only made things worse, and the strange, unfamiliar sounds of the night were enough to keep even the bravest awake.
"…This suuuuuucks.", Fiona grumbled to herself as she vainly tied to make herself comfortable on the hard surface.
Her eyes were nearly closed shut, her bones were rusty and tired, and her whole self felt exhausted, as if she had completed about 5 shifts at Reingers in one day.
Yet…
Her body refused to rest.
She wasn't too freaked out by the wolves (it was scary, she was just less affected by that kind of stuff).
What she really felt was anger and frustration and exhaustion.
Leni and Miguel had sort of asked her how she is, but they seemed to be asking everyone about that!
Could they not see that she needed…
"Oh boy…", Fiona interrupted herself, sighing as she tried to pretend that the ice cold and rough wood was anything like her soft fluffy unicorn pillow back home.
"I need to talk to them about this "needing them so much" thing."
But at the same time, Fiona didn't want to talk about it! Was it not obvious that they were leaving her out to dry?
Though…
Could she blame them?
Fiona knew that she didn't have…
The longest fuse in the world.
Some things just sort of ticked her off.
Terrible dates with mall employees she fell for, Ms. Carmicheal's bossiness, hard work in general, snooty kids accusing her of stealing when she didn't do anything wrong, her parents being way too happy to have her work every day at retail, free form jazz and MIGUEL SHOVING THAT PLUSHIE HE WON TWO MONTHS AGO AT HER FACE!
…
Ok, so a lot of things ticked her off.
Point is, she had anger management problems.
She always did, as far back as kindergarten, when Bo Rains offered her an insult on her dress and she offered him a trip to the nurse's office.
"I've never seen so much hate put into one punch!", the nurse had said that day.
That nurse had been on Reality shows, so she meant it when she said it!
Fiona shuddered, and not just from the cold.
Maybe that was why they were ignoring her.
Looking back, Fiona could see Leni trying to give Chaz warmth with a snuggle, the poor guy looking visibly distraught, and Miguel sitting next to Mandee, the girl looking utterly lost as she rattled on and on about not "discovering" herself yet.
Could she do that kind of stuff?
Was that why they left her alone?
Because when they felt, it was pure…
And when she felt, it only hurt.
Fiona remembered how, a few days before the trip, she had participated in a beach volleyball competition with Leni and Miguel.
It had gone… Less than stellar, but they did end up having fun.
And sure, Leni's ditzitness and Miguel's lack of physical prowress didn't help, but Fiona knew that she was the main reason why they had failed.
She constantly shouted at them for making mistakes, she fired off insults at the other players, and when she wasn't doing that, she just felt so…
Burnt out.
Honestly, she had worked so much this year at the store, sometimes she would fold invisible clothes and tell her teachers that "No, it's not available in beige, why would you ever want it to be?!".
Fiona was burnt out, and her back and neck were more than transmitting the message.
So, her friends, her work, her parents, and her own flaws were keeping her frustrated and awake.
And that was without mentioning the hard floor!
Fiona sighed as she got up.
"I'm not sleeping tonight…", Fiona said, yawning, her eyes drooping and her neck hurting.
She laid her head back on the hard metal wall, Whitney's snores to her left, Luna's sleep singing to her right.
She flipped open her phone, praying that there was a signal, praying to the phone service gods for some sort of entertainment!
But come on, let's be real. What kind of signal could there…
"…Oh.", was all Fiona could say as her phone's brightness tore a hole in her eyes.
"…At least that. Incredible coverage!", she thought, surprised, but pleasantly for once.
She exited her wallpaper, showing her, Leni and Miguel in way happier times, and she turned Twitter on, hoping to find SOMETHING to take her mind off of things.
As she did, she peeked over her messaging for a moment, just to see if…
Sigh.
Nope.
She narrowed her eyes and frowned as she entered Twitter, a small stab of pain in her heart.
Of course her parents hadn't read her damn message from the morning!
"Calm down, Fiona…", her inner voice said, but Fiona didn't want to calm down!
Today was just a complete disaster!
THIS was a vacation?
All she felt was pain and anger and disappointment.
It sucked.
Couldn't one thing go right today?
Just one?!
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dana fell over Fiona's outstretched feet.
"Second time today", Fiona thought, but she felt bad this time.
Bad enough her day sucked ass, but now she was hurting someone else by accident?
It just keeps getting better and better, huh?
"Owie…", Dana moaned, and Fiona, her conscious finally nagging her into submission, helped the talkative girl up.
"Sorry… I… Didn't see you there…", Fiona started, trying to apologize, only for Dana to launch into ANOTHER rant.
"Oh, no problem at all! It was mostly my fault, honestly! I was just SOOOO busy chasing this Butterfly, remember, the one from before? Hey, whatcha doin'? Shouldn't you be going to sleep? I guess you can't sleep, huh? Then again, I'm not sleeping! Maybe we should ask me that question, huh? (Giggles) Anyway, I love your phone case! The unicorn doesn't feel like your vibe, which is all kinds of crunchy and moody, but I think it's nice! Say, why ARE you so moody? It's a vacay, girl! You should be all smiles and stuff, no? Honestly, I don't get…"
"Honestly, I don't understand why you don't shut up!", Fiona yelled, prompting some unamused shushes.
Fiona's eyes twitched. "She talked first!"
Dana rubbed the back of her neck. "Technically, it was you who talked first, since you apologized for tripping me."
"You said owie! You talked first! Also, what kind of word is owie? What are you, 6?"
Dana's lip trembled as she reacted to that.
She knew that she wasn't the most mature person on the planet, despite the fact that she was older than Chaz by about a year.
She didn't mean to be childish, she just felt so AMAZED by everything.
Clearly, that had rubbed Fiona the wrong way.
Fiona turned her back, hoping that Dana would take a hint and walk away, so far away that she could smash into her parents as she arrived at Royal Woods.
Fiona chuckled. "Two birds in one stone."
Unfortunately to Fiona, Dana sucked at taking hints.
There's a reason she used a flamethrower on her copy of CLUE.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to annoy you, I just think that stuff is cool, you know, like this trip, this forest, this warehouse, your hair, that spider over there dangling over Lori, the feeling of companionship we all share here, my oddly flexible arms…", Dana's arms starts stretching really weirdly, and that was about all Fiona could take right now.
"Shut it! Just… Shut it!"
Fiona turned to her, super annoyed and super tired, eyes now nearly black from fatigue and fists clenched.
"I keep telling you to stay away from me, I'm just really tired and really angry and I just want to sleep for once since I work my ass off at Reingers, I get shit pay for it and I'm also getting IRL screened by my friends! And now I've got you on my back? Talk, talk, talk! Yap, yap, yap! What do you care? You've got, like, 5 friends here at least! Drive them crazy, won't ya? Just buzz off! I can't sleep, but at least let my ears rest!"
Fiona took a deep breath, her fists still clenched, her vision still red, when she saw that Dana was now a little startled, a hint of worry, maybe even fear in her eyes.
Great: Now she's scaring the people around here.
Fiona face palmed and then buried said face in her hands.
"Look… I just really need to sleep, ok? I'm…"
She sighed.
"It's been a LOOONG day, and nothing has worked out for me. I just want to close my eyes and forget I exist for a little while, kay?"
She opened her eyes, hoping that her calmer explanation could help, but nope.
Dana was still there, albeit less energetic.
Fiona groaned. "Seriously, why are you still here? Why have you been talking to me all day?"
Dana hesitated to answer at first, but she swallowed the ball of spit and fear in her throat and ventured forth her explanation.
"I just… You looked so…"
What was the right word?
Sad? No, that would piss her off.
Angry? No, that would piss her off.
Pissed? No, that would piss her off.
Lonely? No, that would…
"Ahem.", Fiona coughed, hoping that Dana could hurry this up. "You were kind of telling me why you were such a pain in my butt, only to suddenly stop."
Dana gulped.
"Seriously, girl, I just want to know, ok? See, I'm not even that angry right now.", Fiona said, only to suddenly crush a mosquito in her bare hands when she saw one.
…
"Ok, so maybe I'm still working out some stuff here, but tell me anyway."
The small attempt at humor eased Dana's soul a bit, and she got braver.
"Look… I'm sorry. I know I can be a bit annoying…"
"A bit?", Fiona asked, cocking an eyebrow, making Dana laugh again.
"You're pretty funny."
Fiona smiled a small smile. She had never really considered herself funny, but she guessed that cynical humor DID count in a way.
If only her calming down skills were as good as her apparently talented joke skills.
Dana started again.
"I'm sorry I was so invasive, It's just you seemed so…"
She went for it, despite a small voice holding up a "Warning: Suicidal idea here!" sign.
"Sad?"
Fiona groaned, deciding to deal with this calmly for once. She had to really clench her fists for that (why was she even getting annoyed?_, but she managed. "Ok, yeah, I admit, I was a little funky…"
A lie. She felt like shit.
"But I really don't want to talk about it…"
Very true.
"And I'd like you to mind your own business. No offense, but we're not friends."
Also true, albeit a little harsh, perhaps. Fiona had to admit that she only had one reason as to why she couldn't be friends with Dana, and shockingly, it wasn't Dana's fault.
"Are you sure I can't help?"
Fiona nodded.
Dana sighed, and began to move away.
"Ok, if you say so…"
Fiona began to lower hey eyes to the phone screen, when Dana said one more thing, which was enough to grab Fiona's attention back:
"I just don't think you HAVE to be so angry, and maybe you can find a way to solve that if you don't put it aside."
Fiona sighed.
This girl was way too nice…
Just like Leni.
Different methods, sure, but there was a genuine innocence and positivity to Dana that reminded Fiona of Leni.
In a good way, mind you.
But, as stated, Fiona was…
"Look… That's real nice of you, again. But I just… I can't now, or ever really, ok? It's my sack to deal with."
Deciding to lie to get Dana off her case AND feel a bit better, she said "I'm sure I'll feel better soon."
In a way, she was also lying to herself.
Fiona honestly couldn't remember the last time she truly felt better.
Perhaps she never had.
Thinking out loud, she said "I guess I'm just really burned out after working all year at Reingers. I had NO IDEA how hard retail is."
Dana turned around, her ears perking up.
Finally! A common trait!
"You work at Reinegers? I love that place! They have THE BEST sales! And the best tees! And the best shoes, sweaters, skirts, jeans… Ok, basically, the best everything!"
Fiona chuckled, momentarily enjoying the enthusiasm the girl in front of her displayed.
"Yeah, they're not bad, as a customer at least…"
Suddenly, she realizes something:
"Wait, how the hell do you not know me? I work at that place like, all the time!"
Fiona was very confused by this.
Surely that girl wasn't so…
"Oh, you see, I get easily distract… BUTTERFLY!", Dana sheepishly admitted before darting her eyes to the object of her desires and leaping after it.
Fiona rolled her eyes, but this time, with humor. Sure, Dana was annoying, but it was nice to talk to someone.
Besides, she was actually paying her attention.
It had even felt good to vent a bit, since she usually kept those feelings inside.
Fiona was a little surprised at the sudden outburst she had had a few minutes ago. She normally said nothing about her frustrations.
Odd.
Suddenly, the butterfly appeared before her.
Dana snuck up to it.
"Look at it! Isn't it beautiful?", Dana cooed, admiring the beautiful creature.
Fiona shrugged. "I don't know. A butterfly is a butterfly, you know?"
Suddenly, the butterfly did something unexpected…
And landed on Fiona's nose!
"Ooh! It likes you!", Dana said with glee.
"Shh!", Fiona said, her eyes fixed on the insect before her.
Before it had seemed plain, but up close, Fiona could see so much more: It had glittery purple wings, two long and dangly antennas, red and blue stripes on its wings, and a delicate feel to it that was unusual to Fiona.
A sort of… Softness of touch that Fiona wasn't sure she had ever felt, except for maybe when Leni would initiate group hugs.
Fiona had never before seen something so small, so helpless…
And so gentle…
Honestly, it was kind of adorable!
Fiona got a small smile as the butterfly continued to perch on her nose.
Fiona's heart beat slowed down, her fists relaxed, her back rested and her head stopped pounding.
Forgetting all else, Fiona found herself seeing nothing but the butterfly and it's simple but elegant beauty.
It was sort of magical, the way it seemed to give her a comforting look.
As if the butterfly was sent by whoever is up there to tell her it was ok…
It would be ok…
Perhaps the most magical thing, though, was that for a moment, Fiona forgot.
She forgot her anger.
She forgot her fatigue.
She forgot her sadness.
She forgot her loneliness.
She forgot the cold wooden floor, aches in her body, way too cheerful girl in front of her, and even the wolves outside.
All Fiona could feel was…
Peace.
For just a moment…
She knew that it would be all right in the end.
And for the first time in the trip…
Fiona felt truly happy.
After what felt like an eternity, but was actually only 30 seconds, the Butterfly flew off to who knows where, forever gone from the two girls life…
But not forgotten.
Dana grinned at Fiona and Fiona raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Why are you smiling at me like that?"
Dana continued smiling brightly. "I just like seeing you smile like that! When you're happy, it feels nice."
Dana had another reason…
But she wasn't going to reveal that one now.
Or ever.
Fiona digested that information.
"…Thanks.", Fiona said, and she meant it too. It was nice to hear that.
In fact, the glow from her face ever since the Butterfly had arrived had not dissipated.
She actually felt good!
…And now that she was, she realized that she probably owed Dana some sort of an apology.
"Hey, um… Sorry about being so… Rrrr, you know?", Fiona said, trying to find a way to express herself.
Dana listened attentively.
"I… I just don't usually talk about this kind of stuff… You really didn't need to help me… But I appreciate it. If it wasn't for you, I would have spent the night feeling really pissed."
Dana just beamed in response. "You're welcome!"
Fiona chuckled, feeling an odd warmth in her soul.
It had been so long since she really had a conversation with someone that didn't feel absolutely empty to her.
In fact, she wouldn't mind if it continued.
"Say…", Fiona offered, trying her best to make herself comfortable. She scooched her knees up close to her chest so that Dana would have space.
"I wouldn't mind if we chatted for a bit. I'm not going to sleep anyway, so why die of boredom?", Fiona said, and Dana happily agreed to stay.
She moved a bit closer, and Fiona could now see into her eyes.
It felt nice…
To have someone in the dark of the night.
"Well, um… I believe the first thing I asked you was where you got your hair done, 'cause it looks fab, girl!"
Fiona smiled at the compliment and asked "Well, will you let me finish my sentence this time?"
Dana sheepishly nodded, and Fiona continued, a comfortable smile on her face now, oddly at peace now.
"Well, I go to Ricardo's remember? He's the best with the conditioner. I like to just… Relax in it, you know?"
Dana nodded. "Totes the same!"
And the two girls talked into the night, not noticing a very different conversation happening across from them.
Tossing and turning, Becky tried her hardest to catch some shuteye, but the pictures in her head haunted her.
Usually, she tried to use her dreams to think of the unattainable: Leni and her sitting in an island of their own, the rest of the world invisible to the naked eye, the only sights and sounds being their synchronized hearts and connected lips.
It may have been cheesy, but Becky wanted nothing more than to finally show Leni how much she loved her.
The dream usually went the same way: Becky would finally muster the confidence to ask Leni out, Leni would agree, they'd take a romantic boat ride, Becky serenading her delicate flower the entire time, until suddenly they'd land at a desert island, perfect for the desert flower that Leni was, and together they'd seal the deal with a passionate kiss.
Becky would always wake up with a grin, only to remember the tragedy of reality.
It was a stupid dream, she reasoned.
But god… How she wanted it to come true!
But tonight's dream went differently…
Dream Becky, her posture upright and her bold smile invigorating, held her delicate flower Dream Leni Loud and cooed at her face.
Surrounded by gorgeously green foliage, tall shady palm trees, softly warm sand and blue water, as blue as the clear joyous sky above them, they were in paradise.
And nothing could prevent their happiness.
"My sweet, my darling, my world…", Dream Becky whispered, gazing into the enchanting eyes of her beloved, her golden locks making her love all the more enticing.
Dream Leni giggled, sending Dream Becky's heart racing.
"Oh, Becky…"
There it was!
The kiss that ended every dream!
But just as Dream Becky neared to seal the deal, her lips ever so close, something unexpected happened…
"What makes you think I'd ever love you?"
Despite the oddly calm and cheerful tone of those words, Becky felt shocked, her eyes widening.
"What?", she asked, betrayal and loss entering her voice.
The sunny paradise turned dark and stormy, the foliage and trees turned sinister, the branches of trees and the leaves of plants tying her up and scratching her skin, some blood dripping from her cheek now.
Dream Leni, somehow still cheerful, pulled out Dream Chaz from out of nowhere.
"Becky, you know I'm in love with someone else."
Dream Chaz growled at her.
"Why can't you just move on? Why can't you understand that I could never love someone like you?", Dream Leni said, still cheerful.
It was kind of uncanny.
Dream Becky struggled against her binds, when suddenly her Ace Savvy comics fell from the sky onto her lap.
"How the heck did these get…", Dream Becky wondered, but it was too late.
Dream Leni laughed manically. "OMG, Becky! You're a loser geek as well? It's so funny how you thought that I'd ever sign up for that!"
Dream Becky started to scream, fear and panic in her eyes.
"It's… It's not true! I'm not an Ace Savvy fan!"
Dream Chaz, who had been silently staring at Dream Becky with rage, suddenly stepped up to her.
"Oh, no, Becky, you're not an Ace Savvy fan."
His words were supporting, but his tone was oddly contrasting, full of rage and betrayal.
Dream Becky nodded, relieved. "Oh, thank you Chaz! I knew you had my back, just like I have yours!"
Dream Chaz turned red and, with one deft strike, slapped her in the face, making Becky bite her tongue hard.
She shook her head, dizzy from the punch, and tasted her mouth to find…
Blood.
"YOU HAVE MY BACK? I SAID THAT YOU'RE NOT ANA CE SAVVY FAN, BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE IS A TRAITOR!"
Dream Chaz and Dream Leni turned large and monstrous, evil looks and disappointed faces as they towered over Dream Becky, who shook with fright, ignoring the stinging pain in her cheek.
"Wait!", she begged, hoping to somehow turn the dream around. "It's not like that! I didn't mean… I never… I would never do that to you…"
"WELL YOU DID! AND FOR THAT, YOU WILL LOSE US FOREVER!"
Becky screamed with terror, tears running down her face. "NO! Please, don't! I'd never do something like that! Never!"
Dream Leni laughed out loud and, her hand outstretched, broke open Dream Becky's chest, removing her heart.
Opening the heart's rusty lock with a key, Dream Leni retracted a framed picture of Leni.
"Your emotions betray you, Becky.", Dream Leni coldy replied, crushing the frame with her now gigantic hand.
Dream Becky continued to bawl, scared and lost and hurt beyond belief.
"Please… That's not me… I am good… I am…"
She was begging, pleading for forgiveness.
Dream Leni and Dream Chaz turned their backs to Dream Becky, leaving her alone.
"You're a destroyer, Becky… And you'll never be happy until you learn to accept the real you."
"NO! COME BACK! PLEASE!", Dream Becky screamed, but they were so far away.
Flashes of images and sensations passed in her mind: Salt water in her eyes and nose, the glowing embers of fire and the silent confessions of shared pain, the briefest of touches with a familiar hand, Leni's friendly eyes and, a kiss shared in the water, blond hair and different, but also…
Familiar.
And with a start…
"HELP!", Becky screamed, waking up with a jolt, her body upright, her body covered in sweat and her breath rapid with fright.
Her eyes darted around as she continued to breath heavily, and all she saw was the cold warehouse.
She slowly calmed down, taking deep breaths, when she felt and hand tap her shoulder.
She turned around to find Chaz, now in real life, nervous and hesitant.
"Oh… Hey, Chaz."
Becky was still afraid of her dream, so she treaded carefully.
"What's… What's up?"
"Surely he didn't hear me!", she thought, afraid for her own skin.
Chaz slowly lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
"Private meeting, if possible."
Becky immediately changed her mood and nodded.
Standing up, she put a comforting hand on his shoulder and they headed for a private corner, away from all the sleeping kids and away from the still awake Lori, still making calls.
Becky sat down with him in the corner, she facing him, he facing her.
Chaz sat back to the corner of the wall, while Becky's back faced the rest of the warehouse.
She was tired, yawning a few times before being able to articulate a sentence, but she finally managed to ask Chaz, who was twiddling his thumbs, "What's going on?".
Chaz gulped and sighed.
"Becky… I don't know what to do."
Becky gulped too, but for different reasons.
He had heard, didn't he?
She had betrayed him despite everything.
And now she had to lose him and Leni forever.
Well, she might as well do the right thing and apologize.
No matter how much it hurt.
Lowering her head in shame, she said "I'm so sorry, Chaz, it's just…"
Chaz, confused, shook his head. "What does that have to do with anything, Becky?"
Becky blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Chaz looked to the side, protecting himself with crossed arms. "I wanted to talk to you about my… Eating problem."
Becky let out an internal sigh of relief, and relaxed her tense nerves.
Not that she felt good about hearing that, she was just worried about being exposed and…
Wow.
Was she that much of a jerk?
Her friend was in need of support, and all she cared about was herself?
"Get some prioraties, Becky.", she told herself as she neared Chaz, a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Chaz… If this is about what Dana and I said, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Chaz shook his head, guilt in his eyes. "Becky, it's not what you said! It's…"
He suddenly shivered and a tear fell down from his eye.
Becky felt a bit misty eyed herself, she hated seeing her friend like this.
"…Luan could have died tonight… And… Because of my weight, she almost did… If I had been stuck a bit longer, I…"
He choked on some tears and sobbed. "I'm such a fat ass that I nearly got someone killed… I nearly…"
But Chaz couldn't finish his sentence, since he was enveloped by a hug by Becky, who closed her eyes, tears falling too.
"Chaz, you can't blame yourself for that."
"Yes, I can…", Chaz retorted, but Becky shushed him, almost rocking him with slow, calming motions.
"No… You can't… Only Lori can claim responsibility, and even then… It was a simple mistake… Luan isn't dead, no one is hurt…"
She separated from the hug and wiped his tears away, a small, encouraging smile on her lips.
"And you have nothing to be ashamed of."
Chaz slowly nodded, but he continued to talk.
"But… I got stuck today three times! I… It's only a matter of time before something bad happens again! I… I have to lose some weight!"
Becky was surprised. "But Chaz, you always say you don't want to!"
Chaz tightened his lips, hating the situation but knowing what was right. "I must, Becky. I must lose weight. I hate feeling like a burden."
"But you're not a burden."
"Well, I won't be when I lose some weight!"
Becky nodded, but she frowned, concerned. "Chaz… This is a serious decision. Are you sure you can commit to that?"
Chaz shook his head. "That's why I told you. I want you, if it's ok, to help me."
Becky nodded, determined. "Of course! Always! But… Are you sure about me?"
It was Chaz's turn to smile encouragingly.
"Why not? I trust you."
If only he knew what a dagger that was to Becky's heart.
But despite that, she refused to let him down!
Becky held his hands and he held back, the duo smiling.
"I promise I'll help."
"…Thanks…"
They hugged again, and quietly tip toed back to their sleeping areas.
Becky looked back and bid him goodnight, when suddenly she felt a question rising.
"…Chaz?"
Chaz turned to her. "…Yes?"
Becky shivered. Should she ask?
"…I love someone… But I don't know if I should… What would you do?"
It took all of her strength to ask that question, but for Chaz, the answer was simple.
"Well, I guess it depends. If that person is with someone else, someone who's bad for them, I'd probably try to stop it."
Becky nodded.
Chaz then continued. "But… If that person is with someone who makes them truly happy, someone good… Then I'd look deep down and ask myself if that person is truly the one."
He chuckled. "I had no idea that Leni was the one for me until a few months ago. You don't find that right one at first. Sometimes… The one who will truly love you isn't in front of you, but hidden behind you… Waiting to emerge."
Becky nodded again, hoping she could ever do that, but doubting it.
Chaz left to his place, and Becky sat down in her part of the floor, back to Whitney and eyes staring at Leni's silent sleeping form, like an angel that was just out of reach.
"…No, Mr. Cookie, I don't want to eat you, I want to be your friend… Why yes, I do like to boogie…", she muttered out of her sleep.
Becky chuckled softly, and, wanting to make Leni warmer, she removed her shirt, remaining in her bra, and placed it over Leni, covering her.
"…If only I could be with you…", she whispered, and bowed her head.
"…If only you could give me a sign… What should I do?"
She shed a tear as her head nodded off to sleep again.
"…Who will love me?"
Luan had a lot on her mind that night: The fact that she was nearly eaten by wolves, the fact that Lori seemed to be collapsing because of that, the fact that she couldn't sleep because of those two things.
But there was another problem.
"Um… Girl who didn't laugh at my joke?"
Maggie looked at Luan, confused and irritated. "What?", she asked, quite sharply, like this was a big bother.
"…Can you stop sighing all the time? I can't sleep."
Luan then realized that she might be invalidating her sadness, so she followed that up with "I mean, you might have a good reason, so can you do it a little… Quieter?"
Maggie blinked and sighed even louder.
"…Wow.", Luan uttered, struggling to believe.
Luan was so confused by this girl: She was so silent and strikingly different than the others, clearly going for some goth look like her sister, yet she had laughed (out loud, mind you… Heh. Loud. Accidental puns) at her joke.
And then she was all like, "Let's have an axe murderor come!"
Luan wasn't against dark comedy (she wasn't that "light" hearted!) but still!
She looked back at Maggie, who was now trying to sleep.
Luan knew it wasn't that important, but she had to know why the girl had reacted like that!
She scooched over to Maggie's side and whispered loudly.
"Hey. Hey!"
Maggie turned back, clearly annoyed. "What is it now?"
"Hey, um, listen, girl who sighs all the time…"
"I have a name."
"What is it? Sunshine?", Luan couldn't help but joke.
"…It's Maggie."
"…You don't look like a Maggie."
"You don't look like a nuke, but that's what you're doing to my existence."
Luan couldn't help but laugh at that, her loud and joyous laugh hurting Maggie's ears.
"Oh! That's a good one! You're sharp, Maggie!"
She then quickly added "No, wait, that's Sam who's sharp!", laughing again at her own brilliant sense of humor.
"…Who?"
Luan then realized that she probably didn't have her usual target audience with this girl.
She pointed at Sam, who was resting next to Luna now.
"…Oh."
Maggie tried to go back to sleep, but Luan prodded her again.
"…Believe it or not, I need to sleep. It's a rare thing, I know, you've probably never heard of it."
Luan laughed again, and Maggie cringed again.
"That wasn't bad!"
Maggie turned away. "Shut up and leave me alone."
Luan tutted. "I never got to ask you my question."
Maggie was about to retort when she realized that Luan was right.
Damn.
"Fine. What the hell do you want?"
Luan got to the point. "You laughed at my joke earlier."
"No I didn't."
Luan raised an eyebrow and even Maggie knew that she had no choice.
"…Fine, I did. What does it matter?", Maggie said, hoping that Luan would realize that…
"What does it matter?", Luan asked, incredulous.
Never mind.
"Uh, you just don't look like the kind of girl who would laugh at my jokes."
"I pity the kind of girl who does.", Maggie shot back again, narrowing her eyes, tired of all this.
This was easily the most words she had ever said to a non emo.
"Look, I just want to know why you laughed.", Luan explained, resting her head on her elbow. "Isn't that kind of against the Goth rules or something?"
She took on a neutral expression and said in a Transylvanian accent "Laugh at a joke, and you will never experience ultimate sadness!", before laughing once again at her own brilliance.
Maggie, however, was less amused (big whoop, anyone could have guessed that!)
"Ok, first of all: Goths don't talk like vampires."
Luan nodded, realizing that she had fluffed some of her joke with that.
"Secondly, Goths don't want to experience ultimate sadness. They just like the darker and more mystical aspects of life."
"And thirdly", she said, raising a finger, a hint of emotion in her voice, "I am not a Goth, to my utter relief. I am an emo."
Luan blinked in confusion and replied with two questions.
"Two questions."
"Sigh."
Luan counted on her fingers, pondering her inquiries. "One: If you're not an emo, how come you know so much about goths?"
Maggie breathed out of her nose in frustration and looked back at Luan. "Goth club meet in the cemetery, and emo club meeting happen in there too. So yeah."
Luan nodded, understanding. "Got ya. But two: What's an emo?"
Maggie turned on her side. "News flash: I'm not Wikipedia."
Luan kept pressing, though. "Come on! Just tell me!"
Maggie was really starting to lose her patience. Who did this girl think she is, barging out of nowhere and asking questions about her fragile and broken identity.
"You might want to go to a doctor, considering the ear infection you clearly possess."
Luan laughed again, and Maggie was getting THIS close to committing a heinous crime.
"Gee, whatever you are, you sure are funny!"
Maggie growled and pulled Luan close, her formerly dry and unfazed eyes now suddenly fiery and scornful.
"Don't EVER call me that again."
Her hot breath rained down on Luan, who was legitimately startled at this sudden outburst.
"Understand?!", Maggie asked in quiet rage, breathing heavily.
Luan nodded timidly, scared now for her own skin.
Perhaps she shouldn't have asked all those questions.
Maggie, realizing what she was doing, turned around.
"Nevermind. Whatever. I don't care."
Luan sighed sadly and turned around too, the girls now completely separated except for Luan's ponytail ever so slightly touching Maggie's hair.
"…Sorry. I…"
Luan realized that perhaps she really had went too far.
"I mean, I don't even know this girl! Maybe she just wants to be alone! Maybe she's dealing with some stuff. Who gave me the right to annoy her?", Luan thought, and she decided to make a proper apology, even if it would cost her her life.
"…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be intrusive."
Maggie scoffed, resentment in her voice. "Yeah, well, you did."
"…I just wanted to know why you laughed. I didn't realize that was so bad."
Maggie sighed, now feeling a little bad. She could hear the regret in Luan's voice, and it bugged her conscience.
Perhaps… Perhaps she could at least forgive her. She was just curious, she didn't know how bad Maggie had it.
She's just an innocent bystander, caught in Maggie's terrible cycle of anger and emptiness by accident.
"Great: Now I have guilt.", she thought, and, sighing loudly, she turned back to meet a very sorry Luan, who spilled her gaze to the floor.
Maggie searched for the right words. This was so weird, having to talk to someone who didn't just kind of nod and say "That sucks".
"…It's fine, I guess. I know you didn't mean to. You seem nice enough for that to be true."
Maggie turned around again, closing her eyes.
"Now, let me go to sleep and dream of nothing, ok?"
Luan was not going to argue with that.
She turned around and closed her eyes too.
And while Luan feel asleep quite quickly, Maggie laid there for a while with the usual flurry of emotions and thoughts that she so desperately tried to suppress.
"…Her joke really was funny. She's not bad."
Maggie sighed again, but this time, it was from sadness.
"If only I could feel that."
A cobweb perched over her head, a ceiling fan directed at anyone but her and a cold, cold wooden floor were all that Lori had and all that Lori allowed herself as she looked at the bright screen of her now very hot phone.
She refused to even try to sleep, despite her clear fatigue.
How could she sleep?
After what she did?
She stared at the wallpaper on her phone, the picture of her family staring lovingly back.
She looked around at her sleeping sisters.
She looked back at the picture, the warm smiles, the welcoming eyes, the…
Love…
Feeling so unearned.
She wanted to hurt herself, but she knew people would notice.
That, and she was afraid of hurting herself.
"Coward…", she thought harshly to herself, feeling the tears spill down and down as she fought the urge to scream at herself.
"My friends were nearly killed."
"My friends family had nearly been killed."
"My SISTERS had nearly been killed."
"Because of me.", she thought, guilt shattering her heart into little pieces.
"I fucked up. I just HAD to take a selfie in the woods, and somehow not notice the wolves! I just HAD to take them on a hike because I felt SO bad about my stupid fucking ego."
Lori flashbacked to just a few days ago, when she and her family went to the beach.
Lincoln had wanted her help surfing, but she had instead forced him to let her help him with Ronnie Anne.
She had managed to burn most of his day, and they had only managed to just patch things up when she apologized.
But out of pure luck, she hadn't ruined his relationship with Ronnie Anne AND ruined her relationship with him.
He was SO angry when she meddled once again.
SO angry that she only listened to herself.
He had even wondered if her affection was real.
Lori nearly let out a gasp despite this being known information.
"Of course I love him!", she thought, not even wanting to consider a world where she didn't.
She LOVED Lincoln.
She didn't always show it, but he was her world.
They were her world.
They were all she had.
"And yet I nearly burned my world.", she thought, guilt nawing away at her again.
Lori held herself, almost rocking herself, remembering the doubt in Lincoln's face when he asked her if she loves him.
Lori closed her eyes as she remembered Luan's face as she ran away from the wolves.
Lori got into the fetal position, tiny sobs emanating as she thought of all the times that she had acted like such a selfish jerk, taking and never giving.
She prided herself on being the eldest sister.
She prided herself on knowing everything.
She prided herself on being the one that her siblings came to for help.
But now, all Lori wanted was for the darkness to swallow her so she could never hurt anyone ever again.
Sorry this took so long! Chapters 5 and 6 should come out this month as well!