Another long chapter! Hope you all are up for it ;) Enjoy and don't forget to review!
Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 10:41 P.M. (Barnyard; Deserted Island)
Zander stood there with his arm literally trembling as he yanked out the TMP he borrowed or stole from Lucy the other night (actually it was Jade's, but why should that matter?); holding it out with a look of fear on his face. He still wasn't quite sure whether or not others were still playing even though the numbers were dwindling big time. Only nine left which meant everything was on the line including sanity…
"I-I said…who's there!" he tried to speak in a much stronger voice making his throat send out ringing vibrations. The figure shook the beaming leaves as if they were barreling through them with haste. Kacey was clinging onto Zander's filthy dress shirt with her soft hands with her lips trembling in fear. Her eyes shook in anticipation as the intruder continued to stagger forward until they managed to emerge from within the security of the forest's dense, green trees.
"Damn all these…huh?! Whoa! W-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! No please don't! Don't shoot me! I'm not playing! I swear to God!" the figure cried in an upset after spotting the automatic pistol tightly grasped in Zander's icy hands that seemed to be slick with sweat. The leaves kept rustling in suspense until finally the individual became blanketed by the bright illuminating light of the moon.
Kacey's mouth formed a shocked 'O' as she peered over Zander's slender shoulder in order to catch a glimpse of the alleged 'enemy'. "D-Drake? Kacey gasped with a relieved tone coming from her still frightened voice as she watched the thin teen stagger out onto the pale tar of the lone road that stretched down the barnyard. He almost felt as if this was the end, that is until he looked up and saw the cheerful cheer captain's gorgeous face that was stained with pitiful tears yet her beaming smile shined like the white moon.
"Kacey…Z-Zander?" Drake whispered while squinting over at them with his light brown eyes that seemed to be drooping from exhaustion. His skin still looked clammy and gray like the thick clouds that formed this morning making the rain. He looked horrible to say the least, but no one cared considering all three of them immediately ran right to one another to form a great warming welcome.
The sound of gentle winds sweeping past the reunited trio softly filled their tired ears as they let go of each other with overjoyed looks on their faces. "Thank God I found you two!" Drake gleamed with his chocolate brown hair sweeping in front of his face giving him his infamous rocker look back. "I-I found you…guess Josh was right. Have to take a chance," Drake whispered with a pained smile coming onto his face as he stared down at the tips of his tarnished, purple slip-on Vans and let a tear slip from his chestnut brown eye.
"Drake? Please! No more water works!" Kacey groaned while pinching the bridge of her well-defined nose only making Drake snap his gaze up to her with a dazed expression.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah…Sorry…I've just been through so much out there. God you two wouldn't believe how crazy this whole thing has been on me."
"Oh yes we can," Kacey and Zander both sighed in exasperation before smiling in amusement at their past couple of days on this marvelous little island. Blood, guts and death…the ingredients for a perfect vacation in paradise. Not!
"Right. Duh…of course you two would. We all do by now," Drake gave a grin that seemed almost pathetic in a way making Zander grimace in response before placing a soft, pale hand upon Drake's stiff shoulder; giving it a great squeeze of encouragement.
"Yeah…hey, Drake?" the pale boy spoke with a tone of overbearing sadness in his voice as he began to speak the next part. "I'm…I'm real sorry. Josh he- God Drake I'm sorry. None of this should have happened," Zander gave a grin of sympathy for the brunette who simply nodded with a pitiful smile.
"Thanks Zander…at least he's okay up there now right?" Drake sighed looking up at the vast dark skies above that was littered with glowing stars. Kacey stood there with a look of sadness on her tanned face before feeling Zander nudge her in the side. She only whipped her gaze over to him with an arched brow that seemed to give off an irritated vibe before seeing his pink lips silently mouth, 'The plan. Drake should come.'
Kacey's face seemed to immediately bright at the suggestion and she couldn't help but purse her soft, glossed lips in absolute excitement while nodding tremendously. Drake stood idly by with a confused look on his charming face as he watched the two speak in a silent language and scratched the top of his head in response. Sign language? Or maybe Silenese? Drake thought with his forehead wrinkled as he did so.
Zander and Kacey soon quit moving their lips and ceased their silent conversation; bringing their faces over to Drake with anticipation. Drake only continued staring at them with a look that basically said 'What the hell' as he watched them begin to finally speak I normal tongue. "Drake?" Kacey began with a deep breath as well as a fresh and gorgeous smile on her face that revealed all of her perfectly white teeth.
"Yeah…" Drake responded unsurely.
"Drake, we were wondering," Zander continued with a look of assurance as his brown eyes gleamed fiercely, "You see…Me and Kace. We were waiting for someone- well actually we were waiting for more than just one person."
Drake titled his head slightly to the side as if he knew were this was going but he still didn't have a clue what was going on so he only grinned as if he did and motioned for them to continue with his hand. "Okay."
"There are others. I mean…I was a little whatever about it too, but now I know for sure that this plan is for real. Beck, he says there's a way out. A way out of this damn game- a way off of this goddamn island. Tori's with him-remember her? Oh and, um…so is this Katniss girl who transferred. It may seem sketchy, but come on! Beck said that Katniss knows a way out," Kacey beamed with her cream colored hands moving around sporadically as if she were telling a story with them; her golden charm bracelet flailing around as she did it (Jingle, Jingle).
"Wait a second," Drake beamed with his eyes shut tight as he began to take all of this information in as the winds began to pick up a bit making the walls of the rickety old barn creak intensely. "You guys are serious? There's…whoa! An actual way out? No freaking way! And you guys really think this Katniss-Quiet-Freaky-Kinda Scary chick knows a way out?"
Zander only exchanged glances with Kacey; his pools of brown eyes shining as he did and immediately began nodding confidently with his wooden pole tightly clutched in his hand. "Definitely. Me and Kacey are on board Drake. We all hook up and then we're out of here. I know it all sounds too good to be true and all, but this seems different. Katniss has something going on, so the choice is all yours Drake…I hope you can come though. The more on board the better."
Drake bit on his thin lower lip as he thought about Zander's offer word by word. His bright brown eyes narrowed down at his purple Vans as he crossed his stick-like arms in a laid back fashion. "Hm…" he began with a little uncertainty in his voice. Kacey felt her heart drop a little as she heard this and began to clasp her hands together as if she were praying.
"Drake! Remember? We dated so don't forget I can always sniff you out later!" she threatened with a menacing look in her twinkling eye which sent cold shivers down his spine making him tingle in fear. He just had to date her…he just had to be that cool dude who dated every girl in school. Now it was all coming back to bite him in the butt. "Mm-hm! I'm not playing…so…what's it gonna be? Rock star."
Drake only felt his throat tighten as he swallowed dryly with his eyes locked onto the most popular girl in their school with fear. Zander only smiled in a nervous yet shy way as he stepped a bit to the side in order to steer clear of any trouble as Kacey continued to narrow her eyes at Drake's tense form. "You guys mean it?" Drake sighed in defeat with a smirk on his face causing Kacey to break into a victorious grin.
"Uh, yeah. Of course Drake!" Zander beamed with a surprised expression as he looked over Kacey who only gave a devious wink in response.
"Then I'm in. You have my word," the cool brunette said with a look of motivation as he gripped the two duffle bags on his two brittle shoulders rather tightly.
Zander gave off a joyous smile as he watched Drake grin at him with his swooped bangs gently flowing in front of his pale face as the wind carried on by them. "Glad to hear it."
Beck…I did it. Found them. Not like Stevie…never like Stevie. We're all in this Beck…all of us. Count on it!
9 Students Remaining
Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 11:26 P.M. (Outer woodland; Deserted Island)
Beck almost felt like collapsing right there as he continued to trudge along through the thick vegetation with Tori by his side; her thin arm holding him up as he had his own draped over her slender shoulder. However, he knew he had to grin and bear it…even though it hurt like hell, but ten times more. His teeth clenched in pain with every step they took as Tori tried her best to make expedition as easy as possible, but that was hardly possible since Katniss kept demanding they keep up the pace.
Katniss' swinging braid rested peacefully on her shoulder as she maneuvered through the over towering trees that offered nothing but darkness and seemed to resemble giants. The roots stuck up from the ground like abnormal feet and toes as the trio hopped over them with Katniss leading in the front with her shotgun loaded and cocked at the grass covered ground. Camille was right behind her with Carly's Glock pistol tightly gripped in her delicate hands (Beck suggested they split up the founded weapons from the lighthouse) as the tiny specks on pale light from the sky seeped in from the treetops and shined on her porcelain face and bobbing, brown hair.
"We're almost there," Katniss huffed after crouching down with extreme caution; looking in every direction just in case Lucy was anywhere around them. Her black hair swung around her body as she did so and her quiver of wooden arrows shook slightly every time she took off once again.
"W-Way to go Zander…" Beck laughed quietly as they all saw the opening leading from the dense forest to the oen barnyard. "He really came through didn't he?"
Tori gave him a sweet smile before nodding her head causing her locks of wavy brown hair to swerve around her. "He did…now it's our turn," she spoke with a strong voice while steadying herself for a second in order to tighten her grip on Beck's side.
"Be gentle Tor'…" Beck chuckled with a charming wink causing Tori to roll her eyes incredulously with an amused laugh leaving her lips as she trudged off with Beck on her side.
'We'll see," she winked back with a grin. Soon as they made their way to scattered oak trees that were standing alongside the barnyard road, they heard a chorus of familiar voices faintly along with the strong winds flying past them.
"That's them…but wait," Katniss began with a squinted pair of eyes as she peered through the leaves while gently pushing down on the weak limb of a tree. "Who's that?"
Everyone hastily crowded around Katniss with intrigued looks in order to see what the single braided girl was talking about. "Who's what?" Beck whispered with an arched brow as he squinted his own brown eyes as well. He saw three people standing near the creaky old barn they were finding shelter behind when True was shooting at them. The same barn Lulu had been staying in the previous morning and afternoon.
"Wait…damn! Drake!" Beck immediately gasped with a wide smile as he saw the boy who always held rock out sessions in the courtyard during lunch and concerts in the parking lot along with Kendall. The guy who always seemed to worry about absolutely nothing.
Katniss narrowed her eyes in irritation before hissing in an upset. "Stop yelling!" Beck only looked over at her with a look of carelessness considering she's told him that countless numbers of times.
"Katniss look! Drake! Remember what you said? We could let in anyone who's willing and there he is with Zander and Kacey!" Tori chided with a beaming smile on her caramel skinned face. Camille only looked over at Drake's form with a blank look as she watched him nod his head calmly like one of those typical 'cool' kids with a smirk on his face.
"He looks like he can be trusted…why not," Camille sighed with a look of interest on her pale and sophisticated face that still seemed to be recovering from the heart breaking news she took about Logan. "What do you guys say?"
"No need to ask twice Camille," Beck laughed with his usual smirk on his face as he began to limp out into the open road with his bandages ruffling in response underneath his school uniform. Katniss only growled at his head strong nature but didn't even try to stop him…what was the use anyways. Instead she followed him out while pushing the dark green leaves and smooth tree limbs and branches out of her way to provide a pathway. Tori quickly followed suit still trying to steady Beck so he wouldn't keel over…even though he seemed to be shrug off all the pain like it was nothing.
"GUYS!" Beck hollered with a joyous laugh catching Kacey, Zander and Drake's attention causing them all to jump in absolute shock. Katniss slapped her brute hand over Beck's big mouth with a look of frustration. Her face resembled an intense scowl as she brought her filthy palm from the strong willed boy's mouth letting him cower before her.
"Don't even make me say it again Beck," she whispered darkly. Her eyes shining like two silver blades that seemed to go right through Beck's body.
"S-Sorry Kat…" he muttered in shame before flashing an embarrassed smile her way; only to have her ignore it with a grunt leaving her lips. Zander came barreling over to them with overwhelming amounts of joy welling up inside him as he threw his arms right around Beck's body.
"It worked. I can't believe it. Y-You're here and…and it worked!" the dark haired boy beamed while Kacey and Tori squealed in ecstatic happiness while crying tears of joy; their arms hugging one another for dear life while letting sobs spill from their shining lips.
"Z-Zander! Pain! S-So much Pain!" Beck gasped with a smile painted onto his scrunched up face as all of the searing pain from his wounds soared through him. Zander's eyes went wide in shock before letting him go instantly with a humiliated grin on his pale face.
"Oh…s-sorry."
Drake, however, stood there with an awkward smile until Zander finally let go of Beck's wounded form and stood off to the side. "I recruited another ally if that's alright," Zander beamed in determination while motioning over to Drake's thin figure with his pale hand holding his tracker. Seven red dots blinked rapidly in a cluster on the lucid screen as it glowed from the gleaming white light from above.
"What's up guys," Drake chuckled with a single wave before giving off his laid back smile to the other four only making Tori and Beck bubble up with giddy excitement.
"Drake! What's happening man?" Beck burst out into a fit of laughs while flinging his pained arms around Drake's body. His agonizing wounds almost felt numb now that he was finally with his remaining friends again…all except Lulu that is. They just had to find her and they'd be as good as gold.
"Not much…just getting into gunfights you know. The norm' and also get close and personal with the one and only 'Hardcore Stone'…seriously bullshit man. Even up close with Felix-" Drake's smooth fashion of talk was immediately interrupted when Katniss came busting into the conversation as if it meant nothing.
"You came face to face with that Lucy chick?" Katniss asked with a stern look which only made everyone look over at her in fear. Drake, however, only nodded slowly with his eyes wide while staring at her. "Damn, guess we'll have to change our plans up…oh yeah. Sorry, I'm not all too keen on introductions. Name's Katniss Everdeen…but honestly we've been in the same class for a year so if you needed me to tell you it…God help you," she sighed before crossing her arms over her broad chest in pride with her gleaming, silver eyes examining Drake's form in crucial detail.
"I uh…I knew your name. I'm Drake. Drake Parker…or you could call me Mr. Cool," the brunette spoke smoothly only causing Katniss to let out a sigh of amusement as she locked her eyes onto his cocky smirk.
"Great. Well then, Mr. Cool…welcome aboard the 'Screw this Game' express. I'll be your conductor and boy is it gonna be one hell of a ride," Katniss grinned while taking out a simple map of the island. Thirty one of the small squares representing a sector on the vast island were violently shaded in with pencil to indicate that they were danger zones, but Katniss had something else in her mind. Something much more dangerous than those pesky zones.
"C-Camille?" Kacey gasped in an instant after seeing the drama queen emerge from the foliage of the glowing trees. The horrendous sound of Suzie's dying and miserable voice echoed throughout Zander, Kacey and Drake's fogged minds like trapped bouncing balls just like it was when it rang from the screeching megaphone as they stared at Camille in horror.
"No! Don't leave me…"
"Come Back! Come Back to me…"
"Together…Always…Together…"
Zander almost pulled out one of the guns he had stored in his bulky duffle bag until Tori began to cry out in protest.
"Zander don't! She's okay!" Tori outstretched her thin arms in order to creat a type of shield, but to be honest…it wasn't very intimidating. Camille looked over Tori's shoulder with a look of intrigue on her delicate, smooth face as she scanned the three students faces known as Zander, Kacey and Drake. Zander nearly felt his heart jump as her deep brown eyes locked onto his for a quick second and she began to look down at the tips of her gleaming Mary-Jane shoes with a shameful look.
"Hello…" she mumbled shyly with her blank eyes still fixed on her shoes as if she were a nervous little girl. "I understand if you three don't trust me. I know I've done so many treacherous things…and I'm ashamed of every single one of them. I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me no matter what the cost may be. I realize how cruel and disgusting my actions have been and I'm more than willing to change."
At first, it all sounded ludicrous as the three stood there listening intently to Camille's soft compelling voice that radiated with sophistication. How could they just drop it all and trust the very same girl who wiped out at least seven other classmates…willingly and in cold-blood? That's just it. They couldn't…
Zander squinted his eyes in a state of thought as he gazed over Camille's body with a focused pair of eyes. His martial arts instructor actually told him that if he studies an 'enemy' long enough, inside and out, he may be able to determine what this individual may possibly do. The only problem? This isn't a tap out MMA fight…it's a game about life or death.
Kacey was staring over at Camille as well with her cream colored hand placed firmly against her hip in defiance, until she realized how genuine Camille was trying to be. Is she really telling the truth? Kacey thought with an arched brow as she pursed her soft, full lips in hesitation as if she were about to say something. However, it was Drake who blurted it out as if by magic.
"I'm cool with it," was all he chuckled with a laidback tone to his voice as he strolled on over to Beck's determined alliance with his pair of thin legs.
"Drake? Alright man! Always never cares when it counts huh?" Beck beamed in joy as he flashed his infamous smile to the rocker. Tori gleamed with a bright grin on her face while Katniss merely smirked in amusement at the entire ordeal.
"You know it…the king of the 'Whatever' Kingdom. I mean, seriously. This is the only choice we've got. Either this or we kill each other and uh…I kind of don't want to do the second one so…"
Drake's face gave a look anticipation as he stared at Zander and Kacey's hesitant bodies with his bright brown eyes. He watched them continue to exchange faint facial expressions as if they were communicating and their mouths parted continuously as they mouthed various words in various fashions. "What the hell is going on with you two and your damn silent talk?" Drake whined with a look of annoyance in his eyes as he watched them snap out of their strange sense of communication with their eyes as wide as can be.
"Um…" Zander began with a shaky feel to his shy voice until he finally drew in a deep breath with his eyes narrowing as he opened his mouth to speak his answer. "Okay…as long as she can be trusted."
Camille gave a look of gratitude before giving off a faint yet delicate smile that made her look somewhat elegant. "Thank you," she softly spoke with a gleam in her breath taking brown eyes.
"Okay, we're all on the same page…so what comes next?" Kacey questioned with her locks of thick, black hair falling all around her. Katniss only responded with a simple grin before grasping her finely carved bow tightly in her strong hand.
"We get the hell out of here," she announced before turning around with her swinging braid flying behind her like a decorative tail. Everyone exchanged shock, surprised and confused looks as they heard the silver eyed girl speak this overused statement in such a blunt manner. That is until Beck finally decided to let out a nervous fit of chuckles earning him a confused glare from Katniss as she turned her head around to face him.
"Get out of here? How Kat? Remember…the dog collars keeping us bound to this game? They'll blow us to bits!" Beck babbled as Tori and Camille looked over at Katniss with earnest looks; nodding their heads in agreement.
"Yeah…that was a little too quick of a resolution," Kacey started to laugh as well trailing right behind Zander's lean body with Drake tailing right behind her. Katniss only stared them all down with an entertained expression on her face before letting a smirk play across her lips.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Drake gulped with his deep brown eyes fixed on her in fear as if she were about to pull a gun on them right then and there…maybe she was. All she did was wave her fingers underneath the titanium surface of the collar that literally chaffed her neck so horribly she probably had raw skin lying underneath it.
"You mean this pesky little friend of ours? Hmph, I doubt he'll be much of an issue anymore."
"Huh!? What…wait! What do you mean!? Katniss!" Tori began to gasp with a relieved smile bubbling up onto her glowing face as the winds began to pick up and the damp smell of fresh rain began to drift throughout the forest like a comforting mist.
"That's right boys, girls and…Beck. I was able to toy around with Jake's laptop after the whole Felix thing and after about twelve long hours, I finally disabled these damn yet sweet little collars. Temporarily of course, but not until tomorrow morning. 6 a.m. to be exact," Katniss proudly spoke with her eyes glazed with victory as she watched everyone else nearly drop dead from all the shock. Beck's mouth was literally hanging open as if someone had broken it. Tori couldn't stop herself from smiling like a giddy little girl in a candy store as she heard this overwhelming news. Camille stood there with her wavy chocolate brown hair swaying around her as a twinkle of hope gleamed in her glass like eye. Zander's lips quivered in a way that made it seem like he was about to break into a joyful smile while Kacey stood there with tears welling up in tired eyes. Drake even seemed overjoyed as he began to cheer with his hands reaching up into the vast night skies that were beginning to become infested with gray clouds.
"No fucking way! Are you serious! Katniss way to freakin' go!" Beck cried as tears began to stream from his eyes as he let this piece of information sink in. Katniss only bowed with an easy going laugh escaping her lips as she endured the vast amount of praise.
"Okay! Let's get out of here…let's show those bastards who their messing with!" Drake blurted with an overzealous grin on his face allowing everyone else to cheer in agreement.
9 Students Remaining
Monday: June 3rd, 2010 – 11:46 P.M. (Farmhouse; Deserted Island)
Lucy sat on a violet covered plush chair in front of a type of dresser that had all kinds of toiletries strewn about it. Make up bags, lipsticks ranging from blood red to a delicate baby pink, various blushes, used perfume bottles that looked as expensive as they did smell and even hair curlers to hair dryers. Lucy smiled sweetly at the magnificent display of girly items and picked the hair curler with her delicate yet deadly fingers. She curled her hair into a beautiful set of bobbing red and black locks before reaching over to grasp the golden casing of some red-as-blood lipstick.
"Oooh," she sighed with an excited grin, "just my shade…unlike Vega."
She darkly laughed as she thought back to her first kill (the unlucky drama princess, Trina Vega).
"Oh and red…so not your color."
She puckered and coated her perfect lips the color she so much desired with her cold, empty eyes gazing into the reflection in the mirror in front of her. When she was finished she lightly placed it into her bag with a subtle giggle before returning back to makeover. "Might as well help myself to some delightful goods while I'm here," she cooed before picking up some eyeliner to touch up her seductive eyes that gleamed a magnificent brown.
She ended her look with a light spray of sweet smelling perfume that seemed to be an alluring rose scent. She felt the moist droplets plant themselves onto her soft skin giving her a great smelling fragrance. She placed the half full perfume bottle into her bag before getting up from the makeup table and heading over to the master bedroom closet doors. She entered the walk-in closet with a look of curiosity on her gorgeous face as she examined all of the extravagant clothes this supposed wife had in it. This family must have been loaded…probably due to the fact that they were farmers which meant they sold a hefty amount of high priced meat and livestock.
Lucy hastily got her hands onto as many outfits as she possibly could, trying them all on like an overexcited teenage girl picking out her dream dress for prom. Finally she came across a satin one-shoulder shirt that resembled the color of a bright rose with one long sleeve and one short one with a ruffled cuff. The satin material shined from underneath the illuminating light coming through the window as Lucy observed it intently with gawking eyes. "Very nice," she whispered in awe before slipping it on along with a diamond necklace that must have cost a fortune. The diamonds were sparkling around Lucy creamy neck as she bent over to pick up a pair of leather jeans that were as black as night itself. They looked like the bottom half of Cat Woman's super suit as the material reflected the moonlight's glow. Lucy hit the jackpot with this place…definite score. She shimmied her toned legs into the tight leather jeans with her eyes (resembling too deadly orbs outlined with subtle hints of dark purple eye shadow) gazing down towards the numerous pairs of expensive shoes where she spotted a pair of bright scarlet colored heels (about three inches).
"A girl can never have too many things after all right? I mean…it's not like she'll miss them or anything," Lucy giggled with her eyelashes batting and fluttering innocently as she slipped her feet into them with an angelic smile on her face. After placing another set of amazing material outfits and expensive shoes into her duffle bag, something popped into her twisted mind.
Hold on…what am I doing still hoisting this lumpy garbage bag around? Damn Luce, you're in the house of some rich bitch! Might as well update your entire wardrobe.
With that in mind, the murderous temptress simply let her blood red lips curve into a sexy yet terrifying smile as she strutted over to a bright white shelf hidden beneath the hanging shirts. She pushed a few items of clothing out of her way until she came upon a simple black purse that seemed to have been bought from a Gucci shop (talk about expensive taste). A bright silver chain dangled from the purse as Lucy picked it up with a sweet smile and began placing all of her essentials into it such as her weapons…and a couple things she heisted from this loaded home.
"Perfect, all set and ready to kill," she spoke with a chuckle before slipping her arm through the straps of the purse; letting it dangle from her elbow as she made her way out of the incredible closet and over to the glistening mirror on the littered dresser. It looked as if a bomb went off in there due to all the clothes and accessories lying all about the floor. Her merciless eyes examined the gorgeous creature in the looking glass staring back at her and simply grinned in satisfaction while giving her reflection a little wink. "Lookin' good Luce."
Hell, she even slipped on a narrow diamond encrusted wristwatch that sparkled as the moonlight shined from outside the window. The dim candles glowed all around the room making Lucy look even more stunning as she began to dig into 'her' magnificent purse and brought out Josh's Anaconda Revolver in all its glory. "Nice…way to channel my inner Mrs. Smith. Now where should I head off to? Tori and Katniss maybe? Ugh, gotta find them first…but how?" Lucy pursed her two glimmering lips together as she thought long and hard about what to do and what move she should make next. This was, after all, the grand finale of the competition. The numbers were getting lower and lower and now that Knight, Diamond, Garcia, Mitchell, Shay and Valentine were out of the game, she only had eight others to worry about.
As Lucy waltzed out of the bedroom after blowing out the flickering candle lights to keep her whereabouts hidden, she came across a plethora of nostalgic photos that were framed and hung all about the hallways leading to the stairs. They showed the family who previously owned this house…it must have been a while considering the last updated picture was in 1948. Who knew this island was vacant for that long?
She stared at the smiling family photos with a look bordering on disgust and hatred as those faces gleamed back at her in such joy. She then heard that voice again. The voice that made her entire form cringe in horror and shame. The voice of the person that first hurt her…the first person to ever take Lucy's trust.
"Just you wait and see Lucy…we'll all be a family. I can be just like your first dad…You, me and your mommy. How does that sound?"
Lucy tightly wrapped her small arms around the innocent bear with a huge smile on her little face while brightly giggling. Her short, shoulder length hair was light brown and decorated with childish bows and she shook her head excitedly causing it all to sway gently. "Yay! For real? A family? Just like daddy?"
"You bet," he smiled back with a charming laugh as he patted her tiny shoulder.
The damaged girl shook with uncontrollable rage as she thought about the child predator. His clean shaven face that made him look beyond fancy and admirable. His award winning smile that seemed to keep her mother entranced even though he was abusing Lucy day and night. Everything that made him look perfect…when really all he was, was a hideous beast.
"Touch Lucy…The more you touch the more you're loved. Vice versa…if I touch you, it means I love you."
"Love…Touching means love?"
"Yes…look. I'm touching you…don't you feel loved? Don't you see how much daddy loves his new step-daughter?"
"Love…For real?"
"For real…"
She heard his voice growl like a terrifying monster and pictured him beating her small form as they lay in his plush bed…The punching he would do whenever he stripped her down no matter how hard she screamed or wept. The kicks and slaps he would give her whenever she didn't do something 'right' whenever he ordered it. She never understood what he was doing…she knew it was wrong though. She knew him straight up. She knew all men were the same growing up. They all try and gain your trust but once they have it…they take want they want and leave or hurt you in the end.
Lucy's knuckles turned a pale ghastly white as she stared at the father in the photo smiling happily next to his small daughter (she seemed to be eight) who also had a bright innocent smile on her face. The extravagant mother was standing happily next to her, crouched to her height so that they could deem this moment as priceless. It was all black and white but Lucy saw all the joy radiating from this one picture…
"It always hurts," she growled with a tint of bright red flashing in her eyes as she clutched the handle of the gun in her soft hands for dear life and her eyes were glaring at the photo like a pair of deadly daggers. "They all say it's 'Love'. Pft! My ass…you all call it that don't you?" she muttered darkly as if she were speaking to the cheery father in the picture as if he could answer back. "Yeah, you all do. You call it love and all that fucking shit…but Lucy knows. Knows the truth. Oh yes…little Lucy understands you now…Lucy knows you. All the while…you all take and take from her! First the trust…then you take everything else you-"
"Just you wait and see Lucy…we'll all be a family. I can be just like your first dad…You, me and your mommy. How does that sound?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she screamed in hot anger making her throat ring in response. She threw her fist over to the picture as she screamed in a complete rage and felt her knuckles pound into the glass of the framed picture making it shatter and fall onto the carpeted floor.
Thump.
A flash of lightning briefly filled the dark halls along with a loud growl of thunder which interrupted the uncomfortable silence in the house. Her eyes trembled for a second until they seemed to widen as if she were being taken over by another person. She sank to her knees as she examined her bleeding hand; tears welling up in her child like eyes. "Oh…" she whimpered with a soft sob as her inner child began to come out yet again. "Hurts…see? Why? Always pain…I-I don't understand. Always pain….it always hurts."
The blood oozed from her broken skin and dripped onto the snow white colored carpets underneath her as she continued to let out a few tears in response to the pain. That's when something snapped inside of her making her eyes shoot open wide in alert. Her uninjured hand rapidly flew to her purse with a look of desperation in her troubled eyes. She began to dig through it in haste with frantic breaths expelling from her blood red lips. "Where is it?" she gasped in hysteria as she looked all throughout it with her eyebrows arched in overwhelmed sadness. "Why? Why isn't it here? Where is it!?" she cried before charging off back into the master bedroom that still looked horribly wrecked. She through everything around as she sobbed terribly in hopes to find what she had been looking for. Finally she stopped her movements after seeing something glisten on the surface of the mahogany dresser in the pale moonlight.
"Little Lady bug?" she heard a voice chuckle softly from within her mind as she spotted the glimmering object and began to smile innocently with her eyes shining brightly. "Lucy…daddy's little Ladybug. His little princess?" the voice continued to echo making Lucy's smile grow wider and wider.
"Oh," Lucy softly whispered with her eyes scanning the item up close as it brightly shined in her eyes. It was the golden ladybug ring her father bought her a long time ago for her fifth birthday…the one thing Lucy always had to make herself remember the one person who truly loved and cared for her. Her first and true daddy.
She carefully picked it up as if it were a priceless artifact and held it up into the brilliant light that came in through the giant glass window pane. Rain had begun to drizzle from above and was streaming down the windows as Lucy slipped the timeless ring onto her dainty, long finger. "Daddy? Lucy feels you. I feel you daddy. Closest to our hearts…"
"That's good ladybug. Remember? You'll always be daddy's little girl."
"For real?" Lucy gasped with her eyes looking up as if he were speaking to her from above.
"For real little ladybug."
To be honest, the only reason Lucy even dyed her hair red and black was because they were the initial colors of a ladybug .She had to keep her father's memory alive somehow and this was the perfect way to honor him and keep their delicate bond connected.
She held the golden ladybug close to her heart and began to smile up at the ceiling with a look of purity radiating from her face as if she were just a small child. "Okay daddy…I trust you. Only you…always. Only you daddy."
With that, Lucy placed the ring deep inside the depths of her purse and took off down the hall and down the carpeted steps allowing her heels to make soft thumping noises. Lucy had smirk on her face as her trouble, child like persona disappeared into her deep mind leaving the 'bad Lucy', as she called it, in its place. She had the shining purse dangling from her arm as she made her way to the back door leading around the backyard to the front of the farmhouse.
As soon as she opened the door, rain began to lightly tap her and the head making her sigh in irritation considering she spent all that time dolling herself up. However, what really caught her attention was a chorus of voices coming from a distance. "Huh?" she whispered with a smile on her face as she maneuvered around the gorgeous house with her back planted against the wall. A broken down jungle gym was lying in the moist dirt of the yard and Lucy couldn't help but scoff at it as she turned her deadly gaze around the corner of the farmhouse in order to get a better view of these 'visitors'.
As she did so her eyes literally lit up with sick intentions as she laid her eyes upon not only one person, not two, but seven! Seven other people to wipe out…Beck, Tori, Katniss, Camille- Camille? Isn't Roberts that method acting freak? What the hell is she doing with them? Hmph! Not my issue after I blow their brains out and I'm crowned queen of this competition. Lucy sighed pleasantly within her head as narrowed her hypnotic brown eyes at the them as they headed into the trickling forest while gripping her gun even though her hand still continued to bleed…but since it was raining, it was probably going to get washed off anyhow and the cuts weren't that bad.
"Peek-a-boo…I see you."
9 Students Remaining
Tuesday: June 4th, 2010 – 12:00 A.M. (Inner woodland; Deserted Island)
The group of seven trekked through the dense forest as light clear rain drops dripped from the smooth leaves fluttering above them. The sound of light drizzling rain tapping the treetops filled their damp ears as they continued to follow Katniss throughout the pesky wilderness. Beck and Tori listened intently as the sound of an annoyed owl hooting in resentment towards he rain filled the air along with a few other calls belonging to a few animals. "Not too annoying," Beck grumbled obviously sick of all the nature. He especially wasn't too keen on the fact that it had began to start raining either…but all that changed from irritation to immediate hatred as he heard the speakers screech from all around the island as if they were set up everywhere.
"Time for some announcements guys," Katniss sighed with a burning look of resentment in her silver eyes as she slouched back up against a damp tree trunk. Kacey fell to her knees in exhaustion while craning her neck to the side in hopes to relieve the tension that had been building up inside her muscles for the past couple of days.
Zander had his wooden pole propped up against a narrow tree as he sat down next to Kacey with his eyes dozing off a bit due to him being sleepless for the past two nights. He almost felt like cringing as he heard a cheery little song flow from the speakers in great optimism. Tomorrow from Annie…isn't that interesting?
When I'm stuck with a day that's gray and lonely
I stuck up my chin and grin and say
The sun'll come out tomorrow
So you gotta hang on until tomorrow
Come what may…
This was sick and everyone was through with all of it. All these crude mind games only made the situation that much worse. Maybe they were all to screwed up by this point to even react, but they still couldn't help but grimace at the bright song choice. "Little warriors…there haven't been any deaths since the evening reports. May I ask why? Hm? You're on your very last day so it's all or nothing at this point. I suggest you get cracking! I do hope you're using this time to come up with a breath taking scene for the audience. I mean after the entire lighthouse spectacle…whew! Good luck topping that. Anyways, I would give out danger zones but strangely…our collars have been disabled. How strange indeed," he growled with a sadistic tone that made him come off as happy in a dark way. He lightly chuckled into the microphone letting it carry throughout the nearly empty island. "No matter…there's no way out anyways. Guard ships are positioned on every side of the island nearly 100 meters out so if you were trying to seek an opportunity I'm sorry. Boo-hoo…if you even try they'll shoot you down on sight and oh my…that wouldn't be pretty now would it?"
"Guard ships!?" Zander gasped with his brown eyes going wide in disbelief as he felt his heart drop out of sheer disappointment. "Damn it!" he hissed while punching the damp blades of green grass underneath him with his pale fist that made even the biggest brutes tremble. "Now how are we gonna get out of here?" he asked while glaring down at the ground with an angered expression.
Tori felt her heart shatter from the news and clutched onto Beck's arm for support as she felt her chest heave as if sobs were beginning to come forth from her throat. Beck hugged her close to with his bandaged arms as he looked over at Katniss with a look of hope as if he knew she had a plan. When doesn't she have one?
"Now, now…I really want to see some dedication by morning okay? Maybe we'll have our winner by then. Well, enjoy the rest of your stay on this beautiful island my little warriors…make it count," Mr. Eikner beamed disturbingly before shutting off the speakers leaving the sound of dripping rain in its place.
Awkward silence filled the air until Tori broke it with a confident sound being regained in her trembling voice. "K-Katniss? What do we do now? How can we escape without being seen by those ships?"
Katniss gave her an encouraging grin that seemed to give off a sort of warmth as she began to unbraid her ebony black hair with great precision. "We escape. Didn't I make myself clear or are you still in this we're all gonna die mentality? Come now Tori…how can you doubt me," she chuckled with her eyes lightly gazing at the Latina as she began to shake her hair out so that it could rest upon her shoulders. "I know what I'm doing. Trust me…"
"Okay," Drake coughed nonchalantly in order to make himself be heard causing everyone to glance over at him as he leaned against a thick, fat tree trunk that had a trail water running down it. "What's the big, almighty plan. It's pretty jank that you're not telling us anything."
"Drake it's cool. Katniss knows exactly what she's doing. I have faith in her," Beck gleamed from his spot with his lean, muscular arms still wrapped around Tori in a protective manner. Drake only sighed with a cool little grin as he closed his eyes in response to Beck's good hearted character.
"Well…what do we do until, we 'escape or whatever," Kacey arched her brow awaiting an answer as Camille sat there on her pale, smooth knees with her glass like eyes gazing down upon the raindrops trickling from her skin as if she were intrigued by it in a sense.
"We look for Lucy," Katniss replied so bluntly that everyone had to stop and stare at her for a couple seconds in order to make sure what they heard was correct.
"Lucy? You want to find her? Wait! Why?" Drake hollered in an upset as he thought about the merciless female. "That bitch! Why would you want to find her?! She'll kill us…K-I-L-L! Kill us! What the hell are you thinking? I actually confronted her remember!? Zander and Beck did too! What game are you trying to play here?"
"I'm glad you asked," Katniss sighed with an amused look on her face as she began to grab her heavy duffle bag and the one Drake handed over from Felix making her emit a groan in response. She zipped it open fairly quickly and went straight to grabbing things of all kinds making everyone stare at her in absolute confusion. "Well here's what's going down. We're nearing the endgame and let me tell you…this is the part where all bets are off no matter what. This is the point where friendships are tested and people turn on each other out of pressure. This isn't like before when twenty other people were running around…it's down to the core guys and it's all or nothing at this point just like Mr. Fuckner said. Anything is possible…that's why we have to find Lucy. She's the only person left playing right? If that's the case she'll stop at nothing to make sure she's the only one who gets out alive."
Everyone gave the transfer student a look of utter fear as they thought of the red and black haired girl everyone at their school feared the most. "That's right…if we want to get out of here we're gonna have to take her out first. Lucky for us we only have three guys left, so her little peepshows aren't going to work for her anymore unless one of us girls bats for the other team that is," Katniss spoke with a low tone as she glanced around at Kacey, Tori and Camille who did nothing but shake their heads frantically in response. "Good…then we should be golden. Still though…she's gotta go if we're going to do anything. Only problem is that we have no clue of what she's capable of."
"C'mon Katniss," Beck grinned with his usual charm. "She's not King Kong or freakin' Michael Myers. She's just a kid like us…actually she's a fucked up kid. Not a monster though Katniss! She's outnumbered anyway. Seven maybe even eight against her if we get Lulu in time. I mean look at the inventory we've got going on for Christ sake! She's screwed if she decides to fight against us and with Zander's MMA skills…oh man watch out! You fought Zander yourself Katniss. You know what he's capable of," Beck praised with a pumped fist as everyone smiled in agreement. Katniss merely shook her head before staring over at the curly haired martial arts expert with her hair sticking to her skin from the light rain drops.
"I doubt it. Sorry Zander, but you don't come off as the killer type. We need this chick dead you hear me. Not beat up…dead. Are you up to the challenge Zander? Could you kill this girl on sight?' Katniss asked with a dead serious tone in her stern voice as she folded her arms over her chest. Zander only looked at her with his thin lips trembling as he thought intently about the feared word. Dead. He gave her a look of uncertainty before fixing his eyes on the trees in front of him.
"I-I…I don't know," he answered with a defeated whisper causing Katniss to nod as if she knew it all along.
"See. Not the killer type. Lucy can't be given any chances you hear me? She needs to be killed on sight, no exceptions," the olive toned girl ordered causing Beck to scowl in indifference as he listened to these words.
"I get that Katniss, but she isn't some inhuman monster. She's not dead inside."
"I know that doofus. Trust me…as a nurse's daughter I've come across many children falling into various categories and Lucy…she definitely fits the abused profile. She suffered Beck. Big time…Someone fucked with her emotions big time and that gives her an 'edge' let's say. After all these years she still has some emotions left, but what she does with them can range drastically and can make her kind of act out. God knows what happened to her in the past-"
"Like it matters. Look at her…everything about Lucy just seems wrong. Jade…she wasn't like that you know. She wasn't always the co-captain when it came to gangbanging and crime sprees…Jade was just like us. It's just…something got to her you know. Something from her past like you said Katniss. Made her into the mean and cold Jade West we all knew. She was MADE into that Katniss…it's not who she really was. So I think even before all of this…before we knew Lucy as a classmate, something got to her and twisted her mind and made her into the girl we know now. The girl that's running amok looking for blood," Beck felt everyone's eyes fall onto him as he spoke and couldn't help but give off a radiating look of determination. "I had a fucked up past too…my dad committed suicide when I was only nine, and I had two choices; to move on with my life and try my best to seek the positive side or stay stuck in the past and let all of the emotions fester up until they turn into something ugly. It's how you deal with it Katniss…your dad…didn't you move on? It's how you deal with it. This damn game almost screw that up. I kept getting stuck and couldn't help but feel helpless…but this helped me. It gave me something to cling to," he said meaningfully while bringing out the two necklaces given to him by Ms. Linston that morning of the trip. The morning where everything changed. The names 'BECK' and 'MIKE' engraved onto the tags. "These gave me a reason to have hope…it gave me a reason to grow stronger."
Tori grinned at him in admiration as her swaying locks of brown hair gently flew around her thin body as Zander gave a calm smile that made him seem like he was moved by Beck's speech. Kacey even looked touch as she sat there with a few tears in her twinkling brown eyes and Drake kept staring at him with a look of praise even though it was hardly necessary.
"Yeah…we all have something to cling to. Something that defines us. Kendall, Carlos, James and Logan all made friendship bracelets for one another when they met…they wore them all this time and used them to define their love for each other. Andre had a Stevie Wonder track he got when he was little and that defined his passion for music as he grew up. Mike…he had a Captain America toy that his parents left with him when they left him on the orphanage doorstep. He kept it all this time to remember his parents…I have a letter my dad left me when he killed himself. Reminds me to never give up on his sake…that defines me. Lucy- the real true Lucy is still there somewhere I know it. It's just that reaching them and finding them could take too much effort…and that's when we lose them."
As Beck finally came to a close with his eyes glazed with tears as he gave off a gloomy smile that still managed to give off a beam of hope, Katniss drew in a deep breath as if she were readying herself for another snappy remark. "Nice speech," she smiled genuinely with her eyes staring straight into his as he looked at her. "Really, nice speech Beck. You're spot on, but it really doesn't matter what they've gone through…what matters is that she's fucked up. She's fucked up and deadly to top it all off. I understand about being born and having stuff happen in the past and all that. I understand how you aren't born a monster, but she's definitely far beyond my reach when it comes to getting help. I'm not going to sit down and have cup of tea with this Hardcore Stone chick like I'm Dr. Phil. She's twisted no matter what the cause and remember…it's kill or be killed. We're way past helping others at this point…hate to be a crude bitch but it's true you guys. We only have ourselves to worry about now."
"Really?" Tori cut in with a trembling feel in her voice making everyone's eyes; including Beck's, gaze over to her. "There's no reaching her Katniss? She's all locked up and there's no reaching her? So we really do have to kill her? After all this talk of not playing…now we have to face the music," the caramel skinned girl whispered with a thin trail of tears coming from her deep brown eye. "We've been deluding ourselves…they win huh?"
"Tori," Zander spoke with extreme comfort as he ran a hand over her back while Kacey scurried over to her to take her in for a warm hug.
"No they don't. We'll play, but not by their rules," Drake smirked his usual smirk as he spoke and gave everyone a look that seemed to show that he had an idea in mind. "We split up…four in one group and three in the other. We scout the island and when we find her, POP! It's done. We just need to think of it as putting Lucy out of her misery."
"Not a bad idea to be honest and I agree. Lucy must be stopped…maybe we can cover more ground and maybe even come across Lulu," Zander gleamed with a motivated look on his pale, moist face as the night dragged on; the rain becoming more and more forceful and brute like as it slammed into the durable earth around them. "I just hope she's okay."
However, just in the distance stood the magnificent little church being obscured slightly by the hazy rain; the windows glowing a dim orange due to a candle's light. They wanted to find her, but if they did...who knew what would happen.
9 Students Remaining