- Part 1 -

Arrhythmia

I don't want to be a soldier,
Who the captain of some sinking ship would stow,
Far below.
So, if you love me, why'd you let me go?
- Coldplay

"It's the next turn," Nikki announces as they pass the path leading toward the cliffs. She turns sideways in her seat and places her hand against the glove compartment as Aubrey slows down the car and stares at the woods. "I didn't mean for the sheriff to ask you to do this. He's not going to know if I drive myself home from here."

Aubrey presses harder on the brake and draws the car to a complete stop then shifts it into park. She turns on the blinkers. It wouldn't be right, getting out of the car and leaving Nikki to drive herself the rest of the way to her home. The sheriff had asked her to drive her all the way. But the street lights don't go past the main road and Aubrey just imagines being haunted by music in the dark, alone with Chloe – who isn't even sober. She twists her hands around the car's steering wheel. She's sure her silence indicates her reluctance to finish the trip; she just can't find the right words to use to confirm it.

"Hey." Nikki reaches forward and rests her hand on Aubrey's wrist. "It's okay." She lowers her voice. "Look, I spend all of my time outside the bar alone. This, driving myself the rest of the way home after what happened, this is nothing for me."

For a moment, Aubrey thinks that's meant to be a guilt trip - an excuse to convince Aubrey to drive her the rest of the way home. She turns around in her seat, fully ready to be met with raised eyebrows and expectant stare. She's unprepared for Nikki's solemn almost-smile and the glint of sincerity in her eyes. They lock gazes and Aubrey's breath catches as she tries to come up with something to say - because now she almost certainly can't allow Nikki to drive herself home alone. But then she doesn't understand why she can't, because, like Nikki said, she's used to being alone. She lowers her hands from the steering wheel, looking down as Nikki's hand follows hers and rests on her leg with their fingers touching.

Nikki's fingers curl and her palm presses against the side of Aubrey's leg as she glances toward the back seat. "You should get your friend back to The Candlewick." She looks at Aubrey again and takes her hand off her leg.

It's easy to forget Chloe is around when she's not making any noise - because Chloe is rarely ever not making any noise. Aubrey spins to face the back seat. Chloe's eyes are closed and her face is smashed against the window. Aubrey doesn't get how she can sleep after she slept all day. "Chloe," she says her name in a futile attempt to wake her up. She reaches back and shakes her knee. "Chloe!"

Chloe makes a quiet sniffling noise.

Nikki looks at Aubrey.

Aubrey turns around to face the dash. She locates the buttons for the car's windows next to the steering wheel and presses her thumb against the button for Chloe's window then turns around again. The window slides down a few inches, gliding against Chloe's face. Chloe's eyes fly open and she bolts away from the window, not getting very far with her seatbelt on. She falls back toward the window and uses the door to catch herself. Aubrey instinctively reaches back and grabs her by the arm to prevent her from falling over too far and hitting her head off the half-opened window.

Nikki arches a half-entertained brow at Chloe.

Chloe straightens up and trails her hand up the door until it gets to the window. She curls her fingers over the edge then turns to look at Aubrey's hand. "Why would you do that?" she asks, sounding annoyed.

Aubrey drops her hand and sits up straight. "We're walking back to the inn," she states and unbuckles her seatbelt.

Chloe unbuckles her seatbelt and looks out the window. She pauses and looks out the window on the other side of the car then turns to look out the back.

"Nikki is driving the rest of the way," Aubrey explains. She turns around and rests her hand on the door handle.

"What?" Chloe faces forward again and slides down against the seat. She leans forward, supporting herself with one hand on the center console. "You can't just make her walk, Aubrey."

Aubrey taps her nails against the handle. Hadn't it just been Chloe who was telling her that they shouldn't drive Nikki home at all? She turns her head, not expecting Chloe's face to be only centimeters away from her own. "I don't know what you want, Chloe." She doesn't bother to lower her voice. Nikki would only hear her anyway. She can feel her pride withering as she and Chloe fight in front of someone. Her father always said that airing one's dirty laundry is not only inappropriate, but also completely unnecessary.

"What I want?" Chloe replies. "Aubrey, I just want you to drive her the rest of the way home."

"You know, I can drive myself," Nikki tries to cut in. She glances back and forth between them. "It's really no big deal."

Chloe turns to face Nikki. "It is a big deal," she replies, her voice laced with concern. She rests a hand on Nikki's arm. "Just let Aubrey drive you the rest of the way."

"Chloe, can I see you outside?" Aubrey curls her fingers around the handle and shoves the car door open. She stands up and closes the door behind her then turns to face the back door and waits for Chloe.

Chloe opens her door and climbs out of the car. She shuts the door behind her then rests a hand near the car's roof and raises her eyebrows at Aubrey. She draws in a breath and glances off to the side. "Can we just hurry this up?" she all but sputters out. "I'm tired." She lowers her voice. "I don't want to be here." She swallows thickly and looks at the ground then meets Aubrey's eyes again.

Aubrey grits her teeth at Chloe's claim to be tired. She's tired, yet she wants to drive Nikki even further then walk all the way back to the inn. Aubrey motions toward the unlit road. "Do you really want to walk back in the dark, Chloe?"

Chloe lowers her hand from the car roof and slides her palms down her sides as she inhales a deep breath and looks at the aforementioned street. Her brows furrow and she presses her lips together in an expression that is almost definitely a 'no'. Her hands rest on her hips and she slips her thumbs through her belt loops as she turns to face Aubrey again. "'It's not about me, Aubrey." She shakes her head and moves her hand from her hip to pull on the handle of the car door without opening the door. "It's not about you either."

Aubrey's arms hang limply by her sides.

Chloe diverts her gaze back downward. She opens the door then climbs back into the car and shuts it again behind her without another word.

For a moment, Aubrey just stands there, staring at the place where Chloe had previously been standing. She clenches her jaw. If Chloe wants to risk their safety and walk in the dark on some island they know nothing about so they can drive someone home who lives there, fine. The corners of her lips twitch. She groans and pulls the driver's side door back open and climbs back into the car. Chloe's and Nikki's eyes are on her - boring into her. She does her best to ignore them both as she turns off the car's blinkers and shifts back into drive then pulls onto Nikki's road.

xxxxx

The road is a narrow, one-way strip of gravel, choked on either side by trees with broken branches that scrape the sides of the car as Aubrey drives by. Haphazardly placed, rusting signs with faded letters that say words such as 'No Trespassing', 'Private Property', and 'No Hunting' hang on the tree trunks - some having fallen sideways and others half-covered by overgrown foliage. Aubrey grimaces as she hits a pothole then drives over a few pebbles that could better be described as rocks and boulders. She's almost glad she doesn't have to drive back over this. A leaf, that could have very well been a small mammal, scuttles across the road in the wind, and Aubrey slams on the breaks.

Chloe, who was already leaning forward to begin with for some reason, crashes into the back of Aubrey's seat. She grabs the shoulder of the seat to steady herself and turns to face Nikki. "Aubrey is usually a much better driver than this." She shoots Aubrey a look.

"I'm not being a bad driver, Chloe." The car gives a jolt as Aubrey presses down on the gas again. "This road is half the size that it should be."

Chloe cringes and grips the back of Aubrey's seat. "Can we roll down the windows?" She leans further over the shoulder of the seat. "This constant stopping and starting is making me sick."

It's impossible to tell whether or not Chloe is being serious so Aubrey rolls down both of the back windows - unable to understand why Chloe couldn't just sit back and roll them down herself.

Nikki spins around in her seat and looks out the back window. "Careful." She turns around and settles back against her seat again.

Aubrey immediately looks out the rearview mirror in an attempt to determine why Nikki is telling her she needs to be more careful. She can't see anything behind her except for trees and rocks.

Nikki glances back again. "You almost missed a pothole," she deadpans then looks at Aubrey with an almost-smile.

Their mocking is just a sign of their immaturity and Aubrey resolves to be the bigger person and ignore it. She lifts her chin, draws in a breath as she sits back against her seat, and steers the car toward the lone driveway at the end of the road.

Chloe presses the lower half of her face against the shoulder of Aubrey's seat - gripping the headrest with one hand and resting her other hand on the center console. She twirls Aubrey's hair around her pinky finger, accidentally pulling on it a little too hard. Aubrey refrains from reacting - just turns her head and pulls into the four-car driveway, illuminated by Nikki's porch light.

Nikki unbuckles her seatbelt before the car comes to a complete stop. She rests one hand on the door handle and the other on the side of her seat as she turns to face Aubrey. She swallows thickly and her features suddenly become more sullen - her lips pressing together and her eyelids drooping. "Thank you for driving me home." She waits for Aubrey to turn off the car then leans over and wraps her in a loose hug that causes Chloe to pull her hand away from Aubrey's hair and finally lean back.

Hugging should be natural, considering how many years Aubrey has dealt with Chloe, but being stuck in her seat makes anything she could do with her arms feel awkward. Nikki's hugs aren't like Chloe's - which are usually so tight that Aubrey can barely move her arms anyway because Chloe will wrap her arms around those too. She freezes - the scent of cigarette smoke and coconut perfume lingering on Nikki's clothes making her temporarily lightheaded (not entirely in a bad way). Her hand falls away from the car keys, still stuck in the ignition, and Nikki casually pulls away then opens her car door.

"Do you want to come in for a second and I'll find you a flashlight?" Nikki asks, stepping out of the car with one foot. She looks back and forth between Aubrey and Chloe.

Aubrey rolls up the windows, then pulls the keys from the ignition and looks back at Chloe - who is looking out the window. She doesn't necessarily want to waste time following Nikki inside, but they could make use of a flashlight. "Yes." She hands Nikki the keys then opens the car door. She climbs out of the car and shuts the door then turns to face Chloe through the window.

Chloe looks down. She opens her own door and steps out of the car - shutting it behind her with her hip. The breeze ruffles her damp hair and she runs her fingers through it before rubbing her hands up and down her arms and stepping toward Aubrey. She lowers her arms and wraps them around Aubrey's mid-section, drawing her into a hug that contains triple the strength of Nikki's. She rests her face against Aubrey's shoulder and grips her shirt with one hand.

Aubrey glances down at her and blows a few strands of her hair away from her mouth. She doesn't have time to decipher Chloe right now. She eases out of Chloe's grasp, prying her fingers from the fabric of her shirt, and steps closer toward Nikki's house - or, well, the cement pillars that hold half of it up. She looks up at the base of the house, a thick slab of cement that juts out into the open as the ground beneath it slopes down into a steep hill covered in untrimmed bushes. The spotlight that hangs from the wooden fence encompassing the porch is blinding as Aubrey tries to look further up. She looks at the set of stone stairs leading up the hill a few feet away then at Chloe. Chloe folds her arms and looks nonplussed.

Aubrey takes a step forward to follow Nikki up the steps then pauses when Chloe remains rooted to her spot. "You can throw your tantrum back at the inn, Chloe," she whispers, "Let's go." She can't let her outside alone again - not in the middle of the woods. She shakes her head and starts climbing the thin, uneven steps.

Chloe huffs and drops her arms down by her sides. She looks around outside then follows Aubrey up the stairs, staying several steps behind.

Aubrey stares at Nikki's back as they climb the last few steps then glances back at Chloe to make sure she's keeping up. Chloe focuses on where she's placing her feet and pays no attention to Aubrey. Aubrey steps onto the final stair then onto the pavement above it and turns her head to look at the house, the spotlight no longer shining in her eyes. The wrap around deck with its strategically placed outdoor furniture and perfectly cared for decorative plants make the place look more like some extravagant summer home than somewhere Nikki lives all year round. If not for its atrocious location, it would be the perfect vacation home. She instinctively glances at Chloe to try to gauge some sort of reaction from her.

Chloe steps around her without even giving the place a glance. She crosses her arms tighter across her stomach and turns her head to look back down over the side of the hill, her jaw clenched and her lips pressed tightly together. She glances at Aubrey out of the corner of her eye and raises her eyebrows.

If Aubrey had a vacation home of sorts like Nikki's house, it's not as though Chloe would have to join her there anyway. She could invite someone else. Like Fat Amy. Or Brian. Aubrey turns on her heel and follows Nikki across the pavement toward the porch then around to the door. She could even invite Nikki. Or go alone and have some peace. She waits for Nikki to dig out her house key, doing her best not to keep glancing at Chloe. If they're going to argue, she isn't going to give Chloe the satisfaction of being able to assume that she's bothered. She can't even pinpoint why they're arguing anymore (aside from because Chloe is just infuriating).

Nikki turns the key in the lock then pushes the door open and flips on a light switch right inside the doorway. She tosses her keys and bag on a table then steps out of the way for Aubrey and Chloe, holding the door open with an outstretched arm. "I think I have a flashlight in the kitchen," she says and looks at Aubrey. "I'll get it for you."

"Thank you," Chloe answers before Aubrey can say anything. Aubrey glances back at her as she steps inside and walks past Nikki into the hallway.

Nikki shuts the door behind them. She takes a few steps down the hall toward where Aubrey presumes is the kitchen then halts and spins back around to face them. "Do you want a drink?"

Aubrey opens her mouth to speak, but Chloe cuts her off with a "Sure" and a nod of her head. She's about to deny the offer (for both of them) when her phone goes off in her pocket. She clenches her jaw and digs her fingernails into her palms, already expecting it to be none other than Beca. Her phone continues to vibrate against her thigh and she glances around for somewhere private to answer it before it can go to voicemail. "May I use your bathroom?"

"It's right down the hall." Nikki points to the right. "Second door."

Aubrey's hand hovers instinctively over her pocket. "Aca-scuse me." She grips the top of her phone with her thumb and pointer finger as she turns and walks as casually as she can toward the bathroom - ignoring the feeling of Chloe's eyes boring into her back.

The light switch is a round dimmer on the wall that Aubrey fumbles with as she shuts the door with her foot and tries to pull out her phone. It stops vibrating just as she's about to answer it. Jesus Christ. She draws in a deep breath, not certain why she's so worked up. It might have something to do with the dead body in the ice cream parlor. Or the deeply rooted feeling that she needs to get Chloe back to the inn. She opens her contacts on her phone to search for Beca's name. Her phone vibrates again.

'Beca'

Aubrey opens the call and presses her phone to her ear.

"You've reached Aubrey Posen," Beca mocks her voicemail in a sickeningly formal voice that grates on Aubrey's last nerve. "I'm currently not available, but…"

"Cut the crap, Beca," Aubrey snaps. "Learn to answer your phone," she repeats her earlier message on Beca's voicemail. It hits her a little too late that she didn't answer her phone when Beca called.

"Really?" Beca deadpans.

Aubrey's nostrils flare and she narrows her eyes.

The crashing of ocean waves and crackling of the bonfire becomes distanced and replaced with the sound of Beca's breathing. "Dude, what's up?" she takes on a more casual tone.

Aubrey has to search for words. Her first call had been about Chloe, which is now an irrelevant issue.

"Wait, is this like your one phone call?" Beca asks with undeniable amusement. "Are you asking me to bail you out of jail?"

"Aca-scu-" Oh, right, the sheriff. "I'm not in jail, Beca," Aubrey snaps. She rolls her eyes at the entertained breath on the other end of the line. "I left my stuff at the bonfire."

Beca pauses. "So?"

Can Beca possibly be any more infuriating? Aubrey grips the corner of the sink, the edge of it digging into her palm. "So, I need you to take it back to my room," she explains. It's like giving directions to a toddler. Sophia would probably be more compliable.

"Seriously?" Beca asks. "Dude, do it yourself."

Aubrey straightens her posture and bites back several choice words. "I can't," she growls tersely. "And I am not a...a dude," she sputters.

Beca snorts.

"This isn't funny, Beca." Aubrey pushes herself away from the sink and paces the tiled floor.

"Okay, okay," Beca replies. "Jeez. I'll get your shit for you."

Aubrey stops pacing and stares at the crack between the curtain and the window, momentarily telling herself she's distracted by the just barely visible spotlight outside as she debates her earlier conversation with Beca - about telling her about further experiences on the island. She isn't even certain why she's tempted. The death of Tyler doesn't affect Beca nor is it really any of her business. But it eats away at Aubrey's thoughts. She draws in a slow breath, temporarily forgetting she's still on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go now," Beca states.

"There was an accident," Aubrey blurts out. She mentally scolds herself directly after. It's not like suicide can even be considered an 'accident'. She immediately begins thinking of ways to take back her words.

"What?" Beca asks, not missing a beat. "Is Chloe okay?"

Aubrey blinks, having not expected that reaction. "Chloe is fine, Beca," she replies almost defensively. "I have to go." She's been in the bathroom for way too long. "Don't forget my stuff."

"Aubrey, wai-"

Aubrey hangs up the phone before Beca can finish.