𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 | 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 [ON HOLD]

iv. wounded

╔═══━━━─── • ───━━━═══╗
— DAY TWO —
season one, episode two, part two

❝𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰...❞

─── • ───

RACHEL REID

"Just for context," Agent Young spoke up, clearing his throat, "what did you hope to see from the summit?"

"Something... anything," Rachel admitted, her face etched with disappointment as she remembered what happened. "Some kind of sign that we weren't alone."

Faber leaned forward, setting his hands on the table, and carefully analyzed what Rachel had been saying.

"But that didn't materialize."

"Sorry, what?"

"Well," Faber cleared his throat, "I mean, you didn't find anything that could suggest that you weren't alone."

"I... I did," Rachel smiled in spite of herself, "and I didn't."

─── • ───

The sun was lowering towards the horizon as they walked back to the campsite, with Rachel and Nora trailing behind after having reconciled their differences on the top of the summit. On the walk back, no one could muster enough courage to break the silence, letting the tension stir between them.

Leah had since taken the lead of the group, while Shelby and Blaire walked side-by-side a few paces behind, forming separated clusters of delegates as they all walked back to the same location. Having staunched her cut with the compression of her hand, Blaire sighed inwardly and tried to process the day's events. There was part of her that was enraged at Rachel for having no grace in the moment where they'd lost the mirror, while the other part of her felt somewhat guilty for losing their final shot at freedom.

The walk back down to the beach was quicker that initially anticipated, and Blaire embraced the warmth of the evening sun before it would soon disappear beneath the horizon. Then, as they reached the shoreline, each of the five girls took a few moments to themselves in the water, washing away the dirt, sweat, and dried blood from their sunkissed skin.

With the relief of the flowing water, Blaire managed to thoroughly cleanse the four-inch cut on her forearm, cursing out in slight pain, before her eyes found Shelby, who was rinsing something in her hands a few yards away. Blaire realized in that moment that the scratch on the Texan's forehead from her accident with Toni had since healed over, leaving behind a small scar as a reminder of their first day on the island.