doomsday. [ yellowjackets ]

neuf.

xxx.

chapter neuf.
nine.

xxx.

" Is it just me, or is Travis..kinda hot? " Mari said aloud as she stood shin-deep in the water alongside Jackie, Theo, Natalie, Tara and Dana, who was using the taller blonde to keep herself up and steady; despite the girls' efforts to keep her sat, she insisted on walking into the water.

        " ..Barf. " Dana remarked after a short pause, mostly of disbelief, as the others followed Mari's borderline predatory gaze at Travis as he stood a little deeper in the lake. Theo grabbed on to Jackie's shoulder and gagged loudly, pretending to keel over and throw up, gaining a few snorts and laughs.

       " You guys seriously can't be that desperate already, " Jackie commented with an astonished scoff.

        Tara felt Dana bend down a little to touch the water with her hand, wincing a little, but the blonde was watching Travis so she was unfazed. At least for a second, because after that, she realized Jackie had said 'guys', plural, so she turned her head an inch to see Natalie also staring at the boy. Tara pressed her lips together and immediately turned her head, a quick look of amusement appearing on her face as she glanced at the others, who shared similar expressions.

" Hey, Prince! We need a fourth to play chicken because everyone else out here are pussies! " Van shouted from further out in the water, her arm wrapped around Alex's neck, dragging the taller girl down with a wide grin on her face.

The girls beside Theo looked to her just as expectantly as the ones in the water did, and she suddenly felt a whole lot of pressure just to participate in a stupid game. Her smile fell a little as the memory of a body bag laying on top of a stretcher, a single roll of water constantly dripping off the side of it. It had been what she stared at the entire time the police officer was explaining to her and her father what had happened to her mother.

" I don't.. " She started, shaking her head a little with a flat expression, but trailed off. Theo turned her head a little, appearing as though she was thinking about it, but really not a single thought had come to her head after that quick image. The short girl just inhaled a short breath, then a smile was back on her face as she called back, " I guess I'll be the sacrificial lamb! "

" Hey, you were one of the best at the cookout before training last summer, " Van reminded her, holding one of her hands up with the same wide smile as Theo trudged through the water to join her, Alex, and Shauna.

       After climbing on top of the redhead's shoulders, Theo felt the most unusual and embarrassing sense of relief; part of the reason she was hesitant to play was in fact because water made her weary after her mom's accident, but another, childish concern she had was that being that close to one of the girls was going to cause lightning to strike her where she stood.

        Metaphorically, of course.

       But that fear washed away when she felt Van's firm grip on her legs and the only feeling in her body was to knock Shauna off of Alex's shoulders as quick as possible. Great, all girls didn't make her feel like she was going to throw up the knots in her stomach. She didn't know how she'd survive out here if they did.

        Unfortunately, that meant that that strangely pleasant, equally as nerve wracking feeling was caused by just one girl, and was very real.