doomsday. [ yellowjackets ]

treize.

xxx.

chapter treize.
thirteen.

xxx.

        " Oh keeper of this wild and hidden place, we anoint ourselves with blood and earth. " Jackie spoke in a low voice as she dragged her finger across Shauna's forehead, leaving a dark 'x' made of dirt and deer blood from their last catch.

        In the attic that night, the girls and Travis sat in a big circle, with Shauna standing near the edge, a black tie wrapped around her head to hide her vision. Jackie had declared her the 'vessel' for their journey to the other side, using the hunting knife to use as her answering pendant. When Theo and Lottie had returned to the cabin and heard the pitch of a seance, neither seemed all that excited or enthused; for Lottie, it was definitely more of an uneasy suspicion than anything, but Theo just didn't think that much of it. To be honest, had it not been literally everyone minus Taissa, Laura Lee, Sam, Javi, and Coach Scott upstairs, she likely wouldn't have participated either.

        As Jackie handed off the bowl's mixture to Travis after marking herself, Tara stared out the small window in the attic while she waited for the bowl to make its way to her. She couldn't see much because of its height, but she could see a few stars sprinkled across the dark night sky. She felt that feeling again, but this time chose to brush it off and ignore it instead of wipe at something that wasn't even on her skin.

      Theo sat leaned back, her hands pressed into the dusty wooden floor as her nail absentmindedly picked at the engravings circling one of the candles Jackie and Shauna had lit and set up around the circle. She could feel Lottie side-eyeing her, so when she glanced over and just as quickly averted her eyes downward, Theo saw how close their hands were, as Lottie had hers sitting beside her knee. The pale girl tried not to stare at her hand, but was deep in consideration, debating internally if she should inch her hand over to Lottie's or just exist how they were with the little space there was between them. Their knees would've been touching if Theo was a few inches taller and longer, but that didn't mean she was any less tempted to sit her pinky over Lottie's.

        " Prince, pay attention, " Mari's voice interrupted Theo's thoughts, and it actually surprised her so much that she drew her hand away from Lottie's entirely to take the bowl from the other girl. Mari followed her face with a skeptical look, but once Theo had drawn an 'x' on her forehead, she let it go and turned to whisper something to Akilah.

        Eventually, everyone had drew a bloody x across their skin, and Jackie sat down with her legs crossed under her and a satisfied smile on her face. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, lifting her hands into the air, which Misty copied with an expression as if she was watching Jackie move mountains or cure a disease. Alex held back a scoff.

      " Oh spirit, we offer our sister as your instrument. Come to us, and speak your peace. " Jackie called upon whatever 'spirit' was listening to their nonsense as a few of the other girls also raised their hands, while others just continued to look between Jackie and Shauna, waiting for something to happen.

      " It is I, Jacques. " Shauna spoke rather flatly, causing the girls to chuckle quietly; their reactions made the brunette clear her throat and try again, in a much deeper, 'manlier' voice, " Jacques. "

      Jackie lowered her hands after that sent another chorus of laughter through the group, very visibly annoyed by the lack of seriousness. It took everything in Alex not to just lean over and tell her to relax, it wasn't like they were actually trying to contact the dead with some life altering questions.