doomsday. [ yellowjackets ]

dix-neuf.

xxx.

chapter dix-neuf.
nineteen.

xxx.

        " What the hell is that? " Taissa questioned, her eyes glued to the 'necklace' around Van's neck. It was a piece of a deer bone wrapped with a thin string of rope, what a statement piece, Alex thought as she slowed her pace to turn and look back at the two of them.

         " Lottie gave it to me. " Van answered, holding the bone in her hand as Taissa rolled her eyes and took a few steps further to be at Alex's side.

         " Seriously? "

         " What? " Van asked, red brows lowered.

         " I'm just saying, you know, if this was a horror movie, she'd be the villain, right? " Taissa pointed out, and Alex snorted from beside her.

          " If this was a horror movie, you'd be the first to die. " Van insisted with a dumb grin on her face as she squeezed in between the two of them.

          " Why, because I'm black? " Taissa deadpanned, and Alex was beginning to wish she was near the back of the group, sensing an oncoming spat between the two of them. If it wasn't an argument, it would still be one of the dumbest conversations she'd ever heard, surely.

         But the other option was Misty..and she would always choose anything over Misty.

        " No, 'cause you're the skeptical one. They always go first, leaving the rest of us to keep doing dumb shit and die in unnecessarily brutal ways. " Van elaborated, then paused for a second before she quizzically asked, " Wait, hang on, why does the black character always die first? "

         Taissa didn't respond, she just raised her brows, and that apparently prompted Van to continue, " Anyways, for the record, Lottie predicted prom Queen last year and the whole Mr. Jenkins scandal. "

        " Oh, please, everyone knew Valerie Barker was going to win. She flashed the entire student body at the Homecoming football game, she was planning for the long run. " Alex pointed out, rolling her eyes. She looked up at the passing branches of the trees as they continued pacing forward, then decided to voice her own concerns, " I don't trust Lottie either. I mean, shit is fucking weird, isn't it? How do we know she's not just losing her shit and won't wake up claiming she talked to a squirrel god? "

          Taissa let out a laugh at that, but Van wasn't amused and simply rolled her eyes. Alex didn't want to bring up Theo's visions to them, she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about them to the group or not yet, but it was easy to tell there was something else bothering her by the look on her face.

          " And your suspicions of her have absolutely nothing to do with Theo, right? " Taissa asked pointedly, making Alex glance over her shoulder at her with a raised brow. " I'm just saying, sometimes it seems like you might just be jealous. "

          " I'm not jealous of the girl that got possessed, thanks though. " Alex insisted sharply, shaking her head. " I'm just worried. That's all. "

          " Sure. " Van commented as she shared a knowing look with Taissa as they continued to trek on with the laughter of Misty, Mari, and Akilah behind them.