The Wishing Well ✔ [1]

12: one last time

11:36 PM
Campsite, Heart of The Forest

Tik, Tik, Tik...

The sound replayed in her head over and over again, was it coming from her watch? She checked the time for what seemed like the hundredth time and realized that it almost struck midnight.

Fire crackled in the warm air, litting up a small patch of an area in the forest. A yellowish hue—resulting from the glowing fire and yellow tent not far off—wrapped around the campsite.

Lane sat, legs crossed while her palms rested on either side, near the bonfire looking ahead. In the distance, she could've sworn she saw a figure lurking in the darkness.

"Boo!"

"Holy-" Lane's body jumped in horror, leaping out of the log makeshift seat whilst holding a small knife. "Easton!? I swear, I'm gonna kill you."

He laughed at her comment, brushing the knife away from him before setting down his bag beside the tent and making his way over to her.

"Yeah, yeah." They sat comfortably letting the ambience of the night take over (which mostly only contained; crips from birds that could not be seen and leaves hitting one another)

"Where's-"

"Evie?" Easton finished her sentence for her. His dark eyes met hers with a knowing look gassed over them. "She's coming, finishing up her homework and stuff I guess."

"Thought she'd come more early." Lane took a chug of her bottled drink. "It was her idea after all."

Evie had suggested earlier that they should camp out at around midnight. Lane agreed reluctantly. It was a decent idea. To make sure they didn't miss the 2 AM strike.

Easton shrugged, not knowing how to respond. "Can I?"

"Oh yeah-sure." She handed her bottle to him.
The liquid slushed around as he shook it.

"What's in it anyways?"

"Coke."

"Smells like alcohol,"

"I don't drink."

"Okay." Easton put his hands up in defense, backing away as if she was going to hurtle and lunch at him.

A few words were exchanged after, changing the topics ever so often. Went from; drinks to school to friends then finally to death.

He asked, "Are you afraid to die?"

She didn't look back at him, not because she was scared of course not, it was because she wasn't sure if her answer was true. "No. I accepted it when Mason, you know."

Problems don't come and go as much as she'd like to believe. It stays hidden deep somewhere inside waiting to resurface, so no it doesn't go, she just pretends it went away but the longer you dismiss it, the longer it'll hurt once it rises.

Sometimes, she'd describe her problems like quicksand—the more you try to get out, the faster you sink, eventually drowning in it all because no one was here to help you.

Quicksand doesn't actually drown you but it does sure feel like it when you're the one trapped inside its claws.

"Yeah, no I get it." Easton stopped fumbling with the hem of his loose dark blue shirt. "When I saw what happened to Mason, I thought I was next. That whatever it was, was going to kill me."

"I hate this stupid game."

"I know, I'm sorry." Guilt buried him. "I don't know. When they sent it to me and said I could get anything I wanted I just couldn't help it."

Lane's eyes widen fainty. Apologizing wasn't something Easton usually does. Then again, life or death only changes people either for the worse or for the better

Shock didn't last long, confusion replaced it.

"Whose they?" It came out more harshly than she expected.

"What do you mean?"

"You said 'they' sent it to you. Whose they?" Lane explained, choked in dread.

"Random person online...well, not technically random. I've been friends with them for a while now. I just never really met them in real life."

"You know, Evie..."

Perfect timing it was, Evie emerged from the shadows carrying a small bag and a knife just a bit larger than Lane's. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry about it. Lane was enjoying my company." He started, smirking at her and nudging her arm.

"I really wasn't." She retorted.

"Hey!"

Evie was quick to stop the scene before it escalated into anything worse. "Let's just get some rest okay? We're all tired from the hell we've been through, so just cool down for a moment yeah?"

As quickly as she came, she disappeared into the medium-sized tent big enough to fit three of them without crushing each other.

"It's the last one." He spoke out, shoving the coin back into his pocket.

"Yeah, one last time." Following right after Evie.