left for dead ♡ gabriel #Wattys2019

one

Lilith stopped the car in front of the camp gate, letting out a tired sigh before twisting to look at her adopted daughter,"Ready?"

"No." Despite saying this, she opened the door and slid out with her backpack hanging on her shoulders. Lilith rolled down the window and leaned over to shout out it.

"You need me for anything?"

Felicity sighed and looked back at her, "No. I'll see you at the end of the summer." Lilith didnt say anything back, she just nodded with a tight lipped smile and drove off. Felicity watched her car disappear in the distance, dust kicking up as she glided farther and farther away. Felicity could just hope Iris wasn't at home crying into her sister's pillows.

The brunette turned and headed to registration, already wanting to leave at she observed the people around her. The counselors didn't look qualified at all, the campers didn't look like they belonged, but Felicity couldn't say much; she definitely didn't belong. As she walked past a counselor in a tube top, she stuck out a plastic box with cellphones written across it. Felicity didn't stop as she passed her, hearing a scoff from the counselor she actually did turn and raised a brow. Her grip on her backpack strings tightened.

"Cellphone?"

"Can't afford one." Felicity turned on her heel and confidently walked away, she felt the tiring pull of her backpack on her shoulder muscles. Too many books probably, but to Felicity it sure as hell wasn't enough for this long ass summer.

It didn't bother Felicity that she had just lied through her teeth, her phone was buried somewhere under all of the novel's she's shoved into her bag. The counselor didnt seem to fond of searching for it, however, so Felicty walked away and ended up in front of an entirely too obnoxious counselor.

"Aye! Bookworm, how's it hanging, girl?" Felicity stared at him, her lips parted in utter annoyance. "Nerd alert," Logan laughed loudly, "Cabin 13, Fe-lice-ity."

Felicity grabbed the slip of paper from his hand, slowly walking away. "Thanks."

...

Felicity hid in a tree, her zipline harness and helmet disregarded at the trunk of it as she had ran away from the terrifying towers before she could be spotted. A John London novel gently cradled in her arms, pages locked under her curled fingers as her eyes swiped across every line and soaked up the hidden meanings.

The stuffy summer air suffocated her despite her written distraction from the awful camp she was stuck in. The humming of bugs never seemed to go away, always in her ears like a nasty headache right behind your eyes. The ground was too dry to be considered safe, Felicity could drag a match against the pathway and it would burst into flame.

The counselors made it even worse. Overly exposing clothing had Felicity hugging her button up (dont worry it's short sleeved) closer and tugging her khaki shorts down. Logan was overly loud and vulgar, Carl (or something with a 'C') was constantly intoxicated and on the verge of having sex with whatever touched him. The only likable quality of them is the fact that they either didn't notice or didn't give a shit that Felicity had made a mad dash to avoid ziplining to her death.

Felicity was glad she could drown herself in a book since the lake water was too disgusting to actually drown herself.

She was about to turn the page when she was dragged out of her wonderland by someone shuffling below her and groaning loudly.

"Why can't I just do anything right?" Felicity recalled the voice to belong to an awkward redhead, was his name Alex? She thought so.

He squeaked loudly before he drove his foot into the base of the tree she was perched on, instant regret washed over his features and he massaged his foot in his hands. He hopped around on one foot, cursing loudly to himself.

Felicity closed her book, after a glance at the page number, and peered down at him through the leaves. "Are you alright?"

Alex's eyes widened as he fell to the ground and flung his gaze everywhere to find the source of the voice,"Mommy?"

Felicity swung her legs over the branch and slid off, landing on both feet easily and standing up straight."Do I look like your mother?" Alex shook his head quickly, his lips parting as he watched the clever girl approach him. "Good, I'd be alarmed if your mom was a sixteen year old."

She stuck her hand out to him and gave him a smile,"Felicity."

"Alex." He took her hand and she yanked him up rather easily, her tripped past her, but caught himself on the trunk of the tree behind her.

"I'm aware." She scratched behind her ear. "Are you alright? That kick looked like it hur-"

Alex's ears flushed bright red and his cheeks heated up, he swatted away the question and quickly stopped her before she finished. "No, no. I'm fine, really, all good."

Felicity nodded slowly,"Right." She held her book behind her back and rocked on her heels,"Well, I'm gonna sneak back to camp before they notice I ditched. You wanna come?"

Alex swallowed deeply, he wasn't used to girls talking to him. Instantly, his mind flashed back to Zhenzhen and a small smile graced his features. "Uh, sure, yeah." He agreed to escape with Felicity and jogged lightly to catch up with her. "Apparently I'm this years chicken shit, so I don't think they'll care much if I go missing."

Felicity sent him a glance, she tucked her book under her arm and wrapped an arm around Alex. He was slightly shorter than her so it was easy for her to administer comfort in the form of simple affection. "I chickened out too, Alex, so now I would notice if you went missing. Considering you're the first person I've held a decent conversation with since arriving her, I'd consider us friends." She side hugged him before letting go and hugging her book to her chest,"Don't go missing anytime soon, Alex. You never know what life will have in store for you."

Alex watched her as she spoke. She was so admirable, he'd just met her and he already considered her his best friend. His eyes widened in realization; he had made a friend.