Kept From Insanity || A LOTF fanfiction

Chapter 5 || Help for the Leader

Lizzy watched Ralph pace back and forth, muttering to himself.

"Think it'll be okay?" Annalise asked, pushing her hair out of her face. The blue had faded, and it was now some sort of mix between blue and bleached.

"Hopefully," Lily sighed, "Something's definitely up with all of the boys."

"Something's up with all of us," Ashley said, "I was just talking to Simon about that a few hours ago."

"Something with the island," Lily nodded, "It's messing us all up, I'd guess."

"We're not used to this," Lizzy added, "To not having adults, school, home, et cetera."

All four of them nodded.

"What should I do to make everyone know it's business and not fun?" Ralph interrupted, then shook his head, "Nevermind, none of you'd know.."

"You want a lesson of making people listen?" Lily pointed to herself, "I'm your girl. It's not hard to scare people into listening to you."

"You don't know anything," Ralph repeated to himself.

"I do to!"

"Girls aren't scary," he shook his head at the ground, "You can't be scary."

"That was the wrong thing to say," Annalise muttered.

"Indeed it was," Lily crossed her arms, "You think I can't be scary?"

Ralph paused, looking over at her. "Yes. You can't be scary."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What about now?" Lily set her face to a serious expression, broadening her shoulders and glaring.

He shook his head.

"Now?" she smirked a little bit, before quickly grabbing his shoulder and pulling him towards her, fist clenched and raised. He shook his head again.

"Nothing you'll get out of trying."

"Then I'll punch you."

"Just blow the conch already!" Lizzy growled, "Just call the d*mn meeting and get it over with!"

The assembly wasn't like they normally were. It was off, just a little. They couldn't tell if it was because of their earlier encounters, or because they were in a wonky triangle, or because the girls were off to one side and Garrett wasn't with them. All the boys had their eyes set on Ralph, who shifted the conch between his hands. He took a deep breath and addressed everyone.

"We need an assembly." he began, "Not for fun. Not for laughing and falling off the log," he glared at the littleuns, "not for making jokes, or for.. For cleverness. Not for these things, but to put things straight." he looked around again. "I've been thinking. And I've come--"

Some of the boys giggled, interrupting him.

"Shut up!" Lily snapped, "Your chief is speaking!"

Ralph paid no mind to her. "We have lots of assemblies. Everybody enjoys speaking and being together. We decide things. But they don't get done." he began pacing on the platform, holding the conch close. "We were going to have water brought from the stream and left in those coconut shells under fresh leaves. And so it was. For a few days. Now there's no water. People drink from the river. The last I saw water in a shell was when we had it while building the shelters. Speaking of, the shelters. Who built the shelters?"

Everyone broke out to jeering.

"Hold on, hold on!" Ralph held the conch high, "I mean who built all of them? We all helped the first one, sure. Then seven of us the second, then four of us the third. That's why it's so broken-like. It was just me and Lily and Lizzy and Simon. No," he glared at the crowd, "Don't laugh. All you in the third one'll freeze when the rain comes back."