legacy // obx

1.1

trigger warning: mentions of death and suicidal thoughts 

KIARA SAT AROUND ON THE PORCH OF THE CHATEAU for a long while, trying to find a way out of the narrative she didn't ask to be written into. Her mind ran circles around the events of the day, trying to rationalize everything that had happened, but she still came up with no solutions. It was all such a blur and it felt like Kiara had no way out of the maze that her life had turned into. Her head was pounding and sweat dripped down the back of her neck. She felt uncomfortable, uneasy, and tired.

The inside of The Chateau was exactly as she left it that morning. A few more empty beer cans littered around the pullout that JJ usually slept on, but nothing out of the ordinary. Kiara half expected JJ to be asleep on the couch, but he didn't seem to be around anymore. Kiara shrugged it off, tossing her phone onto the counter and grabbing one of the swimsuits she had stored in the back of John B's closet. If sitting on the docks wasn't enough to clear her head, she needed to go back to her roots - back to the water. Maybe then she could think clearly.

Kiara changed quickly before heading straight back out the front door of The Chateau. She walked softly along the dead and matted grass before reaching the docks. The HMS Pogue was dragged up onto the grassy marsh just to her left. She thought about taking The Pogue out to the middle of the marsh and docking it but she knew she would need one of the boys' help to get it back in the water.

Kiara flinched a bit at her own thoughts. She had referenced to her best friends so nonchalantly before remembering that there wasn't much of them left. She didn't know if Pope would ever speak to her again after their conversation in the car, she had no idea what corner of the world JJ had crawled off to, and John B was, well... Kiara still hated thinking about it.

Sighing, Kiara looked away from The Pogue.

The marshy water lapped at the shore as the midday sun reflected off its surface, illuminating Kiara's face. She decided against jumping off the docks, wanting to feel the sand on her toes as she stepped farther and farther into the water. A cold sensation traveled its way up her legs and thighs before reaching her torso. She took a deep breath and dived forwards, submerging herself in the water that she had come to know and love.

She had done this before. So many times. Countless times, Kiara had run blissfully into the marsh outside The Chateau with John B to her right, laughing and screaming playfully alongside her. So many times, she had JJ scooped her up over his shoulders and run into the water with her hanging over him, giggling as she braced for the impact of the water. It should have felt familiar. It should be second nature to Kiara at this point. Yet, as the water engulfed her head, her hair swaying gently as she floated beneath the surface, she had never felt so far from familiar.

She was alone. There was no John B to laugh alongside her this time. There was no JJ to pick her up and throw her in against her will. There wasn't even Pope to yell at them to be careful from the shore. Kiara was alone.

She came to the surface, taking a deep inhale of the humid Carolina air. Kiara paused for a moment, wading in the water to look around her. The Chateau was blissfully calm, not a voice to be heard. A gentle breeze blew the branches of the palm trees. Kiara could hear the water ascend and descend on the shore; She could hear the frees move back and forth; She could even hear the engine of a boat far in the distance. Yet, despite this peace that surrounded her, she felt anything but.

This was all so wrong. Two of her best friends were dead. Of the two that are left, one's a ticking time bomb, and the other hates her. How did Kiara let it get so bad? How did she end up here? She was always the emotional stronghold of the group. Even when Sarah came around, Kiara was always the one to counterbalance the boys' brute stubbornness with a caring shoulder to cry on, or a loving reassurance that everything would be okay. She never once took the time to think about who would be there for her when the tables flipped. She needed someone, anyone. Kiara didn't know how much longer she could stay strong for everyone else.