Sole Brother by Born Ruffians
Just passed three years on New Years. I think I lurked KHV for about three or four years before I joined. So since about 2006. That would have made me about . . . twelve. Seven years. 36.84% of my life has known KHV. Goddamn.
⎛ DAY 5 ‖ 1/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 19TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ TILAPOK ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ STRANGE ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ SIGH, SO MUCH TROUBLE. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. ⎠ ❝ＳＥＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＯＴ， ＷＡＴＣＨ ＩＴ ＢＯＩＬ ！！❞ Sophie wasn't entirely sure what was going on, and her reaction time to it was unusually slow, but before she could reply to Pierce, the girl named Jenna -- who had apparently been with them all this time -- rushed over to Sean's side. He was slumped over the table and the younger girl was panicking. Sophie frowned and wondered what was wrong with him, and then she coughed herself, and remembered the mist was still in most all of their systems. As she watched the scene take place, it all seemed rather surreal. Planned. Staged? Sophie wasn't exactly one who had grip on complete reality. She frowned. And then they were all down for the count. Sebastian, Stratana, and Sean. How strange. Sophie found herself standing, staring at their bodies and feeling . . . nothing, actually, but a strange tingling in her body and a small voice in the back of her mind told her that she should be panicking, that they were dead (?) and that she should be doing something. The feeling of caring couldn't exactly be found, but this was weird. Too weird for her. When she heard that the workers were panicking and calling 911, Sophie didn't want to be here anymore. She kind of wanted to go home, really. Be in her room and write in her journal. She sighed, feeling conflicted. And there was no need for her to stay, it seemed that Alexandra was going to stay, was going to confess to murder? Not that Sophie cared, but Alexandra null and voided her reason for sticking around for the authorities. "Everyone is dragged into this." She heard Erik say, and she went quiet again. Not all of them had witnessed David's murder -- and really, it was self-defense, and he was drunk. Sophie let out a little laugh at the whole thing. She really couldn't have planned anything better herself. A small part of her found that she enjoyed what was going on, as she usually did enjoy chaos, but . . . Another part, the usually ignored bit, wanted her to panic and scream and worry and . . . Be meek little Sophie again. No thank you. she thought to herself, pushing her hands into her pockets and bending under the table to get a good look at Pierce. "If you don't want anything to do with this, you should leave. Being in police custody isn't fun." Of course, it was Pierce's decision, and Sophie wasn't going to drag Quentin like she had last time. She walked out of the station. "Bryan!" she heard over her shoulder, "I want to go home . . . I w - want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home . . . I wan-want to go home !!" Sophie looked up at the sky after joining Maria and Julius on the tail gate, but then Julius got up after a hefty boy rushed passed them and into the driver's seat of the truck. Sophie didn't like where this was going. She hopped off after Julius did and watched the scene unfold. . . . She couldn't help but laugh. She knew there had been a reason she liked Julius.[DOUBLEPOST=1368862896][/DOUBLEPOST]⎝ DAY 5┊1/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 19TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊TILAPOK ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊. . . ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ Bryan stood, frozen, staring at the three dropped. He couldn't . . . He gave a dry heave, but nothing came out. He was expecting his meal, but nothing. His throat burned, his head was spinning, and everything was slowly fading away as his body weakened up, and he stumbled back into a chair. He tried to breathe, tried to calm down, but all he did was hyperventilate and run his fingers up and down his pant legs, scratching at the jean fabric. He stood again. He sat again. Bryan ran fingers through his hair. Oh, someone was calling 911. Good. Good? What if they found out about David? Bryan could get in trouble for that. He didn't want to. That man, he didn't deserve to die, but he definitely shouldn't have laid a finger on Noëlle, that had definitely been a bad idea. Forcing himself to turn away from the scene, Bryan finally took a few, shaky deep breaths. People were dying, one after the other. There had been more death in his life over the last four days than there had been during the last . . . nineteen years of his life. He didn't know if he could do this anymore. He ran his hands through his hair, thinking of what to do next. Well, he didn't feel like being here anymore. Not here. Not really anywhere. God. "Bryan!" He heard the voice and spun around, looking for the source. She was lying on the ground, next to the sliding door. She looked like she was saying something else, but he couldn't make it out. Things clicked. He rushed to her side. "O - Oh god, Noëlle, are yo alright?" he exclaimed, sweeping her up into his arms. God. God. God. He was a terrible person. "Sorry -- S - Sorry . . ." He wasn't allowed to leave. He couldn't leave her. She needed him, and he would be there for her. No matter what. "You -- want to go?" he asked her, easily standing with her in his arms, "It would - . . ." It would be better to what -- stay here? Probably not. "I wanna go home, too." he told her, trying not to shake. Off in the distance, he heard ambulances and police cars. They were coming. Bryan his sister outside just in time to hear ". . . EXPLAIN WHAT THEN HELL IS GOING ON?" Bryan stopped short. That was Julius. He set down Noëlle on the tailgate, but kept hold of her hand and saw a boy on the ground, who might have been fretting against Julius' force. "Julius," Bryan said clearly, "We -- . . . We want to go h - home." He would have just taken the truck, but for some reason, he didn't have the keys, and he couldn't just leave all of these others behind . . . Could he? He just wanted to go home.
_ B U M P
W E A R I N G ✖ W R I T I N G ✖ M U S I C MOOD ※ IRKED ✖ DAY 1 ※ 3/5 ✖ DATE ※ 09/22/2013 ✖ LOCATION ※ ST. PIERRE'S ACADEMY OOC ※ WHITE UNDERLINE MEANS THE LINK IS NEW. [/url]It was kind of the eight wonder of the world that she hadn't been kicked out of this school yet -- especially considering it was a private one with strict rules. Apparently, the principal had made some kind of special exception for her, which was really annoying and made her want to smash the lady's face into the desk for it. She didn't need special treatment and she didn't want it. As she walked down the hall, fixing the collar to her ridiculously fancy and expensive uniform. That was another thing about this place. It was one of the most prestigious academies in all of France. Annoying, but good. Hay Sun was a grade A student with a 'bad personality', as a lot of the teachers like to put it. A shoulder hit her own and she stumbled to the side, her walk to Orchestra interrupted. She stopped, fuming, and a boy was walking away, not even paying attention and running into more people. Some of the other students around her were staring in a bit of horror. ❝Hey you,❞ Hay Sun called out sharply, and many people stopped, but the boy continued to walk. She didn't even need to push through the crowd - they parted for her. Her school shoes clicked harshly against the tile floor as she strut to catch up, and then when she did, she gripped the boy's shoulder - which was higher than her head - and he turned around, looming over her. ❝I said hey, you,❞ she ground out. ❝I heard you.❞ ❝Pay attention when someone is talking to you,❞ ❝What are you going to do about it?❞ he asked her intimidatingly. ❝This.❞ And she threw the first punch. ❝Mickey, you really should stop getting into fights over small things,❞ said Alicia, one of Hay Sun's rare friends. She patched her face up with two horizontal, white bandages on her left cheek. ❝The school might not tolerate this much longer!❞ Hay Sun sighed heavily and leaned into Alicia's chest when her friend was done. ❝He really should have watched here he was going.❞ she replied, ❝He had it comin'.❞ Alicia could only sigh and stroke Hay Sun's hair. After a little while of talking between the two friends, they headed off to find the middle of their orchestra playing. When the conductor looked up, he sighed at the sight of Hay Sun and motioned for the two girls to grab their instruments and jump in. Hay Sun couldn't wait to get home, she decided as she heard whispers.
⎝ DAY 5┊1/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 19TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊TILAPOK ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊SICK / TIRED ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ 『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 58°! ❧『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 4:54AM ❧『DAY』 5 Bryan was halfway through his chicken nuggets when he thought he might start getting sick again. He was doing his best not to think about anything that had happened before they had come to Tilapok, and so far, he had been doing a pretty decent job -- until he let his guard down with his thoughts. He set down his water and took a deep breath, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes. "M - Mind if I s - s - sit here . . . ?" asked a quivering voice, and Bryan sat up to see Richie looking a little under the weather, much how the rest of them felt. He gave the boy a sympathetic smile as he sat down, and Bryan tried to feel better. "H - How are you h - holding up?" Richie asked, his voice still in pieces, "How's N - Noëlle? Sh - She didn't look so well l - last time I saw her . . ." Bryan looked over to another table where his sister was sitting, picking at her food. She definitely looked better than earlier, and he was glad she wasn't in danger anymore and wasn't bleeding. He felt bad for not sitting with her, not comforting her like a big brother should, but if he couldn't comfort himself, what use was he? He sighed and shook his head. "I think we've all seen better days," he said with a sad smile. "She's better, not in so much danger anymore . . ." He remembered when she was. Seeing red was pretty scary, now that he thought about it. He had just been . . . so angry about what David did. That man hurt his sister, and Bryan wasn't having that crap. Not now -- not ever again. "What about you, kiddo?" he asked, looking back at Richie, "You look like you could use some good rest. Maybe you should try and eat a little?" Bryan nudged his chicken nuggets over to share. "At least try. I know this sick feeling is still overwhelming, but it'll be worse if you don't eat . . ."
⎛ DAY 5 ‖ 1/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 19TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ TILAPOK ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ AMUSED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ .005% = QUENTIN / !! = PIERCE ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ . . . ⎠ ❝ＳＥＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＯＴ， ＷＡＴＣＨ ＩＴ ＢＯＩＬ ！！❞ When Pierce replied, apparently not knowing what Sophie had meant by her earlier question, Sophie laughed with a brightness in her eyes and traced the rim of her cup with her finger. "You enjoy my discomfort." Pierce said, in a rather bold mix of words. Sophie smiled at her with honest intentions, "Of course I do, Pierce." she replied, "But don't worry, I enjoy everyone's discomfort. I really am curious about you and him. He seems rather attached to you since yesterday." Of course, that seemed more like a stalkerish attachment, but who was she to comment on that? Ahaha. Well, she was Sophie, of course -- what a silly question! Stalkers were funny people, she thought to herself, and letting them having the smallest leeway was a dangerous thing, but it was always fun to tease them, like dangling meat in front of starved dogs. "What do you think of him?"
⎛ DAY 5 ‖ 1/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 19TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ TILAPOK ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ AMUSED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ .005% = QUENTIN / !! = PIERCE ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ . . . ⎠ ❝ＳＥＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＯＴ， ＷＡＴＣＨ ＩＴ ＢＯＩＬ ！！❞ Sophie looked up when she saw Bryan come from the restroom, looking loads better. She wondered why he had been in there so long. He seemed like a sensitive soul, so he'd probably been crying or something. She continued her conversation with Quentin, as he couldn't seem to stop asking her questions and wanting to be asked questions. She was glad that he was at least competent enough to hold a decent conversation with her and wasn't that much of an annoyance. Yet. A meek and quiet voice entered their fray and the two teenagers looked over to see Pierce, and a few tables away, Adrian was staring at her. Sophie didn't smile, but she felt a surge of pleasure at this, and then looked up at Pierce with curiosity. "Ah . . . um . . ." she started, classically nervous, "Sophie, Quentin - " Hmm, she knew his name. " - d - do you mind if I, uh . . . s - sit with y - you?" In reply, Sophie scooted over so the girl could set down and leaned her chin on her hand, appearing interested. "Nice to talk to you again." she began with a cheerful smile, "How are you feeling? Puppy still on your kitten tail?" She was referring to Adrian with that one, but it was absolute that he didn't hear her because he was too far away. "Hello . . . Pierce, was it? No issue." Quentin said after her, and continued to eat, waiting for more.
⎝ DAY 5┊1/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 19TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊TILAPOK ⎞⎝ MOOD┊BETTER ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ 『WEATHER』 CLEAR SKIES 58°! ❧『DATE & TIME』 6/19/2013 - 4:47AM ❧『DAY』 5 Bryan let out a shaky breath and stood from the cool and no doubt dirty tile floor, wiping his face clean with the slightly coarse fabric of his shirt. He ran the sink and cupped water in his dirty hands, splashing it on his flushed face moments later, and then blinking his sight clear to look at himself in the mirror again. He looked better -- actually, he felt better. Emotions that had been pent up for the last four days had finally all been let out in the sanctuary of a gas station bathroom. It wasn't his ideal place, but beggars couldn't be choosers, and besides, he needed that. Their group needed him to do that, one more person to pull it together right? Bryan didn't know how the other counselors were feeling and the only one he could tell that was taking everything in stride was Julius. He felt good about that because they needed a strong base to keep them going. Bryan was afraid that one bad thing was going to start happening after another. Was this some kind of destiny? He had never thought about that before, it seemed like a silly thing, to him! He sighed and then left the bathroom. When he went to the dining area, he looked around to take a headcount and how everyone was feeling. They were all tired, for sure. Maybe they could sleep on the way back to Candlewood? He sure hoped they got there soon, and then the rest of the summer would be normal! Man, he wished the fire hadn't have happened . . . Now that he smelled food, he sure was hungry! He knew now that he wasn't going to completely upchuck his guts, so eating something of sustenance would be good for him. They had more money than he cared to count and so he bought himself a ten-count of chicken nuggets. That was always one of his guilty pleasures since he was younger, McDonald's chicken nuggets -- but who didn't like them? As he grabbed a seat and began to munch on them; he smiled, feeling loads better. At least for now. "I think thing's will be alright."
⎛ DAY 4 ‖ 4/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 18TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ TILAPOK ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ INTERESTED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ !! = QUENTIN ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ TALKIN' TO MYSELF LOLOLOL. I'LL CALL IT . . . SAXIMACEST. ⎠ ❝ＳＥＴ ＴＨＥ ＰＯＴ， ＷＡＴＣＨ ＩＴ ＢＯＩＬ ！！❞ Her thoughts lingered on a few things, least of which was the group's complete well-being. Sophie thought that as long as she survived, things would be all well and good in the long run. She only drank water, and went through three cups, not realizing how thirsty she was. The last time she had eaten was yesterday morning, but she thought she would be able to be alright. Maybe not. Sighing, she ordered a kid's meal and slowly ate it, more for something else to do besides sit around. They must look like a spectacle to the workers, all dirtied up like this. Being less of a human? Haha, that wasn't a thing. It was more of being less of a sentient being. Sophie wasn't an emotional person, it was hard to get to her with anything. Death? She didn't believe in it. Not really. Killing? That was transferring one person from this plane to another of existence. It still deserved punishment in most cases though. This group was definitely in trouble. Alexandra, a murderer, and then Bryan would be an accessory, even if it was technically 'self-defense'. She sighed again, thinking on all the things from the last four days. Luck was a strange thing, and theirs seemed to be getting worse and worse. Sophie let out a shaky breath, the lead feeling immediately going away. She had always been in good control of her emotions since . . . then. It was a useful skill to have. Her parents often called her a sociopath. Maybe she was one. There were few things in life she regretted -- and that was one of her worst fears. Someone had taken residence up in front of her. She looked up. Quentin? Shouldn't he be checking on Noëlle or something? He seemed so thrashy and worried about her earlier. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. "What are you thinking?" he asked her. "You're not very original with your questions, are you?" He always started their conversations with that one. No one needed to know what she was thinking. It was none of their business. ". . . We have particularly shitty luck, don't we?" she replied shortly, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. Spoiler: Conversation READING THIS CONVERSATION IS OPTIONAL. "That we do." He chuckled, causing him to cough. "Sorry. I'm still a bit . . . off." His expression became more serious, but in a quizzical way. "Why did you drag me?" "Drag you?" "Earlier . . . You pulled me by my wrist." "I thought the truck might explode. You were next to me. If I can save you, there's no point in letting you die." He gave her a skeptical look, but didn't press it. His expression turned light. "I'm touched. Can you get me some water to keep from coughing to death, too?" 'I'm touched' he says, Sophie thought to herself, almost smiling. She looked at her large cup of water and pushed it towards him. "My fourth cup," she mentioned, looking distantly at it, and then shrugged. "Thank you." He took a sip, and then a drink. It felt good on his raw throat and cleared his head. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply from the clean air. "I have asked you several things since camp. Do you have any questions for me?" And you've found out mostly nothing by asking me those questions. Sophie let herself smirk. "Hmm," she hummed, looking his lightly tanned face up and down. There were lots of things Sophie could ask him that could tip the scale, but it was easier to start of simple. "Was this your first year going to camp?" She already knew the answer to that. She hadn't ever seen him in the years before. "Doesn't that imply this is yours? You would recognize me, wouldn't you?" He looked her in the eye and took another sip. "I doubt that. You didn't act like a rookie at the hunt. So why ask?" Sophie blinked at him, not expecting that. Interesting. "Fair point. Terrible thing, your first year ruined by the fire." The fire, hah. She still had her speculations on how it started. "Why did you decide to come to camp this year?" "Oh, this and that." He knew that would bother her. He waited a few seconds to make it last. "I heard some things that made it sound . . . entertaining." He let his eyes wander over her. "By the looks of things, they weren't wrong . . . But they didn't mention the forest fires." Annoyance flashed through Sophie's mind. So Quentin was more competent than she originally pegged him for. "Mmm. If you were going to give me ambiguous replies, why should I ask you questions?" she said, running her finger around the rim of the cup. "I could ask you the same thing." He was glad for this conversation, it brought him down from the trauma of the day. Grounded him. "Do you dislike my questions?" Sophie expected him to say that, but it was more annoying now that she had heard it. This kid . . . "I dislike questions in general." she replied bluntly. I don't play the game, others do. "But from our previous encounters, you weren't exactly the locked book." "I suppose you would. You are not very personal. You speak to others, but dislike being spoken to. Is that why you liked that shy girl?" Of all of the things Quentin had observed, this seemed the most important. It was a good chance to bring it up . . . But I am skating on thin ice. His heart picked up its tempo. Sophie raised her eyebrows at his question. He had been watching her? That wouldn't do. "You seem very interested in me." she told him, "Do you have some personal gain by talking to me?" It was a peculiar feeling, being watched; she never liked that. "If that were the case, don't you think I would talk more?" Too thin . . . She hadn't answered. He tried to hide his nervousness. He was puzzled by the question. What does she think? He looked back up and met her eyes. His expression was uncertain. "What do you mean by personal?" "Something that you could use to your advantage, for yourself, a game you might have." She knew all about personal gain, and it was something she went for often. Most of the time, her gain was amusement, or pleasure. Originally, She thought Quentin was too naïve to know about something like that, but this conversation had taken a turn in a direction she didn't like and she might actually have been wrong about that. When she had seen a ripple of nervousness across his face, she calmed down. He doesn't seem like the type to play games. Her eyes danced with curiosity, but her expression remained bored as usual. It appeared again. That shine in her eye. His nervousness turned to confidence once more. His eyes turned toward his cup as he answered. "Nothing like that. I'm just . . . interested in you." He glanced up at her as he said it. She didn't seem like the type to blush, but he was hoping. Her words were a good cover, either way. She blinked at him and it was quiet for a long moment. Ahaha. Hahaha. The laugh in her mind went on for longer than it usually did. Interested in her, was he? There had been numerous people to confess to her, not knowing what kind of person she actually was, and most of them had ended up on the bad side of things. That tends to happen when you play with fire. They didn't just get burned, they were completely turned to ashes. "So forward," she said, teasing him, "What ever shall I do now?" The question was both serious and trivial. Sophie didn't liked being watched. Quentin watched her. She would have to remember to write this in her journal, soon. "As for your question about the girl, she's not special. I talk to all kinds of people." "Mhm." She hadn't blushed. He was disappointed. That's what I get. He sat up and pushed his chin up in mock offense. "Interested doesn't mean sold, young lady." He would have to play hard to get with this one. Give her focus. Give her time. He backed off, both literally and figuratively, and went back to the previous topic. "You only asked one. Any more questions?" Sophie laughed. She decided that Quentin might actually be someone worth knowing -- he definitely had potential for . . . all kinds of things, but she would start with play toy. "What instruments do you play?" "I can play the piano and sing, but the lute is my favorite." He remembered, he had lost his. Along with my sketchpad. He was still worried about Noëlle, the more fragile of the two. He frowned slightly. "What about you? I don't remember seeing you with any." At the memory of her precious instruments, Sophie frowned and then rubbed at her temples. "I lost them when the ferry sank." she said short and irate, but then smoothed out her pea coat and face. "Cello, violin," she replied, "I also sing. There are a variety of instruments I am able to play, but cello is my forté. Are there other hobbies you pursue?" "Painting . . ." He refused to let himself get down, so he let his eyes wander over her again and imagined drawing her naked as well. "It keeps me calm." The conversation went on for a while and both each played at the conversation and each other from different angles. At least he had taken her mind off of all that had happened. Sophie decided she would have to play chess with him, some day. That would definitely be an interesting game.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ⌠ DAY 4 │ 4/4 ⌡ ◆ ⌠ DATE │ JUNE 18TH ⌡ ◇ ⌠ LOCATION │ NOWHERE ⌡ ⌠ MOOD │ SHAKEN ⌡ ◇ ⌠ ❤ │ 39% = NOËLLE / 9% = SOPHIE ⌡ ◆ ⌠ MUSIC !! ⌡ ⌠ OOC │ . . . ⌡ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ Quentin was upset. That mist had done a number on him and he was still out of it. He gathered that something had happened to David and that they were on their way out of the mess. He checked up on those he knew. None of them were hurt, but Noëlle was clearly upset and Sophie wouldn't let him go to her. He moaned in frustration. Before he knew it, they were out of where ever that was and arrived at a gas station with a built-in McDonald's. "Please be con - siderate of others a - and order something that won't put - us over too much . . ." The counselor was even more shaken up than he was. He felt kind of bad for the guy, but he couldn't think of anything to do for him, so he let it go. Sophie handed the man some cash. He emptied his pockets and handed over all but one coin of his change. It was the coin he had flipped when he met Noëlle. My fate . . . The mist had left him quiet, but Quentin was still watchful. The other kids were behaving strangely. They didn't look so boring to him, not now. I guess disaster does that. He was still worried about Noëlle, but she was hurt and needed treatment, so he reluctantly followed Sophie into the station. He felt somewhat hungry, but he hated McDonalds. Oh, well . . . More for the others. He decided to order a five piece nugget to hold himself off. He felt exhausted. He wondered how things could get so messed up in just four days. Maybe it's destiny. His lip curled in a smirk. He turned back to Sophie and wondered what she was thinking. She had taken charge of things, and he appreciated that, but . . . Why did she pull me away from Noëlle? He leaned back against the counter and studied her face. She was too calm. He tried to say something intelligent to match his earlier demeanor, but all he could get out was, "What are you thinking?"
⎝ DAY 4┊4/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 18TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊TRUCK / TILAPOK ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊SICK / TIRED ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ Everyone in the truck was quiet and Bryan wondered how everyone in the pickup was doing. He was tired, sure, but his nerves were still too strung up for him to sleep -- not to mention it would be a bad idea for him to sleep while driving anyway. He was hoping that someone would fill the void of silence, and on the thought, Sophie started humming softly in the back, which soothed his nerves a good deal. The back window opened and Julius' gruff voice started, making Bryan twitch in alert and letting off the gas suddenly, ready to spring into action. "Bryan . . . Keep an eye out for a place called Tilapok." the older man told him, and he relaxed, feeling a little silly. He was just so paranoid. "According to this unread text message, David was not supposed to go through that gaseous place called Lightbrooke . . . Nor hurt us." "Well, he was drunk," Sophie started quietly, "It's not a wonder he . . . went the wrong way." She sounded strange and hesitant. "O - Okay . . ." Bryan replied, scrunching his face up at the fact that his voice was still massively cracking. He didn't think he'd be able to talk properly for . . . a long time. He had to admit, he felt like crying right now. Everything was so terrible . . . He seriously hoped that nothing else . . . It was probably better if he didn't think about that. About twenty minutes of driving later, the truck passed a reflective green sign. TILAPOK CITY LIMIT Oh, wonderful . . . "We should probably stop for food and water," Sophie calmly advised, and he shakily nodded. He didn't get her. Wasn't she affected by this situation at all? Adrian had said something about being more human than her, but Bryan didn't want to believe that. Sophie was a good person, he thought. She had never been mean to him or Noëlle, and had even had a few nice conversations with the both of them in past . . . Eventually, the middle of nowhere bled into small shops and other things of commute. They passed by a gas station and Bryan took note of their tank. A little less than a quarter of the tank had been taken, which meant their gas should be enough to get them back to Candlewood . . . To home at last. They pulled up to another gas station that was combo McDonalds and pit stop. He killed the engine and momentarily laid his head back, taking deep breaths. "How are your i - injuries, Noëlle, Le - Lexi . . .?" he asked them both, meekly, and getting out of the truck, "We c - can treat - them h - here . . ." The lightheaded feeling came back to him and he coughed again, going around and letting the tailgate down. "A - Alright guys," he began shakily, feeling the nipping of the cold at his skin again, "We're st - stopping here for food and wa - water. We don't h - have much money, so if any of you h - have any cash on you, we could - use it." Sophie came over to him and plopped a crumpled five and some change into his hand, then walked into the station, leaving the others behind. "Please be con - siderate of others a - and order something that won't put - us over too much . . ." He let them all go into the station before following and going to buy rubbing alcohol and bandages, then he called Noëlle over to treat her head wound and gave her a small, unsteady smile, rubbing her cheek with his shaky thumb. He really needed to calm down. There was no need to be so shaken up like this. But when he thought of that d - . . . He swallowed hard again, and turned away, checking out Lexi's nose. It was crooked a little to the side and he frowned at it. She needed to go to a hospital or a clinic. He thought about breaking it back into place, but . . . From the cashier, he asked for some ice in a baggie and handed it to her, "Hold this to your nose, d - don't breathe through it, and d - don't blow it, okay?" he advised, and then there was nothing more he could do for her until they got her to a hospital or something. He used the five he was given to buy a package of water bottles, enough for everyone, and then set all of their little supplies on the passenger floorboard, then went back in to go to the restroom. Bryan stared at himself in the mirror and looked at the pitiful state he was in. His eyes were tired, his hair was a mess, there were various bruises blooming across his face and skin. There was a minor cut on his cheek with dried blood that he wiped clean. Locking the door, he sank against it and rested his forehead on his arms, and then began to quietly sob.
⎝ DAY 4┊4/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 18TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊SICK ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ Bryan definitely did not feel so great, not with everything that was going on. This wasn't supposed to be how his summer turned out. It felt like weeks had passed since they arrived at camp, and now . . . He shuddered. They really did need to get out of here. Shakily, he let go of Noëlle and made his way over to Sophie and Adrian pulling the both of them away from each other and sighing tiredly and heavily. "A - Alright, that's enough, you two. This isn't the t - time or the place." It was so cold out here. Sophie looked like she was pouting a little and took Quentin back to the corner of the pickup. Bryan looked to Julius, "H - Hey, Erik is waiting inside the truck. I think it's t - time we got the heck out of here . . ." he told the older man. He helped him bring all of what they had found back inside the truck and then turned to the others, trying not to let any stress overtake his nerves. "Alright g - guys," he called to the group, "We're getting b - back into the truck and we're gonna take the o - other way . . . I know it's cold and we're all s - sick . . ." he coughed, "but . . ." Well, but nothing. Bryan didn't know what to say. He felt so tense and was ready to crack. This was much more than he planned. And he didn't even know what they were supposed to do about David. Should they just leave him here? They couldn't take his d - . . . They couldn't take him with them. The urge to vomit came back and Bryan leaned against the side of the truck, clutching at his stomach and taking a deep breath. "A - Alright, everyone i - in . . . Noëlle should sit ride shotgun -- rest your head, too -- Lexi should sit in the back, since she's bleeding, make sure you're head is t - tipped back to slow the bleeding and breath th - through your mouth . . . And -" He looked again at both Sophie and Adrian. They probably needed to stay away from each other . . . The last thing he needed to tip him over the edge was another death or a major injury from a fight . . . " - Sophie will ride in the back too, y - you and Adrian need to stay away from - each o - other . . . And Aislin, so she can catch he - her breath . . . The rest of us will pile in the pickup . . ." He stumbled to the driver's side, opening the door and Erik wrenched his neck to look at Bryan. All of the other counselors were getting mad at him all the time . . . Bryan didn't feel so good. "Y - You don't look so good Erik, you should - sit - in th - the back to watch the kids . . . I - I'll drive." he told him shakily. Erik didn't look like he wanted to comply, but after a bit more urging, they traded spots and everyone piled into their respective places. Bryan closed the tailgate, looking around the area to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, and then he and Julius did a once over on the truck to find anything out of place or wrong with the vehicle, and then loaded himself into the truck, turning it on and waiting for something - anything - bad to happen . . . He shuddered nervously, his stomach churning. It took him a little while to get his grips on driving, especially with his nerves on high wire, but he really didn't want to crash and . . . He swallowed hard and drove carefully and with a steady pace, keeping his eyes glued to the road and remaining silent. His grip on the steering wheel was tight and his knuckles were turning white. Eventually, after who knew how long, they met the other road of the fork, and Bryan started down it, hoping this road wouldn't lead them to . . . Bryan didn't feel good.
⎛ DAY 4 ‖ 4/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 18TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ AMUSED / ANNOYED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ NOTHING ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ AHAHA, THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME. ⎠ ❝ ＳＯＭＥＴＨＩＮＧ ＷＩＣＫＥＤ ＴＨＩＳ ＷＡＹ ＣＯＭＥＳ. ❞ Sophie wasn't sure what Adrian was trying to accomplish by trying to be clever. He was acting as if anything he was saying was going to get to her. If he really was attempting to insult her, he was failing miserably. Her better, less playful side told her to ignore his complete and utter stupidity, but the larger part of her said to continue messing with him, it was just too much fun! In some ways, Adrian reminded her of her beloved. They were both a little naïve as to the way things really worked and they tried to play tough, but it usually failed and provided much amusement for Sophie. "It's called rationality," Sophie told Adrian absentmindedly. "Perhaps you should try it." What an idiot he was. Ahh, this reminded her of his sister, Tonitrui, and her little outburst in the forest. That had been amusing. Before she could reply, Julius was yelling something about a perverted drunken man, and she assumed he was referring to David. Sophie wondered what he had found in the truck to make him say that. She laughed as Julius thrashed around. "I think you'll survive, Sir Dashing Patch." she told him, remembering their conversation at the inn this morning about his single working eye. Adrian went on about getting rest and Sophie thought that was the most rational thing he had said throughout all of this ordeal, and gave him a half of a single brownie point. Swinging her legs from the tailgate, "Also, people don't die from breaking their noses -- and they also don't lose much blood from it. I'm sure Alexandra doesn't need a hospital for a long time yet. She'll be able to breathe through her mouth for now, and we can use a tissue or a hankie to stop the little bleeding there is at the moment." Julius brought what he had found inside the truck out. Hmm. A few useful things they could use; she was especially pleased at the money -- it wasn't much, but they would be able to manage if they used it properly. "Don't worry, we'll throw you a wonderful funeral. I'll personally hire the homosexual male strippers and we'll have one of them burst out of the giant rainbow-iced cake." Put that in your hat and over your ears. Sophie thought of the expression Adrian used and laughed. What did that even mean? If Pierce really did like this boy, Sophie had no idea what she saw in an idiot like him.
⎛ DAY 4 ‖ 4/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 18TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ AMUSED / ANNOYED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ NOTHING ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ . . . ⎠ ❝ ＳＯＭＥＴＨＩＮＧ ＷＩＣＫＥＤ ＴＨＩＳ ＷＡＹ ＣＯＭＥＳ. ❞ Still sitting on the tailgate, waiting for a reply from the others, Sophie talked to Quentin quietly about their situation and he seemed a little taken with her, trying to pitch in questions about her personal life. "From what it looks like, you spiteful little girl," Sophie turned with raised eyebrows to see who it was. Adrian. She sighed, "is that this 'useless body bag' just saved your lives. I don't know what I did, and personally, I don't care now because it might be sickening, but you all need to a least think twice! And moreover - " She kind of stopped listening to him and laughed. When he was done, she made her reply. "You didn't save our lives. You had nothing to do with it." she told him, "Bryan was the one who neutralized David, and then Alexandra finished the job. You were beating up a corpse." Sophie smiled at him, "I never said anyone was worthless. I said you were useless. If you're going to try and use my words against me, please get it right."
⎛ DAY 4 ‖ 4/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 18TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ FLURRY / ANNOYED ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ NOTHING ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ . . . ⎠ ❝ ＳＯＭＥＴＨＩＮＧ ＷＩＣＫＥＤ ＴＨＩＳ ＷＡＹ ＣＯＭＥＳ. ❞ Quentin continued to ask her how she could be so calm in a situation like this and she thought that he might be hating her a little because she wouldn't let him check on Noëlle. She wasn't sure why she didn't. Maybe it was out of sympathy for the two siblings. Watching them reunite after the horrifying events was a little heartwarming, she had to admit. So she gave them their time and left them. Sophie decided that Quentin liked Noëlle, but he was plum out of luck because she also decided that Noëlle was too attached to her brother to care about other boys. She might actually be wrong about that, but they had spent many past summers together, so . . . She thought about David, and Alexandra killing him. She stuck with the preference that killing him had definitely been a bad idea. The folks of Bentley, when they found out, would be none too happy about it, and then there was the matter of police involvement and the whole nine yards. Sophie would have no trouble confessing that it was Alexandra that had killed him. Murderers deserved to be punished if they really were guilty of their crimes. Ahaha. Their situation was definitely a bleak one, but at least they had transportation, maybe. The mist might have done something to the truck that made it dangerous for them to use. It was cold. They didn't have any money. No food. Sophie sighed. Quentin had finally calmed down next to her, shivering a little. The motion made her clutch the pea coat she had one closer to her. It was a bit warm on the inside, but her legs were freezing. She decided to ignore that. Gently patting Quentin on the head, she got to her feet, wobbly, and ambled over to the counselors, her hands shoved in her pockets. She looked at Julius, "Do you think that truck is going to get us back around to that fork without exploding?" Before she got an answer, Erik was revved up and ready to get out. Sophie really hated hotheads. And group projects, which this counted as because they all had to make a group decision on what to do. She rather liked Julius' reply, though. ". . . And finally, we have to deal with these two . . ." he mentioned, "Sad to say . . . They are not the most stable in our group and we need to be wary of them." Julius closed his eyes -- well, eye. "Can't we just leave them both here?" she suggested, sitting on the tail gate of the truck. Quentin coughed a laugh next to her and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'm being serious." she told him, frowning. "Anyway, it's obvious we cant stay here. And lugging these two bodies around while walking? It doesn't sound ideal. Either we take the truck, risk it exploding on us, or we can slap the two useless ones awake so they aren't dependent on us. If not, and we do have to walk, then I suggest we leave them here. Less trouble for us." To her annoyance, Adrian came to. He was pathetic and she wasn't in the mood to appeal to his attention-whoring self. ". . . What happened to David?" she heard Noëlle ask Bryan. "Alexandra did the idiotic thing and killed him, rather than knocking him out like I suggested before we got into the truck." Sophie replied, sounding bored, but feeling annoyed.
⎝ DAY 4┊4/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 18TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊DAZED / WORRIED ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ Bryan caught his breath -- sort of -- on the short truck drive back to the others. He was trying to keep is mind clear of . . . what had happened and what had been done. Suffice to say, this was much more than he had bargained for. David was dead. Not breathing, laying mangled on the ground, away from them. Lexi had killed him. Bryan tried not to think, rather, he focused on his breathing. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. It was a bit of a failure because he was still coughing pretty badly from whatever he had inhaled from that yellow mist. Why would David take them that way? There had been a fork in the road -- why didn't they go the other way, avoiding the mist? There wasn't much point in thinking about that now, though. He was plopped on the ground, feet away from the others in a complete daze, and then he remember Noëlle. Noëlle! Bryan scrambled to his feet and looked around frantically for his sister. Had the others grabbed her? It turned out that she had been panicking about him, too. They basically crashed into each other, Noëlle crying frantically into his chest as they sunk to the ground. He was just glad she was still alive, still breathing, still okay despite her injuries. A bit of blood ran down the side of her face and teary Bryan wiped it off, telling her how sorry he was that he let that happen to her and everything was just. Flashback, flashback, flashback. "I'm sorry . . ." he whispered into her hair. God, this situation . . . It was awful! "We're okay now . . . We're okay . . ." Maybe he was saying that more for his benefit rather than his sister's. What were they supposed to do now? They were stranded out in the middle of nowhere, no food, no money . . . Who knew what kind of condition that truck was in with all that mist probably inside it . . . God. With Noëlle still in his arms, Bryan turned to the others. Some of them were lying, passed out, others were coughing . . . They were all sick from that mist. He looked at Erik and Julius. Tucker wasn't looking all that great and while Bryan wanted to comfort him . . . Well. "S - So what are we sup - posed to do n - now . . . ?" he asked, hoping for an answer.
* gigglesnort *
⎝ DAY 4┊4/4 ⎞ ❧ ⎝ DATE┊JUNE 18TH ⎞ ❧ ⎝ LOCATION┊MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎞ ⎝ MOOD┊DAZED / SICK ⎞ ❧ ⎝ ❤??┊NOTHING ⎞ ❧ ⎝ OOC┊. . . ⎞ Bryan was breathing raggedly and completely disoriented, not yet in shock of what Lexi had done. She had really . . . killed him? He didn't mean for it to go that far. Yes, the guy had really hurt his sister, but . . . Bryan felt the urge to vomit but swallowed the feeling hard, forcing himself to be steady and not think. He heard shouting in the background and thought he might have been being dragged around by the arm, but it was mostly blurred until the roaring sound of the truck came back and Julius was yelling for them to get in. Bryan stumbled inside the back of the cabin and leaned back still breathing and coughing. "R - Ready to go . . ."
⎛ DAY 4 ‖ 4/4 ⎠ ☁ ⎛ DATE ‖ JUNE 18TH ⎠ ☁ ⎛ LOCATION ‖ MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ⎠ ⎛ MOOD ‖ FLURRY ⎠ ☁ ⎛ ❤!! ‖ NOTHING ⎠ ☁ ⎛ WEARING ⎠ ⎛ OOC ‖ . . . ⎠ ❝ ＳＯＭＥＴＨＩＮＧ ＷＩＣＫＥＤ ＴＨＩＳ ＷＡＹ ＣＯＭＥＳ. ❞ Sophie didn't exactly have a grip on what was going on, but she definitely didn't let go of Quentin's hand once she grabbed it. He was panicking about Noëlle but they couldn't move because of all of the chaos. Sophie didn't know how to react to everything, all the yelling fighting, and then there was Alexandra. She killed David. The Blue-Haired Wonder. That had probably been a bad idea. Sophie sighed when Julius started yelling at them for something, and she still didn't let go of Quentin. When the truck had stopped, Erik went to Bryan's aid, and Quentin and Sophie both got out of the back of the truck. Quentin wanted to check on Noëlle, but Sophie wasn't having it and dragged him out, along with her personal bag that she clutched to her chest, leaving the larger one behind and getting away from the truck to breathe air that wasn't contaminated.
