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Chapter Text

               Leah paced back and forth in the auditorium, biting her nails and in deep thought.

               “You’re gonna wear yourself out before too long.” Dot was the first one to say anything after they all made it back inside.

               “This…” Leah muttered. She had a wild look in her eyes. “This is…UGH!” She stopped in her tracks and threw her hands up in exclamation. Her gaze shifted between the two groups, boys and girls on opposite sides. “Doesn’t anyone have something to say?!” Leah turned to the boys now, staring down Bo then Scotty. “Do any of you know anything? Huh? One of you has to know something.” She pointed at them. “One of you isn’t letting on. This fucking”—she turned around—“hellhole! How did we end up back here?”

               The girls especially were dejected, echoing the same sentiments as Leah but being less expressive about it. Shelby reached for the back of her head. Rachel stared at her bandaged wrist. Martha grasped Toni’s arm and looked like she might cry.

               “What the fuck is going on?!” Leah slammed her hands on the stage. Everyone had the same question but no one dared speak while the crazed girl was still going. The boys were especially confused without knowing her history and gave each other baffled glances.

               Dot nudged Fatin and gestured towards Leah. Fatin didn’t protest this time and gently approached the girl, reaching for her shoulder.  

               “Leah…” Fatin offered quietly. But Leah brushed her hand away and walked out of the auditorium.

               “She needs to cool off,” Dot told them. “But, in the meantime…” She pivoted towards the boys. “Who are you?”

                Fatin started to get worried when Leah didn’t come back. She’d been gone for hours now and they all knew what she was capable of. Fatin began to walk the halls of the complex alone. Her search grew increasingly desperate with every empty room or corridor she came across. After the indescribable mayhem they’d all gone through, she couldn’t help but worry. Finally, she stumbled upon the girl in a holding room similar to what they had all been kept in after being “rescued”. Leah sat on the concrete floor, legs to her chest and arms around her knees. Her head rested on her arms and she faced away from the doorway where Fatin stood.

               “What do you want, Fatin?” Leah mumbled, not even needing to look up to know it was her.

               “You left the group nearly four hours ago and no one knew where you were,” Fatin explained, plopping down on the floor in front of her.

               “I’ve been here.”

               “Yeah, well this place is a fucking maze so it was basically impossible to find you.” Fatin waited a moment before saying, “talk to me.”

               Leah looked ahead of her at Fatin with glassy, red eyes and tear stained cheeks. They created thin rivers through the dirt caked on her face.

               “I had her,” Leah whispered. “I fucking had her.” Her voice cracked as she swore. “And now we’re right back to where we started.”

               “I know.” Fatin gave a hint of a proud smile. “At least now we have a roof and at least one vending machine. I saw Toni trying to break into it already.” She could tell the humor wasn’t working for Leah. Not this time. “Listen, it’s not your fault she’s a fucking monster. And you were right. About all of it.”

               Leah bit her bottom lip and looked away.

               “Nora’s journal had a phone number written in it and codes and a map and shit.”

               The depressed girl perked up at Fatin’s details.

               “Shelby and I found a radio thing in the woods the day the helicopter came.”

               Leah could feel something rebuilding inside her. The note Shelby gave her in her room, Fatin saying these things out loud. They all knew she wasn’t crazy now, living in the nightmare together, but knowing that they figured it out too but didn’t have the chance to say made Leah feel less isolated.

               “I am so fuckin’ sorry.” Now it looked like Fatin might cry. Without warning, she came forward and hugged Leah. Her grip was tight, as if worried the girl would disappear again. “For not believing you, for… all of it.”

               Leah hesitantly hugged her back. She could feel Fatin’s grip ever so slightly pulling at her tangled hair and was unsurprised to find Fatin’s hair more well kempt. Though her fishtail braid was slowly loosening.

               After removing herself from the embrace, Leah’s eyes remained trained on Fatin’s face. Her skin was still peeling from the terrible sunburn. She was disheveled like all of them but somehow content, as if more at home.

               “The things I said to you,” Fatin began, moving her gaze to the floor. She thought about how she’d pinned Leah against the rocks and how she’d told her the hole was a mirage. Guilt came over her, clear as day on her face. “I hope you can forgive me.”

               “Yeah,” Leah said as if it were obvious. “Yeah, I forgive you. I mean, like, if I were you, I’d probably react the same way. Last thing you need in that kinda situation is someone telling you it’s not real.”

               Their eyes met.

               “It’s okay, Fatin.”

               Fatin gave a gentle smile before scooting to be next to Leah instead of across from her. She leaned her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. They sat for a moment, just together in the quiet. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead and somewhere down the hall there were footsteps but everything else was still. It was nice, almost. It was a long awaited chance to relax.

               “I’m not even gonna think about how we’ll live in this place,” Leah spoke up.

               “I sure as hell won’t.” Fatin was quiet a moment, letting herself come to a blooming realization. “You’re the only thing that matters now.”

               The sentiment caught Leah off guard. She had a few follow-up questions, but would keep them to herself at least for now. The sound of someone encroaching suddenly had her full attention.

               “Oh, thank fuck,” Dot breathed upon seeing the two sitting on the floor. She put her hands on her knees and bent over to recover from running. “We’re trying to keep tabs on everyone and you guys were the only two missing.”        

               “Yeah, I said I was going to go looking for Leah,” Fatin explained.

               “Sounds like a TV show,” Leah chimed in. “Looking for Leah.”

               “That was nearly an hour ago.” Dot stood up straight.

               “She was really well hidden,” Fatin defended with an exaggerated nod from her counterpart. 

               “Well get your asses up, we’re gathering in the auditorium, doing a headcount, and then figuring out a course of action.”

               Back at the auditorium, both groups began to mingle. They compared experiences on the island and in the bunker while snacking on some Goldfish and cookies that Toni finally managed to get out of the vending machine.

               “That thing was a fuckin’ beast,” Toni relayed. “It wasn’t my first time stealing from a vending machine but they must’ve chosen that one knowing we’d try to smash it with rocks.”

               There seemed to be a bit of tension still between Toni and Shelby, though everyone else was coexisting normally.

               “Alright!” Dot shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “We’re taking inventory. We need to know what our food, water, and clothing options are like in here. Clearly”—she gestured to the building—“we have shelter, but we need more than that. I propose we send out two groups, one tallying resources while the other maps the layout of the compound.”

               “How do we pick who goes?” Martha spoke up.

               “I don’t know. Whoever wants to.”

               “Hang on.” Kirin stood from the floor and had a watchful eye on Leah. “What’s her deal? We’ve seen some psychotic shit and that whole storming around thing definitely gave off some red flags.”

               “She’s not psychotic.” Shelby immediately came to Leah’s defense. “This place is… Well, you all were talking about your island experiences. We never got a chance to explain.” She gave the floor to Leah and Fatin.

               Leah stood there silently while the entire group waited for her to share some answers. Her first thought was of Rachel. This wouldn’t be easy for any of them. But it would be worst for her.

               “The islands were a setup. A woman named Gretchen Klein forged our whole ‘plane crash’ and ‘deserted island’ situation to prove a thesis about female survival without male influence. If my memory of AP Psychology serves correctly, we were the experimental group and you, the boys, were the control. There were mics and cameras and even the bags, the suitcases and medicine we were left with was all planned.” She took a breath before her final statement. “Each island had two confederates, two people in the know. Ours were Jeanette, which I doubt was her real name… and Nora.”

               Rachel’s eyes widened and she stared directly at Leah.

               “And we’re supposed to believe this shit?” Kirin laughed.

               “Take a walk around this place and it’ll all make sense.”

               Fatin knew it was her turn. “Shelby and I knew.” Toni’s gaze went to Shelby. “We found a radio in a tree the day the helicopter came for us. But I insisted we keep it quiet until… I don’t know, until we were better prepared.”

               Stunned faces filled the room. A few of them decided to sit down, a few put her head in their hands. They were all speechless now. Except Rachel.

               “No.” Was all she could manage at first. “No, she wouldn’t. Plus, she’s gone. She—”

               It was torture for the rest of them to watch Rachel’s emotions unravel. From denial to anger to maybe a bit of hope? Silence settled in and Martha and Shelby went to Rachel’s side as she tried to process it all.

               “Shit.” Dot invaded the quiet. “That’ll be a lot to deal with, but we still need to gather supplies. Any takers?”

               It was decided that ten people would go in total, five in each group with four staying behind. Their best chances of not getting lost or somehow ending up dead was with numbers. Leah and Fatin were among the mapping group along with Dot, Henry, and Kirin, since they had seen the most of the place so far. The group that stayed back tended to Rachel.

               “I have a huge pit in my stomach.” Leah put a hand on her stomach. “That was awful.”

               “There wasn’t going to be an easy way to break the news,” Fatin tried to offer comfort. “I’m proud of you.”

               “I don’t think I’ve ever said this before in my life, but maybe some exercise will help. Like, looking around. We shouldn’t have a shortage of water, right?” Leah stated as their group came back to the holding rooms. “I mean, we had sinks in each of our rooms.” She walked into the nearest room and went to the sink, turning the handle.

               “Well shit,” Kirin muttered when no water came out.

               “Oh..kay, never mind.”

               “The water was here at some point, there’s already plumbing in place.” Dot explained. “It’s probably just shut off. When we find the boiler room, we can get it flowing again.”

               That seemed to conclude the issue enough for them. If Dot was happy with it, they were happy with it. She trekked ahead with the boys, Leah and Fatin lingering back a tad but keeping them in view.

               Fatin liked walking with Leah. Under a roof and without sand getting everywhere. It felt contemplative and otherwise meaningless, which was nice. Before, everything they did had to be for a purpose. For now they could just coexist with their primary needs taken care of.

               “Your room,” Fatin began, earning a brief look from Leah. “It was next to mine.”

               “Yeah.”

               “You screamed…a lot sometimes.”

               “They had to sedate me at least once, maybe more. The days are all blurry.”

               “I could tell it was you. You have this sort of middle range-high range scream and when your voice cracks, it’s like a dead giveaway.”

               Leah shot her a glance.

               “Okay, not the point.” Fatin moved on. “I got scared. I thought to myself ‘we were on that fucking island for fifty days with close to nothing and this is going to kill her.’”

               “Isolation makes people go insane.”

               “Do you know how long we were separated for?”

               “Eight days,” Dot piped up from ahead. “I had a window in my room. Also get up here. The last thing we need is for you guys to disappear again. And Leah, your knowledge could be useful. You were interviewed the most.”

               “How do you know that?” Leah quickened her pace to catch up to Dot, Henry, and Kirin.

               “I was on the other side of you. And I, like Fatin, knew it was you because of the shrill screams.” Leah rolled her eyes at the remark. “I tried to keep tallies of everything.” Dot lifted the notepad she had been writing on.

               Fatin grabbed the paper and flipped through it. “Damn, Dorothy. You’ve got the weather, key card usages, and even your bowel movements in here.”

               “Can never be too thorough.”

               “I beg to differ.” Fatin slapped the notepad onto Dot’s chest.

               The most important thing Dot wrote down that Fatin hadn’t bothered to mention was a map of the complex. It was a basic sketch so far, a circular shaped interior building with some rectangular ones surrounding it. When they’d gotten up to the roof, Dot managed to get a good enough look to begin marking it down. The holding rooms, interview room, and some offices seemed to be in the interior building. There were outdoor pathways and courtyards to separate the circular section from the rectangular ones. They’d yet to explore those but were hoping for supplies.

               After two more hours of walking, they decided to head back to the auditorium to check in on the others. As useful as the map seemed, they made three wrong turns before finally heading back the correct way.

               “Woah, this looks awesome!” Kirin exclaimed when they walked into the auditorium.

               Someone had found the light switch so they wouldn’t all be in the dark. The food, the Goldfish, cookies, and now waters, sodas, and even some Tupperware, were spread out on a folding table. Toni, Josh, and Raf were moving cots together which probably came from holding rooms. Leah counted seven set up so far.

               “Guess this is camp now.” Dot went over to the table to jot everything down.

               “Y’all look like you could use a breather,” Shelby called over to Leah and Fatin. She was propped up against the wall, sitting with Martha and Rachel, just as the group had left them, and away from Toni and the others. Fatin and Leah made their way over and as they walked, Fatin felt Leah’s hand brush against hers. She couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not.

               “What did you find out about this place?” Martha scooted to make room for everyone.

               “It’s big,” Fatin offered helpfully.

               “There seem to be two main areas of the compound,” Leah began more intelligently, making shapes with her hands to demonstrate. “An inner circle, that’s where we were all kept and interviewed. And outer buildings with storage or labs, maybe. We didn’t get that far.”

               “I remember being wheeled around out there. Vaguely,” Martha offered. “The medical center wing—”

               “Right!” Shelby tapped on Martha’s knee. She’d seen it too.

               “It’s not in the center. We had to go down a few paths to get there, outside whatever this space is.”

               Leah moved her hands up to her face. “Definitely talk to Dot about that. She’s the one keeping track.”

               “Hey.” Toni approached. “We’ve got nine beds so far. Five will have to go without. I’m not playin’ sides here, but we were on the island longer. We should get first dibs.”

               “Don’t you think it should go to whoever needs it most?” Rachel suggested, waving her injured arm.

               “Or maybe the people who have worked the hardest.” Toni pressed back.

               “You’re right, my bad.” Rachel gave a fake smile and offered her bandaged arm. “Shake on it?”  

               “Okay, guys,” Shelby interrupted. “Maybe instead we’ll ask who can go without a bed.”

               Most of the group seemed to be in agreement with that.

               “Toni?” Shelby wanted her gaze.

               “Yeah, okay,” Toni said quickly, barely making eye contact.

               “Good. Let’s put out feelers, see what everyone can contribute.”

               They decided, after all, that Dot, Rachel, Bo, Scotty, and Kirin would go without cots for at least the first night. Some offered to trade off after a few hours, but they insisted it wasn’t necessary. The beds were on the opposite side of the auditorium as the food and drink which had been moved to the stage for easier access and to create more floor space.

               When people were choosing their cots, they seemed to stick to their groups. Henry, Raf, Josh, and Ivan stayed together. Martha, Toni, Shelby, Leah, and Fatin grouped with each other with Martha between Toni and Shelby. Fatin and Leah were next to each other at the end of the row. Once everyone was settled, Dot shut off the lights and took her spot on the floor next to Rachel. They sat up against the wall.

               “Are you sure you don’t want a bed?” Dot whispered.

               “Have I ever needed to be coddled?” Rachel retorted.

               Elsewhere in the auditorium, after tossing and turning for about ten minutes, Leah turned to face Fatin whose gaze startled her.

               “Are you staring at me?” Leah whispered, almost troubled by Fatin.

               “You’re better than the alternative.” Fatin gestured to Toni behind her who was sleeping with her mouth open, a trial of drool running onto the bed. “I can’t fall asleep. This cot might be better than all that fucking sand or those logs but it is not memory foam.”

               “Once a princess, always a princess.”

               Fatin made a face at her. “And what’s your excuse?”

               “We’re still living in this nightmare. Do I need more than that?”

               They let the silence linger between them for a minute.

               “Hey, can I ask… what exactly, like, did you mean when you said I’m the only thing that matters now?”

               Fatin had been hoping Leah wouldn’t press her on that.

               “Just that… on that fucking island, everything we did had to have a purpose. Every single thing was important. Find food, eat food, find water, drink water, actually get some sleep, have bowel movements like Dorothy’s fuckin’ book says. But here we actually have stuff. We can let our guard down at least a little. Not everything matters.” She took a deep breath. “But you do. Because I really care about you. I can just be with you. And not have to think about how many leechees we’re going to find today. But they were damn good in the moment, just saying.”

               Leah cracked a smile, the first since their new situation. “I get that. I care about you too.”

               Against the wall, Rachel watched while Leah and Fatin whispered in the dark. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was enough entertainment while she, too, struggled to fall asleep.

               “What do you think is up with them?” She asked Dot and turned to look at her, but Rachel’s expression fell flat when she saw Dot soundly asleep in her sitting position.

               Suddenly, the auditorium went quiet. More quiet than before. And those who were still awake noticed that something had turned off. A low hum of a fan that had been on since they got there stopped. It’d been so easily forgotten that they only noticed it when it was no longer there.

               “That can’t be good,” Rachel said to herself. She tried to see if Leah and Fatin were still awake. “Guys?” She tried to project her voice while still whispering.

               Leah turned over and looked at her. “What?”

               “The fan turned off.”

               “What do you think it was for?”

               A settling coolness answered their question. The heat just died.

               Within fifteen minutes, everyone was awake and shivering. Dot recruited a handful of people to find blankets. Leah and Fatin got one to share since there weren’t enough to go around.

               “You’re hogging it,” Leah whispered aggressively, pulling the blanket.

               “Am not! It’s a small blanket.” Fatin pulled back.

               “Jesus, this isn’t going to work. You can have it.”

               “Like I’m about to let you freeze to death. Push up against me. We can share it, you just have to get close.”

               “What?” Leah’s voice cracked. “I am not—”

               “Leah Rilke, move your ass over here and let me fucking spoon you like an adult”—Fatin gestured for Leah to move closer—“C’mon.”

               Leah let out a huff and shimmied backwards until she was pressed against Fatin. “You’re ridiculous.”

               “Hey, you’ll thank me later when you’re not a popsicle.”

               Sure enough, the blanket adequately covered them both while they were close to one another. And as she started warming up again, Leah let herself relax into Fatin’s chest. She could let go for a night. Like Fatin said, there was less to think about now. Just as she began to close her eyes, Fatin moved in a way that startled Leah. Fatin put an arm around her, fully pushing them together, their bodies flush. Something inside Leah pulsed at Fatin’s arm’s presence. She bit her lip.

               You’re the only thing that matters now.

               And now this.

               Without thinking too much about it, Leah moved her hand to find Fatin’s and intertwined their fingers. She felt the slightest movement of hair on her neck and part of her sensed that Fatin had smiled.

               Rachel watched the entire interaction unfold, extra close to Dot now since they were also sharing a blanket.

               “You seein’ this?” Rachel asked. She turned to Dot again who was already asleep. “Seriously?”

Chapter Text

               Leah was in a coffee shop. She wasn’t exactly sure how she got there and it didn’t really look like a coffee shop but somehow she knew that’s what it was. There were bookcases and people drawing—like a study lab back at her high school but different. More homey. She didn’t recognize anyone that was there. And suddenly she was taking a sip from a cup that hadn’t existed a moment ago. She turned to her right. Rachel and Toni were there, laughing about something. Kind of an unlikely duo, she thought.

               Now she heard music. Jazz? Or elevator-like? Across from her was the entrance. And she noticed when the next person walked through the doors, their face indistinguishable, that right outside was the beach. It was sandy and sunny. She could see the ocean. Weird to be so close and not smell it. But she also didn’t smell anything. Not even the drink—she couldn’t tell what the contents were—in her hand.

               “There you are!” a familiar voice said. Fatin strutted through the doors ahead of Leah and sat down right across from her. “I missed you.”

               “I missed you too,” Leah said, though she couldn’t feel her mouth moving.

               “I can just be with you.” Fatin was smiling and nodding, like everything made sense. Like she was happy. Like nothing else was around them. “Can you just be with me?”

               Leah woke up to Toni standing over and staring at her, Fatin still wrapped around her. When they made eye contact, Toni simply pursed her lips, widened her eyes, and walked away. Leah was too tired to accept judgment. Only flickers of the dream she’d had remained in her mind. She didn’t dream much on the island and whenever she did they were nightmares. This was the first she could remember that hadn’t been awful.

               “Whelp, rise and shine,” she groaned and began lifting Fatin off of her.

               “Five more minutes,” Fatin grumbled and tried to keep her hold on the girl in front of her.

               “Fatin—” Leah pushed back again, nearly tipping over her cot.

               Fatin began wrestling with her harder, flinging herself on top of Leah and also threatening to tip over their beds.

               “Fatin! Fatin, AH!” Leah screamed as she struggled to get free, also beginning to laugh.

               The other girl eventually let up.

               “Jesus! What the fuck?!” But Leah was beaming, and Fatin was too. “Fuck off.” She shoved Fatin and finally stood up. 

               “What was that?” Martha asked to Dot and Rachel, a little giggly after watching their debacle unfold. She stood with them by the food.

               “I’ve been trying to tell ya,” Rachel spoke up. “Somethin’s going on between them.”

               “Clearly.” Martha gave a chuckle. “It’s nice to see. After what we’ve all been through.”

               “Our humanity’s coming back to us,” Dot said profoundly. Though it wasn’t clear if she was talking about Leah and Fatin or the bag of Doritos she held. 

               Once everyone was awake—nobody felt the need to rush since they had food and water for now—they planned what the rest of the day would look like. Dot proposed the same groups go out again for the same reasons, maybe longer this time, and they’d reconvene around 4pm. There weren’t enough of Fatin’s watches for everyone, so each was assigned to a pair.

               “When should we go outside?” Raf questioned. “We don’t even know what island this is, if it’s the same or what.”

               “I don’t think we should go out there until we have this place figured out,” Dot replied. “Our shelter is our best asset right now and since we know some doors require keycards, there’s no guarantee we could be let back in.”

               “If we don’t get out there and set up some kind of sign, no one will even know we’re here,” Ivan argued. “Are we even trying to get out of here?”

               “Of course, but that can’t be our priority yet. We need food, water, and clothing before we throw ourselves outside. Plus, if we keep looking around we might find a radio or some kind of communicator. That’ll make things way easier for us.”

               “You just have all the answers don’t you.” Ivan’s comment came with a little too much attitude for the rest of the girls.

               Rachel was the first to jump in. “Excuse you, we stayed on that island longer than you did and did a better job at staying alive.”

               “Mhm, then where’s your sister?”

               A stunned silence filled the room. Too soon. Way too soon. No one had brought up Nora since Leah’s explanation and the group hadn’t seemed to settle on whether or not Nora was still alive. Leah wasn’t about to say anything now. She looked at Rachel who appeared to be debating whether to scream at Ivan, charge him, or cry.

               “Your. Fucking. Audacity.” It was Fatin’s turn now and she was ready to shut things down. “That was extremely uncalled for. We’ve all been through some terrible shit. Dial back your ‘manness’ and shut the fuck up. Dorothy wasn’t finished.” She turned to Dot. “Please. What’s our plan for today?”

               “Yo, Ivan’s kinda right,” Scotty spoke up and all eyes turned to him. “Who put her in charge? If we’re going to have a leader, shouldn’t we vote on it?”

               “She isn’t our leader, she just knows shit. We trust her to think practically.”

               “All I’m sayin’ is, you should give us the chance to nominate someone from our group.”

               “Your ‘group’? We’re all a group.” She gestured to all of them.

               “I nominate Kirin for leader,” Scotty spoke, ignoring Fatin.

               Now all eyes moved to the blond.

               “Uhh…” Kirin was dumbstruck. “I… decline. I nominate Dot for leader.”

               “Dude.” Scotty hit Kirin on the arm.

               “Look, I was with her when we walked around. She knows shit, like Fatin said. I trust her. I sure as hell don’t know what’s going on.”

               Dot gestured to her notepad. “Alright, now that that’s settled, we can finally get back to a plan.”

               “Is it just me or do those guys seem, like, weirdly defensive?” Leah whispered to Fatin who had been standing next to her. “Not in a conspiracy kind of way”—Leah was quick to clarify—“just an asshole kind of way.”

               “It’s a guy thing. Male superiority complex, blah, blah.” Fatin did a talking motion with her hand. “Men can be easy.”

               “You’d know something about that, huh?” Leah joked with her.

               “Oh, yeah, definitely.” Fatin played along. “Tons of experience.” She nodded her head. “Women too.”

               Leah raised her eyebrows and gave Fatin a half humored, half impressed look.  

               “Unless anyone wants to switch out, I’d say we stick with our same groups as yesterday.” No one protested Dot’s idea and they could finally be finished.

               Soon enough, the same ten from the day before were scouting the premises. Dot’s group tried to pick up where they left off, wanting to get to the outer buildings now.

               “Agent Young, the big guy,” Leah told the group as they found an entrance to the pathway that led between the two complexes. “Took me outside to a small courtyard one day that was along this path. He even let me use his phone. He tried to show me pictures of his kids, like I’d actually give a shit after being trapped here. He told me we’re off the coast of Peru.”

               That fact made everyone stop in their tracks.

               “Peru?” Dot repeated. “Leah, that’s really important. You gotta tell us stuff like that.”

               “Peru as in South America?” Henry chimed in. “Do you think that’s where our islands were too?”

               A light bulb went on in Fatin’s head. “Fuck, wait. We could’ve been on the same island.”

               “I don’t know if Gretchen would take that risk,” Leah voiced.

               “If we’re off the coast of Peru, we could be in a US time zone.” Henry was still focused on their location.

               “Does that matter?”

               “It could.”

               “Everything goes in the notepad,” Dot muttered to herself, violently scribbling things down.

               They continued to walk the path until they found a door leading into one of the rectangular buildings. It had a scanner for a keycard, but the LED on it was out. Dot took it as a good sign. That probably meant it was unlocked. Maybe the entire grid was down. Dot reached for the door handle, and let out a breath went it turned.

               “We could see anything in there,” she warned.

               Fatin reached for Leah’s hand who took it willingly.

               Dot opened the door and stepped inside first. Automatic lights came on when she did. As five pairs of eyes scanned the room, all their mouths opened at the sight before them.

               “It’s…” Fatin nearly choked.

               “Us.” Henry completed.

               Before them on the wall was a huge bulletin board with pictures of all fourteen of them with notes and bios underneath. The pictures looked like mugshots, almost, but most of them were smiling.

               “Our school IDs,” Fatin pieced together. “The least flattering picture of me to exist.”

               They walked closer, examining what was posted on the wall and the plethora of other papers strewn about on a desk below the board. Boxes lined the other walls. Dot thumbed through an open one on the desk.

               “There’s gotta be like… a hundred profiles in here.”

               “And how many do you think are in those?” Leah pointed to the dozens of boxes on the right wall.

               Kirin and Henry studied the bios on the board.

               “Lacrosse star,” Kirin acknowledged proudly under the ASSETS category for his bio.

               “’Homosexual, question mark’,” Henry kept reading under Kirin’s picture.

               “I’m sure they all say that.”

               “Mine says ‘homosexual, colon, no’.”

               Kirin shot him a look.

               “You know what this means, right?” Fatin captured everyone’s attention. “Gretchen chose us. Out of God knows how many.”

               “Why?” Kirin asked.

               “Probably to ensure whatever result she was looking for,” Leah spoke up. “Which actually totally negates her experiment. If she was going to do it properly, she’d need a completely random selection.”

               “Well we already knew it wasn’t random,” Fatin contributed. “We came in pairs.”

               “The thought process behind her study isn’t important.” Dot went back to rummaging through the box, clearly growing frustrated with their findings. The girls knew Dot had a past she was holding back with them about. Leah and Fatin wondered the same thing, that maybe this realization was getting to her. They exchanged a glance.

               “You said anything could be important.”

               Dot whipped around to defend, voice raising in volume. “I said, ‘everything goes in the notepad!’”

               The room went quiet. Fatin simply nodded to reply.

               “Shit, here’s Jeanette’s file.” Dot picked up the girl’s bio which was on the desk with Nora, Seth, and some guy she didn’t recognize.

               “And Gretchen let her die.” Leah remembered.

               “He was mauled by a jaguar or something,” Kirin said, pointing to the other guy who had been planted in the boys’ group.

               “Well that’s… creative.”

               “Something about this doesn’t make sense.” Henry thumbed through one of the boxes. “They cleared everything out of this place, right? Why leave a room full of evidence?”

               “Maybe they forgot,” Kirin said.

               “Forgot a room full of incriminating papers?”

               “I bet she’s poking fun at us.” Leah’s eyes began to hold a familiar rage. “She’s smart enough to know better than to leave all this crap.” Leah tossed a folder on the floor. “It’s part of the game. She left this here”—Leah pointed to the bulletin board—“with enough confidence to say we’re never getting off this island. That no one will ever see it.” She scowled at the wall and spoke her next words sharply. “It’s mockery.”

               Fatin had another take. “It’s madly depressing.”

               Leah turned to walk out, but Fatin caught her arm.

               “Oh my god.” Dot’s attention was back on the desk area. “Guys?” She pulled a chair and cloth back to reveal a mini fridge beneath the desk.

               “Open it,” Henry encouraged.

               Fatin was excited now, nudging Leah with a hopeful grin on her face.

               “Oh, Jesus.” Dot took out a Tupperware that had something truly rotten in it. The rest of the group covered their noses at the stench.

               “Fucking hell. Did something die??” Fatin turned away and gagged.

               “There’s more,” Dot exclaimed with zero enthusiasm. An identical Tupperware was next and then a half empty can of Sprite that had gone flat ages ago. “Wait!” The last items out of the fridge were two unopened water bottles. She handed them to Henry.

               “Okay, not a total failure.”

               “We should take the fridge. Food preservation would be a massive step for us. But we should come back for it. It’ll be too heavy to carry while we keep going.”

               “Wait, look,” Leah pointed to the floor next to the fridge. “That looks like a radio.”

               Dot moved the fridge around to reveal two walkie talkies stuck into a charging station on the floor. With green LEDs; they seemed to be fully charged.

               “Lee-uh!” Fatin exclaimed, nearly jumping on the girl to hug her.

               “This…” Dot began, holding the devices. “This is really fucking good.”

               The group figured their finds for the day were enough to bring back to camp, so they reunited with everyone else back in the auditorium and presented their trophies.

               “No frickin’ way!” Shelby lit up at the sight of a fridge.

               “And these babies are practically gold.” Dot showed everyone the walkies.

               Eventually Toni’s resource group returned as well, showing more bedding, food, drinks, and some pillows were collected from their find.

               “We’ve also been keeping a list,” Raf explained, showing the group a paper with directions. “So we know where things are if we need even more.”

               “Damn, at this rate we’ll be able to expand out of the auditorium.” Dot was impressed with his inventory.

               “Not even the best part.” Toni lifted two decks of playing cards. “I’m thinking poker. Blackjack.”

               “Go Fish?” Martha spoke up.

               “Sure, Marty. Even fucking Go Fish. Anything to keep us entertained around here.”

Chapter Text

               With the extra blankets and bedding found from the previous day, everyone got their own cot and blankets. There was a little debate about who would get to use a pillow, but a handful just gave up and went to sleep, including Leah. That is until she was awoken at an ungodly hour of the night by one of the pillows argued over. It hit her smack in the head.

               “OW! What the—” She turned over. “Fatin, what the fuck?”

               “You’re snoring,” Fatin grumbled, barely awake.

               “Okay, but you didn’t have to…” Leah stopped when she noticed Fatin had already gone back to sleep. She’d never been accused of snoring before. She wondered if Fatin just wanted an excuse to hit someone with her “well earned”—according to her—pillow.

               Leah gazed at the girl next to her. Peaceful. Carefree. It was a true adjustment from the panic Fatin had experienced their first day on the island. Leah could still picture her sitting in the fetal position, vibrating and dribbling remnants of cake. The cake. It stuck with her for a second. Why had they given the girls cake before the plan went down—allegedly went down?

               “Don’t be creepy,” Fatin mumbled, startling Leah out of thought.

               The taller girl rolled her eyes and flopped back over, eventually drifting off too.

               “Anyone got the time?” Josh asked from the cots, rubbing his eyes as he woke up. “It’s hard to tell without any windows.”

               “One,” Fatin offered. “Dollar Store Timothee Chalamet’s right.”

               “What?” Josh was more offended than confused.

               “There’s no windows in here.”   

“Okay, I hate to say it, y’all,” Shelby began now that the entire group was awake. “But I think we need to make our way outside. This lack of daylight isn’t doing us any good. I don’t want to name names but some of us slept in past noon today! Our circadian rhythms are way off.”

               “I actually don’t think that’s a thing,” Leah added.

               “No, it definitely is.” It was Ivan’s turn. “If we don’t actually see the sun, it’s gonna fuck with our brains.”

               “I know I could use a little vitamin D.” Shelby jumped back in. “What does everyone think? We don’t have to set up camp. Just enjoy some gorgeous fresh air.”

               The proposal was met with silence.

               “Let’s at least vote on it, yeah?” This time she received a few shrugs. “Everyone in favor of going out, raise your hand.” Shelby raised her hand. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.” She lowered her hand, expression falling. “Tie.”

               “Maybe just the people who want to go,” Martha suggested. “Someone needs to stay at camp.”

               “Now that’s a grand idea! How would we feel about that?”

               More shrugs.

               “Fuck it. I’m in.” Dot stood from her spot on the floor. “Never thought I’d say this after that shitstorm, but I need some nature. Hard to have just one or the other.”

               That seemed to settle it. They’d go out in groups of at least three and not go further than fifty yards from camp. Rachel would stay back in case they all got locked out. They’d be smart about things this time.  

               Leah begrudgingly went with Fatin and Dot, finding a door to the outside not too far from the auditorium. It was just down the hall from their holding rooms. The door seemed to be solid steel with a lock and handle, windowless.

               “Remind me what the point of this is, exactly?” Leah moved her hand up to her mouth, biting her nails and looking at Fatin and Dot.

               “So we’re not cooped up in that fuckin’ high school relapse,” Fatin replied. “Seriously, every morning I wake up I feel like I’ve been transported into a junior prom or some sad excuse of a middle school theatre production.”

               “I just miss breathing air that hasn’t been contaminated by seven boys’ worth of sweat and hormones.” Dot made a fake gagging sound.

               “Preach, sister.”

               “Whatever.” Leah opened the door and stepped outside.

               Just like on the first island, the view would’ve been breathtaking had they not been trapped. Miles of trees stretched past the building and faded into the ocean. It was cloudy with a breeze. Leah’s hair whipped around her face and neck. She took only a handful of steps on the raised concrete pathway before hearing the door close behind her. The slam made her jump. She ran back to the door, tugging on it, but it had locked.  

               “Shit,” she muttered. Leah looked around, no other groups in sight. Just the lonesome expanse, a view that was all too familiar.

“This—This better not be some kind of, like, practical fucking joke, you guys.” Leah spoke in the direction of the door. Her eyes kept darting around the landscape.

               “Hello?”

               Now she pounded on the door.

               “Hello?!”

               She pounded more aggressively with her palms flat and then with her fists.

               “Open the door!”

               A panic rose in her. Her hands were beginning to turn red.

               “Open the door!! Open the fucking door!!” She began screaming, feeling tears brimming at her eyes.

               “LET ME IN!” Her voice cracked. “FUCKING LET ME—”

               The door swung towards her and Leah nearly fell over. She saw Dot first, holding the door open from the inside. Then she saw Fatin on the right and collapsed into her.

               “Jesus.” Dot breathed, closing the door once Leah was fully inside. “It was two minutes.”

               Leah was breathing heavily, tears on her face. “Where… the fuck were you?” She was still shaken, but her tone was more angry than scared. She stared up at Dot.

               “Someone screamed.”

               “Bo saw a truly massive spider,” Fatin explained and Leah turned to her now. She had her arms wrapped around the panicked girl.

               “Okay, sure, but I—I—I was out there, and you just left me—”

               “Hey.” Fatin used her index finger to turn Leah’s head towards her again. “We’re sorry,” she said sincerely. “You’re okay.”

***

               Leah and Fatin sat together on the floor outside of the auditorium. Word of her mini-breakdown spread to the others and their outdoor exploration got cut short for the day. Leah snacked on a bag of Mini Oreos while Fatin fidgeted with the cap of a water bottle she brought for Leah. The silence was uncomfortable. Leah knew she had caused a scene and probably ruined everyone’s day. Leave it to the crazy girl, she thought.

               “So…” Fatin eventually spoke up. “Do you wanna talk about what happened or just hog all the cookies?”

               Leah slowly turned her head and gave the girl an annoyed look.

               “Okaayyy.” Fatin broke eye contact and stared at the wall opposite them.  “I really am sorry about what happened. We didn’t know the door would lock. And I didn’t know you’d react like—”

               “Like what?” Leah snapped at her. “Crazy?” Fatin’s unhumored expression brought Leah down from anger. She took a deep breath. “Just being out there. Alone. The wilderness everywhere, the sand, the ocean. It reminds me that we’re here. This whole fucking building”—she gestured to their space—“is a delusion. We’re still stranded. We’re still working with limited resources. We don’t have any way to get out and we don’t know if anyone is still looking for us.” She locked eyes with Fatin. “It’s been almost two months, Fatin. What do our families think? What did Gretchen tell them? This is all that’s left of us. We have nothing here!”

               Fatin let a beat pass.

               “You have me.” She reached out and placed a hand on Leah’s knee. “You have us,” she corrected. “All of us. And you don’t think I’ve fucking thought about that? I miss my brothers, I miss having a house and, shit, I even miss school sometimes. Believe me, nobody wants to be here. We’re excited about Goldfish and pillows because we just survived fifty god awful, shit-tastic days on a deserted island. But none of it makes up for not being home.”

               Fatin removed her hand from Leah’s leg. Another silence ensued.

               “You still thinking of moving to LA?” Leah questioned. “Since you miss home so much.”

               “No fucking clue.” The shorter girl caved in and opened the bottle, taking a full gulp before leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. “That thought assumes we’ll eventually make it outta here.”

               Leah let out a chuckle and mirrored Fatin’s posture. “Well, for what it’s worth…I’d miss you if you went.”

               She held out the bag of cookies, offering the rest. The two glanced at each other. Fatin smiled, took the Oreos, and handed the water bottle to Leah. Leah unscrewed the cap and took a long swig.

Chapter Text

               Toni was right. The decks of cards were a huge success. The group played game after game. Sometimes there would be two happening at once. It went from Go Fish to Blackjack to Palace to poker back to Go Fish. Kirin even got people to place bets. Snacks were used as currency. The Rainbow Goldfish were the best, they figured out. Different colors meant higher bids.

               Fatin watched the game from across the auditorium, knees to her chest and back against the wall. She’d lost all her crackers to Josh of all people after bluffing and going all in on a poker hand. But she enjoyed being on the sidelines for once. A smile would easily creep to her face if Leah was laughing or being terrible at keeping a straight face. It was fulfilling to see the girl relax after the previous day.

               “Hey there.” Shelby found a spot next to Fatin, also stepping out of the game.

               “Sup Shelbald.”  

               “Ha ha, very clever,” Shelby said sarcastically and ran a hand along the back of her head.

               The two were quiet a moment. The blonde watched as Fatin cracked another smile when Leah slammed her cards on the floor in a fit, pointing to Rachel and saying something like “tricky bastard”.

               “You know,” Shelby began. “If you’re so worried about how she’s feeling…” Fatin turned to her and raised an eyebrow, catching on. “You should go ask her yourself.”

               Fatin let her shoulders relax, knowing Shelbald was right and being silently grateful for her. She nudged the blonde’s shoulder, stood from her seat, and walked over to the circle they’d formed in the middle of the room.

               “Hey, Leah, why don’t we take a load off?” Fatin offered, putting a hand on Leah’s shoulder.

               “Fine.” Leah said through clenched teeth, still staring down Rachel. “But I’m gonna come back,”—she stood up—“beat your ass, and win all my fish back.”

               “I’d like to see you try,” Rachel cooed and popped a cracker in her mouth.

               Fatin grabbed Leah’s arm to pull her away before things got more heated.

And over a fucking children’s snack, Fatin thought to herself. But instead she said, “C’mon, I wanna show you something.”

Fatin took Leah out of the auditorium and began walking her down the hallway towards their old rooms.

               “If we’re going to leave, shouldn’t we, like, tell someone?”

               “It’s just down the hall.”

               Fatin brought them into her room and closed the door.

               “Your room?” Leah questioned, looking around with raised eyebrows.

               Fatin ignored her and began fumbling behind the nightstand. She stuck her tongue out in concentration, fingers searching for something. An expression of relief came across her face when she grasped hold of a small object.

               “Yes, it’s still here,” she whispered. It was a small folded-up piece of paper. Fatin handed it to Leah. “Open it.”

               Leah, still confused, began unfolding the paper. Its creases were firm, giving it all kinds of crooked lines and crumples.

               “Sheet music?” The taller girl looked at the paper, then at Fatin, then back to the paper. She noticed it had been written with pencil, eraser smudges all over, and there was some kind of liquid stain in the top corner. “Did you write this?”

               Fatin nodded and took a seat on her bed, Leah joining.

               “This is, like, genuinely impressive.”

               “It’s for a cello,” the musician began to explain. “I almost never write music but sometimes I get a tune in my head and need to get it out. It helps, too”—Fatin’s face turned serious—“when things get dark.”

               “How long did this take you?”

               “About four days.” Fatin crossed her legs. “It’s not a whole song, just a little something. I started writing the first time I heard you scream. I just kept thinking ‘damn it, Rilke. Stay alive so I can play this for you someday.’”

               Leah managed a smile. “I’m sure it’s lovely.” An idea came to her. “Or, you know, you could sing it for me.”

               “Not happening,” Fatin said with full sincerity.

               “Oh, come on, really?”

               “Not—No.”

               “Not a singer?”

               “Not even a little.”

               “Prayers only and that’s for the safety of everyone within earshot.”

               The two shared a laugh before settling into a comforting silence. Their eyes remained on each other. Leah bit her lip as if experiencing some uncertainty. Fatin flopped onto the bed, back on the mattress.

               “God, it feels good to actually have a bed.” Leah set the music on the nightstand and joined Fatin while the girl kept talking. “I mean, not this shit. I’ve been in college dorms with nicer mattresses than these and those jizz sponges are 90% plastic. I slept on the rug one night.” She pointed to the floor. The rug had since been removed. “I bet all their money went to that fucking island. You’d think they could spring for better beds.”

               They turned to each other. Fatin shimmied so she could lay on her side, hands under her head for support. She swallowed, feeling it. This moment had a weight. There was something unspoken here.

               Leah glanced at Fatin’s lips, just long enough for the girl to take notice. And she did.

               Taking a risk, Fatin reached to push a strand of hair from Leah’s face, letting her touch linger just long enough.

               You’re the only thing that matters now.

                Another idea came to Leah. “I’m gonna..." She bit her lip, almost holding herself back but knowing what she wanted. "I'm gonna try something right now.”

               Fatin let a half smile come to her face. She had a hunch but remained still. 

               Leah let half a beat pass before bringing herself to meet Fatin’s lips. The shorter girl didn’t even flinch at the action.

               Leah tasted salty. Like the ocean. Or maybe Goldfish.

               Then they separated, gazing at each other for reassurance. Making sure this was real.

               Fatin brought her hand to Leah’s face and gently pulled her close again. The kiss was longer this time.

               “Is this okay?” she whispered after, their faces barely an inch apart.

               “Yeah,” Leah replied immediately, smiling, and leaned in again.

               There was a desperation to their kisses, both knowing they’d waited so long and now getting to fully enjoy themselves. They fumbled with each other, trying to place their hands somewhere comfortable and taking in every second.

               “Wait.” Leah pulled back. “Was that a pun?”

               Fatin gave her a puzzled look.

               “Spring for better beds?”

               “Are you—”

               Leah began to laugh.

               “Right now? Seriously? Fuck you.” Fatin joked before playfully pulling Leah forward by her shirt.

               Toni was having a conversation with Kirin when they got back to the auditorium.

               “Wait so let me get this straight. You had a tiny bunker hidden in the ground. And instead of using it for something useful like, I don’t know, shelter, you trapped and killed a fucking jaguar??”

               “We had to eat, I don’t know what you want from me!”

               Leah and Fatin both walking in together all smiley raised a few eyebrows, especially from the girls. Leah thought she heard a “bout’ time” from Rachel but brushed it off. They settled down together with their backs against the stage and surveyed the state of everyone else. Another card game was happening among a few boys, Martha was scanning the food supply, and everyone else just seemed still. There was a silence between them all now, aside from a few mumbles during the card game. It was odd. Almost empty. The fluorescent lights felt sterile and the sheer boredom they were beginning to face threatened the atmosphere.

               “Alright, fine.” Ivan stood and brushed off his sweatpants. “Maybe we aren’t ready to escape yet, but we can at least do better than this. Forget the outside, let’s just find some fucking windows, yeah? There must be a better place to stay than this.”

               Looks from the group showed agreeance. Sure, they were gathering supplies and trying to fan out the search of the building, but they lacked evolution.

               “A place with ventilation sounds pretty great right about now,” Henry said, grimacing at the smell of the auditorium. Four days in the complex without running water also meant four days (or longer) without everyone taking a shower. Nearly all of them looked disheveled.

               “So what’s the scouting group got to report?” Toni’s voice traveled throughout the entire space easily.

               Dot’s eyes darted to each member of her group. They hadn’t discussed bringing up the room full of records and each she made eye contact with seemed to be thinking the same thing. It wasn’t relevant right now, anyways. So why bring it up?

               “Our holding rooms are the best option right now. They all have windows and bathrooms so once we get the water running, they’ll be pretty ideal.”

               Leah squirmed at the idea. More days in that dorm room overdecorated with faux wood?

               Fatin sensed her discomfort. “I think I speak for everyone here when I say, yeaahh no. Plus those windows don’t open.”

               “Hang on.” An idea came to Leah.

               “Uh oh, she’s scheming.”

               “Gretchen, Young, and Faber were working on this island just as long as we were held here. They must have, like, bedrooms too. Right?” Her eyes shifted around the room to search for a response before landing on Fatin’s. The girl beside her had a proud smile on her face that almost made Leah blush.

               “You heard the woman!” Fatin jumped up from her spot on the floor, put on a classic suggestive smile, and announced, “Let’s get to the bedroom.”

Chapter Text

               The following day, the group began to pack up camp in hopes of finding a better place to crash. Once they were settled again, Dot, Leah, Fatin, and anyone else who wanted to join would search for the boiler room and find a way to bring back the water.

               “Boy, I cannot wait to have running water back,” Shelby chirped as she folded bedding. “I remember when we first got here and we finally had hot showers again. It was like…”

               “Heaven?” Rachel finished, also doing her best to gather their sheets.

               Shelby tensed a bit at the word. “Somethin’ like that.”

               “And I’m excited to drink from a fucking faucet again.” Toni approached with a wide grin on her face. “What’s the point of living in a civilized way again without being able to defy it?” She paused and tentatively glanced at Shelby. “It’s about being free. Right?”

               Shelby met Toni’s eyes, remembering their conversation in the woods. She offered a small smile. “Right.”

               Across the auditorium, Dot, Raf, and Josh were sorting through the food.

               “Seventeen water bottles, five Gatorades, three sodas.” Raf reported and Dot took notes. “It won’t go evenly.”

               “Until we can search for more or get the plumbing turned on, we’ll have to divide it up. Fourteen people is a looot to feed on limited resources.” Dot tapped the notepad with her pencil. “We can do it by ounce.”

               “Seventeen times sixteen is two hundred and seventy two. Five times twenty is a hundred. And three times twelve is thirty-six. That’s four hundred and eight ounces or ehhh… about twenty nine ounces per person.” Josh riddled the numbers off like it was nothing. His skills left Dot and Raf stunned.

               “Damn, Josh! That was incredible.” Raf smiled and patted the shorter boy on the back.

               “Well, I’ll trust you since it’s not like we have a calculator around here and I’m not about to waste my paper on a math problem,” Dot said.

               Meanwhile, Fatin and Leah sat against the wall and watched as the rest of the group did their work. They were close enough to touch if they wanted to, but something about being with everyone else made them, especially Leah, hesitant.

               “Do you think we should help?” Leah asked.

               “We are helping,” Fatin replied as if it were obvious. “With moral support.” She looked over at Kirin who was struggling to move one of the beds. “I see you Kirin!” She shouted. “Good hustle, good hustle. And Toniiii! Where did you learn to fold a fitted sheet, girl??”

               “Foster house,” Toni called back. “I was like fucking Cinderella before the Fairy Godmother showed up. But all the mice were assholes.”

               Rachel walked over to Leah and Fatin, sheets draped over her bandaged arm. “What is this? The new lovebirds are too distracted to help?”

               The comment caught Leah totally off guard. “We’re—What?” Her voice cracked. “No, it’s—it’s just—”

               Fatin chuckled at the stuttering mess Leah became.

               “Okay, Jesus,” Rachel interrupted. “I don’t care what you are, but will you get up and help us? We’re almost ready to go.”

               “Aye, aye, Captain.” Fatin saluted and stood. She reached for Leah, grabbing her hands and pulling her up to her feet. Rachel walked back to Toni and Shelby, leaving “the new lovebirds” alone for a moment.

               “I’m sorry.” Leah folded her arms over her stomach. Fatin gave a puzzled look. “About, like, being weird. I guess I’m just—I’m not ready to, like, tell people yet.”

“I get it. No rush.” She couldn’t hold back a smile while gazing at Leah. She noticed the tangles in Leah’s hair and wondered how much of a fight the girl might put up if she tried to brush it. “Anyways.” She brought herself out of thought. “Let’s go clean some shit up before someone else tries to out us.”

               Leah let out a playful scoff and walked with Fatin towards the rest of the group.

               With all fourteen of them carrying supplies, they was able to bring almost everything with them. They’d have to leave the cots behind for now, but depending on what they would find, they might not have to go back for them. For the most part, everyone contributed. Until about twenty minutes in when Martha began to stumble from the exertion. Kirin was kind enough and offered to carry her the rest of the way. Despite a bit of protest, Martha eventually let him and soon began to blush. The group walked the hallways that were familiar first, passing the holding rooms and offices they had come across before. They had to remind themselves of what was around them so they wouldn’t get lost. The last thing they needed was to end up in a worse place than where they started.

               “I told you this place is a fucking maze,” Fatin muttered.

               “Maybe they did that on purpose,” Toni added. “You know, so if we escaped like fucking Tom Cruise over here”—she nodded at Leah—“we wouldn’t be able to get out.”

               “Tom Cruise? Ew.”

               “From Mission Impossible.”

               “I’m more of a Sandra Bullock gal myself.”

               At the front of the group was Dot with the notepad, Raf, and Shelby: the wayfinding team. Dot and Raf compared sketches of the complex layout while Shelby tried to provide some insight. After another thirty minutes of walking, some of the group began to complain. They’d covered everything on their maps and were heading into new territory.

               “Alright, all the offices are accounted for.” Dot was checking things off as they went. “I’m hoping there’s something around that corner.” She pointed to the end of the hallway which turned right. “Looks like there’s light. Maybe a window.”

               “Are we there yet?” Scotty whined from the back. “My arms are killin’ me.”

               “You’re holding a box of chips,” Henry retorted.

               Kirin shot an unhumored look at Scotty. “Wanna trade?” Nobody complained after that.

               As they rounded the corner of the hallway, the light they had seen opened up and revealed an open door to a huge room.

               “Hallelujah,” Dot sighed and let her shoulders relax.

               They walked into the bedroom of a suite. A living space was on the right and a large bathroom was on the left. The living room connected to a second suite of about the same size. The entire wall opposite the door was glass, providing an overlook to acres of forest and then the horizon. The room had clearly been overturned during the rush to leave, but all the furniture and lighting was still in place including a king sized bed.

               Kirin set Martha down in an armchair while the rest of the group dropped their stuff to look around.

               “Ho-ly shit!” Scotty jumped from corner to corner of the room and checked out the view.

               “I could get used to this.” Rachel crossed her arms and nodded satisfactorily.

               Scotty ran into the living room and then to the second suite. “Check it! Check it! The other room is the same!” He flopped onto the other bed and stretched out his arms and legs. “This is what I’m talking about.”

               Dot inspected the bathroom. It had two sinks, a large countertop, a toilet, and a shower. It wasn’t much for seven people but it would have to do. She flipped the hot water handle. Nothing. She flipped the cold water handle. Nothing. Dot wasn’t sure what she expected but it still sucked.

               As the group began to settle into their new space, they naturally separated into a boys room and a girls room. It wasn’t too surprising. They were most comfortable with the ones they’d spent weeks on the island with. They were used to each other’s mannerisms and finding some comfort or familiarity was valuable in their state.

               “Oh my god,” Fatin groaned as she flopped onto the bed in the girls room. “This is the highlight of my year.”

               “Ten minutes,” Dot called out to her, strutting by and moving the food supply to a more shared space.

               “Yeah, yeah.” Fatin waved the girl off, her eyes already closed and ready to take a nap.

               Over by the window, Shelby held her arms to her chest and looked out across the vast landscape. It was windy outside; the trees swayed a bit. She could barely see the waves crashing on the shoreline. It almost felt like she was in a museum, that there was something wild on the other side of the glass that she could see and watch but not touch. Thankfully not touch.

               “It’s kinda nice.” Toni’s voice almost spooked her. She hadn’t heard the girl approach. “It can be beautiful now. At a distance.”

               “Yeah.” Shelby’s voice was low. She toyed with her necklace. “It’s not bad.”

               They were quiet a moment, hearing the rest of the girls behind them. Dot was checking on Martha, Rachel was rummaging through something, and Leah and Fatin were laying on the bed together.

               “Look, Shelby.” They turned to meet each other’s gaze. “I’m not mad at you or anything. We’re in a better place now. Martha’s a lot better.” She paused and looked back out the window, then to the floor. “I don’t really know what I’m trying to say.” She chuckled nervously.

               Shelby’s eyes were still on her. “When Fatin and I found the radio in the woods…” Toni looked up at her face. “It was in a tree maybe twenty feet up. I tried to climb but I fell and screwed up my leg.” She gestured to where the sprain had been. “Fatin made me stop tryin’ because I was determined to help. And you know me.” She chuckled. “I don’t know when to quit.”

               Toni remained fixated on Shelby’s face as she continued the story.

               “I needed to get that radio. For you. I needed to right my wrong because I felt horrible.” Shelby began to tear up. “I never wanted to hurt you, Toni. I hated myself for putting you through that. Because I love you.” Toni’s expression softened. “Maybe you don’t… maybe you don’t feel the same way anymore—it happens. But… Now I don’t know what I’m tryna say.”

               They both laughed a little and searched one another’s faces for more answers.

               “That means a lot to me, Shelbs,” Toni eventually spoke. “And, yeah, that does sound like you.” Shelby’s eyes pleaded for reciprocation. “You deserve a straight answer about how I feel. But I don’t think I can give you one yet.”

               Shelby just gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.

               “Alright!” Dot shouted, banging on the mattress to get Leah and Fatin up. “Showtime. Let’s go.”

               Dot brought one of the walkie talkies with her as the three of them set off to find the boiler room. If they got lost or ran into something unexpected, at least everyone else would know. Dot didn’t ask questions when Leah and Fatin held hands the moment they stepped out of the suite.

               “Do you think we should tell everyone about the room with all the files?” Leah questioned as they walked.

               “I don’t think it would do any good,” Dot replied. “What are we gonna say? ‘Hey, guess what, our pictures are on the wall. We’ve been stalked like a boy band with fifteen year old superfans. Yay!’ Until we need to, we shouldn’t make things more stressful.”

               “You seemed pretty rattled by that find.” Fatin hoped Dot might finally open up a bit.

               “Yeah, well. It adds to the level of bullshit we have to endure. Fuck Gretchen Klein.”

               “What do you know about her?”

               “She’s got a level of confidence that makes me want to punch her in the face. She lied about this ‘retreat’. Well, she did say she’d get Child Services off my back if I went. And now I’m eighteen so I guess that was accurate.”

               “Child Service—” Fatin was interrupted by the sound of rummaging from a room near them. They weren’t in the basement yet, unable to find a stairway that would lead them all the way down, so they shouldn’t hear any machines from the boiler room.

               The three of them stopped and listened for the sound again. The rummaging continued. Fatin let go of Leah’s hand and positioned herself between Leah and the sound. Her first thought was a wild animal like the boys described. But how would it get inside the complex?

               Dot put a finger to her lips, signaling to keep quiet. She silently approached the door where the sound came from and reached for the doorknob. She turned it slowly and pushed the door open, trying to prepare herself in case she’d need to fight someone or something. However, her arms dropped at the sight in front of her and Leah and Fatin were equally taken aback.

               Nora stared back at them, hunched over a brown box filled with miscellaneous items. None of them spoke. It only took Leah two seconds to fill with rage and Fatin could sense it immediately.

               “YOU!” Leah shouted and lunged at the girl. Fatin and Dot both scrambled to grab her. Nora stood up straight and fidgeted with her hands, watching the chaos unfold in front of her.

               “Nora!” Fatin said more upbeat, her arms around Leah while she tried to squirm free. “Heeeyyy giiiirl. Sorry about this, you know how she is.” Fatin grunted as Leah jabbed an elbow into her chest. In a moment of strength, Fatin whipped Leah behind them and let go, causing her to stumble into the wall. “Stop it.” Fatin commanded with a serious expression, pointing at Leah.

               The girl tried to protest. “She—”

               “Mm!” Fatin made a zipping motion across her mouth. 

               Leah drooped her shoulders, defeated. Fatin turned back around.

               “Shit.” Fatin put her hands on her hips. “You’re here.” She gestured to Nora. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still pretty fuckin’ mad, but I’ll let you explain yourself.”

               “Uhhhmmm. Right now?” Nora tugged at the ends of her long sleeves. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt identical to the one she had on the island.

               “Hang on,” Dot interjected. “Can you tell us where the boiler room is?”

               “Dorothy.” Fatin looked attacked.

               “Excuse me for prioritizing.”

               “I mean, yeah. It’s just downstairs,” the hooded girl explained. She peered over Fatin’s shoulder and looked at Leah who was still panting and ready to pounce. “Is she going to be okay?”

               “Yeah, I’ll handle her,” Fatin said. “Plus, you’ll definitely earn points in my book if you bring the hot water back. We all smell like sweat and Doritos. I know that’s normal for boys but for us it’s just downright unnatural.”

               Nora brought the three of them downstairs into the basement. Sure enough, the first door they came across was the boiler room. It was filled top to bottom with pipes, electric meters, levers, and other machinery. There were several huge boilers and some water softeners. Leah and Fatin had no idea what to make of all of it, but they trusted Nora and Dot to figure it out.

               “So what have you been doing here?” Leah inquired, running a hand over a lever that was meaningless to her. “They just abandoned you like they did to us?”

               “I asked to stay,” Nora answered. She stared intently at a meter attached to one of the boilers. “I knew what was going to happen when you figured everything out. And if I had gone with them, you’d still think of me as the enemy.”

               “And they just let you stay?” Leah’s tone was critical. “They don’t think you’d turn on them? Give up everything you know?”

               Nora turned to look at her now. “I’m an accessory to their operation. What good does it do me to turn them in? Also, I know they hid things from me in case I did contact the authorities. And…” She made an uncomfortable face. “The other part…”

               Dot finished Nora’s thought. “Just like you said in that room, Leah. Gretchen doesn’t think we’re ever getting out of here.” Nora nodded.

               “Fucking hell,” Fatin muttered, hand on her forehead. “You basically gave yourself a death sentence.”

               Nora sighed and turned back to the machine. “I owe it to Rachel.”

               They were silent after that while Nora continued to tinker with things. She and Dot remained occupied while Leah and Fatin found a small baren spot on the wall they could sit and lean against. Leah sat on Fatin’s left and looked around the room, making note of Nora’s back to them. They could only see half of the girl who was blocked by the boiler she was working on. Leah picked up Fatin’s left hand and put it on her leg. She traced circles on it with her index finger while Fatin watched her counterpart’s tranquility. Leah had a blank expression on her face, but Fatin still admired it. The girl was thinking about something. She could tell. But what came out of Leah’s mouth wasn’t what she’d hoped for.

               “Do you think she’s still using her?”

               Fatin snapped out of the sweetness of the moment. “Gretchen?”

               “Yeah.”

               “No.” Fatin shook her head. Her voice was gentle, almost pained to see Leah still swimming in this. “C’mon, she’s doing it for Rachel. That sounds like the Nora we know.”

               “We don’t know her, Fatin, can’t you see that?” Leah snapped, but she knew she’d made a mistake. Fatin’s expression saddened and Leah looked at the floor. “Sorry.” She removed her hand from Fatin’s. “It’s hard to get away from it. There’s not much to think about here.”

               Fatin gazed at her for a moment before offering her shoulder. “Come here.” She lifted her left arm up and wrapped it around Leah. The taller girl rested her head on Fatin’s shoulder, nuzzling into her neck. Fatin kissed Leah’s head before resting on it. “When those dudes interviewed me after the fake rescue, they asked if I believed you when you started to get suspicious of the island. And I told them yeah. Yeah, I believed you.” She chuckled. “I wonder if that scared them. My point is, I’m on your side, Leah. I just hate to see you still wracking your brain.”

               Leah let Fatin’s comments sink in for a moment. She had always been grateful for Fatin, even when she dismissed Leah’s theories about the pit. And even when she’d pinned Leah against a rock and yelled at her. “If we ever get out of here, do you think they’ll medicate us?”

               “Our houses are going to become fucking pharmacies.”

               They both laughed and moved to look at each other. Trying not to think too much about it, Leah leaned up and kissed Fatin who instinctively reached for the girl’s face. Unfortunately for them, that was the exact moment the water turned back on.

               “Fucking finally!!” Dot high-fived Nora and reached for the walkie. “Bedroom Team,” she radioed. “Come in, Bedroom Team. Over.”

               “This is Bedroom Team. Do you read me, Wanderings? Over.” It was Rachel’s voice. Nora perked up.

               Wanderings? Fatin mouthed at Leah.

               “I read you loud and clear, Bedroom Team. The water should be working. Can you turn on the faucet? Over.”

               A brief moment of silence before, “It works!” with muffled cheers in the background and some gurgling. “Toni! Stop, would you—It works, Dot.”

               “Excellent. See you up there.”

               The four made their way back upstairs. They made a quick stop at the room Nora was in so she could grab some stuff before joining the others.

               “We can come back for the rest,” she told them with a handful of water bottles and canned food.

               “Where did you find the cans?” Dot asked, taking some from Nora to help.

               “There’s tons in the kitchen.”

               “Kitchen?” Fatin’s face lit up.

               “Yeah, the team didn’t know how long they’d have to be here. Weeks, months, a year. So they needed a large shelf-stable supply.”

               “They thought they could keep us here for a year?” Leah remarked.

               “They didn’t tell me exactly.”

               “Raf gave me this wisdom so now I offer it to you,” Dot said, changing the subject. “Everyone loves the dude who brings snacks.”

               Nora chuckled and gave a classic, awkward half-smile. “Yeah.”

               “Are you nervous to see Rachel?”

               “I guess. I don’t want her to be mad.”

               “How long have you been alone here?” Fatin contributed.

               “Five days. Same as you guys. And before you ask”—Nora glanced at Leah—“I knew where you were. But I didn’t think you’d be ready to see me.”

               “That’s fair.”

               Once they were outside the suite, they set their stuff down.

               “Okay.” Fatin was eager to reunite everyone. She put her hand on the doorknob. “You ready?”

               Nora nodded.

               Fatin opened the door wide and strutted in with a can of soup in her left hand.

               “Guess what, bitches! And”—she turned to the boys who were peering in from the other room—“douchebags? Lovingly.” She stepped aside to let Nora into the room.

               Her appearance was met with gasps, mixed gasps it seemed. Some happy, others… not so much. The boys knew less about what was going on. Eyes turned to Rachel now, who was dumbstruck and in shock. She rushed forward and collided with Nora, embracing her.

               “You’re alive,” Rachel whispered, mouth open and crying. “You’re alive.” She’d have a chance to be mad later. Right now she was overjoyed.

               “Aww, they’re so happy!” Josh piped up from the boys’ side. “She is Nora, right?”

               “Wait, Nora?” Kirin turned to Josh then back to the hugging sisters. “The confederate? Like from the room we found?”

               Fatin’s proud expression turned flat. She glanced at Leah and Dot.

               “What room?” Raf asked. “What are you talking about?”

               “Uhhh.” Kirin rocked back and forth on his heels. “Dot?” He gestured to offer her the floor.

               Now the focus was on her. “Thanks, man.” She sighed. “When we were looking around we came across an office that had pictures of us and tons of paperwork. But there were also hundreds of other files with different teenagers. So—! Yeah. We’re the chosen ones.” There was muttering among the group. “Discuss amongst yourselves. I gotta take a leak.” Dot walked off to the bathroom.

               By the end of the day, the group had gone through rounds and rounds of questions, some of which were targeted at Nora and some at Dot and her travel group. The new information about the bios didn’t do a whole lot of good for everyone. Despite Fatin’s disapproval, Leah explained the “mockery theory” which just bummed everyone out.

               “If we ever see that witch again, let’s kill her,” Ivan said.

               “She actually almost let me,” Leah shared. “Yeah, when I confronted her in her office there was a sharp letter opener on the table. I did consider just picking it up and driving it through her throat, but she had this fucking look on her face. Like she’d be proud if I did.” She took a sip from a water bottle she and Fatin were sharing. “Fuck her, that fucking cunt. Sooner or later something’s gotta give.”

Chapter Text

               Gretchen sat on the couch in her new, small office. With her glasses on, she read a worn copy of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Alex paced anxiously in the room, hand on his chin.

               “I always hated this book.” Gretchen tossed it on the coffee table in front of her.

               “So what, we’re really not gonna do anything?” Alex asked, ignoring her remark.

               “What do you want me to do?” Her demeanor was annoyingly relaxed.

               “I want you to tell me what Phase 3 is. You’ve kept us in the dark for two weeks!” Alex gestured at Faber who sat in the chair at Gretchen’s desk. “How do we even know they’re alive?”

               “We’ve got mics.”

               “Have you reviewed any of the audio?”

               “We have, yeah”—she looked at Faber—"We—we have.”

               Faber shrugged unconvincingly. Alex remained frustrated.

               “Alright, look.” Gretchen took her glasses off and stood up. “To be fully honest with you, I still have to flush out a few details. But things are looking quite promising.”

               “And the FBI?”

               “Oh, don’t remind me.” She groaned. “Those idiots. They don’t know what they’re dealing with. And they won’t be a problem if everything goes to plan.” She stepped closer to him. “You used to be the ‘don’t ask questions’ guy. What happened?”

               Alex just looked at her, jaw tight. Gretchen raised her eyebrows, offering for him to answer. Alex simply turned his back and walked out the office, closing the door behind him.

               “So,” Faber spoke up, leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed. “You give it anymore thought?”

               “Yeah. He’ll be our second fall guy.”

***

               It didn’t take long for the group to learn that Nora was an asset to them. Not only was she familiar with almost the entire premises, but she told them anything they wanted to know about the operation.

               “I left the radio there,” she had admitted shortly after being reunited with them. “I knew putting Leah in the pit would disrupt things enough.” Leah eyed her. “And that wasn’t my idea. So I figured if you all were going to work it out sooner or later, I could at least give you something. Shame it happened on day fifty.” She laughed a little.

               “You left the notebook too,” Fatin remembered. Nora nodded.

               The day Nora brought them to the kitchen was a game changer. There were cabinets filled with canned food, boxes of pasta, cereal, and much more. There were stoves, pots, and silverware.

               “Oh, shit.” Rachel had laughed after opening a drawer filled with silverware. “Keep this one away from Shelby.”

               Kirin looked over her shoulder and reached for something inside the drawer. He pulled out a steak knife and admired it. “This could be good to have around.”

               Meanwhile, Scotty and Bo were having a fencing match with frying pans.

               The only question was how long the food could last all fifteen of them under the assumption that no one would come looking for them. Eventually they would run out and have to resort to the island. So they began sending out scouts to find berry bushes, wildlife, anything that could be edible. Shortly after, their suites began to take shape too. The king sized beds were great but could only fit about three people if they were willing to be so close. They brought up the cots from the auditorium so that everyone had a bed and a pillow to sleep on. Nora even showed them the laundry room, and soon enough, the place began to clean up. The progress they’d made in just a handful of days was astounding. But it wasn’t everything and they knew that. Leah had used the word “delusion” with Fatin. And that seemed to stick with her.

               Now, Fatin sat with her knees to her chest in the corner of the girls’ living room, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window at the island. That view was inescapable. It was all they’d seen for over two months. It was dull, meaningless. The window could be covered with a tan piece of paper and it would make no difference. Fatin enjoyed the quietness of the suites. Everyone was usually off doing something, trying to keep busy in their current environment. And she liked having a bit of privacy, a little time to just think.

               Leah found her sitting there. “Fatin, you should’ve seen the things those guys were eating! Did you know that if you dare them to do something they feel like they have no choice? They have to, like, prove their masculinity. So Kirin ate mashed pickles, peanut butter, and canned peaches. We named it ‘shit pudding’.”

               Fatin just continued staring out the window.

               “Hey, are you okay?”

               “Yeah,” she said without looking at Leah.

               Leah took a seat with Fatin and crossed her legs so that her knees almost touched the glass. “What is it?”

               Fatin’s gaze remained fixated on the landscape as if entranced. She stayed quiet.

               “Fatin, please.” Leah put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. Fatin’s behavior concerned her; Leah’s pulse quickened.

               “What were we thinking? When we were on the island and sure no one was coming for us. Did we just assume we’d live there forever?”

               “I wouldn’t say I’m, like, the best person to ask about thinking rationally.”

               “Fucking hell. We are never getting off this island. Again! And there’s jack shit to do around here. I guess we haven’t raided the infirmary yet so there’s that to look forward to. Maybe we can just pop a bunch of oxy and peace out.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I know that was… Fuck. Just fuuuuck.” Fatin put her hands on her head and thought for a second. “My fucking parents.” She shook her head. “It’s all their fucking fault.”

               “I know.” Leah began to rub the girl’s shoulder. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in her head. “Wait, Fatin, our parents.”

               “Yeah those fucking assholes. Shit-eaters. Narcissists. Dumb, bitchy—”

               “No, stop. Our parents.”

               Fatin finally turned to Leah, puzzled. “Yeah, okay. What about them?”

               “They know.”

               “They know what?”

               “That we’re on this vacation.”

               “Vacation,” Fatin repeated sarcastically. “Sure.”

               “Just think about it.”

               Fatin was still confused.  

               “Nora said our parents knew the length of the trip. They told us it was a weekend. But Gretchen told them it was the whole summer.”

               It took Fatin a moment and then her eyes widened. “Holy fuck.”

               “Yeah.”

               “Ho-ly fuck!” Fatin jumped up from the floor and gestured wildly. Leah stood too. “Holy fuck! Leah! They’re expecting us to come home.”

               “Exactly.” Leah pointed at the enthusiastic girl with a clever grin.

               “So what happens when we don’t?”

               “They’ll start asking questions. Hopefully.”

               A wave of relief swept over Fatin. She stood frozen in wonder, in awe of what they’d just figured out. Of what Leah had just figured out. “Fuck-ing shit. We have to tell them. Everyone. We’re not dead to the world.”

               Leah, still smiling, let out a scoff. “Not yet.”

               They gathered in the kitchen, a large enough space to fit all fifteen. In the center of the industrial room was a stainless steel island they congregated around. A handful of them had been in there already, snacking on the food supply or even trying to make full meals.

               “What is that?” Bo asked Kirin, disgusted by the unidentifiable food the boy shoved into his mouth.

               “I made a taco,” the blond mumbled back with a mouthful.

               “Out of what?” Ivan butted in.

               “An old tortilla, beans, canned tomatoes, and spam.”

               Ivan made a gagging sound. “That is actually horrid.” He glanced at Raf. “Should he even be eating that?”

               Raf wanted no part in it. “I mean… if it tastes good…”

               “No, like.” Ivan gestured obscurely. “As a white man.”

               “What?” Kirin said defensively and wiped some crumbs off his face. “Eating a taco makes me a racist?”

               “Okay, maybe,” Leah spoke up, “we can talk about something of actual importance. Like why I gathered us all here.” The group quieted. “Fatin and I came to a very interesting conclusion—”

               “Yeah, I think we all knew you two—”

               “Not that! Not that.” She inhaled slowly. “Nora told us that our parents think we’re on a ‘retreat’ for the whole summer. And assuming they still care about us, they’ll expect us to come home at the end of the summer.”

               “And when is that exactly?” Rachel questioned.

               “Today’s August 13^th,” Nora offered.

               “When does the program end?”

               “I… Well it was fifty days on the island for both groups. We finished first on July 26^th. Their fifty would’ve been done… yesterday.”

               “Fucking what?!” Scotty was shook. “You’re telling me that if we had stayed on that deserted sand pile, today would’ve been our first day back?”

               “Yeah.” Nora scrunched her shoulders and pulled at her sleeves. “Sorry.”

               “But do you know how long it would’ve been after that?” Raf tried to get them back on track.

               “No. They’d want to question you first and probably finish all the reports and her thesis before letting you go. Gretchen would have to prepare a lot of defense after letting us go back to our families.”

               “So if we say the end of August.” Leah put her hands on the counter in front of her. “She’d have to let us go back by the end of August. Like, we’d have to be back for school. We have eighteen more days until our disappearance looks suspicious.”

               “Probably.”

               “Your guy from school”—Fatin nudged Leah—“Elf Boy.”

               “Ian,” Leah clarified.

               “Yeah, him, the guy you sent to the FBI. Wouldn’t he tell your parents about it?”

               “Maybe. We have no way of knowing. And I don’t know if they’d believe him.”

               “Alright, so, like.” Ivan jumped in, voice loud and hands raised, ready to talk over anyone. “What’s the plan? Praying? We should find some paint and write a message on the roof. I’m not just going to wait around until some overhyped stormtrooper tries to rescue us. If that’s even happening.”

               That sent everyone into a bit of an argument. Some people agreed that they should be proactive, others wanted to wait it out, and someone suggested they build a boat and sail to Peru.

               “This situation is so fucked,” Leah whispered to Fatin. “If our parents actually manage to raise hell, they’ll be looking in the wrong spot. They thought the retreat was in Hawaii.”

               Fatin put her hand on Leah’s shoulder. “I know you wanna be the hero, Leah. But give yourself a break.”

               Leah bit her nails. “No. No, there’s something else to this.” She walked out of the kitchen, Fatin trailing behind her. “I just can’t quite get it.”

               “Maybe we can just… give it a rest for now. C’mon, let’s go clear our heads, let’s do something. Just you and me.”

               “Fatin—”

               “C’mooonn.” Fatin encroached and gave a suggestive look. “We don’t know how much time we have left,” she said dramatically, hand on her chest.

               “So what, like a date?”

               Fatin took Leah’s hand and raised it to her mouth, planting a gentle kiss. “Yes,” she said, still playful. “Come join me in the woods.”

               After finally getting free from the chaos Leah had indirectly caused, Toni found Martha in the laundry room folding a load of clothes. Among them were some of the girls’ apparel. One of Toni’s shirts, Dot’s pants, and a bunch of Rachel’s socks.

               “Hey, Marty.” Toni leaned in the doorway of the room, smiling as Martha continued the simple chore. “Laundry again?”

               “I like to help,” the girl replied. “It feels normal and people are grateful. Rachel insists on wearing a new pair of socks every day. Must be an athlete thing.” She chuckled to herself and turned to Toni. “What’s up?”

               Toni shifted awkwardly, looking at her hands then up at Martha again. “Shelby, uh… Shelby told me she still loves me. She apologized for some stuff and I think I owe it to her to tell her how I feel.”

               “And how do you feel?”

               Toni hesitated. “I don’t know.”

               “I don’t believe that. And I don’t think you believe it either. Why are you afraid to tell her the truth? Look around, Toni. We don’t have a lot here aside from each other. You need to take every chance you have to be happy.”

               Toni walked forward and hugged Martha, wrapping her arms around her in a full and tight embrace. “Thanks, Marty. You always know what to say.” They separated. “How are you? Are you okay? If you need I could try and find some more pills or—”

               “I’m fine,” Martha insisted with a smile. “I’m trying to stay active”—she gestured to the laundry—“but I’m not overdoing it.”

               “Okay, good. And if you ever need to talk or whatever, you know I’m here.”

               “I know. Now go! I bet you’ve kept her waiting long enough.”

               Fatin did make Leah go outside. After the day she’d been locked out, Leah barely left the building. She’d gone once or twice with the others to take a look around, but forgiving nature was proving to be difficult. Perhaps she’d eventually get back to normal. Or close to normal like when she went camping with Ian. At least now there was someone she actually liked who would make a move on her.

               “Fresh air is good for you,” Fatin explained as she led Leah off the concrete path and into the woods. “I never thought I’d say this as someone who used to religiously get manicures, but don’t you miss the dirt?”

               “Not really,” Leah retorted with a grimace. They weren’t even fifty feet from camp and she was already debating going back. “Are you sure we can leave them all alone? What if they, like, destroy the place?”

               “You need to loosen up, girl. I’ve seen you go stir crazy before. Outside, weirdly enough. Plus…” Fatin stopped and gazed at the girl in front of her. “There’s no one out here, you know. You don’t have to worry about them seeing.” She nodded in the direction of the complex.

               Leah chuckled. “I think everyone knows.”

               “Well, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

               They paused for a moment and Fatin reached to touch Leah’s face, running a thumb over the girl’s healing skin. Staying out of the sun had done some good for them. Aloe would help even more. Fatin removed her hand and turned to keep going in an unmarked direction.

               “I wonder what happened to Marcus,” Fatin piped up.

               “What, the mannequin?” Leah swatted at a bug and nearly stumbled over a rock.

               “Yeah, we didn’t bring him to the new camp, did we? Poor guy’s probably belly-up next to our old campfire spot. God, I do not miss that shit. Nearly burnt my fucking fingers off and I kinda need those.”

               “For the cello.”

               “Among other things.” Fatin smirked but thought more about what Leah said. “I wouldn’t be caught dead saying this around my mother, but I’d give anything to be in a practice room again. That place can be torture, but”—she blew a hair out of her face—“it’s better than here. You ever play an instrument?”

               “You mean besides a bamboo flute?”

               “That doesn’t count.”

               “I don’t know, you seemed pretty into it. Unless, maybe, you had your eye on something else.” She knew she’d backed Fatin into a corner with that one. Leah grinned at the girl’s blushing silence. “Hey, wait, look!” Leah spotted a tree a few yards away from them with dangling, red fruit. She smiled at the discovery and hobbled over to it while avoiding more rocks.

               Fatin chuckled at the sight and joined her. “Lychees.” She grabbed one and bit into it. Her eyes closed and her expression relaxed. “After eating SpaghettiOs for four days, fresh fruit is a gift.” Fatin kept pulling them off and shoved some into her pockets.

               Leah eyed her as she did, caught by Fatin’s satisfaction. She’d rather watch Fatin enjoy them than eat one herself. “You are ravaging that thing.”

               “And it’s loving it,” Fatin quipped before another bite.

               The island’s overcast had been lending an even light to everything, but now the sun began to poke through. Leah watched the shadows from the tree bounce on Fatin’s face. She was still enjoying the lychees, enthralled by their ripeness. Leah bit her lip and took a step closer to Fatin who looked up at her. The taller girl carefully pushed Fatin’s hands and the fruit away from her face. Leah reached for her cheek before leaning forward and kissing her. Fatin bumped into the tree, her free hand going to its trunk, while she happily kissed back. They both tasted sweet.

               Leah moved her hands to Fatin’s waist, kissing her counterpart again and again. Fatin was right, they were alone now. They could take a risk. Leah moved away from the girl’s lips and went to her neck instead, enjoying the rush. The shift caught Fatin by surprise; she nearly dropped the lychee.

               “Oh, woah,” Fatin exclaimed and gently pushed Leah so she’d step back.

               Leah removed herself instantly. “What? No?”

               “No, it’s—it’s great, like really great. I just…” She took a second to think, eyes still focused on Leah’s which were only inches away. “I’ve never wanted someone the way I want you. And something’s telling me to be different this time.” She seemed content with this idea.

               “And what way is that?” Leah moved away a bit, not to disapprove but to give Fatin some space.

               “That I really want to be with you. In a… commitment kind of way.”

               “Like a relationship?” Leah wanted to clarify. She failed to hold back a smile.

               “Yeah, I guess if that’s what people are calling it these days.” For a girl with enough confidence to intimidate most everyone else, it was strange to see her flustered.

               “I would love that.”

               Now Fatin beamed. “Okay. Okay, phew. No one told me all of this was going to be fucking terrifying. Got tons of practice with”—she gestured to her body—“but not so much”—she put a finger to her lips and then pointed outwards.

               Leah chuckled at her antics. “Yeah. It’s no cakewalk.”

               They enjoyed a bit of quiet for a moment, sitting in their newly established situation. But it was soon disrupted by a scream.

               “Fatin!” It was Toni. “Guys!” She barreled through the woods towards them, sweat showing through her shirt and eyes wide. She stopped in front of them and caught her breath.

               “Can’t you see we’re busy?” Fatin tossed the half-eaten lychee she was still holding at Toni. It bounced off the girl’s chest.

               “It’s Dot.” That was all it took for their expressions to fall. “She collapsed.”

               Word spread quickly. Apparently Dot had been eating in the kitchen when Kirin came in and saw her unsteady on her feet. A moment later, she collapsed on the floor. Kirin had been quick enough to ease the fall a little, but she’d come down pretty hard. Now the group had her laid down on the floor of the suite.

               “What was she doing, what happened?” Fatin rushed to Dot’s side where Nora and Bo were already examining her.

               “The stove was leaking gas,” Bo shared. “Raf and Henry already went to try and fix it.”

               “And I told them to open the windows,” Nora added. She had two fingers on Dot’s hand, checking her pulse. “Her heart is normal. She just needs oxygen.”

               “So what is that, like mouth to mouth?” Rachel spoke up. “Or CPR, do CPR.”

               Leah’s mind went back to their first day on the island. Jeanette’s lifeless body on the sand. Everyone talking about how to do CPR. It made her nauseous. And to see Dot this way now, too, the girl who’d provided them with so much and almost single-handedly kept them alive the entire time on the island. If it weren’t for her expertise and leadership, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against the elements.

               “I took an EMT class,” Josh piped up from the back of the group. “I’ve done it maybe a hundred times.”

               “Then get to work, boy!”

               Josh knelt down beside Dot and did his thing. The group watched anxiously, hoping Dot would come to. Fatin stood up from the floor and found a spot next to Leah. Leah reached for her hand and squeezed it.

               They all hated the anticipation and they were all thinking the same thing. What would they do if she didn’t wake up? The reality of their helplessness sank in. Hundreds or thousands of miles away from any real care, they could only do their best and pray it would be enough to stay alive.

               After what felt like far too long, Dot’s eyes blinked open and then immediately closed again.

               “Uuuugghhh,” she groaned, maybe because of the way her body had hit the ground or because Josh was the first thing she saw.

               The room filled with sighs of relief. Fatin leaned into Leah’s shoulder and let out the breath she’d been holding. Among the others were Shelby and Toni who let themselves relax. They both looked at each other, instinctively, from opposite sides of the group. Something about this moment drew them to one another. Both let a half smile creep onto their faces. Toni took this chance to nod in the direction of the door. There would be plenty of people to look after Dot as she recovered. The two of them could get away for a minute.

               Toni walked out of the room first and was cautiously optimistic when Shelby followed a few moments later. They went down the hall to have some distance from everyone else. It was dimly lit like the rest of the building, but they could see enough of one another. They’d already memorized each other’s features, turned them over thousands of times in their heads.

               “Hey,” was what Toni opened with, breaking the silence between them.

               “Hey,” Shelby repeated. Her heart beat quickly. 

               Toni glanced at the floor and then took a few steps forward. The tension between them climbed. She reached for Shelby’s hand who gave it willingly. Toni’s eyes went to their hands and then met the blonde’s gaze.

               “I’m sorry,” Toni began.

               Shelby almost said something, that Toni shouldn’t apologize.

               “You know you’ve always meant the world to me,” the brunette continued and smiled. Shelby smiled back. “I was scared and I just didn’t… My head got the best of me. But you’re my heart, Shelby. You’re beyond wonderful and… I love you.”

               Shelby looked like she was about to cry. “I love you too.”

               They came closer together, Toni’s hands found her waist and Shelby’s went to the shorter girl’s face. They kissed, finally, for the first time in weeks. They felt warm and familiar. Even being so far away from their previous lives, they were home. And they were happy.

               They kissed again and again, having missed each other and making up for lost time. Eventually they pulled back, admiring one another.

               Toni brought Shelby forward into a hug, arms wrapped around her tightly. “I’ll never let you go again.”

               “Alright, Dorothy, take it easy.” Fatin waved Dot off as Bo and Kirin helped her out of the suite. “Don’t ever scare me half to death like that again. And watch out for those oven knobs, they can be tricky.”

               All Dot managed to reply with was a weak “fuck off”.

               “That’s the spirit.”

               Fatin was alone now in the room. Everyone had gradually dispersed once Dot was feeling better. Her health scare led the group to finally explore the infirmary and see what drugs or aid they could find. As exciting as that sounded, Fatin wasn’t in the mood to raid medical cabinets. Leah was, however, and left with the others.

               Fatin sat on the end of the large bed and patted the sheets. The girls had decided to rotate bed usage so everyone could get a chance with its comfort. Toni and Dot had used it the night before, evident by its unkemptness. Fatin considered the state of the bed for a moment before giving in to herself. She stood and grabbed the pillows, tossed the comforter aside, and picked up the sheet to lay it smoothly on top of the mattress. Next came the comforter, straightened out and draped evenly on all sides. Finally, she threw the pillows back up against the headboard. She’d done it. She’d made the bed.

               “Igh,” she muttered to herself as if disgusted by her own work.

               She got into the bed on the left side, sticking a pillow under her neck and turning to face the window, her back to the door. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A nap wouldn’t be the worst thing.

               Fatin wasn’t sure how long she’d been laying down for when the door opened. Half asleep, she ignored it. But then the door closed and she knew.

               Leah kicked off her shoes before climbing in on the other side. Without hesitation, she moved all the way over to Fatin until her stomach was flush with her back. Leah put her right arm over Fatin and felt around to take her hand. They laid in silence for a minute, eyes closed and cuddled together.

               “I’ve never been a girlfriend before,” Fatin offered unprompted. “Unless you count the twenty-five-year-old dude in Cairo who asked me to be his wife when we were on vacation.”

               “Rich people shit,” Leah mumbled.

               Fatin chuckled and nuzzled more into Leah. She brought their intertwined fingers up to her mouth, kissing Leah’s hand and keeping it by her face. She couldn’t remember who’s turn it was on the bed tonight. But she hoped the others wouldn’t mind if they stayed like this into the evening. At least for a little while.

Chapter Text

               At this point in their situation, the group was simply biding their time and trying to keep busy. Judging by Nora’s insight, they had about ten days left until it was time to “raise hell” as Ivan suggested, whatever that meant. But overall, things were relatively comfortable. They had a stable food supply, plenty of water, and the complex shielded them from occasional storms. However, if they couldn’t remain occupied and couldn’t create ways to have at least a little fun, some of them would begin to fall into something dark. They had seen it with each other here and there and had heard about it. There were conversations about Leah’s state on the island, a topic she’d been somewhat open about, and where to keep drugs or weapons. They knew each other well enough to be gentle with one another, especially with the subject of rescue or lack thereof. For now, they became masters at compartmentalizing.

               “Man, come on!” Scotty whined as Toni earned another three points in their game of tapeball.

               Toni had, unsurprisingly, been crushing everyone at this makeshift basketball game. She and a few others created a ball out of scrap material bound with tape. Kirin cut a hole in a bucket with the kitchen knife he’d become awfully attached to and made a “net” which they secured to a wall outside with even more tape.

               “You just need a better teammate, dude,” Toni retorted and threw the ball at Scotty.

               Scotty passed it to Kirin. “If you’re so tall, why do you suck at basketball?”

               “Shut up, I played lacrosse,” Kirin defended. “She was a fuckin’ champion or something.” Toni nodded proudly. “Our skillsets are entirely different.”

               Scotty rolled his eyes to which Kirin faked a throw at him just to see him flinch. He laughed and made a shot at the bucket-net. It bounced off the rim and began to roll down the hill beside them.

               Meanwhile, Shelby and Martha sat on the large bed in the girls’ suite making friendship bracelets. They’d found some different color strings in the infirmary and thought it would be sweet to make one for everyone. Shelby cruised through bracelet after bracelet like it was nothing. Martha, on the other hand, struggled to keep up.

               “Where did you learn so many designs?” Martha asked as she tried to undo a knot.

               “Church camp. Between all the songs and preaching about fire and brimstone, we still managed to do a few fun things. That’s where I met my best friend, Becca. She made me my first.” Shelby paused to think about the girl. “God, I wore that thing for years. In the shower, in bed, to my first communion, and the first day of high school. Eventually, I had to cut it off.” She glanced at Martha. “You know, for the pageant stuff.” She held up the bracelet she was working on. “Here. Almost done. Black and red, great colors.”

               “For Toni?”

               “Yeah.”

               A moment later, Fatin walked into the room. “Woah, did a baby blanket explode in here? I feel like I just walked into my aunt’s crafting room.” She eyed the small pile of finished bracelets between the two girls and picked on up. “Friendship bracelets?”

               Martha looked up at her and smiled. “Yeah. We’re making them for everyone.”

               “Can I help?” Fatin plopped down on the edge of the bed.

               “You know how to make friendship bracelets?” Shelby questioned.

               “Oh, hell yeah. My cousins used to take this shit really seriously. They sold them to practically everyone in middle school and made like three hundred dollars. I might’ve picked up a thing or two.” She reached for a spool of blue string. “Leah looks good in blue, right?”

               “I think that’s your call.” Fatin chuckled at Shelby’s comment. “Speaking of,” she continued. “How are things?”

               “With Leah?”

               Shelby nodded.

               “Good, it’s…” Fatin smiled and glanced at her lap before looking back at Shelby. “It’s really good. She’s an incredible piece of work—she’s my piece of work. And she makes me feel like a fucking… good human being or whatever. With her, life around here becomes bearable, or nice even. Plus, it’s relieving to know I might not be a loveless shithead like my father.”

               “Love?” Martha perked up, moving her shoulders a little and grinning.

               “Okay, sister, lay off.” But Fatin failed to hide a blush. “Who knew. Eight chicks on an island. Half of us end up with each other.” Fatin eyed Martha. “Unless…”

               “No,” Martha replied with a little laugh. “Sorry to disappoint.”

               “Okaayy,” Fatin said suspiciously. “Time will tell.”

               A while later, the three girls were ready to begin distributing. Shelby and Fatin headed outside first to where Kirin, Scotty, and Toni were playing tapeball. Rachel had joined them too but she sat on the sidelines, shouting calls at them here and there.

               “That’s traveling!” she yelled at Kirin.

               He gave her an annoyed look. “The ball doesn’t bounce. The fuck am I supposed to do?”

               “Lookie here!” Shelby exclaimed, interrupting their bickering and showing off the bracelets. She went up to Toni first. “A little something made with love.”

               “Damn, so that’s what you’ve been up to.” Toni smiled and let Shelby tie the red and black one around her wrist. She admired it and then looked back to her girlfriend. “I love it. Thank you.” She kissed Shelby and went to hold her hand.

               “Here, Rach.” Fatin tied a red and white striped bracelet around Rachel’s wrist. The pattern almost resembled a candy cane. “They were Shelby and Martha’s idea.” She went over to Scotty next who was more than happy to receive one.

               “What is this, a fucking summer camp?” Kirin spoke up. “I’m not wearing one of those.” He threw the tapeball towards the bucket-net. It did not go in.

               Now Martha came outside and over to the group, holding more bracelets.

               “Here, Kirin, I made one for you.” She walked right up to him and held it out. “Yellow and green. Your school colors, right?”

               Kirin was dumbstruck. “Uhhh, yeah.” He swallowed and offered his hand immediately. “Thanks.”

               Martha tied it on him. “Looks good!” she bubbled, and turned to go back inside with Shelby and Fatin.

               Kirin smiled a little as he watched her leave. Scotty crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

               “Fuck off,” Kirin mumbled and went to retrieve the tapeball.

               “Turn around,” a garbled voice came through Rachel’s walkie. She and Dot had unofficially remained in charge of the radios and no one was about to fight them on it.

               Rachel turned to see Dot, Raf, and Josh trudging up the hill beside the faux basketball court. They held boxes filled with a new fresh food haul: lychees, berries, and other edible plants.

               “Holy shit, you guys.” Rachel laughed, impressed. “There’s no way we can eat all of that.”

               “We’ll freeze half,” Dot said as they headed for the door. “Also, better watch out.” She nodded in the direction of some encroaching storm clouds. “I’d say you got about twenty minutes before it gets bad.”

               Back in the complex, Fatin searched for Leah. She’d finished the friendship bracelet and was probably a little too excited to give it to her. It was almost entirely blue with some white and green accents. She found Leah in the kitchen snacking out of a bag of Cheetos, one of the last in their food stash.

               “Did you get permission to eat that?” Fatin asked as she approached her girlfriend.

               Leah held up a piece of notebook paper with a chart scribbled on it. At the top it had MASTER SNACK LIST scrawled in red marker. “My very last one. I’m gonna savor the shit out of it. Look away, I want to lick the bag.”

               “You’re disgusting.”

               “Considering the fact that we don’t know if we’ll ever eat Cheetos again, you’re gonna let me have this.”

               Fatin looked around the kitchen to try and spare Leah of any more embarrassment. “This room will just be a sad reminder of our smorgasbord when it’s empty. But we’ll always have the lychees.”

               Leah smiled as she removed the bag from her mouth, mourning it a little. “Yes, we’ll always have the lychees.”

               “Are you done?”

               “Yeah.”

               Fatin turned back around. “Good, because I made you something.” She removed the bracelet from her pocket.

               “Aw, Fatin!” Leah beamed and chuckled a little. “I wouldn’t have thought of you as the crafting type. Here.” She tried to take the bracelet.

               “What and let your Cheeto fingers ruin my work of art? No way. Give me your wrist.”

               Fatin gently tied the strings and held Leah’s hand to admire it on her.

               “Thank you,” the taller girl said. “It’s adorable, reminds me of summer camp. Hopefully that’s all this place will feel like someday.” She glanced at Fatin’s fingers which were smoothing over the back of her hand. “A deadly, deranged, and psychologically torturous summer camp.” Her eyes glazed over a little, mind drifting. “Maybe that car should’ve killed me after all.”

               “I’m sorry, what?” Fatin blinked and needed an immediate explanation.

               “Oh, yeah. Like, a few weeks before the flight, I got hit by a car,” Leah explained nonchalantly.

               “You what?” It wasn’t the first time Leah had casually dropped a concerning fact about herself but this one set Fatin aback more than others.

               “Yeah, pretty awful. Bounced right off the hood.” Leah made a motion with her hand.

               “Where? How?” Fatin sputtered out words, trying to wrap her head around it.

               “I went to a random person’s party last year, was dancing in the street, and nearly got flattened probably by some drunk asshole. Didn’t even stop, just kept on going. Like I was a fucking deer or bicyclist.”

               Fatin didn’t say anything for a moment. “A party. Last year. 48 Court Street?”

               “Yeah, Court Street.” Leah peered at Fatin, growing suspicious. “Were you there?”

               “May-be.” Fatin made a wincing face.

               “Did you run me over?”

               “In my defense, I thought you were a lunatic.”

               “Fatin!”

               “I didn’t know it was you! And besides, we—” Fatin was ready to defend herself when Leah nearly doubled over with laughter. Fatin loosened up, also chuckling at the situation and watching everything in her girlfriend’s head melt away as she lost it. “Yeah, okay, not my best moment.”

               “Not even close,” Leah coughed out.

               “You were okay, though, right? No internal bleeding, no lasting brain damage? Although that could explain…”

               “Don’t!” Leah managed to spit out, still clutching her stomach. “Don’t even go there!” She took a few deep breaths to calm down and leaned on the counter behind her.

               At that moment, Dot and a soaking wet Toni walked into the kitchen, one in search of a snack and the other looking to dry off. Dot eyed the box she’d brought in earlier and grabbed a few lychees.

               “Finally done with those guys,” Toni explained. “It’s fucking pouring out there and the tapeball is falling apart. Gotta to hydrate after all that winning.” She grabbed a cup and turned on the sink.

               “The Douchebags don’t stand a chance, huh?” Fatin joked. She desperately wanted the name for the boys to catch on.

               “Not even a little and I’m younger than both of them which just drives them fuckin’ mad. Scotty’s a bad sport.”

               “No surprise there.”

               “Wait, Leo over here.” Toni nodded at Fatin. “When’s your birthday? Should be soon, right?”

               “Oh, mine already passed.”

               Dot lowered the hand she’d been using to eat and scoffed. “Fuckin’ serious?”

               “What?” Fatin was unfazed.

               “You put me through all that birthday bullshit”—she was smiling now, though still a bit annoyed—“and we don’t get to do yours?”

               “It was August 1^st, when we were separated. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I mean, sure, it sucked in the moment. ‘It’s my birthday and I’m stuck in a box.’ But that big guy, Young, brought me a cupcake that day. I think he felt sorry for me.”

               “Well, according to Leah’s account, he seemed to be the only one with a conscience,” Dot weighed in before popping another fruit in her mouth.

               “Oh, wait, Dorothy!” Fatin chirped, rummaging in her pocket. “I made you a bracelet.” She walked over to where Dot was standing and began tying the pink and yellow threads around her wrist. “Hey, hey!” Fatin went back over to Leah and picked up the girl’s arm to show off both of their bracelets. Now each of them was wearing one. “We’re all bracelet buddies.”

               “Ew, come on,” Leah said immediately, pulling her arm down, followed by a groan from both Dot and Toni.

               “Okay, fuck all of you.”

               Leah smiled and rested her head on Fatin’s. They’d all be forgiven eventually.

               Just as a silence settled among the four of them, a faint banging sound came from somewhere in the complex. Everyone’s heads turned. The sound came again, a loud bang like metal hitting metal. They glanced at each other. The bang came a third time with even greater intensity. Leah reached instinctively for Fatin and put an arm in front of her. Dot maneuvered silently around the kitchen, ear to the air in case the sound came back. Sure enough it did and she stopped in her tracks.

               “Radio,” Toni piped up.

               Dot pulled the walkie talkie from her pocket and put it to her mouth. “You guys hearing that sound too? Over.”

               “Yeah, we hear it,” Rachel replied on the other end. “We all moved inside because of the rain. Can’t tell if it’s coming from inside or outside. Over.”

               They were all extremely puzzled.

               “Maybe someone got locked out?” Leah wondered.

               Dot shrugged and radioed back. “Can we get a head count? It’s Dot, Toni, Fatin, and Leah here. Over.”

               “Everyone else is upstairs in the suites. Over,” Rachel replied.

               The banging continued, increasing in volume, and then suddenly stopped.

               “I’m going to investigate,” Rachel spoke up again over the walkie. “Over.”

               “You better bring someone. Over,” Dot insisted.

               “Obviously. Over.”

               The four of them waited anxiously in the kitchen. Everything was silent now. Fatin and Toni exchanged ambivalent expressions.

               “We shouldn’t have let her do that,” Toni said.

               “You wanna be the one to tell Rachel not to do something?” Fatin replied.

               Leah held Fatin’s hand and squeezed it. She moved her other to her mouth, starting to bite her nails. Something about the situation and its suddenly eerie atmosphere felt very wrong. Their suspicions only grew worse seeing each other’s concern. The longer they remained in silence, waiting and hoping to hear from Rachel or somebody, the more nervous they grew.

               Still holding Fatin’s hand, Leah got closer to Dot. Toni moved to be near them as well and Fatin offered to hold her hand too while they waited. Toni happily accepted.

               “Dot?” Rachel’s voice on the radio was quiet, like she was whispering.

               “Yeah, Rach, we’re here.” Dot’s voice was a bit shaky. She tried to mask her nerves, but they all knew.

               “I’m down here on the first floor like you guys. Shelby, Kirin, and Raf are with me.” Rachel’s voice sounded disturbed as well.

               “Okay. What is it? What was the sound?”

               Silence. Dot glanced at all of them. Now her hand shook as she raised the walkie back to her mouth.

               “Rachel?”

               “It’s…” There was a pause, as if Rachel couldn’t believe what they saw. “It’s the Coast Guard.”

               All four kitchen dwellers perked up, energized by the words. Fatin and Leah turned to each other, a sort of vibrancy and hope washing over them. This could be rescue. This could be real.

               “Are they inside?” Dot needed more details before getting too excited.

               “Yeah, there’s at least seven or eight of them inside so far. They’re clearly looking for us, calling out our names.”

               Now Toni was smiling, bobbing her head and taking all of this as a good sign. She grabbed the walkie from Dot. “The fuck are you waiting for? Tell them we’re in the kitchen. Or actually, we’ll find you. Where are you guys?” Toni shoved the walkie back at Dot and headed for the doorway.

               “No, don’t! Gretchen is with them.”

               All of their expressions dropped. Their minds went back to the island and the illusion of the helicopter rescue. Fatin focused on Leah, knowing she’d have something to say.

               “Have you thought about this?” Fatin asked her.

               She’d gone straight into vengeance mode, face stern and determined. “Yeah. A little.”

               “So what’s the plan?”

               “The file room.” Leah started moving, speed walking towards the door. “File room!” she shouted and ran, the three of them following close behind.

               Dot stayed on the walkie. “Rachel, we’re moving. Where are these dickwads headed?”

               “It’s hard to say,” Rachel whispered back. “They’re fanning out, they’ll make it through the entire building eventually. Gretchen is hanging back by where they entered, but these dudes just keep coming. They must’ve broken down that door. It wasn’t even locked, I swear—"

               “Rachel, where the fuck are you?” Dot interrupted.

               “We’re in a closet now.”

               “We?”

               “Me, Shelby, and Raf.”

               “Kirin?”

               “That fucking idiot. He charged at them with his precious knife,” she said the words in a mocking tone. “They disarmed him instantly and took him outside. They have boats.”

               “Shit, okay. We need to tell everyone in the suites. They’re a bunch of sitting ducks.” Dot looked up at Leah and Fatin who were running in front of her. “Guys, we need to tell the others.”

               Toni’s eyes widened. “Marty.”

               “Not to mention everyone else.”

               “I’ll go. Tell Shelby I love her.” Toni dashed to the nearest stairwell and went up.

               “Shelby.” Dot was back on the radio. “Toni loves you.”

               “I love you too, baby!” Shelby shouted on the other end. “We’ll be okay!”

               There were sounds of a struggle as Rachel took the radio back. “Shelby—Shhh!”

               Leah stopped dead in her tracks as she heard movement in a nearby hallway. Fatin and Dot stopped too, not daring to even breathe and give away their location. They weren’t far from the file room now and they’d be idiots to leave without their most valuable proof.

               “Do you think they’ll kill us?” Fatin whispered.

               “I wouldn’t put it past her,” Leah replied. “Easier to dump us in the ocean than explain herself.”

               A few sets of footsteps moved upstairs. The three of them went silent again, unmoving and listening. Leah took a deep breath, eyes darting every which way as they waited.

               “Okay.” She eventually let them continue.

               But just as they took a few steps, an officer popped out from behind a corner and startled them. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, wore a deep blue uniform, and held no weapons. US COAST GUARD was stitched on his shirt as well as his last name, LEWIS.

               “Ladies,” he said in a low and calm voice, putting his hand out as if to steady them like wild animals. “I’m Lieutenant Lewis.”

               “Alliteration,” Fatin blurted out absentmindedly. Leah turned and gave her a death glare. Fatin pursed her lips and remained quiet.

               “I’m with the United States Coast Guard”—the lieutenant pointed to his uniform—“and we’re here to take you home. If you’d come with me please—”

               “No,” Leah spat.

               Lewis reached for his radio and mumbled something into it about having found “three of the girls”.

               “I understand this situation may be distressing to you,” he continued. “But I assure you, we are here to help you and take you home to your families.”

               “We’re not going anywhere with you.”

               “Miss, I understand you may be in shock—”

               “You don’t know shit, quite frankly, and—” He began to step towards them. “Don’t come any closer! You’re gonna stay the fuck away from us.”

               “Okay,” he replied, demeanor still relaxed. “I’m just going to reach for my phone.” He pulled a cellphone from his pocket and looked through some notes. “Leah?”

               Leah didn’t say anything.

               “Leah Rilke. This is you, right?” He showed them the phone with her picture on the screen. It was a personal picture, one from her most recent year in high school, the kind that would be posted on the news or a missing poster. “We are here to take you and your friends to safety.” He spoke slowly, spelling everything out for them as if they were fragile mental patients. And he wasn’t convinced they weren’t.

               “Prove it,” she finally said back.

               He nodded and went back to his phone. He pulled up a video of the news and showed it to them. It was their parents, swarmed by the press and being guided into cars. Leah’s parents were the first to appear followed by Fatin’s and others they couldn’t easily identify. A female reporter spoke about “parents being escorted into cars today to soon be reunited with their missing children”.

               “Holy shit,” Fatin muttered at the sight of their parents.

               All three of them looked back at Lieutenant Lewis. He had an empathetic expression.

               “They’re already at the base,” he explained.

               “Where?” Leah interrogated.

               “Miami. We have three boats here to take you all ashore. And then we’ll fly you back to the States.”

               She contemplated this information. It was compelling to see their parents again for the first time in months and this man didn’t seem to want to kill them like they’d theorized.

               Fatin approached her and put a hand on the girl’s back. “Leah.” Her voice had become as gentle as the lieutenant’s. Leah met her eyes and Fatin nodded slightly.

               “We need to get some things first,” Leah said.

               “It’s protocol that we take you out immediately,” Lewis explained. “This island is now under investigation and everything should stay where it is.” He noticed Leah’s bothered expression. “Don’t               worry, we can offer you anything you might need.”

               A voice came over Lewis’ radio. “Everyone is accounted for, lieutenant.”

               “Copy,” Lewis said back. His eyes were still on them and he reached out a hand. “Will you please come with me, miss? Everyone’s waiting.”

               Leah glared at him, considering her limited options. She knew Gretchen was still somehow behind this. She knew going with the lieutenant meant giving up on the file room. She didn’t trust this man and hoped Fatin didn’t either. They knew better than that. Finally, she let out a breath and began walking. The rest of them joined her.

               “Everyone’s waiting,” she mocked. “What the fuck do you think we’ve been doing.”

                Everything, so far, seemed to be true. Lieutenant Lewis took them outside through the pouring rain and onto one of three boats. The girls and boys had been separated, the reason was not disclosed to them, and the third boat was for the surplus of officers the Coast Guard had brought. The cabin of the boat was huge, which they were all grateful for. The eight girls sat together in the cabin, almost huddled like penguins. There were three large tables with booths to sit at which fit them all comfortably.

               “Everyone alright?” Shelby broke the silence.

               “Aside from begin kidnapped?” Rachel sassed.

               “This isn’t kidnapping.”

               “You sure about that?” Leah shot a hardened gaze at the blonde. “We don’t know what the fuck they’re going to do to us. They could toss us off the side of the boat, tell our parents there was no sign of us, burn all the files, and just fuck off into the oblivion.” No one said anything, but they all stared at her. She turned to Nora. “What do you know about this?”

               The hooded girl shrugged. “Nothing. I promise.”

               The rest of the officers began to board the boat, filling in seats on the perimeter of the cabin. Soon after everyone was on the boat, the rain let up enough for them to leave the island. Lewis took a spot near them and put on a smile.

               “There’s plenty of food and water if you’d like,” he offered to them. “We even have hot coffee.” He held up a thermos and set it down on a table. Another officer spread a bunch of chip bags on the table in front of the girls which were only met with disappointed looks.

               “So, lieutenant—” Leah tried to make conversation.

               “Please, call me Lance,” he said with a warm smile.

               Fatin painfully tried to stifle a laugh. She turned to Dot and mouthed Lieutenant Lance Lewis.

               “And my middle name is Leroy,” Lance added, looking straight at Fatin. Her joke was not lost on him. “I’m kidding.”

               Leah eyed him and put her arm around her girlfriend. “As I was saying before you interrupted, can you tell me what exactly Gretchen Klein has to do with all of this?”

               Lance simply raised an eyebrow, playing dumb.

               “We saw her when she came in with you,” Rachel spoke up, taking no shit.

               “Oh, of course,” he said. “Yes, she’s here on the third boat. She helped orchestrate the rescue mission.”

               The girls gave each other skeptical looks.

               “But it was her program that made us end up in this situation,” Leah countered.

               “Correct, and she feels absolutely terrible about it.” There were more puzzled looks between the girls. “That’s why she insisted on coming. To make sure, herself, that every one of you came out safely.”

               Leah’s eyes narrowed, not buying his story. “And the FBI?”

               “Right, you contacted your friend. She’s fully cooperated with them.”

               “And when will we get all our stuff back?” Other than their friendship bracelets and Dot’s notebook, which she kept with her at all times, they had nothing else with them.

               “I’m sure your things will be returned to you in due time. Now please,” he was ready to change the subject. “What can I get you? Hot tea? Iced tea?”

               “When will we make landfall?” Leah asked instead.

               He chuckled. “Lots of questions, huh? About an hour and a half from now. Then it’s directly onto the plane to Miami. Just think, in eight hours, you’ll be home free.”

               Just like the boats, there were three planes to take everyone back into the United States. The girls’ plane would leave first, followed by the boys’, and then the remaining officers. The planes were also provided by the US Coast Guard and easily seated all eight of them, Lance, and a few other officers. But the travel wasn’t appealing to all of them.

               Leah was first off the boat and first over to the plane. She scanned it, biting her lip. After the “crash” two months ago, she didn’t think she’d ever fly again. And under these conditions, she was anything but hasty.

               “It’s safe, I promise,” Lance assured them after seeing her hesitancy. “Would you like to review the flight history?” He turned to an officer behind him who already had a stack of papers ready to give them in case of this exact situation.

               “I sort of have this new rule about not reading on planes,” Leah said.

               “I could read it to you.”

               “Nah.” She waited again, looking around the landing strip. “When do we get to meet with Gretchen?”

               “As you can see,” Lance gestured to all the empty space around them, “her boat hasn’t arrived yet.”

               “Convenient. But that’s okay, we can wait.”

               Groans came from the line behind her.

               “You can’t be fuckin’ serious,” Rachel yelled at her. “That’s it, that’s it.” She tried to push her wait to the front like a fourth grader.

               “Okay. Okay!” Leah gave in and boarded the flight, followed by Fatin and the others.

               There was plenty of space to move about inside the plane, but the seats were not at all comfortable. After having the privilege of sleeping on a king-sized bed once every four nights, the girls had to make quite the adjustment.

               The seating arrangements were relatively predictable. Toni sat between Martha and Shelby on one side, Fatin sat between Leah and Dot on the other, and Rachel sat between Dot and Nora. Each remaining seat was filled with an officer.

               “We’ll be taking off in just a minute,” a female officer with the last name LEE on her uniform told the girls. “It is more than normal to be nervous about flying given your situation. I’d be happy to walk you through some breathing exercises if you’d like.”

               The group remained silent aside from a few polite smiles and the word “coddling” mumbled by Rachel. Instead, Leah reached for Fatin’s hand which led to Fatin taking Dot’s and soon they all became a chain. On the other side, Shelby, Martha, and Toni mirrored them.

               Fatin closed her eyes as they began to speed up down the runway. Her lips moved quickly as she said a prayer. Shelby watched the girl across from her and closed her eyes too.

               After about an hour in the air, people began to doze off. Toni had become a pillow for both Shelby and Martha while Rachel fell asleep on Dot’s shoulder.

               “This is really it,” Leah whispered to nobody, but Fatin turned her head. Leah did the same.

               “I think so,” Fatin whispered back with a faint smile.

               She removed her hand from Leah’s to touch the girl’s face. She put a hand on her cheek first before running it down to her chin and then traced it with her index finger and thumb. Fatin leaned towards her enough for Leah to press their foreheads together. They locked eyes for a moment until Leah shut hers and let out a long exhale. She felt something in her body let go. She tried, for the first time months, to let her guard down. She just wanted to breathe and be with Fatin in this windowless, floating room. Maybe just for a moment it could feel like the island didn’t exist, that this was all they had ever been.

               You’re the only thing that matters now.

               And on the plane, it was more true than ever.

               The landing was about as rough as takeoff. Everyone was awake and gripping onto each other. Lance had warned them all about it beforehand and Lee offered breathing techniques again.

               “Ladies,” Lance announced as soon as they touched down. “It is my honor to welcome you back to the United States.”

               Soon enough, the group was told they could unbuckle their seatbelts and leave the aircraft.

               “It was a personal goal of mine to never visit Florida,” Fatin said as she stood up and stretched. “Tough shit I guess.”

               Toni helped Shelby undo her seatbelt and took her hands to pull her to her feet.

               “How you feeling?” Toni asked her.

               “Well, for starters, my butt is numb.”

               Toni let out a chuckle. “I meant about seeing your parents again.”

               Shelby shrugged. “I know they’re going to be more than happy to see me… But I just can’t stop thinking about when that’ll end.”

               Toni brought her in for a hug, holding her girlfriend tightly until nearly everyone else had emptied out.

               They filed out in a line, Leah and Fatin in front followed by the Reids, Martha and Toni, then finally Shelby and Dot. They had come to the island in these same pairs. And now they would return that way. The walk from the plane into the base felt long and anticipatory, though they’d landed just a handful of yards from a set of doors. Just ahead was the entrance where the officers would part the way for them. On the other side of the wall would be a large, open room with their parents. Lance told them there would be no press or cameras at the reunion, just the girls, their families, and the Coast Guard.

               Leah took a deep and shaky breath as they came to the doors. Each of their hearts raced. They were surrounded by civilization again, by tarmac and buildings and the sounds of the world. No more ocean in sight. No more acres of woods.

               No more waiting.

               Leah tried to walk confidently up to where the officers stood, but her mind struggled to stay grounded. This could still be a trick. Leah imagined the doors opening to reveal just Gretchen standing and clapping slowly with a shit-eating grin. She tried to shake the thought away.

               “Okay,” Leah heard herself say as the group got closer. And just like that, the gates parted.

Chapter Text

               Leah didn’t break her stride as she came through the entryway. Immediately, her eyes settled on her parents who stood front and center among the families gathered. Her mom’s hands were clutched to her chest and her dad’s arm was around her mom’s shoulder. Everyone there had been staring at the door when the group walked in and it was clear that many had already been crying.

               As soon as Leah saw them, time began to slow and her brain melted into a relieved haze. She bolted, sweatshirt whipping behind her and tears freefalling like withheld morsels. Her shoes screeched against the floor she collided into her parents’ open arms. They grabbed her and hugged her. She felt like she had on the flight, as if there were no world outside this room. Leah dug her fingernails into her parents’ shirts and buried her face in their chests. They were real. And she’d come home.

               Fatin entered right after, sobbing as she saw her parents who stood in a similar position as Leah’s. She had no time to think about how mad she was at them; all she wanted to do was be in their arms. Like Leah, she ran up to them and crashed into a hug. They kept saying things to her. “Sweetheart, are you okay?” “It’s so good to see your face.” But she couldn’t focus on anything other than how they felt pressed against her.

               Rachel and Nora, smiling through their tears, both ran to their parents who were promptly concerned about Rachel’s missing hand. Their mother cradled it and asked for explanations between alternating kissing both their heads.

               Martha and Toni came in together holding hands and racing toward Martha’s parents like they were the finish line to a race. Both girls were embraced with them the same, like family. Toni beamed at Martha as they all found a shared comfort again.

               Unlike the others, Shelby barely managed a smile and simply walked up to her parents. They were caught off guard by her appearance and head but overjoyed to see her nonetheless. She hugged them and they cried all over her. Her head poked between their shoulders and she watched Toni a few feet away. It was only then, when she saw how Martha’s family treated Toni, that tears came to her eyes.

               Dot was the very last into the building. She strolled along, arms crossed and gaze on the floor. She paid no attention to the other reunions happening around her. She was happy for them, of course, and there were some things to look forward to. Fresh food, her own bed, and the freedom to go wherever she wanted. With that mindset, she tried to walk past all the hugging families and head anywhere else. She didn’t need to witness the cry-fest.

               However, as she wandered further inside, some unidentifiable waving caught her attention in her periphery. Someone was standing all the way off to the left of the group, smiling and holding flowers. Dot’s gaze found him and then she, too, ran in shock like everybody else.

               Dot nearly knocked Mateo over with the force of her hug. Petals from the flowers went flying. A hand grabbed his hair and now she contributed to the cry-fest.

               “What the fuck are you doing here?” she muttered.

               “You kidding me? I’m taking you home.”

               A single loud clap from one of the officers ended the moment of reunion for everyone. They all turned back towards the entrance where Lance stood ready to get things in order.

               “I’m so sorry to disrupt this beautiful moment,” he began. “Please feel free to take a few more minutes, but, ladies, we’ll need to escort you to the hospital for a brief physical examination and psych eval.”

               “How long will it take?” Martha’s mom asked, a tight hand on each of her girls.

               “Hopefully no more than two hours.” His answer was met with a few disgruntled looks from the parents. Nobody was about to withstand separation again. “I assure you, this is protocol. Parents, you’re welcome to stay in lodging while you wait.”

               “Lodging?” Leah said quietly, looking to her parents.

               “Yes, the Coast Guard says we’re to stay on base for a few days while things get cleared up,” her mother explained. “We’ve already seen the rooms. They’re quite nice.”

               “And then we go home?”

               “Probably, yes,” her dad said.

               Lance did just as he’d outlined. The eight girls were brought to a different wing of the base for their examinations. Once they were out of sight of their parents, the girls resumed their comfort around one another. The two couples held hands and there was conversation here and there.

               “Where are the boys?” Toni asked Lance who was leading the group.

               “Since their flight was delayed, their arrival will be too. They should get here by the time you’re all finished.”

               “And, uh, when exactly do we get to go home?” Leah questioned.

               “When the investigation is done.”

               “What?” Leah blinked with confusion. “But that could take, like, weeks or—or months, even.”

               “We don’t expect it to. A lot of what we need to know we have already. We’ll take your testimonies, of course, and you’ll get back to your lives.”

               “How could you possibly know everything already?” Leah was insulted at his lack of attention.

               “Not everything. But we know more than you might think.” Lance stopped as they came to a set of double doors with a sign that read INFIRMARY above them.

               “Great,” Shelby mumbled sarcastically as she eyed the red text.

               “Alright. Now, I can’t go in with you, but the staff is expecting you. I’ll be just down this hall with Lee and Jennings whenever you’re ready to head to lodging.” He gestured for them to go inside.

               They all headed in together.

               “Lieutenant to Babysitter is a sad demotion,” Fatin said once the doors closed behind them.

               “Agreed,” Rachel concurred. “That man should keep a ten-foot distance at all times. Our parents are already breathing down our necks. Why does he have to?”

               Leah’s physical examination was anything but brief. She, unlike Shelby or Rachel, hadn’t been seriously injured on the island, and yet she still endured rounds of X-Rays, motor tests, and blood tests. Aside from the sunburn, which was almost entirely healed, she had suffered very little. Finally, a nurse guided her to the psychology department where a woman in her mid-forties stood waiting by an office door.

               “Leah?” the woman asked. Leah nodded. “I’m Dr. Ruiz, one of the trauma specialists brought on board for your return home. It’s nice to meet you.” She extended a hand to Leah who shook it tentatively. “Please.” She led her inside the office.

               The room had a single window and was entirely gray. The couch Leah took a seat on was the same shade as the walls. A small coffee table with a binder separated her from Dr. Ruiz’s chair. Leah scanned the room momentarily, eyeing the corners for security cameras or anything that seemed out of the ordinary. She noticed a picture of Dr. Ruiz, another woman, and a little boy on her desk which she took as a good sign.

               Leah bit her lip as she waited for Dr. Ruiz to say something.

               “Ever been to Miami before?” the woman asked as she closed the office door and took her seat.

               Leah shook her head.

               “It’s a great city. Lots of culture.”

               Leah didn’t believe that and had no interest in Miami. She slouched on the couch and was ready to be as withholding as possible with each of her answers.

               “I know you’re probably itching to get back to your family, so I’ll try to make this as quick as possible.” Dr. Ruiz crossed her legs and picked up the binder. “What can you tell me about the island?”

               “Which one?”

               Dr. Ruiz had a hint of confusion on her face. “The one with the helicopter crash where you and thirteen others were stranded.”

               An alarm went off in Leah’s head but she remained composed. “Fourteen.” Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “There was no helicopter crash.”

               “Alright then.” Dr. Ruiz smiled and crossed her legs. “What happened?”

               Leah was still. Contemplative. She tried to calculate how much she really wanted to tell this woman. “There was a plane crash. But it was staged.”

               “Staged meaning…”

               “Fake. Not real.”

               Her therapist just sat for a moment, taking note of Leah’s sharp tone. She jotted something down in the binder. “I understand you’ve been through quite a lot, Leah. I just need you to try and remember things as accurately as possible.”

               Leah couldn’t believe it. The shrink thought she was full of shit. She tried her best to resist causing a scene but also wasn’t about to be gaslit. “I remember everything quite accurately. There was a retreat. The retreat was fake. We got on a plane. The plane went down, but it didn’t really”—she grew increasingly angered—“They drugged our cake. We ended up in the ocean and then stranded on a fucking island for fifty days. One person died in front of us, another pretended to. A helicopter came and brought us to safety. We were interviewed by a couple of hacks. We were confined to solitary rooms for eight days. I exposed the entire operation, contacted the FBI, and then we were left there, alone, on this new island!”—she slowly stood from the couch—“We waited for seventeen days! The fucking Coast Guard showed up! And now we’re here being told to remember things as if the last two months aren’t going to haunt us for the rest of our fucking LIVES!”

               Dr. Ruiz stared up at her, stunned into silence, though her face tried to stay neutral. Leah took her seat again without being asked and crossed her arms. Dr. Ruiz took a deep breath and looked at the binder for a moment. She removed a piece of paper from a sleeve in the binder and placed it on the coffee table.

               “So what do you make of this picture then?”

               Leah leaned forward and grabbed the paper. Her eyes scanned it anxiously and an unmatched fury rose within her. She wished she could tear it to shreds, but she knew everyone else needed to see it. Immediately.

               In the picture, Leah stood smiling on a beach. She held a badminton racket and wore a pink visor. Behind her was a badminton net and other girls holding rackets. One looked like it could be Shelby, another maybe Martha. There were beach umbrellas, chairs, and seagulls. It looked like an image straight out of a travel brochure.

               Leah had never played badminton in her life.

               Without looking at Dr. Ruiz, Leah bolted for the door and raced back to where the group had come in.

               “Look at this!” she shouted at Toni and Martha who were waiting for their exams. She turned around the room, capturing the attention of the girls and the staff. “Look at this! This is what she’s doing! This was her plan!”

               Toni grabbed the picture from a distressed Leah and looked it over. She was in disbelief. “Where did you get this?”

               “From her.” Leah pointed towards Dr. Ruiz who was now peering outside her office. Leah began to bite her nails and muttered back to Toni, “I bet she’s in on it.”

               Rachel and Fatin came into the waiting area now, needing to see what Leah’s fuss was all about. When Leah saw them, she snatched the paper from Toni and shoved it at them.

               “Look. Look!” She japed a finger at herself in the badminton getup. “I’ve never played whatever the fuck that is. Fancy… tennis.”

               “Badminton,” Rachel corrected.

               “Whatever! This is bullshit. I knew it”—Leah began pacing—“I fucking knew she’d pull some shit again to cover her ass. She’s trying to fucking erase us!” She gestured at the paper Rachel now held onto. “There’s probably a thousand more just like it!”

               “Excuse me,” a nurse interrupted. “I’m going to need you to calm down, miss.”

               “I am fucking calm!” Leah screamed, inviting more staff to get involved.

               The nurse tried to approach her. Another woman behind the front desk began dialing the phone.

               “She’s fine, she’s fine,” Fatin said, putting herself between Leah and the nurse. She pulled Leah by the arm and took her aside. “Leah.” Fatin stared at her with graveness.

               “The pictures, Fatin—” The girl’s voice was smaller now.

               “I know,” she snapped. “But if you don’t want to end up in a straightjacket, you’ll fucking contain yourself. They’re not going to believe you—they’re not going to believe us.”

               Leah held her gaze.

               Fatin sighed. “Look, I know what you want. We all want it too.” She waved a hand in the direction of the others behind her. “You’re not alone anymore, remember? But we kinda need to know what we’re up against before we…” She tried to think of a good phrase. “Grab all our fucking pitchforks and destroy her pretentious ass. Lord knows we’ve all dreamt it.”

               “Yeah,” Leah scoffed. “Every fucking night.”

               “Right, now if you’ll excuse me”—Fatin clapped her hands together and plastered on a smile—“I need to go show this quack in exam room B that by some miracle I can still touch my toes and lean from side to side.”

               Leah chuckled as she watched the girl go back down the hallway she’d surfaced from. She then eyed the nurse who’d gotten close to her and gave an awkward smile. Rachel came to Leah’s side.

               “You want a plan, don’t you?” Rachel asserted with a raised eyebrow. Leah gave a single nod. “Do what she said.” Rachel nodded in the direction Fatin had gone. “Go back in there, play dumb, and learn every fucking thing you can. We need to know what they think they know.”

               Leah simply gave the girl a knowing look and crossed her arms.

               Rachel began to walk away when she turned back just to say, “Oh and… maybe save the crazy for later.” She offered a playful smirk and made the “crazy” gesture around her ear.

               Leah mirrored her smile. They’d come a long way.

               She took Rachel’s advice and went back to see Dr. Ruiz. Without a word, she waltzed right in and took a seat back on the depressing couch, slouching as if she’d never left.

               “So sorry about that!” Leah said to the therapist across from her in an abnormally chipper tone. She put on a fake but believable smile. “You understand I’ve been through quite a lot. The memories kind of threw me for a loop as they say.” She gave a forced laugh. Dr. Ruiz had an empathetic expression. “Now where were we?”

Chapter Text

               The next morning, Fatin woke up to Dot watching her from the bed next to hers. The half-asleep girl blinked in confusion and gave a weird look.

               “What the hell, Dorothy?” Fatin tried to whisper. Leah was still asleep behind her with an arm slumped over Fatin’s waist.

               Dot shrugged. “Though you might fall off.”

               Leah and Fatin had squeezed into the second twin bed in Dot’s room.

               “I’ve been fighting for every square inch I deserve.” Fatin shimmied around to face Leah, hoping the movement might jostle her girlfriend enough to get free. But instead, Fatin was now face to face with her. She sighed and kissed Leah on the forehead before very ungracefully pushing her way out of the bed and onto the floor.

               “When she asked for the key to my room at dinner, I didn’t expect her to collapse in here. Then you had to show up,” Dot said, slumping back into her bed and enjoying Fatin’s debacle.

               After the girls finished their physicals and psych evals, none of which seemed to be as interesting or suspicious as Leah’s, Lance escorted them to their rooms and later to the dining hall for dinner with their families. They’d yet to have a moment alone with each other, just the eight of them, and Leah had been disturbingly quiet up until she asked for Dot’s key. She disappeared from the dining room and knocked out only to be found by Fatin hours later.

               “I wasn’t about to leave her alone.” Fatin stood up and brushed herself off. She stretched and walked over to a mirror on the wall across from Dot’s bed. “Where’s your man?”

               “Haven’t seen him since last night, said he had some errands to run. I think he’s planning some kind of… surprise.”

               “Which you love now thanks to us.”

               Dot rolled her eyes.

               There was a loud knock at their door. The two girls exchanged a look.

               “Hello?” Rachel called from the hallway. She knocked harder. “Hello?!”

               The banging startled Leah awake, her head jolting up and her eyes half open. Fatin opened the door and Rachel marched right in, followed sheepishly by Nora. Leah squinted to see who’d come in.

               “Jesus, can’t a girl get some sleep?” she mumbled and let her head fall back onto her pillow.

               “You left us hanging last night,” Rachel complained.

               “Our parents were around.” The pillow muffled Leah’s voice.

               “And after dinner?”

               She raised an arm in the air and gestured obscurely to the room as her excuse.

               “We all had a long day, Rachel,” Dot tried to defend. “We should wait for the others anyway.”

               Rachel plopped down on the edge of Leah’s bed, evoking an annoyed groan from her.

               Fatin’s gaze went to Nora who was still idle by the door. “What about you?”

               “I’m completely in the dark at this point,” she replied.

               “I don’t know about you guys,” Rachel continued, pushing through their conversation. “But I’m tired of sitting around. Let’s fucking do something.”

               “What’s gotten into you?” Fatin asked, surprised. “Feels like the old Rachel’s back.”

               “I’m just…” The eager girl looked behind her at Nora and then turned back to Fatin. “Ready to exact revenge.”

               “I fully support that, but we need a full team first.”

               Fatin opened the top drawer of the nightstand next to Dot’s bed. She pulled out a pen and a small notepad and began scribbling.

               Toni walked out of the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth, and bent over to pick up a piece of paper that was slid under the door to her room. She took the toothbrush out of her mouth and read the note.

               “Hey, babe, what do you think ‘meet next to the meat’ means?” Toni approached her girlfriend who was finishing getting dressed. “I’m thinking either the boys’ room or… I don’t know. A hotdog cart?”

               Shelby grabbed the note and scanned it. “Judging by the very poorly drawn steak and sausage links, I’m guessing they mean the meat freezer.”

               “We’re meeting in the meat freezer?”

               “Next to.” Shelby pointed at the words. “It’s probably a pantry. Let’s go get Martha.”

               Toni smiled. “What would I do without you?”

               “Probably freeze your ass off.”

               Sure enough, the eight of them tried to squeeze into a walk-in pantry near the dining room kitchen. Shelby smiled when she saw all of them, proud of herself for figuring it out.

               “Hey, you made it!” Fatin cheered. “Did my drawing help?”

               “Kinda, yeah,” Shelby replied. “Why on earth are we in here?”

               Fatin turned to Dot.

               “Mateo came back to my room with…” She acted as if the words physically hurt to say. “Some plastic bags labeled Party City. And said he’d need the room to himself for a while.”

               Shelby, Martha, and Fatin squealed with excitement, shaking Dot while she begrudgingly let them.

               “Anyways”—Dot jerked herself free—“we needed a quiet place to talk so Leah could tell us everything.”

               Toni grabbed a box of cornflakes, tore it open, and began eating from it like she was about to watch a movie.

               “Anyone else want in on this?” she asked the group.

               “Just fucking tell us,” Rachel pressed Leah, ignoring Toni.

               Leah sighed. All eyes were on her. She’d put it off as long as she could and she knew there was no way to ease into it. She just had to tell them.

               “Okay, so Fatin’s marvelous plan of ‘play dumb’ worked to some extent.” She paused.

               “Leah!” Rachel yelled.

               “Alright! Fine!” Leah pressed her fingers to her temples and spoke quickly. “They’re claiming the first island, Dawn of Eve, went perfectly. We had a great time, enjoyed all the luxury of romanticized in-patient therapy. Meanwhile, a similar retreat for boys was taking place on the other side of the island. Then, while being transported to the ‘next part of the experience’, two groups, one from the boys' retreat and one from the girls' retreat, were in a helicopter crash and stranded on a neighboring island.”

               “And where’s the proof of this so-called helicopter?” Dot asked.

               Leah stared at the floor. “They have pictures of a wreckage.”

               “From where?!” Shelby exclaimed.

               “And the helicopter pilot?” Martha interjected.

               “Quote ‘the body hasn’t been found’,” Leah explained dully. “Gretchen, who directed both retreats, felt ‘so incredibly worried for our safety’”—she made air quotes—“that she sent out the rescue mission. And here we are!”

               “That is the flimsiest fucking argument I’ve heard in my entire life,” Fatin said. “And I’m including everything my parents have ever said.”

               “So what on earth are we supposed to do?” Shelby asked, reaching over into Toni’s box of cereal.

               “We have to prove them wrong.” Leah crossed her arms and stared off into space, mind emptying.

               “What about the room full of files?” Toni suggested. Others perked up at that.

               “No,” Leah cut in. “I already thought of that. It’s a mockery, yeah. But it’s also the alibi. Hundreds of files of people who were supposedly on the island.”

               Shelby turned to Nora. “Well, you can tell them everything.”

               “It would just be my word against theirs,” the girl replied.

               “Any one of us would sound crazy trying to fight this.” Leah’s demeanor was turning eerily calm for the subject. It was as if she’d already given up.

               “But if all eight of us go—” Shelby continued.

               “And the Douchebags,” Fatin added. “Speaking of, where the fuck are they?”

               “Last I saw, Kirin was trying to make them play Go Fish,” said Toni who nudged Martha.

               “We might be able to ‘make some waves’ as they say,” offered Shelby, pun clearly intended. “I say we try to make a statement.”

               “Sure,” Leah acknowledged plainly.

               “And we should probably meet with the boys beforehand.”

               The conversation halted there, all of them more or less on board. They didn’t have many options other than that.

               “So we’re done here?” Dot was ready to move on. “‘Cause Lance said there was going to be a breakfast buffet.”

               Everyone’s faces lit up and there were murmurs of agreement. The group began to exit the pantry, squeezing past Leah who stayed behind. Fatin did as well.

               “Alright,” Fatin said once they were alone. She put her hands on her hips and nodded at Leah, demanding that she say something. “Out with it.”

               Leah stared at her with a blank expression.

               “C’mon.”

               Leah sighed, closed her eyes, and let out a nervous laugh. “We’re fucked.” She had a strained smile on her face and finally looked back at her counterpart.

               Fatin eyed her grimly.

               “I know I told them all about what Gretchen’s doing, what she’s claiming, but you didn’t see it.” Leah slinked to the floor. Fatin joined her. “They have pictures, they have their own statements, they have physical evidence.” Leah shook her head. “That fucking therapist. She made me feel like I was losing my fucking mind. She probably thought I was too. Little does she know I already have some experience with that.” She fidgeted, pulling at her sleeves and putting her face in her hands.

               Fatin put a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out, we’ll—”

               “No, Fatin. We can’t,” Leah snapped. She was crying now, her voice scratchy. “They’re tying up all their loose ends. They’re blaming Young.” Fatin’s expression softened at his name. “And the guy who served us cake on the plane… That’s it. I don’t—” Leah swallowed and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

               Fatin took a deep breath, eyes trained on Leah. It was painful to see her in this state, hopeless and without ambition. The boldness she’d been overwhelmed with on the island was dying.

               Fatin took her girlfriend’s hands in her own. Their eyes met.

               “I’m sorry,” Fatin said sincerely. She wanted to say more. That things would be okay, that everything would work out.

               Leah turned away.

               The other girl thought for a moment, wanting to get them out of this state.

               “Let’s go stuff our faces at the breakfast buffet,” Fatin suggested with a hesitant smile. “Haven’t you just been dying to eat crepes for the past…” She tried to do the math. “Seventy-six days?”

               That seemed to be enough to get Leah’s attention. She gave a small smile back while Fatin put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. They stood together and headed down the hall into the dining room where the rest of the girls were waiting. Dot already had a plate full of eggs, hash browns, and sausage patties.

               As she witnessed the momentary joy of her friends, Fatin pondered what Leah had said. Even though she was threatening to give up, Fatin wasn’t about to. Not for any of them and certainly not for Leah.

               Later into the day, Nora stood outside Dot’s room. She took a deep breath and raised a hand to knock on the door. She hesitated but knocked anyway. Fatin opened the door.

               “Heyy.” She was surprised to see Nora. “What’s up?”

               “Is Leah in here?”

               “No, she’s with her parents.”

               “Okay, good. Can I talk to you at Dot for a second?”

               Fatin led her in, shut the door, and plopped on the end of the bed where Dot was sitting up.

               “I… have to confess something.”

               Dot and Fatin exchanged a glance.

               “Leah did something the first night on the island that might be the key to proving our story.” Nora had their entire attention now. “We were all asleep, or pretending to be”—Nora shifted uncomfortably—“and Jeanette’s phone rang.” They nodded along, remembering. “Leah dug the phone up and was able to make a call.” Nora looked at Fatin. “It was to Jeff.”

               Fatin looked at the floor for a moment, nodding and pursing her lips. “Out of all the pervs in the world to call…” she muttered.

               “But this is actually really good for us. An outgoing call was made to a phone that Gretchen hasn’t wiped and doesn’t have access to. If we get the phone, the feds can go through the call history, and our statement will have traction.”

               “That’s fucking huge,” Dot exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell Leah?”

               “If it comes from me, she’ll be suspicious of it. That’s where you guys come in.”

               “What does that mean?”

               “They’re letting us go at the end of the week. In a few days, you’ll be able to go to his apartment.”

               Fatin was both puzzled and disgusted. “I don’t think Jeff lives in the Bay.”

               “Actually…”

               Fatin stared back at her with an annoyed look. “What?”

               “He lives just south of you.”

               “How the fuck do you know all this?”

               “You’re not the only one who knows people.” Nora smiled.

               Fatin’s eyes narrowed. “Touché.”

               “So we just have to sit on this information until we confront Jeff?” Dot asked.

               “Kinda, yeah.” Nora nodded. “But we should give our group statement before we leave the base.”

               “So it’s time to talk to the boys.”

               “The Douchebags, yeah. We’ll need them to strengthen our narrative.”

               Fatin beamed at Nora’s usage of the nickname. “Stalking Jeff, exercising your profane vocabulary. I am loving this color on you.”

Chapter Text

                Raf sat up in bed with his arms crossed, slowly nodding off. He’d desperately been wanting to nap after being up late the previous night catching up with his parents. He had silently hoped Marisol would be part of the greeting party, what with him surviving starvation and being on the national news, but only his parents had shown up. And for now they were enough.

                Kirin, without parents to crash with, had been hanging out in Raf and Josh’s shared room and was plopped on the floor beside Raf’s bed throwing playing cards into a plastic cup. Or at least attempting to.

               “This place is so boring,” the blond complained. “When are they gonna let us leave?”

               “They have to tie all their loose ends. Make sure we’re not gonna sue. If we’re lucky, they’ll pay us off. Settlements like these can go for several millions of dollars,” Henry explained, sitting on Josh’s bed. Josh had barely left his parents’ side since getting back and Henry was happy to hide from his clingy folks in a room that wasn’t his.

               “Wait, seriously?” Kirin paused his throwing.

               “It’s possible.”

               “Let’s fucking go!” Kirin jumped up from his spot on the floor. “A million dollars? I could buy a Lambo.” He did a driving motion in the air. “Or a yacht.” He put on an imaginary captain’s hat.

               “Or an education.”

               The energized boy jumped onto Raf’s bed, starling him awake. “Whatcha gonna by with a million bucks, Raf?”

               Raf looked to Kirin in a half asleep daze. “For starters… earplugs.”

               A knock came to their door. Kirin hopped down from the bed with a thud and opened the door. Seeing it was just the girls, he held his arm out as if to lead them in courteously, now in a good mood. Fatin, Nora, and Dot walked in and Kirin took his spot back on the floor.

               “What’s up?” Raf asked with a yawn and stretch of his arms.

               “You guys had your psych evals?” Dot asked the boys.

               “Yeah, last night after we landed.”

               “How was it?”

               “Shit was weird,” Kirin contributed, fidgeting with the cards again as he spoke. “Therapist lady wasn’t making any sense. Showed me a picture of myself canoeing—”

               “Kayaking,” Henry corrected.

               “Whatever. And asked about a helicopter crash. I knew it was complete BS.”

               “How much did you tell her about the island? Did you say anything about the file room?” Fatin inquired.

               “Nah, I didn’t stay in there long.” He threw the ace of spades at the plastic cup and missed before turning to Fatin. “You afraid I ‘shared the beans?’” Kirin made air quotes.

               “It’s ‘spilled the beans’,” Henry corrected once more.

               Kirin ignored him. “Is that why you came in here? To double check if we’re mentally sound?”

               “Gretchen’s covering her tracks.” Dot was ready to move the conversation along. “She’s claiming our retreats went perfectly”—she looked to Kirin—“hence the kayaking and said that when we were transported to a new location, we all ended up deserted on the island because of a helicopter crash.”

               “How is she getting away with that?” Raf asked.

               Fatin jumped in, “High heels, a PhD, and, according to these two ladies, an eloquent pitch. But we think we have a plan to take her down. And it’s gonna take all of us. So!”—she clapped her hands together—“We’re off to get the girls. You guys can round up the rest of your hormone-packed male acquaintances and meet us in the dining room.”

               Kirin’s face lit up.

               “To talk, not to eat.”

               His expression fell. And with that, the girls left.

               Out of all eight of the girls, Shelby, without competition, had the most difficult time readjusting to being around her parents. Explaining her shaved head, which was now showing a little more of its previous blondeness, had been complicated enough and nearly earth-shattering for the Goodkinds. It wasn’t easy sugarcoating a mental breakdown that revolved around a gay identity crisis and breakup with a secret girlfriend. So she lied and told them her hair had gotten severely tangled in a bush with no alternative but to cut it all off.

               “You don’t have to tell them anything you don’t want to,” Toni had said to her the day they arrived at the base. “If you wanna keep it a secret, I’m cool. And you know none of the others will say anything.”

               But the thought of hiding herself again, and this time Toni too, was beginning to feel insufferable.

               Shelby stood in front of the mirror in Toni’s room, hands braced on the small counter with the sink right outside the bathroom. She gazed at herself for a minute, observing the healing sunburn on her face and taking note of how her hair was starting to grow back. Though she appeared to be recovering on the outside, she certainly didn’t feel that way within. It had been taxing enough to face herself on the island, and later reconcile with Toni in the bunker, that even thinking about confronting her parents felt exhausting.

When she heard someone turning the doorknob to the room, she started washing her face to appear as though she was doing something.

               Martha came in and the two girls exchanged hellos.

               “Is everything okay?” Martha inquired, able to tell something was off.

               “Yeah,” Shelby replied quickly and glanced at the girl with a half-smile. “Just thinkin’ about my parents…” She looked back at the mirror. “And Toni.”

               Martha settled on the bed closest to Shelby, perfectly positioned and attentive. “Do you want to talk about it?”

               Shelby sighed. “I don’t know, I just…” She turned towards Martha fully. “I don’t know how to tell my parents or if I even should. It could go really, really terribly. But if I don’t and Toni goes back home with you…” She slouched her shoulders, not realizing how much tension she was holding in them. “I just don’t know what to do about it all.”

               Martha nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation for Shelby. She wasn’t sure her family would be able to support three teenagers if Shelby tried to come to Minnesota. “That’s a really hard situation to be in and I don’t know what it’s like to feel that way. But I do know you’re a good person, Shelby. When we first came to the island, all you wanted to do was help. Me with my ankle, finding the lychees, when you and Fatin found the radio. And you’re just as deserving of that compassion as any of us. So maybe it’s time to… do something for yourself? Whatever that might be.”  

               “For myself,” Shelby echoed.

               Martha smiled and nodded. “You deserve to be happy. And safe for that matter.”

               “Thanks, Martha. You deserve that too.” A sudden thought came to Shelby. “Speaking ooof…” Her voice returned to its classic bubbliness and she sneaked closer to her friend. “What’s the deal with Kirin?”

               “Oh my god.” Martha blushed and rolled her eyes.

               “Come on, girl!”

               “No!” she squealed.

               “Yes!”

               “No!” Martha jumped from the bed and ran for the door with Shelby cheerfully chasing after.

               Leah sat on a bench outside the building near a courtyard and some recreational spaces. There were tennis courts, a volleyball net, and a pool available to the coast guards who hadn’t been deployed. She imagined if there were a basketball court around, Toni would’ve found it by now. Leah was simply met with another oceanic landscape beyond the Miami base, this time with palm trees nearby and the sounds of civilization. It certainly wasn’t an island. Thank God.

               “Needed some fresh air?” Fatin called from behind Leah, walking towards the girl and shielding her eyes from the Florida sun with her hand.

               “And some alone time,” Leah said back.

               “My apologies.” Fatin plopped down to the left of Leah. Her right hand went to Leah’s left, intertwining their fingers, and her left hand gently held Leah’s arm. Fatin waited for her girlfriend to speak, not wanting to interrupt the silence if that was what Leah preferred.

               “I almost decked a guy to get out here.”

               Fatin chuckled.

               “They reeeaally don’t want us to leave. But I thought I might, like… clear my head, you know? And maybe… try imagining better things.” Leah cringed at herself and her use of Fatin’s old mindfulness tactic.

               “Like what?” Fatin asked, as genuinely curious and absorbed as ever.

               Now Leah chuckled. “I’m trying to trick my brain into thinking we’re in California to get some sense of normalcy.”

               “Not a terrible idea. Here, I’ll try…” Fatin fell silent and concentrated on her surroundings, looking at the scenery and imagining it was home. She furrowed her brows and twitched her nose. “It doesn’t smell right.”

               “Right? I knew it was something.” Leah smiled and turned to meet Fatin’s eyes. Fatin smiled back, holding her eye contact for a moment before shifting to rest her head on Leah’s shoulder. She nuzzled the taller girl slightly and took a deep, relaxing breath. Leah’s gaze went back at the tennis courts. An empty expression slowly came back to her face.

               Fatin’s expression fell too, feeling the atmosphere drop back into the dilemma at hand. She wondered if Leah would ever come out of this depression. And if there was anything she could do to nudge the process along. “I’m sorry,” Fatin apologized for the situation again.

               “Doesn’t matter,” Leah replied grimly, referring to their failure.

               Fatin was quiet for a few seconds, deciding how she wanted to share the group’s plot. She took another deep breath. “Well, as much as I wish that were true and we could just”—she removed her left hand from Leah’s arm to gesture straight forward—“power right through this nauseating chapter of existence…” She looked up at her girlfriend. “The Unsinkable Fifteen have come up with a plan.”

               “Fifteen?”

               “‘The Unsinkable Eight and The Douchebags’ just didn’t have a nice ring to it. But anyways, we’re meeting in the dining room to come up with our statement and then marching into Lieutenant Babysitter’s office.” Leah’s face turned away again while Fatin spoke. “Nora thinks we might stand a chance if we all come forward.”

                “Fatin, I really don’t think—”

                Fatin placed a hand under Leah’s chin, turning the girl back towards her. “We have to do this.” Her seriousness caught Leah by surprise. “And there is no way we can do it without you.”

                Seeing Fatin so assertive made some kind of spark reignite in Leah. It was true, they needed the batshit crazy girl in order to come after Gretchen with full force. She was the only one who had confronted the aspiring criminal mastermind before and Leah knew how to make her tick. For perhaps the first time since her earliest suspicions on the island, Leah began to feel supported in her war for consequences by more than just Fatin. Like she’d said, there was a team waiting for them.

                A hint of a smile came to Leah’s face. “Okay,” she caved, shyly pulling her face away from Fatin’s hand.

                “That’s my girl.” Fatin pulled Leah towards her by her shoulder, kissing her on the cheek. She stood from the bench and lead them both back inside.

                 In the dining room, the other thirteen of them were waiting, sitting around a large table and conversing among themselves. Leah and Fatin strutted inside hand in hand, both sustaining a confidence now and hoping they could bring the group to a strong resolution.

                “My, my, the power couple is making an entrance,” Ivan cooed as the two girls came over to everyone. “What’s our angle?”

                Leah sat down first and folded her hands, biting her lip and grinning. It was about to get interesting.

                The group finished discussing within reasonable time and knew they had to act as quickly as possible before the case came to a close. In swift step, the fifteen of them marched to Lieutenant Lewis’s office, the place which punctuated every sentence that began with “if you need anything…”.

                Leah came in first followed by the rest of the Unsinkables (new name suggested by Bo) who struggled to all cram inside.

                “Ladies, gents. Good to see you all up and about. Something I can help you with?” Lance offered as per usual, looking up from his laptop.

                “Funny you should say that,” Leah began. “Because actually, we wanted to—"

                “So, Lance, I was just reading over the…” Gretchen interrupted, walking into Lance’s office from a connected room that was to the left of where the teens stood. She was holding a packet of papers and wearing a classic, black turtleneck. She paused when she saw the Unsinkables before her, putting on a smile and readjusting her posture to face them. “Well, hello.”

Chapter Text

               Leah wasn’t sure if she was going to attack the cocky woman before her or simply faint. But one thing was certain: she was seething. The air in her chest felt tight. Her hands balled into fists. She thought back to the last time they were face to face and how she probably should’ve stabbed Gretchen with the letter opener after all.

               “You,” Leah croaked. Fatin, who was standing next to her, reached a hand over to silently keep her from lunging.

               “Me?” Gretchen said with a friendly smile, putting her free hand on her chest and looking at Lance as if surprised by the attention.

               Lance stood from his desk to intervene. “Gretchen, I think this is a bit… inappropriate given the circumstance. Could you leave us please?”

               “I want to talk to her,” Leah muttered, eyes fixated on the woman.

               “Talk?” Scotty whispered to Bo. They all knew what she really meant.

               “She wants to talk,” Gretchen defended innocently, gesturing to Leah.

               Lance was still uncomfortable with the confrontation. “I really don’t think this is the time or the place to engage in a productive dialogue.”

               “Well it certainly won’t be that,” Rachel quietly joked with Shelby.

               Everyone fell silent for a minute. The half-developed standoff kept the room’s tensions high. For the first time since she’d thrown them into hell, Gretchen was met with all fifteen of her subjects. They didn’t look nearly as disheveled as when she had helped conduct the interviews, but they all looked like they wanted to dismember her. Gretchen, however, stood her ground and refused to feel intimidated. Or at least refused to come off that way.

               “Oh alright, Lance,” she spoke up, glancing at him and then back at the group. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve got a pile of shit to deal with anyways.” She waved the papers in her hand and turned to leave. Another smile came to her face and she locked eyes with Leah. “Raincheck,” she said to the livid girl alone and left Lance’s office from the same way she came in.

               “I am so sorry about that,” the lieutenant apologized, sitting back down in his chair and smoothing his uniform. “What did you all need?”

               “We want to make a group statement,” Leah snapped. “Revise the testimony.” Her eyes were glued to the doorway Gretchen left through.

               “Okay. Not a problem.” As with everything else, Lance maintained a calm manner. “We’ll need to get the lawyers and your parents since some of you are still minors. It may take a few hours to get everything ready. I can have some folks come get you when the time comes.” He folded his hands and smiled. “Anything else?”

               “No,” Leah said without looking at him.

               “Alright then. Remember dinner starts at 6PM sharp. Tonight’s menu is beef stew and I heard there might be a surprise dessert!” He tapped his fingers together excitedly.

               The group began to chat amongst themselves, trying to figure out if they should leave and possibly order in. Fatin turned to Leah.

               “Hey, maybe we can go lie down or go back outside?” Fatin offered, putting a hand on Leah’s shoulder and hoping to take her mind off Gretchen. But Leah turned around and marched right out of the office. The group parted for her as she walked through the door they had all come in, off to find Gretchen no doubt.

               Fatin sighed.

               “I got it,” Dot jumped in, reassuringly touching Fatin’s arm before going after Leah.

               The other girls looked at Fatin who met their eyes and half-shrugged. She was doing all she could, but sometimes the schemes won.

               “Um, excuse me, all,” Lance addressed the group, standing from his chair and holding his cellphone to his ear. “It seems I have some business to attend to if we could gather elsewhere.” He hurriedly came out from behind his desk and began to move the group towards the door, leaving with them and passing some of the girls as he made it into the hallway.

               Just as Fatin, Shelby, and Toni were about to leave behind Lance, a sound came from the other end of the office near the lieutenant’s desk. Fatin turned first to see Gretchen coming back in, still holding her papers. Perhaps she thought they had all left already, but if she knew the girls were there, she didn’t acknowledge them. Fatin eyed her while she thumbed through the papers, behaving normally, Fatin thought, for someone who had completely uprooted their lives.

               “How the hell do you sleep at night?” Fatin uttered bitterly, catching the attention of everyone in the room. The two girls looked over, met with the same sight, and Gretchen met their gazes. It was just the four of them now.

               The woman straightened her posture and chuckled. “Excuse me?”

               “You heard me.” Fatin began to cross the room.

               “Fatin—” Shelby reached out to try and stop her but didn’t follow after.

               It only took a few steps for Fatin to now stand face to face with Gretchen. She stared into the woman’s eyes intently and spoke with stifled rage. “How do you fucking sleep at night? I can’t quite tell if you’re really a sociopath without the capability for remorse or you’re just that delusional about this failed ‘passion project’.”

               “It was a social experiment,” Gretchen flimsily countered.

               “It was illegal. Highly illegal, in fact. Not to mention completely unethical. But as we just established, that doesn’t seem to bother you. And now you won’t even take accountability? Saying things were ‘perfect’ until something conveniently out of your control, a helicopter crash, ruined everything.”

               Gretchen just glared at her, expression unwavering.

               “For someone who preached to Leah about brave, independent women…” Fatin paused, holding onto her momentum. “Doesn’t that seem awfully cowardly? The least you could do, Gretch, is agree it was an absolute fucking flop. Especially with the boys.” She made a wincing face. “You made some seriously detrimental oversights there.”

               Gretchen maneuvered around the desk to sit in Lance’s chair, gazing at all three of the girls before her and trying to appear unbothered. “You know, you really should be thanking me. You especially.” She pointed to Shelby who narrowed her eyes. “Look at what I gave you!” She opened her arms and gestured at the group. “Freedom from such self-destructive lifestyles, that automatic urge to defend yourself and the ones you love.” Gretchen gave a long look to Shelby and Toni and then to Fatin. “You wouldn’t have any of this without me.” She leaned back in the chair, refusing to hide her self-righteousness. “Isn’t that funny? I’m an accidental match-maker.” The woman chuckled again, applauding herself. “You’re welcome,” she said sincerely.

               Fatin scoffed, not having seen such audacity since confronting her father. And then she, too, began to chuckle which grew into laughter. She was looking at the floor and shaking her head. Gretchen furrowed her brow, puzzled. Toni and Shelby exchanged looks of confusion as well. Fatin moved closer to the bogus scientist until she was able to prop a leg up onto the desk, half-sitting on it. Lance wouldn’t care, he was clearly a doormat in all of this anyways. A sharpened pencil on the desk caught her eye, but Fatin looked past it, too focused on what she wanted to say.

               “Here’s what I think is funny,” Fatin began, eyes locked on Gretchen. “That you forced us to withstand the brutal, scorching sun for fifty days against our fucking will. And that by the end of this shitshow, you will never see it. Ever. Again.”

               Fatin removed herself from the desk, keeping her eyes on Gretchen before turning around and heading to the door with Toni and Shelby. As much as she wished she could say every outraged thought she had, Fatin preferred to relish in her satisfaction.

               But just as Fatin came to the doorway, Toni and Shelby already outside, Gretchen smugly offered some parting words, herself, “Tell Leah I say ‘hi’.”

               After leaving Lance’s office, Shelby went back to her room. She and Leah were technically assigned the same room, though neither of them really used it. Shelby was usually with Toni and Martha and Leah stayed with Fatin and Dot.

               When she opened the door, Shelby was met with the surprise of both her parents, her father standing and waiting while her mother sat on the nearer of the twin beds.

               “Hey, there’s our girl!” her father said cheerily. “We’ve been lookin’ all over for you.”

               Shelby put on a smile. “Oh, sorry. I was just with the girls, chatting, catching up.”

               “Chattin’, huh? Y’all had nine weeks to chat, what more is there to say?” Mr. Goodkind laughed at his own joke but easily saw it hadn’t gone over well. He cleared his throat and adjusted his sleeves. “Well, sweetheart, your mom and I had an idea.” Meaning he had an idea. “We thought it might be fun to go wig shopping, have a little day out. You’ll have to wait for it to grow back before you can do pageants again, but a wig could do for now.”

               Shelby wasn’t exactly enthusiastic. “Oh. I—I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I kinda like it.”

               Mr. Goodkind squinted with befuddlement. “Are you sure? Because I think”—he reached for her head, unable to bring himself to touch it—“I think we could fix this. You could even try bein’ a brunette.”

               “That’s okay, daddy. I like it.” She tried to be firmer with him this time.

               He looked at her for a moment, thinking, trying to see if he could live with it. “Well, okay,” he finally said and took a seat on the bed next to his wife. “If you don’t wanna go out, maybe we could meet your friends. Martha, Toni, Dot. Well, we already know Dot a little. She’s always been a bit rugged. But anyways, It’d be nice to spend some time together. You’ve been a little…” he tried to pick the right word, “occupied since bein’ back.”

               Shelby took a deep breath and nodded. Maybe this was the time to do it. Just rip off the Band-Aid. She had the safety of the Coast Guard for a few more days at least. And what Martha had said stuck with her. It would be fine. Or close to fine. “Sure, we could do that.” Her heart raced. “But… I think you should know that… Toni’s not my friend.”

               “Is she your enemy?” her dad tried to joke again.

               “She’s m—” Shelby swallowed. “She’s my girlfriend.”

               Mr. Goodkind’s expression shifted only slightly, again to a sort of confusion. He considered what his daughter had just told them, turning to his wife and then looking at his lap. He took a breath. “Alright then,” he muttered.

               “What?” Shelby’s voice was also quiet.

               He gazed up at her. “Okay.”

               “You’re okay with it?” Now she was the confused one, verging on hopeful.

               “Shelby, we know you’ve been through somethin’ beyond terrible and if this is how you need to cope with it, we’ll ride it out.”

               Shelby’s sliver of hope shattered.

               “God will get us through this and as a family.” He reached over to grab his wife’s hand. “I know you’ll come out even better on the other side.”

               She broke eye contact with him, tears threatening to fall. What exactly had she expected? It wasn’t like she could take back what she said. And now she’d have to live with the consequences.

               “You’re our girl, we know you can overcome anything. Especially this.” Mr. Goodkind saw the state she was in. Distressed, shocked. He stood up and went to hug her. “Oh, sweetheart, it’ll be okay. It won’t last forever. Shall we say a prayer?”

               Her stare remained blank. She couldn’t go home with them, she wouldn’t. After everything she’d gone through, she couldn’t go back to a different kind of hell.

               A knock came to the door.

               “Shelby?” It was Toni, she knew. Thankfully her parents didn’t.

               “Excuse me,” she said under her breath, pulling away from her father and heading for the door. She opened it, met Toni’s eyes, walked straight out, and closed the door behind her.

               Toni noticed her girlfriend’s discomfort immediately and moved to hold her. “Shelby, what’s wrong?”

               “They’re in there, I told them,” Shelby explained, voice shaking.

               “What, really? Are you okay?”

               “I need to go.”

               “Okay.”

               “I need to go.” She started walking, though she didn’t know where to. Toni went along with her and they headed for the nearest exit.

               Fatin came to her and Dot’s room, hoping the two of them were inside so she wouldn’t have to search the entire base for her girlfriend who unfortunately loved to wander. As soon as she opened the door, she had to hold back a laugh.

               “Hey! Hey!” Leah called out from inside the room. Her shirt was half over her head and clearly stuck, obstructing her vision. And apparently she hadn’t thought far enough ahead to lock the door.

               “It’s just me,” Fatin called back, shutting the door and locking it this time. “What the hell are you doing? This isn’t even your room.”

               “I got hot,” Leah explained, voice muffled.

               “I’ll say.” Fatin smirked. “And stuck.”

               “It’s this fucking Florida climate…” She tried to wriggle herself free but quickly gave up. “So, are you, like, going to help me or…?”

               Fatin crossed her arms and stared. “Nah, I think I might bask in this.” She left Leah to stir for a moment before actually helping her. Fatin purposefully slinked her arms around Leah’s waist and then moved her hands up to pull the shirt off. She gently tossed it on the bed behind Leah and very unsubtly admired the girl in front of her.

               “What?” Leah smiled.

               Fatin pulled her in for a kiss. And then another one. Leah certainly didn’t protest.

               “It’s not like you need a shirt,” Fatin whispered, still on a bit of a high after telling off Gretchen. She pressed her lips to Leah’s neck who closed her eyes and leaned into the sensation.

               Leah let out a chuckle as her hands found Fatin’s waist. “Okay, but I want one.”

               Fatin pulled away to meet Leah’s lips, giving her one last drawn out kiss, and then stepped back so Leah could find something to wear.

               “So what did you want?” the now dazed girl asked as she slipped on a new, weather appropriate top.

               “Again, you’re intruding on my space, but… I just wanted to find you, check on you. Make sure you hadn’t gone ‘full Leah’.”

               She groaned at Fatin’s remark. “When are we going to retire that phrase?”

               “When you stop going ‘full Leah’.”

               “What, is it a crime to be curious?”

               “I know you were looking for Gretchen.”

               Leah bit her lip and guiltily shifted her eyes to the floor. “I didn’t find her.”

               “Figures.” Fatin sat down on her bed; Leah joined her. “She’s slimy as hell I bet she’s fuckin’ quick on her hooves.”

               Leah coughed out a laugh. “Jesus, I was not expecting that.”

               Fatin shrugged proudly and patted Leah on the back to help.

               Once she recovered, a silence settled between them. Leah took a deep breath and glanced around the room. There were a few scattered clothing items, things their parents had brought for them like stuffed animals and trinkets from home, and various snacks and drinks. After facing starvation and dehydration, something to eat was always within arm’s reach. The more Leah lived in ‘normalcy’, meaning not fighting for her life, the more she wished for her house. For her room. For her bed.

               “I think I’m ready to go home,” Leah broke the quiet, gaining Fatin’s attention.

               “Me too. But I’m not ready to leave them.” Fatin meant the girls. Leah knew.

               “Me neither.”

               Another brief silence came. Leah locked arms with Fatin and leaned against her head.

               “We’re definitely lucky, though,” Fatin said.

               “How?”

               “We get to go home together.”

               Leah sat up straight to look at her girlfriend.

               “Think about Shelby and Toni,” Fatin continued, sympathetic. “Fuck, I don’t know what the hell they’re gonna do.” Her expression saddened. “Poor Shelby. I can’t imagine having parents like that. Being raised like that, it’s—it’s cruel and completely inexcusable.”

               “You don’t exactly praise your parents either.”

               “Yeah but because they’re generally dislikable to be around, not because they’d ever hate me. At least I don’t think so. I kinda pushed the limits on that before the island and they still came to get me so that’s something. If anything, they’ll go more easy on me after this whole clusterfuck.”

               “Did you tell them about me?”

               “Fuck no.” Fatin grimaced. “Kinda dreading it, honestly—not because of you”—Fatin was quick to explain—“just because it was hard enough already when I tried to date boys. It’s not so much a gender thing as it is an… anyone… thing.”

               “So I don’t get to meet them?”

               “I mean you can if you want to. It’s not like meeting the president, there is nooooo fucking rush whatsoever. But I’m sure they’ll like you so that’s good at least.”

               Leah chuckled at Fatin’s confidence. “Really, why?”

               “You’re a good student, you’re polite, you can even be charming when you’re not off the rails—”

               “Alright,” Leah groaned again.

               “And if they don’t…” Fatin raised an eyebrow and smiled at Leah. “Tough shit. They kinda owe me after completely obliterating my mental health.” She let a beat pass, easily coming back to her typical nonchalant self. “No but seriously, you have nothing to worry about. Maybe we can just… hold off. For a bit.”

               A knock came to the door which was then unlocked and opened. Dot popped her head in, hand covering her eyes.

               “Hope I’m not interrupting anything…” She hesitantly brought her hand down, relieved to see the two just sitting on the bed. “We’re putting a game of volleyball together, boys vs. girls, naturally.  Leah, we could use your height.”

               “Hello?” Fatin asked, gesturing to herself and insulted Dot didn’t consider her.

               “Can you tell me what a set is?”

               Fatin squinted in concentration and quickly gave up. “I can provide moral support,” she offered instead.

               “Sure, whatever.”

               Fatin jumped to her feet and pulled Leah up before the three of them headed out.

               When Leah, Fatin, and Dot got outside, almost everyone else was there already. The volleyball court was just beside the tennis courts Fatin and Leah had been at earlier. Kirin was trying to teach Martha how to trash talk, both of them hiding behind a blush and standing close together but on opposite sides of the net. Bo was stretching, Josh was applying sunscreen. It was almost comforting to Leah. They actually looked like a typical bunch of teenagers.

               Fatin took a seat next to Nora and Rachel on a bench on the sidelines.

               “You’re not gonna play?” Fatin asked.

               “No. That island may have changed me but not exactly in the athletic sense. Plus Rachel’s always been the athlete.” Nora nodded at Rachel who was on the other side of her.

               “Oh, I’m not playing either,” Rachel said.

               “Dude!” Dot protested. “We need a whole team. If neither of them are going to play, we need you for six.”

               Rachel waved her right arm. “Kinda missing one of the essential things for volleyball.”

               “So, what you’re not even going to try?” Leah spoke up.

               Rachel shook her head.

               “Come on, you’re like the most determined person I know. You know, Jesus wouldn’t shy away from a serve.”

               That made Rachel chuckle and made Fatin mutter a completely bewildered “what?”

               The athlete stood reluctantly and joined Martha, Dot, and Leah.

               “Great, so that makes four,” Dot said. “Where are Texas and Toni?”

               The couple sat outside on the opposite side of the base, having found a spot of shade to briefly avoid the Florida sun. Shelby sat slightly hunched, hands on her knees and eyes fixed on the grass. She’d calmed down in the past few minutes and Toni’s hand was throbbing less from how hard it had been squeezed, but they were both far from recovered. Toni sat beside her, just as concerned as when Shelby had come out of their room.

               “I shouldn’t have told them,” Shelby said shakily. She closed her eyes and shook her head, frustrated with herself. “Why on earth did I tell them?”

               “Because you wanted to,” Toni said. Shelby turned to meet her girlfriend’s eyes. “You want to be this person. And you should be. They can’t take it away from you and, hell, I won’t let them. I promise. You know, I peed in my hand once. I can do it again.” Shelby turned away and managed to crack a half-smile that quickly disappeared. Toni’s pleading gaze remained on her. “Maybe… you can say more to them? Explain it? I mean, it has to get through their thick skulls at some point. You’re a human being, not some fucking science experiment they could change one way or the other.”

               “No, you don’t get it,” Shelby almost snapped. “They’re not that kind of people. They don’t—” she let out a huff. “They don’t listen to reason. They listen to—” she pointed to the sky. “And the bible I guess.”

               “Then we’ll find some hardcover bibles and beat the shit outta them. I’ll even recruit the girls because you know they’d get in on that.”

               Shelby turned back to Toni, taking the girl’s hand once more but more gently this time. She offered a smile again, a fuller one. “I love your passion and appreciate it, I do. I just… I really don’t see a way out of this. It’ll be fine, it will be.”

               They sat silently for a moment, eyes drifting away from each other. The reality of the situation began to settle. They didn’t have much time left together and once Shelby was in Texas again with her parents, there was no telling when they’d be reunited.

               “Come with me,” Toni blurted out. “Come to Minnesota. You can live with me and Marty, we’ll figure it out.”

               “No—”

               “We can, we’ll figure it out—”

               “Toni!”

               Their eyes began to brim with tears.

               “I love you. But I don’t have a choice here.”

               Back at the volleyball courts, the Unsinkables continued without “Texas and Toni” and gave up on their original plan of girls vs. boys. The douchebags were “lucky”, Rachel had said, that the girls “had to take Bo as a handicap” because otherwise they would’ve dominated without a doubt.

               “Say whatever you want,” Kirin countered. “But play us in a game of ultimate and we’d wipe the store with you.” He made a frisbee-throwing motion.

               “It’s wipe the floor,” Henry corrected.

               “What?”

               “We’d wipe the floor with them.”

              A minute or so later a few familiar officers came out to the court, interrupting the growing banter.

               “We’re just about set for your statement,” officer Lee shared. “We’ll be gathering in conference room 1C and have already contacted your parents who will join shortly as necessary.” She waved for them to follow back inside.

               Fatin turned to Leah who immediately switched on her confrontation face. Fatin smiled at the sight. Her girl was more than ready. 

               The slightest glance towards Fatin snapped Leah out of it, noticing her girlfriend’s stare and becoming innocently quizzical. “What?”

               Fatin’s eyes, filled with admiration, probably could’ve said everything even if she hadn’t. “I believe in you.”

               Leah mirrored her smile, interlocked their arms, and the duo trailed just behind the others.

               The walk to the conference room felt eerily reminiscent of where Leah had been almost a month ago. She strutted confidently, stunning girlfriend to her left and an entourage of friends ready to back her up. The base was certainly more well-lit than the old complex and smelled more industrial than moist. Part of her hoped a strawberry daiquiri would be in her future. Lots of screaming, crying, starving, and, well, delusion had led up to this point and Leah was buzzing with anticipation while simultaneously aching for all of it to be over. Someone was certainly going to pay a price and a hefty one at that. Fifteen times over.

               The first thing Leah noticed was that Gretchen was not in the room, but she had her suspicions that the woman was at least nearby. A long conference table sat in the middle of the room with at least three dozen chairs, enough for Lance, Lee, the lawyers, the parents that were needed, and the fifteen Unsinkables, though Toni and Shelby had yet to show. When they finally did about a minute or two later, they sat between Martha and Rachel, ignoring everyone in the room. Aside from a little unintelligible chatter between Lance and the lawyers, the room held a culminating quiet. The teenagers, at least, knew this was the final push and sooner or later it would all end.

               Lance cleared his throat and shifted in his chair to address the Unsinkables. He introduced himself (despite everyone knowing him), the lawyers, the teens, and the parents. All Leah could focus on was what she was about to say. The lieutenant smiled and yielded the floor to the lawyers. They clicked their pens, opened notepads, and gestured for the group to speak.

               Leah held her tongue for just a moment. She eyed each of them in their suits, then Lance, then looked back to them. An exalted smile came to her lips and she began.

Two Days Later

               Jeffery Galanis opened the door of his apartment, finding two teenagers standing on the steps leading up to his place. The one to his right, wearing a leopard print tank top with a purse to match, slowly looked him up and down. She cringed. 

               “Um.” He reached a hand up to his beard. “Can I help you?”

               “We’re friends of Leah Rilke,” the one to his left said with a threatening gaze.

               Jeff shifted uncomfortably and looked away from them. He gave a sort of half smile and began to close the door. Fatin slapped a hand on it and pushed the door back open. The man didn’t resist but clearly grew more tense. 

               “We’re only going to say this once,” Dot continued, arms crossed. “As soon as we leave, you’re going to call the FBI tip line and say you have information regarding the Gretchen Klein case. Then, you’ll anonymously hand in your phone so they can go through your call history.” Jeff just eyed the two as she explained the plan. “Tell him what’ll happen if he doesn’t.” Dot gestured at Fatin with her head.

               Fatin removed her hand from the door and raised a menacing eyebrow. “We’ll tell the police about how you knowingly lured a minor into your hotel room, had sex with her, and didn’t stop seeing her until you were blackmailed. And you better believe we have all the evidence to prove it.”

               “Are you the ones who sent me her birth certificate?” Jeff asked.

               “Does that really seem pertinent, Jeffery?”

               “Do you have any relevant questions?” Dot’s rigid expression remained the same.

               Jeff shook his head.

               “Good.”

               “Oh, and Leah wanted to give you your annotations back.” Fatin pulled a plastic bag full of ashes from her purse and tossed it at Jeff who struggled to catch it.

               He stood agog in the doorway as the two girls turned around and left.

               “That’s not actually from the island, is it?” Dot asked, thumb pointing back at Jeff.

               Fatin reached back into her purse and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. “Oh please, girl, I know a guy.”

Chapter Text

Months Later

               Leah sat with a knee to her chest and her right leg stretched out onto the ottoman. She vaguely watched the antidepressant commercial on the TV screen. How fitting, she thought. On the side table next to her sat a bowl filled with apple slices Mrs. Jadmani had graciously brought her a few minutes prior and a tall glass of ice water topped with a round lemon slice. The setting California sun mutedly came through the windows behind her and Leah basked in an environment that invited relaxation.

               At least until the program she was hoping to catch came back on the TV. The quick CNN intro sped across the screen and Leah shifted to a more attentive position, leaning in to catch the ever-overhyped BREAKING NEWS.

               “For those who are just tuning in,” a female newscaster spoke over footage of men in uniforms and suits hurrying outside of a building while cameras flashed. “We’ve just now seen discredited sociologist and research scientist Gretchen Klein leaving her home for what is likely the last time before facing a thirty-five-year sentence. This ruling followed her guilty verdict on multiple federal charges.”

               Leah took her phone out to quickly take a picture of Gretchen during the split second she appeared on screen. She sent it to the girls’ group chat with ten middle finger emojis while the newscaster continued.

Dot Campbell   thats right ROT IN HELL

Toni Shalifoe   LLLLLLLLLL

Nora Reid   Au revoir, cunt.

Shelby Goodkind   Thanks for the apartment, G

Shelby Goodkind   Speaking of… who’s coming to help us move?

Shelby Goodkind   Toni already sprained a wrist trying to lift boxes

Toni Shalifoe   tf did not

Martha Blackburn   lol did too

               “As declared earlier this week, Klein will also face a one hundred and eighty-nine million dollar settlement for the neglect and child endangerment that occurred during her supposed social experiment and the subsequent coverup of that failed social experiment. Klein’s refusal to make a statement leaves many questions—”

               “Okay! I’m ready.” Fatin poked her head down the stairs and called over to her girlfriend.

               Leah switched off the TV and hopped up from the couch. She marched up the stairs, following Fatin. “So is this, like, a good surprise or a ‘weekend island retreat turned lawsuit’ kind of surprise?”

               Fatin laughed. “Good surprise, I promise.”

               They entered Fatin’s room and Leah paused at the sight of a gorgeous cello, a chair, and an empty music stand. Her eyes widened and a chuckle forced her to smile.

               “What is…”

               “Please have a seat,” the musician said and gestured for Leah to sit on the edge of her bed to face the setup.

               Leah did as she was told, crossing her legs and excitedly eyeing the instrument. Fatin opened her nightstand drawer to retrieve a single extremely crinkled piece of paper with penciled writing. The second she saw it, Leah remembered.

               Fatin did her best to smooth the paper and placed it on the music stand. She took a seat in the chair, situated the cello perfectly near her, and picked up the bow. It delicately rested on the strings but remained still. Fatin looked up at Leah, beaming, and slowly raised her eyebrows as if to say, you ready?

               Leah matched her girlfriend’s delighted expression, captivated and blissful at this endearing moment. You’re the only thing that matters now.

               Without further ado, she watched. And the woman she loved started to play.