Deep Honey Bath

[Ruggahissy]

((Tirzah Foss continued from Hustler for death, no heaven for a gangsta ))

Tirzah passed the time uneventfully after leaving Ace. Part of her wondered if she should leave Ace, but it seemed like a mutual decision and probably the best one. Maybe he would trust her and drink the water. Maybe he wouldn't trust her and would leave it until he was dying of thirst and then drink it out of necessity, half-certain he might die and then surprise! He wouldn't. That might be kind of funny.

She woke up the next morning and wondered in a kind of slow way what she should do. She had planned to find a nice group of squishy people to hide in. Tirzah might be able to gain the trust of some classmates, show that she was not a threat, and if they encountered anyone they would write her off as fine because she must be fine if she was in a group.

However there was a noise from overhead. This noise tapped her on the shoulder and said to her "Yes, that is a good plan, isn't it? It would be a shame if something were to happen to it..." and Tirzah said, What's that supposed to mean?"

The announcements started and she tried her best to tune out the part where she was mentioned, which worked fine. This was fine still. She could easily roll Wyatt under the bus and everyone would believe it (save a few who she had the names of already).

But then a few things happened.

Quinn, Lorenzo and Marco were dead. That bumped her up as far as living people with a number of bodies behind them. Aside from that --

"Tirzah Foss and Justin Greene both win the singular prize..."

She'd been spotlighted. Given special attention.

"You've got to be McFucking kidding me," she grumbled, fists balled, eyes fierce.

Tirzah slammed her fist into the trunk of a nearby tree and squeezed her eyes shut. It figured that doing something nice was what screwed her. She could hear it now. "Oh, you don't want to hurt us? Didn't you just win a prize for murder?" What was she supposed to have done? Ditch meathead to bleed out over the course of days? YES! Yes, you dumb slut.

Tirzah opened her eyes and a tear fell.

She hadn't been playing seriously enough and it would cost her. She never did anything seriously, though if she put her mind to it, it could be done. It's only that no one had ever really asked her to. Tirzah thought of her brother. He was blonde like her, but a deep honey warmed the color of his hair. He'd gone outside, played catch, won ribbons, went camping. Her icy blonde hair reflected her the blue tones her memories of childhood had of the inside, of screens. Her parents were too old to play catch, too old to chase children.

Tirzah would be careful, for once. She would try and then she could go home and take drugs and drink and die at 27 as God intended.

She picked up her things and pulled out her map, which would guide her to the rice paddies. The warm sun shine spilled over her through the trees. From some unknown direction she heard a distant scream, which she ignored.

((Tirzah Foss continued in The First SOTF Chili Cook Off ))