Meena felt her irritation grow bit by bit as Kitty spoke, because... actually, why was that the case? Sometimes other people irritated her for reasons that Meena couldn't comprehend herself. Maybe it annoyed her when people she cared about kept digging their heels in when she wanted to help them. Or, maybe she was annoyed at their existence. No, she was definitely annoyed at their existence. Not just annoyed, hateful. She was, after all, a hateful person, who'd hated someone so much that she would have murdered them first thing upon waking up and admitted as such, and it wasn't like she cared about Kitty before this, except maybe as a mutual friend of Ren. But that was hardly caring.
...yes, that sounded just like her - the Meena only Meena knew.
She simply nodded at Kitty had to say. Obviously, it was annoying that her plan wouldn't go through seemingly, too. But her classmates always got in her way by existing which is why they annoyed her - also obviously. She thought about telling Kitty the real reason that this was a good idea - because Kitty wanted to live and Meena wanted to die. But apparently, Kitty couldn't even decide whether she wanted to try to live or not. They were getting nowhere.
So when California snapped at the two of them and shoved past her to storm off to who-knows-where, Meena looked out the door at her retreating back, confident that Kitty couldn't see her face... and felt herself smile a little bit.
Not the smile she had when she was laughing to herself about something dumb, but the smile she put on for photos. The not-even-a-smile if you were her parents. It was a smile though - so what if it was imperceptible and she had to force it a little bit?
Meena could guess the reason why California stormed off. She was also frustrated, but probably also disgusted. The confession that Meena would have murdered Robin, combined with her stoic attitude must have caused her to see it, the thing that Meena always saw within herself.
It felt nice, to not be mistaken for a good person. Not bad, not mortifying at all. Well, maybe a little bit mortifying, a little bit revolting even. But Meena wanted to leave this world with an honest impression of who she really was, so in the grand scheme of things, at least one thing had gone right for her.
Her stony expression resumed - though it wasn't that different to begin with. She glanced back at Kitty, but not at her.
"You can always... decide to tell that story I gave you, if you want," Meena made one final, useless offer. "But anyway," she tilted her head to the door, "you're more friendly with her than I am, I think."
She meant to say you go comfort her, I'm not fucking doing it.
It's Lights Out, And Away They Go!
Morning Day 1 (Open!)
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 1086
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: the shadow realm
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1540
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Katelyn flinched at the shout, and watched in horror as California burst out the door. Her ears were ringing, anxiety blossoming in her chest. Meena's words echoed in the distance, her attention squarely focused on California as she went into the treeline. Katelyn started moving the moment Meena finished speaking, following behind California.
As she walked, on instinct, she carefully matched her own steps to California's footprints, deadening the crunch of snow under her boots. Being quiet had always been her best way to avoid trouble, be it sneaking through the house so she wasn't caught getting snacks, to staying quiet and unnoticed in social settings to avoid sudden conversation. She defaulted to it when she was stressed, always trying to make herself as invisible as she could.
She caught up to California fairly quickly. It took much longer for her to actually speak. Instead, she stood in silence, unnoticed, trying to think of what to say, or what to do. She didn't know, in truth. She almost never knew what the right words to say were. After letting her friend cry for far too long, she finally forced the words trapped in her throat out.
"C-Cali? I... I'm-"
Katelyn gulped.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, taking care to speak steadily. "I didn't mean to- to make you sad."
She blinked, tears obscuring her vision once more. She looked down and bit her bottom lip, drawing a bit of blood. At the same time, she squeezed her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into the skin of her palms. She always had to screw everything up, didn't she? First with Robin, and now with California. She couldn't help but always make everything worse for everyone around her. She was too sad, too angry, too dark; her very presence soured the mood. She was a bad friend, and a bad person.
Katelyn couldn't take being a burden anymore. She couldn't be around anyone right now. She didn't wait for California to respond, instead covering her face and running back to the cabin.
As she walked, on instinct, she carefully matched her own steps to California's footprints, deadening the crunch of snow under her boots. Being quiet had always been her best way to avoid trouble, be it sneaking through the house so she wasn't caught getting snacks, to staying quiet and unnoticed in social settings to avoid sudden conversation. She defaulted to it when she was stressed, always trying to make herself as invisible as she could.
She caught up to California fairly quickly. It took much longer for her to actually speak. Instead, she stood in silence, unnoticed, trying to think of what to say, or what to do. She didn't know, in truth. She almost never knew what the right words to say were. After letting her friend cry for far too long, she finally forced the words trapped in her throat out.
"C-Cali? I... I'm-"
Katelyn gulped.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, taking care to speak steadily. "I didn't mean to- to make you sad."
She blinked, tears obscuring her vision once more. She looked down and bit her bottom lip, drawing a bit of blood. At the same time, she squeezed her hands into fists, digging her fingernails into the skin of her palms. She always had to screw everything up, didn't she? First with Robin, and now with California. She couldn't help but always make everything worse for everyone around her. She was too sad, too angry, too dark; her very presence soured the mood. She was a bad friend, and a bad person.
Katelyn couldn't take being a burden anymore. She couldn't be around anyone right now. She didn't wait for California to respond, instead covering her face and running back to the cabin.
Just focus on the floor.
Just focus on the floor.
That was the refrain that repeated in her head.
It was quieter than California expected out in the trees and surrounded by snow. But the tears kept running down her face and her breaths wouldn't slow. Her cheeks flushed red as a result of both the tears and her sudden exit from the cabin. Her arms acted like blinders, narrowing her field of vision to only what was directly in front of her eyes. It resulted in a focused view of her tears impacting the snow.
She was supposed to be the oldest. She was the oldest student on the trip.
California flinched when she suddenly heard Kitty's voice. It was quiet but she didn't turn her head to look at her friend. Her eyes stayed staring at the snow, unblinking.
After a pause, she heard the sound of footsteps stomping on the snow as Kitty ran back to the cabin, but she made no move to follow.
It was quiet out in the snow, surrounded by trees.
Eventually, California swung her bag around and with shaking hands dug around until she found her tobacco, filters, and papers. She took a filter out of the packet and held it in her mouth as she placed the tobacco in the paper then put it at the end, licking the paper and rolling it over. Cigarette made she held it in her mouth as she tossed the packets back in the bag and removed the first aid kit. Placing it in the snow in front of her she undid the clasps and flipped the lid open, digging around until she came across the lighter, which she withdrew. California cupped her shaking hands in front of her mouth and lit her cigarette, inhaling and letting the first drag sit in her chest for a moment before breathing out and watching the smoke curl in front of her.
As she did so she rubbed her eyes and tried to blink the tears away.
Just focus on the floor.
That was the refrain that repeated in her head.
It was quieter than California expected out in the trees and surrounded by snow. But the tears kept running down her face and her breaths wouldn't slow. Her cheeks flushed red as a result of both the tears and her sudden exit from the cabin. Her arms acted like blinders, narrowing her field of vision to only what was directly in front of her eyes. It resulted in a focused view of her tears impacting the snow.
She was supposed to be the oldest. She was the oldest student on the trip.
California flinched when she suddenly heard Kitty's voice. It was quiet but she didn't turn her head to look at her friend. Her eyes stayed staring at the snow, unblinking.
After a pause, she heard the sound of footsteps stomping on the snow as Kitty ran back to the cabin, but she made no move to follow.
It was quiet out in the snow, surrounded by trees.
Eventually, California swung her bag around and with shaking hands dug around until she found her tobacco, filters, and papers. She took a filter out of the packet and held it in her mouth as she placed the tobacco in the paper then put it at the end, licking the paper and rolling it over. Cigarette made she held it in her mouth as she tossed the packets back in the bag and removed the first aid kit. Placing it in the snow in front of her she undid the clasps and flipped the lid open, digging around until she came across the lighter, which she withdrew. California cupped her shaking hands in front of her mouth and lit her cigarette, inhaling and letting the first drag sit in her chest for a moment before breathing out and watching the smoke curl in front of her.
As she did so she rubbed her eyes and tried to blink the tears away.
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 1086
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: the shadow realm
And like that, Meena was alone.
...good. Good. Except for the corpse. But otherwise it suited Meena perfectly.
She placed her gun on the table, and hoisted herself up to sit on its surface. Better than sitting on the blood-stained floor. As she fished the ammunition out of her bag, she idly pondered how long Kitty and California would stay out there. She idly wondered if they'd ever come back to this cabin. Meena kinda figured - hoped? - they wouldn't. They were both probably disgusted by her. Or didn't care about her. Maybe they'd forget about her the moment she was out of sight. Once, Meena's ex snapped at her and said she was so self absorbed she probably believed people were talking shit about her when she was gone, when they never mentioned her at all - she wasn't on anyone's radar. She had to remember that more, and she had to change it. Somehow.
And one such "how" was right beside her. She pushed a shell into the chamber - were those the right words? She saw them in the manual, and she'd seen them during her writer-typical weekly concerning Googling sessions. There was something surreal about putting some distant, close-to-violent thing she'd read about into practice. The feeling, she imagined, was only going to intensify.
She had to check the manual for the next steps. She closed the chamber. As she looked over what the manual said, she glanced over at Robin's corpse. She gulped and kept down her bile for what, the fifth time? But she'd been here long enough that true the shock had worn off, and Meena didn't have a word for what exactly took its place. Disgust, tinged with okay maybe a little lingering shock, whip until stiff peaks form and fold in a sense of resignation until fully mixed. Sprinkle in jealous yet intentionally darkly humourous internal cries of lucky bastard! to taste.
Her leg bounced, hanging off the table. Meena held the ready-to-fire shotgun in her hands and stared blankly beyond Robin's corpse like she was averting eye contact, and in a way she was. Did she want to do this from the table like a cool guy, like, leaning back and all? Or did she mean business - was she gonna get down from there, march right up to him, and confidently aim the shotgun at a dead body?
Ultimately, it didn't matter how she did it, only that she did something strange and deranged. The shot would ring out and maybe someone here (Kitty, California, someone else she hadn't noticed) would hear it and then another shot would ring out or knives would come out and Meena would join Robin's ranks among lucky bastards who didn't have to suffer through this anymore. The shot would ring out and even more viscera would leak onto the floor and someone watching through the cameras would wonder - what the fuck she was thinking? And maybe they'd assume this was just a one-time thing due to panic and that Meena would come to her senses but nope, she never would. She'd go around shooting beloved corpses and telling her classmates all about how their other classmates hated and betrayed them until somebody finally lost it and put an end to that. And they'd still be left with the question - what the fuck was she thinking? (Honestly Meena hoped she'd stick around as a ghost just to hear the speculation about what was wrong with her, because their guess was as good as hers).
Since it didn't make that much of a difference, Meena hopped off the table and walked towards Robin, shotgun in tow. She wanted to steady her hand, as she aimed it at center mass, but at the same time, she didn't want to breathe in too deeply.
...good. Good. Except for the corpse. But otherwise it suited Meena perfectly.
She placed her gun on the table, and hoisted herself up to sit on its surface. Better than sitting on the blood-stained floor. As she fished the ammunition out of her bag, she idly pondered how long Kitty and California would stay out there. She idly wondered if they'd ever come back to this cabin. Meena kinda figured - hoped? - they wouldn't. They were both probably disgusted by her. Or didn't care about her. Maybe they'd forget about her the moment she was out of sight. Once, Meena's ex snapped at her and said she was so self absorbed she probably believed people were talking shit about her when she was gone, when they never mentioned her at all - she wasn't on anyone's radar. She had to remember that more, and she had to change it. Somehow.
And one such "how" was right beside her. She pushed a shell into the chamber - were those the right words? She saw them in the manual, and she'd seen them during her writer-typical weekly concerning Googling sessions. There was something surreal about putting some distant, close-to-violent thing she'd read about into practice. The feeling, she imagined, was only going to intensify.
She had to check the manual for the next steps. She closed the chamber. As she looked over what the manual said, she glanced over at Robin's corpse. She gulped and kept down her bile for what, the fifth time? But she'd been here long enough that true the shock had worn off, and Meena didn't have a word for what exactly took its place. Disgust, tinged with okay maybe a little lingering shock, whip until stiff peaks form and fold in a sense of resignation until fully mixed. Sprinkle in jealous yet intentionally darkly humourous internal cries of lucky bastard! to taste.
Her leg bounced, hanging off the table. Meena held the ready-to-fire shotgun in her hands and stared blankly beyond Robin's corpse like she was averting eye contact, and in a way she was. Did she want to do this from the table like a cool guy, like, leaning back and all? Or did she mean business - was she gonna get down from there, march right up to him, and confidently aim the shotgun at a dead body?
Ultimately, it didn't matter how she did it, only that she did something strange and deranged. The shot would ring out and maybe someone here (Kitty, California, someone else she hadn't noticed) would hear it and then another shot would ring out or knives would come out and Meena would join Robin's ranks among lucky bastards who didn't have to suffer through this anymore. The shot would ring out and even more viscera would leak onto the floor and someone watching through the cameras would wonder - what the fuck she was thinking? And maybe they'd assume this was just a one-time thing due to panic and that Meena would come to her senses but nope, she never would. She'd go around shooting beloved corpses and telling her classmates all about how their other classmates hated and betrayed them until somebody finally lost it and put an end to that. And they'd still be left with the question - what the fuck was she thinking? (Honestly Meena hoped she'd stick around as a ghost just to hear the speculation about what was wrong with her, because their guess was as good as hers).
Since it didn't make that much of a difference, Meena hopped off the table and walked towards Robin, shotgun in tow. She wanted to steady her hand, as she aimed it at center mass, but at the same time, she didn't want to breathe in too deeply.
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1540
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
"What are you doing?"
Katelyn's voice had come out quiet, barely a whisper, trying not to break the fragile surface tension that kept this situation in check. She had originally planned to grab her belongings, including the heater and now the knife, and run away from this place. She couldn't stand being here any longer. She needed to be alone, so as to not burden anyone else around her with her presence. Maybe she would come back later to bury her ex, once she was sure that nobody else was here.
Yet, she had stopped dead in her tracks when she witnessed Meena leveling her shotgun at Robin. She was frozen in place in the doorway of the cabin, unsure of what to say or do, or why this was even happening. Why level a weapon at a corpse? It wasn't like Robin was going to suddenly spring back to life. Katelyn had made sure of that much.
She stared bug-eyed and silent at Meena, until finally-
"U-Uh... sorry, c-can I get my stuff?"
Katelyn's voice had come out quiet, barely a whisper, trying not to break the fragile surface tension that kept this situation in check. She had originally planned to grab her belongings, including the heater and now the knife, and run away from this place. She couldn't stand being here any longer. She needed to be alone, so as to not burden anyone else around her with her presence. Maybe she would come back later to bury her ex, once she was sure that nobody else was here.
Yet, she had stopped dead in her tracks when she witnessed Meena leveling her shotgun at Robin. She was frozen in place in the doorway of the cabin, unsure of what to say or do, or why this was even happening. Why level a weapon at a corpse? It wasn't like Robin was going to suddenly spring back to life. Katelyn had made sure of that much.
She stared bug-eyed and silent at Meena, until finally-
"U-Uh... sorry, c-can I get my stuff?"
The cigarette helped. Her coiled muscles started to loosen as she breathed deeper and let the nicotine wash over her. The endorphins bursting through the nodes of her nervous system in their race to reach her brain. Each drag reignited that ever brief glow and warmth inside her body until it slowly faded away again. But it was better than nothing and certainly better than staying in the cabin.
The suffocating iron stench of the cabin's interior had given way to the crisp light chill of the winter air. She blinked a few more times and rubbed at her eyes, getting rid of the last remnants of tears so the slight breeze wasn't freezing her face. After a couple of deep breaths of fresh air, she set about packing everything away in her bag. Her hands weren't shaking as much thanks to the tobacco and nicotine so it was simple enough. She tucked the light into her pocket though, not wanting to go through the hassle of finding it every time she wanted to smoke.
She didn't know what was happening in the cabin but while she focused on replacing everything in the first aid kit and packing it away she didn't care. California was deliberately meticulous as she put every element back in its proper place. Her focus zeroed in on the task. Once she was finished she flipped the lid and closed the clasps. Once that was done the first-aid kit went back into her pack and she stood up, stretching out her aching legs.
California glanced over her shoulder at the cabin but couldn't hear anything from the other two girls. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting up to ten. She opened her eyes, let out her breath and made her way back to the cabin.
The suffocating iron stench of the cabin's interior had given way to the crisp light chill of the winter air. She blinked a few more times and rubbed at her eyes, getting rid of the last remnants of tears so the slight breeze wasn't freezing her face. After a couple of deep breaths of fresh air, she set about packing everything away in her bag. Her hands weren't shaking as much thanks to the tobacco and nicotine so it was simple enough. She tucked the light into her pocket though, not wanting to go through the hassle of finding it every time she wanted to smoke.
She didn't know what was happening in the cabin but while she focused on replacing everything in the first aid kit and packing it away she didn't care. California was deliberately meticulous as she put every element back in its proper place. Her focus zeroed in on the task. Once she was finished she flipped the lid and closed the clasps. Once that was done the first-aid kit went back into her pack and she stood up, stretching out her aching legs.
California glanced over her shoulder at the cabin but couldn't hear anything from the other two girls. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, counting up to ten. She opened her eyes, let out her breath and made her way back to the cabin.
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 1086
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: the shadow realm
Meena's breath caught, and she looked wide-eyed at Kitty like she'd been caught sneaking into the kitchen for cookies at midnight. Her surprise, she hoped, would mask how her irritation with Kitty just reached a fever pitch. It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong by returning when Meena didn't expect her to, so hating her for that made Meena just a flat-out selfish jerk and a bad person, probably. Not that she didn't already know that. Not that she was trying to be anything other that that.
If her finger twiched hard enough, she could fire the shotgun right in front of her and maybe Kitty would stab her. Or maybe she could raise the gun and shoot right at her, and yell about how much she hated her and always had hated her. (If Meena thought hard enough she could probably conjure up some fake memories about Kitty annoying her at lunch or something, so.)
She furrowed her brow, and turned back to Robin, forced herself to look right at him again. She couldn't shoot Kitty because... because it would ruin her point! If she actually hurt someone it would give her classmates a new reason to hate her and it would mess with the test she was putting them all through - did they hate her enough to want her dead for being annoying and crazy, or did they just not care either way? Yep, all this was a secret test of character Meena was putting absolutely everyone through. In addition to everything else it was.
Meena's voice was also quiet, and she still refused to look at Kitty. "Don't worry about it. Just- yeah. Just get your stuff and go."
If her finger twiched hard enough, she could fire the shotgun right in front of her and maybe Kitty would stab her. Or maybe she could raise the gun and shoot right at her, and yell about how much she hated her and always had hated her. (If Meena thought hard enough she could probably conjure up some fake memories about Kitty annoying her at lunch or something, so.)
She furrowed her brow, and turned back to Robin, forced herself to look right at him again. She couldn't shoot Kitty because... because it would ruin her point! If she actually hurt someone it would give her classmates a new reason to hate her and it would mess with the test she was putting them all through - did they hate her enough to want her dead for being annoying and crazy, or did they just not care either way? Yep, all this was a secret test of character Meena was putting absolutely everyone through. In addition to everything else it was.
Meena's voice was also quiet, and she still refused to look at Kitty. "Don't worry about it. Just- yeah. Just get your stuff and go."
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VoltTurtle
- Posts: 1540
- Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2018 4:10 pm
- Location: Dreamland
Katelyn didn't know what to do, so she opted to silently nod and quietly gather her belongings. First, the bag that she had been provided, as it contained the necessities she needed to live. Then the heater, wiping the blood off the corner with her already bloodied sleeve, as it would keep her warm through the long nights. Then the knife, as it was now hers by right of conquest. She didn't wipe the blood off the blade, instead merely sheathing it and sliding it into her right boot, pointedly refusing to determine why she did so.
Then came the rest of Robin's belongings, and the chill of the air once more reached her bones, stiffening her up. This also belonged to her by right of conquest, and she knew that. Robin didn't need the food and water anymore, and she knew that too. Yet posthumously pillaging it from him still felt wrong to her. Taking those supplies was tantamount to being rewarded for what she did, and that sickened her, because what she had done was by all accounts deeply wrong. Yet, that was the reality of her new situation. Here be the land of violence, and indulging in it came with rewards.
More supplies. Better self-defense. She clenched her fists and gulped. Don't waste food, her mother used to tell her.
So she unzipped his bag, piling the food and water within—and nothing else—into her own. Then she rushed out of the cabin, doing her best to not think about whatever Meena was going to do, and hoping that she wouldn't come back to find Robin with yet another hole in him.
For the briefest moment after exiting the cabin door, she locked eyes with California. Tears welled up one last time, and she shouted.
"S-Sorry!"
((And then, without another word, Katelyn ran away.))
Then came the rest of Robin's belongings, and the chill of the air once more reached her bones, stiffening her up. This also belonged to her by right of conquest, and she knew that. Robin didn't need the food and water anymore, and she knew that too. Yet posthumously pillaging it from him still felt wrong to her. Taking those supplies was tantamount to being rewarded for what she did, and that sickened her, because what she had done was by all accounts deeply wrong. Yet, that was the reality of her new situation. Here be the land of violence, and indulging in it came with rewards.
More supplies. Better self-defense. She clenched her fists and gulped. Don't waste food, her mother used to tell her.
So she unzipped his bag, piling the food and water within—and nothing else—into her own. Then she rushed out of the cabin, doing her best to not think about whatever Meena was going to do, and hoping that she wouldn't come back to find Robin with yet another hole in him.
For the briefest moment after exiting the cabin door, she locked eyes with California. Tears welled up one last time, and she shouted.
"S-Sorry!"
((And then, without another word, Katelyn ran away.))
As Kitty receded into the distance California didn't know what to do, so instead of following Kitty or doing anything even the slightest bit useful, she stood open-mouthed, partway through calling out to Kitty to stop. She stayed like that, unsure of what to do until the cigarette reached the end of its life and burnt her finger.
"Fuck!" She hissed, dropping the still lit end into the snow. In a sudden rush of anger and not knowing what else to do she lashed out and punched the trunk of a nearby tree, which only served to hurt her other hand. The skin on her knuckles being scrapped away by the hard bark. As she looked at the back of her hand she could already see small beads of blood already starting to appear on the scraped skin.
Suddenly being all alone out in the trees wasn't as peaceful. The great white expanse and trees seemed to close off all views, after a certain point everything became the same uniform shade of white. The camp itself was a decaying mess, not even fit for habitation even ignoring the corpse that decorated the floor of the cabin itself. As she stood, alone, the wind whipped up and bit at her hands and face. A reminder of how nature itself wouldn't tolerate her presence for long. Meanwhile, Kitty had just run off into the wind and snow.
Another thought occurred to California at that moment and she quickly made her way over to the cabin. Her footsteps crunched the snow as she reached the door to find Meena standing, gun pointed at Robin's corpse.
"Oh...you're still here."
"Fuck!" She hissed, dropping the still lit end into the snow. In a sudden rush of anger and not knowing what else to do she lashed out and punched the trunk of a nearby tree, which only served to hurt her other hand. The skin on her knuckles being scrapped away by the hard bark. As she looked at the back of her hand she could already see small beads of blood already starting to appear on the scraped skin.
Suddenly being all alone out in the trees wasn't as peaceful. The great white expanse and trees seemed to close off all views, after a certain point everything became the same uniform shade of white. The camp itself was a decaying mess, not even fit for habitation even ignoring the corpse that decorated the floor of the cabin itself. As she stood, alone, the wind whipped up and bit at her hands and face. A reminder of how nature itself wouldn't tolerate her presence for long. Meanwhile, Kitty had just run off into the wind and snow.
Another thought occurred to California at that moment and she quickly made her way over to the cabin. Her footsteps crunched the snow as she reached the door to find Meena standing, gun pointed at Robin's corpse.
"Oh...you're still here."
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BlizzardeyeWonder
- Posts: 1086
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm
- Location: the shadow realm
Meena had turned the safety back on while Kitty got her things. It seemed only polite, even if she fucking hated being interrupted. She reached over to undo that politeness, and then, there was yet another person who decided to return when Meena really would rather they didn't.
Once more, the universe showed it didn't give a damn what Meena wanted, ever. She was once again surprised but her lips didn't part, no. They twisted into a frown, as if it mirrored California's ever-so-demeaning tone. Oh, you're still here, oh you decided to run back! A rude surprise but not like getting caught stealing cookies, more like her mom yelling, her mom's aggravating yelling, for her to come down for dinner (even if it was just dinner or laundry that shouting always sounded like she was yelling at Meena to scold her), right when Meena had sat down to write. And then once she did and went back upstairs and plopped herself back on her chair her dad would call her on the phone despite being in the same fucking house to tell her he sent her an email about some thing or another that Meena didn't care about but had to care about because it "concerned her future" or whatever, and she couldn't get a fucking break from her parents' demands to write one FUCKING sentence because her parents believed she was a loser with no FUCKING social life-
"Fuck OFF!" Meena threw her non-gun-holding hand into the air as she stomped away from Robin's corpse, not even caring that she tracked her boots through his blood as she did so.
"I was in the fucking MIDDLE OF SOMETHING but god FUCKING forbid I try to get any FUCKING catharsis in shit shitty fucking situation-" she pushed past California and right through the door. "ARGH."
After Meena got a good few strides away from the cabin, before she stopped.
She took a deep breath...
...then she undid the safety, pointed the gun right at one of the cabin windows, and pulled the trigger.
It was kinda pathetic to admit, but the sound actually startled her - she froze for a few more seconds, wide-eyed, before running off.
[Meena Lalita Kumar continued in Fragment 24d]
Once more, the universe showed it didn't give a damn what Meena wanted, ever. She was once again surprised but her lips didn't part, no. They twisted into a frown, as if it mirrored California's ever-so-demeaning tone. Oh, you're still here, oh you decided to run back! A rude surprise but not like getting caught stealing cookies, more like her mom yelling, her mom's aggravating yelling, for her to come down for dinner (even if it was just dinner or laundry that shouting always sounded like she was yelling at Meena to scold her), right when Meena had sat down to write. And then once she did and went back upstairs and plopped herself back on her chair her dad would call her on the phone despite being in the same fucking house to tell her he sent her an email about some thing or another that Meena didn't care about but had to care about because it "concerned her future" or whatever, and she couldn't get a fucking break from her parents' demands to write one FUCKING sentence because her parents believed she was a loser with no FUCKING social life-
"Fuck OFF!" Meena threw her non-gun-holding hand into the air as she stomped away from Robin's corpse, not even caring that she tracked her boots through his blood as she did so.
"I was in the fucking MIDDLE OF SOMETHING but god FUCKING forbid I try to get any FUCKING catharsis in shit shitty fucking situation-" she pushed past California and right through the door. "ARGH."
After Meena got a good few strides away from the cabin, before she stopped.
She took a deep breath...
...then she undid the safety, pointed the gun right at one of the cabin windows, and pulled the trigger.
It was kinda pathetic to admit, but the sound actually startled her - she froze for a few more seconds, wide-eyed, before running off.
[Meena Lalita Kumar continued in Fragment 24d]
California could only stare, eyes wide, as Meena began shouting at her.
"I-" She started, "Wait-" She tried to get a word in. "No-"
She didn't understand why Meena had reacted the way she had.
Meena barged past her and California stumbled backward. She had to reach out and grab the frame of the door to avoid falling over.
"Stop-" She started again in her doomed effort to try and calm Meena down but she screamed and duck when the girl shot a hole in the window.
She stayed crouched there, arms covering her head and hyperventilating, waiting for a second shot that never came.
Eventually, her breathing slowed down and she shakily stood up. Meena was gone, she had no idea where to.
California stepped further inside the cabin and assessed the damage to the window, watching the snowflakes slowly drift inside through the shattered glass.
Then she opened her bag and with shaking hands withdrew her tobacco, filters, and papers from where they sat at the top of her belongings. She took a filter out of the packet and held it in her mouth as she placed the tobacco in the paper then put it at the end, licking the paper and rolling it over. Cigarette made she held it in her mouth as she tossed everything back in the bag then drew the light from her pocket. She cupped her shaking hands in front of her mouth and lit her cigarette, taking a deep long drag and letting it slowly float free from her mouth.
Her head turned as she took one last look at Robin then she slowly made her way outside and headed out into the great white wilderness.
((California Fox continued elsewhere...))
"I-" She started, "Wait-" She tried to get a word in. "No-"
She didn't understand why Meena had reacted the way she had.
Meena barged past her and California stumbled backward. She had to reach out and grab the frame of the door to avoid falling over.
"Stop-" She started again in her doomed effort to try and calm Meena down but she screamed and duck when the girl shot a hole in the window.
She stayed crouched there, arms covering her head and hyperventilating, waiting for a second shot that never came.
Eventually, her breathing slowed down and she shakily stood up. Meena was gone, she had no idea where to.
California stepped further inside the cabin and assessed the damage to the window, watching the snowflakes slowly drift inside through the shattered glass.
Then she opened her bag and with shaking hands withdrew her tobacco, filters, and papers from where they sat at the top of her belongings. She took a filter out of the packet and held it in her mouth as she placed the tobacco in the paper then put it at the end, licking the paper and rolling it over. Cigarette made she held it in her mouth as she tossed everything back in the bag then drew the light from her pocket. She cupped her shaking hands in front of her mouth and lit her cigarette, taking a deep long drag and letting it slowly float free from her mouth.
Her head turned as she took one last look at Robin then she slowly made her way outside and headed out into the great white wilderness.
((California Fox continued elsewhere...))