Survival Of The Fittest

There's a notification on everyone's Instagram accounts.

Anyone clicking it will open up a short video, wherein Marcy Valerio smiles at the camera whilst laying back in a car's passenger seat. It was an old vehicle from the look of things, with faded seatbelt clip things and aged stains on the seats. Otherwise, it looked surprisingly immaculate for a car occupied by Marcy.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeey, hope y'all are having a blast at Stella's! Sorry I can't be there in person, but as you can see..."

She slowly pans the camera as she shifts to the side, revealing Finn Cooper in the driver's seat with a lit cigarette in his hand.

"...I'm a lil bit busy~" she continues, before turning to give her boyfriend a peck on the cheek. "Finn! Say hi to my friends!"

Finn slowly turned to face the camera, giving the slightest of nods and a lazy two-finger salute.

"...Finn says hi!" Marcy added, beaming as she turned the camera back towards herself. "Anyway, gotta get ready for the big countdown, sooo... Happy New Yeeeeeear!"

She then blows a kiss, before cutting the feed as she hits send.

Stella, you're spoiling us.

Stell’ if my breath didn’t reek of booze right now, I’d kiss you.

Oh. Wow.

This is a perfect view.

Stella let go of the curtain, let it drift out to the side. Honestly? View wasn't that great; half the city hidden behind shrubs. But Paradise knew dopamine cycles, knew semiotics, and it was good at what it did. To quote a famous man, "Despite the amount of suffering, pain, misery, sorrow and travail which can exist in life, the reason for existence is the same reason as one has to play a game — interest, contest, activity and possession. The truth of this assertion is established by an observation of the elements of games and then applying these elements to life itself."

You know, everybody wants their way in the American dream. Not everyone's gonna get it. Zero sum.

Future belongs to those who know how to control it.


The phone in her hand buzzed. Didn't check the notification, didn't acknowledge the kissing comment from Meggy. Shifted into contrapposto.

"Oh, it's not thaaaat-," interrupted herself, "-I mean, you'd be used to it too."

Just kept on staring out the window.

Kept smiling.

Sharp breath out through her nose. Coulda laughed. Like, cackled. Didn't. She wasn't crazy.

Joanne was gonna get so freaking jealous 'bout this.