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Fandom Qᴜᴀʀʀʏ ᴀᴛ ᴅᴀᴡɴ, 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧. [IC]

lost & found

ALTON CHAMBERS & JONATHAN EVERGREEN
T
here were consequences for his actions, and Alton knew that. So, he shouldn’t have been surprised when he woke up with a nasty crick in his neck from trying to read before sleeping. The book had been buried somewhere in the sheets, but he had remained partially upright. How? It was a mystery. Why? Karma, probably. One of the first things he thought about was Morgan. Now that some sleep had cleared his head, he probably needed to apologize to the other guy. Yet, when he glanced around the cabin, which hurt due to the aforementioned neck crick, he didn’t see him. Well, they were here for two weeks, it’s not like he’d miss his chance to get his apology out.

The next thing that had occurred to him in the clarity of a deep rest was what to do with the bottle of pills. Duh. Give them to Jonathan. The man was Renee’s father, after all, and he probably would appreciate being given his daughter’s medication. Alt would have to fight the urge to pry, but boy, did he want to. Not that he thought Jonathan would give anything away. He always seemed to put a strong barrier between being a dad and everything else. Fortunately, being interrupted by Libby and Marquis had not given him time to anonymize the bottle. Instead, he just showed up flaunting a knife. So, Alt couldn’t be accused of doing anything suspicious… with the pill bottle. Brandishing a knife was suspicious enough.

Alt stood, stretched, and tended to his morning routine. Washing up, applying moisturizer with some SPF to his face, fixing his hair, sliding on his clothes, and—well—he hesitated over the bug spray. Instead, he pocketed the small bottle in his black hoodie. He didn’t want to smell of citronella and eucalyptus right out of the gate. His blonde hair was not as shockingly pale as usual. Some low lights from his roots were coming in. He fixed it a little bit, purposefully giving it a messy look. Then, for a bit of drama, he applied a small amount of black eyeliner on his bottom eyelids to hopefully abate the questions about looking tired. Alt then grabbed his book, pocketknife, and fished the pill bottle from its hiding place. He slipped on some boots and considered himself done.

Alt did his rounds, put the pep in some of the camper’s steps, and was on the lookout for Morgan. He was making his way down Hallows Trail, when he heard Jonathan’s voice, along with someone else’s. Alton hesitated. The angel and the devil on his shoulder argued for a second before they swore they heard a chipper, flirtatious feminine voice. Immediately, they both agreed that Alt should snoop. Alt got as close as he could without being seen. That is when he saw a girl, possibly a new counselor, alone with Jonathan, looking flustered. That’s when she hugged him–tightly. And Jonathan returned it reflexively and warmly. “Ew,” was all he could get out at that moment. “What the fuck is going on there? He–” Alt silenced the words in his throat before he was caught. He heard a commotion as more people joined in on their group. Alt didn’t move as they talked, not wanting to draw attention to himself. A beat or two passed, and then he realized he was standing stock-still like a weirdo as Jonathan left the group.

“Fuck. The medicine.” Alt barked at himself and then hustled down the way, making sure to avoid–who he was sure was Leon–as he made his way down Hallows Trail.

It only took half a minute before Alt caught him walking. “Jonathan—” he remarked before coming to a stop. He was hot. The hoodie was a mistake. He started clawing it off his body, but then he realized how stupid that looked. “Hey,” was all he said halfway through undressing but the entire way through embarrassment.

Jonathan turns in surprise at Alton’s voice, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. His gaze travels just behind the man, to the group still loitering around the end of the trail but their attention focused elsewhere, and back to Alton. “Alt—” He notes the hoodie halfway off his body, black of all colours. “Black in the middle of summer? You’ll overheat before the day is through.” He remarks with a chuckle, stepping forward to help tug at the sleeves.

The hoodie came off shortly after that, the contents rattling to the ground. Alt smoothed his shirt down. It was just a plain gray tee underneath. “That’s the plan. Just Easy Bake Oven myself until I can just lay in the nurse's office all day. And seeing as I’m one of the nurses, I get all the juice boxes I want.” Alt didn’t know why this was what he was starting with. He had so many questions for the man, but first things first. He squatted down and scooped up his things. The book, pocketknife, and bug spray went back into the pocket of the hoodie, and then the hoodie was draped over his shoulder. “Look, I need to give you something, but first… how are you?”

Jonathan chews on his lip in thought and snorts a laugh at Alton’s comment. Being honest would take some much needed weight off his chest and Alton was bound to find out shortly in any case. “Lisa Xander is missing. So, you can imagine how I might feel at the moment.” His voice is clipped, the tiresome nights catching up to him now as he reveals the harsh truth of what his week has looked like. Standing in the site of his daughter's disappearance, with an added potential kidnapping on top of it.

“I’m sorry? Another person is missing? Jesus Fucking Christ.” Alt said that before realizing how insensitive it sounded. “I’m an idiot–I’m sorry.” The pill bottle felt like a ten-pound weight in his hand, and his fingers clasped over it so tightly it made them paler than usual.

Jonathan shakes his head reassuringly at Alton’s slip-up. There wasn’t a blueprint on what you should and shouldn’t say to grieving parents and he was forced to understand that in the first few weeks following last summer. “Billie Lennon is replacing her. I just walked her into camp, right there.” He nods at the group still at the path, noting Leon and Billie trading the plastic bags back and forth.

“I’m sorry,” Alt repeated as once was far from enough. “Billie?” he half-asked-half-said. So, that was the name of the counselor who had hugged Jonathan earlier. She had a look about her like she was staring at a high school crush when she had given him that hug. Alt felt disgusted, to say the least. “She seems enthusiastic.” He tried not to let a tone bleed into his words.

Don’t be sorry, Jonathan wants to assure but switches gears as Alton’s tone alters slightly when he mentions Billie’s enthusiasm.“What do you have for me?”

“Yeah. I found this.” Alt extended his hand and uncurled his fingers around the pill bottle. “I felt like it was only right to give it to you.”

“She’s a kind girl. Really helped me out by taking the job, I think she’s just excited for the opportunity.” He gives him a pointed look, one that says don’t be like that and takes the bottle from Alton’s hand, fingers skimming over his palm. His eyebrows pinch in recognition. Renee’s prescription drugs.

Despite Jonathan leveling a look at him, Alton was going to be like that. But it would be later and not under the watchful eye of the camp owner. He’d find out precisely what Billie was up to. And maybe she was just an excited “right place, right time” sort of hire. But it all felt very suspicious. Usually, Alt wouldn’t give a shit, but if Lisa’s disappearance interfered with his community service–he’d have to shovel trash in a ditch somewhere. Honestly, the insults to his ego wouldn’t stop.

“Thank you… for returning it.” Had the police not thought to grab this? Disgruntled by the evidence of the department's refusal to be thorough, and who they’re lobbying at him as their person of interest in Lisa’s disappearance, Jonathan’s mood sours completely. Once upon a time, it was Alton they were telling him might be the most likely suspect in his girls’ apparent deaths—before it had even hit twenty four hours missing—and he shot it down at the earliest opportunity, knowing Alton’s temper would never evolve into becoming physical. He didn’t appreciate what he heard, but it was just words.

“How about you? I’m sure not many are happy to see you’ve returned.”

“No. They are not. On the bright side, I think me blowing up at everyone takes precedence over the assumption that I’ve had anything to do with–well–everything. I–” He paused momentarily, his eyes searching Jonathan’s face as his lips searched for the right words. “Want to thank you for letting me do my community service here. I know everything has been rough.” He looked over his shoulder to the commotion further down the way and stepped into Jonathan. “But this does not mean we are even, favor-wise,” Alt spoke under his breath as he said this.

“We’re in public.” Jonathan cautions him with another pointed look, taking a reluctant step backwards. “It has been rough and I appreciate the concern. I’ll be in town to speak more with Officer Jones about Lisa and your community service.” Stealing a quick look around, Jonathan drops his voice, “you can meet me this weekend at the Motel Del.”

Alt, with his back turned to everyone, made a face that was a mix of frustration and teasing. He chewed his lip a little but conceded, sliding one hand into his pocket. He hated this feeling. It was a mixture of knowing what he wanted but not getting it. He was told to wait. Alt always had to wait. Wait to be gay. Wait to be angry. Wait for medical school. But, at least here there was a light at the end of the tunnel. “Of course,” he remarked, looking like the saddest puppy at the pound. “I’ll be there with bells on, as they say.” He sighed, the cadence of his voice returning to normal. He no longer masked it under his husky breath. “Officer Jones, I see. I’ll work on getting my game face on.” He chuckled. “But seriously, I hope he can actually help. You’ve been through enough.” Sure, that last bit was said at average volume, but who would disagree?

“So have you.” Jonathan wasn’t a stranger to accusations. The general public of Easthallow’s assumption rested with him—that he would kill his own daughters, for what? The theories were endless. He empathised with Alton’s situation, all things considered. “I, unfortunately, have an appointment to attend to.” Jonathan took hold of Alton's hand, the one that returned his daughters belongings, and threaded their fingers together. “This weekend.” He promises.

All of that bravado immediately evaporated when Jonathan slipped his fingers between Alt’s. The contrast of his pale skin against Jonathan’s own made him feel more like porcelain. It didn’t help that his gruff demeanor softened, and his cheeks elicited such a bright blush that one might have thought Alt had come down with a fever. Even with the pinkish-red scarring that marred his face, it was apparent that Alt was flustered. It was sad that he so quickly turned into a wobbly fawn of a person, but Alt had one button and it was firmly being pushed.

His thin fingers pressed against the back of Jonathan’s hand, and he brought their palms together. As much as he wanted to do so much more, it was already dangerous that they were this close. And as much as Alt enjoyed bucking against authority, he respected people’s rights to privacy. It would be ironic if he didn’t. “Of course,” he remarked blandly for every emotion that stuttered through his chest. “But I didn’t lose anyone close to me. If anything, I gained someone.” His eyes focused on Jonathan’s lips before he exhaled. “This weekend.” He confirmed. As much as he wanted to do something else to delay the point and keep Jonathan here, he also didn’t want to tax what they had. This wasn’t some insouciant fling, but he knew others would assume so if they saw them together. It was strange; Alt loathed that he wasn’t headed off to medical school, but at this moment, he was pretty content being here. “I don’t want to keep you, but I keep meaning to ask. Why did you reopen camp?”

Reluctantly, Jonathan pulls his hand free. The skin of his palm prickles to seek out that warmth again, so he stubbornly shoves his hands into his back pockets. “Hope, I suppose. My daughters are still here. Someone might have seen what happened, or… remember something, a memory might come back.” A whole lot of maybe and hopes propelled him into the decision of reopening—selling wasn’t an option, closing permanently certainly wasn’t an option, no matter the risk he was putting others through.

Swallowing hard, Jonathan takes a step away, putting himself into a position to leave—he didn’t want to leave him waiting. “Keep your wits about you. It’s not safe.”

It wasn’t safe? What the hell does that mean? Maybe he meant it because of what happened to his daughters. Despite his extreme dislike for Renee, that didn’t mean she needed to be wiped from existence, and Paige felt like an accidental bystander in all of this. Alt would have called him stubborn and fool-hearted if he actually thought that. No, he thought something else–he felt something else… deeply.

Alt curled his fingers into his palms, the warmth leaving his hands almost immediately. He hated that. Honestly, he wasn’t a needy lover–desperate for attention. But it was hard to stand in the middle of the woods and not do more. This felt like a high school dance where they had to put Jesus between them. At that time, Alt noted the lack of noise and turned his head to see that Leon and the gang had moved on. Much like when a child wrapped themselves in a blanket to feel brave, Alt wrapped himself in the forest's silence and decided to be courageous. He closed the gap between him and Jonathan, fully intending to pull him into an embrace that would hopefully take away some of the other man’s weariness and depression. Yet, when he brought his hands up, two figures crept into his vision.

Fucking Miriam. He didn’t recognize the other person. And that… guy. Alt dropped his hands. “Thought I saw a bug,” he said flatly. “My mistake. Anyway, I hope you have a good day, Mr. Evergreen. Thanks for answering my question.” He lifted a hand as if to politely wave goodbye, trying to focus away from the encroaching couple and back at Jonathan. He smiled a soft little smile at the man and mouthed something that only he could see before turning his attention to the intruders, immediately scowling.

Jonathan clears his throat at the misplaced comment of his welcoming committee from Hugo’s very own son. He smiles tightly, pursing his lips and thinking I deserve that for entertaining this as long as I have. “See you, Alton.” Waiting until the two pass by, he mouths to Alton, this weekend and heads down the trail, towards his appointment.

Alt hesitated, letting Jonathan leave, and New Guy and Miriam get far enough away before he cautiously slid his hoodie back on. He pushed the hood away from his hair, idly fixing it with his fingers. He took the bugspray from his pocket and spritzed his skin. He held it gingerly in the hand that Jonathan had touched and scanned the label, almost as if looking for an indication--an answer as to why this was his life. Alt threw the bottle as hard as he could, the joint in his shoulder tugging before feeling like it snapped out of place. He didn't care. He grunted as he tossed it, a visceral and pained noise between his clenched teeth.

Then he pulled back and punched the nearest tree, the bark shredding his knuckles. Blood started to pool around the parts that looked like pale ground meat, but he did it again. The pain snapped him back, and he cradled his hand for a moment before pulling his hoodie sleeve over it. Dejected and angry, he moved towards the dining hall.

outfit:
location:
Hallows Trail

 






leon m.




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  • home (filler tab)



































noah kahan



the view between villages








An awkward tension simmers just under the surface of his welcoming facade. It was a relief knowing there'd always be more people to pick up the available positions, to keep the camp alive even if it failed in return. He rubs the back of his neck, anxious about this next part, and leads what is left of his group—namely Billie by his side with Vivienne trailing behind—towards the Dining Hall, half-remembering to stop every few seconds and point out landmarks with a rough explanation of who, why, what, when and where.

Inside the Dining Hall, his nervous energy reaches a fever pitch. He searches for Levi in the crowd, swallowing his unease. This is how I have to tell him about Lisa? His eyes find Lisa's inner circle, feeling a stab of guilt. Connie, his friend, inconsolable after losing Ricky and Paige in one fell swoop. Ramona, the two inseparable. God, Rowan. . . Leon gestures for the group to find a seat, too far gone in his overwhelming thoughts on how to approach the situation to muster up any words that wouldn't be fuck this, why is this my job—

Paige. That's why. Knowing he's going to fail her twice now, Leon awkwardly shifts to the middle of the Hall, between the campers and counsellors' seating. "Good morning, guys! Uh, hopefully we're all settled and adjusted after yesterday. Today will be a little slow moving," he sorts through the papers until he finds the schedule, holding it with shaky hands, "at nine thirty we have Arts & Crafts with Leilani and Isla at the helm. Nature with our new addition to the counsellors, Miriam Berry." Finding some confidence, Leon throws a stern look at choice campers in the tables, ones that like to pick on who they deem 'fresh meat'. "Fifty kids assigned each, campers had their schedules sent ahead of time and if you need a new copy, check in with Liberty at med-bay to make a note for Eva to print new ones for you, got it?"

Waiting to hear the 'yes, Leon' from the campers, he continues. "Free time. Lunch. Times have been pushed up by thirty minutes to accommodate the curfew we now have. I expect each of you to stick to it." Hypocrite. "At one thirty, we have Sports—a little bit of a roster change again. Rowan, Ricky, and Levi," campers look between themselves and whispers of, 'Levi's not teaching music?' echo around the hall. His smile is involuntary, finding his best friend in the crowd with a reassuring wink. "Clarisse is now a substitute. She's too well-rounded to be delegated to only one job so all of you will be seeing her a lot more often." Which offered some peace of mind for Leon. He wouldn't be running around and grasping at straws with Clarisse to fall back on.

He swallows as the schedule nears the end, nearing the inevitable. "Um. And then... swimming, another roster change." He takes great care not to roll his eyes as he says, "Johanna Auer will be the sole swimming instructor. We're all aware by now that Juliette has been moved to the kitchen. A thirty-thirty split this time around. Lowering our numbers on account of um, well—" How much could he even say? "Safety."

"Finally, at four thirty we have Survivalist activities with Riley, Jason, and Nicolas—Hugo Burns' son, a warm welcome from all of you is expected. It won't be me you have to worry about." Another stern look. If Hugo frightened him, he expected the campers to have the good sense to know better than hound on Nicolas. "Archery won't be held until tomorrow, but Kayden will be around as an extra set of hands. Don't bug him about shooting bows and arrows all day, surviving is more than that."

"Farming. . ." another swallow, his chin dimpling with the effort to not choke up. He couldn't be expected to deliver this news. To watch the people who loved her most wrestle with reality. "A lot of changes, actually. Ramona stays the same. Uh, then we have Lou and Billie—" his stern look lacks conviction with his stomach performing concurrent backflips. "Lisa Xander will not be returning." And he drops his hands, signalling the end of Orientation until the campers finish eating their breakfast.

Normally, he would take his seat beside the nearest counsellor and strike up a conversation with the campers, force food down the throats of everyone with a physical activity that day so they'd burn the energy they needed. He longed to sit beside Levi, to sneak him the news before the others—but the campers would hear and Leon was too chicken to reveal publicly how not safe this camp is. Instead, he takes his position by the door, leant up on the wall besides the bulletin board and stares at the papers in his hands, playing the scene in his mind of how. How am I supposed to tell them this camp lost another girl?

Once the campers file out one by one, he gestures for each counsellor about to follow suit to hang back. When the room is clear, he drops his bravado and slaps a hand to his forehead, rubbing at the tension building there. "Uh, I'm sure there's questions about Lisa. She's. . ." just spit it out. "She's been declared missing. Six days. The police are working on it, but," but that meant nothing when Renee and Paige haven't been found yet. "If any of you have heard from her in the past few days, or even last month, then tell Eva or head to med-bay to use the phone and call Officer Jones. I'm sure anything helps."

Stomach pinching uncomfortably, he offers, "tradition stands. Truth or Dare at the Sunspot, costumes on as usual. I'm sure we could all use the distraction and a drink."





♡coded by uxie♡
 
MOOD: juliette (nervous, but relaxed) marquis (comfortable but optimistic)

OUTFIT: n/a

LOCATION: kitchen to the dining hall
basics
INTERACTING
Wyll Wyll
tags
TL;DR marquis and juliette make breakfast together. we thinking- waffles? (+ leon dropping a bomb)
tl;dr
morning breakfast
marquis solis & juliette yorkes
For Quis, the rest of the early morning and into the morning devolved into a restless and spiraling cycle of taking a short nap, waking up to check the window, trying to go back to sleep, rinsing and repeating until the sun started looking back at him.

Annoyed by the sun marauding his eyes of their sight as he made the naive mistake of looking directly into the star, and far too mentally tired to even attempt finding some way to fall back asleep, he tumbled, gracelessly, out of bed. That wasn’t an exaggeration either: he did in fact *tumble* out of bed, landing on his back and filled with such apathy that even the fall couldn’t knock the wind out of him. He just let out a slow, resigned, defeated sigh as he pulled himself to his feet, mouthing an apology to any cabin mates he had woken up.

The sun was still in the stretching phases of waking up, the sky still decorated with pink and orange and purple hues kissing the clouds; clearly nowhere near the start of the camp day, but it was close enough for Marquis. The zombie dragged himself to the shower, his feet scraping across the floor lightly, but - thankfully - not enough to cause more of a ruckus than he already had. When he emerged, he was an entirely new creature, almost as if some transformative work had happened in that shower. In fact, all that happened was him making up his mind to fake it until he made it. Business as usual, really.

I could probably get used to this, Juliette thought as she started her morning, so different from past summers. Normally, she’d be curled up in her bunk, letting the day slip by while she caught up on sleep. But things have changed this year. There were new responsibilities—ones she felt surprisingly ready for, even if it meant sacrificing some of her favorite activities like swimming. It’s probably for the best.

Still, she reminded herself why she was here, why she was given this chance. Jonathan Evergreen had been more than gracious, allowing her to return despite…everything. The sisters, her mind whispered, a cringe forming at the thought. Why am I even thinking about that right now? She shook her head, swallowing the uncomfortable memories as she ascended the stairs that led to the kitchen.

Her mind drifted back to the night before. It had been unexpectedly pleasant, Clarisse helping to clean up after dinner. Could’ve been worse, she mused, her lips curling into a brief frown as she remembered Mona making her way to the dining hall at night—could have spoken to Mona, again.

Shaking the disturbing thought from her mind, Juliette navigated her way through the kitchen with newfound ease. Her gaze flickered to the oven, checking the time. Something simple today, and quick, she decided, making a beeline for the pantry. Humming softly to herself, she tapped her fingers thoughtfully against her chin. Cereal? She wrinkled her nose at the thought. Too lame, even for me.

Her eyes darted to the side, catching sight of bottles of syrup on the counter. Waffles. A small grin tugged at her lips as the idea settled. Perfect. She wasted no time, gathering the ingredients, eager to keep herself busy. The familiar rhythm of cooking was comforting, a welcome distraction from the “what ifs” and the weight of the past she’d been trying to shake off.

Marquis walked without direction and without purpose, pretty much steered by the wind. He needed something to do with all the restless energy that was bubbling under the surface - adrenaline from the scare earlier battling his sleep deprivation and, for right now at least, the adrenaline was winning. Still, he had no idea where he was going or how he would burn the nervous energy.

Until a streak of blonde arrested his attention, that is.

His heart skipped several beats, thinking it was one of the sisters at first. The resemblance was striking and rendered him unable to move as waves of panic and joy; disbelief and relief; crashed over him. He wanted, with everything in him, for it to be one of them; for the nightmare to be over; for it to turn out that they had played one massive, year-long prank on everyone.

However, when he did manage to collect his thoughts and calm his rampaging heartbeat, the reality of the situation sat with him. Juliette. A sad smile carved itself on his face as he watched her make her way to the kitchen. Of all the people he had missed from camp, she was one of the ones he had missed the most. He couldn’t understand why she’d dye her hair though - her natural flame-kissed hair had suited her so well. The blonde still looked good on her, but he surely would miss the auburn locks.

Whatever the case may be, he had a direction now. He’d been wanting to catch up with her for a while and hadn’t seen her yesterday in order for him to do that. Perhaps this was his chance. I remember hearing something about her being the camp cook this year? Maybe she could use some help. She was one of the few people he would actually go out of his way to help, plus, it was something to do.

She had a pretty big headstart on him, but long legs helped him cover distance. He got to the kitchen about the same time as she finished gathering her ingredients. He was about to swing the door open when he got a genius idea.

A wicked grin climbed his face as he started creeping towards the door, making his steps as silent as possible. He gently urged the door open, sliding in soundlessly as he continued his approach toward her. He’d been so focused on trying to sneak up on her that the kitchen stool to his left hadn’t appeared in his vision and, as such, he stubbed his toe against it - hard enough for it to immediately bring him to his knees and loud enough that Juliette definitely heard. Even if she didn’t hear him stub his toe, she most definitely heard the groan that was pulled from his throat as he tried not to cry out in pain.

Juliette let herself get lost in the baking, whisking the ingredients into the bowl while occasionally cracking a few eggs, her hands working on autopilot as the quiet of the morning enveloped her. Today, the silence in her head wasn’t as unsettling as it usually was. In fact, it felt…peaceful, a welcome break from the whirlwind of emotions that had overwhelmed her yesterday.

She let out a soft sigh, hoping today would be a bit more manageable, less chaotic. No dramatic outbursts, no racing heart. She shuddered at the memory of how her anxiety had taken over, how she’d spiraled—thinking about Renee. Always Renee. No one understood what they had, what they were. It was easy for people to comment on her new look—the bleached blonde hair that had replaced her old rusty orange curls—like it was just a style choice. They didn’t see how much more it meant, how much Renee had shaped her. Put a pin in it.

Juliette cringed. Yesterday had been something, but today…today could be different. She hoped.

Just as she was about to head towards the other end of the room, Juliette froze mid-step, a faint noise catching her off guard. Her grip on the mixing bowl tightened as she spun around, her eyes landing on the figure that had startled her. "Jesus—what are you doing here, Quis?" she huffed, trying to mask her surprise with a snort.

Placing the bowl down on the counter, she approached Marquis, eyebrow raised in mock disapproval. He was sprawled on the floor, looking sheepish next to a stool that had toppled over beside him. Juliette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, even though she tried to hold it back. "Did you really try to scare me?" she mused, shaking her head. "And—" she gestured to the stool, unable to stop the small smile that formed. "Are you okay?"

Quis needed a moment before he would be able to respond to any line of questioning. All he could hear right now was the pain in his foot - the fact that he could hear pain should probably have been an indication that he had stubbed it harder than normal, but he wasn’t quite comprehensive enough to put those pieces together.

He held up a single finger, requesting the much needed moment through gesture, as speech was still unavailable to him. It took a few seconds but, eventually, the pain quieted just enough for him to begin breathing again.

Her arms uncrossed as she extended a hand, offering to help him up. "You planning to help with breakfast, or is everyone waiting on me?"

He looked up and, seeing a hand, gratefully accepted it. Being bigger in just about every metric, he had to be careful that he didn’t just pull her down with him, so he ended up doing most of the work anyway. “Oh, nobody’s out there,” he replied, slowly walking with her towards the counter where she had been working. “Half the camp is probably still in bed. Just came to keep you company. Figured it must get kinda boring in here. Especially in the morning. Plus I…” He trailed off. I couldn’t sleep? I can’t tell her that! It will lead to way too many questions that I just don’t have answers for. “I was up anyway.”

Juliette trailed a few steps behind, her eyes fixed on Marquis as he moved toward the counter where bowls of batter sat waiting. "Was...just up, huh?" she asked, her tone light but probing. She and Marquis had a history that extended beyond camp, and she'd gotten pretty good at reading him. Something seemed off, but she knew better than to push too soon.

Instead, she joined him at the counter, quietly retrieving the waffle maker and sliding it between them. "I won’t push it, but I hope everything’s alright," she added, flashing him a small, tight-lipped smile before diverting her gaze, focusing on plugging in the waffle maker. The quiet hum of the appliance filled the silence between them as they waited.

“I appreciate the help, though,” she said, her voice softening as a flicker of nervousness washed over her. She absentmindedly pushed some loose strands of hair out of her face, her other hand rubbing at her elbows. “It’s kind of weird being back.” Her words hung in the air, the unspoken truth heavy between them. With no Renee.

Quis was grateful that she had decided not to dig any deeper into why he was here and why so early. Partly because he didn’t have any satisfying answers, and partly because he wanted to get whatever had happened earlier in the morning out of his head. In fact, he would be doing his utmost to avoid Mr. Evergreen today, just so he didn’t have to be the one to inform him.

He hummed in agreement to the fact that it felt weird being back. They had all tried to be “adults” and move past it but it felt like whatever progress they had each made the last year was undone by coming to camp and now they were all trying to make their way back up. It wasn’t all bad though. It was good to see everyone back and trying to move forward. And, so far - minus the little thing with Liberty yesterday - things seemed to have been going well. If they could keep that up for the rest of camp, this might turn out amazing.

He wondered, briefly, if this was the right time to also mention that he’d missed her and was worried about her and was sorry he hadn’t reached out the entire year. However, that felt a little…much for this being the first time they saw each other the camp year. If it came up later, then he’d deal with it then. For now, he was going to try and not make it awkward. “So. New hair, huh? I like it.”

The silence stretched between them, comfortable but thick with unspoken thoughts, until Marquis finally spoke up. His comment about her hair caught Juliette off guard, and she turned to him, her expression softening into a genuine smile. “Oh, you like it?” she asked, her hand reflexively reaching up to fiddle with the strands, a hint of nervousness creeping in. It seemed like everyone had something to say about her new look, especially the blonde color that Joey had helped out with over the summer.

"New year, new me," Juliette joked, though her laugh was a bit stifled, hoping it wasn’t some jab. She busied herself with pouring batter into the waffle maker, watching as Marquis followed along. “I got sick of the orange,” she admitted, it makes me feel closer to her.

He heard the hesitation in her laugh and offered an encouraging smile, bumping her shoulder a little bit. “Hey, I mean it,” he affirmed. “Like, don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss the orange a lot. But a change of pace now and then can be good.” He began getting busy with the waffle maker as well, closing it once Juliette was done pouring, as he talked. “Plus. You have one of those faces that would look good even if you were bald.”

Juliette couldn't help but smile, her mood lightening as Marquis bumped into her shoulder playfully. "Thanks, Marquis," she said, glancing at him with a raised brow, catching his cheeky comment. "Please, me bald? Yeah, right." She bumped him back, her snort breaking through as she returned to their task.

Shaking her head with a grin, she added, “Quit being a flatterer, you,” though there was a hint of amusement in her tone. Perhaps today wouldn’t be so bad afterall.

He flipped the waffle maker and paused, a thought crossing his mind. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms. “However…that does leave us without our resident camp redhead.” He paused for a little bit before throwing his glance at Juliette and pulling up a strand of his hair. “...think I could pull it off?”

Juliette leaned against the counter, elbows resting on the surface as she watched Marquis flip the waffle. A flicker of surprise crossed her face when he brought up the "resident camp redhead" joke, a small inner joke between friends. She smiled at the familiarity of it, but her eyes followed as he tugged at his own strand, clearly gearing up for another playful remark. Shaking her head, she held back a laugh of her own. "Hmm, probably not," she mused, narrowing her eyes at him with a mock serious expression. "Blonde, maybe though."

“Blonde, huh?” He let the thought sit for a while before shrugging. “Knowing me, I'd probably find some way to mess it up. I'll go for blonde and end up with…I dunno, neon yellow or something.” He shuddered at the thought. “Yeah, no. I think I'll stick with what I've got.”

He noticed the sun slowly climbing and glanced around, finding the time on the oven clock and humming as he did some calculations. People would start waking up soon and, while they probably had enough time, it might by cutting it close. Especially if they kept goofing around.

He'd seen her grab the waffle maker, so he moved to that cabinet, squatted to reach it and pulled the doors open. A disappointed frown settled upon his face as he muttered. “I could have sworn that I saw a second one in here. Hmm…” He looked back up at her, his head tilting to one side. “Any clue if we have a second waffle maker in here? Maybe a third and a fourth? Should help us save time. Plus, I won't feel so bad if I end up accidentally having a few.”

Juliette froze in place when Marquis asked his question, her mind quickly catching up as she furrowed her brows. Of course, there were more waffle makers. How did she forget that? "God, you’re so right," she muttered, flashing him an apologetic smile before heading towards the back of the kitchen. Why did I only bring out one? Idiot.

As she passed by the key rack, her eyes flickered over it briefly before refocusing on her task. When she reached the cabinet, her gaze zeroed in on the two extra waffle makers sitting on the shelf. Standing on her tiptoes, she stretched out her hand, fingers brushing the cool metal as she carefully nudged one of the appliances closer. With a victorious grin, she pulled it down, quietly cheering herself on before grabbing the second one.

Marquis watched her struggle to get the waffle makers down from where they were, an amused smirk on his face. He could, technically, have gone over to help her, but this was the more amusing option and so, it was the option he chose. Plus, it seemed like she was extremely proud of herself for being able to get down the waffle irons, he didn’t want to take that away from her. Maybe he’d offer to help when they were cleaning up after breakfast. But for now, he simply watched.

Returning to the kitchen with a grin on her face, Juliette caught Marquis' attention. “I’m such an idiot—we have three of these,” she said with a sheepish laugh, holding up the extra makers as she moved back to the counter and plugged them in. "Definitely won't be much longer until breakfast now."

“Hey, no. None of that. I don’t have any friends that are idiots. So, either you’re an alien that took control of my friend’s body. In which case…cool, but I’d also like you to give her the body back.” He half-joked, but his eyes made it clear that he wasn’t about to accept her calling herself an idiot, even if she didn’t fully mean it.

“Oh, please. I’d make a pretty cool alien, I won’t lie.” Shaking her head, she thought, he must be in a better mood. When she asked him about orientation, her smile softened with curiosity. "Are you…excited? New summer, and all.” To start over, move on. But Juliette knew that wasn’t entirely true.

At the question, be paused. It was a longer pause than he expected as he went through the very many feelings he felt being back at camp this year. Right now, it seemed to only serve as a reminder of everything that happened last year and how helpless he was to save two people that were right in front of him. However, he was choosing to believe that this year would be better, almost like a chance to make up for last year’s failure.

Juliette sensed the hesitation lingering in the air, an unspoken weight between them, the only distraction being the steady sizzle of the waffle maker. They both fell into a rhythm—pour, flip, remove, repeat. Her thoughts wandered as she worked, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty herself. Maybe I'm not the only one who's clearly beaten up about being back.

She glanced sideways at Marquis, catching the quiet tension in his movements. Sometimes, she wondered why she even bothered coming back to camp. New hair, new her—sure, but there was still the overwhelming need to understand what really happened that week. What set Renee off so badly? You already know.

Juliette’s lips pressed into a thin line as the familiar weight of confusion settled in. She opened her mouth, ready to dismiss the thought entirely, maybe even tell him to forget about it, but before she could speak, he did.

He couldn’t say all that though. She definitely didn’t need such an emotional dump and it was a side of him that was still a little too raw for him to trust others with. “I’m…excited for a better camp than last year.” His gaze softened and his smile grew as he turned to look toward her. “And to spend the summer with some really amazing people.”

Thank god. Juliette let out a small breath of relief when Marquis finally responded, the tension in the silence melting away. She hadn’t realized how much it had been getting to her, building up anxiety for no real reason. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she listened to him, nodding slightly in agreement. “Yeah…hopefully better than last year,” she echoed, her voice softer, more thoughtful. Although she was coming into this year not entirely too trusting of others, she also wasn’t exactly going to be nearly as strong or forthcoming as Renee either.

At his playful comment, a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips. “Oh? Amazing people, huh?” She quirked a brow and shot him a glance as she moved to grab the trays, ready to start placing the freshly made waffles into them. “Do I get to know who these ‘amazing’ people are, or is it some big secret?” she added, her tone light as she began organizing the trays.

He chuckled and shrugged, beginning to place waffles in the trays as Juliette got them organised. “Mmm, nah, I think I'll keep that information to myself. Can't have you stealing them from me, y'know. Maybe I'll change my mind if you're nice to me.”

“Hmm, maybe.” Hopefully, we’ll see. Juliette gave him a small look as she helped stack the trays before stepping away to grab a handful of prepped syrup bottles, placing them beside the completed trays. “Besides, I’m always nice.” Ask Renee, she wanted to say, but a frown broke out as her thoughts inevitably returned to Renee. Yorkie.

Swallowing her words, she spun on her sneakers to face Marquis, her smile now a bit more forced. “Think we’re done and ready to head down?” Her eyes scanned the many stacks of trays, anxiety simmering deep inside. Who said being a cook was easy, knowing people were waiting on you? “This job is so daunting. I really do appreciate the help.”

Marquis grabbed two of the trays, lifting them up with relative ease as he smiled and nodded at her. “Yeah, I’d say we’re ready. And yeah, it’s no joke. You might just be seeing me around more often. Can’t have you trying to use just one waffle iron again,” he teased, a small laugh leaving him. “Come on. Let’s go feed some people. I’ll help you clean up later.”

Unsure whether they’d carry the trays down by hand or whether they had a cart, Marquis resolved to follow her lead but was watching carefully. He wanted to actually be able to help out. Plus, he’d had fun while doing so. He’d even almost forgotten about the incident earlier in the morning…almost.

"Hardy har har," Juliette rolled her eyes playfully at his comment, already unplugging the waffle makers and setting them aside to cool off. “But seriously, I’d appreciate the help. I can definitely see myself getting cabin fever, being cooped up in here for too long.” Her joke was weak, but she did her best to match his sense of humor, flashing him a small grin.

Marquis gasped in mock horror as she mentioned cabin fever. He would have even gone as far as grabbing his chest if his hands weren’t already preoccupied. “Cabin fever? I hear that can be very deadly. We can’t have you coming down with that. I guess now I have to be in here. I simply couldn’t live with myself otherwise.”

As she glanced over at him holding the trays, a thought struck her. We’ve got carts by the stairs, don’t we? "Oh—let me get us some help," she said quickly, brushing past him a little hastily. Spotting the cart, she wheeled it back into the kitchen, giving a light, playful gesture toward it.

He laughed, appreciating the little theatrics. It had been a while since he had the pleasure of seeing this side of her. A warm smile settled on his face but he got busy placing the trays on the cart before he ended up staring for too long.

Without another word, she helped him load the trays onto the cart, adding bottles of syrup beside them for good measure. Once everything was in place, she gave him a quick nod, her good mood still present. “Ready to serve breakfast?”

He nodded, a confident smile on his face as he began pushing the cart out. “Born ready.” It didn’t take long before he could hear Leon’s voice. His smile grew even brighter, the sound of Leon’s voice like a lighthouse letting him know they would soon be making their grand appearance. He smiled back at Juliette. This was shaping up to be a pretty good day after all.

Juliette matched his energy, a confident smile settling into place as they made their way down the stairs. She kept a steady hand on the cart, helping guide it down carefully before they split off to handle their respective tasks. She pointedly ignored a few glances from people she wasn’t keen on seeing this early in the morning, saving her pettiness for later in the day.

As she moved around, placing trays on the tables, Leon’s voice drifted faintly in the background. He was discussing the new arrivals and what was to come, and—

“-declared missing. Six days.”

What? Juliette froze, her body going rigid as the once-bustling dining hall fell into somewhat of an eerie silence. Slowly, her eyes flickered toward Marquis on the other side of the room, a frown settling on her face. It’s happening again.

Marquis made his way back over to Juliette after dropping the waffles and instinctively stood between Juliette and the rest of the crowd. He met her gaze with equally confused eyes yet managed a smile. There was a warmth in the smile. It was the kind of smile that said Hey, it’s okay. I got you.

After last year, he had resolved that it would be impossible for him to save everyone. That was too much pressure for him to bear on his shoulders alone. But the person right in front of him, Juliette. At the very least, he could protect her. He stood a little closer to her, almost as if acting as the shield between her and whatever bad news was out there.

He wasn’t of the opinion that she wanted or even needed a “savior”, but he simply refused to feel as powerless as he did last year. This was as much for him as it was for her.
code by valen t.
 
Parting with Liberty, Clarisse simply stood by herself to give herself time to think after getting a cup of coffee. Ricky and Liberty had been great companions for the morning, proving to be a great distraction. She did want to prevent herself from being too alone, too into her own thoughts— but amidst the campers and counselors, the idle chatter between them all proved enough to pull her away from herself. Some older kids were telling some new ones about what to look forward to. Clarisse thought back to when she was younger, sitting at the same seats they were, listening to Renee rattle on about the camp with Paige nodding along and providing context. She held those memories close to her heart; back when they were so much younger and everything was a lot simpler.

When had those conversations gone from the activities the counselors were preparing to talking about their fellow campers, vile rumors taking root in the minds of everyone around them?

Clarisse shifted awkwardly in her stance and, thankfully, Leon was already making his appearance. She didn't claim to know him all that well but she grew up around him— his presence becoming calming just like... well, that was if she could put what happened between him and Joey aside. Still, Leon had seemed oddly nervous. Was it because it was his first time taking on the supervisor role? But he was more than used to making announcements. Did something happen, Leon? The mere thought that there was something else caused her to tense up.

He rattled on about the schedule and everything was normal so far and that lulled her into some sense of calm. Maybe she was just overthinking things? A couple of schedule changes, a couple of new people, and new assignments— Clarisse let herself wonder about the new counselors for a moment. They weren't at the orientation the day before, they probably just arrived. She scanned the counselors who were sitting down, indeed spotting some new faces. There were two other people assigned to their cabin. I wonder if they're both in our cabin. Clarisse tilted her head, her gaze lingering on the brunette. Maybe it would be nice for that to be true.

She shifted her attention back to Leon as he went on to talk about swimming. Knowing that Joey was coming back gave Clarisse some peace of mind. No matter what others might say about Joey, her energy and eccentric nature kept her oddly grounded. She should catch up with her later. Clarisse didn't get many chances to visit Joey as much as she did before because of the... circumstances regarding the Evergreen family and she had always felt a little guilty for that.

"Lisa Xander will not be returning."

The way he had said it, the way Leon just stood by himself as the campers continued to eat, everything felt wrong. Was this just a matter of Lisa quitting? No, that wouldn't have been the phrasing. Some part of her wished that it was only her paranoia talking, that she was too wound up because of what had happened to Paige and Renee. That all of this was just a big misunderstanding. When the campers filed out, she closed in on Leon who was calling them all to gather.

And there it was. The news.

Clarisse gripped her mug tighter. Six days? It had been six days and they only tell us now? She wasn't close to Lisa at all. In fact, they kept their distance from each other as much as possible. The farming counselor had no love for the Evergreen sisters— any of them— which would naturally cause friction between the two of them. All that to say, losing another counselor so soon? This was what she had been talking about. Camp still wasn't safe and now they were paying the price for it. But... six days...?

"She went missing in Easthallow?" She couldn't help but say out loud. Clarisse hadn't kept up with the news in Easthallow, or most of everyone who wasn't in the immediate area aside from a select few. In all her years visiting Oregon both in and out of the summer, she barely heard something as big as disappearances happening in the small town of Easthallow. Now they had Renee and Paige last year, then Lisa this year? Was it just a freak coincidence? Or was there really just a mystery person, the rumored "serial killer", still around and loose and wreaking havoc?

Maybe she wasn't thankful that Joey was here after all. In fact, she hoped that a lot of them didn't return to this camp. And what about the campers? They were young and reckless, she should know she was one of them before, and this meant that they were in more danger than most of them. This was too much of a safety risk. The mere idea of losing any more people made her feel sick to her stomach. Is this really worth it, Mr. Jonathan? Is it really the right choice to open the camp again?
clarisse
LOCATION: Dining Hall

INTERACTIONS: Leon, Counselors

TAGS: lostbird lostbird
code by valen t.
 






billie lennon




filler



filler



filler



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filler



filler






  • home (filler tab)



































blondie



call me








Behind her, Billie noticed a group of people grab Leon's attention, and she spun around, curious to see who was joining their growing circle. Oh. Her thoughts came to a screeching halt the moment she recognized the girl—her unmistakable style and much darker demeanor immediately reminding Billie who she was. The devil worshiper? Wait—that's so fucking mean, fuck.

Her stomach twisted, and she awkwardly avoided her gaze, her mouth twisting into a tight, uncomfortable line as the awkwardness settled over her like suffocating pressure. Holy shit, that's fucking Miriam. She hadn't expected this, not in a million years—especially because it's so unlike her scene. She certainly didn't think they would remember her from back then, or worse, realize she was part of a crowd that had a few things to say to the Miriam Berry back in Easthallow. Her fingers tightened around her makeshift, half-falling-apart bag, knuckles whitening as she tried to ignore the tremors running through her hands. God, seriously? Anxiety? She scolded herself internally, forcing her expression to stay calm. It's not like you bullied the girl, you just—

Billie fought back a flinch, her fingers picking nervously at her nails as her thoughts spiraled, ready to blame. You were just a bystander...kind of...letting it happen. Great. The realization only made the anxiety worse, a knot forming in her stomach as the weight of her inaction settled in. She hated that she couldn’t shake the guilt, the way her mind kept circling back to what she hadn't done, and how it felt just as bad as if she had joined in herself. Maybe I could apologize, a good place to start?

The thought was hopeful, but Billie didn’t feel confident enough to pull it off—not yet, at least. A wave of restlessness hit her, and without a second thought, she took her cue to follow after Annie, flashing Leon a brief, apologetic look before making a quick escape toward the second cabin. She hoped nobody was trailing too closely behind her.

Opening the door, she was met with a rather large room. The cabin was homely, its cozy exterior belying the clear influence of Mr. Evergreen’s money. As Billie stepped inside, she forced herself to take a breath, scanning the room for a free bunk to claim. The knot of anxiety loosened slightly as she spotted one, but the sound of approaching footsteps set her on edge again. Panicking, she hastily tossed her bags onto a top bunk, marking it as hers, before spinning on her heel and beelining for the door. She could deal with unpacking later. Right now, her mind was focused on catching up with Leon before he headed to the dining hall.

Please still be here, Billie thought, her pace quickening as she skipped down the steps to follow the descending figure. "Hey!" she called out softly. From her vantage point, she noticed something off about Leon—the way he rubbed his neck, shoulders hunched as though he wanted to disappear. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here. Billie swallowed the urge to pry, her worry tugging at her thoughts. Instead, she calmly walked up to him, her hands rubbing at her elbows to ease her own tension. I hope he's okay, whatever’s going on, she thought, glancing at him with quiet concern.

They walked toward the dining hall together, with Vivienne trailing a bit behind, occasionally offering the taller woman a small, reassuring smile. Leon’s voice filled the space between them as he explained the staff details—who worked where, when their shifts were—but Billie found herself only half listening, distracted by his body language. He’s anxious, I can tell, she noted, nodding along though her mind wandered. This must be about Lisa, she concluded then, thinking back to her phone call with Mr. Evergreen—their conversation this morning on the walk. Are they really leaving it up to him to tell everyone?

Before Billie realized it, they were at the dining hall, and Leon’s posture seemed to shrink even more than before. Guess we're both too in our heads, she thought, offering a quick, reassuring touch, her fingers brushing lightly against his wrist. It was the smallest gesture, but she hoped it might ease some of the tension she could feel radiating from him. She watched him walk off before quietly taking her seat beside Vivienne at a near-empty table. The uneasy feeling gnawed at her, and she glanced around the room, the building buzzing with various people. "I have a bad feeling about this," she muttered under her breath, more to herself than to Vivienne, though she knew the other would hear it.

And then Lisa was announced missing.





♡coded by uxie♡
 










JOEY AUER















time

9:15am






location

cabins






outfit

Screen Shot 2024-10-24 at 2.00.45 AM.png






mentions


none atm






role

the basketcase









Joey opened her eyes gradually--one eye after the other--as if her face were wary the daylight was too intense to take in all at once. Through the cream-colored diamond lattice, she rested her eyes on a bluebird taking it’s feed from the birdhouse still hanging over the window sill. She stretched, gathering the soft baby pink sheets only to fling them off the bed in a fit of excess. Get up Joey. Get the fuck up. She huffed and with one collective effort, threw herself right off the bed.

“Owwww..” –she croaked, glancing at the clock on her bedside table. The time read 0:00 in blinking succession, yet her sleepless mind decided to make peace with the potential thought that time was on her side. She took one last stretch, then sat up as her black raggamuffin curled his way into her lap. “nnnNO bebe. If we cuddle for even a second I’ll fall back asleep..” she cooed. Bebe. Betty Boop. Her fluffy prince, once mistakenly assumed to be female. Joey pouted at the thought of leaving him in the house for the summer once again.

Gently, she placed Bebe on the floor and finally stood up, clicking into place her favorite mix to start the morning off strong. Joey hopped in the shower, settling into her daily routine of standing before the mirror, admiring herself as she took her sweet time with her hair, makeup, and outfit. Today, she wanted to make a statement—something she was determined to convey. Joey was fiercely against the idea of choosing her outfits the day before; "anti-planning"--as she called it--to let only the most authentic emotions shine through the chaos of crunch time. Though, she did refuse to take even one look at a working clock which made this process a lot easier.

Joey knew she wanted to look hot. She was eager to show off her new back tattoo—only just subtle enough for him to notice. In her mind, he was simply “him,” a term that had become a small act of rebellion against the irritation his name now caused her. Quickly she forced herself to think about puppies and the beach, waving the image of his stupid face from her internal view. Puppies. Ice cream. Beach. Bikini. Omg, Wait I need that bikini.

“Perfect. Mwah!” she grinned, doing a quick twirl to admire herself one last time. Now very satisfied with her work, she tossed her makeup into her big black leather Juicy Couture bag, scooping up the remnants of last night’s chaos back in. I'll just sort that out later. Finally, she hefted her brown cheetah-print rolling bag down the wooden stairs.

“...Mom? ..Nona?” she called out, her gaze landing on a sticky note on the table that read, “You’re late! Get to it, pumpkin – love Momma.” Next to it sat a perfectly packaged PB&J. Joey frowned; I really am late aren't I. “Ughhhh.” Even worse was the fact her mother wouldn’t be around to take her to Evergreen after all.

She had to force her head not to turn for a glance at the very real clock above the calendar, but instead her gaze landed on the kitchen window. Standing outside was an averagely handsome man standing next to a caramel-colored Prius. And... he was waving at her? She huffed, putting her sunglasses on, "Who the fuck..."

Suddenly, the night before had all came rushing back. Now living in Easthallow instead of L.A., she often made the trip to Fairview for some fun at the local bars. One of her old high school friends, Bella, had picked her up and together they indulged in many cherry seltzers to fuel their search for trouble. This was a very normal affair, however what wasn't normal was them running into a group of tech guys and somehow finding their way to a house party. By the end of the night, Bella had to leave her car at Lucky's and they both were taken home but Joey couldn't remember specifically by who.

“Oh god…” she muttered, stepping out onto the front porch.

“Hey! Joey! It’s Michael, from Lucky’s last night! You said you needed a ride to camp—I didn’t forget!” he called.

Joey rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah?… what time is it?”

“About 9 o’clock. I’ve been here for about an hour, though—I figured you slept in but—”

“NINE O’CLOCK?” Joey practically screamed. “Okay, yeah. Um, can we go now? Thanks, Manuel—really appreciate it!”

They loaded her luggage into the backseat, Joey’s eyes wide behind her thickly tinted sunglasses as they drove toward Evergreen. Jesus Christ, I really can’t believe this right now. Convenient, but seriously....I am NOT doing that again. Lucky for her, the man from Lucky's seemed to be pretty friendly--genuine in his actions. He wasn't creepy at all, just sort of.. boring. Not really her type.

She glanced over at him, sucking in her cheek for a moment. Well, he is kind of cute though.

Taking the opportunity, she chatted his ear off about her camp anxieties, sharing stories of the Evergreen sisters’ disappearances and her fling with Leon (which took up most of the conversation). By the time they arrived, Michael was a lot less chatty though still held a smile at her when he'd finished unloading her luggage.

Readjusting the shades over her eyes, Joey extended her hand out to which Micheal took with a confused look on his face. "Look, I really appreciate it, Micheal. Like, really. You seriously saved my ass. I hope your ‘technology’ business takes off and everything. I probably won't ever see you... like.. ever again.. but--" she trailed, waiting for something to come to her, "--yeah. I don't know. Buh-bye!"

Joey cringed, hurrying away from the car and dragging her items down the pathway towards the cabins as fast as possible.

She didn’t even want to step into the Lodge or the Cafeteria just yet. The thought of facing Eva early, especially being so late would only throw her day into disarray. Instead, she wanted to follow her curiosity about exactly who she would be bunking with this session. With everyone else gone, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to snoop around and scout out her cabin mates.





























♪ just a girl - no doubt ♪

///






♡coded by uxie♡

 
Last edited:
vibe :
big girlhood energy right here

location :
chinook 3 babyy
mentions :
juliette anyasjoy anyasjoy ,leon lostbird lostbird ,liv evermoon evermoon , miriam hotsauce hotsauce , paige & renee
tldr :


COLLAB POST BY: lvcid lvcid & spareparts spareparts <3 Annalise arrives at Chinook camp LATE and discovers with much irritation that she'll be sharing the space with Juliette. Joey enters even LATER with tea and energy~ They chat about their cabinmates while Joey decorates her bottom bunk. Then they decide to sneak into breakfast and hopefully avoid the mundane orientation speech.
joey & annie
better late
than never 💋

Annalise’s footfalls on the creaky, wooden floor were only amplified by Chinook’s emptiness. It was always strange to see any building at camp devoid of life—with so many people it seemed like a far impossibility, but the scheduling had somehow worked in the blonde’s favor. She could relish in her peaceful entrance a moment longer—tight-lipped greetings pregnant with unspoken mistrust could wait for Annie to settle in at her own, pointedly-sluggish pace before lunging in for what she could only assume would be the killing of her social life.

Tossing her bag onto an unclaimed top bunk, Annalise stepped back to survey the surrounding beds. She could put up with just about anyone for the sake of maintaining a prime sleeping spot, but it’d be more ideal to know that those sharing her space would be tolerable, at the very least, and with no one here to stop her, a little snooping couldn’t hurt…

To Annie’s dismay, her hunt was largely fruitless—most of the belongings strewn about each personal area were too generic to garner much information as to whose they were, but the sight of a baby blue pillowcase, its silky surface glistening on the mattress directly opposite of Annalise’s, made the blonde stop in her tracks right as she was going to throw in the towel.

You’re fucking kidding me.

Of course she would be stuck in close quarters with Juliette for two weeks. With her luck, why had she bothered to hope for anything else?

Upon reaching the wooden steps of Chinook, Joey noticed the wooden door already left ajar as she pressed her palm against it and slowly pushed it open. She stuck her head through the door and peered around the room until her eyes met a very familiar figure, “Annie-bananie, don’t tell me your late toooo,” she purred, swinging it open and tossing the heavy cheetah-printed parcel to the ground so she could properly rush towards her old friend. Arms open, Joey pulled her into a short, yet tight embrace, “How are you, love?”

Annalise startled at the creak of the door, stepping away from the bunk’s ladder as the entrance was nudged the rest of the way open—had she really been so careless as to not close it after herself upon entering? When the blonde realized who her newly-added company was, however, her shoulders slacked, returning to their original state.

Finally. Someone fun.

“Of course,” Annie answered, smiling. “They always save the best for last.” She lifted her arms, barely allowed the time to reciprocate Joey’s embrace before it was over. “I’m good—better now that you’re here, JoJo. You should’ve seen the new counselors they hired this year. They’re so…weird.” The blonde frowned for emphasis, shudder racking her body. “How about you? Was the drive okay?”
“Weird? Weird how?” Joey asked, her eyes widening behind her tinted shades before she pushed them up to rest on her forehead. “—Oh God, yeah, the drive? Awful.--Like honestly, it wasn’t that bad, but long story short… techy guys—super boring, however their timing is sublime..”

Finishing her words as she swept her gaze around the room, she took in the remnants of her cabin’s aesthetics. Joey’s lips pressed together in a thoughtful pout as she attempted to decipher what these scattered belongings revealed about who her cabin mates would be. But the moment her eyes fell upon the satin baby blue of a pillow on one of the beds, a smile bloomed on her face. Juliette!

“Well, there’s that Miriam girl—you know, the one that thinks she’s a witch? There’s someone new, too—V-something. Venetia? I dunno, but she slapped herself in front of everybody. Said it was a bug, but…be serious. Who does that?” Annalise rolled her eyes. “Jonathan must be really desperate this year.”

She could understand why. After Renee and Paige disappeared, people weren’t exactly clamoring to be the next in line for a job and potential death sentence at Evergreen Camp.

“Mmm……okay. Yeah the witchy girl–I kind of love her vibe though.. it’s so.. The Craft meets Kittie.” Joey blurted, still waltzing around the room--her mind half-buzzing with ideas on how to personify the space with all the silks and scarves she had packed, “--Venesheea? Are you sure that’s not the witch? Maybe she’s like totally possessed… by Miriam!---that would so throw off the feng shui…”

Joey dropped her knees to the floor and opened her suitcase in the center of the room, pulling out a couple of mauve silks she had borrowed from her grandmother. She held them up, contemplating their potential as banners to drape across the wooden panels above her bottom bunk.

“Techy guys—don’t tell me you hooked up with one… You deserve so much better than that, Joey! Did he at least have a nice car?”

“Ugh, yes. He was cute, but boring–and short-lived…” She trailed.
Not so short-lived seeing him first thing in the morning thouuugh.. “It was one of those newer hybrid-y cars.. so honestly I don’t know. Maybe?”

Beneath Juliette’s bed frame, Joey started working on tucking in the mauve silk scarf, letting it cascade down like a makeshift headboard. Love it, Love it.

Annie tilted her head, watching Joey’s movements as she added some personal touches of decoration to her newly-acquired bunk. It was such a vastly different reaction to the blonde’s own as she’d entered the cabin—Annalise couldn’t be bothered to unpack, too afraid of overstepping implied boundaries, though she would never admit it, but Joey was eager to dive in headfirst to leave her mark.

I’m sure Liv would have a lot to say about that…

Joey whipped her head around, “I am SO excited… is it bad I’m sort of glad we’re missing orientation?–like, we should probably go… but you know, Leon’s probably yammering up there about something boring..”

It was strange how something she once could find so enthralling--anything Leon mused on about--could suddenly twist into something so unwelcome. Yet she knew she had to reconcile with the reality he would still hold a position of authority over her, albeit in a much different light now. Erghh.. Joey ran her fingers through her hair, plumping up the volume–a semi-nervous habit she clung to, even if it rarely made a difference. It always made her feel better anyhow.

Annie scoffed. “No kidding. Pretty sure orientation is just an excuse for the people in charge to hear themselves talk.” Why waste breath explaining a schedule that could easily be read off a piece of paper, if not to establish the fact that there was a pecking order around camp—a select few capable of pulling the strings while everyone else was left in the dark until the last possible moment. That’s what the mindset had been when Renee was at the helm, anyway—she and Paige both loved to maintain the upper hand…

The blonde checked the slender watch wrapped around her wrist. If Leon wasn’t too long-winded, his speech should’ve been wrapping up soon. “We could head that way—maybe sneak in to grab whatever’s left over from breakfast and hope we don’t get cornered for a recap.”

Joey nodded, stepping back to admire her new addition—the first of many she intended to implement at Chinook. “Oh, I am so game… Let’s sneak in through the kitchen!” She said, quickly emptying out the random assortment of items she had weighing down her Juicy Couture purse–essentials only for the walk over. “Okay, okay. I’m ready—-God, I have never felt this desperate for a coffee..”

As the words slipped from her lips, she discreetly scooped a couple of French vanilla amaretto coffee creamer cups from the bed back into her purse. Just in case...

“Yes, please,” Annalise agreed. “If I have to deal with screaming kids all day, I’m not doing it without caffeine.”

Casting a parting, wary glance at the blue pillow, taunting her from its spot on Juliette’s mattress, Annie turned away, taking the lead as she crossed toward the doorway.
coded by reveriee.
 
MOOD: Liberty (inquisitive → suspicious), & Levi (nervous → pissed off).
basics
MENTIONS: Clarisse, Rowan, JC, Lou.
tags
TL;DR Levi makes Liberty an apology coffee. They quietly simp. Leon's timing sucks. Levi storms out, while Liberty is left suspicious.
tl;dr
THE DINING HALL
liberty fallon, and levi jackson.
After spending the morning with Leon, Levi had a good feeling about today. It seemed like it would be one of those easygoing days. He left his friend behind, walking in the direction of the dining hall, his mind already forming a plan. I feel bad…about how I handled things yesterday.

Levi wasn’t usually one to dwell on his actions, but something about how he’d treated Liberty had been bothering him since. Don’t want to fuck it up just because of an assumption. The way he’d left her that morning—it didn’t sit right. He knew he’d handled it poorly, his impulsive side jumping out before he could grasp an understanding. And they say Rowan’s a hothead.

Pausing just outside the hall, he noticed it wasn’t as noisy as usual. The early morning quiet gave him a second to shake the nagging thoughts out of his mind before stepping inside. He headed straight to the front where the other counselors were gathering, getting their coffee to kickstart the day. Levi wasn’t really a coffee guy—water usually did the trick—but Liberty? She enjoyed her coffee, and he liked to think he knew her order, by now.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he prepared her usual: a bit of milk and two spoonfuls of sugar, stirring it all together with a level of care that he wasn’t ready to acknowledge just yet. I hope she likes it, he mused, warmth rising in the back of his neck as he moved to sit at an empty table, placing the cup in front of him. Don’t appear too eager, he reminded himself, trying to keep cool. After all, he was still apologizing.

Liberty's shoulder bag weighs heavier than normal. The bottle, tucked beneath her book and an assortment of pens and sticky tabs, felt like an unreliable anchor in a sea of questions. There was no telling Levi or Leon would recognise the brand Angel's Envy and she was reluctant to believe it held any significance beyond an object Renee had once interacted with, unlikely to be a missing puzzle piece of a greater picture. But still, unease bit at the edges of her mind—it didn't sit right.

Pushing open the door of the Dining Hall, her eyes pull to where Levi sits in an instant; a habit, to seek out his imposing figure. Her lips twitch into a half-smile, chasing away the uncertainty of the burdensome bottle hanging from her shoulder.

She heads over, breaking eye-contact with him once he's noticed her—another habit, unwilling to venture too close to the sun. Another piece of uncertainty, Liberty muses as her eyes drop to what is unmistakably her coffee cup, a pastel pink with white painted flowers. Still remembers. "For me?" She slides into the seat across from him, allowing herself to lift her gaze back to his, uncertainty pushed aside at the thoughtful gesture; a gesture that chips away at the hastily constructed wall she walks into camp with every summer, preparing to see him again.

Not waiting for his confirmation, Liberty sets her bag down on the seat beside her and wraps both of her pale hands around the warm mug, bringing it to her lips, brows pinched at the overwhelming heat sliding over her tongue. Still sweet. It was once overpowering—when he had chanced a guess at what her order might be, getting it horribly wrong, and still she drank it. Became so used to the sweetness that her taste for black coffee all but disappeared. He specialised in chasing away her bitterness.

"I needed this." Liberty admits, setting the mug down between her hands and drumming her nails on the painted details. "Did you sleep well?" She asks pointedly, a knowing smile pulling at her lips again, remembering how he flanked a drunken Leon back from the Sunspot. The scent of whiskey on his breath when he bent his head towards her, stealing a private moment that amounted to nothing as they were interrupted—always interrupted.

Levi sat nervously on the edge of the table, his fingers drumming lightly on the surface as his eyes darted to a few counselors and campers who seemed to be considering sitting next to him. With a sharp glare, he hoped his cold, disinterested look would be enough to scare them off, just long enough for him to gather his thoughts. His chest tightened with anticipation, but he kept up the act, waiting for Liberty.

When she finally entered the hall, the air seemed to shift. Levi’s heart skipped a beat, and he wiped his sweaty palms discreetly on his jeans, adjusting his posture as if that would ease the growing nerves in his stomach. He tried to act casual, but the anxiety was obvious in the way he fidgeted. “Good morning,” he said, voice still deep from the morning. Hopefully I won’t fuck this up, again.

He started to rise but froze when Liberty slipped into the seat across from him. His lips twitched into a nervous smile, the kind that seemed painfully awkward. “Yes—yeah, for you,” he managed to say, the words tumbling out clumsily. His hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it awkwardly as he forced himself to look away, eyes scanning the room for anything else to focus on. His gaze hardened when a kid approached, silently warning them off. Once the kid was gone, he returned to catch her gaze—only to then glance away as Liberty took a sip of the drink.

His mind raced. I don’t even drink coffee, what the fuck am I doing. When she admitted that she needed it, relief flooded through him, and before he could stop himself, a small laugh escaped. “You’re saying I didn’t screw it up this time? No way, Fallon.” He shot her a smirk, one that silently read I call bullshit, though deep down, he couldn’t deny the small sense of satisfaction at knowing she still liked it—whatever terrible drink he had whipped up all those years ago.

His smirk softened, melting into a more genuine smile when she asked if he had slept well. He shifted in his seat, leaning a bit closer over the table, letting the conversation draw him in. “Yeah, I slept alright. You get used to Leon’s snoring after a while,” he snorted, raising his glass of water with a grin as they waited for breakfast to be served. He hesitated for a second, then his voice softened, as if the question had more weight to it than the casual tone suggested. “What...what about you?”

Liberty's right shoulder lifts and drops in a half-hearted shrug, feeling unnaturally self-conscious about the events of last night. "Oh, you know─having a scene caused on your behalf is always entertaining. Slept like a baby." She raises her brows, the gesture showing her true disdain as her eyes travel towards the kitchen where Marquis, the person in question, was preparing to serve waffles alongside Juliette. The shenanigans of her cabin and their heist of stealing the television left her in a much better mood; especially her glimpse of Levi, his concern so evident it could've knocked her off balance.

Stealing another sip of the warm coffee, her smile returns—teasing and genuine. "You're getting better at this, Jackson. First time for everything, hm?"

Levi wasn’t one to pry, but curiosity tugged at him. He wanted to understand what had set Marquis off—it was unlike him to cause such a scene. Still, he knew this involved Liberty. With a quiet huff, he leaned back in his seat, following her gaze toward the dining hall, where both Marquis and Juliette were serving breakfast. “Whatever it was...I’m sure it didn’t need as big of a reaction as he had last night. You’d think with Renee gone, the drama would stop.” He flashed Liberty a sheepish look, realizing he shouldn’t have mentioned Renee, but his eyes spoke the truth. He was glad she was gone.

At the mention of Renee, Liberty straightens, her fingers tightening around the mug in an attempt to compose herself. She'd caused nothing but grief at this camp, for Levi. Her eyes soften at his apologetic glance and she wants to assure him of the silver lining; she isn't around to torment you anymore, but holds her tongue—it was too early in the morning and too public of a setting to shift into their routine of mocking the Evergreens.

He sneaked another glance her way, catching her taking a sip, and couldn’t help but smile softly at her compliment, despite the blow. “Guess I’m getting used to...making you coffee.” His gaze shifted to Leon, struggling not to cringe at his own forwardness. Taking a steadying breath, he spoke up again, quieter this time. “About yesterday—I, uh, wanted to apologize. For...leaving after the incident with JC.” He cleared his throat, leaning forward a bit to keep his voice low, not wanting to draw attention to her.

When he leans forward, Liberty's posture subtly stiffens as her eyes track his movements carefully. Dangerous territory, a small thought that became her mantra over the summers beyond 1999—her reminder to pull back. But now. . . She mimics his body language, moving forward as if they were sharing a secret.

“It was pretty messed up of me to get caught up in whatever’s going on between you two—though, uh, ‘Birdie’ is a unique choice for a nickname.” Just admit it, it’s fucking lame and cringe.

"Levi—" she shakes her head, incredulous at his line of thinking. "You think me and JC. . .? One or both of us would end up dead in a relationship. 'Birdie'—" she cuts herself off with an eye-roll, bringing the coffee to her lips before she continues, "I have no idea where it came from and I refuse to entertain it."

Feeling emboldened so early in the morning, Liberty releases her hold on the mug to slide her fingers around his own. "I would tell you if I was with someone." Her face scrunches up at the thought of dating one of the other counsellors.

“I mean—” You aren’t? Levi hadn’t realized how tense he’d become at the idea of Liberty settling with someone like JC. But as her hands slipped into his, a wave of calm washed over him, his thumb instinctively tracing gentle circles along her skin.

“Hey—it’s okay,” he said softly, taking in the way her face scrunched up with annoyance. It made him smile, warmth blooming in his chest. “I would…tell you, too. I really didn’t think you were coming back, last time.” Damn, he thought, barely suppressing a roll of his eyes, just opening every can of worms this morning, huh?

I really didn't think you were coming back, last time. Neither did I. She startles when Juliette rounds their table, piling waffles on their plates and Liberty reluctantly retracts her hand from his own, instantly missing the sensation of his thumb drawing patterns by her knuckles. She keeps her eyes down, muttering a small thanks to Juliette before she awkwardly takes a bite.

Levi startled at Juliette’s sudden appearance, reluctantly drawing his hand back to rest it on his thigh, his leg bouncing with restless energy. He managed a tight smile as she walked off, mumbling a quiet thanks before picking up his fork and prodding at his waffles, eventually slipping a small piece into his mouth. There was silence, but it didn’t feel as suffocating, just comfortable between two people.

Waiting for Juliette to be out of ear-shot, she finally lifts her gaze back to Levi, lips pursed as she chews the waffle thoughtfully. "I informed the new girl about the last session. Marquis didn't take too kindly to my honesty. I don't know why everyone is pretending something monumental didn't happen." She can barely stifle her incredulous laugh. "Not even a celebration? It feels suspicious."

Just as he was about to say something, Liberty spoke up, explaining last night’s incident. Levi didn’t hold back the eye roll this time, shaking his head. “Seriously, that’s it? I’d be warning every newbie coming in, too. I don’t—” I don’t even know why I came.

That thought lingered as he searched Liberty’s face. You know why you came back, he told himself quietly. “I don’t really know why they reopened, to be honest.”

Starved after last night's interruption, Liberty takes several bites before managing a response. "Me neither. I had a work placement offer in London, but curiosity got the better of me and—" and you're here. "Think we need to work on our goodbye's properly. Couldn't just leave again." Her smile is teasing and light, devoid of her unease at Levi's unexpected honesty. He was trying. And she was about to potentially ruin it.

“Yeah—hopefully…hopefully we don’t have to worry about that anytime soon.” Saying goodbye and all. Or leaving. Levi glanced at her, taking in her smile, then looked down at her hands, finding out he sort of missed holding it. His eyes drifted around the room, catching sight of Leon approaching the front, preparing for what seemed like an announcement. Her words lingered, heavy and unshakable. Couldn’t just leave again. Please, don’t. He swallowed, feeling the weight of what she’d said settle in his chest, am I moving too soon?

"I am here for another reason, though. . ." Placing her fork down, Liberty pulls her bag up against her thigh and reaches in for the bottle, showing enough of the whiskey for Levi to read the brand. "Do you recognise this? Clarisse and I found it this morning and—Renee's handwriting is on it."

"Oh?" Levi raised a brow, sitting up straighter as her tone took on a serious note. He set his fork down with a soft clink, his interest piqued as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle. Squinting, he realized it was whiskey, and couldn’t help but give her a look that clearly said, isn’t it a bit early? Leaning forward, he grimaced as he caught sight of the brand name.

"Oh, gross—no. That shit is disgusting," he muttered, shaking his head. As she brought up Renee, he nodded thoughtfully. “Makes sense. This brand’s, um...pricey.”

She returns his look with one of her own, a responding you're so funny and hates the way her face betrays her, revealing an amused smile.

At the mention of it being a pricey brand, it gutted the rest of Clarisse's theory to follow the money trail. No one else here—her eyes close in silent realisation. Leon wasn't the only counsellor hosting secret parties at camp. JC. Lou.

The potential candidates blew wide open and she detested the idea of confronting JC of all people—Leon cuts off the rest of her thought, launching into his Orientation speech for the morning. She shoots Levi an apologetic look, planning to bring up the topic again afterwards, and hastily shoves the bottle deep into her bag, away from prying eyes. She returns to her breakfast, quietly munching on what's left of her waffles. She nears the end all too soon and reaches over to stab at some of Levi's, popping it into her mouth triumphantly as Leon lists the activities of the day.

It wasn’t often that something genuinely caught Levi’s curiosity, but his fingers spun the whiskey bottle, eyeing the label. Angel’s Envy—what a stupid fucking name. A flash of distaste crossed his face as he passed it back to Liberty. He couldn't shake the thought of anyone associating themselves with Renee, his mind immediately drifting to Thomas. The memory of his friend’s confession about Renee still made him feel weird. But somehow, this brand didn’t fit Thomas’s style; their past drinking sessions with Leon told him as much. Maybe…Lou? He scoffed at the thought, the corners of his mouth twitching as he sucked his teeth, a small tch sound slipping out. No fucking way Lou would hang with Renee.

Levi was about to share his thoughts when Leon’s voice rang out across the dining hall. He exchanged an apologetic glance with Liberty before turning to focus on his friend. Nodding briefly, Levi tried to tune in, his head resting on his palm as he listened. He caught snippets of reactions around the hall when it was announced that he’d be helping with sports this year. Despite the heat of Liberty’s gaze, he kept his own eyes cast downward, avoiding the knowing look. He couldn’t fight back the small smile that appeared though once her fork reached the corner of his eye, watching her steal a waffle off from his plate and bringing it to her own.

She wasn’t at all surprised by Levi’s move from music to sports, but her mouth pulls into a dismayed line as she knows the reason why—even gone, Renee had ruined too much. Her fingers itched to return to his hand and offer the minimum comfort she could, but she didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to him and have the decision seem forced rather than his choice. She taps his leg with her foot underneath the table reassuringly. I’m here.

Distracted from his thoughts, Levi felt a foot nudge him under the table. His eyes flickered curiously to meet Liberty’s, and he gently nudged her back once he understood what her gaze meant. I know. He flashed a small smile he hoped was reassuring enough, silently saying, I’m doing much better, trust me.

Listening with dwindling interest, Liberty swaps between staring down at her cleaned plate and stealing glances at Levi, thinking back on his words, hopefully we don’t have to worry about that any time soon had she been reading into his tone, about the slight concern seeping in? It was tough to tell with Levi, with them, where the line was drawn in the sand—and it wasn’t just the absence of the Evergreen sisters that had changed this summer. Leon’s comment about safety pulls her from dwelling on the meaning, giving the orientation her full attention before she does something stupid like hold his hand again.

Levi shifted his attention back to his friend, breaking their gaze before scanning through the busy Dining Hall. A few new counselors caught his eye, unfamiliar faces in the mix, and he made a mental note that introducing himself later might be worth the effort. He also tried to ignore the fact he was looking for a particular person, someone he also needed to apologize to. Fuck, where is Lisa, anyways? At least he didn’t have to worry about Renee, and, with any luck, rumors about him wouldn’t make their way to them, praying that those too vanished with the Evergreen.

Pushing that thought aside, his gaze dropped to his hands, feeling the familiar itch of restless energy bubbling up again. Normally, he’d soothe it by strumming a few chords, letting music ground him—but right now, it still felt too soon, too cold.

"Lisa Xander will not be returning."

Levi felt his heart drop to his stomach, his hand splaying out on the table as he sat up straighter, far more alert than before. What do you mean? He wanted to ask Leon, ignoring the way his friend had dropped his hand, closing the discussion for orientation “Wait—what?” The sound of his own voice startled him, confusion laced with hurt. “That isn’t like Lisa to just quit.”

Liberty eyes flit towards Levi in concern. “She didn’t say anything to you?” If Levi wasn’t with Leon, herself, or Riley—he was with Lisa. Her hand sneaks over without a second thought, her fingers brushing over the skin of his forearm.

“No—I—” Was their argument really that…bad? Levi thought, a pang of doubt creeping in. He was used to small arguments with Leon; disagreements were bound to happen, especially here at camp. But they always managed to bounce back, brushing it off like it was nothing by the next day. He tightened his jaw, sinking further back into his seat, shoulders tense. Maybe I misread the entire situation. Fuck.

Lisa was one of the very few counsellors she felt enough trust towards, both united in their mutual hatred of the Evergreens—especially where Levi was concerned. It was out of character for her to leave without notice, in what might’ve been her favourite summer yet—she flinches as the chairs in the Dining Hall screech, the campers gathering themselves to leave for the counsellors to confer last minute before activities are to begin. Her hand falls to the table, self-conscious. “I’m sorry, Levi.” She catches his gaze, her eyes intense with concern. “That she didn’t warn you.”

Levi pointedly ignored the emptiness settling in the Dining Hall as the campers walked out, his gaze searching for Leon’s, hoping for even a glimpse—but no luck. Something’s wrong, he thought, his instincts prickling. He knew his friend well enough to sense when things were off. Conflicted between checking on Leon and the news about Lisa not returning, he barely noticed the soft voice beside him that spoke his name, grounding him back into the present. He looked over to find Liberty’s concerned eyes on him, her expression so warm that it nearly made him jump.

“You don’t—you don’t have to say sorry,” he said, breaking his gaze and leaning back into his seat, crossing his arms in thought. “It must have been important if she didn’t come back.” His brow furrowed, a hint of hurt in his voice. If it’s because of the fight…

She’s prepared to offer a solution, a distraction, when Leon gestures for the counsellors to stay behind as campers one by one file out of the Dining Hall. There’s more to this, she discerns by how still Leon remains—he’s never still—and shifts in her chair, leaning heavily back to brace herself for what’s bound to slip out of his careless mouth. Her foot returns to Levi’s leg, nudging the side of his calf in warning.

Her foot nudged him again, and Levi nudged back, a subtle but genuine exchange. He flashed her a quick look of appreciation, an unspoken thanks hanging between them. Then, turning his attention forward, he faced the front of the Dining Hall, paying attention to what else his best friend had to share.

“I’m sure there’s questions about Lisa. She’s… She’s been declared missing. Six days.”

Missing…and it’s been six days? Levi sat, stunned, a sudden weight settling over him as he processed the news. His leg, which had been bouncing with restless energy moments before, stilled. The shock held him in place, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the coarse texture of his denim jeans. A thought crept in—Could this be connected to Renee and Paige?

He stole a quick glance at Liberty beside him, noticing the intense focus in her gaze as she absorbed every word of the announcement. Her expression was unreadable, yet he could sense the same underlying worry he felt simmering inside. Another missing girl.

Her head tilts back slightly, stunned by the news. Another missing girl. And it’s not just the Evergreens now—her mind spins at the possibilities for all but a few minutes until it’s drowned out by a more important thought. Levi. Fuck. Heart beating wildly at how he’ll take the news, she opens her mouth to say something, say anything, but Leon doesn’t sense the tone of the room and barrels on.

“Truth or dare at the Sunspot, costumes on as usual. I’m sure we could all use the distraction and a drink.”

…Un-fucking-believable. The scoff tore from Levi’s throat, harsh and scornful, punctuating the air as Leon continued with his careless demeanor. “You’re kidding,” he muttered, his gaze flicking between Leon and the other counselors, feeling a fire rise in his chest. Levi enjoyed parties and the buzz of a good drink as much as anyone, but even he knew this wasn’t the time or place for it.

Turning to Liberty, he leaned closer, voice low and hurried. “I need a breather. I’ll catch you. Not the other way around this time.” He offered her a strained smile, pushing his palms firmly against the table as he rose. His chair scraped against the floor in a grating protest, and as he strode away, he shoved the door open with his shoulder, letting it slam hard in his wake.

Truth or dare? Seriously? When Lisa is missing? The question echoed in his mind, each word steeped in frustration and disbelief. What the fuck, Leon? What the fuck.

Liberty's face falls as Levi strides out of the Dining Hall, burning with frustration. Leon's eyes track him and find hers, a question in his eyes and she shakes her head and mouths to him—give him space. She'd learned the hard way that when Levi felt overwhelmed or backed into a corner, his attitude could be explosive and she refused to pile on more regrets for him to dwell on—to apologise again for saying something he doesn't even mean.

Pushing down her longing to chase after him, she envisions her mental board—a missing girl, not an Evergreen, days before camp has started. With only one common denominator, her theories make room for the facts and restructure her red strings. Girls are going missing. The name might not matter. Someone might've returned earlier than the rest, or it was no one here at all. She exhales sharply and looks around the Dining Hall, searching the faces of her peers for the tell-tale sign of guilt through the sea of confusion.
code by valen t.
 



((Note: Thoughts will be crimson and italicized while speech will be crimson and bolded.))​

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The Entertainer

Thomas
Mode

The morning had been a blur for Thomas. Flashes of the night before came and went, hovering around his mind like a piece of paper floating in the wind that he couldn't quite catch. He remembered going to The Sunspot. He remembered talking and drinking with Leon and Levi. He remembered taking off his shirt. And then...he remembered...

Oh God, were his first thoughts as his eyes opened to the world around him. As he blinked the sleep away from his eyes, the world slowly came into focus around him. The saturation of the lights caused a throbbing in his head. Or maybe that was the hangover. He rolled over with a soul-deep groan as the throbbing intensified. Yeah, today's not happening. They're going to have to fire me.

For a moment, the throbbing stopped as he considered being fired. Getting fired would mean everyone was right about him. Somehow, the spite that rose up at the thought of proving everyone right caused him to sober up enough to get up and prepare to go about his day. Upon his rising, he noticed that his cabin was profoundly empty. As though everyone had gotten up and started their day without him. He frowned a little bit at the thought of neither Leon nor Levi waking him up. However, upon second thought, he realised that he wasn't quite ready to face either Leon or Levi after what he admitted to them last night.

In fact, knowing that he was most likely going to have to engage with them the second he stepped out the door, he deliberately took his time getting ready and strolled to orientation. He took his time opening the door sneaking it as silently as he could to avoid detection. Everything in his body was asking him to run back to bed and the safety of darkness. However, the real fear - greater even than having to face Leon and Levi - was that breakfast would only cause his stomach to do more backflips.

He settled into a seat at the back as Leon began his speech, very deliberately avoiding eye contact. The whole situation was upsetting every bone in his body. He had never been the type to run from confrontation - not for a very long time at least - and now he was hiding from one of his best friends? Because of some girl? To say he was disappointed in himself would be a gross understatement. This is pathetic, Thomas. He chided himself. Letting some girl you barely knew cause you to act up? You're better than-

His thoughts were cut short as campers started to get up to leave. It was at that moment he realised he had zoned out through the entirely of Leon's speech. A sigh escaped his lips. Today's going to the worst, isn't it?

He got up and began getting ready to head out, trying to sneak out the door because he was the closest counsellor to it. However, Leon locked eyes with him and gestured for him to stay behind. His body tensed in response, fearing that Leon was asking him to stay behind so they could talk more about the hot mess that he was yesterday. However, he breathed a little easier seeing as he was asking more and more counsellors to stay. All of the counsellors, it seems like.

He stood at the door, arms crossed and finally able to look at Leon - finally ready to laugh off whatever he admitted to yesterday, just like he did with all of his problems. It seemed to have been working so far. However, as Leon began speaking, a singular eyebrow kept raising itself higher and higher until - all of a sudden - there was a look of utter disbelief on his face. This? This was the news?

He couldn't believe his own ears. Anything helps? Really? That's the best you have, Leon? He knew it wasn't Leon's fault and there likely wasn't anything more Leon could do or say, but this was shaping up to be exactly like last camp. The only difference was that all this was happening even earlier than it did the year before.

He couldn't control it.

He couldn't stop it.

A laughed pulled itself from his throat.

It started of as just a short burst - akin to a chuckle that was cut short - but it quickly evolved into a more steady, laugh. Even going as far as shaking his head at it. The laugh was more at himself than it was at anything else. He laughed at himself for coming back. Laughed at himself for believing anything would be better. Laughed at himself for only being able to think back to Renee. "Tradition?" He laughed a little bit more, harder this time. If you're not careful, girls going missing at camp will soon become a tradition as well. "Wishing y'all and your 'traditions' the best of luck."

He turned and shoved the doors open, walking outside with frustration in every step. Today really is going to be the worst of days.

Mentions:

 
MOOD: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

OUTFIT: idk something

LOCATION: Dining Hall
basics
MENTIONS: Liv, Eva, Leon, Levi, and Isla


INT: Liv & Leon!
tags
TL;DRShiloh faces his emotions of returning before facing the music and talking to Leon
tl;dr
Shiloh
honesty's a losing game

His beloved sister attached at his hip, Shiloh continued into the camp grounds. Getting to orientation was at the forefront of his mind and somehow his feet began to fall perfectly in step, walking the path to the dining hall without much thought. Almost like the past 8 years never happened.

Almost.

Immersing himself back into the midst of Evergreen Camp was somehow incredibly overwhelming and calming all at the same time. As he walked on the beaten dirt paths, he was flooded with various memories of his childhood, his upbringing surrounding him like a suffocating blanket of nostalgia. Yet, breathing in the crisp mountain air, hearing nothing but nature around them, the stark contrast from his apartment back in Staten Island to here in Easthallow was proving a kind of healing for his psyche.
If only I could keep away from Eva. Then I’d truly be healed.

Shiloh gave himself a small eye roll at his own thought, he knew that would never happen as he had just entered Eva’s physical work place. But he didn’t dwell on it long; It was his work place now too, and he wasn’t about to cower into the small, scared little boy like he had done in the past. He was determined to uncover whatever other secrets Evergreen’s beloved camp director was hiding.

The dining hall came into view and Shiloh felt his heart skip a beat. He had no idea who all awaited him past the doors. From his conversations with Liv, he knew Isla and Leon would be there, but who else? Levi? Ricky? Clarisse? How many new faces would be there? And even then, how would his old friends react to him reappearing after ghosting everyone?

For the umpteenth time, Shiloh kicked himself for never reaching out to anyone from camp. If there was one thing he could’ve changed from the past nine years, it would be just that; finding a way to keep in touch with his closest friends. But when he packed up his stuff and moved to the other side of the country, his mindset was in as much of an uproar as a hurricane. Through the events of his life right as he turned 18, somewhere in Shiloh’s mind, he had been flicked to “survival” mode. The thought and consideration of anyone other than himself never once crossed his mind, and he was now facing the repercussions of those decisions. By the time Shiloh was out of “survival” mode, it had been years. Liv was the only one he reconnected with, and that was because she made it a point to visit him in New York.

Have I really been that shitty of a person that my own sister couldn’t get in touch with me for some time?

Never once had Shiloh regretted packing up and moving away from his childhood home. Never once had Shiloh regretted going to college to study Crime Scene Investigation, and never once has Shiloh regretted going his own way. But when it comes to all the bridges he mindlessly burned without a second thought? The choice haunted him every day and night of his life. Like a shadow grasping and squeezing his throat from behind him, he couldn’t do anything without the thought flying through his mind.

It was time, the entrance to the dining hall was in front of him and Shiloh had no choice but to face the music. His arm dropped from around Liv’s shoulders to at his side. His hands became clammy, he began fidgeting with them without even realizing it. Shooting his sister a questioning glance of “You ready?”, he waited for her confirmation before doing his best to open the door and enter quietly.

Shiloh held the door open as his sister snuck in first before he followed her in and closed the door behind them. They had entered the back of the dining hall, thankfully all eyes were to the front from what he could see. He was glad they didn’t make too much of a commotion. Shiloh leaned himself up against the back wall, setting all their bags down by his feet. And that’s when his eyes landed on Leon.

He could’ve sworn he felt his eyes welling up just at the sight of him, Shiloh’s best friend in the whole world. He was so grown up, he still couldn’t believe how high up of a position he had scored at camp. Supervisor?! Running orientation? As his eyes welled, so did his heart, full of pride and joy. Who would’ve thought that little ol’ Leon Macmillan would grow up to be Camp Supervisor? Truth be told, if anyone would’ve asked Shiloh who of the three of them would hold such a responsibility, Levi, Leon or himself, Shiloh would easily answer Leon.

Trying to avoid tears spilling over so soon into seeing everyone, Shiloh forced his eyes to bounce around the backs of heads. Even if he didn’t know anyone else, if he had Leon and Liv, he knew he’d make it through the summer.

Then of course, his eyes seemed to find yet another near and dear to his heart; Levi Jackson. It was only the side of his face, but there was no mistaking the tall stature of his other closest friend. Even as he sat, listening to Leon, and even as his face was so grown and matured, Shiloh couldn’t deny that was Levi. What was his camp job? Was he running the boats? Leading the music classes? Shiloh hoped Levi wasn’t stuck in the kitchen washing dishes. So many questions filled his mind, but his face remained unwavering.

Until his eyes continued and landed on a head of white blonde hair.

It was an image he committed to memory long before he ever had to worry about forgetting it. Something in his subconscious did it for him, just in case. And now that memory was holding strong as his eyes froze in place.

Isla.

Sure Liv had told him she would be here, yes Shiloh knew one of his main reasons for returning to camp with his sister was to check on the wellbeing the only Evergreen daughter standing at Camp Evergreen. Shiloh knew it would be hard to face her after his disappearance, but damn he thought he’d had more time before his knees solidified and he was cemented in place. He felt as if he couldn’t even take his eyes off the back of her head. If she was to turn around and look at him, he felt as though he would crumble to the floor.

But somehow the universe showed kindness towards Shiloh, and a thought entered his head as Leon’s speech faded back into his ears

Declared missing? Another girl? Shiloh’s demeanor had dulled back to furrowed and mysterious. Not only were Paige and Renee out for the count, but now so was this Lisa girl? Shiloh did his best to hide his emotions and how he truly felt, but he wasn’t succeeding as he felt his head shake from side to side. Only more secrets Eva Twine is so desperate to keep.

He shook his head and readjusted his position, focusing on the end of Leon’s speech. Shiloh had to remember the main reason he was here. He was a CSI agent, a damn good one too. He had to help solve this Speilberg horror mystery.

Leon’s speech ended with a mention os truth or dare at the sunspot, which was met with a chorus of scoffs, sneers and even a few exclamations of Seriously?!

In just a few moments after the words left Leon’s mouth, the figure that Shiloh earlier identified as Levi Jackson rose from his table and storm out of the dining hall. Shiloh’s eyebrow raised as he took note. Did Levi know this Lisa girl? Was there something personal between them? Just friends or more? Or was Levi just as infuriated as the other camp counselors that another girl had gone missing while virtually no camp staff was doing anything to fix it? All questions that Shiloh took mental note of before taking note of the exchanged looks between Leon and the girl next to Levi’s empty seat.

As the commotion grew in the dining hall, Shiloh silently communicated with his sister, letting her know he was going to try and catch Leon on before he left the dining hall.

Leaving his bags at the edge of the hall, keeping his backpack lazily slung over one shoulder, he weaved through the tables and chairs and confidently made his way to the front of the room. He did his best to ignore the looks and the whispers, not wanting to get lost along his way to Leon. He needed to talk to him. For more than one reason.

”I know I should’ve called…” Shiloh came up to Leon, trying to start the interaction off lightly. No matter how much he wanted to wrap his arms around his best friend, he had no idea how he was going to react to his sudden return after his sudden leave. He was going to follow Leon’s lead.


code by valen t.
 
Last edited:
MOOD: Content yet absolutely not ready for work.
basics
COLLAB WITH: hotsauce hotsauce
tags
TL;DR Two friends, and new camp hires, decide that skipping orientation is the better idea.
tl;dr
FINDERS KEEPERS
miriam berry and nicolas burns.
Pass. Nicolas had been keenly focused on the group’s glorified tour guide—throwing the occasional glance at the papers pinched between his hand in interest—until learning that his cabin didn’t include Miriam. A disappointed expression etched across his face reading, You’re not who I wanted palpable save for the quick fix that Leon’s next statement provided. “‘I have a task to announce.’” Double pass. What could they possibly have to talk about so early in the morning?

Interest officially drained, Nicolas rolls his shoulder in an attempt to adjust the strap of his dufflebag, that now weighed a ton after digging into the same spot for so long, before gesturing for Miriam to start their walk towards Kestrel Cabin as their first stop. “Looks like you’re making friends with Billie and I get the goofy supervisor,” he mused, throwing one last look over his shoulder in the direction of the two before smiling back at Miriam. Least he’s cute.

“Oh goody,” Miriam said sarcastically, casting a glance behind them at the others as well. She supposed Billie was pretty in an outdoorsy sort of way, but the girl clearly had some sort of issue with her. She’d made such an annoying face when she had seen Miriam, which in Miriam’s experience was never a good thing. Probably just some asshole who spread those stupid rumors about me or something. Whatever her issue was, hopefully there would be enough other people in her cabin that she wouldn’t have to deal with the other girl too much.

Like Nicolas, she was thoroughly uninterested in whatever “task” the supervisor guy was announcing. She’d always skipped pep rallies in high school and zoned out during boring speeches, so she doubted whatever it was could not be that interesting. “Hopefully the others will be less…energetic.” Yeah, that seemed like the right sentiment. “And you never know, maybe you’ll get stuck with someone really hot.” She snickered. It was worth hoping for, anyway.

“A guy can dream,” Nic joked in response, languidly taking each step up until he came face to face with the wooden door. Turning the knob and pushing it wide open, he only allowed himself to peak his head inside Kestrel for a quick glance before stepping out of her way. “Mr. Moneybags really put in work into his camp. Looks nice inside.” I might actually like sleeping on one of those things, he thought to himself. Insuring to stay out of her way, Nicolas remained outside of the doorframe—occasionally throwing a glance to what he assumed was his cabin—now somewhat eager to settle into his space next.

Miriam gave a small laugh at his reply before going inside and setting her things down on one of the beds that seemed to be unoccupied. She glanced around the cabin, surprised to see a television set there among the rest of it. Wow, these cabins were fancy. She nodded at Nic’s statement. “Yeah, I was honestly expecting much more meager conditions,” she admitted. “Definitely not complaining though.” After her pleasantly surprising assessment of the room, she stepped back aside, ready to head to Nic’s cabin next. “Alright, let’s see if yours is just as nice as mine.” It probably would be, but it was possible Miriam had simply lucked out.

With a little more excitability evident in his demeanor, Nicolas began their walk towards Orca—only stopping once after realizing that he was leaving Miriam a little too far behind—before making his way up the wooden steps. “If it’s not as nice as yours, I’m sleeping on your floor,” he stated with a chuckle, throwing the door open with a less-than-gentle push. Unlike the way he approached Kestrel, Nic allowed himself to walk all the way inside, scanning the quiet cabin until his eyes met an unoccupied and bare top bunk. Least I don’t mind climbing.

“Well, there’s no TV set up like yours, but..,” his voice trailed off a little while he threw his bags up onto his mattress, the haphazard organization breaking the silent reverie of the cabin with audible thumps, “Still looks the same. Hopefully my bunkmate is a chatterbox so I won’t get bored.” A content sigh escaped him once he felt the difference of the abandoned weight off his shoulders. Lugging around bags didn’t prove to be a problem for Burns, but admittedly, he wasn’t prepared to walk the long distance they had just to get here. It had been a while since Nic had an excuse to visit camp, but now he was here to stay. Still not stoked about babysitting snot-nosed kids though, he couldn’t help but silently curse Hugo for ambushing him with a camp counselor position.

Attention landing on the other end of the cabin, Nic sauntered over to the pair of plush, leather couches surrounding a small table before plopping down into one. Immediately feeling the seat mold to comfortably fit him, he couldn’t help but let his head hang back in a relaxed stupor. “Too bad I couldn’t just spend the entire session inside here. Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“I mean you technically only have to chaperone children during your activity time and dinner, right? You could easily spend most of your time here, I’d think,” she mused, lingering in the doorway for a moment before joining him on the couch. She sat on the other side to give him plenty of room and crossed her legs as she marveled at how nice everything here was. God, this cabin was nicer than her house. It was almost embarrassing. “Looks like you won’t have to sleep on the floor after all.” She chuckled.

Miriam gazed around the cabin, smirking at the thought she had the extra perk of getting a television in hers. Was that just some spike of like for her cabin, or was the television snuck in from home or something? She suspected the latter. But Miriam was not about to complain; she was no snitch, after all. Besides, who would complain about having more things to do in their cabin? As she thought about how great the campgrounds actually were, she realized she was glad to be here. The Evergreens were definitely as rich as people said, to afford such nice stuff. To afford this much land at all, really. “At least if we have to be spending time at a summer camp it’s one as fancy as this.” She grinned.

“True, true,” Nic admitted, lifting his head back up to redirect his attention toward Miriam after hearing the leather couch exhaust a subtle squeak under her weight. “Knowing Hugo, he’d probably haul my ass outta here with a shovel if he knew I was in here most of the summer,” Wonder where that ol’ Geezer is anyway, he thought, returning to scanning the cabin’s interior. Save for the silky cobwebs winking at him from high nooks and crannies when the light reflected, it was in seemingly perfect condition.

“Shouldn’t be half as bad with you tagging along though,” Nic threw a grin her way before leaping back up to his feet. Rounding the couch to get to the window, his gaze first landed on the bridge they had crossed earlier—abandoned now that the supervisor and other counselors headed off to the dining hall. Then, swift movement in the sky stole his attention as he noticed two birds playing a game of tag to stretch their sleep-burdened wings. And before he turned back to Miriam, his eyes caught sight of the dining hall in the distance, campers with full bellies making their way out—or he assumed—to gossip about their activities for the day.

“Kinda wondering what that guy was going to say no—” statement dying on his lips abruptly as he pulled his hand away from the windowsill, Nicolas looked down at the ledge fit for a dust bunny before a gleam of gold caught his eye. What the…? His fingers brushed against it again, carefully pinching around the delicate chain and lifting it into the light. The weight shifted as the pendant—a small opal stone surrounded by a sun frame—slid down the length of the discolored gold, swaying freely. Holding it up for Miriam to see, the once-hidden necklace now shimmered despite its dirtied surface.

Miriam smirked at the mention of Hugo. The guy sure was interesting, and she admittedly kind of wanted to see him in his element. The idea of him interacting with a bunch of campers was a bit funny considering his gruff nature. Maybe he was beloved by them for his strange turns of phrase, who knew? She did agree with Nic’s sentiments though. This camp would have been much more torturous and awkward without her friend by her side. She once again thanked her lucky stars for letting this be the year he decided to join his dad at work for the summer.

As Nicolas shifted, Miriam’s eyes drifted to the ceiling of the cabin, lazily staring at the beams and listening to him chatter. She wasn’t the best at chatting with others, but with Nicolas she always seemed to have a good back-and-forth. As he paused midsentence, she flicked her gaze back over to him, curious.

“Cute necklace,” she said, observing the design. It seemed a bit dirty, but otherwise quite nice. For a moment, she was almost jealous that Nic had found it before her, then realized it would clash with her current outfit anyway. “I wonder who left that lying around. They clearly didn’t care that much about it.” The condition of the necklace made that much evident. “It must have been here for a while to accumulate that much dust. Looks like you got some free jewelry.”

Nic’s shoulder lifted and then dropped in a half-hearted shrug as he slowly walked back towards his seat on the couch, eyes never for a second lifting from the pendant swaying in hypnotic ovals as it dangled from his steady pinch. “No kidding…,” he starts, dropping down onto the plush exterior before turning his attention to Miriam finally. “Not really my style but I’m not passing up free shit,” a chuckle escapes him while his fingers absentminedly rub against the opal stone and along the curvatures of the sun’s rays. But it isn’t until his thumb meets indentations in the metal flatback that he looks down at his new find again.

P…E…? Was that supposed to be the company name? The thought didn’t linger long enough to raise anymore questions before he found himself putting it on. The necklace stuck out against his chest like a sore thumb, clearly clashing against the silver already decorating him. Nonetheless, Nic’s fingers arranged it with care until he found himself satisfied with the position. “Watcha think?” he asked, dramatically splaying his fingers out across his chest in a flaunting fashion, a goofy grin tugging at the corners of his lips simultaneously.

Miriam chuckled, examining the necklace and how it clashed with the rest of his jewelry. But it didn’t look bad. In her opinion, it kind of suited him. “Very nice.” She brushed a stray hair behind her ear, something scratching the back of her brain. But she couldn’t quite remember what.

The morning air filtering in through the windows cast a nice glow into the room. Miriam placed her head against the back of the couch, thinking she could sleep there. It felt so nice here without all of the campers she would have to interact with soon. She blinked, checking the time on her watch before realizing what it was she needed to remember. She would need to hurry to get to her activity on time–or really, go there at a moderate pace to be a couple of minutes late. “I don’t know about you, but I think I need to be heading out soon here. I have to lead an activity first thing today.” She sighed, long suffering.

A smirk that read a playful, Sucks to be youuuuu, adorned his face as he made a move to sit up from the couch and stretch his elongated limbs. “Pretty sure I’m good ‘til later but yeah…Let’s goooo,” Nic chimed, starting to walk down the narrow aisle between the bunks and toward the door. Little excitement streamed from his tone, evident in the exasperated sigh that signaled anything but eagerness to leave his new cabin, but he didn’t want to get Miriam in trouble on her first day.
code by valen t.
 






isla evergreen




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baby bugs



diseased








Due to being one of the first few in the dining hall, Isla spent these short moments of peace before the chaos of breakfast sitting at her seat with her eyes closed. Inhale, hold, exhale slowly, and repeat. She rolled her shoulders back, gripping the table's edge with both hands. The note she found in her trunk felt as though it was burning a hole in the pocket of her spandex, but she was startled back to the present by the door swinging open and hitting the wall.

"Good morning, kiddos," Isla greeted the campers arriving with a warm smile, standing and ushering them to their respective tables. She couldn't stifle her sigh when the door slammed open again, looking up with narrowed eyes, "No need to abuse the door, we want to keep it functional." A chorus of 'Sorry Isla' followed the gentle scolding and she watched as the group of giggling campers very slowly closed the door behind them before running to their seats.

Settling back into their chosen seat, Isla watched as the rest of the counselors arrived with a mild interest. Leon was the only one who truly caught their eye for the time being, noting how uncomfortable he looked as he stood before them and began his orientation speech. Despite his welcoming facade, there was a nervous energy Isla found hard to ignore; it seemed to worsen when Leon mentioned Lisa Xander would not be returning to camp. That's unfortunate, I suppose. They lingered on it for no more than a moment, however, turning around and resuming breakfast like normal.

At least, that had been the plan until Isla's gaze landed on someone she was certain she'd never see again. It was a face she knew all too well and it took every ounce of willpower she had to stay where she was. "Shiloh?" Isla's chest tightened uncomfortably, suddenly forgetting how to breathe. How long had it been since she'd last seen him? He looked... different- his expression more hardened and cold than she remembered. Isla knew the years could do that to someone, but she never expected it to happen to Shiloh.

Isla wanted so badly to march over and confront him, her eyes stinging with tears she didn't dare shed, but she knew better. Especially when there were other objectively more important things to worry about. Right now, nothing is more important than him. Isla had to force herself to avert her eyes, waving to the campers as they filed out of the dining hall. Despite her best efforts, though, her gaze found Shiloh once more and she couldn't bring herself to look away a second time.

Thankfully, Leon dropping a metaphorical bomb on them dragged Isla's attention to him instead. Lisa Xander was missing. She had been missing for 6 days. Isla sighed and rested her forehead in her hands. Not again... Isla had never been close with Lisa, and it wasn't exactly a secret how the other girl hated the Evergreen sisters, but this was the worst thing that could have happened. Isla didn't care much for Lisa, but she'd never wish something like this upon anyone- not even someone who despised her simply for having the Evergreen name.

"Tradition stands. Truth or Dare at the Sunspot, costumes on as usual. I'm sure we could all use the distraction and a drink."

Isla lifted their head and looked at Leon, the sudden change of topic catching them momentarily off guard; it would have startled a laugh out of them had they not covered their mouth in time. Clearing their throat, they let their hand drop to their lap and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. This was a large piece of information to digest and frankly, Isla didn't want to think about it right now. They had arts and crafts to worry about.





♡coded by uxie♡
 






miriam berry




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As Miriam walked towards the designated place for the nature activity today, she wondered what activity she should actually have the kids do. She was hired to be a nature counselor and knew a decent amount about plants herself, but what the hell sort of activities did that even translate to? She could take them on a hike, but the issue with that was her lack of knowledge of the camp’s layout. Especially after what happened last year, the last thing she needed was to get lost and have some angry parents up her ass about it.

She supposed she could always do the good old-fashioned “have the kids choose a few options and vote” if nothing else, but she honestly had no clue what the kids would choose and little energy for dealing with shenanigans. How much of her activity would even get back to Mr. Evergreen or that Leon guy? She honestly wasn’t sure if they would care all that much if she just sort of told them to play tag but make up some nature-based terminology for it instead. She was certainly creative enough for that.

If she had the kids be “rabbits and foxes” or something, they’d probably eat that up. It had been a while since Miriam was a child, or at least it felt like that, despite her relative youth. But already she was disconnected from the likes and dislikes of kids, so hopefully they would like it. And if they didn’t, well, as long as they didn’t go straight to Leon to complain, she kind of didn’t care.

Bolstered by her logic, Miriam kept walking, sure that she was getting close. She sighed. Hopefully this wouldn’t be too painful of an interaction. At least she was the one in charge here so she wouldn’t have any annoying people telling her what to do. So that was a silver lining.

As she arrived, seeing the group of kids assembled, she took in the array. Hm. The older kids would probably be less than thrilled about her playing tag idea, since she doubted high schoolers had ever cared for that shit. Whatever. It wasn’t as if she’d come up with a better idea. “Hi everyone. I’m the nature counselor this year, Miriam.”

She wished she was surprised when one of the younger kids squeaked out: “The devil worshiper?!”

Miriam sighed. That rumor was destined to trail after her like a determined puppy, except a lot more fucking stupid and frustrating to deal with. And kids were nothing but gullible. She rolled her eyes.

“Whoever told you that, they’re just making sh–things up.” She leveled a glare in the kid’s direction, making his already wide eyes widen further. “I’m just goth, jeez.” The kid nodded, looking a bit freaked out. Technically there was more to the story than that, what with her whole tarot/palm-reading/etc. deal, but she didn’t particularly feel like getting into it with a bunch of children. Especially not this early in the morning.

After a brief silence, she continued. “Okay, great. Now that’s over with, who wants to learn about the food chain and play a game?” The older kids didn’t seem particularly thrilled about that, but at least the younger ones looked optimistic. Oh well. She was doing her job, wasn’t she? So she gave them a quick explanation about the animal kingdom and the food chain specific to the environment they were living in, complete with examples of plants that the herbivores and omnivores ate. But before she could move onto the tag part, her spiel got a bit derailed by a couple of kids interested in her subculture. As she described what goth was (the music, mostly, and the clothing secondarily), a couple of interested kids tuned in raptly. Most of the kids just looked like they were ready for the next activity.

After several minutes of that detour, Miriam glanced around, clapping her hands. “Okay, now we’ll play rabbits and foxes! I’m going to choose two foxes and everyone else will be a rabbit, so you have to not get caught by the foxes…” She launched into an explanation of the combination tag and hide-and-seek game she’d used to play in middle school that would hopefully keep them occupied, using the rest of the time to essentially referee and make sure the kids were playing fair. Done and done.

By the time her activity was up, she was ready to go back to her cabin and take a nap before doing some serious sleuthing for the remainder of the day. She intended to learn everything about the Evergreen sisters’ disappearance that she could, and she was going to figure something out.





♡coded by uxie♡
 
MOOD: Act normal

OUTFIT: first day of camp!

LOCATION: Dining Hall -> Arts & Crafts
basics
MENTIONS: Leon, Zarinia, Shiloh


INT: Very quickly and briefly, Zari the love of her life shhh
tags
TL;DRAfter being thoroughly upset with the news dropped at orientation, Leilani breaks in to Eva's office before getting her first group of campers started on rock painting!
tl;dr
leilani
better run for the hills, run for the hills, run

"Tradition stands. Truth or Dare at the Sunspot, costumes on as usual. I'm sure we could all use the distraction and a drink."

Leilani’s eyebrows furrowed as her eyes remained locked on Leon. Lisa? Really? She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Then Leon’s line of a “distraction and a drink” came out, and her eyes immediately shifted around the room. So many others began whispering among themselves, others visibly threw their hands in the air as if to say ’are you serious?’

Lani quickly remembered who she was seated next to, and her whole body turned to the seat next to her. Two pairs of almost identical deep brown eyes locked with each other, Lani’s filled with confusion and fear but she couldn’t quite read what Zarina’s said. It wasn’t until Lani took in Zari’s eyes that she realized her mouth was agape. She quickly closed her mouth as the crease between her eyebrows deepened. What was Leon thinking? Announcing truth or dare immediately after declaring yet another girl missing? And the specific language of offering it up as a distraction? Leilani couldn’t help the scoff that came out of her mouth.

As if the proverbial smoke settled as everyone took in the dropped bomb of news, the counselors began rising from their tables and attempting to continue their day. They had campers to attend to.

Crap. I’m up first. Her eyes tore away from the comfort of Zarina’s as she fully took in the time. No matter how much it felt that time had stilled in the dining hall, it certainly hadn’t, and Arts and Crafts was first on the docket.

The artist rose to her feet very abruptly, slinging her bag over the shoulder before looking at Zarina again. ”I’ll find you after arts and crafts, yeah?” The words flew out of her mouth, and without much thought her hand reached for Zari’s, squeezing it with her own two hands in a desperate attempt to be comforting. This was scary for herself, someone who had been to the camp a dozen times and had normally known it to be a safe space. But for someone like Zari, who was brand new to camp? Whose first impression of the camp was that THREE girls were missing? Leilani regretted that they didn’t have more time to talk about it, that she didn’t have more time to check in with Zarinia and make sure she was alright.

But as of right now, she had a job to do. She had a smile to fake and a good time to sell to a group of happy campers. So after one last glace over her shoulder to Zarina, she stepped out of the dining hall and made her way to the lodge.

It may not have been a long walk, but it was enough for Leilani to half-way process all the information she took in at breakfast. The more she processed, the more questions appeared in her mind. Why did Leon bring up truth or dare as a distraction? And why was Leon giving this information to the group? Why not Eva or Mr. Evergreen himself? Why would they make Leon tell his own peers and why was he insistent to act as if nothing was going on? And the most random of all, why was Eva’s son back out of the blue? After years of being gone himself?

As Leilani approached the Lodge, the unsettling feeling in her stomach grew. She thought back to the tape that seemed to be burning a hole in her shoulder bag at that very moment. Memories of seeing Renee stomping away with something in her hands flashed across her mind as she swung the lodge door open. What had frustrated her so much that day? And why would she have never told Leilani?

As more heartwrenching tried to wiggle its way into Leilani’s head, she passed Eva Twine’s office. She couldn’t explain it, but something made her stop in her tracks. She had some time before the campers came to the arts and crafts room, and thanks to her regular late nights in that very room, she was already all set up for their activity. If she wanted any kind of answers or at least clues to what was going on, there was no doubt in her mind that she would find something in Eva’s office. Jonathan Evergreen may be the founder of the camp, but everyone knew that it was Eva who ran the tight ship. If something was going on, Eva would know.

Leilani tried the doorknob. Locked. That had to mean something, right? She wouldn’t keep her office locked if there wasn’t something to hide in there. She readjusted her bag on her shoulder as she looked around, noticing there was nobody immediately walking to the lodge. There were people off on the main trail, but nobody close enough to witness Leilani trying to pick the lock on Eva’s door.

Attempting to jimmy a safety pin into the lock, ramming it in and wiggling it about as if she knew what she was doing, suddenly there was a satisfying *click* as the handle could now be twisted open.

”I can’t believe that worked.” She whispered in disbelief, now having a perfect lockpicking record.

The sneakers with various paint stains made very little sound on the usually creaky wooden floors as Leilani scurried over to behind Eva’s desk. Not even taking the time to take in any of the decor throughout her office, Leilani immediately started looking at the papers on Eva’s desk. Without much of a search, she found a paper with large blackened letters at the top, looking very official:

EASTHALLOW PROPERTY DEED

Leilani’s eyes scanned over the words, certain things popped out to her;

1987.

Jonathan Evergreen.

“DISCLAIMER: certain locals may be unhappy with this transfer of ownership.”

The previous land owner’s name seemed to be stained out from a coffee mug that sat on it.

“Cool, Mr. Evergreen legally owns the camp, so what?” Leilani rolled her eyes before glancing back at her watch. She didn’t have anymore time to investigate, she had to get back to her arts and crafts room before anyone else entered the lodge. Lani was a horrible liar, and if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar, there would be no way she could talk herself out of it.

She crept back to the office door, making sure to lock it from the inside before closing it again. Leilani even made sure to jiggle the doorknob to test that it was truly locked.

A quick exhale escaped her lips as she looked back out the front door; still nobody coming up to the lodge, but there were certainly more people on the trail. Campers would be by any minute. Leilani quickly walked further into the lodge, ducking into the arts and crafts room and finally taking a deep breath in. She had never broken into a room like that, never violated someone’s privacy like that.

What the hell were you thinking, Leilani? She scolded herself as she set her bag down at her table in the back corner.

Gee I don’t know, maybe I was thinking I needed some answers about what the hell is going on? My secret girlfriend has been missing for a year, along with her sister and now aNOTHER camper, and nobody’s saying a damn thing about why? I figured I could find something worthwhile! The bickering in her head continued as she crossed the room to switch on the radio that was high up on a shelf. The “Now That’s What I Call Music” CD began playing, popular pop hits from a few years ago. It was Leilani’s addition to the activity when she began being a leader for it, as she always loved painting with music in the background.

She shook her head, clearing her mind. She had to be present, she had to think about the campers now. Her eyes did quick check overs at each station she had set up for the first art activity; there were small dixie cups of water for each camper, a large cup of various paintbrushes at the center of the table, at least two bottles of each color per table, paired with a roll of paper towels on each table. On her own table, Lani had a large bowl of smooth rocks, varying in shapes and sizes as well as a stack of paper plates. It only seemed fitting that Lani kicked off the summer session with her favorite camp craft herself; rock painting!

It wasn’t long before the first kid burst through the door, grinning from ear to ear, thrilled to see Leilani. The camper’s name was Emma, a long time camper with a history of being attached to Leilani’s side. As Emma rushed to tackle Leilani with a hug, the rest of the campers filed in and found seats at the tables.

Leilani gave Emma one final squeeze before releasing her and encouraging her to find a seat. She squealed with glee before rushing off to the table her friends were at.

“Alrighty campers! I’m sooooooo glad to see each and every one of your bright and shiny faces!” Leilani shifted into full counselor mode. Anyone with a clue watching her would think she was an animatronic at Disneyland. Everything felt fake, and rehearsed, because it was. Only the kids were fooled by it, as she continued to wander the room addressing the kids. “I don’t know about you guys, but my favorite activity when I was a camper was painting rocks!” She pulled an unpainted rock out of her pocket and showed it to the group. “Finding something completely ordinary out in the world, and putting your own twist on it to make it something,” She dragged out the last syllable, leaning forward to keep them in anticipation. Quickly, she pulled a fully painted rock out of her other pocket and held it up as she finished her statement “special!”

There were various oohs and aahs and even some scattered bits of laughter as she held both rocks up and grinned.

“In case you’re new here, I’m Ms Leilani, and you come to me when you want to tap into your creativity. Here in Arts & Crafts, there is no wrong way to do art, there is no ugly craft, and there is always more paint to paint with! Today we’re gonna start by painting a rock,” Leilani had wandered back to her “desk” and held up the bowl of rocks “Since this is the first day of camp, I want everyone to paint the rock to represent you! However you think that means; whether you paint your face on it, swirl your favorite colors around, or even if you paint your favorite place to be! At the end of our time, we’ll make our way around the room & explain what we painted so we can get to know each other better!”

Leilani finished her charade of cheer by dismissing tables one by one to get a rock and a paper plate from her. Once every camper was busy at work, Leilani sat at her own table and painted a rock of her own. This one displayed the lodge, a gorgeous sunset behind it. And if anyone cared to pay enough attention, there were two very small blobs of paint within the lodge.

Maybe this one I could actually give to her…


code by valen t.
 






elodie m.




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  • home (filler tab)



































taylor acorn



shapeshifting








Stupid bus, Elodie trudged through Easthallow with a chip on her shoulder and a cramp in her shoulder-blade. She could honestly say she had better sleep in a torrential downpour curled up in an unwanted dog bed than she had on the seventeen hour bus ride. Far be it from her to turn down an all expenses paid trip—You're. . . sure? It's only a bus ticket, miss Matthews.

Pointedly ignoring the shooting pain, Elodie adjusts the guitar strap with pursed lips—ow—and pulls the loaned suitcase with her entire life packed inside of it down Hallow's Trail, her boots crunching loudly with each purposeful step. She'd never done anything remotely close to teaching, sheepishly explaining no, I don't have any credentials or a working with children's check. Mr. Evergreen was oddly understanding, not put off by the admission of her living situation.

A man in a grey sweater passes by, a warm smile on his face as he gives her the smallest of encouraging waves. Odd choice of clothing in the summer. He was definitely early forties and Elodie wasn't educated in what age people began going senile, so she returns the gesture kindly and continues to trudge on. Her fingers tighten on the strap across her chest, her grip unrelenting until buildings peak through the green foliage. Ugh. She didn't want to entertain the myriad of insects surely lingering around.

She takes an awkward amount of time figuring out where she was, stepping as close as she dared to each building to search for a sign or anything to tell her where she was—seriously, is there a fucking map? Her gaze shoots around, unsure and stressed at the idea of being seen like this—hopelessly lost, a tourist—she peels away from the towering building, I rather take my chances elsewhere.

Ten minutes later, Elodie all but gives up on locating where the cabins might be and makes for the clearing that marks the centre of camp—or, what she hopes does. She yanks the handle of the suitcase stubbornly, the arm of her aching shoulder stinging in protest. Throw me a bone. And sure enough, a torrent of what she assumes must be campers pour out of what must be the largest building here. Oh, her chest deflates, yeah, I gotta teach kids. . . Her lips pull into a frown at the unfortunate reminder. Children weren't the worst, but it wasn't often she ran into them on the streets. I have to watch my mouth. They would not have the attitude to match, fortunate little shits.

They breeze past her like she's nothing but a ghost, or a sign on the side of a derelict road that no one really pays any mind. She offers a couple of them passing by a tentative smile, they're pretty lucky, might be nicer than the city, but they don't return her gesture, one boy going so far as to pull a face at her as if her smile was offensive. Her expression drops, must be rich then.

Elodie decides to take her chances inside, heading for the building with another painful yank of the suitcase as the wheels catch on pebbles and twigs. Mere feet away, the door slams open to reveal a man—imposingly tall with dark messy hair and a war waging on his face.

"Oh! Shit—" Elodie comes to a startled halt, releasing the strap of her guitar case to press her palm to her racing heart. Embarrassed, Elodie rushes out an apology, "Sorry, you scared me. I. . . are you alright?"

Frustration poured off of him in waves and she quickly rakes her eyes over him, nervous she'd caught an honestly intimidating man at the wrong time. Overwhelmed by the intensity of him, Elodie's lips thin for a second before she admits, "I'm new here. For music. Are you, I mean—obviously, you aren't a camper. " She shakes her head, exasperated as her mouth struggles to catch up with her thoughts. "To be honest, I'm lost. Should I be heading in there or. . .?" She trails off, flicking her eyes to the building behind him.





♡coded by uxie♡
 
JC was up at dawn. Even without the sun stirring his conscious, his internal clock would've done the job for him. He was content to simply rest upon his branch, mimicking the chirps and whistles of the various citizens of the forest before being interrupted by the scamper and chatter of campers and counselors nearby. Nothing came in the night. All traces of that errant beast were erased with nary a clue as to where it went. To many within Cabin 4, it would come at no surprise to JC to see them dismiss the incident. Not for him. Not a single report from a ranger? Even a rabid raccoon would've warranted a call-in to Mr. Evergreen. JC couldn't help the endless circles his mind was drawing itself into and eventually, the build-up of nervous energy forced him to slip down his perch and begin pacing the campgrounds.

For his part, he steered clear of the campers and counselors. JC didn't want any interruptions. Over and over, the facts of the previous night were recounted in his head. Some blood. Some fur. A damaged window. Tall enough to hit it or capable of climbing? Not a scaly critter or a feathered one. Fur doesn't belong on snakes or birds. What about pests? Rats were too discreet. Bears were too large not to be seen. JC has seen stranger things happen. It could not have been deer. Rangers would've tracked all those animals long before reaching camp. Maybe contacting the rangers to ask if they knew anything would help? JC was at a loss.

"Fuckin' dammit, Carver, you're better than this," he growled, picking up a stone and flinging it across the way. He watched as it ricocheted off a tree and nearly hit a girl ( lostbird lostbird ) in the head. "Shit," he muttered.

JC moseyed over, hardly masking the resting bitch face that graced his visage. " 'pologize for that," he said, glancing at Levi ( anyasjoy anyasjoy ) for a moment to nod in greeting. "I'd ask if you were alright but the rock didn't hit ya so uh... how about I just owe you a beer or something - if you're partial to that kind of drink," he offered.
 
MOOD: Rowan (pensive → pissed off), Connie (composed → agitated), & Kayden (calm → stunned).
basics
COLLAB WITH: evermoon evermoon , @irregular-neptune
tags
TL;DR Connie, Rowan, and Kayden catch up a little over breakfast until the shocking news of Lisa’s disappearance silences the hall.
tl;dr
THE DINING HALL
rowan bishop, connie levine, & kayden wade.
Parting with Ricky on a―surprisingly―good note had done plenty to settle the butterflies that consistently rammed against her ribcage the minute she first saw him on her way to the Dining Hall. Connie knew to expect him back at Camp Evergreen but she hadn’t prepared herself to face him so early in the session given her eventful first day back. Still, she found her shoulders feeling a little lighter at the nature of their conversation, initial awkwardness aside. If he was able to extend an olive branch after being the one to break things off, clearly they were on a better note than she had realized. One less person to worry about avoiding all session long, she thought while crossing his name her the mental checklist.

That was enough venturing into the unknown for one morning, however. She couldn’t stomach having to tip-toe around another person she had an awkward history with―not before breakfast, at the very least. So, when Connie spotted Rowan groggily trudging to the nearest table, she couldn’t help but let a smile grow at the sight of someone familiar. Picking up her walking pace slightly until she was close behind him, she made sure to step in his line of sight before laying a feather-light touch to his shoulder to announce her presence. “Hey, Rowan.” she chimed, sliding into a seat opposite of him. “Rough morning too?” Must have been, Connie thought, taking in the fading remnants of sleep lines against his cheek.

Letting him adjust to the bustling movements of the evergrowing crowd filing in, she turned to face Kayden―who she sat next to―to offer the same courtesy. “Morning.”

At her greeting, the almost-glare of Kayden’s resting expression faded into a smile. Not huge, maybe, but a grin nonetheless. For him, many would take that as a win in and of itself.

After all, while he might not have the large swaths of friends some people at Evergreen seemed to have, there were a few people he felt comfortable with. They might not be his best friends in the world, but he knew he wouldn’t have to hug a wall by himself, or sit alone in a quiet room tapping his fingers. Connie had the honor of sitting high on that list.

“Morning,” he echoed, leaning back into his seat. “You seem… awake.”

“Do I?” Connie questioned, a tired smile tugged at the corners of her lips now that she was seated. She had woke up early today with the intention of getting a head start with work, but Hugo had beaten her to it and shooed her away. As a result of doing nothing with her hands after all, and instead having to navigate an interaction with someone unexpected, the lack of rest was already catching up to her.

Maybe I should’ve gotten that coffee after all, she watched as the other counselors found their seats―mugs captured in the grips of their desperate hands, before returning her gaze to Kayden. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

Rowan had shrugged dismissively at Kayden’s question when he first sat down – he’d slept about as well as you’d expect, with the stress of returning to a camp his girlfriend had disappeared from and a mysterious thing slamming on their window in the middle of the night. He wondered if he should be the one to tell Jonathan about it, but honestly wasn’t sure he was ready to interact with the man yet. Facing him had been difficult after Paige’s disappearance – Rowan’s guilt, his rage, made it hard to look him in the eye.

“Could have been better.”

The smile Rowan gave when Connie appeared was genuine – though they weren’t as close as perhaps he and Riley were, Connie had been good friends with Paige last summer, which left him in close quarters with her as well. She was cool, and he’d never forget her being side by side with him during the long search parties to find the sisters last summer. He was glad to be seeing more of his friends today… Yesterday had been weird and he just wanted a normal summer. Maybe he could even catch Lisa this morning before the Nature class…

“Hey, Con,” he said in response to her greeting. Then when her gaze lingered on his cheek, he rubbed it and laughed awkwardly. “Oh, it was just hard to sleep last night. Being back at camp…” he was quiet for a moment before shrugging off his thoughts and turning his attention back to Connie. “Plus, someone tried to pull some weird prank on our cabin late last night… it was weird.”

At the mention of the previous night, Kayden nodded. It had already slipped from his mind this morning, considering that he’d been awake for around two hours at this point– he must have forgotten it somewhere on between the fifth and sixth arrow he’d fixed.

“That was weird,” Kayden agreed. “Is the blood or whatever still there?”

“Blood…?” any hint of relaxation drained from her face, smile dissipating slow along with it as her posture straightened where she sat. For a moment, she stayed quiet―memory reverting back to yesterday’s chaotic end. She had almost successfully repressed the experience until the mention of blood, sending an electric shock down to the cut against her finger in mock reminder. Even facing Rowan now took her back to the blazing fire that had engulfed her vision along with the cabin. Was that what this was? Some sort of prank..? How?

Fixing her expression into a smile again―tight-lipped being all she could muster―she threw glances between her companions as she found her will to speak. “What was the um…―the prank? What happened back at your cabin?” she asked, eyebrows knitted together in a mix of confusion and concentration.

Rowan considered Kayden’s question – he hadn’t remembered to look at it closely this morning before he left, and honestly wouldn’t have had the time to check it even if he had. It likely still was, unless Marquis had gone back this morning to clean it. He was most likely to decide on his own to clean. Rowan saw how some of these cabins got in the summer, especially when a bunch of sweaty boys were sharing… it wasn’t pretty. He shrugged, “I’m sure none of us cleaned it yet.”

He turned his attention towards Connie, sympathetic to her look of confusion. Anything even slightly off was a cause for concern this year with tensions so high… and with the blood, pretend or not, this prank had not been funny. Still, with the look of concern on Connie’s face, he didn’t want her to worry too much, especially after everything. They were back to help things go back to normal, not to dwell on what happened last year. Rowan trusted Jonathan enough to believe that he wouldn’t have opened up camp if they were still in any kind of danger.

“Late last night, someone or maybe something crashed into our window… it broke our window and left behind fur and a little blood. Marquis is convinced it was a prank though, and I trust his judgment.”

…For the most part.

A quiet, and easy to miss, exhale escaped from her lips at Rowan’s explanation, simultaneously finding herself searching for anything in his demeanor that signaled an unease despite his attempt to reassure her that the prank on his cabin was seemingly harmless. Even in the midst of his explanation, Connie found herself throwing a look toward Kayden, searching his face for any expression that would betray what Rowan reduced the situation to.

For now, there was nothing to overanalyze, and her eyebrows softened in response. Her own personal feelings toward Marquis was a faded bruise, no longer tender to the touch when others brought up his name, but part of her wanted to scoff. Since when did everyone put him in charge of deciding what’s considered dangerous or not? Shoving the bitter thought to the back of her mind, Connie took a fork to the fluffy stack of waffles placed on their table, stabbing and shaking one off to tumble onto her own plate―just one to test the extent of her appetite before her attention flickered to a figure taking the middle of the room.

Shortly, Leon walked into the Dining Hall, escorting some of the newbies. The chatter of the campers and counselors alike hushed as he began his opening statements for orientation. It was the same old spiel from every other year – only this time without the domineering presence of Renee. One that usually caused a sinking feeling in his gut, a foreboding beginning to each summer that reminded Rowan that there was no complete sense of peace at the camp. This year, her absence was somehow worse.

“Lisa Xander will not be returning.”

Rowan’s stomach sank – why wouldn’t she have told him that she wasn’t coming back? He thought back on their texts from the last couple of weeks, searched his mind for a sign that something was wrong, but she wouldn’t have kept something like this a secret from him, would she? In the last week or so, they really hadn’t talked, but he’d just assumed they’d both been busy getting ready for camp.

Something felt wrong. Was Lisa mad at him for returning to camp after everything that had happened? Is that why she hadn’t told him that she wasn’t coming back? He nervously bit his lip as Leon finished his speech and looked down at the table, any feeling of hunger he had passing, just leaving way for the pit of anxiety that began to form in his stomach.

Using the side of her fork as a makeshift knife, Connie began to cut a piece off in the form of a mini triangle while Leon’s voice reached her ears. The lot of the informative announcement aside, there was something missing in the usual tone she’d grown accompanied to throughout the course of their friendship. It was enough for her to stop what she was doing and give her undivided attention to the supervisor instead, taking note of the smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Lisa’s not coming?, her mind echoed his words, shifting her focus back to Rowan―who clearly looked affected by her sudden absence. He didn’t know..

“Hey…,” she started, voice hushed while Leon directed the camper’s out of the Dining Hall. “It’s okay. It was probably a last minute thing. We can walk to Medbay after this and call her, if you want.” Cause I want to know too. With Xander in mind, why didn’t she call? The thought swam to the forefront of her view as she waited for Leon to continue.

Kayden watched as the news rippled through Rowan and Connie. He’d never been close to Lisa, so the news of her not returning wasn’t anything more than a short shock. Sure, it was strange to quit so close to camp, but it had happened before.

He was taken aback, however, when Leon spoke again.

“Uh, I’m sure there’s questions about Lisa. She’s… she’s been declared missing. Six days.”

“Missing?” Kayden repeated under his breath. There was no way. Until now, he’d written off the events of last summer as a one-off incident. That the elements had gotten the Evergreen sisters; it was the easiest thing to believe. The conviction he’d had in that belief went out the window in a split second. He glanced over at Connie to gauge her reaction.

“What?” Connie’s attention snapped back towards Kayden―hearing his voice just a little above a whisper―as they locked eyes to confirm what they thought to be a mistake. No…No, she leaned back in her seat, dropping the fork and letting the metal utensil clatter against the table top as her expression morphed from calm to inexplicably numb. “No, she’s not―” words refused to form, suddenly piling up in her throat as she swallowed hard. Even looking around the room, there was no way to deny the same fearful expression, or the expression of nothingness at all…they were all wearing it. Watching Levi storm out of the Dining Hall only solidified that fear, a laughing Thomas in tow.

Thomas..? The pained expression she had fought so hard to conceal disappeared successfully, with a look of anger to replace it as her eyes narrowed. What the fuck is so funny?, she thought bitterly, almost entirely forgetting about her company until the subtle shift of Rowan’s seat speared her attention to fall on him again. “Rowan…?”

Rowan’s stomach flipped when Leon spoke, stomach turning sour – any waffle he’d managed to choke down threatening to come back up. Missing. The word echoed in his mind for just a moment, sending him back to the moment last summer that he’d found out Paige had been missing. The panic that welled in his chest, the need to get out in the woods and start looking, the hope that she was still alive. The despair when they couldn’t find her, even now a year later.

How could they continue with camp like this, pretending like nothing was going on? Was anyone even safe? Rowan doubts his reasoning for coming back – how he expected to find any answers here with the danger growing, more of his friends caught in the crossfire of some mystery he didn’t yet understand. What he did understand was the anger that often bubbled up in lieu of any other emotion, threatening to spill over. Fiery hot rage – at Jonathan Evergreen for reopening the camp, for asking him to come back, at Sheriff Jones for not doing his job better.

With Leon clumsily finishing his revelation of Lisa’s disappearance with a statement about their fucking traditional Sunspot party, and Thomas’s echoing laughter as he left, Rowan’s rage swelled in him and he decided to get the fuck out of the Dining Hall, try to catch his breath – he’d been to this point enough to know when he was going to say something he’d regret, throw punches he couldn’t take back. His ability to cool off hadn’t gotten any better since Paige’s disappearance, but he wasn’t trying to get into a fight with Leon on the second day – it wasn’t Leon’s fault that Lisa was missing, and it also wasn’t Leon’s fault that they made him announce it. Thomas, on the other hand…

Rowan glanced up as Connie said his name, unsure what he was supposed to say to any of this.

“I need a minute,” he managed as he stood up clumsily, leaving his chair pushed away from the table as he felt his feet quickly carry himself outside, hoping for chilly morning air but receiving a warm breeze that didn’t offer him any favors for cooling off. His jaw was clenched and his fists were tight balls at his sides, nails digging half-crescent moons into his skin as he walked towards the woods near the back of the dining hall, stumbling for purchase against a tree as his shaky legs threatened to give out underneath him.

Don’t…

He leaned against the tree for just a moment with his left hand for support as he felt another wave of rage swell up inside of him.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed despite the potential of campers nearby. He slammed the side of his fist hard into the tree, channeling all of his emotions into the punch, bark scraping his hand bloody and raw. He wanted to explode, to tear his hair out and scream at all of the other counselors, especially the ones who had just gone on to teach their classes – he didn’t care that they were doing their jobs, how could anyone just keep going on when someone was missing?

Concern etched across Connie’s face as she watched Rowan’s retreating figure from where she stood―rising to her feet somewhere between his statement and his sudden move to rush out of the hall. We shouldn’t be leaving anywhere alone right now, she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out when she needed them to. Instead, she found herself paralyzed. Paralyzed and unable to register the fact that history had been repeating itself with another friend, and yet Jonathan Evergreen wasn’t making half the effort for Lisa or showing the same amount of concern that he had for his daughters. For Paige.

Day two and Lisa was missing for six…, four days and he decided that opening the camp was still the right answer.

As she slowly sunk back down in her seat, silence swallowed her and the words that refused to flee from her throat threatened to dissolve into tears. Despite the lines of her eyes glistening and her lashes beginning to dampen, Connie shook her head and stood up again―this time, with a purpose. “We can’t leave him alone,” she started quietly, turning to Kayden as she rounded the table. “You’re coming, right?” a tinge of something resided in her tone―fear. Whether she knew it or not, the reality was starting to settle deep in her bones, but the last choice she would ever make is leaving a friend alone. Not now. Not after this.

Kayden watched as Rowan all but threw himself away from the table and fled the dining hall. The tense line of his body betrayed his emotions; Kayden could feel the fury brimming off of him before he’d even stood up. It wasn’t much of a surprise to see him go, considering his friendship with Lisa. He could only imagine that it compounded on what Rowan must already be dealing with, considering what happened last year with Paige.

Connie didn’t escape that burden either, though. When Kayden turned to her as she spoke, he was reminded of how close she had been to the younger Evergreen sister. The weight of this might bear down on Rowan, but he imagined that didn’t mean it was easy for her. Nor did she seem unimpacted by the news, based on the slight shake in her voice. The two of them might have been friends in a loose sense more than anything, but he felt a surge of something like concern at the way her eyes shone.

He might not be close with Rowan, but he did like Connie. “Yeah, I’ll come,” he said, pushing himself up to his feet. It was that or leave her alone, and the latter seemed like a horrible option.
code by valen t.
 
MOOD: Elodie (mildy confused → resigned, hopeful), & Levi (get me the fuck out of here → nothing has changed, but lisa).
basics
MENTIONS: JC Coyote Coyote & Thomas Wyll Wyll .
tags
TL;DR Elodie and Levi almost make a break for it, but she wants money and he's not an asshole.
tl;dr
THE DINING HALL
elodie matthews, and levi jackson.
So consumed by his thoughts, he barely noticed the figure he almost collided with—a woman who immediately stepped back, words of apology tumbling out of her mouth. “Jesus—” Levi started, his tone sharp, but before he could finish, she was already asking if he was okay, her embarrassment evident in her voice.

He blinked, momentarily caught off guard by her sincerity, before scoffing and muttering, “peachy.” The word dripped with sarcasm, but his irritation dulled slightly as he stepped aside, brushing past her to give them both some space as he let her continue on.

Levi barely paid attention at first, the mention of her being a new counselor, and replacing music, snapping him out of his thoughts. His body stiffened, jaw tightening as he reluctantly dragged his gaze away from the sky to look at her. An ugly snort escaped before he could stop it, dripping with disbelief and irritation. “You’re kidding, right?” he asked sharply, shaking his head so fast that the unkempt strands of his hair brushed against his forehead.

“You should turn around and head back—” he gestured in a circular motion with his finger before pointing directly toward the trail visible in the distance. “Right where you came from,” he added, his tone laced with a mix of pity and frustration, “here, I’ll even walk you back.”

Elodie’s mouth drops open, caught off-guard by his brash way of speaking—and people think I’m rude? Assuming he might have had a bad day or even a bad week by the looks of his tense shoulders. She’s prepared to state her case, I don’t come from anywhere buddy, I need this job when something whizzes past her face, so close she stumbles back and almost upends herself. “What the—?”

"'pologize for that. I'd ask if you were alright but the rock didn't hit ya so uh... how about I just owe you a beer or something - if you're partial to that kind of drink."

Levi fought back the groan threatening to escape as his gaze landed on JC standing behind him. Can this morning get any fucking worse? he thought bitterly.

Instead of letting loose with a sarcastic or crude remark, he sighed heavily and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off the headache that was beginning to form. Why am I even entertaining this? He shook his head slightly, more to himself than to JC, debating whether to say anything at all—or just walk away.

Her hand has a slight tremble as it reaches to clasp over her mouth, holding back a string of curses. The person responsible seemed apologetic enough. She throws a look between him and him, the grumpy one, feeling as if she were missing a critical piece of a larger puzzle. I hate puzzles.

“Beer sounds um, good.” Elodie speaks behind her fingers, dropping her hand to speak more clearly. “Less of whatever you just did would work, too.”

For a moment, silence hung heavy, Levi’s irritation bubbling just beneath the surface as he stood there, motionless, while Lisa was still missing. He opened his mouth, words sharp and ready to cut through the tension, “actually, on second thought—”

A crude laugh cut him off, echoing in the space and slicing through his nerves like a dull blade. Levi froze, his posture going rigid as the door behind him slammed shut. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was—Thomas, strolling past with a deliberate air of nonchalance, his laughter mocking and detached.

His jaw clenched tightly as his gaze briefly flicked to Thomas’ retreating figure, first Leon, now Thomas? Did no one give a damn that someone was missing again?

That vulnerable feeling—sharp and unfamiliar—began to creep in, threatening to expose cracks he wasn’t ready to show. Swallowing hard, he forced his focus away from Thomas, letting his gaze wander elsewhere before finally speaking. “On second thought,” Levi muttered, his voice low and edged with defeat, “let me walk out of this dump with you. Nothing but trouble around here.”

What the fuck have I walked into? Elodie’s eyes shift back and forth, unsure where to land without feeling like an intruder. Between the one who’d almost clocked her in face, the man who’d exited with a silencing laugh, and the one before her with a tick in his jaw—she sways on the balls of her feet, gearing up to find an opening and awkwardly leave until let me walk out of this dump with you.

“Yeah,” she settles on, hearing the clear need for escape in his hardened voice. A feeling she’s all too familiar with back in Portland. I should just get him away from here… and them. She knocks her foot into the suitcase at her side, the tip of her converse leaving a pathetic indent in the bright blue case. “Not like I unpacked yet, anyway.”

Levi's gaze followed her gesture, landing on the solo suitcase as she tapped with the tip of her shoe. His expression remained impassive, it’s for the best, he mused, believe me.

Taking two measured steps away from the building in question and towards the trail, she half-heartedly waves at the one who’d offered her a beer and gave the other a look, indicating for him to follow. “Nothing but trouble is an assessment. Fill me in?”

Hearing her agreement, Levi couldn’t help but flash her a look of appreciation and understanding. A weight seemed to lift slightly as his features relaxed, though the tension in his posture remained. With a sharp nod to acknowledge her silent gesture, he followed her lead, his steps purposeful but not hurried.

As they passed JC, Levi managed a strained, tight-lipped smile, coupled with an even more awkward wave before averting his gaze entirely. Too soon to talk to him anyway. This is me being kind.

They walked in silence for a while, the cheerful shouts of campers filling the air, a stark contrast to the unease overwhelming him. He waited until they were far enough away, out of earshot of any prying ears, before he broke the silence.

"Just rip the bandaid," he mumbled under his breath before speaking louder. "Someone is missing, again." His tone was flat but laced with something darker, an edge of weariness creeping in. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You should take your chance and dip while you still can."

Elodie abruptly stops short, the footpath crunching in protest. Eyes locked on his own—a rich brown she might’ve found comforting if it weren’t for the words he’d just uttered—she searches for the sign of a joke, only to find an unsettling seriousness coinciding with his voice. “What do you mean again?” She tears her eyes away, pinning them on the trail she’d walked from and recalls the job application desperately. Hope that wasn’t in the fine print.

“Fuck. I signed a contract.” A contract she’d went to painstaking lengths to have it faxed over, dropping in to a community centre to have the application printed and signed, sent off to an Eva Twine before she’d swiped a loaf of bread from the back-kitchen and dipped out the exit before she could be seen.

“We all did—it’s a manual thing. The agreement.” Levi’s voice carried a tone of lingering confusion, his words weighted by the absurdity of the morning's events.

He stood tall, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as he mulled over the situation. How bad can breaking a contract be? he thought bitterly, his gaze drifting towards the scattered campers once more. His jaw tightened, the intrusive memory of Lisa’s disappearance flickering at the edges of his thoughts.

It’s not like the kids are going missing around here.

Releasing the handle of her suitcase, she runs a hand through her hair—not oily yet, thank fuck—and sighs, deep and regretful. “Just my luck… Wait a minute—” her eyes cut back to him, sharp and questioning. “‘Again’. Why’d you come back in the first place?”

Levi silently observed her, taking in the way her fingers nervously fiddled with her hair. The loud, drawn-out sigh she released was all too telling, and he felt a pang of guilt he wasn’t used to acknowledging. Her gaze met his once more, sharp and unrelenting now. Why did you come back?

"Why did I come back?" He scoffed in response, the sound dry and humorless as he uncrossed his arms. They hung loosely at his sides for a moment before he gestured broadly at their surroundings, the corners of his mouth twisting into a bitter smile.

“I thought I could finally have a good fucking summer,” he admitted, his voice tinged with a harshness he couldn’t quite shake. His gaze flicked back to her, sharp yet weary. “Trust me, you do not want to hear about the Evergreens.”

As in… Jonathan Evergreen? I thought I could finally have a good fucking summer. Mr. Evergreen had been nothing but helpful and supportive given her circumstances. Elodie had half a mind to defend the man she hadn’t even met, to fight for his supposed ‘honour’ but the conviction in his voice silences her—she knew nothing, and if people were missing before and Mr. Evergreen chose to reopen… then there was nothing to defend.

She wasn’t a curious girl by nature, knowing when to keep her nose out of others’ business and focus on herself. Missing people affected her and she refused to be another homeless girl added to a depressing statistic outlining the likelihood of her being found. “Actually, I do. I’m only aware of the one Evergreen.” Her voice drops, hushed and conspiratorial. “What’s going on here?”

“I. Don’t. Know.” The conversation thickened as Levi’s frustration spilled out, his words sharper, more desperate this time. The weight of everything—Lisa gone, the missing Evergreens, the confusion, the panic—pressing down on him. He needed to make her understand.

“We’re all in the dark. Counselors are going missing left and right—I don’t know what the fuck is happening,” he said, voice low but strained, nothing but the hard truth. Everyone was lost and dealing with shit alone. He eventually stepped back, trying to create more distance, his eyes darting around the camp as though he expected someone, hopefully Lisa, to jump out at any moment. It’s just a prank, dumbass.

“I’m being serious—so fucking serious, you should just head back. It’s not like the one Evergreen would notice.” Doesn’t stick around like he used to anyway, which didn’t help with Levi’s suspicions at all.

Paranoia slips in like a ghost, haunting the space around them. What the fuck. His desperation was threatening to choke her alive, an unknown reality that not even he was aware of, sent alarm bells through her entire body and still, a troubling thought weighed heavy on her chest—I can’t go back to Portland with nothing.

“Elodie. My name’s Elodie,” the introduction stumbles out, laced with a different type of desperation. “I’m going to be… painfully honest. I have nowhere to return to. No home, no—” nothing. “Um. Please, don’t leave?”

There had to be something about this twist of fate, his observation of it all was weirdly comforting and she was by no means a trusting person. What if others couldn’t see it all so plainly as himself? She’d have no one. “I know… super selfish of me to ask and I want nothing more than to high-tail it back to Portland, but this is like, my last chance to do something with my life—I need the money. Bad. Don’t leave.”

Elodie wasn’t about to make empty promises about figuring it out together, because she didn’t care enough—getting close to the disappearances meant being close enough to be the next one taken. A deceitful part of her was rising along with her anxiety; no one was willing to help strays and she’d just word-vomited part of her life story. Fuck. Her hand flies back to her mouth, physically holding back the urge to lie and appease whatever part of him might be willing to listen.

He didn’t mean for the silence to hang so heavily between them, stunned by her blunt honesty, along with her confession. Levi’s gaze shifted from her suitcase to her face and oh—she’s homeless.

He didn’t know how to respond. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out at first. His throat felt tight as he caught her hand blocking her mouth, her posture almost skittish. I’m freaking her out.

Don’t go. “You don’t even know me.” He glanced away briefly, his thoughts loud. What was he supposed to do here?

"I—" He stopped himself, realizing he didn't really have anything else to say that would convince her to change her mind. Instead, his hand went to rub at the back of his neck, his fingers massaging the tension that had crept up. “I hope money is worth it in the end,” he mumbled out, glancing towards the dining hall to shift the subject. “Did you…did you eat?”

You don’t even know me. But I could! The thought was a desperate plea, a deceitful act she’d used one too many times in the city in an attempt to sway the odds in her favour, to appeal to a person’s humanity for her own benefit. She keeps her hand pressed to her mouth, convincing herself that wasn’t fair to him, not when he was so honest with her.

“I hope so, too.” Elodie breathes, her situation ultimately paling in comparison to whatever was going on at this camp and she drops her hand to clutch the handle of her suitcase.

She follows his gaze to the building they’d wandered from, her stomach pinching painfully at the thought of food. “Not since Sunday.” She’d gone longer than two days, but the discomfort was hard to ignore—she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, reluctant to leave in case he sees it as his opportunity to flee. “Are you… staying?”

"That's...unfortunate." Levi cleared his throat, casting a glance over his shoulder before motioning for her to follow. He took the lead, guiding her unfortunately away the trail and towards the Hall, his converse crunching against the dirt with every step. "I’m sorry about your um, sticky situation." The words felt awkward as they left his mouth, and he winced internally. Was that shallow? Insensitive? He wasn’t sure—but there was a quiet pang of pity for a girl who seemed out of her depth.

Walking headfirst into a trap, he thought grimly, just like the rest of us.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he walked forward. "The name’s uh...Levi, by the way. Jackson. Levi Jackson," he offered, his voice steadying as he looked ahead. "And I guess I am," it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. "Would look like the biggest asshole here if I just left everyone behind." His lips twitched in a faint attempt at humor, “but then again, the majority would leave though, so I don’t know if that would still make me an asshole.”

Elodie shrugged as she followed his steps back towards what she assumed was the Dining Hall. “No need. Did it to myself.” With no regrets… well, maybe some. She watches the back of his head while he introduces himself, the unease from earlier easing considerably with each step further into the depths of the camp. Levi. I can see it. It was like the age-old theory that dogs begin to resemble their owners, some people just embodied their name.

She breathes a sigh of relief, loud and purposeful. “Phew. I am really glad to hear it.” She tries not to think much about his comment on the majority leaving at the first given chance, because firstly—what? And secondly, it only lended to her fear that she’d have no one else to trust at this camp if he suddenly disappeared into the ether.

His steps began to slow and she finally catches up with his long strides, turning back to offer him a relieved and grateful smile as she overtakes him. “We can be assholes after payday. You coming inside?”

Levi could feel the subtle shift in her mood—a spark of ease and amusement briefly following with her words—before the tension crept back in at the mention of others bolting at the first opportunity. It struck a chord, evident in the way she slowed her steps and faltered a bit behind. It’s true, unfortunately.

But not all, he corrected himself silently, unwilling to let cynicism take complete hold. Although, people shouldn’t be punished for wanting to live.

Levi let out a slight snort at her phrasing and her choice of words. “I’m fine with being an asshole,” he said, tone dry with humor, “but payday isn’t exactly a problem for me. I’m only sticking around for—” He faltered, his steps slowing as the thought of Leon and his stupid stupid mouth. He let out a soft sigh, finishing with a quieter, almost reluctant, “...I guess a friend.”

At her polite offer of an invite, Levi quickly shook his head. “Thank you, but I already had breakfast.” His words were clipped, and he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, the gesture as much to shield himself as to reinforce his decline. “Good…luck though, Elodie. There’s some nice people around.”

Must be rich, Elodie decides, musing on his wording. At least he’s not a total asshole. Her envy of others more fortunate than herself clouded her judgement often, preventing her from seeing a human past the person fortunate enough to have a guaranteed roof over their head. She’s grateful she got to know a piece of Levi before discovering that little unfortunate tidbit.

“Your friend is pretty lucky then. You don’t even need the money.” She laughs, short and sweet as she rocks back and forth on balls of her feet. “Don’t tell me the name! I want to try and guess the kinda company you’d keep around.”

A small smile broke out once more on Levi’s face that morning, his hands buried deep in his pockets as she rocked back and forth on her feet. “We’ll make it a little game.”

Elodie hid her dejection as he declined heading inside, a distinct feeling of being thrown to the wolves settled in her chest. She releases the handle of her case to give him a slight wave, painfully awkward as she poured her relief and gratitude into it. “Um. See you around, Levi. Thanks for staying.”

Levi watched her flash him a wave, and he couldn't help but return the gesture, though his was slightly more awkward, his hand lifting in a stiff motion. She seemed nice—maybe a bit lost, but full of energy. He was sure others would gravitate toward her warmth.

"See you around, Elodie," he said, offering a small, genuine smile before he mirrored her wave. He took a few steps backward, his feet shuffling with a slight stumble, before spinning on his heels and breaking into a quick pace toward the sports area. His mind shifted quickly as he walked, thoughts turning to Lisa. Thanks for staying. Lisa's missing...we’ll find her. Hopefully.

Elodie pushes into the Dining Hall, suitcase in tow and in immediate search for food. Most seemed to be cleaning up and her eyes don't linger long on the people standing idly around, her attention focused on a back table with bread rolls and bacon. She marches over, eyes gleaming at the assortment left behind. "Fuck yes." Missing people be damned.
code by valen t.
 









scroll








justice / the bloodline ▼



harper.













outfit

reference discord, pookies.











location

hallow's trail > dining hall.











interactions

thomas e., leon.











tags

lostbird lostbird















"Just one more. . .," he pleaded softly, drawing her in for another heartfelt squeeze.

Everything about the hug from Thomas Evergreen felt reluctant the way he had her wrapped in an embrace—he doesn't want me to stay here. That much had been obvious in how many attempts he made to talk her out of it, bargaining with her about staying home while still keeping close to friends. But Harper hand a plan, a destiny she couldn't abandon like the rest of them had.

I will find you. . .both of you.

As much as she was insistent, that didn't stop her from squeezing back just as tight. There was an unspoken bond between Thomas and Harper Evergreen in the way they interacted—he was the favored parent and always has been. Her parent's divorce only made that more obvious. "If you don't let me go, I won't be able to call you from Medbay like I promised," she joked with a smile, taking the initiative to end the hug and face him, finally. "I'll be fine," the reassurance was firm and finalized with a soft click as she pulled the suitcase handle to its max extension.

"I know, I know. Just. . .be careful for me, will ya, Kid?" You're all I got. He tries a smile this time—failed in the way it does nothing to light a familiar gleam in his eye. It had since diminished after Renee and Paige's disappearance, similar to Jonathan's sorrowful look now, but this was different. His daughter was here and he was sending her there—the last place where his nieces were seen alive. What parent could stomach that kind of dread?

In an attempt to shift the mood, Harper scoffs in faux annoyance, adding a dramatic flair the way her eyes roll up. "And when am I not?" she feigns, dragging her bag away at her dad's attempt to take it from her and help her down the trail. "No, I got it."

Turning to start the agonizingly long walk, but not before she offers him an awkward wave 'Goodbye', Harper eagerly steps into a brisk pace descending toward camp.

It had been two years since she last stepped foot into camp and yet she strutted down the trail as if no time had passed. Sheer memory took her where she needed to go—past the trail leading to the Sunspot while throwing glances at soft rustling sounds from the smaller animals who made their homes in towering oak trees. Even the familiar summer heat that warmed the exposed skin of her arms took her down a nostalgic path to all the sessions she spent here: laughing with the campers, gossiping with her friends, being with Renee.

The bitter reality resumed its place ensnared around her throat, gaze darkening while she dissociated into the view in front of her. Where did you go, 'Ne? Paige? No matter how many times Harper searched for the answer—or any answer that would suffice—she always came up short and it left her enraged. The silence was mocking her, pulling at her conscience where she needed to be and that was here: where it all happened.

"I am right where I need to be," she whispered, a haunting smile pulling at her features to accessorize the mania seeping through the cracks.

Ten minutes later, and once the sound of a dozen simultaneous voices reached her ears, Harper's walk slowed into something more leisurely as they passed her by. Some showed looks of mild confusion at an unannounced presence while others paid her no mind on their way to different activities, but they all looked the same in how they blended into the background of her focus.

Start at the dining hall, someone's gotta be there, the Evergreen decides, pivoting directions from the Row to where the remnants of kids, and assumedly, some counselors were spilling out from. Once Harper reaches its familiar steps, she climbs up—her bag in tow—before pulling open the double doors and getting hit with swaths of lingering breakfast scents.


♡coded by uxie♡
 






elodie m.




filler



filler



filler



filler



filler



filler






  • home (filler tab)



































taylor acorn



shapeshifting








Four slices of bacon and a fried egg on some toast wasn't enough. Elodie methodically goes down the line and picks at each offered choice—there's sooo much! "What do you mean camp is only two weeks?" She says miserably around a mouthful of bread and butter.

Her eyes scour the hastily made breakfast items, scrunching her nose as she realises why so much had been left over. "Seriously? These rich kids have a problem with some burnt pieces?" Swiping up another slice of bacon with blackened edges, she cranes her head back and funnels the piece into her mouth slowly, savouring each charred bite with an upwards tilt to the corners of her opened mouth. More for me, suckers.

A tray of half-eaten plates is placed on a cart to her left and she double-takes, her eyes widening. Waffles. "Holy shit, it's been so long—" she cuts herself off, striding towards the cart with no shame as she picks up the half-eaten waffle between her fingers. "I have missed you terribly." She tells the baked batter seriously, turning her wrist slowly to take in the healthy and delectable appearance before pushing it into her mouth, ignoring the groan of her stomach as it begins to reach its limit.

Elodie turns around, her mouth full. She chews slowly, reluctantly, as her jaw aches from her rapid descent on the leftover food. She takes the moment to look around the Dining Hall, the people around her age that linger inside—damn, who died? Her face falls. Oh. The missing counsellor. With that realisation, she awkwardly steps away from the table with a longing and parting look. Her fingers clinging to the edge of the waffle cart until the very last second.

Her head stays down, avoiding eye-contact. A habit, but also a small level of shame for basically stuffing her face at someone else's funeral, a plus-one to tragedy. She was almost glad Levi didn't join her, the brazen display might've been the straw that broke the camel's back—or re-broke, considering he'd been minutes away from blowing this joint.

The door creaks, announcing a new arrival and her stomach drops. Oh, please don't be him. I am humiliated enough—and fortunately, it's someone that clearly belongs in a magazine and not her newest and only friend. Well, she had the face for it anyway. Her denim and lace-trimmed tank top could easily be found in any thrift store. "Must not be rich," she sighs under her breath, relieved to not be totally alone. Taking the initiative, Elodie warily closes the distance, throwing a cautious look around to see if there were any frustrated glances pointing her way, and quickly takes hold of the door the girl had just passed through.

"Hey! Are you uh, returning or starting?" Elodie closes the door gently behind her, resisting the nervous habit of rolling back and forth on her heels. "I'm new... and could use a friendly face or two to help figure all of this out." Dropping her voice to a whisper, she leans in close. "Can you believe these rich folks? People are missing and the camp still reopens... you'd think they had enough money to hold off on just two freaking weeks."





♡coded by uxie♡
 
Last edited:









scroll








justice / the bloodline ▼



harper.













outfit

reference discord, pookies.











location

dining hall.











interactions

elodie & leon.











tags

lostbird lostbird















Although the interior of the hall wasn't unfamiliar, stepping inside was like being pushed into a nostalgic abyss—voices echoing harmoniously off the walls, the slight squeaks of sneakers against the flooring—and it only dunked her further into the past with the comforting scent of food. It was a scene she had long forgotten about. One she didn't think she would see again and, especially, not under these circumstances.

Sudden remembrance surfacing at the forefront of her mind resulted in an irritated huff, but advancing movement at the corner of her eye caused Harper to turn her head in its direction. No one I know, she internalizes dismissively and with no intent to acknowledge further until the girl—short, petite, and nearly swallowed whole by a, has to be, off-brand leather jacket—breaks the silent reverie. Oh, she wants to talk to me. Great.

Taking a casual step back as the other closes the door, Harper shamelessly looks her over, one eyebrow piqued in faint interest at her bold approach with a stranger. Returning but I'm busy. Find someone else, the Evergreen aims to respond until the blonde continues with a bold admission. And only when she begins to lean closer to her conspiratorially does Harper's eyes narrow in an impatient fashion.

Renee had always been right: Everyone who isn't us is an enemy. All of them.

An innocent enough gesture by comparison, but nevertheless, a display of what could only be a form of projected envy. This was something that Harper had become familiar with in just the way they were looked at around camp. The only thing that had changed was everyone's sudden bravery to be vocal about it.

Harper's first instinct is to correct the girl—shoot what's left of her confidence down to a more fit level of the hierarchy—until she decides against it. With a disingenuous smile plastered on her face, she finally responds, tone rich in biting sarcasm. "Oh, totally. Screw those rich guys, right?"

Holding the razor-sharp gaze on her, and almost daring her to speak again, a second advancing motion—slower this time—is the only thing that makes her break eye contact. Twin drills softening slightly at the sight of the familiar figure, she tilts her head. "Well, look who it is...? You haven't changed a bit, Leon."


♡coded by uxie♡
 
MOOD: rollercoaster over here
basics
WRITTEN BY:
leon lostbird lostbird ; juliette anyasjoy anyasjoy ; joey spareparts spareparts ; annie lvcid lvcid ; shiloh sunshineysoul sunshineysoul
tags
TL;DR erm srry not doin alla that rn LOL help
tl;dr
washing dishes . . .
leon, juliette, joey, annie, shiloh

Leon's eyes were drawn this way and that, the nape of his neck prickling with an uncomfortable sensation he longed to rub raw. It was clear the news wasn't well received—and no matter how much conviction he spoke with to assure Zarina nothing was wrong, everything was. It was happening again. His stomach swoops uncomfortably as he takes in the scene of Levi storming off, the warning Liberty mouths to him, Marquis stepping into Juliette's line of sight, blocking her from the others.

“I know I should’ve called…”

No way—Leon’s attention is momentarily drawn to a voice he hadn’t expected to hear again. “Shiloh?” His jaw slackens, his mouth opens in shock to see one of his best friends approach him. It had been… too fucking long. He was tall, taller than him and his face pinched with apprehension as he slowly came to a stop. “Dude—!” He grabs Shiloh’s shoulder, yanking him forward and into a tight embrace. “You came back? When, how—why?”

I can’t believe Levi left before he could see him—mentally kicking himself for not seeing this future event unfold, to have dropped the news so suddenly when there could’ve been a monumental reunion of the golden trio—Leon reluctantly pulls away to get another peek at his face, still maintaining the boyish charm from when they were campers. “You came at… the best time.” For me.

Shiloh couldn’t stop the smile that grew on his face as he returned the embrace Leon pulled him into. Finally, something was feeling right about being back at this godforsaken camp. He may not be speaking to his mother, but at least Leon didn’t hate him right off the bat.

“I just got here, Liv and I drove up. I heard about some of the,” Shiloh gave a subtle scan of their surroundings as he lowered his voice “Disappearances. I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I’m a recent CSI agent you know,” Shiloh did his best to talk to Leon. Not too much, because he certainly didn’t want to overwhelm him because 9 years had passed since they last spoke and there were only about a million and one things to catch up on.

Deep brown eyes darted around Leon’s person. How did he look the same yet so grown up at the same time? Now it was Shiloh who was kicking himself for never reaching out. He really was an ass, huh? How did he last nine-fucking-years without that sparkle of Leon’s eyes?

“But really,” Shiloh gentle ruffled Leon’s hair, “I really fucking missed you guys,”

“CSI agent?” Leon’s voice drops to a hush, matching Shiloh’s tone. “Dude. You’ve outgrown us all, man.” It wasn’t a dig, not even close—he was insanely impressed his friend had left to better himself. What could he expect from one of Eva’s children?

His lingering anxiety all but vanishes when Shiloh ruffles his hair, the familiar motion reminding him of simpler times—both Shiloh and Levi adopting the gesture towards Leon, tousling the untamed locks with affection. Leon’s response was always the same—he slaps his hand on the back of Shiloh’s neck, tugging him close to press a swift and friendly kiss to his cheek. “We missed you too, dude. So much.”

Glancing over Shiloh’s shoulder, where Marquis still stands before Juliette and his eyes widened, this was an opportunity. Juliette was bound to struggle this summer, he’d already seen the cracks forming with the counsellors that knew her before. “Come meet Juliette. She’s stuck on kitchen duty. Wash some plates with us?” He starts towards where she stands, partially obscured by Marquis.

Shiloh felt his heart overflow. It was so good to be back with Leon. He couldn’t wait until it was them and Levi back together again. But that would wait, as Shiloh nodded to Leon’s invitation to wash plates. He silently followed close behind Leon into the kitchen.

"Juliette. Fuck, sorry about last night—I might've uh, drank too much. Hope it wasn't too much bother," he looks sideways at the dirty plates stacked on the tabletop, where the campers dumped them and left for their activities. "I'm here to make it up to you. At your service."

Juliette hadn’t expected Leon to approach, nor was she prepared for the sudden protectiveness from Marquis. “Oh, Leon. Don’t worry about that,” she said, biting the inside of her cheek as she made a gesture to brush off the apology. She cast a glance at Marquis, signaling she was fine with a nod, before shifting her focus back to Leon. “I had Clarisse, um, help me out last night. It was…not bad.” Her eyes darted around the dining hall as she looked for the other counselor, wondering if she could spot her. Turning back to Leon, she gave him a gentle smile. “Want to clean some of the dishes with me and your…friend?” Juliette curiously looked at the other individual a bit behind Leon, realizing it wasn’t someone she recognized before. New?

While waiting for a response, she turned to face Marquis, her eyes kind and reassuring. "I’ll be okay—thanks for the help, though, Quis. I’ll catch you later." She flashed him another smile and gave a quick wave, watching as he walked away until he was out of sight. The moment he was gone, her smile faded into a frown, and she turned to Leon, raising a brow. "Seriously, Leon? Truth or dare?" She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, glancing at the pile of dirty dishes before immediately starting to clean up, a prickling annoyance simmering beneath her skin.

Leon watches Marquis walk away, chewing on his bottom lip as he thinks back on the way he’d stormed across the Dining Hall—had Juliette been that bothered by the news? He never saw Lisa hanging around with those Renee kept close, except maybe Johanna.

Heaving a sigh at the thought of seeing her again, Leon shrugs in response, “it’s tradition. Bad timing, but it’s tradition. Might be some weight off everyone’s shoulders.” Angling his body to the side, effectively bringing Shiloh into the conversation, his grin returns—light and easy. “This is Shiloh. He used to be a camper with me—what, nine years ago now?” He looks quizzically at Shiloh, wondering if his math was right because fuck, had it really been that long?

“Shiloh, meet Juliette. She used to be the lifeguard and now, the cook.” He refrains from saying just who Juliette was replacing, but looks between them, hoping something clicks and the two can get along.

Shiloh took a step towards the two, nearing them from his place leaning against the wall. “Hey Juliette, nice to meet you,” He did his best to avoid the sting of Leon realizing just how long it had been since they spoke. “I bet the food you make is better than how it was when I was here,” He offered his version of a smile, a more tight-lipped smile, pressing his lips together, not entirely in an upward tick. After the brief introduction, Shiloh began helping collect trays and plates as the two continued talking.

Juliette gave Shiloh a small little wave, her eyes flickering downwards before meeting his face once more. Leon’s friend, huh? “It’s nice to meet you too!” She made sure her smile met her eyes, realizing they clearly meant a lot to Leon. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Leon actually helped me out yesterday—you’d think kitchen duty would have more than one person assigned.”

No clue how Paige out of all people handled this job alone.

Thinking about Paige caused her to switch to more pressing matters. She hadn’t really gotten the chance to know much about Lisa. Renee’s warnings always lingered in the back of her mind, a constant reminder about how Lisa was "bad news," using her father. With the thought burning in the back of her head, Juliette turned her gaze to meet Leon’s once more. "You know, you could’ve…I don’t know, handled that differently?" The words slipped out, her frown deepening, surprising herself with how much she seemed to feel bad about the startling news. Why do you even care? Someone’s missing. I’m missing.

Hands now holding some dishes, she followed where Shiloh stood as she spoke. "Why were you delivering the news, anyway, Kennedy?" Her tone softened slightly, a subtle attempt to ease the awkwardness between them.

Leon’s hands fidget awkwardly. Probably could’ve handled it differently, yeah. He wasn’t sure there was a proper way to deliver depressing news. “Dunno. Think Eva had some stuff to do, she seemed in a rush…” He recalls her unbridled frustration, how she seemed on the precipice of snapping—Jonathan had an appointment, Hugo most likely had other duties and Leon isn’t sure he’d have done much better than himself. “I guess I’m the only one to do it? Officer Jones must be pretty busy right about now.” Search and rescue… or was it recover and rescue after six days missing?

The more Leon spoke, the deeper Juliette’s frown became. He's on edge, I can tell. Her gaze caught on his twitchy movements, the way he fidgeted, his eyes flitting anxiously around the room. Even without her glasses, his obvious nervousness was on full display to see. Never still, huh? She parted her lips, ready to ask if he was okay—with the news, or maybe just in general—but Leon quickly pivoted the conversation, mentioning Officer Jones.

Her stomach tightened as she looked away, a topic she didn’t want to talk about regarding said Officer. “I’ll bet,” she mumbled instead, casting a downwards glance at the plates in her hands. Renee’s still out there, I know it.

Corner of his mouth stretching into an unsure smile, Leon bends to help pile dirty plates and carry them to the kitchen. “Let’s get washing, Gingersnaps.” He waves over Shiloh. “You too.”

Shiloh had been on the outskirts of the kitchen, leaning against the wall and taking in the memories of camp. He was grateful that Leon was the first old friend he had encountered this session; It would make the questionings from others more bearable. Regardless of how deep in thought Shiloh was, he couldn’t stop his head perking up at Leon’s voice directed at him. Pushing himself off the wall with his mouth tugging into a smirk, he fell in step behind the duo.

Matching his small smile, Juliette gestured for Leon to follow as she reached the cart from earlier, placing her stack of dirty dishes on it. She nudged him into step beside her, and together they moved through the dining hall, picking up leftover plates, leaving a few trays of waffles for any late risers.

"Hmm, you know," she started thoughtfully, casting a glance over her shoulder at him, "I don’t think that nickname is fitting anymore, since the ginger is gone." She flashed him a sad look, walking backward so she could keep his eye. "What about Valentine? Jill’s so cool." I’ll miss ‘Gingersnaps,’ though.

Leon angles his head to the side, keeping an eye out behind her in case Juliette unknowingly bumps into something out of her line of sight but keeps his expression light and teasing. “You always struck me as Redfield, but I guess the ginger is gone—and you are pretty cool.” He jogs forward a bit, wincing as the plates in his arms jostle and clink together noisily. “Valentine it is.”

“What about you, Hardy Boy?” Leon grins at Shiloh over his shoulder, gesturing his head towards the back kitchen. “You coming?”

Smirk never having faded, Shiloh teasingly rolled his eyes, “I don’t have much of a choice, do i?” he couldn’t stop the chuckle that left his mouth from the old nickname as he picked up his pace to again follow the pair back into the kitchen.

Shiloh could always leave it to Leon to make it feel like no time had passed at all, like they were back in the good ol’ days.


Annalise’s hand retreated from its path towards the door handle as it swung outward of its own accord; the blonde stumbled away just in time for another counselor to come tumbling out, her hand dragging through her short, brown hair as she rushed past, clearly not concerned for who she mowed down in the process.

“My God,” Annie muttered, scowling after the girl—she didn’t know her by name, but she recognized her easily as Juliette’s ex-whatever, some nobody that’d been attempting to climb her way to the Evergreens’ status, no doubt. “Watch where you’re going! I’m sure your beanstalk is still right where you left it.”

Height was wasted on a girl like that—she was far too clumsy for any runway.

Joey stepped aside, allowing Mona to glide past them--her curiosity piqued at the rather obvious distress etched on Mona's face. They weren't best friends by any accord yet their connections in childhood did linger for Joey and in turn, kept her very much friendly with the girl. However, the new-found intimacy Joey shared with Juliette seemed to cast somewhat of a shadow over that connection since last summer.

It couldn't be about Juliette could it?

Lost in thought, Joey almost missed Annie’s call out towards Mona, “--Oh my god Anns!” she leaned in to suppress her smirk, “You’re so mean!”

Her eyes shifted toward the door as she stepped past Annie, peering into the hall for any sign of friends or coffee. With her tinted shades on, it was hard to really see anything—just the way Joey preferred it this early in the morning. Without hesitation, she made a beeline for the tables, taking out the carafe from the coffee maker.

Annalise shrugged, unphased by Joey’s half-hearted criticism, and followed her friend into the building, allowing the door to slam shut behind herself as she scanned the dining area for any amicable faces—though failing to register the conflicted emotions on them—but her ears perked up at the end of Leon’s speech. “Oh, my God! I love Truth or Dare! Way to start the session out right.”

With a smile, the blonde snagged a banana from the nearest table and began to pry it open. “What’s with all the doom and gloom?” For those on the receiving end of such good news, Annie’s fellow counselors seemed to be awfully upset about something.

“What do you mean?” Joey’s head popped up briefly from her search through the cabinets above, just before she poured the steaming liquid into her favorite mug. She set the carafe back in its spot and started stirring in the creamer. Now leaned with her back against the table, her gaze drifting across the dining hall. “Oh...”

“Yeah… They almost look like they did—” Annie swallowed. When the sisters went missing. She couldn’t bring herself to vocalize the words, but she didn’t need to—the blonde knew that Joey would understand the unspoken implication.

Joey watched as Leon moved from table to table, collecting dishes from the breakfast session while chatting with everyone around him. She took a slow sip, her eyes lingering on him a moment longer—her brows furrowing into a faint scowl. Why do you look like that…

Finally, her blonde friend entered the picture, her energy shifting instantly. “Juliette!” she called out, her voice carrying across the room.

Annalise’s attention snapped to follow Joey’s gaze, opened banana stalled on the way to her mouth—still uneaten—as she at last spotted the girl in question. Juliette had changed since last summer. She now sported a head of blonde waves—a stark contrast to her prior copper strands and similar to Annie’s own, but more notably, like what the Evergreens had been blessed with.

Raising an eyebrow, Annalise frowned. What the hell?

A sudden shout pulled Juliette’s attention away from her conversation with Leon, her expression dipping into a brief frown—until recognition dawned. Oh my god, Joey?!

Her face lit up in an instant, a grin spreading wide as she spun on her heel to face the brunette. It had been so long. “Joey, you’re here!” she exclaimed, her voice carrying excitement that couldn’t be contained.
At Juliette's recognition, Joey carelessly tossed her Juicy Couture bag onto the wooden floor and hurried over to her with a big smile, barely catching her sunglasses before they slipped off her head. "I'm a little late, but—"

Without a second thought, Juliette abandoned the cart, her focus solely on her slightly shorter friend. She closed the distance quickly, throwing herself into Joey’s embrace without hesitation. It felt good—comforting even—to have someone around who truly understood Renee, regardless of what anyone else had to say.

Leon’s attention is called to not only Juliette’s name being shouted, but the voice of who shouted it. His grin morphs into a grimace. Just my luck, he thinks, awkwardly juggling the plates in his arms as he gestures wildly for Shiloh to get close enough for him to explain what is bound to be a tricky interaction.

“That’s uh, my ex. Kinda.” His face becomes puzzled as he attempts to recall, did we ever make it official? Leon only remembers being so swept up in the whirlwind of their brief two weeks together, it seemed almost trivial to ask at all—not when he felt as strongly as he had felt. “We did not end on good terms.”

Shiloh’s eyebrows raised and creased in concern, slowly nodding as he began to understand the situation building in front of them, “You? Ending on bad terms? A lot definitely changed around here, huh?” He tried to morph his face into a teasing smile, failing miserably and still being incredibly concerned. As much as he hated to admit it, Shiloh was actually looking forward to getting insight on some of the camp dynamics.

“Oh my god. Dude, you’re gonna freak when I show you all the new clothes I brought from when I saw my dad in Long Beach last week.” Joey enthused in their embrace, “We’re basically stocked up for the summer.”

Juliette let out a sound resembling a giggle, breaking apart from the hug with a grin that remained firmly in place. Her hands settled on Joey’s shoulders, arms stretched out. “Please, you have to tell me you’re in my cabin. I’ll lose my—oh.”

Her sentence faltered as her gaze shifted to someone standing nearby. Recognition hit her like a splash of cold water, her cheerful mood taking a noticeable downturn. Ugh, not her.

“Oh—hey, Annie,” she said, her tone flat, devoid of the warmth it held moments before. She fought to keep her face neutral, though the frown threatening to creep in was hard to suppress. “Surprised to see you…back.” The words hung in the air, neither welcoming nor hostile, just caught somewhere in between. Thought Paige would’ve scared you off. “You guys came in together?”

Joey let the two talk, maintaining her smile, though it was starting to feel a bit performative; she dared not let her eyes wander. Leon’s watching I know he is. I look so hot though like I don’t even care. Ugh, but I dooo. No, don’t look at him. Stay busy.

As soon as Juliette’s attention shifted onto her, Annalise forced a smile, lips turning upward so stiffly that it stung. She could’ve let her worries take control, creating a safe distance between them so as to protect herself and what she hoped still existed of her reputation from Juliette’s hunger for drama, but…

Keep your enemies close.

“Hiya, Yorkie!” Annie raised her hand in a wave, though she didn’t dare close the distance, risking a hug as Joey had. “We bumped into each other back at the cabin,” the blonde answered, shrugging. “Kinda like old times, right? Since we’re all here, we might as well get the band back together.”

What’s left of it, anyway.

There was a cruel sort of irony to it, that those the Evergreens had brought into their carefully-pruned inner circle would still be gathering now that they were no longer around to see it.

Juliette was momentarily stunned by the way the nickname stirred a faint, warm feeling of familiarity within her—until she reminded herself it was coming from someone like Annie. That’s reserved for Renee only, she thought bitterly, though a small, forced smile still played at her lips.

“Yeah…just like old times,” she said, her tone cautious and forced. She offered Annie a tightened smile, biting back the snarky comment about her hair looking even yellower than usual. No need to be nasty, she told herself, not yet, anyway. Especially with the news weighing on her mind.

Joey’s attention steadied, “All three of us in one cabin? The ab-so-lute trouble we’re about to get into…”

Her smile faltered as a frown settled over her features. Slowly, Juliette dropped her hands from Joey’s shoulders, crossing them against her chest instead. Her teeth found her lower lip, nibbling anxiously. “Have you guys heard about Lisa?” she asked hesitantly, her voice quieter now, laced with unease. “That she’s…” Her words trailed off, but her thoughts screamed louder than ever. Missing. Like Renee—and Paige.

Annalise blinked, eyebrows crinkling as worry flickered across her face. She didn’t particularly care for Lisa—a feeling that was reciprocated from both ends—but if it was happening again…were any of them safe?

A shudder ran down the blonde’s spine.

“She’s…what?”

Say it isn’t what I think it is. Anything but that.

Joey didn’t like the ominous shift that swept through the girls like a cold breeze when Juliette pulled away. Something felt off, and the sensation hit her too fast, causing her smile to fade into deeply concerned eyes, fully consumed by the moment. “No…” Joey couldn't shake the sense that she already knew what Juliette was about to say, the words lingering on the tip of her tongue.

“Do not tell me she’s missing.” Her back molars bit the inside of her cheek in an anxious pout.

Is this what it felt like for Leon, telling everyone the truth? Juliette mirrored Joey's frown, her gaze flitting between their faces, oh god—Joey was close with her.

That realization hit harder than she expected, making her heart thrum uncomfortably. She wrung her hands together, fiddling with them anxiously, her fingers twisting and untwisting as though trying to work out a knot she couldn’t see. God dammit.

Finally, Juliette gave a curt nod, her body language stiff. When that didn’t feel sufficient, she repeated the action, more noticeably this time. “She is—Lisa’s missing,” she finally said, her voice faltering but steadying on the last word.

She turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes catching Leon’s from across the room. Her throat tightened as she forced the next sentence out. “It’s been nearly a week.”

Shit, what are we doing here?

Chewing at her bottom lip, Annalise’s gaze darted to Joey to gauge her reaction. It certainly wasn’t good news to her, but her friend would undoubtedly take it harder. She wanted to comfort Joey, to tell her that it was okay, but that couldn’t have been a bigger stretch of the truth. God forbid Annie make an empty promise of Lisa being found soon only for her to reach the same fate as Renee and Paige had before her. The blonde thought about hugging her friend, offering some kind of physical solace, but even that seemed insufficient at a time like this.

Joey stood there stunned, her head shaking slightly as her eyes flicked to the side, then down to the floor, and back up only to well up with tears. Quickly she blinked them away in an attempt to regain control and face her friend again.
It wasn’t the same shock she’d felt when the news of Renee and Paige’s disappearance had shattered her world, but it brought back so many awful memories, each one laced with a painful familiarity. How?

She hadn’t been as close to Lisa as she was to the Evergreens, but the memories they shared lingered in Joey’s mind, ones she couldn’t easily shake. She’d always admired Lisa in so many ways—both she and Mona possessed qualities Joey never seemed to grasp as naturally. In fact, there were times when she felt more at ease hanging out with Lisa than even Renee—especially during those unpredictable cold spells Renee would sometimes have, where she’d shut Joey out for reasons she couldn't quite understand. Lisa never made her feel small. Why would you think about that right now...

"Awful... That's.. just so so awful." She finally managed to say.

Juliette and Annalise may not have seen eye to eye as they once had, but Annie glanced at her now, silently pleading for help. I can’t do this. It was hard enough the first time.

What do you expect me to do? Juliette didn’t miss the pleading glance from the other blonde, her own concern clear as day on her face. Of all people, why was Annie looking to her for answers?

She didn’t know what Annie wanted her to do. Fix it? Take it back? Pretend it never happened? I was being honest—telling Joey about the truth.

Joey's brows came together in a wince, “I can’t believe i–”

Before anyone could argue, the blonde brushed past both girls to bury herself further in the kitchen. She needed to find something to do—anything to keep her mind busy and distracted from the nightmare she’d walked into once again.

Joey’s head turned as she watched Annie flee into the kitchen, her lip quivering, “Annie…”

A pang of helplessness struck her, but there was no time to dwell on it. She shifted her focus back to Juliette, her arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace.

Juliette immediately returned the hug, her frown deepening as the weight of the moment settled over her. She tightened her embrace, arms wrapping around her friend in a gentle yet firmer squeeze, silently hoping the gesture would offer some semblance of comfort.

“I’m sorry, Joey,” she said softly, her voice tinged with genuine regret. “I know you were close with Lisa.”

When Joey let go, she swallowed hard, steading her voice. “They are on it though, right? Like the police and stuff? She’s gotta turn up soon, I mean, they have to have some sort of head start since they’ve been working on the disappearances for nearly a year now..”

“Yeah—yes. That’s what Leon explained, at least…this morning.” Juliette’s voice faltered slightly, though she quickly steadied herself. Lying or bending the truth wasn’t something she shied away from if the situation called for it—but this felt different. It didn’t sit right, not with someone like Joey. Not when she genuinely cared about her.

“There’s still hope,” she added, her tone soft yet firm, as though trying to convince both her friend and herself. “Like with Renee and Paige. They’re out there. We just have to believe that.”

“Right..” Joey nodded, though rather flat in her tone, “I’m just.. so shocked. I don’t understand how this….”

Her voice trailed off, the uncertainty hanging heavy in the air as her eyes locked with Leon’s just standing some distance away. His face seemed more distraught than she remembered just minutes before the news. Joey swore she could feel her heart skip a beat.

Joey raised a hand, offering a slow wave before her eyes dropped to the floor, unable to hold his gaze any longer. The space between them felt vast. Did I die last summer session? And everything just went completely haywire afterwards? This must be what purgatory feels like.

Ah, fuck. Leon shifts his pile of plates to balance precariously on the cart Juliette had abandoned, swiping his hands anxiously on the denim of his thighs once he was free from the load. An annoying tug pulled at the strings around his heart seeing Joey’s eyes well up with unshed tears. Pushing aside his lingering anger and hurt over their break-up, he throws Shiloh a tight-lipped smile as a means to explain duty calls… and joins the girl barely holding it together.

Shiloh’s eyes widened as Leon moved over to the girl he had just identified as his ex-girlfriend. He quickly followed suit in putting his plates on the cart and taking a few steps forward to try and eavesdrop on the conversation. This should be fun, A small part of him was so entertained to see how his buddy would navigate the situation, he hadn’t even truly realized who had joined him in the kitchen.

“Uh, hi Joha—Joey.” His greeting falls short, voice becoming thick with his own emotions. Crying girls were impossible to be around, not without his own eyes stinging in solidarity. “Listen. It sucks, but we don’t know what the police know. Renee and Paige were… sudden, unexpected. There’s more eyes on this than we realise.”

Talking out of his ass was a gift, but part of Leon truly believed the police were more prepared for a disappearance now than when the Evergreen sisters’ took their leave.

A mutual acknowledgment was one thing, but when he spoke to her, it sent chills down her arms—a mix of unease and comfort; something Joey never knew was possible to feel until that exact moment. Of course he'd evoke such bittersweet emotions--and so easily too; it irritated her so. Joey nodded in understanding, doe-eyes fixed on him almost like a damsel-in-distress; mostly genuine in her expression though not without the slightest tinge of ulterior purpose. He's being so sweet... I hate it..

“Distractions for now, yeah?” Both of his hands come to rest on both Joey and Juliette’s shoulders, giving a soft and reassuring squeeze. “Let’s clean up, get through today, party and save worrying for tomorrow. We have kids to look out for.”

“Leon…our discussion?” She nudged his side lightly, the gesture playful but laced with unmistakable intent: Time and place, Kennedy.

Juliette’s gaze shifted to Joey, softening ever so slightly. “Unfortunately, your ex is right, though, Jojo,” she admitted with a small sigh, her voice carrying a mix of reluctance and sincerity. “Maybe a distraction might be…for the best?”

Joey sucked her cheek in, tensing up when Leon’s hand touched her shoulder and trying to hide the flutter in her chest. Ugh. The sudden contact made her skin crawl, and she quickly shifted her weight.

Her eyes perked up as she turned to Juliette, very much eager to focus on something else. Joey shuffled closer to her friend, putting a bit of distance between herself and Leon. “Of course! We have to look for costumes for the Sunspot tonight!” She sniffled, but managed a determined smile. “No matter what, we’re going to have a good time. Tradition stands right?"

Juliette let out a relieved sigh as she noticed Joey's vastly improved, the weight slightly lifting around them. "Costumes? Oh my god, you're so right, Joey!" she exclaimed, her excitement bubbling up to match her energy. "Hopefully, there are still some good options left—small town and all, you know."

Curious, she pivoted to face Leon, smile softening. "What about you, Mr. Supervisor? Got an outfit in mind, or do you need us to—oh, I don't know—pick something out for you?"

Despite creating the extra distance, her eyes were sharp with genuine curiosity, waiting to see what he had in mind. Costume ideas were already starting to swirl in her own head, but Juliette’s sudden focus on Leon completely shattered her creative flow. Her thoughts, now drifting, landed on what Leon had dressed up as last year—Austin Powers. He’d looked so stupid. Stupidly perfect. She couldn’t help the subtle bitch face forming as she reminisced.

Leon retracts his hands as if burned, staring down at Joey’s shoulder with a mix of confusion and regret. Shouldn’t have bothered. Redirecting his attention towards Juliette, he forces a smile. “If you don’t mind, then yeah. There should be stuff laying around but an orange ascot would be sweet. Feeling inspired by Fred Jones this year.” He laughs, more genuine as his eyes lift to the door Levi had fled from, a growing pit opening in his abdomen. “Side effect of watching Scooby Doo reruns with Levi all Winter.”

Shifting his eyes between both of the girls, Leon jumps at an opportunity. “You should take Johanna with you after Swimming. Catch up and all, it’s uh…” He trails off, knowing how close both of the girls were to Renee and just how desperately he wanted to steal another hour or two without the chance of running into Joey. “Anyway. I’ll wash up the dishes, Valentine. I owe you one.”

That hurt.. Joey frowned at the mention of her full name, feeling the knife of his formalities twist, “It’s Joey.” she voiced adamantly, cutting in before Juliette could utter a word—ripe with an obvious irritation plastered on her face. “Yeah, we should leave. Like, now.”

The brunette turned away from Leon, giving herself a moment to fully process all the different emotions swirling in the pit of her stomach. Her expression wavered, hot on the edge of tears, but she held them back–fighting the spill. Today is just.. too much. Without another word, she snatched her bag from the floor and stormed out of the dining hall, her footsteps quick and heavy as she fled the room entirely.

Juliette’s frown deepened as she watched Joey’s retreating figure disappear out of the dining hall. The weight of concern pressed down on her chest, and with a soft sigh, she turned back to Leon, her expression attempting a semblance of composure. “I’m sure she just…needs some space,” she offered, though they both knew the truth. “Thanks for doing the dishes, though, Leon. I’ll make sure to pick up what you need later.”

Her hand reached out, giving his wrist a brief, comforting squeeze. A small, reassuring smile played on her lips before she stepped away, her back to the hall’s main door. “Tell your friend Shiloh I said it was nice meeting him,” she added, flashing Leon a quick look over her shoulder before spinning on her heel—followed by a quick “Joey, wait up!”

Leon stares after Juliette, rubbing the spot on his wrist where she’d held him and thinks, she needs space? Me fucking too.

Relieved to be free of Joey’s presence and hypocritically wondering why she’d bothered to come back this year, he takes a purposeful step back towards the kitchen to rejoin Shiloh but pauses mid-stride, his mouth threatening to drop. “Harper?” He speaks low and to himself, glancing towards her and the kitchen, decidedly torn between which path to take. Well, shit.

With hesitant steps, he moves towards her and another girl, her unfamiliar height and stance doing little to distract him from the return of an Evergreen he’d never thought he would see again.


As Leon, Juliette and “Leon’s ex” seemed to be in better spirits, Shiloh grew uninterested. Leave it to Leon to keep the peace in a situation like this. The irony of his own indifference was not lost on the prodigal camper, the whole reason he had come back to camp was to check in on his friends. It was blatantly obvious that these people who had stayed at camp had grown much closer to these missing girls; Renee, Paige, Lisa, the names rang out in his head. But he knew that if he only focused on the dark probability of their situation, his own brain would sink into a low place, and he couldn’t allow himself to do that. Shiloh had returned for a reason, to do a job, he had to remember that.

A deep breath in, a deep breath out. There had already been so much information thrown at him within the past 20 minutes and he hadn’t even connected with Officer Jones; if he didn’t clear his mind, it would be far too fogged up to do anything productive with the cases at hand. Instead, his attention finally landed on the blonde girl who had walked in soon before Leon walked out. He certainly wasn’t a fan of the idea of needing to introduce himself to everyone, but he’d rather be seen as slightly awkward instead of a menacing, unknown threat around camp.

“Uh, hi,” Feet stepping closer to her in a poor attempt to alert her to his voice, “I’m Shiloh, I’m a friend of Leon’s” He gestured out the door to where Leon had previously abandoned him to.

Annalise’s nails tapped against the countertop, hands gripping the edge tightly as she stared out the window at the camp beyond, pale gaze scanning the thick line of trees as if she expected to see movement—Lisa herself walking back onto the grounds. No, she didn’t expect it. Maybe she wanted it, though she’d never admit it.

She wanted things to go back to normal, but that was an unrealistic hope to have.

The blonde’s nervous movements paused at the sound of approaching footsteps behind her, accompanied by an easily-recognizable voice. Annie forced out a laugh before swiveling in place to face Shiloh, one arm remaining propped against the table’s surface as the other bent for her fingers to wrap around her hip. “Gee, I never would’ve guessed.” Her head tilted, eyelashes fluttering as she feigned false ignorance. “Have we met before? Something about you seems awfully familiar…”

His eyebrows were furrowed in immense confusion. Was she… flirting? With a guy she had never met? Or was this how she normally acted? Shiloh genuinely couldn’t tell. From her body language, her words, even the tone of her voice, the more Shiloh tried to analyze the more he grew confused. “Um, no,” His words oozed confusion as he spoke, “I don’t believe we’ve met, I just arrived at camp about 30 minutes ago…” his voice trailed off, his face remaining the perfect definition of not having a clue.

A noise escaped Annalise’s throat—landing somewhere between a scoff and a laugh—as she pushed away from the counter, stepping closer. “Wow. That fancy-schmancy Police Academy did not teach you perception, did it, Shi?” It was almost sad. Had the blonde really changed so much as to be unrecognizable? “30 minutes ago… Try fourteen years ago—hello? It’s Annie.”

Do I need to be standing in the Evergreens’ shadows for you to see me?

Shiloh’s eyes widened in shock as the realization slapped him clean across the face. “Holy shit, Annie!” Excitement filled his voice as he took a half step towards her before stopping. It was almost like a dog remembering its owner after years of separation, but Shiloh hesitated to throw his arms around her in a hug, “Wow, sorry you’ve just grown up so much. I’m an ass, huh?” Unknowingly, a smile had crept onto his face, he had truly forgotten the joys of reconnecting with the good parts of his past. “Yeah, I guess the CSI fucked up my memory huh?”

“We can worry about that later,” Annalise said, waving a hand dismissively as her glossed lips finally broke into a grin. “Get over here! I don’t bite.” The blonde’s arms raised as, despite her command, she closed the distance between them, enveloping her old friend in a tight hug. When Annie stepped away again to peer up at Shiloh, her hands lingered on his arms for a moment, her eyebrows raising. “Did they replace your memory with muscles? Somebody’s been working out…”

“I may be a nerd by law enforcement circles, but they still force us to be in shape,” Shiloh couldn’t help the red tint that came to his cheeks with the feeling of her fingertips on his arm. “Wait, how did you know I went to ‘Police Academy’?” His eyes were locked in with Annie’s as her hand was still on his arm. A small part of him knew the answer, but the large part of him wanted to believe anything else. Shiloh had half a mind to say Never mind, how have you been? Or How’s camp been treating you? Or even the words that had been echoing every time he set eyes on another familiar person, I miss you. But of course, in all of Shiloh’s infinite wisdom, he didn’t say any of those things. He just continued to stare at her with a stare between pointed and puppy.

Annalise’s hands dropped to her sides as she took a step back, her eyebrows twitching—just short of a confused furrow—and smile wavering in solidarity. “I—” Did everyone not know? “Your mom told me. Was it supposed to be a surprise?”

It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to Annie—what did it matter who told her? It wasn’t as if Shiloh was going to do it himself, but it was nice to know what her friends were up to, even when they were no longer such an integral part of her life as they once had been. Still, something about the way Shiloh had phrased the question, the faintly accusatory tone it had taken as it left his mouth, that made her wonder if she was missing part of a bigger picture.

Why does he care?

Maybe it was an unrealistic hope to think they could pick up where they’d left off, too.

A shiver went down his spine at the mention of Eva, yet he kept his composure. If he was back in New York, he would’ve flown off the handle just at the mention of her, even being referred to as “your mother” was enough for him to want to yell. But despite all the turmoil and hurt from his mother, Shiloh knew deep down that none of it was Annie’s fault. It’s not like she had anything to do about it.

Failing at conjuring a reassuring smile, Shiloh waved one of his hands “No it wasn’t necessarily a surprise, I was just confused because Liv was the only one I really talked to when I left…” He had tried to make it better, but only made it worse the more he spoke. “Which I’m sorry about, by the way. I’m sorry for never writing or calling or never saying goodbye, I’ve once again proven that I’m a real ass,” He tried to laugh it off, try to take the ease and pressure off things, but Shiloh couldn’t help how his voice trailed off at the end of his sentence. He knew this would be the hard part, facing everyone he left behind.

Annalise shrugged. “It’s okay,” she assured. “Lots of people at this camp are asses—just be glad you’re one of the cute and fun ones.” The corners of her lips tilted up again, however it lacked the genuineness of the first grin she’d sported—paired with the teasing nature of her words, it was clear that the initial sweetness of their reunion had passed. “Speaking of asses, though, you should probably haul yours over to Eva’s office. She’s looking for you.” Annie’s arms lifted, crossing in front of her torso. “It was nice seeing you.”

The blonde almost felt guilty at her attempt to drive him away, but she was losing at her own game—Annalise didn’t want Shiloh to notice the crack in her armor, to realize that deep down, abandonment did hurt. It was easier to tease—each sarcastic word that fell from her tongue was another brick in the wall hiding her true emotions.

Annie was porcelain—hardened, but softer than she looked—and God forbid anyone figure out how to break her.

There was a small smirk on his lips before his entire demeanor changed. Shiloh’s face hardened, his eyebrows furrowed close together as his teeth gnawed on the inside of his lip to keep himself from having any kind of obvious reaction (too late for that shi guy). Where his hands once felt the warmth of an old friend’s embrace, they were now shoved into his pockets, as he also took a step away from where he and Annie once stood.

“Right.” He answered pointedly, his eyes leaving hers for the first time in their interaction to look back where Leon had gone, “I’ll be sure to hurry over there at my earliest convenience.” Shiloh’s voice was thick and heavy with sarcasm, he knew deep down that Eva’s office was the place he would do everything to avoid. What once felt like a second home to him now felt like a war zone; if he ever stepped foot in that office, God help anyone within the blast radius.


code by valen t.
 
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