[054] lottie fucking matthews

                                                                            When Suki wakes up, she finds herself in a room that definitely wasn't her bedroom. She quickly sits up, wincing when she felt a mild headache coming on. The back of her head hurt like hell and it took Suki a moment to remember why. Her memory came in bits and pieces - she remembered waiting for Courtney back at the house, she remembered the two purple wearing freaks at her house, she remembered fighting one of them and then black.

                                                                            Just as Suki was slowly piecing her memories back together, it was then that the door to her room opened. Suki stood up, instantly on guard, as she waited to see who it was. It was another girl dressed in purple, not resembling June. Her eyes were dark and she had a wound on the side of her face, appearing almost meek and similarly on guard. She stayed by the door, regarding Suki carefully.

                                                                         "Where the fuck am I?" Suki questioned.

                                                                          "You're not gonna attack me, are you? Your friend fucked me up pretty good with a fork already," she replied, arms folded across her chest.

                                                                          "Friend?" Suki repeats, feeling more confused than ever.

                                                                          "I'll let her explain everything. Just follow me, please," she responded. She wasn't forcing Suki or threatening her. If anything, she seemed far too desperate.

                                                                             If Suki wanted to attack her, she could've. But she'd probably end up getting knocked out again and Suki needed answers. So she nodded, reluctantly approaching the girl.

                                                                         "Who are you? You and your friends seem to know who I am but I don't know you guys. Can you at least tell me your name?" Suki asked.

                                                                         "Lisa. My name is Lisa," she introduced herself.

                                                                         "Alright, Lisa, lead the way," Suki motioned for Lisa to walk ahead.

                                                                          Lisa nods before she does just that, walking out of the room and leading Suki where she needed to go. Suki followed her outside, rolling her eye whenever Lisa looked behind her to make sure that she was following her. They'd make their way outside and Suki saw more and more people dressed up in purple. The more Suki looked around, the more she realized that they had to be in some sort of cult and commune. They were completely away from civilization, tucked away in the woods.

                                                                          Suki could hardly believe it.

                                                                        "What the fuck is this place?" Suki asked aloud.

                                                                        "Camp Green Pine. But to many of us, home," Lisa answered.

                                                                        "Home, huh?" Suki repeats.

                                                                        "I know it might be hard to undersand now but soon, she'll explain everything," Lisa reasoned.

                                                                         "Who is this she I keep hearing so much about? Is she your leader or something?" Suki questioned.

                                                                          But Lisa doesn't answer her and eventually, they'd arrive at some sort of office. Lisa knocked on the door a couple of times before opening it, allowing Suki to walk in without her. Suki looked over at Lisa before she reluctantly walked inside the office. The door then closed behind her once Suki was inside, making the woman jump before turning back around to face the front.

                                                                          There was a tall woman and although her back was facing Suki, she still seemed so familiar. Long, dark hair cascaded past her shoulders and she wore a long flowing dress along with a golden robe and some jewelry. Suki slowly approached her, a shocking realization hitting her immediately.

                                                                         "Lottie? Is that you?" Suki questioned.

                                                                          Sure enough, the woman turned around and revealed an older appearing Lottie. Suki could still recognize her eyes and the way she smiled. Suki could never forget Lottie and the impact she had on her life.

                                                                        "Suki, I'm so happy to see you," Lottie responded, immediately pulling Suki in for a hug.

                                                                         Suki just stood there for a moment, still trying to process everything that was happening. If Lottie was the leader of this cult or whatever, it meant she had been the one to send those goons after her. And it'd explain why they had the symbol on their necklace. Confusion bleeds into anger as Suki finally regained control of her body, shoving Lottie away as hard as she could.

                                                                       "What the actual fuck, Lottie?" Suki exclaimed. "You kidnapped me?!"

                                                                       "Kidnapping wasn't the plan. But you didn't want to cooperate with them. You attacked June," Lottie argued back.

                                                                       "What else was I supposed to do? She chased after me and...," Suki trails off, shaking her head. There was an even bigger issue at hand than being kidnapped, believe it or not. "Wait, how are you even here? I thought you were away in Switzerland at the -."

                                                                       "I got out. I was healed. And now I'm determined to help others heal through a natural, healthier method," Lottie responded.

                                                                       "By starting a cult?" Suki raised a brow.

                                                                         Lottie softly chuckles, calm as ever. It was unnerving how calm Lottie was acting, making Suki wonder just what it would take to make Lottie snap. "It's an intentional community. You know, I can help you too."

                                                                       "I'd appreciate you talking to me, calling me on the phone or something. Kidnapping me isn't the fucking solution," Suki retorted.

                                                                      "I wasn't sure you'd show up. Let's be honest, Suki. We didn't leave off on the best of terms," Lottie argued.

                                                                        Suki looks away from Lottie, those old memories rushing back. Lottie was right - they hadn't parted ways on the best of terms. And deep down, Suki knew it was her fault. What she had done... Suki wouldn't even be able to forgive herself for it.

                                                                      "But I forgive you. Being away, it gave me time to think about everything. I understand why you did what you did. I won't hold it against you. But I need you here," Lottie insisted, resting a hand on Suki's shoulder. Thankfully, Suki didn't try to shove her this time so maybe she had calmed down.

                                                                     "Why?" Suki questioned.

                                                                     "I... I'll admit that I don't know. I just... I feel like something's brewing, something big. And you can help me figure it out. Natalie's here too -," Lottie began to say.

                                                                    "Natalie? You kidnapped her too?" Suki cut her off. "Holy shit."

                                                                    "I saved her. She was going to harm herself. I'm thankful my people found her when I did. I'm thankful I was able to bring the both of you here. You two worked together before in the past. Maybe you could help Natalie... adjust," Lottie offered.

                                                                    "How can I help her adjust when I'm barely adjusting myself? I don't want to be here. I want to be back home," Suki argued. She could only imagine what Courtney was thinking. Suki had just disappeared and not by her own choice either. Courtney was probably tearing apart the entire town just to try and find her.

                                                                    "I need your help, Suki. Please. I wouldn't have done all of this if I didn't need your help," Lottie insisted, grabbing a hold of Suki's hands in a firm yet assuring manner. "I'm not keeping you hostage. You can technically leave any time. But...  I can imagine that your life hasn't been easy since the wilderness. I can see it written all over your face, you've been struggling. If you help me, I can help you."

                                                                      Suki hesitates for a moment. As much as she wanted to go back home, she felt compelled to stick around and stay with Lottie. At least for a little while. If Natalie was here too, perhaps they could figure out what was going on and then leave together. Suki had a feeling that she didn't have much of a choice regardless, no matter what Lottie said. She couldn't fully trust Lottie but she'd have to play along for as long as she could.

                                                                    "Alright. Alright, fine. I'll stay," Suki relents, nodding.

                                                                    "Good. I'm so glad you're able to stay. First things first though, you're going to have to change. These clothes simply won't do," Lottie replies, letting go of Suki's hands, all while still holding that smile of hers.

                                                                    "You don't really expect me to wear those purple clothes, do you?" Suki inquired.

                                                                    "It's not purple, it's heliotrope," Lottie corrects her. "We dye the colors ourselves from crops of heliotrope which we farmed ourselves. It's one of our many activities here."

                                                                     Suki scoffs. "It doesn't make a damn difference, does it?"

                                                                    "It does to me. Come, let me show you around a bit before you get changed. Seeing as you'll be staying here for a while, it's only fair," Lottie offered, now holding out her hand for Suki to take.

                                                                      Suki looks down at Lottie's hand for a moment before she took it, allowing Lottie to lead her away. They'd walk around with Lottie showing her all of the different locations and activities. Suki couldn't help but notice the way everyone else regarded Lottie with respect or a hint of fear. In Suki's mind, she couldn't help but be convinced that this whole place was a cult. There's no way that people actually did shit like making honey from scratch and sitting in a sensory-deprivation water tank for fun unless they were in a cult.

                                                                     "What do you think?" Lottie asks when they finished, now standing a short distance from the lake.

                                                                     "It's... impressive. You made all of this yourself. That's not easy. But then again, you always knew how to be a leader - whether you wanted to be or not," Suki responded.

                                                                     "Thanks," is all Lottie could say in response.

                                                                    "Before I become another one of your... members, can I call someone? I need to talk to them," Suki insisted. If she could just call Courtney and tell her where she was, it'd make Suki feel a lot better. She was worried about Courtney and what she might do if she thought something really terrible had happened to Suki. "Once I do that, I'll do whatever  you want. No complaints."

                                                                    "You've had a long day. Partially due to me, but it's best that you relax and rest. You're more than welcome to take a nap for a little while," Lottie advised.

                                                                    "I don't have my phone. The least I can do is use yours. Or... can I use someone else's?" Suki persisted. Seeing the way Lottie's face falls a little gives her a clue as to what the answer might be.

                                                                    "None of them have phones. They willingly gave that up to me when they arrived. You can't connect with nature while being plugged to your phone. I know it seems a bit... radical but soon enough, it'll all make sense. I promise. You have to trust me, Suki. Do you trust me?" Lottie explained.

                                                                    Suki nods. "Of course I do. I want to make things right again after... after everything that happened."

                                                                     Lottie smiles, believing her lie, before she hugs Suki once again. Suki hugs her back, even going as far as patting her on the shoulder. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while.

                                                                   "Great," Suki responds, plastering a smile onto her lips. "See you soon."

                                                                    Once Suki's finally able to head back inside of the room, she makes sure to lock the door behind her. Suki jumps at the sight of purple (sorry, heliotrope) clothes on the bed, folded neatly. The most frightening thing of all was seeing the necklace draped across, the pendant with the symbol staring right back at her. Suki grabs a hold of the necklace, angrily glaring at it for a moment before she threw it across the room. 

                                                                   She wanted it as far away from her as possible - even if it was much easier said than done. Suki was practically surrounded by it, all because of Lottie. She was stuck in this make-shift wilderness, all because of Lottie. Every time Suki tried to claw her way out of the darkness that was her past, something or someone would find a way to drag her right back.

                                                                   For now, it was Lottie fucking Matthews.

( 🌲🔪🦌 )

word count: 2040
notes: ayyy lottie and suki are reunited and while it's a bit of a bitter reunion, i can safely say we're on to the adult storyline in s2. suki may have betrayed lottie back in the wilderness (depending on how s3 goes, i'll expand on how and why) so things might be a bit weird between them for a bit. also suki and nat will reconnect in the next update. i hope you all enjoyed this!