Isa , Parker , Wren | 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟲
somewhere in the wilderness

The next morning, the girls were jolted awake by the sound of Laura Lee banging a ladle against the table. Still half asleep, they sat up, blinking groggily as she stood before them.

"In light of the expedition ending as it did, I have decided that I'm going to take the dead guy's plane and fly south," Laura Lee announced. "I'm going to find help and I'm going to get us out of here."

Lottie blinked. "You're gonna fly?"

"But you don't know how," Natalie pointed out.

"Yeah, how exactly do you plan on getting it off the ground?" Mari asked, clearly uneasy about her best friend's plan. "This is stupid."

"You can't deny that Van and Wren need serious medical attention," Laura Lee countered.

"She's not the only one," Jackie chimed in. "Shauna, tell them."

Parker glanced between the two best friends, sensing tension. Jackie was trying to mask a smirk, while Shauna stood with her arms folded over her stomach, staring at the floor.

"I—I really don't—"

"Tell them," Jackie insisted.

"What is it?"

"Yeah, tell us what?"

Still looking down, Shauna mumbled, "I'm pregnant."

"You were having sex?" Akilah asked, making Wren snicker. A few of the girls shot her a look, but she didn't care.

"How far along are you?" Misty asked, immediately jumping to her feet and rushing to Shauna's side.

"Wait," Mari said, eyes narrowing. "Did you get knocked up here?"

"No," Shauna muttered.

"It doesn't matter when it happened," Jackie cut in. "What matters is that we get them both help."

Misty reached out to touch Shauna's stomach, only for Shauna to slap her hand away. Wren had to clamp a hand over her mouth to muffle another laugh.

"Laura Lee," Ben said. "You can't do this. It's not even close to safe."

"There is no safe anymore, Coach Scott," Laura Lee shot back. "Winter is coming. If I don't do this, we're all gonna fucking starve."

The use of the word fuck from Laura Lee made the weight of their situation sink in. No one laughed. Even Wren fell silent.

"All right, well, I'm still the only adult here, so no," Ben said firmly. "I'm not going to let you do it."

Laura Lee walked up to him and shrugged. "And what exactly are you going to do to stop me, coach?"

The girls turned to Ben, expecting a response, but he had nothing to say. So, they got to work, clearing trees and bushes to create a makeshift runway.

Isa tried one last time to talk Laura Lee out of it, but she already knew it wouldn't work. Once Laura Lee made up her mind, there was no changing it. It was the one thing Isa both loved and hated about her.

They finally finished clearing a path for the plane. Lottie wrapped her arms around Laura Lee, holding on tightly as if letting go would make everything real. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, neither wanting to be the first to pull away. But eventually, Laura Lee did, giving Lottie one last reassuring smile before turning to her best friends.

"You can still back out," Isa said.

"Yeah," Mari agreed. "You're not Amelia Earhart."

Isa turned to Mari. "Didn't she die?"

Laura Lee let out a small laugh. "She did. But I'm not gonna die. I'm gonna get us out of here."

The three of them hugged, and one by one, the other girls joined in. It was Laura Lee who pulled away first. She climbed into the plane, her only passenger being her teddy bear, Leonard. The others watched, hardly breathing, as she started the engine. And in a moment none of them could have predicted, the plane actually began to move, rolling down the makeshift runway and lifting off the ground.

A stunned silence fell over the group before it broke into cheers. They ran after the plane, chasing it to the edge of the lake, watching in awe as Laura Lee flew over the water.

Isa couldn't believe it. The plane had actually started. For the first time since the crash, she felt a sliver of real hope. Maybe—just maybe—they would be rescued.

"Is that smoke?" Jackie asked.

The cheering stopped and the smiles faded.

The plane flew over the lake for a moment longer before it exploded.

Isa barely registered the way her body dropped to the ground, her knees hitting the dirt as tears blurred her vision. The hope she'd felt only seconds ago was gone, blown apart in the same instant Laura Lee was. Maybe this was how she was always meant to die, in the middle of nowhere with her high school soccer team. Or maybe this was God punishing her for throwing away her necklace, for not wanting to pray for the dead, for doubting even for a second.

Lottie, in shock, waded into the water as if in doing so, it would somehow bring Laura Lee back. Parker watched as her sister collapsed and let out a gut wrenching scream as debris rained down into the lake. She turned to Mari, whose wide, horrified eyes hadn't left the wreckage. Parker hesitated only a second before resting a hand on her shoulder, and Mari instantly buried her face against Parker's shoulder.

Parker didn't know if she should stay and comfort her girlfriend or run to Lottie, who was sobbing alone in the water. But before she could make a choice, Jackie stepped forward and pulled Lottie out of the lake. Lottie didn't fight her. She let Jackie lead her back toward the cabin, and one by one, the others followed.

But Isa stayed behind, watching as the wreckage floated in the water.

Inside the cabin, Van and Wren sat up at the sound of footsteps, expecting to hear that it was a success and that they'd be rescued soon.

"What happened?" Wren asked, though she could already feel the answer forming in her stomach like a knot.

She and Van exchanged a look, and when they saw Lottie and Mari enter the cabin in tears, the truth settled over them.

"Oh," Wren said quietly.

No one spoke for the rest of the day.

Isa sat on the shore with her knees hugged to her chest, her face still damp with tears. No matter how long she stared at the water, it didn't feel real. A part of her kept waiting, hoping that if she looked hard enough, Laura Lee would rise from the dead like Jesus. But she didn't. She was gone.

Isa couldn't wrap her head around it—around any of it. They had been stranded for God knows how many months, winter was coming, and they were all starving. She didn't know how much longer she could live like this. And if she was going to die here, she didn't want to wait for it like Laura Lee had. If she was going to die, she wanted it to be on her own terms.

"Hey," Natalie's voice was soft as she sat down beside her.

"Hey," Isa murmured.

"How's Wren?"

"She'll live," Natalie said. "But look who I brought."

Isa turned to see her holding out Dino. For the first time all day, she managed a small smile, taking the little green dinosaur from her hands.

"It's getting late," Natalie teased. "You don't want Dino to get cold."

"Right," Isa agreed.

The two of them stood and made their way back to the cabin.

That night, after the sun had long since set, the group finally settled in to sleep. Isa curled up beside Natalie, holding Dino tightly to her chest.

Natalie wrapped an arm around her waist, and for the first time that day, Isa let herself close her eyes.

———

In the weeks that followed, the girls barely spoke. Isa would wake in the middle of the night and sit on the porch with the hunting rifle and stare at it. Every night, she thought about doing it—about ending it. But then she'd glance back at the cabin and think of Natalie and her brothers. She couldn't leave them. Still, she didn't know how much longer she could live like this. When Laura Lee died, she accepted the truth, no one was coming to save them. They were on their own. And she didn't want the rest of her life to be just about surviving.

Parker hadn't really known Laura Lee. They didn't talk much after the crash, so she wasn't exactly grieving her. But that didn't mean things didn't feel different without her. Parker sat outside, breathing in the cold Canadian air—odd, considering all she'd done up until this point was complain about it. But the silence inside the cabin was suffocating, and she needed to be anywhere that wasn't in a cramped space with twelve teenage girls and their one-legged coach.

"How are you not cold?" Wren asked, stepping onto the porch with her crutches. She lowered herself into the spare chair—they both knew sitting on the floor wasn't an option for her right now.

Parker shrugged. "It's not that cold. How's your leg?"

"Fine, thanks to Akilah," Wren said. "Still hurts though."

Parker nodded before glancing out at the trees. "It's weird not having her around," she said, referring to Laura Lee. "I used to wake up and find her outside praying. She never lost hope that we'd get rescued."

Wren let out a small laugh. "Of course she didn't. It's Laura Lee."

A silence stretched between them before Wren broke it.

"I wish I knew her better," she admitted. "Most of my free time was spent getting mediocre dick from Ryder."

Parker let out a short laugh.

"I might convert to a lesbian if Travis doesn't get his shit together," Wren added, making Parker laugh again.

"Well, you'd be fitting right in," she teased. "I'm pretty sure we're all lesbians."

"We're a girls' soccer team," Wren deadpanned. "Of course the whole team are lesbians."

"One gay cheerleader and twelve gay soccer players."

"You have to teach me those moves," Wren said. "You know the whole 'give me a Y, give me an E,'" she chanted, forming letters with her arms. "What does that spell?" She pointed at Parker.

"Yellowjackets," Parker answered with a grin.

"I could replace you," Wren teased. "This is insanely easy."

Parker laughed, shaking her head. "Okay. You'd be a flyer then."

"Flyer?" Wren repeated. "I'm not Superman."

"Don't you go to the pep rallies?" Parker asked. "My team's always throwing me in the air for stunts or pyramids. It scares the shit out of Lottie."

Wren shook her head. "I don't go to those. Ryder and I are usually under the bleachers making out."

Parker snorted. "Coach Scott caught Mari and I under the bleachers once. We were terrified he'd tell our parents or the school. But he didn't."

"Well, no shit. He's also gay."

Parker frowned, caught off guard. "What?"

"His 'roommate' came to our first games of the season," Wren pointed out. "Plus, he always wore those gay looking shorts. They're way too short."

Parker raised an eyebrow. "How can shorts be gay?"

"No fucking way I have to explain gay clothing to you," Wren said, shaking her head. "Okay, so let's say a girl wears a flannel and baggy jeans. Is she gay or straight?"

"Um—"

"Wrong!" Wren cut her off. "She's gay."

"Isa's gay, and she dresses like—well, you know how she dresses."

"She's the exception."

Before Parker could respond, the cabin door creaked open.

Travis stepped out onto the porch, his gaze briefly locking with Wren's in an awkward, silent exchange before they both looked away.

"The, uh... worms are ready," he said.

Travis went back inside, and Parker glanced at Wren. Her playful, joking mood had shifted into something entirely different. Parker wanted to ask her about it, but before she could, Wren stood up and headed back inside. Parker followed her, then settled down beside Mari, who handed her a cup filled with cooked worms. Parker grimaced at the sight, not wanting to put them anywhere near her mouth, but she knew she had to if she wanted to stay alive.

"I can't do this anymore," Mari said suddenly, standing up and walking to the pantry, pulling out a jar.

"What is that?" Ben asked.

"It was some berries I was trying to save, but I think it might've turned into booze?" Mari said with a shrug. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink."

"Is it safe?" Taissa asked.

"Do we care?" Isa replied flatly.

Ever since Laura Lee died, the girls had accepted their fate. They were all going to die sooner or later.

"I have a few more," Mari said.

"If we have booze, let's have a party," Jackie suggested.

"Yeah, because we've got so much to celebrate," Taissa said sarcastically.

"Do we need a reason? We're going to be dead in a few weeks," Jackie shot back.

"There's a full moon tomorrow night," Misty shared, trying to bring a little optimism to the group.

"And it's almost homecoming," Akilah added.

"We picked dresses, right?" Lottie asked. "For the awards dinner?"

"There we go," Jackie said, grinning. "We have dresses, we have booze. We can decorate and have some sort of moon homecoming."

"More like a doom homecoming," Taissa said with a laugh.

Van, who had been sitting silently on the bed, stood up and walked off.

"A doomcoming," Lottie says.

Natalie laughed, "Now that's a party idea."

"Yeah, alright. Doomcoming," Jackie said, her smile widening. "Tomorrow night. We'll drink rotten berries and celebrate our impending death."

———

Wren sat on the porch, watching as her teammates made crowns and decorations for their Doomcoming. She saw Akilah running around, showing everyone how to properly weave a flower crown. Wren didn't see the point in making one for herself—she could barely put enough weight on her leg to stand, let alone enjoy their death celebration. She tried not to look as upset as she felt.

"I, uh, I made you something," Travis said, stepping onto the porch with his hands behind his back. "I know we haven't talked since you left with Tai, so... I made you this."

He pulled his hands from behind his back, revealing a slightly messy but well intended flower crown. Wren managed a small smile as she took it from him.

"Javi showed me how to make it," he explained.

"Thank you," Wren said. "You not being a dick is an upgrade."

"Well, you're on one leg, so I figured I'd be on my best behavior."

Wren laughed. "How thoughtful."

"So, do you wanna go together?" Travis asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Sure," Wren smiled. "As long as you promise not to be an asshole."

Travis nodded. "I'll try."

Meanwhile, Parker sat beside Natalie on a log, carefully weaving a crown for Mari from leaves and a flower that looked a lot like baby's breath. Mari hadn't said much since Laura Lee died, but to be fair, none of them had. This was the first time in weeks any of them felt even remotely happy.

Once Parker finished the crown, she stood and wandered over to where Mari sat with Akilah on another log.

"Mari Ibarra," Parker said, holding out the crown with a dramatic flourish. "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to this dance?"

Mari managed a small smile as she stood. "Of course."

Parker placed the crown gently on Mari's head.

"Parker Caroline Matthews," Mari said, matching her formality. "Will you accept this flower crown I made for you?"

The cheerleader laughed. "Of course I will."

As Parker took the crown from Mari, she caught Wren's gaze. Wren grinned and immediately wrapped her arms around herself, dramatically pretending to make out with someone. Parker rolled her eyes and flipped her off.

Mari furrowed her brows in confusion. "What?"

Parker glanced at her girlfriend but said nothing. Mari turned to look behind her, but Wren had already dropped her act and resumed her conversation with Travis as if nothing had happened.

"You're both so weird," Mari muttered, wrapping her arms around Parker's neck.

Parker glanced at Wren one last time, only for Wren to make the same ridiculous gesture again. Parker let out a laugh and buried her face into Mari's shoulder.

"Oh my god," Mari chuckled. "What does she keep doing?"

She turned around for a final time, only to see Wren deep in conversation with Travis, as if nothing had ever happened.

Natalie stood from her log and wandered over to Isa, who was sitting on the shore of the lake. Her knees were drawn to her chest as she stared out at the water.

"So I made us something for tomorrow," Natalie told her, catching Isa's attention. Natalie pulled out two crowns from behind her back. One was neatly made with twigs, while the other was made with flowers and leaves. "This one's yours."

Natalie handed Isa the flower crown.

"Thanks," Isa said softly. "But I don't know how I feel about the doomcoming thing. Drinking and partying without Laura Lee feels wrong."

Natalie settled down beside Isa. "She wasn't my friend, but I think she'd be okay with it." There was a long pause before Natalie spoke again. "But we can also sneak away when no one is looking if you want."

Isa managed a small smile. "Thank you."

Isa set the crown aside and began picking at the skin on her fingernails.

"I hate being out here," Isa said. "I hate it and sometimes I—"

Isa cut herself off, not wanting to tell Natalie what she'd been thinking for weeks.

"Sometimes you what?"

"Sometimes I think it'd be better if I wasn't here," Isa choked out.

Isa's shoulders shook as sobs wracked through her body, her breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. She had tried to keep it in, tried to swallow it down like she always did, but the words had spilled out before she could stop them. And now, here she was, falling apart on the lake shore, unable to meet Natalie's eyes.

Natalie didn't say anything at first. She just wrapped her arms around Isa, pulling her in close, resting her chin on top of her head. Isa didn't resist. She collapsed into Natalie's chest like a ragdoll, her hands clutching at the front of her shirt as if she were afraid Natalie might let go.

"I'm sorry," Isa choked out between sobs. "I just—I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Natalie tightened her grip. "Don't be sorry," she murmured. "You don't have to be sorry."

Isa just cried harder. The weight of everything—the crash, the hunger, Laura Lee, the endless days stretching on with no sign of rescue—pressed down on her like a boulder. Every time she thought she could handle it, that she could keep going, another piece of her cracked. And now, she had told Natalie the one thing she had sworn she'd never say out loud.

"I feel like I'm already dead," Isa whispered. "Like I'm just waiting for my body to catch up."

Natalie exhaled slowly, her fingers running through Isa's tangled hair. She wasn't great at this. Comfort wasn't something she'd ever really received or even known how to give, not in words anyway. But she knew how to hold on, how to keep someone steady when they were about to fall.

"You're not going anywhere," Natalie said, her voice quiet but firm.

Isa just shook her head against her chest, her sobs muffled now, but Natalie could still feel them. The way Isa trembled, the way her fingers clung to her like a lifeline.

"I just want it to stop," Isa said.

Natalie closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her lips together. She wanted to say something that would make it better, something that would take the pain away. But there was nothing. No magic words. No easy fix. So she just held on.

"I know," Natalie whispered. "I know."

They sat like that for a long time. The sun hung in the sky, casting long shadows across the dirt, but neither of them moved. Isa's sobs slowly quieted, her breathing evening out, though her grip on Natalie never loosened.

Eventually, Natalie leaned back just enough to look at her. Isa's face was blotchy and streaked with tears, her eyes swollen and red. But she was still here. Still breathing.

"You promise me something," Natalie said, brushing a strand of hair out of Isa's face. "When it gets bad—like, really bad, you come to me. Okay? You don't keep that shit inside. You come to me."

Isa sniffled and nodded weakly. "Okay."

Natalie cupped the side of her face, thumb swiping away a tear. "You don't get to leave me here, alright?" Her voice wavered just slightly, but she forced a smirk. "Not stuck in this hellhole. That'd be so fucking rude of you."

Isa let out something between a breath and a laugh, but it broke off into another small sob. She buried her face in Natalie's chest again, holding on tight.

"I won't," Isa whispered.

Natalie didn't let go.