Isa , Alani , Wren , Parker | 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟲
somewhere in the wilderness

The chaos had died down, and the girls were now focused on helping the injured. Misty had created a makeshift sling for Isa's arm using someone's t-shirt. And despite having fallen several feet from the plane, Isa had miraculously only injured her shoulder. She was slumped against a tree, while Mari sat nearby on a tree stump. Natalie approached the two, a small smile tugging at her lips as she pulled the dinosaur plushie out of her jacket pocket, which was bulging awkwardly.

"Holy shit," Isa cracked a faint smile when she saw it. "I thought he went up in flames with the plane."

Natalie handed Isa the dinosaur plushie, her expression softening. "I managed to save him before we crashed."

Isa's smile faded almost immediately. "Diego said he'd help me."

"Looks like he did his job," Natalie said, attempting to lighten the mood. "You fell out of a plane and survived. That's one lucky dinosaur."

"Diego doesn't know where we are," Isa murmured, her voice quieter now, tinged with fear. She glanced at Mari, who had been silently watching the exchange, her eyes fixed on the toy. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I don't know," Mari admitted with a shrug, her voice distant.

"Alright, the bleeding's slowing down. We need to disinfect it somehow. Um, maybe something from the bar cart?" Misty said, crouched beside Ben, inspecting his stump.

"There wasn't one," Lottie said.

"Yeah," Parker chimed in. "It was just soda. It's cheaper that way."

"Maybe somebody brought contraband," Laura Lee suggested, her gaze drifting to Natalie.

"Okay, wow," she said.

"Well, did you?" Misty asked.

"Obviously," Natalie sighed, rolling her eyes. "But I stashed it in my bag, and god knows where that is now."

"Guys, how about this?" Van called out, holding up a bottle of isopropyl alcohol she'd dug out from someone's bag.

"Hey, that's m—" Jackie started, then abruptly stopped herself. "Um, a great idea, Van."

Van shot her a suspicious glare, clearly unimpressed by Jackie's attempt to cover her slip-up.

"This could work," Misty said, taking the bottle over to Ben and pouring it directly onto his stump.

Ben's eyes flew open, and he screamed in pain, thrashing as he tried to sit up. Misty immediately pressed her hands against his chest to hold him down.

"Oh fuck," he panted, his voice trembling. "Is it bad? How bad is it?"

"Well, the good news is I—" Misty began, but Taissa cut her off.

"You're gonna be fine, Coach," Taissa said, glaring at Misty before turning back to Ben. "You got pretty banged up, but Misty's doing a really good job. Right, Misty?"

Taissa pulled Misty out of earshot, her expression stern as she scolded her about something unclear to the others. After a few moments, Misty walked off to check on the rest of the girls, leaving Taissa to join Wren and Akilah in tearing up shirts to make bandages.

Akilah opened a suitcase, scooping a handful of clothes into her arms. "Man, Misty is awesome," she said, glancing over at Misty, who was busy helping another girl fit her arm into a makeshift sling.

"Dad," Javi's small voice called out.

"Fuck, Javi! Stop!" Taissa shouted. But Javi either didn't hear her or didn't care.

"Dad?" Javi called again, his voice more urgent as he headed toward the wreckage.

Taissa turned to Wren. "Go find Travis. Isa isn't fit to chase her brother around," she said before running after Javi. "Javi, stop!"

Wren muttered a frustrated, "Fuck," and quickly scanned the area. Her eyes landed on Travis, sitting under a tree and picking at the dirt. Wren hurried over.

"Um, Travis? Your brother's trying to get back on the plane. He's looking for your dad," she said, her voice strained.

Travis glanced up at her briefly before looking back down at the dirt. "The door ripped open when we were going down. He was trying to help one of you idiots put on an oxygen mask, and, uh—he fell out."

Wren faltered, unsure of what to say. "I get it. It fucking sucks. But your brother survived, and you need to help him—or at least talk him out of going back on the plane."

"Well, maybe you should mind your own fucking business," Travis snapped, rising to his feet and walking off.

"Fucking bitch," Wren muttered under her breath.

Meanwhile, Alani and Shauna were rummaging through nearby suitcases, searching for anything useful.

"She hates me now," Jackie said quietly, glancing over at Van, who was by the food with the rest of the group.

"Maybe just give her some time," Shauna suggested.

"For the record, I was trying to save you," Jackie admitted. "I thought that—"

"Yeah," Shauna interrupted, before standing and walking over to join the group.

Alani, still sifting through a suitcase, looked at Jackie. "What was that all about?"

"When Shauna went back for Van, I dragged her out of the plane. The fire was getting closer, and Van was stuck," Jackie explained, her voice breaking slightly. "I thought that if we stayed any longer, she'd die. I was just trying to keep her safe."

"Don't worry. Shauna will come around," Alani reassured her. But she glanced over her shoulder at Van, who was glaring at them. "Not so sure about Van, though. She seems like the type to hold a grudge real well."

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream echoed in the distance. Everyone froze before breaking into a sprint toward the sound.

They arrived to find Laura Lee kneeling in the dirt, clutching her stuffed bear tightly to her chest, her wide eyes fixed on the branch above her. Lottie rushed over, pulling Laura Lee back.

"Oh fuck," Natalie muttered, stopping short.

"Isa, don't," Mari said quickly, trying to block Isa's view. But Isa pushed past her, glancing up at the branch.

Her father's motionless body dangled from it, his arm hanging awkwardly over the edge. Isa doubled over, vomiting as the horrifying sight sank in. Tears streamed down her face as she straightened, staring in disbelief. He'd been an asshole, but he was still her dad. Flashes of childhood memories flooded her mind—how he used to put her on his shoulders and run around the backyard with her when she was little. And how he used to play along with her when she'd play pretend, long before things changed.

"Dad," Javi screamed, his voice cracking. "Dad!"

"Javi, Javi, Javi," Shauna said, grabbing the boy before he could climb the tree. "Come here."

"Holy macaroni, is that—"

Parker's eyes widened. "What the fucking shit—"

"He's got to be dead, right?" Natalie asked, earning a sharp shove from Shauna.

"Okay," Jackie interjected, her voice a mix of panic and determination. "Who has the best arm?"

"I do, Jackie," Mari said, limping forward.

"We could try and throw things at him and see if he moves."

"You want to throw rocks at coach, who fell out of a fucking plane?" Taissa questioned, her voice raised in disbelief.

"I didn't say rocks," Jackie clarified. "Someone's shoe or whatever."

"Oh, yeah, that's a fuck-ton smarter. You're on fire today, Jackie," Van said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, wait, that was supposed to be me, huh?"

"What?" Taissa asked, confused by the comment, glancing between Jackie and Van.

"Okay, shut the fuck up!" Wren snapped, cutting through the chaos. "That isn't helping. We need an actual plan."

"We could lower him with ropes," Laura Lee suggested hesitantly, earning puzzled looks from the girls. "Vines, then? I don't know."

"For fuck's sake, Laura Lee, we're not gonna Tarzan him out of a tree," Natalie said.

"Nat, not fucking now," Wren snapped, clearly irritated by her sisters comments. "Shoes and vines seem to be our best bet. I don't see you coming up with anything better."

"Shoes and vines?" Natalie scoffed. "Sure. Let's just cut the fucking tree down."

"Dad?" Travis said softly, his voice breaking as he looked up at the branch. "Dad!"

Without waiting, he sprinted past the group, ignoring their shouts, and began climbing the tree.

Misty, watching from the sidelines, abruptly running off. She returned moments later with two large blankets in her arms.

"This is all I could find, okay? So just grab a corner in case somebody falls."

Isa stood frozen, her eyes locked on Travis as he climbed higher and higher. Her heart pounded in her chest, each movement he made filling her with dread. She prayed silently, desperately, that he wouldn't lose his grip and fall. The last thing she needed was to watch her younger brother die in front of her.

Travis finally reached the top, his eyes fixing on their father's lifeless body. For a moment, he hesitated, then carefully began to edge onto the branch. But a loud, sickening snap made him retreat.

The sound of the branch breaking sent a shockwave through the group. The girls dropped the blankets and scrambled backward, bracing themselves. Moments later, the branch and coach Martinez's body came crashing to the ground with a sickening thud.

The girls instinctively turned away, their faces pale and twisted in horror. Some of them shook visibly, holding themselves to keep from falling apart.

Isa was the first to look back. Her stomach turned at the sight of her father's mangled body, blood pooling beneath him, a jagged branch protruding from his stomach. The metallic scent hit her nose, and she stumbled back, doubling over as she vomited again.

"Isa," Natalie said, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound calm. "Don't look back."

———

The sun had begun to set. Natalie worked on starting a fire while Shauna, Taissa, Laura Lee, and Van draped a Yellowjackets banner over the dead inside the plane. The sight was heavy, but it was the only way to show them respect.

Meanwhile, Lottie and Parker had quietly slipped away from the group to find their suitcases, or more specifically, their medication. After what felt like an eternity of searching, Parker finally spotted her bag. Relief flooded her as she unzipped it and dug through her belongings. Her breath hitched when her hand closed around the bright orange prescription bottle.

"Hey," Mari's voice startled Parker, making her look up quickly. "You found your luggage."

Parker nodded. "I did. I was just about to take my meds."

"Do you want me to leave or—"

"No, stay," Parker said, sitting down on the dirt and gesturing for Mari to join her. "How's your leg? Does it still hurt?"

"A little bit," Mari admitted, limping over and sitting beside Parker. She stretched out her injured leg, her face betraying the discomfort she was in.

Parker hesitated before speaking, her tone turning serious. "Mari, can you promise me something?"

Mari glanced at her, concerned. "Yeah, of course."

"If we're out here long enough, I'm going to run out of my meds," Parker said, her voice trembling slightly. "Just promise me that you're not going to leave me. No matter how hard things get."

Mari reached for Parker's hand, holding it tightly. "I won't, I promise. I love you, Parker."

Relief flickered across Parker's face as she smiled. "I love you too, Mari."

The two leaned closer, their faces inches apart, the moment heavy with unspoken emotions.

"Parker," Lottie's voice cut through the silence, startling them both. They instinctively pulled away, despite Lottie already knowing about their relationship.

"Sorry, did I interrupt something?" Lottie asked, her tone light.

"No, I was just leaving," Mari said, getting to her feet and limping back toward the group.

Left alone, Parker quickly unscrewed the lid of her bottle, popped a pill into her mouth, and swallowed it dry. The pill felt strange sliding down without water, but she brushed off the discomfort, knowing there were bigger problems to focus on. She shoved the bottle back into her bag, zipping it up.

Parker sat quietly for a moment before speaking. "Lottie," she said, her voice trembling, "I'm scared. I've never been off my meds before."

Lottie walked over and sat beside her. "Me neither. It's been years since my last episode. Are they still as terrifying as I remember?"

Parker nodded, tears already welling in her eyes. "I think they've gotten worse somehow. The voices—Lottie, I'm really fucking scared." Her voice cracked, and she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

Lottie pulled her into a tight hug, trying to stay calm for both of them. "We're gonna be okay, Parker. I promise. We have each other."

Pulling back slightly, Lottie looked her sister in the eyes. "How about this, if either of us has an episode, we promise to be there for each other and help the other through it. Deal?"

"Okay," Parker said, nodding as she wiped her eyes. "Deal."

Lottie smiled softly. "See? We've got this."

The sisters stood up and walked back to the fire where the others were gathered. When they sat down, Parker scanned the group and noticed Mari standing a few feet away, staring at the wreckage.

Shauna spoke up, her voice trying to sound hopeful. "I'm sure the plane has an emergency transmitter sending out a distress signal. They'll be here to rescue us by morning."

Alani, sitting beside her, let out a short laugh. "Yeah, morning."

Jackie shot Alani a glare but held her tongue.

"Still," Jackie said after a beat. "Maybe we should conserve some food? In case they don't get here until later in the day?"

"You wanna save the corn nuts?" Van asked sharply, her glare now directed at Jackie.

Mari rejoined the group, sitting down beside Parker. She gave her a small, reassuring smile, silently letting her know she was okay.

Wren glanced over at Travis, who sat slumped against a tree, away from the fire. She wanted to say something, to comfort him after everything he'd been through that day, but she knew better. He needed space, and she wasn't about to take that away from him.

Taissa then turned her attention to Laura Lee. "You okay, Laura Lee?" she asked, her tone gentle.

"This is all my fault," Laura Lee replied, her voice trembling. "I did something really bad. I kept messing up in my piano lesson last week. Mrs. Brophy kept yelling at me, 'F sharp. F sharp. F sharp.'" Laura Lee sniffled, her tears falling freely now. "I just—I couldn't take it anymore. So I called her a bad word. Just in my head, but God heard me. Now we're all being punished."

Taissa furrowed her brow. "What did you call her?"

"Cunt."

Van let out a laugh, unable to hold it in, and Taissa smacked her arm, trying to stay composed. But the absurdity of it all was too much, and soon the group was in fits of uncontrollable laughter—even Laura Lee joined in.

"I steal shitty clothes from T.J. Maxx," Lottie confessed abruptly, her voice cutting through the laughter.

"What?"

"I return them and I get credit that I never use and I have thousands of dollars in T.J. bucks," Lottie admitted, laughing at herself.

"What? Really?" Jackie asked, barely able to contain her giggles. Lottie nodded, still laughing. "I, uh—I used to sneak downstairs after everybody had gone to bed and watch Color of Night so I could pause it on Bruce Willis' wang."

"That is definitely why we crashed," Taissa said through her laughter.

"I mean, Jeff's not bad, but damn."

Alani frowned at the comment but didn't say anything.

"Um," Wren began hesitantly, "at Mari's birthday party, I got really drunk and made out with Randy Walsh."

The group erupted in a mix of laughter and groans of disgust.

"I thought he was Ryder, okay?" Wren defended herself between laughs. "They both have brown hair!"

"I hate cheer," Parker blurted out, her face red. "I hate it."

"What?" Lottie asked, still laughing but now clearly confused. "I thought you loved it."

"I, um—I only did it to get someone's attention," Parker admitted, glancing briefly at Mari. The glance went unnoticed by the group. "I had a huge crush on them, and I wanted them to notice me."

"Did it work?" Jackie asked.

Parker nodded, a small smile creeping onto her face. "We've been together for almost two years."

"What about you, Shipman?" Jackie asked, turning her attention to her best friend. "Any secrets big enough to crash a goddamn plane?"

Shauna avoided Jackie's gaze, her stomach twisting. She had two secrets, and neither was one she could ever admit. She couldn't tell Jackie that she liked her, not in front of all their friends, and she definitely couldn't say she had slept with Jeff.

"Um—"

Before Shauna could stumble her way through a response, she was saved by a sudden scream. Ben's voice pierced the night air, and the group immediately jumped to their feet, rushing toward the sound.

"What the fuck, Misty?" Akilah said in disbelief when they reached Ben.

"I had to stop the bleeding for good," Misty replied.

"Fuck this. I'm going to bed," Parker announced, turning and walking back toward the fire.

"Me too," Lottie added, following suit.

The rest of the girls slowly trickled back to the fire, murmuring their goodnights as they spread out to find a spot to sleep. Jackie moved closer to Alani, only for Alani to scoot away. Jackie frowned but didn't have the energy to ask what was wrong. She decided to leave it for tomorrow.

It didn't take long for everyone to fall asleep, but Isa couldn't join them. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her dad's lifeless, bloody corpse, and the image was enough to keep her awake.

"Isa?" Natalie's voice was groggy as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Why are you awake?"

"I can't sleep," Isa admitted, her voice shaking. "Every time I close my eyes, I see my dad lying there with a fucking branch going through him." She fought back tears.

Natalie reached into her jacket and pulled out a flask, handing it to Isa. "Here."

Isa accepted it and took a sip, the liquid burning as it went down. "Thanks." She hesitated before asking, "Do you think Shauna's right? About us getting rescued in the morning?"

Natalie sighed, considering her response. "If I'm being honest, I think we're fucked."

"Wow, you really know how to cheer a lady up," Isa said, managing a weak smile.

Natalie nudged her lightly. "You smiled, so I'll call that a win."

"Shut up," Isa muttered, chuckling softly.

"Both of you shut up," Wren mumbled sleepily from nearby, turning over. Natalie picked up a small rock and tossed it in her sister's direction. Wren mumbled something in response, but neither of them caught it.

Isa handed the flask back to Natalie, feeling a little better. "I kind of hated him," she admitted quietly. "But he was my dad, y'know?"

Natalie nodded, her expression softening. "I know."

Without saying another word, Natalie took Isa's hand in hers. They sat in silence, the weight of their situation hanging over them. Finally, Isa rested her head on Natalie's shoulder and sighed. "Thanks, Nat. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Natalie smiled and put her arm around Isa, enjoying the moment.

—————————————————————————
alex's corner!
I regret having 4 ocs in the wilderness bc now im stressing myself out with their storylines and I sometimes forget one of them exists