Accidental Acrophobia

[Arscapi†]

Thea dropped her hand from her hip and jumped back as James came falling towards her. Any anger she felt at that last statement vanished as he crashed to the forest floor. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Winnie scramble off him. Watch it! It's your fault he was in the tree, she thought, kneeling next to him. She tenderly pull his head into her lap, and gently brushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead.

"James, James sweetheart, are you okay," she asked her voice full of concern. She'd heard him mutter something to Winnie, so she knew he was conscious. What was that about? That girl better not have been taking the opportunity to feel up my guy. Thea glanced over to where Winnie had seemingly collapsed against the tree, rolling her eyes at the girl's dramatics. She turned her attention back to James. "You do know you're going to pay for that stop talking comment, although the 'I love you' was a nice touch," she said bending down and dropping a kiss on his lips.

[chibinanashi†]

"Winnie...you're name, ja?"

Raine dropped her pack and she slowly made her way over to Winnie. She held a hand up as if to say she was not a threat. "I...I know some first aid. I do extra studying to get into university to become a doctor." Raine closed her eyes for a brief moment to reflect. "I should have studied more if this was going to happen to us." She then opened her eyes and knelt down beside Winnie.

Now, Raine looked back at the men. "If you would all please, turn your heads away. I'm sure Winnie would like to retain some of her dignity." Her gaze turned to Winnie. "Will you let me help you?"

[D/N]

Ah hell.

Ricky had a good deal less distance to fall than Winnie and James did, but that wasn't what he was really worried about. Once he hit the ground, he rolled over to his side, squeezing his eyes shut and throwing an arm up over his head to protect him from incoming arms and legs. Luckily (well, for him at least), he heard the crash occur behind him, rather than felt it occur on top of him. Ugh. Fuckin' James. That hadn't been Ricky's fault. At least everyone had stopped screaming for a minute.

Ricky opened his eyes just in time to see a certain goddamn spider scurry off into the underbrush.

"Yeah, fuck you too" he said, then flopped over on his back. James was shoving Winnie offa him, which knowing Thea was probably a smart move on his part. And speaking of Thea, there she was, jumping on James and giving him a kiss like they were in The Notebook or some other crappy romance movie. What exactly was with her and him, anyway? They were still in high school, a kid like James wasn't supposed to start mackin' with cheerleaders until he'd fuckin' graduated college and gotten some fancy title in front of his name. Maybe Thea was just staking her claim early or something, whatever.

Meanwhile, Winnie Clark had gone off to collapse against a tree or something, and Raine the German swim girl was scrambling over to her. Yeah, he was just fine, nobody bother to make sure Ricky was OK or anything like that. Muttering, he sat up, shaking the dirt and leaf bits and probably spider shit out of his hair.

If you would all please, turn your heads away?

"Huh?" Ricky was confused. What the hell was she gonna do? Whatever, he wasn't going to argue. He got up and began brushing himself off.

"Yeah, uh, alright."

Looking around, Ricky saw some weird kind of metal weapon thing lying on the ground a few feet away. Looked like a cross between a sword and a crowbar or something like that. He walked over and picked it up. Damn, that shit was heavy. Turning back, but trying to keep his eyes off whatever the hell Raine and Winnie were doing by the tree, he tossed the weapon on the ground in the middle of the group.

"Found this thing. I dunno whose it is, all I got was a goddamn garden spade."

Ricky paused, his train of thought returning to where it had been before this whole ridiculous tree detour had taken place.

"So... fuck I guess I gotta ask, what the hell are we supposed to be doing now?"

[Ciel†]

James kissed Thea back and the pain in his body seemed to dissolve. Yes, it was alright. Everything was going to be fine. Except everything wasn't going to be fine. Everything was terrible, and having Thea by his side wasn't going to make things any better. James felt very numb. He looked away and over at Ricky, his hands hugging Thea as close as he could get her. Had James turned his head, he would have seen Winnie crumpling to the ground, fainting from the cut on her dress.

"Ricky, are you okay?" James asked the second his head was in the right place.

James remembered that Ricky had tumbled too. He looked fine, though James thought that he had to ask. James had to be polite after all. Raine had asked them to turn their heads. James already had his head turned away but he reflexively turned it as far as he could, his ear pressed down on Thea's thigh. Actually, James felt that he couldn't stay in this position forever, it was hurting his neck.

"Uhh, thanks Thea," He sat up, smiling at her. "You know, I'm really glad that you're here right now. I don't know what I would do without you."

He really meant that too. James felt his mind go right to the pistol in his pocket. Pistols killed people, guns killed people. James could kill people. James had questions, so many questions but only one stuck out at him and stung him like an angry bee. If he hadn't stumbled across Winnie like he had, just what the hell would he be doing?

What the hell was right. James sighed as Ricky pretty much read his mind. If there had to be someone who had to make a decision, he figured it had to be him. He held his hand to his head. "Well, nothing's going to change the fact that we're here for the long run. Until we know for certain there's, uhh, another way..." James made sure not to acknowledge anything close to an escape group. "I think we should all stick together. No one would try to attack us in a group. Especially if we have all of these weapons. I have a pistol, I think I saw Raine with a speargun..." He looked at Thea, his hand stroking her leg. "Thea, what do you have?"

[ifnotwinter†]

Winnie regained consciousness slowly.

Unlike the first time, she was fully aware of her situation. She remembered the tree, and the fall, and James, and then looking down and seeing all the blo-ohhh, god, okay, not a good thing to think about. And now she was...on the ground, she decided, given what things felt like under her, and she was still dizzy and there was bark down her skirt and twigs in her hair but she just could not bring herself to get up.

Her chest hurt. All across her torso where the hook sword had bitten deep, the long, shallow slice burnt like fire. She curled around it, ignoring the hands and lightly accented voice that seemed all around her, turning her face over into the ground. It was dirty and disgusting, but it was less embarrassing than having to look up and see everyone who had seen her make a total fool of herself.

"Please." Her voice came out small, and squeaky, and she just wanted to dig herself a hole and curl up forever. Or maybe go back into her tree.

"You can just...I want to. Be alone right now."

[chibinanashi†]

"Winnie...."

Raine couldn't invade the girl's privacy if she didn't want to be looked at. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder at the others. "The wound needs to be cleaned before any infection occurs. I can't help her if she will not let me though...Please, will one of you talk to her and maybe convince her? Another person maybe....just...look over our supplies and see what we have."

It wasn't like her to ask things of others...But Raine didn't want to lose someone so soon.

[decoy73]

((Jason Clarke continued from D-Day))

As Jason walked through the wooded area, there was only one real thought on his mind: who can I team up with? He had gotten some time to think after getting over (or at least, pushing to the back of his mind) seeing Kimberly wounded, and he realized that he was going to have to be slightly more selective in his choice of allies: namely, allying with people who were willing to team up with him. But who?

Let's see, David Meramac and Kale Richardson I know decently enough. They'd join up with me in an instant. Same goes with Alex. Plus, she's good with her hands. Roman's also pretty smart. Let's see ... James Mulzet and Ilario Fiametta are practically geniuses, as are Eiko Haraguchi and Peter McCue. Eric Lorenz ... brilliant mind, horrible attitude. Quite iffy. With that much intelligence, we could escape the game, rather than just survive it. (Jason didn't know it, but Kale Richardson had not been on the busses and had thusly dodged SOTF, while Eric Lorenz was already dead). But it's all in the collars. How could we take them off safely without getting caught? That's the puzzle ...

As Jason pondered the situation, he took his map out of his bag, taking a decent look at it. Given the trees that he saw, he knew he was in the wooded area covering the northern and eastern part of the island, but having just looked at his map, he didn't know where exactly he was in said wooded area. The only reference he had to his current location was the direction he had taken from the beach, namely "quite a bit inland, straight in from the shore where Kimberly was shot." He just sighed, a habit he was starting to take on quite often.

So I'm lost on an island in a competition to the death against my own classmates, and all I have to stave off death is a case of beer and paper fan. He sat down by a tree and closed his eyes for a second, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Found this thing. I dunno whose it is, all I got was a goddamn garden spade. So... fuck I guess I gotta ask, what the hell are we supposed to be doing now?" Jason turned around, peering out from behind the tree, attempting to show as little of himself as possible. Looking at the figure, although it was from about fifteen meters (fifty feet) away, it seemed to be Ricky Fortino.

Of course! Ricky. Ricky, from the football teams (Jason always had to clarify when he used the term "football," because he would never say "soccer" otherwise, although in Ricky's case, he was on both "football" teams). In his hand was a sword with what seemed to be a meat cleaver attached to the handle. Taking his focus off Ricky, Jason noticed the other four people. The pair on the ground he recognized. James Mulzet and Thea Kairos. James, because they had taken a shit ton of classes together, and Thea from the parties and a couple of the games he'd attended. The short girls, however, he had never seen. The redheaded girl by the tree seemed to be breaking down, already in the fetal position, while the blond girl was talking about treating a wound of some sort. Jason just ducked back behind the tree, both relieved that they didn't seem hostile, and nervous from the fact that he was still on his own, and would have to prove his value to the group.

Okay. From the way it seems, they're not plotting to kill everyone. Time to test the waters. Jason opened his personal bag, took out a second can of beer, and slung his bag back onto his back after zipping it closed again. He slung his regulation bag over his right shoulder. As he stepped into view, he waved his arms out, fan in his left hand, beer can in his right, just like he had with Sarah and Dutchy, walking slowly towards the group, attempting to look as non-threatening as possible.

"HEY! Over here! I'm not going to hurt anybody!" he called out. "Also, I have beer, if anyone wants to partake." As he spoke, he realized his somewhat insensitive error in not mentioning if the redhead was okay. He just hoped the others would overlook it long enough for him to bring it up.

[SOTF_Help]

Hey, chibi, please stick to post order, okay? If you've got permission/a good reason to break it, be sure to post it. A lack of order causes confusion on everyone's part.

[Arscapi†]

"So... fuck I guess I gotta ask, what the hell are we supposed to be doing now?" Ricky asked and Thea had to fight rolling her eyes. We're supposed to be surviving, hello. Which apparently means no more helping tiny little no bodies that get stuck in trees. Her hands skimmed over James, reassuring herself that he was alright. He seemed fine and she knew she was overreacting, but this whole situation had her on edge. Thea rolled her eyes at Winnie's dramatics and cursed Raine for playing into them. It a cut, deal with it.

"I don't know if they have a plan we're supposed to follow. Who's seen some of those movies where they get stuck on a desert island? What's the first thing we need," she said deciding someone needed to take charge of this group. James was on the right track, but Thea had leadership experience. She was a cheerleader after all.

"HEY! Over here! I'm not going to hurt anybody! Also, I have beer, if anyone wants to partake." Jason something said coming through the trees.

"Geez, I'm starting to feel like we're gonna run into everyone if we hang around these woods long enough," she whispered into James' ear. She smiled charmingly at Jason, who was nice to have around for a party, but otherwise barely appeared on her social radar.

"Yes, I'm sure that's what we all need, is to be drunk and running around with swords and garden tools," she said sarcastically.

[D/N]

Ricky didn't have an immediate response available to give to Raine. What was he supposed to do, he wasn't a fucking nurse or anything like that, not to mention that he barely even knew Winnie Clarke. Luckily, Thea spoke up and gave him something else to put his mind to.

First thing we need?

"Uh, well I know they gave us food, water... guess we should try and figure out where we are, use that map they gave us."

Of course, he'd taken a look at the map after he'd first woken up, but there were trees all over the fucking island, so how the hell were they supposed to know what trees they were standing around right now? Ricky scratched the back of his neck. Well, maybe one of the others would know that better.

"And I guess if anyone knows how we get outta these trees that'd be a plus."

Then Jason Clarke was stepping on out of the trees, beer can in hand. Beer. That was a fuckin' good sight to see, although Thea spoke up and put any end to the chance of him cracking it open right there. Freakin' Thea, it wasn't like they were all gonna get drunk of their ass offa however many (probably piss-warm) beers a shrimpy kid like Jason could've smuggled on the trip. Maybe if they got to those buildings he'd seen on the map, some of them'd have a fridge or something.

"Uh, maybe later dude." Ricky said. Yeah, Jason was that kid who pulled the beer trick at parties to get in with the kinda crowd he'd never be able to hang with otherwise. Of course, it wasn't like Ricky had anything against Jason for that. Hell he appreciated it. Jason was one of those kids that knew the score in high schools.

Plus, if he'd just gotten here now, maybe he knew where the hell they were on this island.

"You know how we get out of these woods though? That'd be helpful. Or uh, maybe you or James can help out Raine and Winnie, don't think I'd be any good there."

[Ciel†]

(Sorry about the wait guys!)

James shivered as he felt Thea's hand against him though it did nothing to calm his mind down. He heard Thea whisper into his ear about how plenty of people were passing through, but James didn't really mind. He was thinking hard about everything and nothing at the same time, about the game, about Thea, about Winnie, about his parents and for some reason other people didn't seem to matter.

"You know," James spoke in a very cold tone, "I don't think we should be partaking in anything right now."

James left it at that. He didn't really see the need to push James away because he really wasn't doing anything wrong. James personally didn't like him as much as some people did. What the hell did he DO anyway? His grades were almost better than the grades James got. James didn't have a social life like Jason, with all the alcohol and partying. James never got that. There were more productive things he could be doing, other facets worth spending his time with. And yet this kid, who everyone knew, who got the same grades as James, was here. The time and energy they both spent amounted to absolutely nothing.

James didn't really show any of his internal thoughts on his face and just turned back to Thea, his head still in her lap. That was when he finally caught a glimpse of Winnie, turned away on her side. The sides of her dress were covered in blood. James held his breath.

James actually felt sad. Winnie's actions didn't seem dramatic at all - the girl really was hurt. The only reason he didn't get up right away was because he wasn't sure how Thea would feel about him getting up and going over there. He still felt guilty about what had happened. It wasn't his fault, surely not, but all the same having Winnie land on him like tha - James bit down on his tongue to flush out all the thoughts that didn't matter. This wasn't the time to be feeling guilty.

"I think we should go help her," James admitted, lifting his head off of Thea's leg. "I - I went up there to save her, I don't want her bleeding to death too."

This was of course an excuse. James was only going over there because he was worried. He just thought that if he made it an entirely selfish reason Thea would understand. He made his way over, getting down on his knees just a little ways away.

"Winnie?" James asked, noticing that she wasn't looking good at all. "Can you hear me?"

James was clueless as to why Winnie didn't seem to want any help. He couldn't see where the cut was placed exactly but he knew the general vicinity. At least he thought he did. Winnie had it covered so strategically, and James was standing so far to the side that he thought it was just along her stomach, and that for whatever reason she didn't want help.

"Winnie," James started, the lump in his throat growing tighter. "Winnie, I know that it hurts but you've got to help us help you. It's for your own good. I mean..." he hesitated. "The cut isn't that deep... I think. Uhh, I mean, I'm not sure, I can't see it..."

He nodded, almost asserting his own point. James wasn't great at talking. Writing essays were more his style, public speaking was not.

[ifnotwinter†]

Head nestled in the dead leaves, mulch, and stony dirt of the forest floor, Winnie felt her cheeks burning hot enough to roast any passing earthworms. Why were there so many people? She just wanted to be left alone long enough to collect her thoughts and find a way to salvage what was left of her dress. Her fetal position, although originally borne of panic, was proving itself all too useful as she slowly realized exactly how high her dress had been cut.

The majority of the skirt, tastefully past her knees, was intact. But just above the waistband and slitting high into the bodice it gaped open, revealing skin - why oh why had she not worn an undershirt like usual? - and just a hint of a beige bra, obviously designed for practically over originality. Wiggling herself a little further over onto her stomach, she couldn't hold back a gasp as dirt ground itself into the wound.

But she couldn't turn back over. James was there, James, who was a boy, and Ricky was there, and someone else who sounded like a boy too, and Thea Kairos who wasn't a boy but could be just as bad. And Raine, of course, but she didn't mind Raine as much. Although she didn't want Raine to see...well, she didn't want any of them to see her womanly parts, no matter how small or insignificant they might be.

Clutching the tattered shreds of her dignity around her, grateful for the masses of red hair hiding her equally fiery blush, Winnie cleared her throat and spoke as clearly as she could without lifting her head. "I am quite fine, thank you very much." Her voice was still coming out squeaky, and she cursed it violently in the privacy of her own mind.

"Please, just...I would like to be alone. Please. I don't." Oh, no, and she was starting to stutter, the tears trying to return now that she was safely on the ground. "Just l-leave me a-a-alone, pl-please. I-I can't..."

[chibinanashi†]

"You're not fine. You're not fine at all." Raine whispered softly as she reached out to lay a hand on Winnie's shoulder. "You're getting dirt into the wound. Anything could be in that dirt for all we know. You could get an infection, a disease...Would you rather live or go out fighting for your life on this show?"

Raine glanced over once she heard something about a beer. Beer....Alcohol!! Surely it wasn't rubbing alcohol, but beer was beer. Luckily, it contained alcohol. That stuff would help kill anything in the wound though it'd sting so badly. Raine looked over to James. "We need to convince Winnie that we can help her live and for her to let us...And if she will, I'll need that beer. Please..." Her eyes softened but her voice carried a bit of a harsh tone as if she demanded it.

[decoy73]

The general response that Jason got was that beer was not a good idea. In a way, he was relieved that nobody wanted any. It was the only thing in his possession that he could actually use to defend himself, at least until something, anything, more useful came along.

"You know how we get out of these woods though? That'd be helpful. Or uh, maybe you or James can help out Raine and Winnie, don't think I'd be any good there." He looked over at the scene with the redheaded girl (presumably Winnie). James and Raine were trying to help, but Winnie was in the fetal position. He would have said yes to helping her, but he didn't know if he'd just help or hinder James and Raine.

"I don't know. I'd just get in the way of helping Winnie, but with the directions, yes, I can help." He fished around his regulation bag, finding the compass (he realized that he had never put away his map, and he was still holding it in his left hand). He peered at his compass, taking note that he had essentially gone in a straight line from the beach.

"Okay, if that way is north," he said, pointing to his right, "then it means that I came from the east. According to the map, the most logical place for me to have come from is this point ..." he pointed to his map, which he had turned around for the others to see, at a spot labeled "Eastern Beach."

"... Which means that we are most likely here." Jason then pointed over to another spot, labeled "Inland Woods." "I highly recommend we don't go back the way we came. I just left from a particularly ugly scene there. Best not to talk about it. However, our best plan would probably be to find a building or some natural form of shelter. That means our best options are here, here, here, here, and here." He pointed out the spots labeled "Town Center," "Residential Area," "Warehouse," "Groundskeeper's Hut," and "Ranger Station" on the map. Jason paused for a second. The tutor in him had caused him to ramble on and thrust him into the leadership position, a position he didn't necessarily want to take without permission. "Uh, sorry. Didn't mean to run my mouth." It was at that moment when he heard Raine state that she needed a beer.

"Oh. Here you go." Jason walked over to James and Raine, put down his map, compass and fan, and placed his regulation bag on top of it to prevent a stray wind from blowing them away before he opened the can. He crouched down to get a better look at what was going on. Winnie was, to put it bluntly, a wreck (Jason had not seen it, but when Winnie had fallen from the tree, she had been cut by the sword that she had been issued, which was now currently in Ricky's possession). There didn't seem to be any way to get that beer down her throat. Jason figured it was best to ask the obvious(ly stupid) question first as he handed the can over to Raine.

"So ... what happened?"

[Arscapi†]

"I think we should go help her," James admitted, lifting his head off of Thea's leg. "I - I went up there to save her, I don't want her bleeding to death too."

Really, he's really gonna fall for that little act. Thea rolled her eyes but made no move to stop James. Instead she stood and focused on cleaning the dirt from her skirt. That finished, she stood and began tapping her foot impatiently.

"Winnie?" James asked, noticing that she wasn't looking good at all. "Can you hear me?"

"Winnie can you hear me," Thea mocked under her breath. Oh, my God, what a drama queen. It's a scratch. Course rolling around in the dirt isn't going to make it any better. Suck it up girlfriend. Seriously, try doing a five minute routine on a sprained ankle, complete with lifting other girls into the air. Then maybe, maybe you'll figure out what pain is.

Thea dug through her bag half-listening to Jason's long and involved explanation about the map. She came up with her first aid kit and one of her Abercrombie fitted t-shirts. She followed Jason and his beer over to the group.

"Here," Thea said shoved the first aid kit at Raine "Just maybe this'll be more helpful. I'm sure there's some anti-bacterial stuff in it and some gauze or band-aids." She handed her shirt to Winnie. "It'll probably be big, since you're short and all, but it's better than you flashing the whole world. Don'tcha think?"

That taken care of, to Thea's mind at least, she turned her attention to the map James had spread out on the forest floor. She motioned for Ricky to come over and join her. "What do you think? I think one place is just as good as another at this point. I'm sure our classmates are all over the island."

She stopped and turned to Jason realizing what he'd said. "Umm, Jason what exactly happened where you came from? I'm assuming something more serious than getting cut by an oversized sword and falling out of a tree."