(Tori Gavilk continued from 100.2°)
Tori regretted wearing flip flops to Announcement Day. At the time, Tori was running late to school and didn't have time to actually put on clothes. She just threw a hoodie over her pajamas and was off. Now, as she found herself amongst gorse bushes on a steep hill, she wished she had actually put on some shoes. And jeans, for that matter. The thorny gorse plants were slicing through her sweat pants and some rancid red dirt was getting between her toes and making her feel uncomfortable.
Tori wished other things had happened as well. She wished that they had moved to Green Bay at the beginning of the year. She wished that her school hadn't been picked. She wished she, Maxim and Louisa hadn't been picked. She wished she didn't have a crappy weapon. Most of all, she wished these fucking bushes would stop pricking her.
Finally, she managed to find a place to rest. A shady spot behind a bush where she could easily conceal herself. In front of her was a steep slope, and she could see anybody trying to come down at her. Then again, she could be spotted easily as well, but she didn't have to tumble down a hill to do it. Tori sat cross-legged in the shady spot and brushed some of the red dirt out of the way. She took a good look at her pack. It had a cool-looking eagle design on it, and it made up for the lack of decoration elsewhere. She dumped the contents onto the dirt-free area and began to rummage through the pile.
The first thing she found was a first aid kit. Sighing with relief, she began to disinfect and bandage the cuts that covered her leg. She broke the pair of scissors in half, making two makeshift blades. She also shoved the lighter in her pocket, in case she needed to burn something down.
The next thing that caught her eye was an olive green jacket, and she remembered how targeted she was. She was a minority, best friend to the gay kid and the anti-American poet. If she wasn't being hunted down by some random Patriot who lapped up everything the Brigadier-General said, then she's a monkey's uncle. She stuffed her Sayrevolution hoodie into her pack and put on the olive green jacket, fingering the waterproof fabric. She also put on the surgical mask to conceal her face in case somebody recognized her from school. She imagined a girl in a pilgrim hat, olive green hoodie and a surgical mask coming at her with a bloody knife and laughed silently. It was a silly picture, and her ridiculousness might catch people off guard. Tori wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
She swept up most of her things back into the pack, leaving the map & compass, a pack of saltine crackers and a bottle of water out. The water bottle leaned on her thigh as she put down the map and compass down on her lap and studied it. She munched on some saltine crackers and gripped one of the blades in her other hand.
She lied in wait.
Inventory Check
Open
(Stephanie Moon continued from Uncle Sam Says)
Steph was lost in thought as she wandered aimlessly. As she wandered she tried to come up with a more concrete plan finding her friend was all very well but it wasn't really a long term plan. She tried to dismiss the thought that making long term plans was stupid as she would be dead before she could enact them. The ground was starting to slope and she nearly tripped as she was so caught up in her thoughts.
High ground wasn't a bad plan she thought she could see people coming and if her friends turned up she could get their attention easily. Though of course she probably wasn't the only person to have thought that. In fact her killer could be watching her as she stood there like a lame duck. This thought spurred her to action, where the fuck was her weapon as her hand closed over a loaf of white bread she changed her mind. What was she thinking letting the paranoia overcome her, she was better than that. It reminded her she probably wanted to sort out her pack and grab something to eat relatively soon. It could wait until she reached safety though it was too exposed here.
She was relieved for her jeans which kept the worst of the gorse from scratching her too badly as her shoes trampled it down. However, progress was still slow. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow before continuing on warily scanning the area in front of her. Paranoia wasn't helpful but precautions seemed wise. After all Maxim and his gun were somewhere around and he probably wasn't the only one.She thought back to the stone circle she couldn't believe Maxim was playing and had hurt Dylan. Sure he didn't like Dylan but that wasn't an excuse, hell there were loads of people she didn't like but she wouldn't shoot them, well maybe some..no! That type of joke wasn't very funny given the circumstances... none of them.
She realised she was standing there with a stupid smirk on her face and quickened her pace. It was odd just like the stone circle this place had an odd atmosphere to it, the lonely and sparse landscape somehow made her feel simultaneously lonely and like she was in trouble. Maybe everywhere here is like this she thought, feelings of doom and paranoia were hardly surprising given what was occurring it would be more worrying if everything was unicorns, sunshine, ponies and rainbows she thought.
She kept scanning the horizon as she walked, lost in her thoughts...
Steph was lost in thought as she wandered aimlessly. As she wandered she tried to come up with a more concrete plan finding her friend was all very well but it wasn't really a long term plan. She tried to dismiss the thought that making long term plans was stupid as she would be dead before she could enact them. The ground was starting to slope and she nearly tripped as she was so caught up in her thoughts.
High ground wasn't a bad plan she thought she could see people coming and if her friends turned up she could get their attention easily. Though of course she probably wasn't the only person to have thought that. In fact her killer could be watching her as she stood there like a lame duck. This thought spurred her to action, where the fuck was her weapon as her hand closed over a loaf of white bread she changed her mind. What was she thinking letting the paranoia overcome her, she was better than that. It reminded her she probably wanted to sort out her pack and grab something to eat relatively soon. It could wait until she reached safety though it was too exposed here.
She was relieved for her jeans which kept the worst of the gorse from scratching her too badly as her shoes trampled it down. However, progress was still slow. She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow before continuing on warily scanning the area in front of her. Paranoia wasn't helpful but precautions seemed wise. After all Maxim and his gun were somewhere around and he probably wasn't the only one.She thought back to the stone circle she couldn't believe Maxim was playing and had hurt Dylan. Sure he didn't like Dylan but that wasn't an excuse, hell there were loads of people she didn't like but she wouldn't shoot them, well maybe some..no! That type of joke wasn't very funny given the circumstances... none of them.
She realised she was standing there with a stupid smirk on her face and quickened her pace. It was odd just like the stone circle this place had an odd atmosphere to it, the lonely and sparse landscape somehow made her feel simultaneously lonely and like she was in trouble. Maybe everywhere here is like this she thought, feelings of doom and paranoia were hardly surprising given what was occurring it would be more worrying if everything was unicorns, sunshine, ponies and rainbows she thought.
She kept scanning the horizon as she walked, lost in her thoughts...
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The map in her lap showed an expansive valley, with a town in the middle of it and some weird Stonehenge thing directly to the east of her. According to the map, the area she was in right now was “the most unhospital part of the island,” which was a good thing. Her current situation was hell and the fact that the areas in other places were much, much better sort of calmed her and gave her an optimistic outlook on the horizon. She’d head north toward the town and sweep it for supplies, and then she could head towards the lake and the rest will be determined at a later date. It was good to have a more refined plan, and it was better than her ‘run around and try to find your friends’ plan, aka Plan A. Plan B would commence shortly…
Tori heard faint footsteps coming out from behind her, and under normal circumstances she’d dismiss it as her imagination running wild. Not now, though. This was the Program, for Christ’s sake, and you can’t let your guard down. She peeked out from behind the bush she was crouched behind, and about 30 feet away, was another participant, a girl in a red jacket. The name Tori associated with the girl was ‘Stephanie Moon’, and she didn’t seem to be dangerous. The girl seemed to be lost in thought, and then Tori could slip away, undetected. But then again, Stephanie didn’t seem too dangerous, maybe another ally…
No, Tori shook her head and chuckled at the thought. Stephanie wasn’t exactly the most caring or friendly person around Patriot High, and she also seemed a bit spoiled at times. Neverless, she was athletic and thus stood a chance against the killers in this game, and could make a great meat shield. Tori imagined herself crouching behind Stephanie as some random, faceless killer shot at them, and to say the very least, it was a very vivid image.
Fuck it, it was worth a shot. She might turn out to be a great ally and friend to talk to while their time was ticking away, waiting to be killed off. Standing up and covering her face with the surgical mask (she was still white, and there was a sliver of a chance that she’d kill her on sight), she stammered out a response.
“Hello,” Tori called out, trying to disguise her voice by making it high and melodious. “My name is, er, Gloria Galveston, and I’m currently trying to find my friends.” Tori hoped that Stephanie didn’t care enough to know her name, and the fake name thing might stick. “If you don’t mind, we could be allies, and we can make our way north.” Tori decided to be vague about her plans so if Stephanie turned out to be dangerous as fuck, she couldn’t track her down to the lake and kill her there. Or along the way.
Tori heard faint footsteps coming out from behind her, and under normal circumstances she’d dismiss it as her imagination running wild. Not now, though. This was the Program, for Christ’s sake, and you can’t let your guard down. She peeked out from behind the bush she was crouched behind, and about 30 feet away, was another participant, a girl in a red jacket. The name Tori associated with the girl was ‘Stephanie Moon’, and she didn’t seem to be dangerous. The girl seemed to be lost in thought, and then Tori could slip away, undetected. But then again, Stephanie didn’t seem too dangerous, maybe another ally…
No, Tori shook her head and chuckled at the thought. Stephanie wasn’t exactly the most caring or friendly person around Patriot High, and she also seemed a bit spoiled at times. Neverless, she was athletic and thus stood a chance against the killers in this game, and could make a great meat shield. Tori imagined herself crouching behind Stephanie as some random, faceless killer shot at them, and to say the very least, it was a very vivid image.
Fuck it, it was worth a shot. She might turn out to be a great ally and friend to talk to while their time was ticking away, waiting to be killed off. Standing up and covering her face with the surgical mask (she was still white, and there was a sliver of a chance that she’d kill her on sight), she stammered out a response.
“Hello,” Tori called out, trying to disguise her voice by making it high and melodious. “My name is, er, Gloria Galveston, and I’m currently trying to find my friends.” Tori hoped that Stephanie didn’t care enough to know her name, and the fake name thing might stick. “If you don’t mind, we could be allies, and we can make our way north.” Tori decided to be vague about her plans so if Stephanie turned out to be dangerous as fuck, she couldn’t track her down to the lake and kill her there. Or along the way.
Hearing the voice startled Steph out her head, probably for the best spending too much time in your own head wasn't healthy. She composed herself and made sure she looked confident fixing her customary smirk on her face and acting like she wasn't concerned in the least.
Meanwhile she scanned the horizon for the source of the voice. When she saw the girl it was like she had been transported into one of her computer games. The surgical mask was strange to say the least, was the girl trying to play mind games with her? The voice accompanying it did not seem to corroborate this view she sounded nervous. This reminded Steph of the mess she had been when she had seen Caleb, it was nice to be on the other end of things for once. She looked for a weapon but couldn't see anything at this range there might be something in her hand but it could be anything.
Gloria Galveston...she ran the name round her head for a few seconds...nope didn't recognise it all. That in itself was strange most people she at least knew a name, for that matter was it even on the list? Frankly she couldn't remember she had been too busy looking aloof and disinterested during the announcement and besides it might have been after her name. She knew something was wrong but couldn't place it, damn I really should have paid more attention to other people she thought.
Ah well frankly who cares who she is, she rather liked the deference... if you don't mind...the girl knew who was the really important one here. An alliance with such a complete unknown was a risk she didn't know what but the girl was probably hiding something.
"We can certainly exchange some information, after all we are both looking for people. Who are you looking for? I'm looking for Jaz have you seen her anywhere? Frankly she didn't care enough to find out who Gloria was the key point was the girl didn't appear to be dangerous.
"Before we ally I would want more information" Steph was confident if needed she could outrun this bad computer game villain wannabe but might as well at least explore the idea of an alliance see if the girl was dead weight or not.
Meanwhile she scanned the horizon for the source of the voice. When she saw the girl it was like she had been transported into one of her computer games. The surgical mask was strange to say the least, was the girl trying to play mind games with her? The voice accompanying it did not seem to corroborate this view she sounded nervous. This reminded Steph of the mess she had been when she had seen Caleb, it was nice to be on the other end of things for once. She looked for a weapon but couldn't see anything at this range there might be something in her hand but it could be anything.
Gloria Galveston...she ran the name round her head for a few seconds...nope didn't recognise it all. That in itself was strange most people she at least knew a name, for that matter was it even on the list? Frankly she couldn't remember she had been too busy looking aloof and disinterested during the announcement and besides it might have been after her name. She knew something was wrong but couldn't place it, damn I really should have paid more attention to other people she thought.
Ah well frankly who cares who she is, she rather liked the deference... if you don't mind...the girl knew who was the really important one here. An alliance with such a complete unknown was a risk she didn't know what but the girl was probably hiding something.
"We can certainly exchange some information, after all we are both looking for people. Who are you looking for? I'm looking for Jaz have you seen her anywhere? Frankly she didn't care enough to find out who Gloria was the key point was the girl didn't appear to be dangerous.
"Before we ally I would want more information" Steph was confident if needed she could outrun this bad computer game villain wannabe but might as well at least explore the idea of an alliance see if the girl was dead weight or not.
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Jaz...Jaz...Jasmine Stone? The girl was never really friendly to people like Tori (i.e. minorities), so she was one of those people she had to avoid at all costs. She tended to stick with Louisa and Maxim, and maybe their other friends. She was never really that social, so she entirely depended on those two to get relationships. Speaking of those two...
"If yer talkin' about Jasmine Stone, then I know nothing, unless Robin Pounds counts as a 'Jaz'." Tori felt like mentioning her only other run-in with a student, but that wasn't important. "I'm looking for Maxim Senders and Louisa Bloom. Got anything?" It really didn't take a genius to tell who Tori actually was when she mentioned those two, but she hoped that Steph here wasn't a genius.
Tori took the silence as a chance to analyze Steph and get a closer look at her. She didn't seem all that worried, or armed. Steph looked to be in spiffing condition, and that probably was a good thing. She seemed to be clutching half of a brick (Wonder what happened to the other half,) and all in all didn't seem like a threat in the game.
"If yer talkin' about Jasmine Stone, then I know nothing, unless Robin Pounds counts as a 'Jaz'." Tori felt like mentioning her only other run-in with a student, but that wasn't important. "I'm looking for Maxim Senders and Louisa Bloom. Got anything?" It really didn't take a genius to tell who Tori actually was when she mentioned those two, but she hoped that Steph here wasn't a genius.
Tori took the silence as a chance to analyze Steph and get a closer look at her. She didn't seem all that worried, or armed. Steph looked to be in spiffing condition, and that probably was a good thing. She seemed to be clutching half of a brick (Wonder what happened to the other half,) and all in all didn't seem like a threat in the game.
Steph listened to the information she was given attentively. Yeah Robin Pounds obviously who I was referring to as Jaz great one she thought. Damn it the girl didn't know where her friend was either this quest was beginning to drag a bit. Louisa and Maxim, well well it seems she didn't know Maxim had developed claws. Hang on those two together and a oh so mysterious third person with a false name she might as well have called herself Ann Nonomous, it was about that convincing.
She briefly considered not telling the girl after all she didn't want powerful alliances, but then she dismissed that thought the 'lost children' were about as scary as a clown..no wait clowns were kind of scary with the make up and shit she never really like them.
"Haven't you heard? Maxim has been a naughty boy he attacked Dylan shot her too, stole her stuff and left her to die, cold. Haven't seen him but seems he has become He-Man and is rampaging round the island. So yeah watch out for him 'Glo -ri -a' "
She made sure to put emphasis on the word stringing out the syllables sarcastically to make her point. She couldn't help but smirk not because she was happy to be giving bad news but she loved feeling superior for outsmarting her, not that it appeared to be very difficult.
She briefly considered not telling the girl after all she didn't want powerful alliances, but then she dismissed that thought the 'lost children' were about as scary as a clown..no wait clowns were kind of scary with the make up and shit she never really like them.
"Haven't you heard? Maxim has been a naughty boy he attacked Dylan shot her too, stole her stuff and left her to die, cold. Haven't seen him but seems he has become He-Man and is rampaging round the island. So yeah watch out for him 'Glo -ri -a' "
She made sure to put emphasis on the word stringing out the syllables sarcastically to make her point. She couldn't help but smirk not because she was happy to be giving bad news but she loved feeling superior for outsmarting her, not that it appeared to be very difficult.
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Tori didn't mean to laugh, but it came out anyway. A loud, hearty laugh, loud enough to be heard all over the frickin valley. Maxim? Shoot somebody? The thought seemed ridiculous. Sure, Maxim had something of a temper, but shooting somebody? That was kind of silly.
The next thing that Steph said, though, threw off Tori and made her nervous. "Glo-ri-a," Steph had said mockingly, smirking for effect. Dammit, Steph was a genius. Tori briefly considered lighting the oh-so-ever flammable gorse bushes around them on fire and then run, but immediately dismissed that idea as stupid. Tori would die along with her, and she'd lose the lighter.
"Really? Really? Maxim Senders, murderer?" Tori asked, using her normal voice. She laughed for effect, but it came out as a nervous whimper. There was a sliver of a chance Steph was telling the truth, but Steph was still Steph. For now, Tori disregarded the statement until further proof was found. Innocent until proven guilty. "Get real. Do you even know Maxim? He's a sweet, kind friend, and he'd never shoot somebody, even out of self defense. Oh, by the way, I was lying earlier. I saw Jaz, and she died." Tori felt like taking a jab at Steph, especially for lying about Maxim. It was her turn to smirk.
The next thing that Steph said, though, threw off Tori and made her nervous. "Glo-ri-a," Steph had said mockingly, smirking for effect. Dammit, Steph was a genius. Tori briefly considered lighting the oh-so-ever flammable gorse bushes around them on fire and then run, but immediately dismissed that idea as stupid. Tori would die along with her, and she'd lose the lighter.
"Really? Really? Maxim Senders, murderer?" Tori asked, using her normal voice. She laughed for effect, but it came out as a nervous whimper. There was a sliver of a chance Steph was telling the truth, but Steph was still Steph. For now, Tori disregarded the statement until further proof was found. Innocent until proven guilty. "Get real. Do you even know Maxim? He's a sweet, kind friend, and he'd never shoot somebody, even out of self defense. Oh, by the way, I was lying earlier. I saw Jaz, and she died." Tori felt like taking a jab at Steph, especially for lying about Maxim. It was her turn to smirk.
Stephanie basked in her moment of superiority. The other girl seemed determined not to believe in Maxim's guilt, Steph contemplated whether she could be bothered to convince her of his guilt. The girl seemed unsure of herself, hell Steph wasn't going to be portrayed as a liar that just pissed her off. She composed herself, anger would not help the situation. Realising that Tori had finished speaking she began to reply:
"You are right I don't know Maxim that well, but you can't believe such a black and white view maybe he is nice but the game changes people and everyone has a darker side an untapped pool of anger and hurt. I'm not sure even you believe as wholeheartedly as you claim just keep an open mind, frankly I don't care if you believe me I know what I saw."
It was the final comment of the other girl's statement that made her pause for a second, she had replied to the first bit almost without thinking. It took a few seconds for her to process the information. Part of her doubted it, the abrupt nature of her comment and the fact she didn't mention it before. However, surely the other girl wouldn't, Steph liked joking as much as the next girl but this was a whole different level deliberately causing emotional pain, this was evil. Even so she couldn't discount it entirely, she felt her lower lip tremble at the thought and her knees buckled. She desperately tried to control herself she couldn't be seen crying not now not ever. She felt sick but finally composed herself to sob a few words.
"No! she can't be, not Jaz! You must be lying you evil bitch"
"You are right I don't know Maxim that well, but you can't believe such a black and white view maybe he is nice but the game changes people and everyone has a darker side an untapped pool of anger and hurt. I'm not sure even you believe as wholeheartedly as you claim just keep an open mind, frankly I don't care if you believe me I know what I saw."
It was the final comment of the other girl's statement that made her pause for a second, she had replied to the first bit almost without thinking. It took a few seconds for her to process the information. Part of her doubted it, the abrupt nature of her comment and the fact she didn't mention it before. However, surely the other girl wouldn't, Steph liked joking as much as the next girl but this was a whole different level deliberately causing emotional pain, this was evil. Even so she couldn't discount it entirely, she felt her lower lip tremble at the thought and her knees buckled. She desperately tried to control herself she couldn't be seen crying not now not ever. She felt sick but finally composed herself to sob a few words.
"No! she can't be, not Jaz! You must be lying you evil bitch"
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"Well, I'm not," Tori replied mockingly. "She really is dead." Seeing Steph like this sent a wave of guilt hurdling towards her, but she braced herself for the impact. The girl deserved it for lying, and her argument of 'black and white views' didn't change Tori's mind. Sure, this game cam bring out the worst in people, but Maxim was too nice to go that extreme. Tori was sure that the worst of her just came out, in outright lying and causing emotional pain to Steph, but she deserved it, lying like that.
"Scout's honor," Tori added, saluting before turning around and walking away. The plan to befriend Stephanie Moon was a disaster, and it ended with Tori emotionally bullying Steph. That was a bad start to the game, having an enemy like that. She walked about 30 feet before turning back and shouting "You shouldn't be calling people bitches, that's being hypocritical."
Taking out her map and looking it over again, Tori adjusted her position and began to move north, towards the town. She needed to get away from Steph and the slope, to find better cover and clear her head. She walked briskly north as Steph became a speck on the horizon and the gorse bushes turned to pine trees.
(Tori Gavlik continued elsewhere)
"Scout's honor," Tori added, saluting before turning around and walking away. The plan to befriend Stephanie Moon was a disaster, and it ended with Tori emotionally bullying Steph. That was a bad start to the game, having an enemy like that. She walked about 30 feet before turning back and shouting "You shouldn't be calling people bitches, that's being hypocritical."
Taking out her map and looking it over again, Tori adjusted her position and began to move north, towards the town. She needed to get away from Steph and the slope, to find better cover and clear her head. She walked briskly north as Steph became a speck on the horizon and the gorse bushes turned to pine trees.
(Tori Gavlik continued elsewhere)
If Steph heard Tori's final remark she made no indication of having done so. Thoughts were whizzing around her head at 100 miles an hour as she tried to make sense of this new information. A part of her clung to the belief that Tori was lying, she wanted even needed it to be a lie. She had no evidence either way, her initial reaction had been that the other girl was lying but she couldn't tell. Maybe she was just so desperate to believe it was a lie. The thought was horrific whether it was true or not, it made her dwell on the horrors of the game. She felt numb and unable to either think straight or to come up with a plan, what was the point? She would be dead too they all would, her maximum life span was a few days she might as well be a dragonfly after all, at least then she would could fly around looking awesome before being inevitably snuffed out.
She down with her knees against her chest and her back against the slope as a wave of emotion overwhelmed her. She felt a strange catharsis in her sadness as she leant against the tree. It was as much about her situation and the sense of impending doom hanging over her that upset her. A single tear dripped down her cheek. She told herself Jaz was fine and they would get together and have a good laugh like they always used to.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality was just a few minutes, she wiped her eyes pulling herself together. She wasn't helping herself and certainly wasn't helping her friends by sitting here feeling sorry for herself. She pulled some water out her bag along with a loaf of bread. She rose the bottle up in a salute towards the sky " See you soon mate" she said before standing, splashing the water over her eyes and walking off, hopefully she would catch a break this time find someone she wanted to see...wherever she went.
(Steph Moon continued in Listenlistenlisten!
She down with her knees against her chest and her back against the slope as a wave of emotion overwhelmed her. She felt a strange catharsis in her sadness as she leant against the tree. It was as much about her situation and the sense of impending doom hanging over her that upset her. A single tear dripped down her cheek. She told herself Jaz was fine and they would get together and have a good laugh like they always used to.
After what seemed like hours, but in reality was just a few minutes, she wiped her eyes pulling herself together. She wasn't helping herself and certainly wasn't helping her friends by sitting here feeling sorry for herself. She pulled some water out her bag along with a loaf of bread. She rose the bottle up in a salute towards the sky " See you soon mate" she said before standing, splashing the water over her eyes and walking off, hopefully she would catch a break this time find someone she wanted to see...wherever she went.
(Steph Moon continued in Listenlistenlisten!
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