She had to get this off.
She had to get this off.
There wasn't an if or a maybe, she had to get her explosive collar off her fucking neck before it strangled her. She felt it move against the apple of her throat, twist and budge against the skin. It pretended to be there, friendly, passive.
Pippi did try to pull, but it was too hard. Too sturdy. She pulled on it again, her back against the cannon. It laid there, unmoving. She was thankful for that. She assumed it was a replica at first, but when she started her tug-o-war against the metal brand around her neck, she quickly realized that it was indeed metal, and not some cheap plastic.
She pulled again.
Nothing. Not even a hint of weakness.
She stared down at her palm.
A match.
A idea.
And then,
a spark.
I CLENCHED MY FIST SO HARD I THINK IT STARTED BLEEDING
open like ur MOM
"Mom? I'm sorry. I know I- I haven't been nice to you, but I'm sorry."
"Neveah? Neveah. Don't watch this, okay? Get Dad #1 to get a lawyer for me and get my money. Okay? Get your tuition paid in full or some dumb bullshit. Do something with it."
"Da-Maurice. Lawyer. Get one."
"Kaf, Chisulo. I'm sorry I wished I had known you sooner."
"Okay."
"Here I go."
"Neveah? Neveah. Don't watch this, okay? Get Dad #1 to get a lawyer for me and get my money. Okay? Get your tuition paid in full or some dumb bullshit. Do something with it."
"Da-Maurice. Lawyer. Get one."
"Kaf, Chisulo. I'm sorry I wished I had known you sooner."
"Okay."
"Here I go."
An inch.
Then another
then another
then
Then another
then another
then
-
Wham Yubeesling
- Posts: 1256
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- Contact:
A scream ejects from Pineapple's collar:
"NO. NO. DON'T DO THAT. DOING THAT WILL KILL YOU. STOP."
"NO. NO. DON'T DO THAT. DOING THAT WILL KILL YOU. STOP."
"Oh."
"Hey."
She threw back a sniff with her head. "This is awkward."
She paused again.
"If I... hypothetically went through," she whispered, "do you- do you like... get paid less? Like do you need them- us. Us to stay alive?"
"I'm just curious."
"Hey."
She threw back a sniff with her head. "This is awkward."
She paused again.
"If I... hypothetically went through," she whispered, "do you- do you like... get paid less? Like do you need them- us. Us to stay alive?"
"I'm just curious."
-
Wham Yubeesling
- Posts: 1256
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:15 pm
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- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
- Contact:
A voice comes out of Pineapple's collar:
"No."
"No."
You can hear a visible exhale.
"Whatever I am paid stays the same regardless of how you do. I'm not doing this because I want more money. I'm doing this because I want... I want to help you live through this. I want to help you live. I know that this is..."
Another audible breath.
"I know that this is... I'll say it. I know that this is bullshit, but if you want to go against this, there are smarter ways of doing it. Getting yourself killed right here won't achieve anything."
"I'm just."
She didn't have to speak that loud
"I'm just scared."
"I'm not that smart. Or pretty. Or strong."
She sniffled. Her shoulders relaxed. Her hand tightening around the bandana.
"Can you- can you visit my sister?" She asked. "She's a big fan." Pippi wiped her tear. "Lately it's been Jewel-this, Jewel-that, but she really likes you. You know, if I die. If I live, um, we could visit together?"
She didn't have to speak that loud
"I'm just scared."
"I'm not that smart. Or pretty. Or strong."
She sniffled. Her shoulders relaxed. Her hand tightening around the bandana.
"Can you- can you visit my sister?" She asked. "She's a big fan." Pippi wiped her tear. "Lately it's been Jewel-this, Jewel-that, but she really likes you. You know, if I die. If I live, um, we could visit together?"
-
Wham Yubeesling
- Posts: 1256
- Joined: Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:15 pm
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- Team Affiliation: Stephanie's Buccaneers
- Contact:
A voice comes out of Pineapple's collar:
"Of course. I'd be happy to. I'd be, um, even happier if we got to do it together. If I get to see you... in the flesh."
"Of course. I'd be happy to. I'd be, um, even happier if we got to do it together. If I get to see you... in the flesh."
...
...
"There's someone behind me right now saying that I've gone way overboard with how much I've talked to you, but... we can... talk... again? Yeah? In twelve hours. It won't be... hard... to make 'til then, if you, um, just look up into the crow's nest. Good luck. I... I believe in you."
"Yeah."
"Talk to you later."
"Hopefully."
Pippi turned around with a bright smile on her face. It was the main sight if you ignored the smeared mascara and the snot. A pretty big if in all cases because her smile was faltering. The baton in her hands felt heavy. It wasn't heavy a couple of seconds ago when she abruptly tried to end her life in a fit of panic, but now? It felt like the weight of the world in her hands.
"Hey."
She called out, sniffling. A crow's nest? What did that mean? Her eyes looked up. They focused on the figure above.
"Hum, haha, did you see that?"
"Talk to you later."
"Hopefully."
Pippi turned around with a bright smile on her face. It was the main sight if you ignored the smeared mascara and the snot. A pretty big if in all cases because her smile was faltering. The baton in her hands felt heavy. It wasn't heavy a couple of seconds ago when she abruptly tried to end her life in a fit of panic, but now? It felt like the weight of the world in her hands.
"Hey."
She called out, sniffling. A crow's nest? What did that mean? Her eyes looked up. They focused on the figure above.
"Hum, haha, did you see that?"
Luanne Grasset woke up in a very high place, surrounded by sails. Crying. You all know the drill.
There was a camera. It was a security camera; cold and sterile. If she'd had her sketchbook with her, she wouldn't have bothered sketching it. It was just sad. This was sad. She was sad. She didn't want to die and she didn't want Noreen to have to watch her die and she didn't want any of her classmates to die, but it wasn't like that meant anything because they were probably all going to die anyways, since that was how this always went even though the people who made this show didn't do it for the blood. They did it for the ratings. They only murdered children on television because people watched it. And people acted like it was normal, but it wasn't normal. It didn't happen anywhere else in the world. It was a uniquely American death. It was -
Okay, just -
For now she would be alright if she could just keep breathing.
Okay.
Where was she?
She was sitting in a lookout basket, on an old-timey boat, in the middle of the ocean. Her back was against the big wooden pole thing holding the basket up. The boat was surrounded by other boats. She could see other people, far away on some floating crate things. It smelled like salt up here. She could taste the air. It wasn't as windy as she expected it would have been this high up. It was quiet, and she was all by herself. She liked that. The quiet was the only thing that ever made sense to her.
She was going to die. She wasn't really the winning type. It was sad. She would have appreciated getting a chance to actually live and be a person and actually fucking earn what she had, but there was nothing she could do about that now.
She'd tried to lift her backpack, but there had been something very heavy in it, and so she'd opened it up. It contained a very large wheel of cheese. They'd probably thought it would be funny to put her up here with something she couldn't lift. They wanted a reaction, but she didn't have one other than pushing the backpack onto its side and rolling the wheel out. Then, she took a bright pink bandana out of the pack, and tied it over the explosive collar around her neck.
She looked back out over the figures on the crates. There were at least two people, for sure. She couldn't make out any identifying features. She couldn't really see what they were doing, until one of them seemed to shove the other off of the crate they were standing on. They fell between two crates crashing together, and Luanne didn't see them resurface. She watched as the other person ran.
She was reminded of something.
She rose to her feet and stumbled to the edge of the crowsnest, still staring at the crates. Someone had just died, she was pretty sure. Like, really died, in real life, a human being who had thoughts and dreams. Someone had just watched their child die on national television. But it wasn't like it was anything Luanne wasn't already used to seeing and so she mostly just felt the same as she always felt.
She blinked something out of her eye. She was doing the thing again. Spiralling. She needed -
- she needed her sketchbook.
She didn't have her sketchbook, and she would never draw anything ever again. There was so much passion trapped inside her, but it was all locked up and she didn't know if she knew how to make a key.
Okay. So what?
There was a ruckus coming from below. Luanne placed both her hands on the crowsnest railing and leant over, looking down at the ship's deck. There was a girl, who she recognized but didn't know. She looked like she was trying to wrench her collar off. Then, there was a voice that didn't match up with when the girl's mouth moved. Then the girl spoke. Luanne couldn't make out any words. That continued for a while, and she just kind of watched. She didn't know what else she could really do.
But then the girl turned and looked up at her, and her breath caught in her chest. This time, she could make out what she was saying.
"Kind of," she answered before realizing she was probably speaking too quietly for the girl to hear her all the way down there.
She cleared her throat.
"Yeah!" she answered again, this time louder. She could feel her hair sticking to her face. "Sorry, hi! Are you - um, is everything okay down there? Are you okay?"
There was a camera. It was a security camera; cold and sterile. If she'd had her sketchbook with her, she wouldn't have bothered sketching it. It was just sad. This was sad. She was sad. She didn't want to die and she didn't want Noreen to have to watch her die and she didn't want any of her classmates to die, but it wasn't like that meant anything because they were probably all going to die anyways, since that was how this always went even though the people who made this show didn't do it for the blood. They did it for the ratings. They only murdered children on television because people watched it. And people acted like it was normal, but it wasn't normal. It didn't happen anywhere else in the world. It was a uniquely American death. It was -
Okay, just -
For now she would be alright if she could just keep breathing.
Okay.
Where was she?
She was sitting in a lookout basket, on an old-timey boat, in the middle of the ocean. Her back was against the big wooden pole thing holding the basket up. The boat was surrounded by other boats. She could see other people, far away on some floating crate things. It smelled like salt up here. She could taste the air. It wasn't as windy as she expected it would have been this high up. It was quiet, and she was all by herself. She liked that. The quiet was the only thing that ever made sense to her.
She was going to die. She wasn't really the winning type. It was sad. She would have appreciated getting a chance to actually live and be a person and actually fucking earn what she had, but there was nothing she could do about that now.
She'd tried to lift her backpack, but there had been something very heavy in it, and so she'd opened it up. It contained a very large wheel of cheese. They'd probably thought it would be funny to put her up here with something she couldn't lift. They wanted a reaction, but she didn't have one other than pushing the backpack onto its side and rolling the wheel out. Then, she took a bright pink bandana out of the pack, and tied it over the explosive collar around her neck.
She looked back out over the figures on the crates. There were at least two people, for sure. She couldn't make out any identifying features. She couldn't really see what they were doing, until one of them seemed to shove the other off of the crate they were standing on. They fell between two crates crashing together, and Luanne didn't see them resurface. She watched as the other person ran.
She was reminded of something.
She rose to her feet and stumbled to the edge of the crowsnest, still staring at the crates. Someone had just died, she was pretty sure. Like, really died, in real life, a human being who had thoughts and dreams. Someone had just watched their child die on national television. But it wasn't like it was anything Luanne wasn't already used to seeing and so she mostly just felt the same as she always felt.
She blinked something out of her eye. She was doing the thing again. Spiralling. She needed -
- she needed her sketchbook.
She didn't have her sketchbook, and she would never draw anything ever again. There was so much passion trapped inside her, but it was all locked up and she didn't know if she knew how to make a key.
Okay. So what?
There was a ruckus coming from below. Luanne placed both her hands on the crowsnest railing and leant over, looking down at the ship's deck. There was a girl, who she recognized but didn't know. She looked like she was trying to wrench her collar off. Then, there was a voice that didn't match up with when the girl's mouth moved. Then the girl spoke. Luanne couldn't make out any words. That continued for a while, and she just kind of watched. She didn't know what else she could really do.
But then the girl turned and looked up at her, and her breath caught in her chest. This time, she could make out what she was saying.
"Kind of," she answered before realizing she was probably speaking too quietly for the girl to hear her all the way down there.
She cleared her throat.
"Yeah!" she answered again, this time louder. She could feel her hair sticking to her face. "Sorry, hi! Are you - um, is everything okay down there? Are you okay?"
“Hum, hum,” Pippi looked around. She was as okay as one could get after a botched suicide attempt. “Yeah, I’m- I’m fine all things considered.”
She sniffled. It was exhausting to cry that much. She crouched, laying against the metal cannon. Her hands moved toward the duffel bag and the glittery costume. Pippi knew she had to put it on. She was bargaining with the team outside to let her go out.
Every token moved the world around. She already was indebted because of that stint. She had to pay it back, give them something to drench the heat. The glittery costume had a hat. A blessing really. She assumed the sun would, at one point, become her worst enemy.
Pippi shook her head. Sunburns were nothing compared to a stab wound, but gosh, she’d preferred not to be flayed alive before that.
“How’s, uh, how’s the view up there?” Pippi threw back up at the girl. Her glittery cowboy hat was now perched on her head. She needed to do much more than that to earn their trust again. “It’s Pippi, by the way, hum, yeah.”
She looked around. There was a ramp going into the ship. She could get changed there.
“What’s your name?”
She sniffled. It was exhausting to cry that much. She crouched, laying against the metal cannon. Her hands moved toward the duffel bag and the glittery costume. Pippi knew she had to put it on. She was bargaining with the team outside to let her go out.
Every token moved the world around. She already was indebted because of that stint. She had to pay it back, give them something to drench the heat. The glittery costume had a hat. A blessing really. She assumed the sun would, at one point, become her worst enemy.
Pippi shook her head. Sunburns were nothing compared to a stab wound, but gosh, she’d preferred not to be flayed alive before that.
“How’s, uh, how’s the view up there?” Pippi threw back up at the girl. Her glittery cowboy hat was now perched on her head. She needed to do much more than that to earn their trust again. “It’s Pippi, by the way, hum, yeah.”
She looked around. There was a ramp going into the ship. She could get changed there.
“What’s your name?”
Okay.
The girl said she was fine, and Luanne didn't think that was really true, but she also wasn't really sure what the girl had been doing. Or, well, she had a pretty good guess of what, but she didn't know if it was suicide or panic.
The girl was now rummaging around in her backpack. Luanne half-expected the girl to just pull out a gun and start shooting. That would be a horrible way to die, being stuck up here with someone taking potshots at you. She'd rather just jump and die from slamming into the ship's deck. Still looking down, she squinted her eyes. She'd drawn a figure study of the crouched girl before, though she'd done it from far away. She'd stood out aesthetically, and Luanne preferred sketching people who were like that.
Instead of a gun, the girl pulled out a hat. It sparkled in the sun like it was Damien Hirst's sculpture For the Love of God, which was the cast of a human skull, made of platinum and encrusted in diamonds. For teeth, it had the actual teeth of the skull which had been used to model it. Luanne sometimes wondered about the person who the skull had once belonged to; about their name and who they were and why they died. She was pretty sure, whoever it was, they wouldn't have liked what Hirst had done to their face. Luanne would have liked the sculpture if not for that. But anyways, she liked the girl's hat.
Then, the girl, who said her name was Pippi, looked back up at Luanne, and asked some questions.
How was the view?
What was her name?
Luanne liked self-portraits. An artist could be anyone they wanted to be in a self-portrait. If, for example, she drew Pippi or Noreen or the president but titled that drawing 'self-portrait', then to anyone whose knowledge of Luanne consisted of just that drawing, she was Pippi or Noreen or the president or whoever else she could draw. She thought that was kind of neat.
"I'm Luanne!" she answered.
How was the view?
She looked away from Pippi and back out at the crates. There was someone new standing there, but what grabbed her attention was something floating in the water. She couldn't really see it that well, but she already knew what it was.
So how was the view?
The view was scary.
"I think -"
Her glance darted back to Pippi down below.
"I think I just saw someone die!" she answered.
...
"I have a pink bandana too! If you want, I can try to climb down, or you - I could stay up here for a while!"
The girl said she was fine, and Luanne didn't think that was really true, but she also wasn't really sure what the girl had been doing. Or, well, she had a pretty good guess of what, but she didn't know if it was suicide or panic.
The girl was now rummaging around in her backpack. Luanne half-expected the girl to just pull out a gun and start shooting. That would be a horrible way to die, being stuck up here with someone taking potshots at you. She'd rather just jump and die from slamming into the ship's deck. Still looking down, she squinted her eyes. She'd drawn a figure study of the crouched girl before, though she'd done it from far away. She'd stood out aesthetically, and Luanne preferred sketching people who were like that.
Instead of a gun, the girl pulled out a hat. It sparkled in the sun like it was Damien Hirst's sculpture For the Love of God, which was the cast of a human skull, made of platinum and encrusted in diamonds. For teeth, it had the actual teeth of the skull which had been used to model it. Luanne sometimes wondered about the person who the skull had once belonged to; about their name and who they were and why they died. She was pretty sure, whoever it was, they wouldn't have liked what Hirst had done to their face. Luanne would have liked the sculpture if not for that. But anyways, she liked the girl's hat.
Then, the girl, who said her name was Pippi, looked back up at Luanne, and asked some questions.
How was the view?
What was her name?
Luanne liked self-portraits. An artist could be anyone they wanted to be in a self-portrait. If, for example, she drew Pippi or Noreen or the president but titled that drawing 'self-portrait', then to anyone whose knowledge of Luanne consisted of just that drawing, she was Pippi or Noreen or the president or whoever else she could draw. She thought that was kind of neat.
"I'm Luanne!" she answered.
How was the view?
She looked away from Pippi and back out at the crates. There was someone new standing there, but what grabbed her attention was something floating in the water. She couldn't really see it that well, but she already knew what it was.
So how was the view?
The view was scary.
"I think -"
Her glance darted back to Pippi down below.
"I think I just saw someone die!" she answered.
...
"I have a pink bandana too! If you want, I can try to climb down, or you - I could stay up here for a while!"
Som-
Someone di-
Someone die?
Ah.
"Hum." She cupped her mouth. "Yeah! Stephanie's team? Yeah, we're- we're the same team!"
She looked down at the costume.
"I'm getting changed below deck. Wanna' come down and then we can just..."
"Chat?"
Someone di-
Someone die?
Ah.
"Hum." She cupped her mouth. "Yeah! Stephanie's team? Yeah, we're- we're the same team!"
She looked down at the costume.
"I'm getting changed below deck. Wanna' come down and then we can just..."
"Chat?"
Her grip around the railing tightened, and she glanced backwards. Then back down.
"...Okay!"
Whenever she looked at the rope ladder leading down from the crowsnest, it felt like someone had their thumbs hooked around behind her eyes.
"Okay."
She wasn't quite sure why Pippi was going to change her clothes, but... maybe something happened that she hadn't been able to see from here. She didn't know.
Okay.
"I think it might take me a little while to get down from here, so, um, you go do what you need to do and I'll try and meet you on the deck when you're done!"
"...Okay!"
Whenever she looked at the rope ladder leading down from the crowsnest, it felt like someone had their thumbs hooked around behind her eyes.
"Okay."
She wasn't quite sure why Pippi was going to change her clothes, but... maybe something happened that she hadn't been able to see from here. She didn't know.
Okay.
"I think it might take me a little while to get down from here, so, um, you go do what you need to do and I'll try and meet you on the deck when you're done!"