The Art of Accepting Each Other

[Ruggahissy]

Michelle put her arm back into the sling and sat up.

"Keep them if they mean so much to you," she said grumpily. "But If I see them I'm going to throw them into the ocean. I'm not going to tell you it's okay to kill people no matter who they are."

She clumsily got to her feet and climbed on top of one of the tables shoved up against the door to the restaurant. She yanked down one of the boards covering up a broken window.

"I'm going to go get some air."

She climbed out the broken window and jumped down the two feet or so, landing on the boardwalk. The planks creaked under her flip flops. Michelle went to the edge and sat down with her feet hanging over. The ocean calmly lapped up to the wooden posts holding up the boardwalk. She closed her eyes and felt the air made heavy by the salt. When the waves came in her hair fluttered a bit.

Michelle sat down and fiddled with one of her friendship bracelets. She didn't want to think of what Virgil said. She thought briefly about just leaving them, but she could never just run off without saying anything. She thought of Kam.

"If you were here I know I wouldn't get so riled up."

Michelle daydreamed that maybe Kam hadn't been taken. Maybe she was in the bathroom when they'd all been taken and they missed her and she'd made it California and when she got out of the bathroom everyone was gone. Maybe when they were gathering everyone she slumped down and got wedged between the seats and a bag from the overhead compartment fell on her and they didn't see her. Maybe she'd grabbed a parachute, but there wasn't time for her to grab Michelle to, or the two of them would have been too heavy together. Maybe when they were transporting them (in Michelle's day dream they were all stacked together on a truck like boxes or fruit) she'd rolled off the back and woke up somewhere alone, but safe.

She sighed deeply, breathing in the familiar scent of the ocean and fiddled with the bracelet.

[Espi]

So after that...whatever it was, Gwen watched Michelle leave via window, and she looked over at Vergil. She...wasn't sure what to say, in all honesty. It was a big idea, gathering everyone up to go out with a bang, and while it wasn't any better than escaping, it was better than getting murdered.

But it was a lot less likely, that's for sure.

So Gwen sighed, and she tussled her violet locks of hair and she wondered if anyone was dead today. If Michelle was right, no; people would settle down, mourn, calm down, be prepared, but not kill again. But did Gwen believe Michelle?

Of course she did. Michelle was smart, and Gwen knew that her idea made sense.

Gwen rose slowly, and then she looked out the window to see where Michelle had gone, and she found the other girl sitting on the edge of the pier. She sighed, and watched the other girl sadly.

After a couple moments, she called out, "Hey, you okay?"

[BROseidon†]

Virgil stood silent as Michelle left the hut.

She thought he was going to kill people. She thought the gun would turn him into a killer. He'd never kill someone. Would he?

Of course not. The gun was security, protection. It would keep them safe from the Theo's of the group, the people killing not even a day into their stay on the island. Walking around the island with no firepower trying to convince people to die was like going around the gladiators ring with no spear telling the other gladiators not to fight the lions. Michelle had to realize this.

Virgil stood silently, not wanting to say anything to Gwen. Hopefully Michelle hadn't run off, because that would have really screwed her over. After a few moments, Gwen went outside to check on Michelle. Hopefully she'd be able to talk some sense into her.

Virgil was hungry. The bread and crackers he'd had the previous night had hardly been filling, and it was now time for another meal. Virgil pulled out a loaf of bread and began eating it. Hopefully the girls would be done talking by the time he was done eating.

[Ruggahissy]

She chewed her lip and tasted the salt. She'd been staring down at the ocean and watching her feet swing back and forth. She lifted her eyes and looked at the bright, gauzy gray morning. She felt her pupil's dilate from the bright, but still cloudy sky.

Gwen called to her and she looked back over her shoulder. She nodded vigorously. Her one hand gripped the edge of the soft, wood of the pier. She swallowed and tried to brush her hair to the side.

She stood, nearly toppled back over into the ocean, but regained balance. Michelle's wasn't very graceful or balanced. She took a deep breath and then scampered forward back towards Gwen.

"Let's go find our friends, okay?"

((Michelle Weschler continued in That's Crate!))

[Espi]

Gwen was glad Michelle seemed alright. The announcements were hard to hear, but Gwen needed to look at the bright side. The deceased got an easy out, hopefully painlessly. And her friends were still alive, so she'd get a chance to see them one more time before the end.

As Michelle left the docks, Gwen poked her head back into the building through the window. "Virgil, we're leaving now." She said softly, and in a way it reminded her of her dad, when he'd come into her room when she stayed with him and gently remind him it was time to go back to her mom's house. She felt a swell of tears; that would never happen again.

She'd never see her dad or mom again.

Gwen sniffled, and shook her head; it was best to not dwell on this kind of thing, or she'd only end up worse off for it. They'd see each other again, even if it took years, on the other side. Hopefully.

Gwen gazed longingly out and across the sea, watching the gentle ripples of the currents as the sun began to rise across it. In that moment, if she could've had one wish, it'd be to have her sketchbook to copy this picture-perfect moment and preserve it for the rest of her life.

Gwen then hurried after Michelle.

((Gwen O'Connor's story continues elsewhere))

[BROseidon†]

Virgil had barely had time to eat anything when Gwen told him they were leaving. He zipped up the bag, throwing half the loaf in with the rest of his stuff.

Virgil took another bite of bread as he hurried out the door of the shack, black duffel flung over his shoulder and gun in his hand.

((Virgil Jefferson-Davis continued in That's Crate!))