sure, again, dani was right. and again, gia refused to let her win, so she gave her a look, as if she couldn’t believe what she’s hearing right now. “hold on, when did i ever say that?” then a playful scoff. “oh, come on, babes. what’s the worst that you can do to me? i mean, we’re already living in a fucking nightmare right now so whatever you do next won’t even do shit to me.” while it did seem like she’s just bluffing, something she did often around dani, there’s a bit of truth in what she said. if she could get through this hell and make it out alive, then maybe she could survive anything… except for one thing, but she’s quick to shake the thought off when it came to her mind. she leaned to rest her cheek against dani’s head, letting out a chuckle afterwards. “damn right, yours is definitely more comfy.” she snuggled closer. “smells better too.” they sat in silence for a moment, just relishing in the calming presence of each other as they munched on the gummies. it almost felt like time had stopped for them; she had only been pulled back into reality when dani spoke again. reaching for another gummy, gia pondered the question. “i wanna go for a drive so bad,” she finally said. “feels like forever since the last time i did.” how long had they been trapped in here again? it did feel like forever though. with a gentle smile on her lips, she turned to face dani. “what do you want to do when we get out of here?”

             one  shoulder  lifts  in  a  lazy  shrug,    ❝  and  my  dramatic  flair  is  one  of  the  many  things  you  love  about  me,  so.  ❞    it's  a  truth  she  takes  pride  in,  knowing  the  privilege  isn't  something  that's  often  given  by  her  friend.    ❝  but  are  you  sure  you  wanna  give  me  approval  for  that?  what  if  i  decide  to,  like,  pull  a  gale  weathers  and  exaggerate  things?  the  power  might  very  well  corrupt  me.  ❞    it  wouldn't,  of  course.  not  that  she'll  ever  write  anything  about  gia  unless  she's  singing  her  praises,  but  the  outcast  has  never  wanted  anything  to  do  with  power,  regardless  of  how  much  or  little.  being  surrounded  by  those  with  money  nearly  all  her  life  has  more  than  soured  the  taste  of  it  for  her.  once  she's  joined,  the  bag  of  treats  is  placed  between  the  pair  before  she  invades  the  other's  space,  looping  their  arms  together  and  resting  her  head  against  gia's  shoulder.    ❝  yeah,  mine  is  definitely  more  comfy.  probably  smells  better,  too,  ❞    she  says  through  a  smile,  growing  quiet  soon  thereafter.  it's  a  comfortable  silence,  one  that  seems  to  work  better  than  any  over  the  counter  pain  relief  as  she  slowly  chips  away  at  the  mountain  of  gummies.  after  a  few  minutes,  dani  toys  with  the  blue  half  of  a  worm  and  asks,    ❝  what's  the  first  thing  we  should  do  when  we  get  back  home?  ❞    sure,  it  may  not  be  the  best  way  of  coping  for  some,  but  it's  always  nice  having  something  to  look  forward  to.  isn't  it?

she turned to look at the one’s speaking, and while she knew it was crucial for them to be able to send a message or call someone outside of the area, she didn’t really feel like helping valentina at the moment. “well, in case you didn’t get the hint, i’m not trying to help you,” she scoffed. it’s not like she had already given up or something; gia had been trying for days, they all did, but the signal was absolutely fucked around here. obviously she was going to give it a try again later. “sucks to be you, i guess.” it’s a good thing she didn’t have anything to get back to, but for now gia chose to keep that thought to herself.

Valentina had many things on her mind. Was she ever going to get back to her comfy home way back in London? Would her followers have her last post as a memory until the end of time? But she was never one to pace. Instead, she was walking around trying to find a signal of some sort. Why in the Hell was she able to use that stupid God damn group chat but she wouldn't send messages out to the world for help. "Well maybe if you stopped taking a puff of death, you could try and help me. And trim your ends." she snapped back at the other with a roll of her eyes, tossing her long brown hair behind her shoulders as she looked up at the sky in defeat. "Seriously, I have events... and fucking brand deals to get to. I don't wanna be here anymore than you, Gia."

at the sight of kai, her features softened a tad bit. "really? says who?“ she asked, a smile ghosting on her lips. truthfully, she had been meaning to find him; gia wanted to thank him for saving dani, for making it out alive himself, but she couldn’t really find the right words for it. rolling her eyes lazily at him, she said, “oh, come on now. you did not just use that brother card on me.” it didn’t really bother gia that her mother ended up marrying his dad, but it did put them in an awkward position somehow. she pulled out a cigarette from her little bag, handing it over to kai. “you still have your fingers, right? i’ll help you light it up though.”

"Shoot-" Gia's voice startled Kai. He didn't mean to pace, but also he was not sure how to approach her. Kai saw Gia on her own close to the lake, and if his most recent incident did teach him something, was that it was best not to roam around alone, nor in pairs. Damn, a girl got hurt while being with him, that did hurt his pride some, but he paid in blood, so it should at least be something.

"Saving girls is my thing, didn't you hear?" Kai and Gia were in a weird place to be, siblings but not, close but not, friends but not. "Thought you might want some company, and perhaps hold a cigarette for me? Help a brother?"

although she didn't really mind if freddie never watched it, it sure made things easier if he did. still, his poor attempt to describe the film made her laugh. “yeah, sure, there’s definitely a guy with hair in it. couple of them, actually.” for a second she hesitated, unsure if freddie could even see the vision. "but really, it’s about this one chef who invited some guests to his exclusive restaurant in some remote island,“ she paused, as if for dramatic effect. “then he killed them all at the end of movie, including himself.” now this was the difficult part. “i know it doesn’t make sense because he’s already dead, and i'm not saying that he is, or was, but do you think it's possible that aaron was behind all this?” gia knew she probably sounded crazy, but at least she's aware of it.

The thought that this could have all been predicted makes Freddie’s skin crawl. If they had seen it coming, they could have prevented it. If they could have prevented it, everything would be different. “ I guess so.” Is all he can mumble as he takes a sip of the drink he holds. “ I haven’t - is that the one with the guy in it ?” A great description. “ you know, that one guy with the hair. ”

his frustration was something gia could empathize with, even if he was whining about all the wrong things, but she couldn’t really look past that accusatory tone of his. “okay, careful now, brad. the psycho killer might be listening to us right now and who knows, you could be next,” she said, almost in a whisper. someone like bradford probably wouldn’t even care about it; the cocky ones never last long in this kind of situation, that much she could tell. “well, since you’re so fucking smart, why don’t you come up with a plan for us instead of thinking about your dick?”

"You're telling me the lot of you have been stuck here and somehow not come up with an escape plan already? Really?" He couldn't believe they had just been sat here all this time waiting to be picked off one by one. "Somehow it's one, well two, of your bunch that walked off and got themselves hurt too. You don't see any of us being mangled by bear traps." He was frustrated to say the least. "Yes, Gia. There's a killer running around and I'm focused on my dick, so what!"

had miray not been so cocky about it, she might have felt a tad bit of regret for messing with her right now. but of course, she would be stupid to think that miray would ever change, or at least feel bad about their friendship turning sour. still, gia tried to keep her composure, refused to let miray get under her skin, even if she was already burning inside. god, she wanted to scream at her so bad. “i’m sorry,” she told miray, feigning an apologetic look. “i don’t speak bullshit so i’m not really sure what you’re saying… uh, good morning to you too, i guess? or maybe not.”

miray blinked a few times as the light flooded into the room, pressing her palm to her head to try and lessen the headache slightly. "oh gia. you don't remember a thing about me if you think i'm unintelligent enough to believe that. few people have ever tried to ignore me and even fewer have ever succeeded. you knew i was here unless you've suddenly lost your abilities of sight and hearing that is. i thought it was kai that had been injured in the woods not you."

maybe it was a little hasty; gia could blame it on her unconscious mind, or the fact that she didn’t even realize she was falling asleep in the hot tub and the shock from being awaken had put her on edge. maybe it was the fear that it’s finally her turn, but she’d never said it out loud. it was easier to blame somebody else, after all. it took her a moment to pull her shit together, and although she probably owed elias an apology now, she gave him an eye roll instead. “drowning in a hot tub is obviously the less painful option.” then it hit her, although she knew elias wasn’t the type to mean harm to anyone. “unless this is what this is about. you’re wishing a painful death on me, eli?” shaking her head softly, gia said, “i know we’re not even that close but damn, i didn’t know you had it in you.”

the longer they were trapped, the more restless elias was slowly becoming. all he could do was spend all day writing out his feelings or wondering around outside, although never too far from the house they'd all learnt their lessons about that. he'd been walking over to the hot tub when when he saw gia already in there and seemingly asleep. "gia..." he said in what he believed to be a quiet voice. "well i thought you'd prefer a heart attack to drowning in a hot tub. i was worried you were about to go under. you're welcome for saving your life."

“oh, sure, i’m definitely the type to just accept the fate that i’d be dying here and not do anything about it,” she scoffed, sarcasm dripping in every word. belkis out of all people would have known better that gia would fight her way out of this before she even did that, but maybe she had been wrong. “but since you already asked, i guess i could help you out.” this time her voice came off gentle, and eventually gia walked over to where belkis at and sat next to her. “what have you got so far?” she asked, gesturing towards the notebook belkis was holding.

Her gaze returned directly to the notebook she was scribbling in after making her comment towards the other person in the room. She had assumed that they would come join her at the table she was sat in, but instead Belkis was met with disappointment in Gia. Her eyes slowly lifting back up, repeating herself was not something she enjoyed doing. "I said, are you going to sit there or help me come up with a plan?" Turning herself yet again to face the other. "Unless you've accepting the fate of dying here?"

“we’ve all had enough, oli. you’re not the only one,” she told oliver. truth to be told, gia would rather die trying than just wait around with the rest of the group. “you don’t have to look out for me or anything. just let me tag along, yeah? i’ll be quiet as a mouse, you won’t even know that i’m with you.” it’s not like she’s looking for his validation; whether he liked it or not, gia was determined to visit the other lake house. “do you really think it’s one of them? you know, the one behind all this shit.”

"Well they keep fuckin' with us, Gia. I've had enough." He was tired of whatever this fucked up game was, he wanted no part in this and clearly whoever was doing this wasn't brave enough to come face to face with any of them properly. "You don't have to come, I don't want you to get hurt or anything. If i don't return in an hour then maybe bring a few of the others with the kitchen knives. The sharp ones obviously not the butter."

status: open to anyone @lakehowellstart location: somewhere around the lake

gia wasn’t even directly facing them; she had just been staring at the lake from the start, but the movement from the corner of her eyes had not been easy to ignore when it had been going on for a while now. taking a long drag on her cigarette, she quietly gave them one last chance to quit it, and when they didn’t, gia finally snapped. “can you please stop going back and forth like that? it’s really fucking annoying.” maybe she’s upset for nothing, but she couldn’t really help it.

status: closed for freddie @gcldenhecrts location: anywhere tbh

it's not like gia never thought about it, the ways she would meet her demise. there were so many possibilities, and yet strangely enough, getting murdered during a short getaway with all these people in the middle of nowhere had never really crossed her mind. well, now it sure fucking did. "maybe i should've seen it coming," she blurted out, more to herself than to freddie. "i mean, this is so cliché, you know. a group of friends getting murdered by a serial killer while they're on a vacation in the middle of the woods? that's like every fucking horror movie ever." except they were not in a movie, that much she knew. "also, have you watched the menu?" she asked, looking over at freddie.

status: closed for noelle @noecollins location: around the lake house

while gia wouldn’t mind going for a walk all by herself, this time she had asked noelle to join her for old times’ sake. after all they used to spend long nights together, walking around like this when they didn’t feel like going home. ironically, now they wouldn’t be able to. at least for a little while. “do you think anyone out there is looking for us?” she started, glancing over at noelle. “i used to think that it’d be nice if i just ran away and not be found or whatever, but now that we’re stuck here,” then a pause, “i guess you should be careful what you wish for.”

status: closed for elias @ofpoets location: hot tub at back deck

it was a rare sight to see the hot tub unoccupied at time like this, so she took the chance to enjoy it on her own while she's at it. being in water usually came with a calming effect right away, but these days gia found it hard to soothe the ever growing uneasiness in her stomach. eventually she ended up falling asleep in the hot tub; she thought she was only closing her eyes for a moment, but suddenly a voice managed to jolt her awake. "what the fuck was that?" she asked, moving to sit up straight as she looked at elias. "you almost gave me a heart attack, dude."

well, dani absolutely had a point, but of course gia wasn’t going to tell her that. where’s the fun in giving her the upper hand right from the start anyways? she’s not going to give in easily just because dani was badly hurt right now. still, she watched as dani spoke, still keeping the smile on her face. gia was no expert in comforting people, but she for sure knew how to provide a distraction when needed. it’s the least she could do in this situation, after all. rolling her eyes playfully, she said, “you’re so fuckin’ dramatic, babes.” she meant it in the nicest way possible, and she knew dani would get it. “sure, go ahead and tell the whole world to avenge you. if that’s what i deserve for being mean to you right now, then i’ll gladly take it. whatever helps you sleep at night, yeah?”

a moment ago she was worried that dani wouldn’t be herself, that she’d have to see her friend in pain and not know what to do about it. there was no doubt that dani was still hurting; gia couldn’t even imagine how terrifying it might be to be in her shoes, but to see dani being her usual self sort of comforted her in a way. “oh, right, i almost forgot that he’s in this room too.” it’s on purpose, the way she kept her distance from dani. usually she had no problem invading dani’s personal space, but after what happened she just kinda assumed that dani might need it, even for a second. clearly, that wasn’t the case. “now that you mention it, maybe i should consider stealing his bed tonight,” she joked, already shifting to join dani in her bed now. gia reached for a red sour patch, taking a bite of it when she looked at her friend. “well, never mind. i think i like your bed better.” what she meant to say was i’d rather stay close to you.

             ❝  okay,  yeah.  i  said  that,  sure,  but  in  my  defense,  my  back  was  turned  and  i  had  no  idea  who  it  was.  ❞    they're  close  enough  that  she  could  have  easily  recognised  the  footsteps―if  she  were  capable  of  focusing,  but  tonight  just  isn't  that  night.  while  the  throbbing  in  her  leg  has  dimmed,  it's  still  strong  enough  to  be  an  annoyance.  she  dons  an  exaggerated  pout  and  sniffles,    ❝  i  can't  believe  you're  actually  being  mean  to  me  right  now?  ❞    the  back  of  her  wrist  makes  contact  with  her  forehead  before  she  drops  against  her  pillow,  ensuring  not  to  jostle  herself  too  much.    ❝  oh,  woe  is  me!  ❞    in  danbi's  humble  opinion,  humour  is  much  more  fun.    ❝  reminder  to  self:  be  sure  to  include  this  in  your  memoir  so  the  whole  wide  world  knows  to  bully  gia  as  payback.  it's  the  least  she  deserves.  ❞   

             chestnut  orbs  peek  at  her  friend  through  her  lashes,  a  wide  smile  slowly  working  to  brighten  her  features.  it's  unsurprising  how  the  weight  of  unshed  tears,  guilt,  happiness,  and  everything  else  has  suddenly  lifted.  she's  long  been  convinced  gia  has  magickal  powers.  carefully,  the  outcast  sits  herself  up  to  retrieve  the  black  jansport  from  beneath  the  edge  of  her  bed,  digging  into  the  false  bottom  she  created  in  the  bag  many  moons  ago.  once  in  possession  of  the  gallon  sized  baggy  containing  a  smorgasbord  of  all  her  favourite  gummies,  the  backpack  is  immediately  forgotten  on  the  floor.    ❝  honestly,  i  forget  what  all  i  put  in  here,  but  i  know  it's  mostly  sour  ones.  oh,  and  the  classics,  of  course.  ❞    because  danbi  has  always  been  a  supporter  of  the  classics.    ❝  also,  you  can  come  join  me  over  here,  if  you  want―unless  stealing  kai's  bed  is,  like,  a  power  thing  or  whatever?  ❞    she  bites  the  head  off  a  blue  sour  patch.    ❝  saviour  or  not,  i'll  always  support  my  favourite  woman.  ❞

it would be a lie to say she hadn’t seen miray when she stepped into the living room. initially gia had planned to ignore her presence in the house like usual; miray wasn’t just someone you could look past, that much she could agree, but gia didn’t really know how to act around her now that their friendship had been long forgotten. she wasn’t even going to open the blinds, pretty much preferred the dark herself, and yet that’s what she did. once her eyes had already adjusted to the sudden light rushing in, she turned towards miray, as if she just remembered that she was also there. as if she just didn’t warn gia to not open the blinds. “oh, my bad,” she deadpanned. “i thought it’s just me out here.”

where: lakehouse #1 living room

when: the morning after the bonfire

every single part of miray felt like she'd been hit by a car. she'd taken residence on the living room couch for the morning, hoping nobody would be awake yet and so she could rest away her hangover in peace. she felt like death, perhaps a poor choice of words to think given the circumstances but it was how she felt. that feeling as only made worse when she heard footsteps destroying her short-lived peace. "whatever you do don't open the blinds. my head is absolutely pounding." she demanded, not bothering to turn around to see who had walked into the room.

she caught herself smiling at dani’s words, somehow relieved to see her friend laughing like that. “right, as if you didn’t just tell me to fuck off earlier,” she teased again, followed by a chuckle. gia knew it had nothing to do with her, but she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she ever lost dani to the psycho killer tonight, had things had gone worse. dani had always been someone who was so dear to her, although she had never really admitted it out loud, and if gia hadn’t been scared before, right now she’s worried she’s running out of time. but that’s the thing with her and dani; they just understood each other without having to say things, connected in ways that she hadn’t felt with the others. “well, even if you didn’t say so, i’m staying here for the rest of the night. told ya, you’re not getting rid of me, babes.” it’s crowded enough as it was here, but gia wasn’t going to leave her friend alone for now. at least for the night, she wanted to stay close to dani like this. it made her feel at ease. at the mention of gummies, her face instantly lit up. “honestly? i’ll do anything for some gummies right now, especially the good ones.”

             the  laugh  that  leaves  her  is  unexpected,  falling  from  her  tongue  before  she  can  swallow  it.    ❝  as  if  i'd  ever  try  getting  rid  of  you.  nobody  else  has  the  gumption  to  be  miserable  with  me,  the  fuckin'  pansies.  ❞    their  friendship  is  ia  quiet  one  (  well,  it  was  when  danbi  wasn't  talking  her  ear  off  )  and  softer  than  one  might  expect;  a  safe  space,  and  a  connection  that  she  wouldn't  trade  for  anything  in  the  universe.    ❝  you  can  always  hide  out  here,  babes.  hell,  feel  free  to  stay  all  night,  i  don't  think  we'll  be  bothered.  ❞    from  what  she's  seen  and  heard,  things  must  be  getting  to  the  group.  the  smell  of  alcohol  has  been  radiating  off  of  nearly  everyone  she's  come  in  contact  with.  where'd  they  even  find  it?  between  the  two  houses  and  those  inside,  she's  surprised  there  was  any  left  prior  to  this  evening.    ❝  i  still  have  a  secret  stash  of  gummies  in  my  backpack.  wanna  share  some  with  me?  it's  got  all  the  good  ones.  ❞

her train of thoughts were cut off by the familiar voice, pulling her back to reality. gia couldn’t recall how long she had been in a trance, or how long belkis had been talking to her. in fact, she didn’t even think belkis would ever talk to her again, but then maybe it was just her pessimistic nature coming through; gia liked to assume the worst about people. which was ironic, considering she was the one who sort of ended their friendship, while belkis had been nothing but a good friend to her. “uh, what were you saying?” gia asked, an apologetic look washed over her face. there’s no malice in her words, but she knew it could come across that way, given their history. “sorry, i wasn’t really listening.”

open starter ( @lakehowellstart ) location: the second lake house

Belkis was shaken to her core over what happened to Kai and Danbi. It was one thing to have to hear about the tragedies, but to start to witness them was another. She truly felt for the others pain but couldn't help but think about if that was her. Her life would be over, there would be no hiding that. She worried for herself, for what even worse fates were out there waiting for her next. "Are you just going to sit there or help me try to come up with some kind of plan?" Turning around quickly enough to snap her out of her own thoughts, the brunette stared down the other person nearby in the living room.