ᗩᑎᎥᗰᗩᒪ 丅ᗴᗴ丅ᕼ
Chapter Two
>Cap. One!!
𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟔
<ᴾᵒᵛ 'ⱽⁱᶜᵗᵒʳⁱᵃ>
What's going on? It was the first thing I thought when I woke up from my brief dream. Shouts and despair hit me strongly when reasoning with my atmosphere. We all followed on the private plane, only that everyone present were completely terrified.
I tried to get up from my seat but when I felt that the plane lost balance I was still and sunk in my seat.
I looked everywhere, all absolutely everyone was desperate, I turned to my bank partner, he hugged himself, he didn't want to look inside.
I wanted to tell him something but I started shaking, a wave of fear seized me. My hands found the sides of the seat and held from them strength.
—The mask!— I heard scream. For the corner of the eye I saw that Vanessa shouted me, she was hitting something up. —Victoria put the fucking mask!— This stopped hitting that thing to look at me and point out that my masks were hanging above.
I took the Javi seat and looked at him. I tried to talk to him but I couldn't, my voice was gone, I kept trembling and I didn't have enough strength to put the mask abruptly. But I managed to take his arm making him look at me, I was crying.
—put it on ...— Musite how I could give him the mask. He took it immediately and put it on. I also made an act.
Everything was still aimless, nothing had changed in seconds as they did in the movies.
I started to pray to all the saints to get out of this until I heard a male voice coming from the beginning of the plane.
Coach Martinez was shouting the name of his youngest son.
Javi heard him straightened. He wanted to stop but the belt prevented it.
—Javi...Javi stayed still please— I begged seeing that he took his belt and got up as if nothing.
—Dad! I'm here!— he shouted calling the adult's attention. Bill seeing him changed the expression of horror he adorned on his face for a warmer.
—Javi Stay still please!— I said again taking it from the forearm so that it would not leave the seat. Every time the plane leaned more. A rumble came to my ears causing the boy to hold more. A rude wind entered through an opening making more disaster than before.
It was the door, he had opened out of nowhere.
And suddenly the voice of coach Martinez stopped hearing, only the screams and continuous cries.
¿Had Bill gone flying out the door?
—Dad!— Javi's heartbreaking cry made my question confirm. Indeed, his father had flown through that door. And if he couldn't sit down again, he would probably fly equally.
I put my hands on the minor's waist and pushed him to his seat. I placed his belt and then the mask that had been taken.
The boy began to cry again, everything was out of control. My body moved unconsciously covering the brunette in a hug.
I did not yell, I died inside. My heart was beating as if I wanted to get out of my body and fly away like Bill Martinez.
I finally closed my eyes accepting my destiny and intending to protect the little boy with my body trembling.
Seconds passed until I could feel the roar of the plane on the ground. This strong impact caused me to separate from Javi and hit my face with the headrest of the seat, again I moved back thanks to the seat belt.
My head did not coordinate, I couldn't move.
Javi was gradually getting up to look for a way out, the boy tried to get my seat belt but he didn't succeed, I was stuck with something, that something burns my stomach.
—I can't ... hey, can you hear me?— He asked me in his broken voice as he coughed.
Another figure came to us.
—Javi, we have to go!—exclaimed a man, I deduced it was his brother. My vision began to blur. The blow was too hard.
—I can't leave her!— Javi kept fighting with my belt until he couldn't. Travis totally desperate subject his younger brother's shoulder and threw him back to make him separate from me. —Travis please— the child begged.
My whole visual field closed. I only managed to listen to what happened around me.
<ᴼᵐⁿⁱˢᶜⁱᵉⁿᵗᵉ >
Another roar came from inside the plane, causing the suitcases to fall to the ground again, and the fire began to advance faster.
It had been minutes since most of the Yellow Jackets had managed to leave.
Only lifeless bodies were left inside the damaged plane.
There were only two girls, one unconscious and one fighting to leave.
—Victoria wakes up!— The orange haired continued to scream, continued to struggle to get out of his place which had stuck things that prevented the release of the girl. —Victoria tell me that you are still here!—
But as an act of blessed God the orange haired managed to leave.
He got up as he could then look towards the growing fire that was centimeters of them.
—Victoria Hey Vic!—
–Right ... rightly—he whispered, observing that the problem was not the belt, it was a fairly long piece of stuck between the seat and the belt.
The orange hair took out that metal in order to release the belt from the chestnut waist. But he noticed that the metal was totally stained. His blood was in him.
Vanessa did not stop to think about her now detected wound. She only lifted her as she could and looked for an exit.
Everything was blocked, absolutely everything. Less a tort that was low.
Before heading that door an explosion was present on the plane, the fire was behind both.
When Van managed to get out, he had to crawl and then drag Victoria along the ground, both were out of danger.
The wound had opened even more when exercising strength.
All present dedicated attention to them.
—She's in shit... she has a wound on the side of her torso... Be careful,—he reported to the air. The girls who went to receive the brunette placed her in a more comfortable place on the ground until Misty returned, who guided them in various directions.
Among many things that happened in the environment and more, Victoria ended up waking up, complaining as she tried to get up completely. But the burning made her writhe on the hard earth and begin to scream.
On the other side of the plane were the other girls. Vanessa had already met with Taissa and both had melted in a hug as they saw how Misty cut the leg of coach Ben.
—Help me move it— the golden curler asked, looking at each one, with her face covered in the adult's blood.
—By the way... Victoria is unconscious... I managed to get her out but I think her stomach is very fragile— reported the one with freckles. Everyone present looked at each other.
—Hasn't he left?—a bewildered blonde asked as she approached the couple. —I saw how the boy who was sitting with her came out... how is this possible?—
The orange hair separated from the hug. —Oh Nat, did Jackie not told you? Or ... Shauna?— Both girls mentioned took a look of accomplices, but the blonde was still confused. —It doesn't matter ...— he exhaled.
—What a hell— Taissa told La Pelinanja giving him a hug again.
—Then Ty—Vanessa murmured.
<=>
The brunette didn't have the strength to be fully awake. Everyone around them was gathered in a section of that forest, watching as Misty poured a liquid on the trainer's mutilated leg.
—There was a little left… we can disinfect Vicky's wound— Without further ado, the one with the curlers stood up, followed by several girls. —I need to lift his shirt— She said as he put his glasses back on.
—Is it up?— Lottie who was next to the unconscious girl stayed still when he heard her partner's request.
—Duh, Lottie's stomach is torn—Taissa said, squatting down to try to lift Victoria's gray shirt. —Well... this can't be removed—
—The blood dried... rip his shirt— Misty said, about to lose her patience.
— Can't you make the fucking liquid like that without further ado?— Taissa asked rising and going back, being distant from the circle.
-No, you can infect worse Turner, are you going to do it or do I?- The brunette shook her head and then retired from the place being followed by Van.
The blonde's hands rushed to touch the shirt. She was about to use force to break it but a jacket fell on the unconscious girl's stomach.
—Lottie?—
—You have to make points, right?—
—I don't know, I didn't see the depth or length of the cut slope—Misty, she lost her patience—they can cover it if you don't want her tits to be seen—
As if it were soldiers, Lottie with Natalie and Laura Lee got up and covered what Victoria's body could.
He listened to how Misty began to break the shirt of the other, the whole atmosphere was silent and only that was heard.
—cover your ears, just in case ...—The blonde reported.
And suddenly the overturned liquid was also heard, and in just second the heartbreaking cry of the chestnut was heard in the forest.
Some of the girls covered their ears, including Natalie.
—Shh Victoria—
—Misty fuck!— The aforementioned shouted. Already wake up for pain and accumulated crying, Victoria managed to lift her head and look towards her torso.
—What?.... shit!— She exclaimed to see his enormous wound that was still open and totally bloody.
—You're going to be fine Vic, it seems the object that did this didn't reach the deepest depths— The opponent made a grimace, Misty was already tearing other fabrics with her teeth and hands.
—I necessary to leave me like this?— The chestnut murmured.
—If it helps, you have the Chinese wall covering you—Victoria laughed weakly—I'll put a bandage on you and you'll stay completely still until I find something to sew this on, okay?—The girl nodded and suddenly felt that cloth abruptly wrapped around her. your surroundings. Victoria squealed internally.
—Ready, I'll look for my luggage and yours too—the curly girl got up and adjusted Victoria a little. Misty noticed that her partner still didn't grab some clothes to cover her breasts and handed him Lottie's jacket. -Get covered-
—I thank you with all my my heart ... and it is not necessary that you look for mine—
The three girls who were covering their friend turned to look at her. Natalie made a small grimace on her face and was the first to ask how Victoria was feeling.
On the other hand Laura and Lottie were talking to Misty to agree and look for the luggage of all, before Misty asked the color, Victoria's bags were and she told him that they were both of a beige color.
-Natalie, do you stay with her?- Laura asked.
-I... if she wants- hearing her friend's answer, Victoria told her that if she wants to go she doesn't stop her, Surely Natalie was the same as she tired than her. —I'll see that I can help then ... but I will barely be with you— a tiny smile grew on the lips of the chestnut.
They went around 15 minutes since everyone was recomposed after the damage, Victoria noticed that some girls like Akilah and Mari walked everywhere looking for things or helping others who were still injured.
Victoria was only expectant than what happened around her, her pain continued to fuck in the worst way she thought the bandage did not help anything.
<=>
On the other hand, there was an uncomfortable Natalie approaching the Martinez's eldest son. He was sitting with his gaze lost and dried blood all over his arm due to his wound.
Natalie being at a considerable distance from the boy said -Travis listen-
-Your brother is trying to get on the plane...- When she did not receive any response from the boy, she continued -I think he is looking for your father- Travis tilted his head and looked at Natalie, her eyes were empty.
-The door opened when we were descending and... he tried to help me put on the mask... but then he realized that Javi was not with me but rather he was last with that girl...- The boy's face fell. He came back hard, his voice trying not to break and remain stern - He started yelling at Javi and when he saw him he apparently took a wrong step and just... fell - He twisted his mouth a little looking at the blonde
-Yeah, well it's a bitch but... your brother is still here so... maybe you should help him- She advised. Travis's face hardened.
—And you should mind your fucking business— he spat dryly as he got up from the ground and walked to another place away from the blonde. Natalie not knowing what else to do she turned around and walked back towards the others.
<ᴾᵒᵛ' ⱽⁱᶜᵗᵒʳⁱᵃ>
-I found one of your suitcases, it was literally hanging on a branch- Lottie's voice made her stop dissociating. The black-haired woman squatted in front of me and showed me my suitcase. It was broken. —I'll look for the other one later...—
-Didn't you find yours? Lottie, it's not necessary, I'll look for her later... - She denied my request. Her hand began to open my suitcase in search of something. I raised an eyebrow and laughed a little. -What are you looking for Lott?-
-You always carry a kit of needles and threads- She whispered, she was concentrated searching and searching.
—What do you want to sew?— I asked, smiling at her. She apparently found what she was looking for and gave me a look. A look of pity.
-You need stitches, Vicky...— Immediately my smile disappeared. The pain became more stabbing as I imagined the needle passing through my open wound.
I shook my head several times, hugging the jacket that belonged to her.
—I'm good with this Vic, you're in good hands— Lottie tried to calm me down. -Misty entrusted me with your care-
—I don't give a shit about Misty!— I exclaimed, whispering to her, making her go blank.
—Well, I don't give a shit what you think, you have a pretty big wound that, thank God, didn't pierce anything internally!— His hands began to take out a needle, which he put in the middle of his lips while he looked for a hole for a thread. a little thick.
My nose started to itch and my vision blurred from time to time.
Finding the thread, Lottie cut a large size, took the needle out of her mouth and began trying to place the material in the small hole.
-Cry if you want, if I were in your place I wouldn't stop crying- She said without looking at me. It was obvious that it was a lie.
-If you were in my place you would clearly start sewing yourself- I said with my voice shaking, Lottie noticing it she looked up from her and her attention fell on me.
—Are you really going to cry?— She asked to which I nodded with shame. She simply gave me a smile showing her teeth to once again focus her attention on her attempt to sneak the thread into the hole. She got it instantly.
—Now I need you to get up a little so I can take off the bandage— she asked kindly, leaving the needle in her mouth again.
I listened to her, her hands rested on my waist and began to search for the end of the bandage to begin removing it. —I'll do it slowly, but if you want me to stop, tell me— she informed me through clenched teeth, trying not to drop the small needle. I nodded in agreement.
The black-haired woman began to pull her, fulfilling her promise to go slowly.
I closed my eyes when it was time to remove the bandage from that place. The dried blood made Lottie strain a little but in the end she managed to get it out.
—you did well— she whispered.
She pulled out the needle and looked at me intently. —You know, cry if you want to cry, scream if you want but don't hit me... okay?—
—I'm not going to hit you—I assured him, rolling my eyes. I exhaled shakily as I felt how it began to touch my abdomen. Her hands were warm compared to mine, which were cold.
Without warning Lottie began to insert the edge of the object, making me scream.
-I'm sorry! But I didn't want to make you suffer with the countdown - her voice sounded high-pitched, trying to remain calm. Her hands had left my abdomen to rise and leave them visible. Most of her left palm was stained with my blood.
My emotions were mixed, a wave of pain with anger washed over me.
-Just do it once and for all, Charlotte!- The gazes of the girls near us fell on us. I noticed that some of them had managed to get the cart off the plane, Van was in charge of removing the things from inside it.
I felt the edge passing again and again and again over the wound, Lottie every time she did it she gave me a comforting look and then put the needle back into me.
Footsteps were heard behind us, I turned my face a little to focus on something else and not the pain. It was Natalie with her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Her blonde, noticing that she was looking at her, came closer.
—Are you better?— She asked me, looking at me from above, she looked at what Lottie was doing and her face changed completely. —Shit that must hurt like hell— she said to which I nodded.
—Did it go well with Travis?— Lottie asked without leaving aside her work.
—It wasn't a good interaction but it wasn't the worst I had either— she replied sarcastically, generating a dry laugh from me.
—I'm done, Vic— the black-haired woman announced, pulling out the needle with the excess thread. —I don't know how to cut it— she whispered, referring to the union of my skin with the thread.
—Break it with your hands,—Natalie proposed.
-Or with your teeth- I said adding a proposal. Lottie soon lowered her head close to me.
I felt his breath hit my stomach as he tried to loosen the thread with his teeth.
Natalie started laughing too hard.
—Shit, this is fun to watch—she commented mockingly.
I rolled my eyes, the black haired girl raised her head and looked at Natalie.
—You're so funny— she said ironically as she stood up from her place.
Lottie was taller than Natt, but Natt was only inches taller than me. She is 1.68 but I am 1.65.
—You will stay there until Misty comes back and puts a cleaner bandage on you,— Lottie ordered me. -Rest, then we will wake you up-
-But I want to help...-
-Your wound is long and the stitches can come out because I recently put them in- She said as she shook off the excess dirt from her clothes a little. -You're thirsty? Or hunger?
—I want some water— I replied.
-I'll ask Van, she was organizing all that- Natalie reported, she began walking in the direction of the orange-haired woman.
—I saw that they were together at the party—Lottie spoke again without taking her eyes off the blonde. —Did they make the passes?—
My attention went to the black-haired girl. —We talked at school, then at the party and well right now— I noticed that my voice was fading little by little, it wasn't tiredness, much less pain.
-I know what they talked about Vic-
-Neither she nor I touched on that topic... but I honestly need to talk about it- I snorted a little.
-I'll talk to her-
—Don't even think about it, Charlotte— I said firmly and she looked at me. —Dont look at me with that face—
-Which?-
—Lottie, you're showing me pity!... It's a personal matter I have with Nat, it's not your business—He exhaled. —Please don't get involved Lott...—Our eyes fell on the blonde who came with a somewhat empty water bottle. His face was so dirty it made me crack a small smile. His steps were firm, at least he didn't limp and that was a miracle. Natalie was healthy, without any danger.
—I'll leave you alone— Lottie finished, turning around quickly and walking away from me with hurried steps, without looking back.
—Here you go— Nat's voice woke me up from my limited thoughts. -I don't think you have the strength to open it...- she whispered, squatting down and staying at my height. My smile grew.
Natalie opened the lid and handed me the container.
As soon as I put my lips on the spout I began to drink the water as if it were my only salvation. My throat was totally dry.
—Don't drown— she said jokingly.
—Let me enjoy bro...— I responded taking a breath of air. I handed him the bottle whose liquid was half finished. —Take it, I'm not thirsty anymore—
She grabbed the open container and placed it on her lips with a tiny smile. She took only two drinks and closed the plate.
—I'm glad to know that I'm looking into your eyes right now...— She said with a calm voice. Like she was kind of high to say it out of nowhere. But in these circumstances that type of "compliment" is appreciated coming from anyone.
I smiled at him in response.
Natalie was about to continue, but Laura Lee started screaming. Out of a "protective" instinct I wanted to stop and go see what was happening. It was my best friend who was screaming and I was terrified knowing what could have happened to her.
Natalie obviously noticed my attempts to get up and instead of helping she ordered me to stay still. Just because she "didn't have bandages."
—I'll go see what happens, don't worry— the blonde told me. —Please don't do anything that could open that thing...— she asked with some pleading. I nodded and stood still in my place again, watching as Nat ran away to find the reason for the scream.
About 20 seconds passed when other screams became present, pubescent screams.
It was Javi. "Dad Dad Dad!" They detonated the forest until they reached my ears. I turned to my side and noticed that Travis, her brother, was coming out of a secluded place, apparently alone.
He saw me confused, his chest began to swell, it was difficult for him to breathe. My gaze traveled to his, it was turning reddish just like his nose. Travis was about to cry.
When we both left our bus he left, as if it were a marathon he ran to the place where everyone was waiting. And I was alone again.
Well not so alone, Coach Ben was... asleep... but she was away from him. Away from civilization, from my sister.
How will Ally be?
Have you already heard about our "air diversion"?...
Apparently Travis did something he shouldn't have, more screams were heard from the girls and this time they were much louder and even unbearable.
I tried not to pay attention, I looked for my suitcase which Lottie had brought, but it was too far from my reach.
If only my headphones were in my ears, this wouldn't overwhelm me so much.
<=>
The sky had already turned dark, a few stars decorated that space and gave us some light.
When the girls returned to the Martinezes, Misty was the first to come see me, she apologized so many times for leaving me without a bandage that I ended up with a headache. Misty was sometimes loud.
When she finished her work on my torso, she asked Mari and Taissa for help to put me near them since they were going to light a bonfire.
<ᴼᵐⁿⁱˢᶜⁱᵉⁿᵗᵉ>
The young people were sitting surrounding the bonfire that was giving off pitiful flames. No one in the circle found it a consolation to be near the fire.
The atmosphere was silent, under the tension that abounded in the forest, no one dared to speak first.
Victoria was leaning on the drinks cart which was completely broken.
The brunette began to sink into her world. Without stopping observing the orange color coming from the flames.
On the other hand, a blonde also sought solace in those same orange flames. Natalie was down, she felt so bad for the older Martinez that she couldn't stop thinking about him. In the pain she would have right now.
—Are you okay, Laura Lee?— Taissa's voice made everyone pay attention to the bond. The blonde believer deigned to sob silently as she hugged her teddy bear.
Victoria, upon hearing the name of her best friend, turned to see her.
—This is my fault...— She whispered as if it were a dirty secret. —I did something horrible...—
—Why are you blaming yourself, Lau?— Vic asked, trying to make her voice come out normal and not trembling. Her friend saw her and shook her head while she wiped her nose with her fist.
"I-I couldn't stop screwing up in piano class last week..." The blonde continued. —Mrs. Brophy kept yelling at me "F sharp, F sharp, F sharp"...—
Hearing her, Victoria rolled her eyes. She did know the old woman and to tell the truth, she didn't like her at all.
—I couldn't take it anymore... So I told him an expletive that you use every day...— She explained. The young women brought their eyes to the wounded brunette, she had a tiny smile that was growing little by little - It was only mentally! But God... heard me and now he is punishing us—
A laugh coming from the brunette was barely heard as she had covered her mouth just in time.
Some of the girls also slowly started to laugh. One of them was Vanessa.
—What did you say to she?— Asked the one with the curly Afros. A pause was in the air, everyone was waiting for the blonde's response.
—Whore— she said, shy and guilty.
The orange and brown haired girl's laughter was heard first.
—What are you teaching Laura Lee, Vic?— I joke. They go towards the other, getting more laughs from the others.
—I'm so sorry Lau, but I'm proud of you! That old woman was the devil himself...— Victoria declared, the blonde smiled fearlessly and let herself go.
—I steal T.J.'s clothes. Maxx.— The black-haired woman declared. A brief silence surrounded the circle of teenagers and they heard Lottie: "I return it and they give me credit that I never use later, so... I have thousands of dollars in T.J. vouchers." Maxx...— Again the waves of laughter filled the forest. Victoria burst into laughter and fell silent instantly since her injury did not allow her to enjoy the moment of abundant happiness. Nobody noticed that.
Nobody was Natalie Scatorccio's nickname, she had noticed how the brunette's radiant smile instantly transformed into a grimace of pain.
The next to speak was Jackie, Victoria didn't pay attention to her, but she managed to put on a small smile in unison with the laughter of the rest of her.
When the brunette looked up from her, she was exposed to the fixed observation of the blonde in front of her. She is tilting her head to the side of her. Natalie demanded an answer as to why Victoria hadn't said anything stupid like she usually did despite the circumstances.
"Are you OK?" She asked, moving her lips to trace those words silently in each other's direction. Vicky gave a thumbs up in response.
Upon receiving her response, Natalie exhaled heavily and turned her head.
The small conversation was over, as was the moment of happiness.
A scream of agony and horror hit the eardrums of everyone around. It was from Coach Scott.
Upon hearing this, Stevens immediately looked for Misty, she was not with them and she was surely the cause of the coach's pain. Some girls got up to look for answers as to why such a scream.
—Shit, I don't think she raped him...—Mari blurted out of nowhere.
—What the hell, Mari...— Everyone answered, including Victoria, who was still sitting in her place.
<=>
Exhaustion had defeated everyone after debating Scott and Misty's way to "Cure" him. Those teenagers collapsed on the hard dirt floor in really uncomfortable positions to try to sleep. They were intertwined near the flames of the fire which warmed them.
Victoria was on her back looking at the dark sky. From time to time she took sharp breaths through her nose and turned to look at the others.
Dry tears remained on her cheeks and some new ones replaced them. Her head was resting on Lottie's leg, who gave her permission to make herself as comfortable as she wanted. One of her hands was resting on her wound, covered in bandages, which became dislocated when Victoria began to play with them, unable to sleep due to the melancholy that was eating away at her head.
The girl had witnessed how some got up in the early morning to go for a walk. Van was one of them and asked him kindly if he wanted to take a walk with her and others. But Victoria rejected the idea, she was not in the mood to walk and she thought that her injury would bother her on the walk.
—What's wrong with you?— A tedious whisper alarmed Victoria. This one she turned her head to the side to see who it was.
It was Natalie. She was turned over but unfortunately awake. —From here I feel like you're breaking your head, you're stressing me out...—she whispered again.
—It's nothing, go back to sleep...— she answered the brunette with a smile directed at the blonde, but she didn't see it.
—Anyway, I'm not sleepy, the adrenaline is still in me,— she joked, turning around. —Come here, you're going to sink Lottie's thigh with your big head full of problems—This she patted the blanket-covered floor. Natalie settled herself better so that the other could be more comfortable.
"I'm fine here," Victoria replied, rolling her eyes. Natalie bit her lower lip. She gave a small laugh and looked back at the brunette.
—Come here, I'm not going to bite you, silly —
With a noticeable pout, Victoria stood up carefully, without making so much noise and watching the ground carefully so as not to step on any girl.
She knelt a few centimeters from Natalie and very carefully she began to lean towards the ground.
At the end she exhaled the contented air. Her heart beat a little faster being free of pressure.
—I hate that you play hard to get...—The blonde commented with her eyes fixed on Victoria. —You know it doesn't work with me—
—Shut your mouth...— Showing a smile, Victoria moved closer to the opponent's face.
Natalie did the same. Her breaths began to connect, the play of glances was the next to begin.
A rebellious lock was placed on the brunette's face. Quickly Nat she carefully removed it, placing it behind her ear.
—What will I do with you?— She murmured with some guilt.
—Natalie...—
—You are my downfall, you know that?— Victoria remained silent, closed her eyes and distanced herself from the other. She turned around with her back to Natalie. This she snorted aggressively.
—Enough of the games, Nat—
-Victory...-
—I want us to finish this cheap movie game. It's not healthy for anyone...— Victoria said. —Let's be Natalie Scatorccio and Victoria Stevens, two girls, a team on the court, classmates—
—We weren't anything serious, Victoria, I just passed my fucking smoke through your mouth— Natalie spat without whispering.
—Don't behave like that... someone might wake up... we'll talk in the morning—
—I'm sorry— she said, approaching the other again. Placing her arm on Victoria's waist, dragging her closer to her.
-What do you think you're doing? Natalie...—
—I want to hug you, I want to feel your aroma because this will be my last time I will have you close with these thoughts—Natalie said, then placed a kiss on Victoria's head. —Let me love you until the sun sets over us... and then we will be two strangers...—
—Are you quoting a paragraph from a literature book?— Stevens joked, making the other girl laugh.
—Maybe—
—Rest Scatorccio...—
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You're Probably Taking Yellowjackets too literally, and there's still time to stop.
So there's like two months until the second season premiere of Yellowjackets, and as someone who was watching the show literally from the night of the pilot premiere, I have some Thoughts about how the fandom reacted to a lot of the show's mysteries at the time of airing, how a rewatch of the full first season feels after getting all that info piecemeal week after week, and how, in my humble opinion, people are simply misunderstanding a MASSIVE part of the show's conceit. So here's that rant, because I just rewatched season 1, and very few shows make me want to write full-blown essays like this one. You should absolutely watch the show if you haven't yet, ESPECIALLY if you are AFAB or femme or were raised and socialized female. Because hooooooo boy.
One: What is Yellowjackets?
Yellowjackets is a television show that made its debut in the last few weeks of 2021. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, and Juliette Lewis as four women who, as teenagers, survived a harrowing plane crash with their high school soccer team which left them stranded in the Canadian wilderness for a year and a half. The series opens with a scene that really heavily implies that the girls resorted to cannibalism to survive during their ordeal, but we still do not know the specifics of how that came to be.
The show flips between following the adult survivors in the year 2021 and flashing back to the accident in 1996. The four main survivors--Shauna (Lynskey as an adult, Sophie Nélisse as a teen), Tai (Cypress as an adult, Jasmin Savoy Brown as a teen), Misty (Ricci as an adult, Sammi Hanratty as a teen) and Natalie (Lewis as an adult, Sophie Thatcher as a teen)--are all shown suffering from various levels and types of post-traumatic stress disorder, as you might imagine one would deal with if one had survived a fucking plane crash and cannibalism as teenagers. Without going deep into spoiler territory, let's just say that some shit goes down, and the first season concludes without a single piece of eaten flesh.
Two: Why is Yellowjackets Good?
These things are obviously subjective, but in my opinion Yellowjackets is one of the best pieces of fiction ever made about female trauma, specifically. When we meet the four adult survivors, none of them are doing well: Shauna chafes against her role as a stay at home wife and mom, seeking out an affair with a mysterious younger man because her world feels far too small; Taissa is running for state senate, but the stress of the election is causing the breakdown of her marriage and massive stress to her son; Natalie is in and out of rehab, actively suicidal and incapable of self-care; and Misty is a nurse who uses her role as a caretaker to manipulate and control everyone around her. Their various issues all stem not just from the plane crash, but also from the traumas that have been sprinkled throughout their lives up to the crash as well; Misty was a bullied social outcast, Natalie came from an abusive home, Shauna was constantly in her best friend Jackie's shadow, and Tai is a gay Black woman, with more than enough generational trauma to go around.
As a high school soccer team, all of these characters had their place in the hierarchy; but the crash upends that hierarchy. The queen bee is utterly useless out in the woods; the off-putting weirdo is suddenly the closest thing they have to a medical professional (she took babysitting training twice). Being in the closet no longer matters when you have to know how to hunt and clean a deer if you don't want to starve. Being the golden girl's best friend no longer carries the leverage it once did if you're more useful to the group than the golden girl. One person's hidden mental illness becomes a massive problem because she only took enough meds to cover the few days they were supposed to be away; another girls' religiosity becomes a lifeline in a mire of confusion and fear. The adults in the room are gone, and the already complex social structures of teenage girlhood become even more confusing when lives are literally on the line.
Three: What's Wrong With the Response to the Show?
The thing about Yellowjackets is that it has the misfortune of existing in the world that JJ Abrams has made, and JJ Abrams fucking destroyed the concept of mystery for an entire generation. For this, he will never be allowed to enter the kingdom of Heaven. May God have mercy on his soul.
Yellowjackets purposefully doesn't give us all the answers we want when we want them, and the setup of its many mysteries--how did the girls get rescued? Who gets eaten and when? What's with the weird symbol carved on the trees near the crash site?--includes allusions to possible--POSSIBLE--supernatural explanations. And as a result of JJ Abrams being one of the most irresponsible storytellers on the planet, I watched the media and fan response to Yellowjackets spiral into the same kind of mystery-box-solving, "MOVIE ENDING EXPLAINED IN 10 MINUTES" youtube video type of bullshit. It's dismaying because, at least in my opinion, it demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of what the showrunners are actually trying to explore, which is the fact that trauma does not resolve itself when given a tidy answer, and tidy answers simply do not exist anyway.
There are flashbacks inside flashbacks, pieces of the characters' childhoods that help to develop their backstories. One excellent example is the Man With No Eyes, a spectre first introduced in a flashback with Taissa as she watches her beloved grandmother die.
She sees The Man With No Eyes again in the woods, and then again as an adult spiraling into a psychotic episode. More intriguingly, Tai's son Sammy seems to imply knowledge of the Man With No Eyes too, despite the fact that Taissa has never told him about it. So, the fans wondered--how could he know? What could it mean? Is the Man a ghost? Is Sammy telepathic?
No.
The Man With No Eyes is a visual representation of generational trauma, and a really great one at that. Taissa does not come up with him; she learns of him from her grandmother, who sees him in her last terrified moments on this earth; it is a fear that is passed onto her children and grandchildren, despite having no explanation or origin. And generational trauma passes down to your kids, even when you don't vocalize it; that's what makes it generational trauma. Sammy inherits his mother's trauma, and in the absence of an answer he grasps for his own explanations for the spectre haunting him.
Another issue I take is with people trying to red-string-and-pushpin their way into a full explanation of the events we see. The crash survivors find a lake with an abandoned cabin nearby, where they can take more permanent shelter; why was there a mummified corpse in the attic? Why wasn't there a road from the cabin that they could follow to civilization? How far into the Canadian wilderness could they really be, to not be found for nineteen months?
It doesn't matter. If you're asking those questions, then you're not paying attention. You're missing the forest for the trees.
Four: Yellowjackets is a Show About Trauma
The thing about trauma is that it impacts every part of you. Nothing is ever the same, and the great agony of recovery is having to reconcile that painful truth. Another thing about trauma is that it defies logic and reason; there is no reason for why this happened to you and not to someone else. There is no tidy answer for every loose end. A lack of knowledge in the moment leads to actions which have consequences, and all the hindsight in the world can't change those decisions you made.
But one of the keenest and sharpest observations that Yellowjackets makes about trauma is the rather hilarious fact that we are all somehow supposed to just......go on living after it. Without getting help, without rending ourselves to ash and dust to be remade, without shrieking our anguish to the sky until we spit blood--we're just supposed to move on, to compartmentalize and keep going, to show up at work or school every single fucking day and just pretend that we're fine. And that doesn't just apply to major traumas like a fucking plane crash, but to all the tiny little traumas that come along with being a girl in society: the bullying, the ostracizing, the family issues, the generational trauma, the friendship breakups and emotional schisms. Yellowjackets is a show that demonstrates the absurdity of this expectation that we place on everyone in society, but especially on AFABs, to recover and continue and pretend that we aren't being eaten up from the inside. It's a show that takes great pains to reveal that nothing happens in a vacuum; every survivor of the plane crash arrived there with her own traumas already strapped to her back. It's a show that is willing to talk about how surviving something horrible will make you paranoid and anxious and insecure, even 25 years later, because trauma is continuous and healing is not linear. It's a show about reconciling the fact that answers simply aren't going to help, even if you get them someday.
Conclusion: How to Read Yellowjackets
I can't recommend Yellowjackets enough. It's a phenomenal show, especially if you are Gen X or millennial and grew up with these actresses as a major part of your adolescence. It's also a show that is proving itself to be whip-smart, far smarter than JJ Abrams ever was. It's a show that reminds us how cannibalistic teenage girlhood can be on its own, never mind the stresses of a real survival situation. It's a show that talks, openly and honestly, about how many of us simply are not okay, and shouldn't be considered okay, and probably should not be operating heavy machinery. It's a show that is willing to confront the way we need to cannibalize ourselves, consume our own trauma like Saturn devouring his son, in order to return to the world waiting impatiently for the version of us who will never exist again. It's a show not only about MILF rights, but also about MILF wrongs.
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