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[The Evil Queen]

[ ＮＡＴＡＬＹＡ ]
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[ location : cabin entrance / heading to the lake ]

Choosing to ignore the arrogant smile across the lips of the ever-so-frustrating Chris, she marched back to the car with a newfound determination. There were plenty of reasons for her sudden motivation to retrieve the luggage. The first being to wipe the smug look off the studious rat’s face. For someone like Natalya, being called studious wasn’t a compliment, if anything it was an insult. She didn’t understand how anyone could possibly stay inside and study all day. Don’t even get her started on the nauseating thought of schedules and plans.

That was yet another annoying thing about the dark-haired brunette boy. He was a total stick-in-the-mud if she’d ever met one. For some godforsaken reason he seemed to think puzzles were fun. Spray painting murals onto old abandoned buildings? That was enjoyable. The thought alone thrilled her. Agonizing for hours over placing tiny fragments of a bigger picture together? Not so much.

The second reason being that her solid black ripped up skinny jeans and old combat boots were proving to be incompatible with the summer heat. The sun’s rays felt lovely on her shoulders but left a burning sensation in her legs. She was looking forward to a nice, relaxing dip in the clear lake water. The cooler AC/DC cut off tank top had been a wise decision, despite her mother’s protests earlier that morning. Another one of her favorite bands. The lyrics to “Back in Black” were sprawled out in black sharpie across her bedroom wall, trying to memorize each word at the tender age of twelve. Grounded for the rest of eternity, her parents had boldly declared. In all actuality, she’d only been on house arrest for roughly a month. Totally worth it.

Seeing Chris easily lift the bag from the trunk, she rolled her eyes. “Show off.” The girl muttered while crossing her arms. Swiftly snatching the last bag out of the car, she made a conscious effort to give the illusion of effortless. Still resentful of the traitorous blue cooler, the girl slammed the trunk shut. It did little to ease her anger, but it was still somewhat satisfying. Natalya hoisted the crimson red bag over one shoulder before trudging back to the cabin. Heaving the bag onto the pile, she did her best to hide her ragged breath from Chris.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the other’s mouth moving. From what she could tell, she’d been able to catch most of what he’d said. Softly nodding in a nonchalant manner, she watched as he sorted through the mountain of luggage. “Alright then. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll drive you back to the nursing home.” Giving him a wry smile, she sauntered over to find her own bag. Buried within, she was only able to find the grey strap of her messenger bag. Pulling it out, she quickly flung it over her shoulder.

To the girl’s delight it seemed the bedrooms were up for grabs. Her only real room requirements were that wherever she ended up had a window and a lock. Other than that, she was content to sleep anywhere. There wasn’t a chance she’d be staying in the cabin all night long, and a window would provide a way to escape. If she had to spend her days with Chris, then at least at night she could find some time alone. She wasn’t naïve enough to use the front door. Getting caught walking in through the front door at 4 am didn’t seem like the smartest move. At least with a window she’d be able to covertly enter the house. And a lock meant no one would be in her room to catch her when she got back.
However, the sleeping arrangements being up in the air also made finding somewhere to change a bit difficult. Especially since she didn’t have a clue where the bathrooms were in this place nor the patience to look for one. Ducking into the first empty room she could find, Natalya quickly locked the door. Had she taken the time to look, she might think the rooms were quite nice. Instead, she proceeded to hunt through her bag for her swimsuit. A solid black (like nearly everything else she owned) high neck halter one piece hidden away under all her other clothes. She shoved the rest of the clothes back into the bag, never being one for organization. Quickly changing, she threw today’s clothes into the bag before heading back to where she’d started. Chucking her belongings back on the pile, she ran out the front door, ignoring Chris in the process.

Shockingly enough it hadn’t been her intention to snub him this time. She was genuinely excited to go swimming again. It’d been about a year since the last time she’d been swimming, something that had once been one of her favorite activities. When she was eight, she’d even joined a swim team. As it would turn out, swim team wasn’t her thing and she’d quit before a full month was over. Sure, she loved a good competition, but hated the rules that came with it. The rules paired with the officialness of it all sucked the fun out of swimming. Suffice to say, she was a decent swimmer, not great but still knowledgeable.

[adheline]

C H R I S T O P H E R
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location⇨ between cabin entry and car

Although it was a play off of what was becoming the joke of the day, Natalya's snarky offer to drive him to the nursing home had Chris rolling his eyes. Really, it wasn't that boring of a game. He stared down at the cards, breaking the deck in half. Okay, so, it wasn't the most exciting option, but it was mentally stimulating. Passed the time well enough.

As Natalya walked by him with her bag, he barely spared her a glance, flipping out cards into their places. There was an ace on top of one of the piles, which elated him more than it probably should have. Solitaire was something his mom shared with him when he was little. This trip wasn't the first time they'd been camping, since his parents both grew up with several vacations to national parks. While his dad, and eventually his sisters as they came along, slept late into the morning, Chris and his mom would be up with the sun. Nestled into sweatshirts and practically breathing citronella, they would sit across each other at a picnic table and play cards. Sometimes she brought along a secret box of donuts that she would only share with him for breakfast, making everyone else crunch on cereal.

For the past year or so, her work schedule had been shifted into the evening, so she had a habit to wake up a little later. That left Chris with the cards by himself, and the donuts were shared with everyone later on. Solitaire made the most sense, then, since he couldn't very well play rummy against himself. Getting up early was still scheduled into his bodily clock because of school. Made him wonder if he'd have the whole cabin to himself in the morning. Might be a decent reprieve from the ebony-haired scourge of a neighbor. For some reason, he was stuck between thinking that she would sleep in because she was lazy and that she would get up early so she could start plotting.

The sounds of doors opening and shutting further into the cabin were background to the fwip of cards when he flipped them over, but motion right in front of him grabbed his attention. He watched Natalya practically fly by him, apparently extremely eager to get into the lake. He didn't blame her, the stagnant heat was starting to get to him. He was positioned right in front of a closed window, the sun magnified against the skin of his neck. Trying to ignore it, he moved a red six and turned over another card. Finally, he sighed and stood up, turning to push open the window. He wasn't sure what he was expecting. A gust of cool air, gentle breezes perhaps. A singular tendril of wind. What he got was absolutely nothing.

It wasn't necessarily that the air outside was just as still as inside, because standing out there earlier yielded a decent amount of movement. More likely it was the thick line of trees crossing in front of the window. Beyond the branches he caught the glint of light off of gentle peaks of lake water, pushed softly by the breeze. Chris tipped his head back. He didn't want her to think he was trying to spend time around her, because he really, really wasn't. It just so happened that now the idea was put in his head, he couldn't get it out.

Pushing his current game into a neat pile, he left the deck on the table and returned to his bag, rooting around in it for his swim trunks. They were navy blue with white stripes down the sides, a pair he'd rushed to buy just the day before when he discovered that his dad had gone out and purchased swimming shorts the same as Chris's so they could match. Embarrassingly enough. Now his dad would be the only one walking around the lake wearing palm trees.

Scouting around for an empty room, Chris changed quickly and folded his clothes haphazardly, pushing them into his bag in the entry of the cabin on his way out. He wore sandals out to the lake until he reached sand, where he kicked them off. Standing out in front of the water was almost instant relief. Sitting inside boiling versus letting lake air cool his bare torso. Wasn't much of a debate worth having. So maybe Natalya had a point, coming out here and essentially calling him lame for his game of solitaire. He would never in a million years admit to that out loud. In fact, while he was here, Chris did his best to ignore the fact that they were both out swimming. Something that was entirely his fault. He didn't look around for her, just kept his eyes on the the shore ahead of him. He sauntered over to the water and waded in, closing his eyes and breathing slowly out his nose as the chill water nipped at his legs. Man, it was nice.

[The Evil Queen]

[ ＮＡＴＡＬＹＡ ]
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[ location : the lake ]

A single smooth round pebble laid in the path ahead of Natalya. Intense brown eyes focused in on it as she approached. Swiftly kicking up into the air and catching it as it landed atop her bare foot, she waited a moment before sending it back into the air. Landing a few feet in front of her, she began softly kicking it back and forth as she made her way down to the lake. A simple yet familiar way of passing time.

The invigorating summer air coupled with the lush woodland setting gave Natalya feelings of serenity. A rarity for the ever so vibrant girl. It was an odd feeling, though not an unwelcome one. Among the sparse list of activities with the ability to calm her was swimming. Given the nickname “little fish” by friends and family growing up, she’d been known for her love of the water. Soaring just below the water’s surface without a care in the world felt freeing. Hence why she’d quit swim team so soon. It’d taken away the freedom she’d loved she much. In her eyes, swimming was better left untouched by rules and regulations. Staying in one lane for hours on end, pacing back and forth between two walls had sucked the life out of her. In the end, she’d quit because her love of swimming had gone. Well, that and her hatred of butterfly stroke surpassed even her hatred of Chris. It’d only taken a few months for her love of swimming to return. Now she tries to find places to swim whenever possible.


Arriving near the water’s edge, she kicked the pebble aside, landing in the coarse sand. A content sigh escaped her lips as she scanned her surroundings. As a child, she would’ve been off exploring every inch of this place. Although she wasn’t typically one to take notice of such things, even she’d admit the lake was a gorgeous sight. Especially when compared to the city environment she’d grown used to seeing. Dipping her toes in the water, her eyes still searched for something along the shoreline. Not too far from her, she spotted what she was looking for. A rocky overhang casting over the lake. From what she could tell, it had smooth terrain and was low to the ground, making it the perfect diving board. Of course, the correct way to start any relaxing swim was to dive right in. A smile lit up her face as she dashed over to the rocks. Hoisting herself up wasn’t too difficult, the overhang was probably only three feet high. Her smile only grew as she took in the view.

Walking forward, she pushed waist-length raven hair behind her shoulders. Placing her right foot just over the edge of the rock, she placed the other roughly a foot behind. As she bent down, the girl’s eyes focused on a spot about a couple yards out. Everything came flooding back as she crouched down, feeling natural. Taking a deep breath, she used her right foot as leverage when she pushed off. Instantly placing one hand over the other, she tucked her head down. Her movements were graceful as she dove into the cool lake water. It’s probably the only thing she’s able to do gracefully. Gliding beneath the surface, her hands stretched out to propel her forward. Feet remaining unmoving, she reveled in the feel of the water rushing by. The sun shone overhead as she stilled her body, pausing to enjoy the water. She continued like this until the need for oxygen became too great.

Using the ground below her, she launched herself up out of the water. Hair clung to her shoulders and the sides of her face. Taking deep uneven breaths, her smile reappeared. Wiping the water from her eyes and the hair from her face, she looked delighted, even childlike in her enthusiasm. That’s when she saw him. Natalya wasn’t sure how long he’d been there, but at the moment she couldn’t bring herself to care. The smile disappeared from her lips almost immediately. Dropping her head in defeat, she closed her eyes as if he was just an illusion she could blink away. Unfortunately for her, when she looked back up the hazel eyed nuisance was still there. Groaning to herself, she intensely glared at him, doing nothing to hide her disdain of his arrival.

While she had expected Chris to get bored of his card games and puzzles, she hadn’t expected it so soon. To be honest, she’d thought she would be heading back around the time he was ready to go out in search of some real fun. Whatever that meant for him. It had actually been part of her plan so they wouldn’t have to spend so much time with one another today. With him out of the cabin earlier than expected, that plan flew out the window.

There was plenty she could say to him. She had the option of teasing him for following her out here, but that felt far too friendly. Of course, she could still greet him a witty comment, something about the nursing home or what she perceived to be a lack of patience to play solitaire. However, at this moment, she didn’t have the carefree charm those remarks required. Right now the only word she is capable of saying is; “Why?”

[adheline]

C H R I S T O P H E R
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location⇨ lake

Chris just stood for a moment, eyes on the horizon where the baby blue sky sunk into the inky depths of water. He had every intention of coming back out here when night started to come around, wanting to watch the sun dip below the lake. Sometimes he wished he was an artist, whether he would snap a photograph or paint the landscape. As it were, he was hopeless in any artistic pursuit. He believed the words of his eighth grade art teacher consisted of 'what,' 'is,' and 'that' in regards to his every project. Somewhat discouraging, but he preferred the more academic approach to life anyways. He could always write about it or something, should he feel so inclined.

The lake was absent of any boats, so the gentle lapping at his legs were from air movement alone, as opposed to the riotous wakes caused by motorboats. It stirred the legs of his swim trunks, making him feel strangely aquatic. Like he was one with the seaweed, as ridiculous as that was. He took some steps further in, enough to brush his fingertips over the undulating surface. Now that he was here, he was actually remembering how boring standing in a lake alone was. Usually, he never did. He came out with friends or family. With them would come games, like catch and chicken, or races. Alison liked it when he would pick her up and toss her up, leading to a much more satisfying splash than she could achieve by jumping on her own. Danny just liked chicken at any pool or beach party because it required partners of the female variety. The thought made Chris smirk.

In his silent thought, just standing in the water like an absolute nerd, he was distracted by a vague noise. It sounded sort of like a groan, hinting to him that Natalya had chanced upon him. He looked over, confirming his fears. Ugh. Even though he knew coming out here that she would be here, he was kind of hoping she was lying and had already gone and gotten started with her misdemeanors.

Her hair was wet to the roots, flattened against her head and shoulders. Apparently she was enjoying the lake to its fullest, a fact she clearly blamed him for interrupting. He scoffed. "I'm sorry, I must have missed the sign that advertised your ownership of the lake," he drawled, promptly turning his face away from her. Chris couldn't say when they started their effortless rivalry, as far as he knew it started the minute they had met as nothing but toddlers. If there was a time they got along, he didn't remember it. What he did believe with all his heart, whether it was true or not, was that it was her fault entirely.

She was disagreeable, confrontational, and blamed every interaction on him. As if he would ever seek her out. He wasn't here to enjoy the immeasurable pleasure of her company. God, no. He wanted the lake, and he was well within his rights to do so. With a sigh willing patience, he moved fully to face her. "Look, okay, you stay over there, I'll stay over here, and we can pretend we're at two different lakes," Chris suggested, gesturing towards an invisible line between them.

Sometimes it felt like they were still bickering children in a kindergarten class, having to be put in time out in order to keep things pleasant. He couldn't even count how many times his mom told him before he left for school in the morning to 'be nice to that girl,' even though he hardly even saw her in a school day. Natalya really did bring out the worst in him.

Not interested in conversation, Chris made a one-eighty so that his back faced the depth of the lake, spread his arms, and allowed himself to fall in a rigid line. His back hit the water, and with a quick capture of air, he sunk under the surface. Oof, okay, that was kind of cold on his upper body. The tingles over his skin from the sun were efficiently washed away, and that's when he remembered he never put on sunscreen. He groaned into the water, relaxing his legs and kneeling in the soft sand. It makes him sound old, but forgetting sunscreen was a legitimate concern. On the other hand, he wasn't about to let Natalya see him scurry away to correct the mistake. He would just have to brace it.

Since he had only gone in so the water was mid-thigh, it landed at chest level when he pushed his head above water, keeping his knees in the sand. Blinking away the water from his eyed, he ran a hand down his face and over his hair to push away some running droplets.