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Chapter Nine.
"Oh my god, meat! Fuck yeah!" Van's excitement was palpable as Natalie and Travis appeared, a deer in tow. "Thank you, Lord!" Laura Lee cheers, earning a chuckle from Sade. The group gathers to observe the animal, inspecting the unusual blood and rotted flesh coating the antlers.
"Woah," Van grimaces, "that thing is gnarly."
"It's like Freddy Krueger and Bambi had a baby." Akilah comments from Javi's side, earning a disgusted look from Sade. The youngest of the Martinez pair shakes his head in disgust, short tousled waves shifting under his backwards hat. "I'm not eating that."
"Agreed, Javi." Sade co-signs the younger. An exhausted Travis slips in-between the two, narrowing bumping into her shoulder. Her dark eyes turning into thin slits.
"Guys, relax," Coach Ben sighs at the commotion, hunger shrinking his once-full cheeks. "Deers shed their antlers every season. This is normal." The adult expectingly looks over to the Shipman girl. "Shauna, do the honors?"
The brown-haired girl methodically crouches over the dead animal, knife from her backpack in hand, slicing through the tough flesh. Her nose twitches as a wretched stench attacks the air. Shauna eyes the hallow stomach—only to find fat maggots devouring the animal's intestines. Sounds of gags and groans are heard at the mangled sight.
Javi turns away into Sade's frame, arms folded when she wraps her arms around the now taller boy. It's gutted her by how much he's grown these past months. Their lack of communication only worsens it—she blames herself for not pushing the awful circumstances aside and not being emotionally present.
Van gags as Shauna furiously attempts to fling the crawling maggots off of her fingers, Taissa offering a rag.
Jackie cocks an inquired brow. "That normal too, Coach?" He shoots the blonde teenager a glare, but was rendered mute at the state of the deer. At her knees, Lottie, over-grown bangs and messy braid that falls over her shoulder, watches the familiar scene, mouth parted in disbelief.
"I'm not crazy?"
Beside her, Laura Lee answers. "No," her hand grabs Lottie's shoulder that's turned closest to her, "you have a gift."
As a spectator, the intimacy makes Sade's stomach lurch. Jealousy, of course. She can't get herself to feel annoyed at Laura Lee though—it's her kind nature that's grating. Laura Lee feels like a dreamy synthesis of her deepest conscience. She feels like her grandmother's love. Sade wishes that the holy girl wouldn't be so. . . perfect. That Lottie would trust her as much as she trusts Laura Lee. Or, that she didn't like Laura Lee as much as she did.
It's notable that Taissa's hunger is growing more intense, her stressful pacing in the earth leaves marks of her dragging feet, unusual for her perfect posture and athleticism.
