— oh, i fall apart

DIVYA WELBY ( NAOMI SCOTT ) is a EIGHTEEN year old teenager from SINGAPORE, SG. SHE is known around the island as the HELPING HAND because she is PATIENT and SUPPORTIVE but can also be IMPRESSIONABLE and CLUMSY. SHE reminds me of LA Lakers merch, over-sized long-sleeved shirts, and loud R&B music playing from another room.

…

“hell yeah, we got this.” shane knew that divya could do it, she always seemed like the type of person who was nervous to try things but after a bit of encouragement, she would be great. maybe if she treated everyone like divya rather than just yelling at them to do things, people would see her as a leader. she should be kinder to people, softer with them. but then again, she needed to listen to jenny and stop taking charge in the first place, stop taking on everything before she finally cracks. this was what shane was thinking about while she worked, breaking off twigs and things from the branches as much as she could by hand before piling them up for divya to do the finer touches to. when they were all done with preparing the wood, shane looked up at divya. “time flies when you’re in the zone, huh? that’s it for now, probably good enough to make one or two right now. it’s going to take a lot of collecting but i figured this would be enough to make a trial bed.” she explained before getting to her feet and brushing her hands on her pants. “wanna try and set it up and see how it goes?” 

-

“Let’s do it!” Divya agreed, pushing herself up to stand. She helped gather and carry a bunch of sticks that she and Shane readied. It felt good to be doing something useful. Especially something that could make this spot in the jungle feel a little more like home. It was the little things after all. Small things that made a space a little more civilized, a little more like home. The thought of home made Divya’s chest ache but she willed her focus to remain on the task at hand. Once the two of them found a spot to lay their materials, Divya got to work with setting them in place the way Shane had envisioned. As it slowly came together, she couldn’t help but think they did damn good work. She stepped away with a pleased sigh, taking in their hard work. “Not bad innit? Think this is it then?” She asked Shane, looking toward her for assurance. “Test it out on three?”

…

clarke had been doing her best to keep herself busy. it was easy considering there was so much work to be done for the new camp. she was stacking fire wood neatly at the end of camp so they wouldn’t have to scramble through the jungle in the dark to keep the fire going. looking up when she heard divya, a smile pulled on her lips. “hey welbs,” she returned the greeting. she seemed to be in a good mood which was pretty rare with most of the eves. it was nice to see someone happy for once. setting down the last of the wood, she brushed her hands off on her pants and turned to her. “uh, sure, what’s up?”

-

Divya was so excited to do this she could burst. She had to use all of her willpower to not bounce in front of Clarke as a sugar-addicted child once the other Brit gave her a moment. “Alright, shut your eyes for me?” She asked of Clarke. “And hold your hands out in front of you,” she tacked on. She waited for Clarke to do both of those things, even leaning in to make sure the other girl wasn’t sneakily taking a peek. Satisfied with her check, she moved her hands away from her back and placed something in Clarke’s hands. She’s been working on it for two days now, ever since they had to move camps. It was nice to finally present to the person she’s been working on it for. “It’s not much but I hope you like it.”

Made up of a handful of pages torn out from one of the Dawn of Eve gratitude journals. Divya stacked them together and folded them in half to make a small book. To bind it, she punctured holes using a pen and tied it together using the journal’s ribbon that she cut off and in half using the pair of scissors from the First Aid Kit. (Sorry for messing with the First Aid Kit, Erin.😘)

Good days on the island were a rarity. If anything, there were only good moments on the island. Short periods of levity that provided relief from the everyday struggle of surviving nature and the elements. Since being here, Divya has learned that you have to create those good moments, that they don’t always just happen. They took a bit of effort sometimes but the effort, for the sake of your own or someone else’s smile, was definitely well worth it. At least that’s what Divya believed so it’s what she tried to practice. “Hey, hey,” Divya greeted as she approached Clarke, flashing a grin at the other girl when she came to a stop in front of her. She had her hands behind her back, clearly hiding something there, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Her good mood simply couldn’t be contained. And why? Well, Clarke was about to find out. “Have you got a second? I have something for you.”

-

Divya’s words easily amused Erin, hiding smile behind a playful pout. “ I’m sorry, ” She whined, cutting herself with a small giggle. The fact that looks were such a part of it for the other was no surprise. Maxxy and Krista included that in their reasoning too. Edward wasn’t as hot. But if that was the game they were playing, Erin would argue, they both lost out to the Cullen ladies tenfold. Just because they were taken didn’t mean jack to Erin. Brows lifted in surprise as Divya so accurately read her. “ I do! ” She said initially, enthusiasm for the topic clear. “ I do, a lot. Romeo and Juliet is, like, my favourite story of all time. ” She expressed, moving her hands with her words as she settled into this conversation. A lot more comfortable than the one moments before. “ And 10 Things I Hate About You– have you seen that? That’s based on a Shakespeare play too, Taming of the Shrew. But it’s one of my favourite movies. ” Sure, the Taming of the Shrew wasn’t a romance technically, but neither was Romeo and Juliet. That was a tragedy. But that was a whole other thing Erin could ramble about. 

Playfully Erin sucked her teeth and shook her head in faux disappointment, but a smile returned to her features pretty much immediately. “ No, I get it. I totally get it. It’s, like, a friends to lovers thing, ” She assured the other, even if she suspected it was more to do with Jacob not wearing a wig after the first movie. “ Which can be so nice. The whole, knowing each other, supporting each other before it even gets to anything else– I get it. ” She paused momentarily, a ‘but’ hanging in the air before she even said it. “ But, ” She smiled a little, “ I just don’t know if he’s all that good of a friend, even with the bikes and stuff, if part of his motivation was wanting Bella to pick him over Edward. ” She said, nose crinkling a little as she offered the argument. ‘Part’ was being kind. It was, like, all of his motivation, right? She reached out to Divya’s arm, touching it lightly, “ But I support you still, completely. I won’t let this ruin our friendship. ” She assured in jest, wide smile spreading easily once again her lips. 

-

So Erin liked Romeo and Juliet. Her favourite of all time, in fact, according to Erin. The more Divya learned about the other girl, the more she couldn’t help but grow fond. A smile played on her lips as Erin went on to list more Shakespeare content, nodding her head when Erin asked her if she’d seen 10 Things I Hate About You. “I have actually,” Divya said, “or at least I think I have. That’s the one with Heath Ledger innit? When he had the–” She held her hand at her shoulder. “–long hair? Bit of a bad boy? The too good to be true song?” Honestly, Divya hasn’t read much Shakespeare. The only ones she’s read were what was assigned to her in English class, and usually, she’d forget the contents of the book once her report was submitted for grading. “What’s your absolute favorite movie?” Divya asked then, since Erin had mentioned 10 Things I Hate About You was only one of her favorites. “I think Space Jam might be mine to be honest. Unless we’re keeping it romantic, in which case I’ll have to think about it.”

“Exactly! Exactly, exactly.” Divya said when Erin said ‘friends to lovers’. There was something about that trope that deeply appealed to Divya. To be valued for who you were as a person and getting along with someone without any strings before it blossomed into something more passionate. But. Oh dear. Divya looked at Erin, a brow raised slightly as she took in her cheeky little smile before hearing her out. Honestly, it was a fair argument. She had to give it to Erin. Divya couldn’t help but offer a a bob of her head in response. “Okay, maybe he’s not all great,” Divya conceded.    “But isn’t Edward like, a hundred or something? He may look seventeen but doesn’t change the fact that he’s a bit of a n*nce.” Which Divya argued was a lot more concerning than whatever underhanded thing Jacob was doing.   I won’t let this ruin our friendship.    She smiled at Erin’s touch and playful words, a laugh leaving her before she spoke. “Okay good, let’s not let these fictional men tear us apart, it’s so early 2000s and we’re better than that.” It was 2021 after all wasn’t it? Girl power and all that.

-

Just something you had to do then. Sure. Erin thought. Maybe that was it. Maybe that’s why she struggled so much to explain it. Because it had to be done. She didn’t want it, but she hadn’t had another choice. Joss hadn’t had another choice. But she also felt they’d been dealt a shitty hand. That their decision had been forced by a lack of empathy and understanding in a desperate and unpredictable situation. It didn’t matter, she supposed. Her bitterness wasn’t at Divya. Not even a fraction of her bitterness was directed her way. So she simply nodded in agreement. Something they had to do. 

She followed her point upwards, squinting a little at the sunlight poking through canopy layer of the jungle. Before she looked back down to Divya, pressing her lips together so she didn’t chuckle in face of the dramatics. It was nice– like, beyond nice to just feel stupid and silly with someone that wasn’t Joss again. To not feel the weight on her shoulders of responsibility. She let the suspense build for a moment, before she answered. “ Team Edward. ” Though she had read a lot of Alice Cullen fanfiction back in the day, her loyalties between the main love triangle remained with the Cullens. “ I’m such a sucker for that whole love at first sight, destined to be together, almost tragic romance thing. Team Edward from day dot. ” She explained herself a little further, smile resting easily on her features. The was more to it, of course, she’d had the debate with her friends back home many times. Most of whom leaned more Jacob favourable– upsettingly. “ What team are you? ” She asked with teasingly quirked brow, repeating the question back to her.

-

Team Edward. Not to be dramatic but it felt like someone just drove a wooden stake into her. Divya put a hand over her chest dramatically. “Ugh, breaking my heart with that, Ren,” she said in jest, making a pained face before she let out a bit of a laugh. “Fairs though. Robert Pattinson is right fit and I suppose if Edward has his face then I can see the appeal.” Edward’s personality left much to be desired though. A smile remained on Divya’s face as she processed this new side of Erin. A romantic. Lover of unions powerful and doomed. “Gosh, you must love Shakespeare,” Divya said, smiling wide as she looked at Erin. It was nice to get to know the other girl in this way though. To be silly, to act their age and talk about things people their age cared about and not how much food they had left to ration with or what chores that still needed to be done. The quirk of Erin’s brow made Divya giggle before she gave an answer. “Well, if it wasn’t obvious with my reaction to you being Team Edward, I’m Team Jacob.” Her head started to bob knowingly. “I know, I know. But I will say I don’t approve of his behavior post wolfing. He just became so problematic. Kissing Bella out of the blue was not on and I’d really wished her punch had more of an effect on him.” Eclipse was a tough one for a Team Jacob girlie. “I just really like that they were friends first, you know? That he was there for her when she felt really out of sorts. They had good bants, built those bikes together...”

Elise’s eyes wandered to the area around there, the noise didn’t seem any more disturbing to her than the waves had been at their previous camp, but maybe there was something distracting her all this time. “It’s just my brain.” Her tone attempted to reassure Divya that this was no big deal, but someone witch such a small collection of social moments with her peers, she wasn’t really sure how well it translated. “I’m fine. I just, I don’t really sleep. I have these pills for it but, I don’t know how long i’ll need to save them for, you know?” “Of course.” Elise had been relieved at the chance to share clothes, something that friends normally did after all, right? The idea of lumping Divya into that category, one whose survivor count was still to be determined sent a chill down her arm. It was hard not to smile at someone as kind and soft as Divya, someone who seemed to keep a level of optimism. Which is why it took Elise a moment to really absorb the reality check that she was offering. She nodded, looking back to the other and wiping what remnants of tears remained on her face. “I don’t think I knew what I wanted to hear, but you’re right, thanks.” Her lips turned up to one side as she pondered whether to make the leap. “Can I ask you something?” She hesitated one more time before exhaling and taking the plunge. “Can I hug you?”

-

Divya offered a sympathetic smile at Elise. “Brains. Cause all sorts of trouble don’t they?” It was weak attempt at lightening the mood. She listened as Elise explained her struggle. She understood the other’s need to ration the pills. Day after day on this island, what they thought would be a 24 or perhaps even 48-hour waiting period has turned into something much more. It was indefinite at this point and it was so scary to hold that reality in your mind. “How many do you have?” Divya asked, hoping the number was higher than a handful.

Seeing Elise’s lips curve upwards at a side made Divya feel more relieved than she could express. Words might not have been much usually but if they helped someone else then maybe they were worth everything. “A question?” Divya echoed, tilting her head in surprise. “Yeah, for sure, babes. Go for it. Just know if it’s a Maths question I’ll need a piece of paper before I give you a proper answer,” she said, offering a small chuckle. Again with the slight humour. Divya felt a sprinkle of it wherever she could manage really helped eased her. It was never easy to be on the receiving end of ‘can I ask you question’. But what Elise asked her really shouldn’t have been any worry to Divya at all. A hug! Of course, she would give Elise a hug. She’d give anybody a hug if they needed it.

“Come here,” Divya said, taking the initiative to lean forward and snake her arms around Elise. Her chin rested atop the other girl’s shoulder and she held the blonde close. “Whenever you need one, you come find me. I’ve got you.” It was the least she could do.

…

“i believe in you,” shane said, with a wide smile as she passed the axe and branch over to her. in a weird way, it made her think about to those first days on the island, when she and divya went down to the wreckage for the first time and how they helped push each other to try their best to make it. it feels like a lifetime ago since that happened and in some ways, the two of them have grown so much since then. shane watched as divya started working, mostly keeping and eye on her to make sure she was doing it right and wasn’t about to cut a finger off or something, but div seemed to have the hang of it pretty quickly by the time she held up the branch to show shane. “not bad,” she said taking the branch to look at it. “that’s perfect dude, exactly like that.” she set the branch down with the couple shane had already finished before grabbing a fresh one. “think you can handle more? i can work on preparing them and then start setting them up once you have enough shaved.” it would go faster if they had a second axe, but obviously they can’t do anything about that.

-

The sense of accomplishment Divya felt invigorated her. Like she’d just had the most delicious sip of ice cold water and a fresh breeze just passed by. It wasn’t often that she felt capable around camp, always more than willing to taking the backseat or some feeble no-brainer task, so this was a big deal to her. “I most certainly think I can,” Divya said with a spirited nod of her head. “Bring them here. We’ll be streamlining this before you know it. A two-person factory, you and I.” She chuckled.

Divya barely felt time pass as she and Shane worked together to rid the branches of their bumps and oddities. The last time she’d zone out this happily and filled with purpose was when she was back home playing Animal Crossing. God, she missed her Switch but this probably far better for her than sitting on her bum all day. “Right then, are there any more?” She asked, looking over at Shane and then where the pile usually was. There wasn’t anything there anymore though. “Have we got all of them?” She asked, more so out of surprise than curiosity.

.

Of course there were things that they were better off saving than Halima’s stuff, but she still felt selfishly glad to still have a hold of it. The familiar smells of home had long worn off from her jacket but she still held it close once in awhile, seeking it out all the same. Sometimes convincing herself it was there underneath the sand and the salt: Caballero cigarettes, thiouraye, weed, coffee. She liked having her old journal, flipping through it just to remember sitting on Jahou’s bed with it perched on her knees. Jahou’s chin tucked over Halima’s shoulder as she laughed and read about whatever weird, partly-discernable notes Halima left in it about a dream the moment she woke up.

And she liked the shells she collected over the course of nearly three weeks. She had dozens, all of which she ritualistically cleaned and sorted and studied and organized into rows or groups only to place them all back in her bag again when she went to sleep. Sometimes she experimented with them: rubbed them against rocks, against each other, tried to shape them into things, to carve things into them. Now, crouched low, she lined a handful of them up on the wide, fallen branch near where she’d gone to bed the night before, from largest to smallest. It was meditative, almost. Ceremonial. It felt good to have some kind of hobby, like the tiniest scrap of normalcy she could get her hands on.

After some time, she heard a tentative voice behind her. She craned her head to look over her shoulder, her heel turning on the ground with the movement. It slipped more easily than if it had just ground into dirt. Halima glanced down. The aforementioned card had lodged itself under her shoe with her previous adjustment. She looked back at Divya, the question of whether or not the other girl could approach to grab her card a little ludicrous. But in a sort of funny way. Divya seemed like the type of person who was funny on accident a lot, or even like if she were a guy she’d tip her fedora and address Halima with a m’lady, mayst I approacheth? Halima checked herself. She made a face. Less-than-kind thought. What the hell did she even really know about this version of Divya? “Hi,” she eventually said back, putting emphasis on the word, then reached to pluck the card from beneath her heel. She looked at what it held: two arrows moving in opposite directions. Whatever that meant. Deciding it not worth her energy to try and decipher nor ask for an explanation of the symbol, she simply held it up for Divya’s retrieval. “So the stereotype’s true? British people really do have an uncontrollable habit of apologizing for literally everything.” Or at least totally random stuff, like the weather or correcting people or even just greeting them apparently. “Do you say sorry to the waiter when your food sucks at a restaurant too? Or when someone bumps into you?”

-

Seeing the card held out to her, Divya leaned over to take it from Halima, muttering a soft “thank you” before moving away again and giving the other girl her space. Then Halima spoke and all Divya could do was blink at her rather dumbly, surprised Halima decided to spare her more than a few words. Was that a literal question or a rhetorical one? Divya wondered. She wasn’t sure, and she was afraid of answering and looking like an idiot in front of Halima or not answering and looking like an idiot in front of Halima. She could not believe for the life of her that this was one of the most stressful moments of her existence and she was literally marooned on an island in the middle of nowhere, expected to fend and forage for her survival. Talking to people that intimidated you was just a different breed. Though most questions were meant to be answered weren’t they? So Divya decided to just go for it, Halima’s reaction be damned. She started with an awkward chuckle before she spoke. “Well, um– it’s just instinct innit really. When someone bumps into you.” Divya couldn’t remember the last time she bumped into a person but she was sure she’d said sorry on impulse regardless of whether or not it was her fault. On the positive side: “Can’t say I’ve apologised to a waiter for my food being bad though.” A beat as she thought back to her past dining experiences. “Though I’m pretty sure I’ve lied before and said a dish was lovely when it just absolutely wasn’t because I didn’t want to make the wait staff feel bad,” she admitted, following her words with a soft laugh. Damn, maybe Halima was right and the stereotype was true. Then again, there were people like her Uncle Marty who would rather lay into a person than say sorry. “Thanks for the card,” Divya said, waving it lightly in her hand. “You, uh, you alright?” She asked after a moment, looking behind Halima. “Making something?”

-

Erin tried to listen to Divya’s analogy, dinner party and loo and all. But it’s difficult. Because yeah, it was sort of like that, she supposed. But what happened if she agreed out loud? If she agreed that she thought that people were being harsh, and not even bothering to be concerned why she might so desperately need to go to the bathroom in the middle of a lovely dinner party. Not even bothering to ask. But she didn’t feel like she could say it. Not because she didn’t trust Divya, but because she wasn’t sure how long she could convince herself she could stay if she started saying the things she was thinking. The things she was feeling. But then a question was directed at her, and she couldn’t just not answer. “ Of course. ” She said at first, the internal debate of whether to say more or not lasting a moment in her mind before she continued. “ It wasn’t an easy decision, like I know some of the others think it must’ve been or whatever. But it wasn’t one I, like, wanted to make. Joss neither. ” Her words came out a little awkward, somewhere between defending and explaining herself. She didn’t think Divya was holding it against her, but maybe Divya was just a people pleaser. She and Joss had never talked about it, but Erin knew it wasn’t an easy decision for Joss either. Just by looking at her, getting to know her, starting to understand her. She just knew. The same way she knew it wasn’t an easy decision to come back. It wasn’t an easy decision to stay. None of it was easy for either of them. But there was that small solace in knowing the other would understand it. For that, Erin was grateful. 

Unintentionally, her stance was a little defensive. Well, not even a little, it was completely defensive. After she was done scratching at her collar her arms folded over her stomach as she walked. Shoulders angling inward, posture that would give her father a migrane just looking at it. Making herself small as if it would help. As if it had ever helped. But then out came Divya’s topic suggestion and it completely loosened her up. Brows raising in surprise and unable to stop the chuckle that escaped her. Smile remaining on her features after the laugh. “ O-kay, ” She said at first, dragging the word out and trying not to laugh again. “ Yeah, okay. Edward Cullen. ” She nodded, pressing lips together in attempt to hide the smile. “ In what, like, regard? ” She asked, smile reappearing quickly because that made it sound so much more serious than it was. “ Like, are we talking teams, ” Meaning, of course, Team Edward vs Team Jacob, “ or, like, the vampire lore or …? ”

-

Of course. Divya felt relief course through her body. So Erin and Joss didn’t leave because they disliked the Eves for the opinions they held. They left for their own reasons, just as Divya had thought. As Erin went on to explain that it wasn’t an easy decision that neither she or Joss wanted to make, Divya merely nodded. It sounded like something she’s heard before. From her parents. Or her brother. Some decision they had no choice but to make regardless of how unpopular it might have been. It was divisive but brave, and part of Divya envied it – the ability to make that kind of choice. She tended to do what made others happy. She didn’t like that about herself. “Just something you had to do then,” she said, for the moment content to leave it at that as she looked to the distance. Of course she wanted to know why they felt they had to, what it was about the boys that made she and Joss feel they had no choice but to leave. But right now didn’t feel like the time or place. 

“Well, I was thinking vampire lore. Because of how vampire skin looks in the sunlight and all that.” She pointed upwards to where the sun was peaking in through the trees. “But... I do feel like it’s important to figure out where we stand on one very crucial matter first.” The thing that divided countless of fans of the multi-million dollar franchise: the Team Edward vs Team Jacob of it all. “So...” She looked to Erin then, a bit nervous about what she was about to ask. “What team are you?”

-

“ Mmhmm, Stockton, but yeah ” Erin hummed, nodding her head with enthusiasm. It completely floored and touched her that Divya remembered the town she was from. Or almost did. California was easy, she had that accent. That way of speaking. And she probably also mentioned it more than she realised. But the town? That was a little special. Warming her heart with ease. “ Yeah, Stockton’s a little more inland than all those. And more north too. It’s right in between San Fransisco and Yosemite National Park, so like, lots of camping spots around. ” She explained, using her hands to display San Fransisco and Yosemite. As if that would help someone not from California, or even America, picture her home. She smiled softly, pleasantly at the news that Divya had still gotten some sleep. “ Yeah, big day, huh. But I’m glad you managed to get some sleep because of it. ”

Smile faltered, however. Shrinking down as Divya continued. “ Oh, no, it’s cool. No need to thank me, anyone else would have done the same. ” She said, waving her hand a little. Not ungrateful for the thanks but dismissive of the notion she needed to be thanked at all. She had indeed sprung to action, but she didn’t want to be the fixer again. The person the group looked to. The semi-leader that she was before. She wasn’t anticipating what Divya said next, and she almost felt emotional hearing it. Well, not almost. She did feel emotional hearing it, but she hoped it didn’t show. Because that was a little pathetic. That the simple words ‘I’m really glad you’re back,’ would be so touching that she’d feel her chest tighten immediately. But (and don’t sue me, sam writing this, if im wrong) Divya was the first to say something of that nature to her since her return. She looked at the ground, feeling her stomach tighten next as she continued. People need time to catch up is all I think. Erin didn’t even have a similar look on it. She thought people were plenty caught up. Or at least certainly felt they were. “ Um, thank you, ” She started with. Because even though the words came out awkwardly, thanking Divya felt important. Because the things she said were kind and the reasons she was saying them was because she was kind. And Erin was grateful for that. “ But yeah, you don’t, like, have to say that. ” She said, looking to Divya briefly as she assured her. “ It’s okay. People are gonna feel what they feel. And, I mean, we did, like, leave so … ” She trailed off, lifting hand as she looked away to scratch lightly at her collar. Not even sure where she intended on going with that, it had just felt like the palatable thing to say. People could feel what they felt, because it seemed it didn’t matter if Erin was hurt by it. As long as Erin came back and just kept helping the group when they needed it and kept her head down at all other times. Then she could be forgiven for leaving. What a load of shit. “ We don’t have to talk about it. There’s better things to talk about. ”

-

Divya was confused as to why Erin was thanking her. It felt like such an odd thing to be thanked for. She hadn’t said it to be thanked, and as Erin went on, she thought she surely hadn’t said anything because she felt she had to say them. She wanted to say it. Because she wanted to believe it. That things between the Eves would sort themselves out and they’d all be one big happy unit sooner than later. It was very naïve but Divya wasn’t great at being a pessimist. Her heart naturally longed for the brighter side of things, the rainbow after the storm. 

People are gonna feel what they feel. And, I mean, we did, like, leave so… Divya’s face twisted in thought as she tried to articulate what was in her head. “Yeah, but...” She had an analogy and she wasn’t sure if it was any good, but it was the best she had at the moment so she was going for it. “–it’s like being at the dinner table, yeah, where the conversation’s really flowing and everyone’s having a laugh, and then you leave because you really have to go to the loo. And then people being upset that the conversation didn’t flow as good because you had to wee.” She frowned, upset with herself for not being able to express herself better. Divya tried again. “Like yes, everyone’s entitled to the way they feel but also, it’s a bit unfair to be so hard on you two when you left for your own reasons...” A beat. “Right?” It was less of a question and more of something for Erin to clarify. Divya was assuming that anyway. She was hoping that rather. That Erin and Joss left because of what they felt regarding the boys and not because they disliked the Eves for the opinions they held.

We don’t have to talk about it. There’s better things to talk about. Divya nodded her head, taking the hint that she should stop there before this supposedly fun adventure took a turn for the worst. “Okay...” Divya said, happy to move on if Erin was. “I think we should talk about...” She looked around for inspiration. It was only when she looked up, seeing the sunlight coming in from the spaces of the trees above, that an idea came to her. “Edward Cullen,” she decided. It was a bit ridiculous to take such a sharp turn into another topic of discussion but Divya felt as though she toed the line far enough and didn’t want to make Erin uncomfortable ( or any more uncomfortable if she had already ), especially since Erin offered to entertain Divya’s silly idea of following the waterfall.

-

Erin hummed softly in agreement, a small nod of her head as Divya spoke. Yeah, being near the waterfall was nice. It was useful. Until she remembered that the other group knew where it was– or so she assumed, it’s not like anyone was talking about the other group given … everything. She looked over at her companion when she voiced it not being the best, joining her in soft chuckle at the mention of bugs in ears. “ Well, the good news is, the waterfall’s nice and close if we have to flush any bugs out of ears. ” She said, a joke she wasn’t sure landed even with her smile. So she followed up after just a second, “ I’m kidding. I don’t think it’s as common as people think, the whole bugs in ears while you sleep thing. ” Her dad had choked on a fly once, but he’d been wide awake for that. Her brows lifted briefly. “ Me? Oh, yeah, um– ” It was a force of habit to be shocked when people asked about her. She had been getting better at it, but she was only human. “ I don’t mind it, I guess. ” She offered with a relatively non-committal shrug. When she was out here with Joss, she had slept fairly well. In short shifts, but with someone she trusted. Or maybe it just felt like really good sleep after a couple nights without. She nodded when asked if she slept okay, touched a little by the question. “ Yeah, I got a little. I was pretty exhausted. ” If she was pretty exhausted why had she only gotten a little? “ I camp a bit at home so the noise is sort of familiar. In a way. ” Well– Yosemite had different birds and different animals and even the trees sounded different when they moved in the wind– “ More familiar than the beach, at least. ” She corrected herself with a light, amused tone. “ What about you? ” She asked, “ Did you get much shut eye in between being worried about bugs? ”

-

Listening to Erin, Divya couldn’t help but quirk a brow at something she’d said. If she’d been rather exhausted, why had she only slept a little? Bit odd wasn’t it? But rather than press, Divya simply listened on until a natural pause came for her to ask a question. “Home is...” She thought back, trying to remember to the introductions on the plane. “...California for you, right? Stockford?” She wasn’t sure on that one. “Are there a lot of places to camp there? I always think of beaches whenever I think of California. Because of L.A. and Malibu and all that.” What was shown in movies or music videos. She didn’t know all that much about America to be honest. Though news of their politics usually found their way to Divya one way or another, be it through an example given in school or her parents just going on about it. “More than I thought I’d get to be honest,” she shared with a soft chuckle. “If I wasn’t so tired from all of the moving we had to do yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have slept at all. Everything’s just so different out here.” A beat and then, “Thank you by the way.” She looked at Erin then as they made their way along. “For being so on it yesterday with the tide. I don’t think we would’ve saved as much as we had if you weren’t there.” It was true. Had Erin not come in and alert the group when she had, who knew what would’ve happened? Honestly, there was more Divya wanted to say to Erin but she was nervous. Very hesitant to bring up her and Joss’s stint away from the group in fear that it might shift the mood in a way they couldn’t come back from. But walking around it, like it hadn’t happened at all, was almost just as bad Divya thought. Too many people in her life have avoided talking about important things all of the time when she was growing up. It didn’t make her feel good. She didn’t want the way she felt back then to be the way she felt here too since being marooned out here was bad enough. So Divya made an effort to try and be different, to go against something that was so normalised to her. “I’m really glad you’re back,” she said, feeling her heart race at the words. “I don’t know much of the details or anything,” like why exactly the boys made Erin and Joss want to leave or what Shane had said to get her and Joss to return, “but it was really nice to wake up today and see you and Joss around.” To have everyone together. To know relatively that everyone was safe. “I know things around camp aren’t... the easiest right now,” what with some of the tension and everything and Shane and Joss’s fight, “but I’m hopeful it’ll sort itself out. It’s just a lot of changes so quick, you know? People need time to catch up is all I think.” God, was that too much? Divya hoped it wasn’t.

-

Erin shook her head, corners of her lips starting to pull into a small grin as she did. “ Nope, not doing anything. ” She confirmed, popping the p in nope. And though she wasn’t about to admit it, she was sort of desperate for something to do. The idea of sitting around the new camp, twiddling her thumbs and thinking about what everyone else was thinking about her or saying behind her back would drive her literally crazy. She smiled easily, clapping her hands once in front of her chest and pressing them together. “ Awesome, let’s do it. ” She said before she started moving, back out away from the waterfall so they could walk to the top without the risk of falling off a rocky ledge. She can’t stand the quiet for longer than a moment, it was sort of absurd how quickly her brain wanted to run to the negative as of late. But just because she thought it was absurd didn’t mean she could stop it. “ How do you feel about the new camp spot? ” She asked, looking over her shoulder back at Divya.

-

An adventure! A fun deviation from what Divya thought her day would be. One with Erin no less. Divya had missed her. It was going to be so nice to spend this time together, she thought. To get familiar again after the other girl had been gone for a brief time. She looked up from where she was going when Erin addressed her. “New camp spot? S’alright, yeah.” It was obvious Divya wasn’t too keen on it. But it’s only been a day. She was still adjusting. “I like that it’s close to the waterfall so it’s easier to do things but the ground here it’s...” Her mouth tugged awkwardly at a side, making a face. “–not the best.” Then again it was early days. She was just more used to sand or the cave’s floor. “I was so scared something was going to crawl into my ears at night,” she admitted with a chuckle, part in jest and part in truth. “What about you? How d’you feel about it?” About being back? Divya almost wanted to ask but thankfully kept those words in her mouth. Instead, she tried to go about it a bit more subtly. “Did you, um, sleep well?” Already, that felt like too much to Divya so she added another question, hoping to make it as though she really as curious about Erin’s comfort regarding the new location and not the group. “Or– or was the noise a lot? The sounds are different out here.”

…

watching as divya enthusiastically agreed and took the axe for herself, shane would happily take the safer of the two jobs. she didn’t mind since any amount of help would make the job go by quicker. but div quickly became apprehensive to the idea. “why don’t i show you how it’s done and then you can do that?” she asked, wanting to try and give divya some encouragement that she could do it if she wanted. she took the axe back from her and picked up one of the branches, positioning it in front of her. “obviously, always cut away from yourself. i’ve just been carefully scrapping off any big bumps and stuff in the wood. it doesn’t have to be perfect, it’s going to be covered up anyways, but you don’t a big ass knot pocking you in the back while you try to sleep.” while she was explaining to her, shane had been shaving off parts of the branch, making it smooth. “sure you don’t want to do it? it’s kind of fun,” she offered with a smile, holding the axe back out to her. 

-

With Shane offering to show her how it’s done, Divya thought on it for a beat before ultimately giving a nod her head and agreeing. It would be useful after all for her to learn how to wield the axe and use it. Watching Shane, Divya paid close attention. She didn’t want to hurt herself or Shane after all. It seemed easy enough but people who were good at things always made them look easy. It did look rather fun though... Maybe she could give it a try. The smile Shane offered helped sway Divya’s decision. “Right, I’ll give it a go,” she said, taking the axe from Shane and settling down on the ground. “We’ll see how I do with one branch. If no one’s bleeding after it, I might do a second one.” She joked. And then another and another after that as long as no one was hurt or bleeding and Divya wasn’t positively terrible at smoothing down branches. 

Branch at the ready and axe in hand, Divya cautiously raked the axe’s blade against the wood. Away from herself. Just as Shane had instructed. Several shavings in, she didn’t think she was doing all that bad. She wasn’t bleeding yet. Neither was Shane. That was a good sign, right? She went on until the stick of wood was more or less smooth with no pokey bits or protrusions. “Okay, not trying to jinx myself but I think this came out respectable.” She showed the branch off to Shane for her thoughts. “What do you think?”

-

Erin’s lips pressed together as she attempted to hide her smile in the face of Divya’s laughter. Attempted, but failed completely. “ God, yeah, so true. TLC would be so disappointed in me right now. ” She said, shaking her head with false disappointment at herself and smile still tugging at the corners of her lips.  She watched Divya’s reaction to her words carefully out of the corner of her eye. Trying to not make it obvious but her reaction was important. If Divya reacted negatively to the fact that she and Joss had been gone and now they were back, then what chance did she stand with the rest of the group? But her words, as far as Erin could tell, went over without much of a reaction. Which was completely relieving. She nodded her head, humming an agreement before she looked back at the waterfall. Back to the top where the water spilled over. She smiled lightly again at the idea of a McDonald’s hidden at the start of the waterfall. “ I think that’s way better than a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. ” She said looking to Divya again with amusement before she looked around. Considering things for a moment. “ Well– ” There were probably better ways to spend their time, but she was trying not to get too hung up on proving her worth to the group like she had before she left. A day with Divya could be very nice. “ What are you doing now? ” She asked, looking back to the other. “ We could do it today. A bit of it, anyway. See if it does connect to that stream. ” She suggested. 

-

Divya was relieved Erin seemed to go along with her joke and didn’t find it totally stupid. Her attempts at being humorous didn’t always land. At taller girl’s question, Divya tried to recall if she was doing anything at all before the waterfall stole her attention but the answer eluded her. “Err, not much at all I don’t think,” she admitted. She’d gone about the tasks she could do. Attempting more with her limited skill set would probably hurt the group more than help it. So when Erin offered to ‘try and chase the waterfall’, Divya’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’re not doing anything?” She asked. Part of her couldn’t believe Erin wanted to spend her day doing such a silly thing but she was happy regardless that she offered to entertain Divya’s idea. “I would very much like to see if it does. Let’s do it, yeah.”

…

shane gave a smile, slightly bigger than the weak one she had jus given. she may feel like she’s been fucking things up lately, but it was nice to think that she may actually be able to do something helpful and important. it wasn’t about taking credit for it, but just the fact that she wanted to be useful. “that’s what i was thinking,” she said with a nod. between the mud and bugs and god knows what else is out here, it would be best to not sleep on the ground. at least on the beach it was just sand fleas they had to worry about and those only really popped up where the sand was wet. “um,” shane looked down at what she was doing when divya asked how she can help. she had a plan in her head, she just had to put it into words now. “so, i’ve been cutting down these saplings,” she pointed to the large pile next to her. “and now i’m just taking the axe and stripping them, ya know, like cut off any twigs or knots in the wood so it’s more smooth. then we can use them to make a platform to put palm frons on for cushion. maybe prop it all up on some rocks or bigger logs so it can be off the ground a bit.” she was talking with her hands, gesturing vaguely as she explained her plan before letting them drop back down to her lap. “so i guess if you want to help me keep cleaning off the wood? one of us breaks off the big stuff and the other cut everything off with the axe? then we can try setting it all up and see how it holds up.”

-

Divya was nodding her head as Shane went through her plan for the bed, her attention shifting from Shane to each component she mentioned and then back at the soccer captain when necessary. It all seemed sound to her. She couldn’t see how a makeshift bed wouldn’t come of it. “Sounds like a plan. Can I shave the bad bits off with the axe?” At the mention of it, Divya picked the tool up, gripping the handle and feeling the weight of it in her hand. “You know, I’ve never held this before. It’s pretty exciting.” She stared at it for a moment before the common sense that a first timer probably shouldn’t be trying such a thing. “Or actually, maybe you should use the axe...” She held it back out to Shane, deciding that it was dangerous for her to have a handle on such a tool. “I’ll break off the big bits. You can do the finetuning.” It was probably safer for everyone involved that way. “You alright with that?”