~The Rotten Branch~

Chapter 01: The Car Ride

~Amaya~

The car rumbled along the bumpy narrow road surrounded by towering trees. Inside was the atmosphere filled with tension and a sense of unease among us.

  A small tune lingers its way through this banged-up car. Somehow, all seven of us manage to stick ourselves inside of here. The song, barely audible by the chatter of us all, manages to weave its way through.

  It catches the attention of no one other than the self-centered Gloria Allard. Her long, light blonde hair flicks off of the back of her seat up in the shotgun. She rests both of her feet in a crossed position on the dashboard.

  "I like this song," She states bluntly, and turns it up to full volume; not caring if she busted out the other's ears.

  It is "Purple Rain" by Prince. Suddenly, Gloria is all about and singing the lyrics: "Purple rain, purple rain," She sang dramatically. I shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She exchanged a weary glance with Jacan, who sat beside her with the same expression of unease.

"What is this song?" Ri'me speaks up, her eyes misted and clouted with nothing but pure and utter confusion. A smile, a jubilant smile is plastered on her face, as if she were perfectly fine with the blasting music. She indulges with sarcasm, "Is this some sort of break-up depression, I-am-a-tragic-person-now-because-you-left-me sort of song?"

"I'm not sure if this is the right vibe for camping," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely audible over the music.

Beside me, Jacan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, maybe something a bit more... relaxing?" he suggested, shifting his gaze to Cameron who sat behind the wheel.

Cameron glanced back at them, his eyes meeting theirs in the mirror. "I can change it if you want," he offered, a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Here out of sheer and raw irony, Ri'me had to throw in her own line. Her own line, of which somehow contained meaning inside of it, while also being completely ridiculous. She exclaimed, "Why would we want relaxation on a trip, when we are meant to enjoy the leisure time here? What would be the fun of it, if all we did was sit on those our grandparents' beach towels in the forest under the sunlight in silence? If this was all relaxation, this wouldn't be a camping trip, it'd be a school field trip! Come on guys, we can't just relax on a trip like this! It'll be too boring if we do so!"

But before anyone could respond, Gloria's voice soared once again, drowning out any chance of further conversation as she continued to sing along with the blaring music. Clearly, no one else was enjoying this but Gloria and Ri'me. I sighed and leaned back in my seat. This camping trip was going to be anything but relaxing.

I exchanged a glance with Jacan, silently acknowledging our shared discomfort. Despite all the noise from Gloria, I could see the worry etched into his features, mirroring my own.

Suddenly, my best friend, Naoko, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up from the backseat, her voice trembling slightly. "Hey, can we maybe turn the music down a bit?" she asked, her eyes darting nervously between us.

Gloria's eyes narrowed at the interruption, an expression of annoyance crossing her features before she hesitantly reached for the volume knob. As the music softened to a more bearable level, a sense of relief washed over the car.

"What, do you guys not love this song?" Gloria gives one of her exaggerated sighs.

She turns around, to see everyone else's expressions. At seeing them, she scowls, and rolls her eyes. Unhappily, she twists back to her original position.

Gloria murmurs to Cameron, "You liked the song, didn't you?"

Gloria and Cameron have been long-time best friends. Since they were eight. The two are basically like siblings. However, whatever Gloria states, Cameron must oblige to it, and agree.

"Oh, of course I liked it," He says, "it was just too loud for some of the others,"

He glances at Naoko. Gloria seems a tinge less upset than before. Cameron gives her a weary smile.

A heavy silence settled over us, and it began to get awkward.

"Maybe we should talk about what we want to do once we get to the campsite," I suggested tentatively, hoping to steer the conversation away from the growing dislike between Gloria and the rest of us.

Jacan nodded in agreement, his expression a mix of relief and apprehension. "Yeah, it might be a good idea to have a plan in place," he added, casting a wary glance at Gloria, who sat with her arms crossed and a scowl firmly in place.

Gloria's eyes narrowed at the suggestion, her jaw clenched in irritation. "I don't need a plan," she snapped, with defiance. "I know what I'm doing."

But before anyone could respond, Naoko spoke up, her voice hesitant but determined. "Maybe we could at least decide on where to set up our tents," she suggested, her eyes pleading for some semblance of cooperation.

Cameron nodded in agreement, his gaze flicking between each of us in turn. "That sounds like a good place to start," he said, his voice calm and steady despite the mounting tension.

We began to discuss the logistics of our camping trip, as the resentment between Gloria and the rest of us boiled over into a heated argument.

"I'm tired of always having to cater to your whims, Gloria!" Jacan's voice rose above the fray, his frustration evident in every word.

Gloria's eyes flashed with anger, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Oh, like you're any better, Jacan! Always acting like you know what's best for everyone."

Naoko tried to interject, her voice trembling with emotion. "Guys, please, this isn't helping..."

However, her words were drowned out by the continued bickering, the argument spiraling further out of control with each passing moment.

Cameron, ever the voice of reason, attempted to calm the situation. "Come on, let's just focus on getting our tents set up," he urged, his tone firm but gentle.

His words, too, fell on deaf ears as the argument raged on; each of us too caught up in our own grievances to heed his advice.

So, as we finally reached the campsite, tensions still simmering beneath the surface.

As the car rolled to a stop at the edge of the campsite, a heavy silence descended upon us. With a sense of relief, we piled out of the car, eager to escape the sky, all bright and yellow, beaming smiles to those below.

However, the unease still lingered, beneath the surface of our seemingly carefree excursion. Little did we know, this brief moment of tension was just the beginning of the turmoil and betrayal that would soon tear our group apart in the unforgiving wilderness.
------
And.... that's the first chapter!!!
-Ripplestream11