Marie- Day One

Marie almost got up and left, just like Jordan did. It was only sheer stubbornness that kept her put, her mind circling over itself like vultures over a piece of meat. Except these vultures were fighting over the same thought, the same argument.

Why did she come here. She really shouldn't have. Jordan was right, they should have stayed with the group. Should have, should have, should have. So many things she should have done differently.

She knew Merick and Alex didn't blame her, at least she hoped they didn't. She couldn't decipher Merick's sudden coldness towards her, nor could she understand Alex's dark eyes, staring into the corners of the cave, sometimes landing on Merick or her.

Marie pulled out her phone. If nothing, she might as well pass the time. Flipping it open, she quickly closed it and tucked it away. She shouldn't waste the battery. They might still find a use for it. Her throat was getting dry, her tongue suddenly obnoxious in her mouth. Suddenly the paranoia crept into her mind. What if they didn't get out? What if this is where she dies? What if she'll die a slow death, one without food or water? What if...

She stood. "I'm going to go for a walk or something." She mumbled. Merick opened his eyes slowly before standing as well.

"Yeah. I guess I'll go too. I think I need some fresh air. Besides, we can find some water or something." Trust Merick to be on the same line of thinking as her.

Then Alex hit them with the knowledge about cactus water and how animals wouldn't be out until later.

So Merick sat back down again. Marie did too, finding no point in going out if it wouldn't yield anything useful.

Then she stood again and decided to go out anyway. She needs the fresh air. She needed to clear her mind. She couldn't stand being in that cave for too long. Marie swore there was always something on the edge of her vision, but whenever she looked, there was nothing.

The paranoia really was getting to her.

Outside the air had cooled, ever so slightly, as the afternoon dipped into the evening. It was still horribly hot, but Marie didn't think they'd be lucky enough to be rescued today. She lost that hope when her phone hadn't worked out here, and when the bus hadn't come back within the hour, and when Jordan left, and when he had blamed it all on her.

It was fair, she supposed, to be blamed for this. But then again they were here to take pictures of cool things.

Speaking of- she took her camera, lightly tapping the frame before bringing it to her eye and taking a picture of the horizon. The colors had begun to mix now; deep purples intertwining with blues and pinks, the blazing sun just a bright white dot in the sky.

It was poetic, in a way, the way everything mixed, but didn't touch, the way the sun was its own element.

Marie turned to her camera and stared at the picture she had just taken. She then turned around towards the cave, taking a picture of the entrance as well.

It was just a crack of darkness against the sandy rocks. The tree next to it was the only source of life other than the cacti around them.

She went back inside, crawling through the entrance but not sliding down yet, instead turning on her flash and snapping a photo of the two boys sitting along the walls before coming down towards them.

"Pictures?" Merrick asked her, almost condescendingly. His eyes were shut, as if he was ready to fall asleep. She frowned at him.

"Yeah, and why not? If you want to get all famous from being stuck here you'll need pictures to prove it," She replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I only said that if I'm stuck here I might as well make it worth it, which is what you're doing, isn't it?" He retorted, opening an eye to glance at her.

"Guys…" Alex groaned. "Now is really not the time for a sibling rivalry. Please?"

Marie stopped her reply to Merrick, if only for Alex. Instead she glanced at her camera again.

And froze.

The flash had created weird shadows in the picture, the cave walls looking like bars of a prison from all the folding rocks.

The strangest shadow of all, though, was near Merrick.

It was almost a humanoid shape, but not with set edges. There wasn't really a way to tell where it stood or how it was even there. And of course Marie's common sense argued with her that 'of course it wasn't really there. It was just a shadow. The camera's flash created those', but it didn't stop her from staring, completely oblivious that Alex had called her name and when she hadn't answered, had stepped up next to her.

"Woah. That's pretty strange." He said, pointing out the shape that she had been staring at as well.

"Strange," she said in agreement. "It's… I don't know. A weird shadow I guess." She mumbled the last bit, though her eyes wouldn't leave the strange image. Merick opened his eyes and glanced up at them before standing up and stopping beside Marie as well.

"That… that was next to me?" He pointed out, and his face paled again at the thought.

"I think that was just a shadow," Marie repeated. She wasn't sure if she was just trying to convince herself at this point. Alex and Merick both stepped back.

"I... I don't know Marie. I mean, what if- well... nevermind. It's just the heat getting to me." The last words were barely mumbled out.

"I think…" Alex took a deep breath. "I think tomorrow we should consider a new plan. With some food and stuff. And gathering water. The bus didn't come today, it proabbly doesn't even know where we're lost. We can't rely on them to come quickly. A-and we'll die out here without food or water." He shuffled his feet, kicking up some of the loose rocks. Merick didn't speak, staring at a wall, his jaw clenching and unclenching slowly, methodically. Marie realized it was a way to calm himself.

"Yeah. We can go out and see if we can catch any animals outside when it gets darker. But if not, then we'll have to figure something out."

"Luckily, I paid attention to the bus driver when she was giving us all that information," Alex smiled, glancing at Merick, and Marie knew he saw the same thing she did. She wanted to go and comfort her brother, huh him like they used to when they were both five and scared of the dark, the shadows the moonlight formed in their rooms. But she knew he wouldn't want it now; knew also that there was really nothing she could do. She just had a feeling that what was bothering him was deeper than the idea of being stuck out here.

"Let's see if you can actually use that information," she scoffed instead to Alex. And they both went outside to wait.