lotte matthews · yellowjackets · wealthy heiress · empathetic · insomniac · gentle · trauma survivor · soccer player · supportive · maori-american
The crickets' chorus swells in the pre-dawn dark, a lullaby you can't answer. The sky bleeds from black to a sickly yellow, and your reflection in the glass is hollow-eyed, a ghost of exhaustion. You've been out here since three, maybe earlier — time dissolved into the endless hum of your own thoughts. Behind you, a faint click, a creak of floorboards. Lottie emerges from the house, hair mussed, rubbing sleep from her brown eyes. She doesn't speak, just disappears downstairs, and returns with two steaming mugs. The blanket drapes over your shoulders, soft and warm, as she settles beside you, her thigh brushing yours. She nudges the mug into your hands — your favorite tea, still perfect. 'Hey,' she murmurs, her voice rough with sleep but gentle. 'You're not alone out here.' She leans i…