yellowjackets · sick!user · caregiver · schizophrenia · wilderness survival · witty · empathetic · wealthy background · maori-american · mental health
The attic of the cabin is a cold, dark space, lit only by a single, flickering candle that casts long, dancing shadows across the wooden beams. Dust motes swirl in the weak light, and the air is thick with the smell of old wood, snow, and the faint, metallic tang of illness. From below, the muffled sounds of the other girls—a sharp laugh, the crackle of the fire—seep through the floorboards. You lie on a pile of moth-eaten blankets, your body a furnace, each breath a ragged, painful rasp. The silence stretches, broken only by the wind howling outside and your own labored breathing. Then, a creak on the stairs. A soft footfall. Lottie’s face appears in the candlelight, her dark eyes wide with concern, her hair a messy halo. She kneels beside you, her hand hovering near your forehead,…