Elspeth Jackson's Story

Alex had always enjoyed the nighttime, and even more in Infinity than on Earth. The darkness was comforting. She didn't have to listen to anyone talk and the sound of the animals outside was extremely comforting to her. It was even better being wrapped up in the arms of Brass, the boy that she had fallen in love with since being in Infinity.

Everything was going fine until, like usual, Ella had to ruin it. Alex had taken on an older sister role to the seventeen-year-old like many of the others had, being that she was so naive and vulnerable, but that didn't stop her from despising the redhead 99% of the time. She was just so... stupid... and annoying... and clingy. Alex could go on for hours about it.

The younger girl burst into Brass' hut without hesitation and before Alex could tell her to get out, she was being poked and prodded at and told to wake up so they could go swimming. Honestly, Alex knew that she shouldn't be surprised. It was nearly a daily ritual for them to be woken by that irritatingly high-pitched voice and yet no matter how man times she told Ella not to do it, it continued.

"Goddammit Ella," Alex groaned as she rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed. "How many times have I told you not to bother us when we're sleeping?" She tried her best to maintain her composure and not snap at the girl but she couldn't help but to roll her eyes when Ella claimed that she had a "feeling" that today was going to be a good day. "I have an idea," she said, grabbing Ella's hand and pulling her out the door. She led her a few yards away to another hut, the one that she thought belonged to Elspeth. "Last night Elspeth told me she wanted you to wake her up too," she said, pushing Ella in front of the doorway. "So, why don't you hang out with her for a little while and then Brass and I will meet you guys a little later?" Alex couldn't help but to smirk as she banged on Elspeth's door. "Elspeth! I'm leaving a perky redheaded present at your door for you!" she shouted before hurrying back to Brass' hut.

Upon returning to the hut, she realized that she was no longer in the mood to sleep. "Now that we're up, what do you want to do today, babe?" she asked Brass.

Elspeth's eyes were closed but she was awake. She laid on her bed inside the hut the covers twisted around her body and her appearance was more ball like than that of a humans. Elspeth was curled up in her bed, maybe today would be the morning she would finally sleep in late.. 'Ah yes that would be relax-' her thoughts were cut off by the sudden sound of footsteps. Two pairs of footsteps to be exact. "Elspeth! I'm leaving a perky redheaded present at your door for you!" She heard Alex yell. Elspeth didn't really mind the pessimistic Alex girl, because for one she did't know her very well and two Alex will tell you the truth, she doesn't bullshit you. "So much for my morning.." Elspeth muttered to herself before getting up and walking to the door. She continued to think about how Alex was a bit like herself. Elspeth didn't enjoy bull crap and she wouldn't speak it either, at least when she did talk. The ginger haired girl opened the door and crossed her arms leaning on the door frame. Alex was gone 'Figures' she thought to herself. She studied the bright red-headed girl for a few seconds. Ella was the youngest one here at age 17, she was a really sweet girl and when something bad happened Elspeth knew that Ella didn't mean any actual harm .

"Hey Ella." She said giving the young girl a small smile. One of the things that Elspeth liked most about Ella was that she could make anyone, or almost anyone, really happy. Elspeth found it easy to become friends with Ella because they only had a two or three year age gap. "Whats up Energizer Bunny?" It was a nickname Elspeth had fondly given to the energetic girl a week or two after she first arrived. She shivered slightly because she was in her tank top and a pair of sleep shorts. Instinctively her arms wrapped around her now very flat belly only reminding her of her lost baby. Elspeth pushed her guilt and sadness to the back of her mind and waited for the younger girl to respond.

Ella allowed Alex to drag her to Elspeth's hut and nodded contently when she suggested that she hang out with her for a little while and then meet up with Alex and Brass later on. "Okay!" she said, turning to watch Alex head back to Brass before Elspeth appeared in the doorway. She was a few years older than Ella was, but Ella was convinced that she was the "most super nice person in Infinity" so she enjoyed her company, especially because she was a lot more tolerable of Ella's airhead behaviors than Alex was.

She giggled when El referred to her as an "Energizer Bunny". "Nothing!" she replied quickly, peeking her head past the other girl as she peered into her residence. "Why don't you ever invite me to sleepover?" she asked, slipping inside of the hut and looking around. "Alex always sleeps in Brass' hut because, you know, she likes him, and she always says there isn't enough room for me too. And I don't want to have sleepovers with the boys. Like with J, he doesn't even talk a lot when I try to talk to him and I'm really good at talking but like it's hard to do all of the work, right? But I guess you don't talk a lot either. O-M-G, I should set you guys up because you're both like quiet, so that means you're compatible I think! Want me to?!" She paused for a second, sitting down on Elspeth's bed as if it were her own. Similarly to how she lacked a filter when she spoke, Ella often disregarded social boundaries in her actions. It wasn't that she was trying to impose on people or make things awkward, she just seemed to feel comfortable around almost everyone.

Percy was the only one who she hadn't listed so far, and just the thought of him made her blush. He was closest to Ella in age and ever since he had arrived, she had taken an interest in him. He was kind of weird at first but they soon became friends and he taught her how to climb a tree and could talk almost as much as she could. Ever since then, Ella decided he was the cutest boy that she had ever met, although she refused to admit it.

"Why don't you ever invite me to sleepover?" Ella had said after peering into Elspeth's hut. She was going to answer and tell her energetic acquaintance that is was very most likely because she had never had a sleepover in her old life or this one. Ella continued to speak entering the tidy hut. "Alex always sleeps in Brass' hut because, you know, she likes him, and she always says there isn't enough room for me too. And I don't want to have sleepovers with the boys. Like with J, he doesn't even talk a lot when I try to talk to him and I'm really good at talking but like it's hard to do all of the work, right? But I guess you don't talk a lot either. O-M-G, I should set you guys up because you're both like quiet, so that means you're compatible I think! Want me to?!"

El felt a small blush creep to her cheeks as Ella had brought up the subject of match making. She walked over to her self in the corner and sat on it watching as Ella made herself at home. Elspeth didn't mind much, it was nice to see someone happy in this purgatory. "Ella you can stay over here anytime you want. I don't mind it I like to have company occasionally..." The truth was she was terrified of large crowds and the first time she went to a social gathering she almost had a heart attack. She picked up a book, Elspeth had a quite large collection of books she would find around here, this one just happened to be a book of fairy-tales. She smiled slightly to herself. "Even if there was a small possibility of me finding a.." she paused for a second gathering her emotions. "Boyfriend," she managed to choke out. "Please don't try to meddle with my love life. This isn't some fairy tale and last I checked you're not my fairy godmother." Elspeth wasn't trying to be mean or rude to Ella, she was just simply stating the facts. She opened the cover of the book and flipped through the pages thoughtfully wishing this was just a fairy tale she could 'bippity boppity boo' her self out of.

Alex followed Brass as they headed to get food for breakfast. A small smile appeared on her face as she studied his muscular back and when she caught up to him, she ran her hand over the suntanned skin. It was hard not to be happy around him. He was perfect and Alex had to hold in her laughter when she remembered all of those times her parents had condemned suicide as being a sin. If Infinity was Hell, Alex was glad to be a sinner. She had never been happier on Earth and to be honest, the only thing that she kind of felt bad about was that there were tons of people who on Earth who would spend tons of time living there when the afterlife was clearly much more enjoyable. She would now be able to spend eternity with an amazing guy that she never would have met had she endured all of the shit she was put through back on Earth.

Their food hut was stocked with every edible thing that the island had to offer but Alex tended to stick to the fruits. She, like the others, figured that they could "survive" here without eating, but Alex didn't test it. For the same reason that she wouldn't jump off a cliff here, she feared that if she "died", she would be sent back to Earth or be reborn or something. Maybe it was paranoid thinking, but she wasn't about to chance it.

She grabbed two wooden bowls and filled them with a variety of colorful fruits. One was for Ella and one for herself. While Alex hated the idea of taking on a motherly role to the youngest girl, she knew that she did sometimes. She only did so because she knew that the teenager was too dumb to do most things on her own-- and not even dumb in the way that most of the girls that Alex knew on Earth were. They were intentionally dumb in an attempt to be cute, but with enough common sense to get by. Honestly, Alex was surprised that Ella had made it seventeen years on Earth. Alex assumed that she must have had a strong support system; a supportive set of parents and friends that kept the girl in check, but it still puzzled her as to how someone like Ella could ever kill herself. Although curious, Alex had never asked her about it. She had told Brass her story, but he was the only one who knew about her life on Earth and how it quickly ended. It was one of those unspoken rules of Infinity, not to ask anyone why they ended up here. Even with Alex's brazen persona, she knew that it was a touchy subject and honestly, she didn't care to hear most of the other's sob stories.

"I'll get the girls and meet you by the swimming hole," she said, leaving Brass with a gentle kiss before carrying the food outside. She made her way towards the bridge that connected their campground with the other side of the island. There was a small waterfall and swimming hole over there and besides the beaches and the campground, that was where Alex spent most of her time. She wasn't big on the jungle that covered most of the other areas of Infinity.

On her way to the bridge, she passed by Elspeth's hut and noticed the girl standing in the doorway, speaking to Ella who was inside. Normally, she'd quietly slip by and allow Elspeth to entertain Ella to give her a little bit more time of relaxation, but she decided to be nice today. "Come eat breakfast with Brass and I!" she called out. She had noticed a while ago that Elspeth didn't eat much and Alex didn't think it was her job to push the girl about it. She figured that she probably had an eating disorder or something back on Earth and wasn't comfortable eating.

Ella watched as Elspeth sat down in the corner of the room and began to flip through a book. She went on to explain that she didn't want Ella interfering in her love life. However, Ella simply translated that into her not being interested in J. "That's okay," she began, standing up from her spot on the bed. "If Asian's aren't your type, there's always Brass. I'm sure Alex would share him with you!" she continued optimistically. Before she could continue with her relationship advice, a voice that Ella quickly matched as Alex's shouted from outside about it being time for breakfast.

"Coming Alexandra!" Ella shouted back, giggling to herself at the sound of Alex's full name. It should have surprised her that Alex was inviting them to eat with Brass and her, since for some reason unknown to Ella, they seemed to savor alone-time, but Ella wasn't going to pass up on an opportunity to socialize. She motioned for Elspeth to follow and darted outside to find the brunette waiting for them with fruit in-hand.

"I want to go swimming!" she announced, grabbing onto Alex's arm and pulling her towards the bridge. She pushed the girl forwards, making her go first as they crossed it. While Ella was a sucker for adrenaline rushes, she definitely did not enjoy the idea of the bridge collapsing under them and dropping them what she thought would be, "like, a million feet". She clung to Alex as they made their way across, despite knowing that Alex wasn't a fan of being touched or held.

She released her grip once they were on stable ground and bounded through the thick jungle like a pro until the trees cleared to reveal a sparkling and serene waterhole, complete with its own waterfall. "It looks even prettier today than it did yesterday!"

Brass stayed in the hut alone for several minutes. Eying the fruits and berries as he remembered the day he arrived. Alone, and confused, The young man roamed the entire island searching for his sisters, or for anyone for that matter. An overwhelming sadness devoured him as he figured out that even in death he would not be able to be with his sisters. Brass tried to kill himself on that first night, in his darkest hour. After discovering that jumping off the tallest cliffs and landing head first would not kill him, he had given up hope, or was just about to before the others showed up.

He forced himself to stop thinking about the past as he refocused on what was in front of him. The food stock was running low again and soon they were going to need to replenish it. Tonight we'll have fish. He thought to himself as he headed out the hut. He didn't know why he took on the role of caretaker to these kids. Some of them like Ella and Percy still needs a little guidance, but for the most part the others could take care of themselves, especially Alex. Her independence was what attracted Brass towards her at the beginning. And since they have starting their relationship brass has stopped trying to secretly kill himself. In fact he has grown to care about everyone on the island in a way he could never do back on earth.

Brass headed towards the watering hole, passing several empty huts. He walked by El's hut and hesitated to check up on her, but decided against it in the end. El was a quiet girl who mostly kept to herself, but something about her sadness reminded Brass of his loss. He continued down to the bridge and notice something moving in the trees at the edge of the clearing. It only took a second for the train Marine to spot the outline of a person. What is that crazy asian monkey doing? He thought as he walk over the bridge. He's more like a cat than anything. Brass concluded in his head. He didn't bother with The Cat as walked over towards the girls. J was another independent soul on this island, and Brass respected that.

Brass wrapped his arms around Alex from behind once he arrived at the watering hole, smelling the coconut in her hair and kissing her shoulder. "Did you scare off J? I saw him up in a tree on my way over here." he said jokingly to his girlfriend. His attention eventually turned towards Ella. "So do you want to swim before, or after Breakfast? Because I can go for a dip right now, it's time for my monthly bath." Brass said with a smile as he held on to Alex.

Brass laughed when Ella Said the comment about dirty boys. He knew she didn't mean anything like that, and that's what made it so funny. Before he knew it, the young girl grabbed a hold of his arm and was dragging him towards the waterfall only to stop in front of Alex to ask her to join in as well. Brass took this opportunity to grab an apple and take a bit out of it. He knew Alex wouldn't be down to climb up, so he decided to get a headstart up the rocky hill.

He knew this island better than most, and even before on earth he was very experienced with the outdoors. He made little effort finding good footing on the rocks beneath his feet as he began his climb. He had to hold the apple in his mouth as he climbed. Brass didn't bother with the easier path that had less loose rocks and a more horizontal walkway. It wasn't that difficult of a climb until he got closer to the top where the rock haven't decided whether or not they're strong enough to hold his weight.

Once at the top, Brass moved closer to the edge of the waterfall. He wasn't going to jump just yet, he was waiting to Ella to catch up. Brass took another bite from the apple as he looked out into the island. The wind was stronger up here but he didn't mind it. Out by the treeline he could see J's tree. And there was someone else there as well. Brass had to squint to see who it was, Percey. It didn't look like the two kids knew the other one existed. This made Brass smile as he looked on.

But the smiled quickly vanished as he noticed movement in the bushes not far from where the boys were at. His first instinct was to protect Percy from the inevitable animal attack but before his feet could take off in that direction, his eyes made out the outline of a human. A woman, not El, he's never seen her before... This unnerved him more than he expected.