The Middle

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Oliver watched silently as things went to hell. Everybody's outbursts seemed to be a dull ringing as he looked around at everybody. Was this what it was going to be like from now on? Oliver unconsciously pulled his sleeves further down his arms as he watched them all. All of the new arrivals had responded negatively, some more strongly than others. He couldn't remember any of the original residents ever being so put off by the idea of arriving in the Middle. There was one thing about everyone in the original group that was similar, they were all broken in some way or another. But these new people, they seemed different.

Oliver was pulled out of his thoughts by Sam's voice as she nodded over toward him and Cassidy. "Oh my God, calm down. Those two are like the only lunatics here," She told Charlie in response to his earlier comment. Oliver just rolled his eyes at the girl. He looked over to see Cassidy tense up as though she was about to respond, only to see her smile at Sam's insult to Effy. Oliver himself couldn't hold back a chuckle as he thought of how mad Effy would be if she'd heard Sam's comment. Oliver could honestly never wrap his head around the two girl's relationship, but hey, he couldn't really care less.

Oliver couldn't help but sigh as Sam once again tried to insult him. Looking back at the girl, Oliver couldn't help but make a remark at her lame insult. "Sam, you should be a lady and get your head out of your ass," He said with a blank face before adding with a shrug, "But you know. That's just a suggestion.".

Not taking the time to listen to any comeback the girl might have, Oliver turned his back to her and stared at the ground. He crossed his arms once more as he heard Cassidy speak to him, "The day's only just begun and I've already got a headache.". Looking up at the blonde, Oliver saw that she wasn't looking at him but scanning the crowd much like he had a few minutes ago. Oliver looked over his shoulder once more at the crowd before muttering, "I have a feeling that headaches are going to become a lot more common..."

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Anna had always been a heavy sleeper, so it was really no surprise that she'd managed to sleep through all the drama and noise. Yet as soon as the redhead opened her eyes, she knew that something exciting was supposed to happen today. 'Now what was it that was supposed to happen today?' Anna asked herself as she blinked a few times to clear the blurriness from her eyes. She tried to clear the grogginess from her mind as she tried to remember why she felt so excited.

"Oh my gosh!" Anna exclaimed as she quickly jumped out of bed. She remembered the huge storm last night that signified a new person would arrive to the island today. 'How could I forget?' Anna mentally questioned herself as she ran out of her own hut, not bothering to change out of her pajamas or even comb her hair.

As she ran down the beach toward the waterfall, Anna could hear quite a few voices, the crowd of figures slowly coming into focus. Recognizing Sam first, Anna ran toward the girl and nearly tackled her in a hug. "Sammy!" She exclaimed as she squeezed her. Looking up, Anna noticed all the new faces for the first time. 'Oh my...'

Anna hadn't expected this many new people, but she was soon practically bouncing with excitement. Turning to the guy standing closest to Sam, Anna couldn't help but squeal. "Oh my gosh! You and Sam would look so cute together! You guys should totally- Ah... I mean, you guys do whatever you want..." Anna looked down at her bare feet as she rubbed her arms, she didn't quite feel comfortable giving relationship advise after what happened the last time she had.

Noticing another figure standing by the waterfall, Anna's excitement quickly returned. "Donnie!" Anna cried as she attached herself to the man's arm. Looking over at one of the women next to him, Anna couldn't help but blink as she rushed over to the woman who had tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, deary? You're much to pretty to be crying!" Looking around at everyone's faces, Anna noticed for the first time that she'd walked into a tense atmosphere. "Oh my... Seems I've arrived at the wrong moment..."

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Everything was happening very quickly. The new arrivals were either panicked or upset and a lot of frustration was being thrown all over the place. "What the fuck is going on here? I didn't kill myself and I sure as hell don't want to be living with a bunch of lunatics who did." the boy shouted at the group, the term 'lunatic' piercing Donald's thought process from the rapid noise of conversations happening around him. "Wow, new guy. Way to make friends right away." he said with as heavy a sarcastic tone as he could muster. The kid wasn't probably that bad, but still, he reminded Donald of some of the entitled jerks he went to school with who didn't know anything about the world besides their parent's credit card number.

When he finally snapped back to reality, the first thing he noticed was Emery going off on one of the new guys. This one seemed like he could handle himself in a fight if things got physical, which worried Donald a bit. This hadn't been the first time Emery has lost it and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. The leader of the group could feel like a strong, caring influence one day and a tyrant the next and while Donald wasn't a fan of the latter, he understood where he was coming from considering his past. Luckily however the situation dissolved and Emery backed off the man, suggesting they should show the newbies to their huts. It was actually around this time that Donald heard the familiar and vibrant screech of Anna coming from nearby. It didn't take long before she was attached to his bare arm like a magnet. This was a common occurrence with her and Donald was quite alright with it. Before long however, she streaked toward the the crying woman and tried to comfort her.

"Oh my... Seems I've arrived at the wrong moment..."

"Don't worry about it, Annalise." Donald said as he moved over to the group now forming around the concerned mother. "Oh yeah, names. This lovely woman to my right is Annalise, you've kinda already met Emery, and I'm Donald." he spoke loud enough for most others to hear him as he gestured to each respective person. "We also have Samantha who, as you've seen, is great with people, Oliver who is a bit shy, but still a nice guy, there's Effy who's...you'll see, and Cass who is the one with the scowl which she has, honestly, a lot of the time, but you'll learn to love it."

One of the few things that hadn't changed about Ford after dying was his ability to sleep far later than the others. He could go to sleep at the same time as them but manage to stay in bed for hours longer the next day. Although he was probably the last to rise today, it was still pretty early for him. A storm had shaken up the serenity of the island the night before, and his curiosity for the expected new person was enough to get him out of bed before he really felt like it.

There wasn't much to his morning routine. He preferred to shower at night, so he only had to change out of his boxers and into a pair of navy swim trunks to be ready for the day. A handful of cold water splashed on his face woke him up a bit, but he was still half-asleep when he left his hut. The beach was empty, but Ford could hear murmured voices in the distance, so he knew that the others were awake and probably by the waterfall. He had all intentions of going to introduce himself to the new arrival when he noticed that the storm had brought in six huts instead of one. That's something you don't see everyday, he thought, clearly confused at the sheer number of them. There were only eight of them here to begin with so adding six new people onto the island would nearly double the bunch. Ford didn't consider that any of them would be problematic, but what worried him more was that one of his friends would make a problem. He knew how Effy could be on her bad days and well, how Cassidy and Sam could be most days, and it wasn't pretty. Oliver wasn't the most inviting person, although he doubted that the scrawny kid would make an enemy out of anyone, and even Emery, who was Ford's best friend, could be a jerk sometimes. It never seemed to be intentional but when things got heated, it was sometimes his way or no way. He had arrived on the island first and no one seemed to have a problem with allowing him to take the leader position, but sometimes Clark wondered how long that would last. He tried to brush the thought of as having read Lord of the Flies too many times, but if six new people were going to be calling The Middle home, he guessed that at least one of them would have a strong voice as well.

The different voices in the distance made it obvious that most of the group was already taking care of the new ones, so Clark decided not to go over yet. He assumed that the new people would be overwhelmed and guessed that Emery would be too, with five more people to deal with than they expected the night before. Plus, they would need to come back to the huts to dry off at some point. He considered making himself comfortable in the warm sand by the ocean and getting a few minutes of sleep under the sun but his stomach decided otherwise. Ford was always hungry and even for breakfast, fruit rarely filled him up. He hated seafood on Earth but had grown to like in here, especially when he was catching it for himself. Besides fruit, fish was a common food source on the island and then there was also the option of hunting for animal meat. Clark enjoyed this even more than fishing. His father had taught him how to hunt when he was just a kid and even though he didn't have a gun on the island to make things easy, there were other ways to catch a boar. He and Emery would set up traps in the thickest parts of the jungle and by the next morning there was usually at least one animal waiting. The Swiss Army knife that his father had given him for his tenth birthday was one of the items that had come in his trunk, and between that and other tools they had created on the island, it wasn't difficult to cook and prepare it. However, he didn't feel like there was enough time for either of those, and he doubted that anyone else would be able to stomach meat this early in the morning.

Reluctantly, he grabbed a banana from a nearby tree and perched himself on the edge of the railing of the small porch in front of his hut. He would wait a few minutes to see if the others returned from the swimming hole and if not, he would go check it out himself.

Any other day, lush, tropical islands with beaches surrounded by waters clear as aquamarines and deeply coloured as sapphires would've been wonderful. He would be as pale as the sands he stepped on, and by the end of it he would be as red as hell, he thought one day as he watched footage of a trip to Seychelles a fellow musician had made. He almost swore at the beauty he saw projected onto a sheet they'd slung over her curtain rod—a makeshift projector screen, if you will—whilst they drank the first bottle of bubbly they saw in her cupboards from plastic cups. He wasn't sure what to comment on first—the marvel of nature with all the rock formations and all the fishes and corals that swam in the ocean, or the marvel of how nice her bum looked underwater. (She smacked him for it, but then she snogged him senseless moments later so that didn't remain an issue for very long.) However, he had hoped that he would make the trip whilst alive. He hadn't counted on dying. The moment he stirred from the horrendous journey, he struggled to feel a pulse thrumming through him but found that though he had one, his mind had somehow prioritised other things. The throb was a frighteningly distant and negligible sensation. The breathing, on the other hand, felt sharper and somehow more enjoyable than what he had experienced whilst he was alive.

He was only too glad for the consolation brought by some of the seemingly nicer inhabitants and their interactions with the other newcomers, and for the laughter he'd elicited in the girl beside him.

"Full of jokes aren't ya'? You'd think someone that have just coughed up from that bloody whirlpool would be a tad bit more..I dunno reserved..?"
"I could say the same about you. There's not a lot of use for reservations when you've found yourself somewhere other than home, though. I'm frankly surprised you even responded, you with your 'Welcome to the Jungle' entrance," he said with a grin. He extended his free hand to her to shake. "Name's Rocco. Mucho gusto."

Of course, there was the matter of remembering everybody else's names. He stopped to listen to a lanky young man introduce everyone. He was Donald. Bananas: Emery. Little Miss Sunshine: Cass. Rude kid: Charlie (Brighton). Shy one: Oliver. Fit one: Effy. Cute ginger: Annalise. "Gotcha. I'm Rocco, and this is..." He paused and pursed his lips, quickly turning to the girl he was helping. "Sorry, didn't quite give you the opportunity to introduce yourself. This is..."

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Sam didn't appreciate Oliver's response to her insult. On any other day, she would have dramatically remarked on how mean he was to her, but now there was enough going on around that she didn't pay much attention to it. It wasn't like she felt that it was justified, even if she was the one who had taken a shot at him first, but the boy standing next to her, who now introduced himself as Charlie, was speaking. Anything that he had to say had to be more important than what Oliver was saying, she decided. It seemed to be the right decision too, because Charlie had suddenly switched from anger mode to a friendlier one.

"Of course I'll show you to the huts, Charlie," Sam said loudly, cocking her head back to shoot Oliver and Cassidy a glare before turning back to Charlie. Although she acted as if she was doing a saintly deed compared to the pair, there was really no valid reason for her exaggeration or glare. Sam liked being dramatic and making scenes, whether it made sense or not. "I'm Samantha Felton, but since we're friends, you can call me Sam." She had only managed to take a few steps towards the jungle when Annalise appeared and nearly knocked her over in the process of a hug. Anna was Sam's best friend on the island, and probably the only one who could stand her constant complaints and rants. There didn't seem to be a bad bone in the girl and even though she sometimes said things - like her next comment about how Sam and Charlie would look cute together - that made Sam cringe, she couldn't knock the girl. Her blunders were mainly sourced in naivety and not ill-will, and the same couldn't always be said of Sam.

Luckily, just as quickly as the comment had come out of her mouth, her excitement was refocused on Donald and the others, and Sam decided not to even justify her friend's behavior to Charlie. She would confide in Anna about how she was going to go for him later when they were alone, but for now, Sam wanted to make sure that it would actually happen. She had little doubt that it would, though, and smiled at Charlie as she continued to lead him through the forest and eventually onto the beach. "Where are you from?" she asked, breaking up the silence as they walked. She wanted to get to know him but didn't want to be too pushy. He obviously already had suspicion that they were all crazy here, and she didn't want to give him reason to believe that she was too interested in him.

The six new huts were all grouped together on the once empty end of the beach. "One of these is yours, so like Emery said, you can just go inside and check each one until you find some of your stuff in a trunk in there." Samantha considered taking the lead and finding his hut for him but even she knew that it might be invasive to look through everyone's trunks. Plus, the few sentimental items that everyone seemed to have in their trunks would probably trigger emotions and she knew that it was probably best to allow him to go through it on his own.

[edited]

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The tension seemed to die down with the finish of Emery's speech. This was only the began, though, and Cassidy knew better than to expect that things would be flawless now that everyone understood, for the most part, what was going on. Just because Sam's new catch had calmed down and walked off with her didn't mean that he wasn't going to still be a dick, and just because the wailing mother's tears had subsided didn't mean that she wasn't still a maniac. Six new people meant that there would be a lot more noise and a lot more people to annoy her. It would take some getting used to, especially on Cassidy's part, but she hoped that they would at least keep their drama and problems away from her.

Emery stepped town from his makeshift stage and began to speak with the mother and the woman who had called him pretty boy. She couldn't hear what they were saying and she mostly didn't care. He had to be nice to everyone; it was a responsibility that came with his role. Although there was still one new person missing, Cassidy had quenched her curiosity and didn't feel the need to wait around all day to see the last new person. They would be living together for, well... forever, and knowing the person for a few extra minutes wasn't worth the frenzy that the first few minutes brought on.

"I won't disagree with you on that," Cass murmured in response to Oliver's prediction that headaches would be a lot more common now. "I'm going t-," she began to excuse herself from his company when the crazy mother separated from her group and headed straight for Cassidy. She met the girl's gaze and even though she saw it coming, she was surprised that the girl had the nerve to approach her, and then call her Cass. She had overheard Donald introduce her as that so she really couldn't blame the girl, but they definitely were not on a nickname basis. Although she noticed that the girl held out a hand for her to shake, Cassidy didn't acknowledge it. She wasn't trying to be a "mean girl" or bitch, since Effy did well enough with that role on her bad days, but she still wasn't fond of the girl at all, and Cassidy was never one to hide her feelings. "Didn't you hear Emery? You already got your chance to start over today," she said plainly. She held her gaze for a moment before turning to Oliver. "I'll catch you later." She gave him a small, but genuine smile before swiftly turning and disappearing into the brush.

The woman with the child seemed sincere, but she didn't take the time to introduce herself or exchange anything more than a thank you. Emery thought it odd, but wasn't going to fuss over the idea. She probably didn't want to talk with him, currently he was portraying a sort of bad guy. People didn't want to hear the truth, but Emery had to deliver it. It also did't help that Annalise was making her entrance. Without any delay many of the new comers were drawn to her. And that was of course because she was an absolute ray of sunshine. So bright that it often hurt Emery's eyes. But he didn't mind the slew of new residents being welcomed by the current ones. In fact, he found the whole scene very nice. Things were settling well enough.

Of course there was still a straggler, but Emery was more than capable of introducing himself and The Middle to just one. Emery watched as the two English newbies conversed with each other, as the two women who had been in the pool together went toward Annalise, and the new boy toy get eaten alive by Samantha. He rolled his eyes at the last one. She was always trying to catch something. He started to take note of names. Rocco was the English man, the boy toy was named Charlie, and the woman with short brown hair was named Christina. His focused turned to Cassidy as the woman who he now learned was named Macie approached her. Powerfully and classically Cassidy she dismissed the woman and made her exit. Emery wanted to smirk at the situation but refrained. He then walked toward Macie and gave her a couple of words of encouragement, "Cassidy isn't always like that... She just takes some getting used to." She also takes her time with making friends with people, and if you aren't worth the effort you just aren't her friend. At least that's how Emery understood it. She was far too complex for Emery to fully understand, but he was fairly sure that he knew that much.

He offered a friendly smile to Macie as he moved toward Rocco and the girl he didn't know. They weren't being helped and needed to do something. "Do you two want me to show you around?" he asked simply, finally stopped in front of them. "I'm Emery, by the way." He shot out his hand, letting whatever sour feelings he had toward Rocco sink away. He needed to make a neutral playing ground before judging someone too harshly.

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Anna rolled her eyes playfully at Donald's introduction of her. "Don't be silly, Donnie! You're much more attractive then me," Anna joked as she stood on her tiptoes and reached up to pinch both of her friend's cheeks like her grandmother used to do to her whenever she'd come over and exclaim 'My, you've grown so much!'. Thinking of her family caused a flash of pain if her heart, but it was soon replaced with joy as she turned back to the woman who'd been crying.

"Macie's a very pretty name! And don't worry, I'm sure you'll get used to the island in no time! It's really not such a bad place," Anna smiled brightly and gave the woman an encouraging hug before she watched Macie make her way over to Cassidy. Anna smiled warily after her, she wasn't exactly sure how a conversation between the two would go, but she was positive that Cass wouldn't say anything to rude. After all, they'd only just meet and Macie seemed really sweet.

"Hey there cutie," Anna turned back around and smiled cheerfully at the girl now introducing herself. Her grin only got bigger as Christina asked Anna to show her to her hut, and Anna nodded happily. "Of course! How could I live with myself if I allowed someone to catch a cold?" Anna asked as she scrunched up her nose and shook her head as if the idea was simply ludicrous. Of course the thought that Anna wasn't exactly alive anymore anyways never even crossed her mind.

Anna linked her arm with Chris's and began to lead the woman toward the beach, not caring that her arm was instantly wet. "My name's Annalise, by the way. But you can call me Anna." Anna could tell that the two were about the same age, and she wondered silently what could have caused Chris to kill herself. The woman seemed plenty cheerful, and Anna was pretty curious, but Chris hadn't asked Anna why she was here, so she didn't ask her.

As Anna continued to lead them down the beach towards the huts, she turned to look up at Chris and grinned. "You know, you kind of remind me of Bambi!" Chris's green orbs and pretty brown hair caused Anna to recall the animated deer. She remembered watching Disney's 'Bambi' a lot after her parents died, although it wasn't the most entertaining movie, Anna had felt a connection with the animated Disney character. He had helped show Anna that even though she'd lost her parents, she could grow up to be strong, just like the little deer had.

"I have a stuffed animal of him in my hut, it was one of the things I found in my trunk when I- Oh! That's right! You need to open your trunk to! I can't wait to see what's inside!" Anna couldn't help but grin as she squeezed Chris's arm, hoping she was keeping up with the ginger's babble.

When the two reached the six new huts, Anna released the woman's arm and motioned to the empty homes. "Here we are! I wish I knew which hut was yours, but sadly I don't... So it looks like you'll have to go searching for your trunk," Anna smiled warmly at Chris. Anna wanted to help, but she didn't want to intrude on Chris's first real moment alone. It was this moment where everything would really start sinking in, she could still remember the feeling clear as day, Anna had spent most of her first day alone in her hut crying.

As Anna began to head back to the others, she noticed someone sitting on the railing outside of their hut. "Ah! Ford!" Anna called out as she hurried over to the man, a bright smile on her face. She waved cheerily at Ford before looking down bashfully. Only to remind her that she was still in her pajamas.

'Great, Anna. Just great,' She mentally scolded herself as her face flushed a color resembling her hair. She hadn't even put on shoes this morning in her rush to meet the new arrivals, and she now hurriedly brushed her fingers through her hair, praying that it looked ok.

Hiding her blushing face, Anna tried to recover. "S-So, why are you over here all alone? Everyone is over by the waterfall getting to know each other at the moment..."

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The girl he was speaking with introduced herself as Samantha, or Sam since they were "friends". As assertive as she was, she really didn't seem that crazy and he knew that she was probably the best he was going to get around here. Before they took more than a few steps away from the waterfall, a redheaded girl bounded towards them. Charlie instincively took a step backwards to leave space for her to embrace Sam. The two were clearly friends but Charlie was baffled by this girl's cheerful demeanor. Was it really possible that a girl like this had killed herself? She spoke about how he and Sam would look "cute" together before quickly retracting her statement, probably sensing how uncomfortable the situation was getting. Charlie chuckled, trying not to make it seem any worse, but he was glad when Sam didn't comment on it and continued to lead him away from the crowd.

She was leading him through a tropical forest and although she was able to navigate it well, Charlie had to focus on his surroundings to make sure that he didn't trip over a tree root or knock his head on a low branch. "I was born on Long Island and have been living in Manhattan for a little over a year now. I go... or went to... New York University," he responded to he inquiry about his origins. He would have reciprocated the question but before he could, they stepped out of the forest and onto a sandy beach. Had he not been sopping wet from head to toe, he would have paused to admire the simple beauty of the place. However, his cold clothes were sticking to his skin and even his shoes were filled with pools of water, so he took Sam's advice and began to walk towards the huts. He was halfway towards the first one when he turned back and smiled at her. "Thanks for the help. I owe you one."

He was surprised to find that the hut he entered was actually nice inside. It wasn't luxurious or anything, but it also didn't appear to be made by anyone on the island. It was sturdy and homey, with a bed and trunk in the main room, and a small bathroom attached to it. He followed Emery and Sam's direction and pulled the top off of the trunk that was placed in front of his bed, and instantly knew the hut was his. Inside were a couple of outfits that he had left in his closet in New York, as well as a framed photo of he and his family, a patchwork quilt that his grandmother had made for him years ago (and that he had honestly forgot existed until now), and a signed Eli Manning football that his father had gotten him from the 2012 Superbowl game. They were nice reminders of home and even though none of them were been extremely sentimental to him when he was alive, they made his chest clench up now. He pulled the quilt out and placed it, still folded, on his bed, on top of the blanket that was already there. He left the football and photo inside of the trunk for now, but did change out of his wet clothes and into a dry t-shirt and pair of shorts. There was a pair of sandals in the trunk, but he opted to go barefoot since he didn't plan on leaving his little home for a good while now that he was finally alone. He opened the door only once to hang his drenched clothes over the banister in front of the hut to hopefully dry, before flopping onto his bed.

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Just as Ford had expected, the others were beginning to return from the waterfall. First came Sam and a boy who looked to be her age. They separated when they reached the new huts, but not before the male turned back to thank her for her help and to claim that he "owed her one". Ford tried not to think anything of it. Although he and Sam did hook up occasionally, he convinced himself that that was all it was: playful hookups to help pass the time. There probably were no real feelings between he and Sam, but he still would be offended if she started to mess around with that kid over him. If not offended, at least a bit embarrassed. He considered calling out to her once the boy had closed the door behind him, but more emerging voices caught his attention.

As he peered towards their direction, he made out an unfamiliar brunette and a very familiar redhead. Annalise was notable in more ways than just her unique hair color. She was the definition of exuberant and possessed the seemingly rare ability to look at everything in a positive light. Based solely on her personality, Ford felt like it would be hard for anyone to dislike her, but add in her beauty and it seemed impossible. He instinctively smiled even before she noticed him and came over, but when she did approach, he didn't make an effort to hide his grin. Ford was known for being pretty relaxed and goofy, so it wasn't out of character for him.

"I woke up late and figured you guys could handle the six of 'em on your own. Hell, I'm sure that Cass and Effy could've given the bunch a warm welcome on their own," he joked, somewhat surprised that he didn't see either of the girls on the beach. Cassidy seemed to just be naturally unfriendly and if Effy was having a bad day, she was probably worse than Cassidy, so he was surprised that both girls would be making an effort to greet the new people. He hopped down from his seat on the railing and took a step towards Anna. "So, how do they all seem? Gimme the 411."

The crowd grew less disquieted about arriving here, and soon some of the more experienced locals left to show the new ones where they were encamped, he supposed. Rocco was especially thankful for the hush that followed. It offered him time to at least assess the situation he was in right now.

First: He had died.
The dull ache in his head had experienced upon first arriving had disappeared completely. He was, to some degree, sure he wasn't going to walk out of that alive. If he were lucky enough to have done so, perhaps he would have sustained some great degree of brain damage.

Second: He had died painting his mother's house.
His stomach sunk at the thought of leaving everything behind. He had finally made a relatively happy life for himself in Portland. He was able to pay off his bills. He could afford to pay at least more than half of the cost of his mother's new house, the other part from his maternal uncle. He missed the chance to finally see her happy after all of the trouble she had endured. No, it wasn't fair at all. He needed to leave to see everything set straight.

Third: This was [a sort of] purgatory.
He couldn't simply show himself out. There wasn't a door out of things like this. Of course, he had expected fire and flames and moaning. While there was a severe lack of tongues of flame lapping at his feet—though dun, charred flesh, he thought, was much better than having skin as white as the lies his aunt Poppy told him at five—the moaning was definitely there. Or, at least, in the first few minutes following their arrival.

This was a haven for suicides, that much he knew. But something was off about this place. If indeed this was a purgatory, the others would have at least some of their conflict resolved. As demonstrated by some of the residents, it seemed it wasn't entirely the case.

He wasn't a suicide. None of the others he had arrived with were, either.

Now how were they going to leave?

Fourth: They probably wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

Fifth: Might as well make the best out of it.

It appeared he didn't have much choice but to play along with the rules of this strange place, no matter how long it took. If there was a way back to the land of the living, he would take his opportunity in a heartbeat, if only to see his work come to fruition. If the circumstances dictated that he was going to have to live here, then he was going to have to make do with what he had.

Emery made his way to them, and he readied himself for whatever he could throw at him. Instead, what he got was a greeting and an offer to be shown around. A bit tight-lipped one but a greeting nonetheless.
He took his hand and shook it, gripping it in earnest enthusiasm. "Pleasure," he nodded. "That would be brilliant, yeah. Have a few questions for you. Before we head off. What are these trunks for, and where can one get good wood around here?"