The InBetween

Two Bossy Leaders (Connie's POV)

Earlier...

Weird yet familiar frames of the girl's life sped by rapidly like a montage trying to cram everything in at the last second. It showed faces she loved and longed to see again, faces that her chest pains from the guilt and faces that made her blood boil. The last face she saw before entering an oblivion was one that made her feel all three on different levels.

Her own, as a baby. A young couple looming over her with the biggest smiles. "Our sweet Constance..."

Connie shot out of the water with a gasp for air she realized she didn't need. Looking around her, she decided the river must've swept her away to a different part of the forest. Just what she needed, to be even more lost in a new neighborhood. As she climbed out of the river bank she took in the sight of this mystical part of the wintering- sorry, WITHERING woods. She must've been swept out far, this place didn't even look like the same woodland.

"Stupid kids," She muttered to herself, racking her brain for the three mischiefs that knocked her into the river. "If I ever see them again..." The girl didn't have time to finish that thought before she heard voices coming from that same river. In a panic she ran and hid behind a large oak tree. Peeking out slightly, Connie saw three boys her age, bantering with each other as they crawled out of the current. They looked somewhat familiar. Then it clicked "Those boys got me in this mess!" she muttered under her breath furiously, teeth grit as they passed her hiding place, seemingly unaware of her presence. 

To keep herself hidden she ducked behind a large bush mere feet away from the oak tree. Popping her head out, Connie saw a black kid wearing a striped yellow and purple shirt with blue shorts and black, star-patterned shoes by the river. He was searching frantically for something. A second, fatter boy wearing a pink sweater-vest and beige trousers with plain black flats went to comfort him. After a moment the two caught up to their third Latino friend. The apparent leader.

He had jet black hair shielding most of his forehead. He wore a collared purple shirt with white lines patterned on the front. He had dark summer shorts with ocean blue sandals. He appeared to be in the midst of a fight with the black one, as they were both now staring each other down. The trio were too far for Connie to hear anything at this point but that didn't matter. Connie was certain whatever words were exchanged couldn't explain why now the fat one was dancing.

He gestured to the skinny black one to continue, which he did reluctantly before passing it to their ringleader. Okay, now they're all just dancing. There wasn't even any music how could they all be so in sync? That didn't matter to Connie. These boys got her lost out here and now they're her only guide back. The only words she could make out at this point were 'we're gonna die you!' repeated over and over. 

"Rather morbid kids aren't they?"

"I feel like I just might after witnessing THAT." The girl stood out from the bush and folded her arms in disgust. While also trying to hide her smile at what she'd seen. If only her phone hadn't washed away in the river...

She introduced herself. The boys remained in catatonic shock for a few more moments before the fat one smiled "Did you like the dance?"

The Latino slapped him over the head. "What?!" He said again. "You said we were open to criticism!"

"Who are you?!" The leader asked as if this were Shakespeare in the park. "Were you following us?"

"A, I already told you dimwits my name is Connie. B, DUH I was following you! You lot got me lost here so now you're my only way back!"

"Well you're plum out of luck girl. We barely remember how we got here."

"My name is CONNIE. And what do you mean you don't remember?!" the girl looked to the leader's henchmen for any sort of backup. The fat one shook his head with shame. "I'm afraid we don't remember. We just know we were at a friend's birthday party, headed to the woods to play extreme laser tag...then that's it. We just ended up here."

That seemed to be the end of the talk for the boys as they suddenly turned heel. Connie begrudgingly followed, berating the trio with questions. "I thought you guys practically lived in these woods! You HAVE to take me back! It's the least you could do after getting me lost out here!"

The leader turned back around, obviously annoyed now. "We can't help you cONnIE," He put an extra annoying emphasis on her name. "We don't even remember getting you stuck out here!"

Connie wasn't sure what to say now. Now she thought back, even she couldn't remember how she ended up here. Her closest theory was the river washing all of them out here. The problem was how they fell in...

If those boogers weren't going to help her, she had to leave it up to herself. She turned heel from the trio and followed the river's smooth current. She heard the leader shout. "What are doing, you want to fall in again and blame it on us?!"

"Everyone knows the way back to civilization is by following the direction the river flows." the girl replied calmly. The Latino rolled his eyes and gestured his henchmen follow him. "Come on. If she gets herself killed it's her own fault."

Connie was looking away now, focusing on which direction the river was running when a voice asked, "How do you know that?"

She turned up and glared. "My uncle's a professional at the wild. If he were here, we'd have a nice tunnel to rest in until we were absolutely sure of the river flow."

"Cool. My name's Jacob by the way. Sorry about Miguel. And Tyrone. And me too."

"Whatever. You're master's waiting." she pointed over to where Miguel was impatiently tapping his foot, waiting for Jacob like he was a dog that needed to go.

Jacob twisted the top of his shoe in the dirt timidly. "I was actually wondering if I could follow you."

Connie c****d an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"The fact I can't remember getting here scares me! And Miguel - someone who said he knows everything - also doesn't remember. I want to follow someone who has at least a small idea of where we are."

Connie pondered it for a moment. Jacob seemed to be a lot nicer compared to his friends, that were already rushing over to get him. "Jacob, what are you doing?!" The black one sneered. 

Jacob replied innocently, "My new friend here is gonna show us the real way out!"

"Hold on," Connie cut him off from saying any more "I never agreed to that-"

"Um, no she's not, MIGUEL is!" the scrawny - who by process of elimination, must be Tyrone - argued.

"But she can track the flow of the river and bring us home!" Jacob said. He turned his attention to Miguel. "Miguel, did you have an actual plan on leaving here or were we just gonna wander aimlessly until nighttime?" 

Miguel opened his mouth to argue but Jacob cut him off the clarify- "Answer HONESTLY by the way."

The Latino rolled his eyes and admitted "I was just gonna find any lose laser tag guns and a start a new game here."

"What, why?!" Tyrone snapped, then the answer hit him before Miguel could say it "Because you were losing the one at the party?!"

The boy just shrugged and said with a childish pout "Which way Connie. Not that you're the leader now."

The girl just smirked and touched the water, it still surprised her how warm and calming it was. She promptly took her hand out and said "We go west."

The boys didn't move, just looked at her puzzled. She rolled her eyes with a groan. "This way idiots. And Miguel right? I AM the leader now, thanks."

"Not while I'm still here!"

"Which won't be for long if you keep speaking."

"Are you threatening to KILL me?!"

"No silly, I'm promising."

The banter continued back and forth like a tennis game until dusk. Which was only the brim of the kid's confusion.