❝ another secret of the universe: sometimes PAIN was like a 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖒 that came out of n o w h e r e . the clearest 𝓼𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 could end in a ᴅᴏᴡɴᴘᴏᴜʀ. could end in 🅻🅸🅶🅷🆃🅽🅸🅽🅶 and 𝓉𝒽𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇. ❞
her finn comment elicited a bubbly response full of laughter and small smiles, “that was a good one.” she watched her take back the sage, “what did the weasel say?” she leaned against van door, “tommy’s not doing a great job being a listener, aren’t you so glad you have me to talk shit with?” she glanced down at the girl, “finn talks stupid, he is stupid, anything he says is stupid. i can’t believe you’re letting him get to you. she exaggerated with an expression before pushing herself off the door, "oh.. fuck, see i’ve been really busy with everything. sometimes i just forget to call. i’ll call mom soon.” family. summer’s family was her family and it was easy flowing as a stream to refer to the strauss’ as such. she reached down to brush summer’s hair behind her ear, it was instinct. “you good though with finn? i’ll punch him if he’s a bother or sew his mouth shut, i could use a break myself.”
“of course, when you’re not off busy — or getting busy — with kier, obviously.” summer stuck out her tongue against her left cheek and raised an eyebrow, imitating a not-so-tumblr-friendly act for her sister as a way of teasing her. “anyways, he’s not getting to me. it’s really frustrating when someone that hot is so annoying. i could probably draw him all day, but he’d shit on me for it, and then i’d get annoyed looking at his face for too long while doing it.” summer explained, remembering for a moment when avery’s hobby for art was short-lived. “well... she’ll text in the group chat anyways... she always does.” she thought, missing her mom for a moment. while she loved being with avery, she wished the two of them were back at home together. “yeah, it’s fine, i think i’ll need a vacation from this vacation soon, though. my eye bags are getting their own eye bags.”
OUT OF EVERYONE THAT had chosen to come along for the trip, cassia found herself admiring summer the most. it took a great amount of bravery to face up to one’s fears, and the oldest knew the kind of courage that had to nestle between a person’s ribs for that. summer was the bravest of them all, and cassia would make sure she knew.
at the girl’s comment, cass took her hand and brought it up to her eyesight to take the damage in. «they probably have some by the reception,» she told her, handing summer her still hot cup of tea, figuring maybe it would bring the girl some piece of mind. «oh, you’d be surprised. it’s hard to fall asleep when you have a foot in a world that’s most active at this time of night. it gets .. it gets loud, sometimes.» cassia smiled reassuringly. «nothing to worry your pretty little head about.»
summer took the hot cup of tea in her hands, the warmth radiating from her hands up to her arms. she looked down at the cup of tea, bobbing the teabag up and down into the water as she listened to cassia speak. truly, summer couldn’t understand how someone so sweet had such a darkness inside of them. it scared her a little, to think about what cassia was capable of, or what could happen to her. for a while, summer had just assumed she was a witch of sorts, until she was able to learn more about her.
❝ i think that there’s comfort in the darkness, sometimes. when you need it. ❞ summer offered up, unsure of what to say as her head lay on her shoulder. ❝ sometimes my best work comes when i feel the shittiest, ❞ she continued, trying to relate. ❝ but um, i don’t know if that makes sense in this context. if it doesn’t, i’m sorry. but you can always talk to me about stuff. and i always have my art supplies with me if you want to take your mind off things. ❞
raksha and ben strauss were always close to avery’s parents, and had been for what felt like forever. avery’s parents knew how hard it was for them to have children, and encouraged the strauss family to adopt. when they finally did, they asked avery to make summer feel welcomed, as summer was extremely timid in nature at age 6, and they didn’t know how she truly felt when she first joined their family. for 16 years, summer and avery have been close and are less like friends and more like sisters. the fact that avery was there for summer when she was just getting thrown into a new family is what solidified her loyalty for her. from there, they went on father-daughter ice cream dates.
when avery’s father passed, avery moved in to the strauss’ home and summer still got ice cream with her pseudo-sister and her dad weekly. avery is basically like an older sister to summer’s adoptive siblings as well, and her parents treat her like their own daughter. avery is just as much a part of their family as if she was her sister, and they treat each other that same way as well. she’s always there for avery at a moment’s notice and she knows avery is too.
tommy - best friend with benefits
tommy and summer, both business majors, became friends through the many classes that they had in freshman year. being introverted and the type to stick to a small few like glue, their friendship began with her asking what he was up to and if she could come along on his various adventures with kiernan. eventually this led to the formation of the illustrious trio--tommy, kiernan and summer. the three of them hung out pretty much all the time throughout their four years of college and she never really branched away from them aside from the people she knew on the track team. their friendship is wholesome, and supportive. the type of friendship where they’ll bring food for each other if sick or stressed, and will always encourage the other to succeed. summer is extremely comfortable with tommy, and he probably knows her like the back of his hand by now. the fact that they’ve been hooking up on and off since the end of senior year definitely contributes to their comfortability. it’s always been a secret between them, and an easy secret to keep from everyone--considering they’re always around each other and are known to be best friends anyway.
kiernan - best friend
kier is one of summer’s favorite people, and she’ll always go to bat for him, even when he’s being an ass. he’s one of the few people that she’s opened up to a lot aside from avery and tommy, and their friendship began through tommy. he’s also one of the few people that she’s shown her artwork to, something that she’s always been insecure about. the two of them are able to talk fashion for days and kiernan has always supported her dreams of wanting to start her own clothing line. when avery and kiernan had broken up, summer felt as though she was in an uncomfortable position because she’s so close to the both of them, but doesn’t try to take sides. she’ll tease him endlessly, and probably even until they’re both six feet deep in their graves.
finn - huge annoyance
finn and summer met a while back through tommy, who is finn’s childhood best friend. at first, they were attracted to each other and thought they were into each other. after one date they realized the attraction and the chase was just superficial. they’re too different from each other and eventually ended up hating each other by the time the date was over. she resents him for not being the perfect guy she expected because she’s not a stranger to put expectations on people and then get let down. now it’s finn’s mission to torment her, and she tries to throw the shade back every second that she can.
nelly - annoyance
to say that nelly and summer are complete opposites would be a huge understatement. they couldn’t be more different from each other.
i have to update this lol
cassia - protector
cassia is the one person summer can go to when she needs to be reassured that nobody’s about to die. summer’s known to be a worry-wart whenever they make stops, and cassia always gives her holy water (it’s not really holy water) to give her a sense of peace. cassia and summer sit up late to untangle everything that's happening and cassia tries to make sense of it for summer so that the next time she'll feel less scared, and even less scared after that. she's comfy enough with cassia where she can tell her when she needs to break down and if she’s just holding everything in so people think she's fine.
jeremy - crush
summer’s got a huge crush on jeremy, to the point where she gets so nervous around him that she’s not even entirely sure how to talk to him. he’s completely oblivious and just assumes she’s friendly with everyone in the same way. whether summer knows it or not, she might be more into the idea of jeremy than actually into him, but that’s something she’ll have to realize over time. her conversation starters or potential pickup lines include things like “how do you like your eggs?” and “what’s your favorite sheet thread count?”
summer brought laughter out of avery more times than she could count. the sage burning, it was comical in almost every way. it seemed too unreal that her own best friend was taking the time to rid of demons, spirits, whatever the safe was used for. avery remained uncultured. “you, over reacting? never.” she almost wanted to sound leveled with her tone but she ended up coming off as mocking. “don’t you think if the demon wanted to possess one of us, they would have done it already? they are persistent.” she picked up the sage for herself to sniff and ended up nearly coughing up her own lung, “yikes, what the hell. this is strong, sum.” she looked at her, “now i know why they haven’t. also i think nelly might wanna stop at a smoke shop, maybe me too. actually throw in half the group, we’re gonna get you your sage.” she held it away from her and set it back down. “don’t look at me like that, i never said i was smart.”
“ugh, you’re the worst. let me live my life in the most peaceful way that i can despite all this.” she said, snatching back the sage from her childhood best friend, basically sister. “besides, we already have a demon with us. it’s finn. and no amount of sage can get rid of him--so.” summer snarled, throwing her huge annoyance under the bus behind his back, as usual. “he said some shit about loosening up, like i hadn’t heard that one before. tommy’s known him forever and i feel like he pretty much just laughs at me whenever i complain about him, so i’m glad i’ll always have you--whether you like it or not.” summer sighed, putting the sage away in her backpack. “my mom told me to tell you to call her and give her updates, by the way. she says watching the youtube videos isn’t enough.”
“ summer. ” he begins, a murmur at first, eyes watching her flit about the cabin of the van with mild amusement. for once his back wasn’t aching, having found comfort in a nice king sized bed and not the less then lacking van seats. “ i think it’s a bit of both if i’m recollecting my media right. ” kiernan replies, though it’s not definite if she’s even listening to him or not. hands raise as if to defend himself. “ i don’t think you’re overreacting summer bummer. i’m just watching you work. besides, if it helps you sleep better at night then who am i to judge. ” shoulders shrug. “ better than this thing smelling like french fries and deodorant i guess. ” knuckle knocks the side of the van.
❝ true. if only this helped burn your snoring away. poor aves. ❞ she teased, her lips turning up into a smirk. ❝ i wish this burned away calories too. ❞ summer thought for a minute about how many incredible uses sage could have, but didn’t. ❝ i kinda just feel like a fish out of water right now, kier. almost as if i’m not supposed to be here or something. this all feels a little outta my league. i mean, aside from you, tommy and avery. so i’m sorry if i’ve been annoying. i’m trying to be a good sport, though, i really am. ❞ she admitted, confiding in him for a moment about how she’d been feeling.
the boy sat in the passenger seat of the van, the car door swung wide-open as he endured summer’s … antics. he watched her intently, his features colored unimpressed as she continued to dangle questions in the air. “ you know that stuff doesn’t work, right ? you’re just wasting your money. “ he retorted, shifting his weight within the seat as he turned to face her. “ if a demon is gonna’ attach onto one of us or whatever, i highly doubt some sage is gonna’ keep them away. good luck sleeping tonight, don’t let the demons bite ! “ he flashed her two thumbs-up, forcing his lip to curve into an exaggerated smile. “ besides, you’re asking the wrong person. in what world do i walk into a smoke shop and look for sage ? if i’m in a smoke shop, me and the rest of the population have weed in mind. maybe you should try it - loosen up for once in your life. maybe we’d actually have some fun if you were high as shit. “ he stared at her blankly, his eyes rolling just slightly as he offered an insincere nod. “ right ‘cause this, ” he started, gesturing toward the sage, “ is totally normal. whatever you gotta’ tell yourself. “
“honestly, with how much bullshit you spew, i’m shocked you’re not already possessed by something.” summer retorted, tired of him already as he finished what he was saying. she came back around to his passenger side door and rolled her eyes at him from outside the van. “at least you’re hot, finn. i think that’s probably the only thing you’ve got going for yourself. and actually, this is totally normal. people do this all the time for sleep apnea and negative energy. hm. actually, maybe i wouldn’t have to do it so much if you hadn’t come on the trip.”
SLEEP CAME SLOWLY TO the restless, and cassia’s soul never seemed to dare so much as a sigh. she had grown used to long nights spent in her own company, just her and the moon and a world able to do what they never could.
cass found herself wandering the hotel hallways in an attempt to tire herself out. she spoke to the young receptionist, a man in his 20s obviously taken aback by his sudden company found in a young female visitor. the girl sweet talked her way into getting a cup tea, then had seated herself in the lobby where soft jazz music was still playing over the speakers. leaning back in her seat, cassia tried to tell her palpitating heart that her anxiety was misplaced, and that was when she saw summer walk past.
«summer,» cass exclaimed, softly yet loud enough to catch her attention. «you okay ?» she patted the vacant spot on the couch as an invite. «trouble falling asleep ?»
summer had one headphone in, just to distract from the eerie silence of the hotel. she couldn’t sleep after a scary movie marathon with nelly. she knew she wasn’t a weenie. she had more balls than finn, at least. she heard a voice call out to her, and she jumped a little, thinking it might’ve been a ghost as she pulled out her one headphone.
summer’s whole body relaxed when she realized it was just cassia. “hey, i’m trying to find a band-aid around here,” she walked over to her and sat right next to her, resting her head on her shoulder right away. she lifted up her index finger to show her. “i was finishing up a scary movie marathon with nelly to prove that i wasn’t a weenie but i picked at this lil piece of cuticle during the last one and now i just. ugh.” she stared at the inconvenience. “anyway. why are you up? i feel like i’m the one who doesn’t sleep, not you...?”
“i think i have to go to a smoke shop and stock up on everything,” summer rationalized, holding her burning sage out in front of her, trying to get all corners of the van while they were parked in the hotel parking lot. it had just occurred to her that she was going to need so much more sage for the entirety of the trip. “like, someone’s gotta stop for weed at some point, right? and i can probably get some more there? and also, do you think this is preventative or more like... remedial...? if a demon attaches onto one of us, would it help?” she stood there with her arms crossed after setting the sage down, facing the person across from her as she leaned against the van. she’d felt calmer after finishing her little protective ritual. it was her new nervous habit. “hey--don’t look at me like i’m overreacting. or overthinking. or both. because i definitely am just thinking and reacting. not over-anything.”
oh, my interview? ...wait, wasn’t that supposed to be two hours ago?
what's your name? age? what do you do for a living?
“umm... wait, are you recording already?” summer asks, looking around, clearly nervous on camera, and in general. “hold on, wait--just one second,” she calls out, running away from the camera until she finally comes back with what looks like a bundle of poorly-rolled weed, and a lighter. “sorry--i just. i have to do this.” she says, lighting the bundle of herbs and letting its aroma and smoke waft around the room while she walks around with it off-screen for a moment. “it’s sage. like, the herb. it wards away demons and... uh... stuff like that.” summer explains, stopping in her tracks as she’s asked the question about herself again. “OH! yeah. sorry. i’ll just... ok.” she sets the burning sage down on a coaster, and settles on the couch. “i’m summer. like the season, but cooler.” she smiles to herself, proud of her own shitty joke. she realizes nobody laughs, and just decides to keep on going. she knew people just didn’t appreciate good humor these days. “i’m twenty-two, and... honestly, i don’t really do a lot right now. i’m kind of taking a break. i definitely bit off more than i could chew, so... i’m just figuring stuff out right now.” summer finished off her vague sentence with a shift in her seat, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. she felt like she had to justify herself, make sure she didn’t come across as a total failure. “i have a degree in business with a fashion emphasis and a minor in studio art. one day i’d like to create my own line. maybe my own brand. i dunno. i sketch a lot, but don’t like to share it. i did competitive track, but i don’t want to be an athlete. i did get really good at running away from my problems though!” another laugh at her own bad joke after realizing she was rambling on. “i’m figuring it out as a go along... which is kind of stressful, because i like to plan. but i’m planning to not plan anything, so it somehow sits with me a little better.”
what do you do for the group?
“i burn sage, mostly...” she thinks about the question for a moment, wondering what her true purpose is. suddenly, it came to her. “the moral compass...? oh! the organizer.” she says, proudly, and with conviction. “the one that keeps everyone on track, on time... stuff like that. for a second, everyone was all like... ‘summer, why don’t you just wait outside with the van and the equipment?’” she says in a mocking tone, almost resembling that of an impression of finn. “and i did that whole security bit the first time, because i was really freaked out, but uh honestly--”
footage where summer is left alone at the car outside of the house with the equipment and everyone’s belongings rolls. suddenly, there’s a quick cut to everyone’s reactions to summer screaming off-screen. out of nowhere summer runs into the house, winded, bent-over, clutching her knees. when asked what happened, summer rambles about seeing something in the darkness, with jeremy shouting from off-screen: “SUMMER! did you just leave all our shit out there like that?!”
“--i dunno, something got stolen, so i stopped doing security.” she spits this out quickly, before moving on as if she never said it. “i’m still kinda like conscience patrol though, like i’ll give a ‘hey, are you sure you should touch that?’ even though they will anyway. ‘cause then i can be like, i told you so.” summer pauses, and looks into the camera with a wink--a pretty bad one, because she accidentally closes both eyes.
do you believe in the supernatural? any past experiences?
“well, yeah.” summer says this as if it were obvious. “but like, i don’t have past experiences because i don’t let the experiences even become remotely possible.” she taps her temple with her index finger a couple times, insinuating her mind was just beyond her years. “like, why would there be so many stories and stuff if it weren’t real? and all those chain letters? why would people make that stuff up?”
what are you most looking forward to on this trip?
“i’ve never seen a horror movie, so i don’t really know what to expect from all this to be honest. i kinda just joined in because tommy and kiernan were doing it, and then avery joined in too and i was just like, okay, well this shit seems crazy but i don’t wanna be left out, and, i think it might be good inspiration for art and maybe even some clothing designs.”
footage of summer saying “guys, clowns literally aren’t scary,” rolls as they’re on their way to the reported site of a once inhabited serial killer clown cult. “like, they make babies laugh and stuff.” you could see the smirk forming on her face as she sat in the car. finally. she was no longer the scaredy-cat. cue an immediate cut to finn in full costume and sfx in their temporary hotel as a terrifying cracked-out clown. he's seen running after summer in the hall with a knife--all that’s heard is summer screaming in the background as she runs back to her hotel room. finn is seen dropping the knife and turning on the lights, cackling and clutching his stomach in satisfaction.
“honestly, it all makes me more nervous than i already am, but i know i wouldn’t be the first to die if anything goes wrong ‘cause like, i can run fast, and i’m really cute. so i’m good.”
