"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
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sheepfilms
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hello vonnie
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we're not kids anymore.
DEAR READER
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Kiana Khansmith
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Misplaced Lens Cap
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@vorebefore
SAY IM LOST BUT I BEG NO PARDON . a private multi-muse blog that features horror , supernatural , && slice of life verses . mature themes may be explored .
&&. and still i feel like i impose ( the muses ) &&. i still see your shadow on my bed ( the lovers ) &&. so tell me how does it taste ? ( musings ) &&. do you feel love ? ( wanted )
they could understand war . people lived . people died . there were winners and losers . there was always a risk . what they couldn't understand ⸻ what they didn't see coming ⸻ was the betrayal . that sometimes the enemy isn't outside but within .
but what if i miss you for the rest of my life ?
thank you @neckdeepinwarpedtour for pointing this one out for me 🤭
isaiah had to bite back his disappointment to see matteo slide into the position between himself and salem, but maybe she'd be fun, even if he was more interested in the guy giving fuck me eyes from the back seat. he chuckled regardless, sliding into the spot beside her and leaning out the window to address riley and jake, " shit or get off the pot, you two. "
jake knew riley was right, and he also knew he probably shouldn't let matteo and dakota go alone with these guys, so although he was pissed about it, he did reluctantly climb inside the truck, giving a glare to the man who addressed them on the way. he let riley jump in first before swiftly sliding in beside her, looking ahead and hoping they ran into the others sooner rather than later.
matteo pouted playfully at salem's comment, truth be told, she just liked the experience of being on the road. they'd met so many fascinating people already but the brothers were definitely up there with some of the best looking people they'd come across. she nudged him slightly with her elbow as a grin touched her lips, " don't seem such a bad thing if we get to hang out, huh? " she really could be shameless, " our friends shouldn't be too far up the road. "
dakota slid into a seat watching as eventually jake and riley did the same . " relax . " it was more said toward jake than it was to riley . this might have been sketchy but dakota wasn't exactly a stranger to sketchy people . " it's not like we're walking into a trap house . "
riley tilted her head when isaiah addressed them before eventually getting inside . her eyes narrowed in a mock glare at the comment dakota gave . " well , at least we have the expert of trap houses with us . " despite her comment , there was no real venom there .
salem glanced in the rear view , amusement behind his eyes at the conversation happening behind them before he got back on the road . he chuckled at matteo's comment , " we may come in peace and all but you and your friends have the survival instincts of a koala . " he glanced back at her , a grin on his lips before he looked ahead . " yeah , we can hang . i don't think some of your friends are too keen on the idea though . " not that it mattered really . they were stuck until the truth was fixed .
salem drove on until he saw some people just a little up the road walking on the side of it . " take it they're your friends . " he figured he wasn't wrong about that . who else would be out here hiking it . he sped up a little before slowing down and rolling down the window . " y'all need a ride ? "
josh wasn't wrong about his initial assumption of hearing a car and it wasn't long until a truck , towing their own , eventually slowed to a stop . kieran's brows furrowed and maybe she shouldn't have been too surprised to find matteo of all people sitting between the two strangers . " you're ridiculous , " she pointed out . " although very predictable . " who would have thought that the people who would have stopped for them happened to be mister brown eyes and mister blue eyes .
" I think it's just the contrast in places, cass, " he opted for hanging his arm around her shoulders, " life just isn't all that serious in aussie, but here -- things are very different. " scout was arguably the most well versed in travelling, but a road trip wasn't something he'd ever done before. he looked back at her, beaming brightly when she met his eye, " is that such a bad thing? " he added, choosing to ignore kieran's more depressing comment.
josh smirked, the amusement not quite meeting his eye as kieran seemed to read his mind. " might've been less likely to die of a heat stroke, a lot more likely to get attacked by coyotes, or whatever the fuck they got out here. " he pulled off his hat finally, giving the cigarette to kieran as he stuffed the cap into his back pocket, " you guys hear a car? "
" or maybe you just found yourself with the most dramatic bunch on the planet . " cassie grinned . scout really did . there was no shortage of dramatics or chaos with this group . " i mean , no . i like that you're a half glass kinda person , actually . " even if that was a stark contrast to who she was .
" we can't scare off a coyote ? " kieran was being rather sincere with her question as she looked back at josh , reaching out for the cigarette . she placed it between her lips , brows furrowing at the question as she listened . " that's definitely a car . "
isaiah reached into the back of the truck, digging around in a case before pulling out the towing rope. he gestured for salem to push forward with their own vehicle so he could connect the two, all while stealing glances around the four of them. there was a clear divide here, two of them somewhat eager to go with the brothers, one appropriately cautious but aware of their lack of choice, and one not to eager and definitely more than a little cautious. thankfully, he was outnumbered and the louisiana heat had a way of making you ditch all common sense. he pulled open the back door and then the passenger side door, " one of y'all is gonna have to be upfront with us, m'afraid. "
matteo looked between dakota and jake and smirked, " one's friendly, the other not so much. " she watched as isaiah hooked up the car, as riley and jake exchanged quiet conversation before offering salem her attention again. " we got real lucky you came by, huh? this heat is no joke, " she fanned herself as they waited, her gaze drinking in salem's more rugged appearance appreciatively. " new orleans is next, " the woman offered, " we're kinda just trying to see as much as we can, there's like twelve of us. " she wondered how they'd all fit in, but maybe there'd be a call for some lap sitting. she looked at dakota, tilting her head to the side before climbing into the passenger side and shuffling closer to salem, offering him a shy sort of smile.
jake wasn't happy about it, not one bit, but riley was right. they didn't have the luxury of choice here, so he didn't comment or intervene but he wasn't about to help isaiah hook up their car, he wasn't keeping his eyes on these two, at least as best he could in his high state. when it came to getting in the car, he couldn't shift the bad feeling he had in the pit of his stomach, one that only grew when matteo helped herself to a seat between the two strangers. " riley, " he protested quietly as they made their way to the car.
dakota moved back watching as salem inched the truck forward but his attention was quick to divert elsewhere . he figured there was no harm in looking especially while isaiah wasn't looking but he lifted his gaze when the man addressed him again . amusement touched his features as matteo took the bait , although he couldn't blame her , not one bit . " i think you got your passenger princess , " dakota hummed before moving to get in the back .
there seemed to be a bit of a mixed bag here . some were wary , some not so much , and then there was the very glaring idea that there probably wouldn't be someone else coming this way , or , at least not for a while . " new orleans , " salem repeated once matteo got into the front . " new orleans' nice . a lot to see . a lot to do . might be getting there later than sooner , though . depending on the problem . " but , salem figured that might not have been an issue for matteo specifically .
" i know . " riley looked back at jake . it was sketchy . they didn't know these guys but in reality , the men were outnumbered and would continue to be so when they got to the others . " we'll get t the car fixed , find a place to chill , and then we're out of it , alright ? we're not lingering here . "
I know you don’t believe in this, in us, yet. But you will. Oh, I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long, long time.
he should have insisted that kieran or cassie stay behind to keep an eye on the others, but truth be told, none of them really did have a pair of brain cells to rub together. if they had, they likely wouldn't be in this position to begin with. josh grunted, itching his jaw line as he flicked the ash from the end of his cigarette.
scout caught up with the others, the heat not bothering him half as much as the rest of them, although he really thrived in a dry heat versus this. he patted josh on the back, neglecting to acknowledge how the other didn't like to be touched, " ah, I think it'll all work out in the end. we'll find a place, get the car seen to and hopefully be in new orleans in the next couple days. "
" anyone ever tell you that you're insanely optimistic ? " cassie glanced in scout's direction . maybe they needed that right now and while she wanted to believe it , apart of her felt as if it was going to get worse before it got better especially out here .
" assuming we don't die by heat stroke first . " kieran glanced back at scout and then josh before looking ahead . maybe that was a little dramatic but the heat was almost unbearable . " almost would have preferred for the car to break down at night . "
jake had been taking a leak when he heard a car rolling by, he ventured out, meeting riley on her way back to the car from god only knew were, but that was riley's way whenever there were trees around and he'd long stopped questioning it. he immediately didn't like the look of the two men in the car, he also didn't like what they were offering, or their insistence that they were here in peace. he narrowed his eyes, glancing towards riley as dakota and matteo were swiftly swept up in the idea of trusting these complete strangers, " you can't be fucking serious. "
matteo beamed brightly, looking up at dakota, who seemed to be on the exact same page as her, and then riley, who seemed less keen but understanding that they weren't exactly likely to get lucky twice out here. she poked her hand through the window, " sounds like a deal, I'm matteo, " she greeted, " this is dakota, little one's riley and our giant over there is jake. "
isaiah wasnt too surprised to see a mix bag of people here, kids often found themselves stranded on road trips, but none of them seemed to have any stranger danger, even the ones at the back who were a little more wary, didn't seem to be weighing up their options. he took the hand that was offered after salem did, " m'isaiah, this here is salem. " he opted to climb out of the car, rounding it and finding dakota on the other side, with jake and riley a little ways back, " let's get ya hooked up, huh? "
" which part ? " dakota questioned as he glanced back at jake . " taking a ride from strangers or there being worse ways to die ? " they didn't have many options here and he didn't believe that someone else was going to come down the road willing to stop for them even if he understood the hesitation . dakota only looked away from jake when he was approached by isaiah . he was trying to be a bit more self aware here by not getting swept up by a man with pretty eyes but dakota had the habit of failing that constantly . " yeah , " he spoke with a nod motioning toward the truck , " all yours . "
" you mean they're both not giants ? " salem questioned as he looked at jake and then dakota although he seemed to be a little more swept up by isaiah in the moment . he looked back at matteo offering a smile . " we'll get you guys hooked up and grab your friends . our brother can probably figure out what's wrong with your truck . " he paused . " where y'all headed ? "
riley sighed when she heard jake's voice . " we don't have a choice . " she shrugged her shoulders . " what are the odds someone else is gonna come down here to help ? " she tilted her head . " for all we know , the others are just wandering aimlessly . " or at least , wandering . who knew how far away a gas station was or a store . it wasn't as if they knew the area .
if he ever smiled, he would have in that moment, kieran had a point there. josh finally sparked up a cigarette and glanced behind them at the couple of the group who were still lagging behind. josh turned his attention back to the road ahead and blew out a sigh, along with a cloud of smoke as he handed the cigarettes back to kieran. " no offence, but I reckon if some guy rolls by with big brown eyes, matteo is done for, " his lips twitched, " blue eyes if dakota's on the lookout. just hope jake develops a fucking brain cell so we don't end up in a jeepers creepers situation... or whatever. "
cassie was beginning to wonder if this whole trip was worth it now that they were stranded in the head , trudging forward with the hope of hitting a gas station or something . she rubbed her lips together as she kept walking , eventually closing the gap . " jake would be the first one to go . " she didn't feel bad with saying that .
kieran's lips twitched as she reached out to take the cigarette . she glanced back at cassie before looking at josh . " yeah , they'd be screwed . " matteo and dakota definitely had their types . " i think jake's beyond developing a brain cell . not sure they're really functioning anymore . "
he was cute. she found herself fixing her hair, or attempting to, and smoothing down the dress she'd opted to wear this morning, despite it's many creases. she moved closer to the truck, survival instincts be damned, and leaned against the window, " we got no idea, a couple of our friends are heading up the road, hoping to find a phone or something. it just started smoking... " matteo gestured to the open hood of the car, " you know anything? "
and to think, the day was looking pretty damn boring before this moment. he and salem were on their way back from a gas run when they came across the girl in the road. she was a little thing, with clearly no brains whatsoever as she casually and confidently approached the two men in the truck. he'd shared a brief look with his younger brother before plastering on a smile and leaning forward, " we ain't that good with cars, but our brother is... happy t'give ya a tow, pick up your friends and head to his garage? can show ya a place to get some rest while ya wait too. "
riley emerged from the woods when she heard dakota's whistle and just like that , matteo was approaching the strange truck with zero hesitation . " well , either our saving grace or this is gonna turn into wrong turn real fast . " she patted dakota on the back before moving forward to join matteo , managing to catch the last half of the conversation . " how many of you are there ? "
salem glanced back at isaiah before looking back to the woman that initially approached before looking to the one that happened to appear out of nowhere . " well , there's the two of us . then the other two , give or take . not sure one of us isn't adopted . " he paused . " we come in peace . promise . "
dakota had looked back at riley briefly before opting to shut the truck door , trudging forward to where the others stood . was it sketchy ? yes . did they have much of a choice in the matter ? not really . dakota had his doubts . he shrugged , " worse ways to die . "
joshua knew this was a bad idea. he'd felt it from the moment they crossed that state line and found them in the middle of nowhere, louisiana. the truck hadn't been running properly since they'd left the motel and he felt each mile ticking by with a side of worry. when the truck finally did roll to a stop, josh blew out a sigh, muttering about how he fucking knew it, while climbing out of the vehicle to pop the hood.
it had been a quick decision at that point for everybody to go their separate ways. one group head down the road looking for the nearest gas station or town, considering the signal was non existent here, and the others took the horror movie trope of staying behind and waiting to flag down the first car they saw. josh wasn't sure he was all that happy to be the one heading down the road, but at least he wasn't alone. " I thought florida was bad, " he grumbled, readjusting the cap on his head as if it would do anything to air out his damp hair, " please tell me you brought the cigs. "
" different kind of heat . " kieran wasn't sure what was better . staying back at the truck and praying someone would drive by or setting on this journey to find a gas station or any place with some kind of phone . she kept her eyes ahead as she reached into her back pocket and handed off the pack she managed to swipe before they left . " i keep thinking that it could be worse but ... " her voice trailed off as she finally looked back josh . she figured that she didn't need to finish that sentence . getting stuck out here was probably as bad as it could get for them and the rest of the group .
he narrowed his eyes at kieran but didn't comment, she always seemed to have an answer for everything, and maybe he'd be less irritated by that if he wasn't so fucking hot. josh looked back at her, his gaze lingering on the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, the way her clothes clung to her frame. he really did have a one track mind. he shook his head and looked ahead, " not sure we should have left them back there... we could've picked other people who aren't likely to attract the attention of weirdos. " josh wrinkled his nose, he knew that was impolite to say, especially given that it was his sister, kieran's sister and his best friend back there, but he figured it was a fair assessment.
kieran almost snorted . " dakota wouldn't be here if you told him a hot guy was at the end of the rainbow . " her lips twitched as she looked ahead again . " and well , matteo goes where dakota goes , riley goes where matteo goes and so on and so forth . " the two of them were most likely to volunteer for this ." matteo has pepper spray .... i think " but kieran didn't exactly find offense in josh's comment . there was some truth to what he said .
matteo really just didn't want to take the hike to possibly nowhere, the heat was bad enough staying still. she followed line of the tarmac end along the side of the road as they waited for a car to pass them by, and truth be told, she wasn't holding her breath. they hadn't seen a car in the hours they'd be on this stretch of road, but then, as if by some sort of miracle, the quiet rumble of a car in the not too far distance could be heard. matteo banged on the top of the truck to get the others' attention, " somebody's coming. " she trudged to the front of the vehicle and waved her hands, hoping to grab their attention and beaming brightly when the truck slowed to a stop. " ohmygod, are we glad to see you! "
dakota had opted to stay behind . making the trek to try and find something out there wasn't high on his list . he had opted to stay in the truck , the windows rolled down . his elbow rested against the door , head against his hand , and eyes closed . it was matteo banging on the hood that popped his eyes open . he glanced behind him to see the truck approaching . dakota pushed the truck door open to hop out , whistling to get the attention from the others .
the last thing salem was expecting to run into on the road that day was a woman stepping out and waving her hands . he glanced to the passenger seat with perked brows before he slowed the truck to a stop and rolled down the window figuring she would approach . " i can see that , " salem hummed , glancing from the woman to the truck . " what's the problem ? "
joshua knew this was a bad idea. he'd felt it from the moment they crossed that state line and found them in the middle of nowhere, louisiana. the truck hadn't been running properly since they'd left the motel and he felt each mile ticking by with a side of worry. when the truck finally did roll to a stop, josh blew out a sigh, muttering about how he fucking knew it, while climbing out of the vehicle to pop the hood.
it had been a quick decision at that point for everybody to go their separate ways. one group head down the road looking for the nearest gas station or town, considering the signal was non existent here, and the others took the horror movie trope of staying behind and waiting to flag down the first car they saw. josh wasn't sure he was all that happy to be the one heading down the road, but at least he wasn't alone. " I thought florida was bad, " he grumbled, readjusting the cap on his head as if it would do anything to air out his damp hair, " please tell me you brought the cigs. "
" different kind of heat . " kieran wasn't sure what was better . staying back at the truck and praying someone would drive by or setting on this journey to find a gas station or any place with some kind of phone . she kept her eyes ahead as she reached into her back pocket and handed off the pack she managed to swipe before they left . " i keep thinking that it could be worse but ... " her voice trailed off as she finally looked back josh . she figured that she didn't need to finish that sentence . getting stuck out here was probably as bad as it could get for them and the rest of the group .
SOPHIE NÉLISSE Photographed by Sacha Cohen for Clin d’œil Magazine, March 2026
