Paper Wings [DodgeMason]

two: pilot's point

Dry air slipped in through the opening in Wren's bedroom window, along with the ceaseless shrilling of biodiversity. The average sized room was adorned quite simply with a mandala tapestry, a disorderly cork board, and a few other random things she'd added in over the years. The eighteen year old admittedly spent more time than she should have getting ready for the first night of Panic, and had been rummaging through her closet for the past fifteen minutes. The judge's always used symbols in order to reveal hints about the game's challenges and locations; just little abstract lines and doodles that could be near impossible to decipher unless you knew what you were looking for. Wren received one of the first clues during her work shift that afternoon, drawn out on a sheet of paper and brought in by Ace Franklin, the guy who delivers mail to the general store. It wasn't until it was almost time for her to clock out that she realized the two glyphs at the bottom of the paper resembling flags were actually P's, indicating the location of opening ceremony—Pilot's Point.

Disparate articles of clothing were strewn across the girl's hardwood floors by the time she finally found the bathing suit she'd been looking for—a soft yellow bikini with a triangle top. Wren threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top over the suit, and laced up her converse, off-white and dusty from day-to-day wear and tear.

It was a bit after eight when a car horn resounded for her, echoing throughout the Anderson's two story home. Wren flew down the stairs at lightening speed, trying to be out of the door before Jax had time to convert into parent of the year. "Going to Nat's." She called out to her father, who was just about to stand up from his place on the couch. "Don't miss me too much." She added, sliding out of the door before the man could deliver a response.

The signal fireworks were still going as Wren jogged down her driveway; loud bursts of blue and red erupting against a sheet of abysmal darkness. She climbed into the passenger seat of Natalie's car, her face riddled with budding excitement. "What bathing suit did you wear?" Natalie wondered, looking over at her cousin. The brunette was dressed typically in a floral front-zip dress, and white sneakers; the two front pieces of her hair twisted and tied back.

"It's new." Wren pulled up her tank, showing the girl her bikini top. "Now drive, before my dad puts two and two together and makes seven." She quipped, snapping her seatbelt as Natalie put the car into drive, taking off down the warm asphalt.

"You think he knows about Panic?" The William's girl asked, both hands on the steering wheel.

"I'd be more surprised if he didn't." Wren chuckled dryly, her feet on the dash as she scrolled down her social media feeds. "Heather's still a no-go?" She asked, knowing the blonde's stance on the high stakes game had been pretty much unwavering.

"Yeah, what happened to Jimmy and Abby has her spooked." Natalie replied, reaching for the audio cord as they pulled to a stop at a red light. Truthfully, the death of the couple during last summer's games had just about everyone spooked. No one wanted to play Panic anymore after the news, but as time moved on and an entire year had come and gone, it seemed as if Carp's youthful population had almost nullified the incident.