Assets Out of Containment |1| Nublar Seven Series

Clever Girl

I couldn't really sleep. I laid in bed for hours trying to forget about the blood and teeth that haunted my dreams. Everybody else was asleep and I envied that. The boys were in the couches in the living area, while us girls settled for the bed in the guest bedroom. I say 'guest' bedroom because it wasn't the one decorated with creepy Mitch and Tiff paintings, but it still was a huge bedroom with a king size bed. It fitted the four of us no problem.

My mind went to yesterday's events and my last talk with Brooklynn as we were settling in to sleep.

"I slept all day, how can I be this tired?" She whispered not to wake up Yasmina and Sammy next to us.

"Unconsciousness is not the same as asleep." I said on the same low volume.

"I guess you should know."

"I've had my fair share of concussions, but I never went through what you did." I sighed, lowering my voice even more. "You gave us a real scare."

"I'm fine." She turned to face me, but I remained looking at the ceiling. The room was illuminated by a single candle, it wasn't like we could see much anyway.

"Yeah."

"You don't believe me." Her tone didn't indicate a question.

"I do, but I guess I'm used to expecting the worst." I shrugged.

"This island sucks."

"It's like it's alive somehow, out to get us." I wrapped my blanket around myself. "We never know if a dinosaur will jump out of a bush or where the next attack will come from. There's fucking eyes everywhere."

"You'll go crazy if you think like that." I felt her intense gaze on me.

"I'm not crazy."

"Of course not, Hays. But, like, don't exhaust yourself thinking about the stuff you can't control." Brooklynn said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

"What I don't get is how are all of you guys so chill?"

"Chill?" She scoffed. "You mean the guy who catalogs all dinosaur's behavior like his life depends on it, since it literally does? Or the one that can't sleep unless his pet dino is ten feet away? Or Yaz, who can't stay still and has to go on a run every hour, making sure there's no evidence of dinosaurs close to camp? Or Cowgirl, who has a need to go search for food, making sure no one here starves and making sure everybody is okay, even if she clearly isn't. Or Kenji trying to always brighten up our mood even if he's having a terrible time. Let's not mention you, who can't spend a day without punching something. Nobody's chill." She gave me an annoyed laugh.

That was, well, a lot. Like a slap on the face how I've never noticed all those details. Brooklynn had a point, several actually. I always kept my attention on the threats from outside, so I didn't really pay attention to how the others were doing.

'Not fair.' As Kenji had put it. I guess I wasn't being fair with them.

"What about you?" My voice was small.

"What, me? I'm super relaxed, it's so easy to fall asleep. I'm snoozing away right now." Her tone was sarcastic. "Doesn't matter how tired I am, sleep it's just impossible."

"I know, it's impossible to sleep when dinosaurs are just around the corner."

"I actually feel safe when the Camp Fam is around, that's not the problem. I just can't help the nightmares."

"Ah."

"It's fine if you don't feel safe with us, not all of us can be a martial artist or whatever." She sounded upset.