Chronicles of the Fall- #1- Empty Night

Chapter 23: Deal With the Devil

As Laken walks through the woods alone, her heartbeat races. 'I guess I'll never get used to being out here alone' She thinks, quickening her pace. With her machete clutched in her hand, she heads towards her and DJ's abandoned camp in the woods. When she arrives, DJ is already standing there on the other side of their makeshift fire pit, tending to a tiny fire she had started. She stares expectantly at Laken.

"Well? What did he say?" DJ finally asks, her hands in her pockets. Laken chews on the inside of her cheek and then nods.

"He wants to meet."

"What do you think he'll say?" DJ asks.

"Come on, you know him better than that. He'll want control," Laken sighs.

"He won't get it over me. I'm not his bitch," DJ scoffs.

"We've got to try to negotiate," Laken reminds her.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try, " says DJ with a roll of her eyes. The two fall into momentary silence. DJ scatters the embers of the fire she had started.

"Well, let's go. We don't have all day," she says sarcastically, bumping Laken's shoulder as she passes her.

"Glad to see you're back to normal." Laken laughs.

"Glad to see you're not dead," DJ jokes and the two begin walking the long trek back up the mountain. "Lord knows you might not be able to say the same thing about me."

***

Tripp crosses his arms, and remains standing at the table they had set up in the observatory grounds. Lucas sits beside him, and will not stop chewing on his lip. Todd and William stand off the side, away from the table, presumably ran off by Tripp's obvious aggression. DJ and Laken settle into seats across from Tripp and Lucas, and Laken immediately notices that DJ's leg is moving rapidly underneath the table.

Laken bumps DJ's foot with her's, shooting her friend a look that all but screams "Calm down." DJ frowns, reluctantly slowing the motion of her leg before stopping it. She resists the urge to squirm in her chair, the pent up energy having nowhere to go. DJ doesn't like being this close to Tripp; she feels that there's a good chance he'll attack her. She doubts she'll be as lucky as she was their first fight...

"Right," growls Tripp. 'Well, now that we have some fresh air in between us, let me make this perfectly clear." He fixes Laken with a hard stare. DJ looks to Laken, and then back to Tripp, who speaks again. "I'll work with you two, but on one condition: DJ doesn't run things anymore. She answers to me."

Laken opens her mouth to speak, but DJ cuts her off.

"What am I, chopped liver?!" DJ exclaims. "You're talking about me like I'm not even here!"

"DJ!" hisses Laken, horrified at her outburst.

"Besides, what makes you think you can take away all my influence?! You aren't king of Grant Mountain!" she continues, making a broad, sarcastic gesture with a sweeping motion of her arm.

"I can do whatever the hell I want! This is on my terms!" Tripp retorts, putting his hands flat on the table and leaning down to fix DJ with a threatening glare.

DJ jerks her head backwards in mock confusion, her mouth twisting in a sneer. "What, you threatening me now?!"

"So what if I am?" growls Tripp, narrowing his eyes. "What are you gonna do, Queen Bee? Shoot me?"

DJ shoots up from her sitting position, thrusting her head forward until her and Tripp are almost nose to nose. Her eyebrows downturn in a fierce scowl as she fearlessly locks eyes with him. She's held her own against him once, and she'll do it again if she has to.