ISOLATION

Day 3

"Ladies, ladies, ladies!" Darren came walking up to us after we had finished breakfast. "Who here is scared of heights?"

I looked around as a few girls raised their hands, Dakota included, all looking nervous as to what was to come. My eyes landed on Lauren, whose hands remained by her sides, but her face looked like she was terrified. Her eyes were wide with fear and she was biting her bottom lip nervously. If I didn't hate the girl, I'd say she looked cute right now, but I hated her. So she didn't look cute.

I wasn't scared of heights myself, having used to have lived in a top floor apartment with my parents before we moved to Stone Creek. In fact, I liked being high up, away from everything and everyone. To me it was calming, but to others it was the complete opposite.

We followed Darren along the path until we came to what I could only imagine was Dakota's biggest fear, the high ropes course. Her hand was gripping my arm tightly, no doubt leaving red handprints in their wake.

"It'll be fun, Dak. Don't worry," I said comfortingly, but she only gripped my arm tighter.

"Who wants to go first? You'll go in pairs," Darren asked, but no one volunteered.

"No takers? Okay. Looks like I'm choosing then," he said, before rubbing his hands together.

He closed his eyes and out his right arm out in front of him, extending his pointer finger. He began to spin wildly, eventually coming to a stop, his finger pointing directly at me.

"Scarlet!" he exclaimed happily, and I chuckled before walking over and grabbing a harness and helmet from the pile.

He closed his eyes again and repeated exactly what he had done before, except this time his finger landed on the absolute last person I wanted to be paired with.

"Ah, Miss Knight. Off you go," he chuckled.

I saw Lauren's eyes widen dramatically, before she pushed her way through her friends and made her way over to me, grabbing the harness and helmet that I had picked up from my hands.

"Thanks, Harlot," she said shortly, and I sighed loudly before bending down and picking up some more.

I had put on a harness multiple times before, having done rock climbing as a kid with my dad when we lived in the country. I climbed into my harness with ease, tightening it and locking it into place. I looked over and saw Lauren attempting to put on her harness, but ultimately failing miserably.

"Do...do you want my help?" I asked softly, approaching her slowly as if she were some kind of predator.

"I don't need your help," she growled at me.

I stepped back and continued to watch as she struggled pathetically with the harness, trying to keep in my laughter as she failed time and time again.

"Hurry up, ladies!" Darren called out from the beginning of the course, and Lauren looked up worriedly at him before glancing nervously back at me.

"Fine, help me!" she spat at me, and I wordlessly walked over and helped her with her harness.

"Lift your arm for me," I said softly, and she did as I said, allowing me to slip the harness under her arm and around her shoulders. I tightened the straps gently, untwisting them so they wouldn't be uncomfortable.

"Is that tight enough?" I asked quietly, and she nodded curtly.

I bent down to pick up her helmet for her, but she snatched it away from me quickly.

"I know how to put on a fucking helmet," she snapped at me, placing the helmet on her head. I debated on whether I should tell her that it was on backwards, but decided to let Darren have the honour.