[034] a wonderful actress

                                           Courtney knew she had to find a way to make Suki see that she was being tricked. And so, Courtney knew that she had to catch little Victoria in a trap.

                                           Unlike Jessica who was practically invisible, Victoria had a history that went back all the way to college. She was seemingly an accomplished journalist, publishing several successful articles. There was no doubt in Courtney's mind that Victoria not only knew who Suki was, but she was definitely a part of the scheme to blackmail them. After all, she hadn't published any articles in a while and it was obvious that she was looking for her next big break.

                                           Courtney wouldn't allow Suki to be taken advantage of.

                                           As Suki slept, Courtney had been continuing her research when she heard noises coming from Suki. It sounded as though she was crying, another tell tale sign of a nightmare. Courtney instantly climbed into bed with Suki and started stroking her hair, trying to comfort her. It seemed to work because Suki went back to being quiet for a while, even moving in closer to where Courtney lives beside her. That was before she woke up, momentarily dazed as she tried to wake up and see where she was.

                                           "What are you doing?" Suki asked, slightly startled when she saw Courtney so close to her.

                                           "You were having another nightmare. I decided to help you," Courtney answered.

                                           Suki glanced up at her before she looked away, sitting up in bed. As much as Suki tried to remember her nightmare, the details escaped her. It probably had to do with the fact that she often drank so she could black out and not have any nightmares. So the fact that she still did but couldn't remember it bothered her a little.

                                           She then looked over to see clothes draped onto the nearby chair, leaving her more confused than ever.

                                           "What the hell is that?" Suki answered.

                                           "Clothes. You're going to wear them today and trap Victoria with your good looks and natural charm," Courtney stated.

                                           "I need a drink," Suki groaned.

                                           "You're out of luck. I dumped everything out into the sink while you were asleep. You've got to take better care of yourself, Suki," Courtney shakes her head.

                                           "What?" Suki exclaimed.

                                           "You need to be sober for this. You'll thank me later," Courtney remarked.

                                           "I hate you so much," Suki frowned.

                                           Courtney nods, a small smile gracing her lips. "I know. Now get ready. I have a feeling I know exactly where little Vicky's going to be."

                                           Suki sighed but ultimately relented. She wasn't in the mood to put up any more of a fight. If anything, she was still pretty pissed over the fact that Courtney had discarded all of her booze. But nonetheless, she was going to prove Courtney wrong and not make herself look like a complete fool.

                                           She just hoped that she'd be proven right.

                                           "I also know that I was right about little Vicky being associated with Jessica. She's a journalist, one that hasn't been doing so good lately. But an article about the infamous Yellowjackets would really save her career," Courtney continued.

                                           "Shut up," Suki huffed as she held her head in her hands.

                                           "I'm not saying this to mess with you. I'll even show you my laptop if you don't believe me," Courtney insisted. "The last thing I'd ever want is to make you upset."

                                           Suki turns around to look at her. "So what is it that you want?"

                                           "I just want you to be safe. It's obvious that you're being taken advantage of. Victoria and Jessica and the rest of their blackmailing team are trying to fuck with us. And I don't want to see you getting hurt in the process. I love you, Suki, even if you don't feel the same about me anymore," Courtney replied, sounding the most genuine than she had in a while.

                                           Suki's lips part open to speak before Courtney gets up, leaving Suki alone in her bedroom. For the first time in a while, she actually felt pretty guilty.

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                                           "Suki, is that you?"

                                           Glancing up from the menu she had been pretending to read from, she looked up to see Victoria standing there. Courtney had been right in saying that Victoria came to the restaurant often. Suki was the bait and it all managed to work out. Victoria had taken it, clueless to the fact that it had been perfectly set up.

                                           "Victoria?" Suki responded. "Hey, it's been a while, huh?"

                                           "Yeah. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" Victoria offered.

                                           "No, of course not," Suki assured her.

                                           Suki watched as Victoria sat across from her, trying to figure out if she was innocent. The fact that she was close to Jessica immediately set her off. But it still could've been a coincidence. Victoria didn't have to be guilty just because she associated with Jessica.

                                           "I wanted to get in contact with you sooner but you just... disappeared," Victoria added.

                                           "I'm sorry. I was just... busy with work and things like that. But I just wanted you to know that I had a great time that night," Suki reasoned.

                                           Victoria softly chuckles. "I really thought that you had a bad time or something. It had been a while for me but I didn't think I'd be that terrible."

                                           "No, you weren't. I was... actually beating myself up pretty badly for not getting your number. But I guess... fate had other plans, huh?" Suki shrugged.

                                           "Guess so," Victoria smiled.

                                           "So does this mean you'll stick around so we can get to know each other better?" Suki offered.

                                           "Yeah, I'd really like that actually," Victoria says, perking up.

                                           Ordering food together, they'd engage in casual small talk here and there before Suki decided to get into it. She wanted to get to the truth already, desperate to prove Courtney wrong. After all, she remembered what Courtney had said before. If she found out that Victoria was involved, she'd get rid of her permanently.

                                           And she knew that she'd kill Victoria just because she had been with Suki too.

                                           "Uh, what is it that you do for a living?" Suki started, stabbing her fork into the pasta she had barely touched.

                                           "Nothing as exciting as pottery but -," Victoria began to say.

                                           "How'd you know I did pottery?" Suki frowned.

                                           "Oh, didn't you tell me the first time we met?" Victoria raised a brow.

                                           Suki may have had a couple drinks but she certainly didn't remember bringing it up. Still, Suki decided to play dumb. "Yeah, of course. I don't remember what you said though."

                                           "Photography. I like to capture nature and things like that. It's part of the reason why I moved here in the first place," Victoria nodded.

                                           "Besides making a fresh start?" Suki recalled.

                                           "Yeah, besides that," Victoria agreed.

                                           Suki knew that Victoria was lying again. Courtney had told her how she looked her up and found out that she too was a journalist. Suki couldn't argue with the facts anymore. She was actively being played. She had actually liked Victoria so that made the discovery even more hurtful.

                                           Was Suki just doomed to never open up to anyone ever? Was she always meant to be used?

                                           "Suki? Suki, are you alright?" Victoria questioned.

                                           Suki nods, preparing to say something. But just then, she'd see the door to the kitchen swing open. Each time it did, it'd show the figure of the same man she had seen before. The man she thought to be Travis. He had that same sad look on his face and he appeared to be mouthing something to Suki.

                                           "Suki?" Victoria asks, following Suki's gaze but she wasn't able to see anything.

                                           Suki slowly managed to piece together what Travis was saying. But when she did figure it out, she was even more confused than ever. "Tell Natalie she was right."

                                           "What? What are you talking about?" Victoria inquired.

                                           Before Suki could answer, her phone suddenly rang and that's when she saw that it was Natalie calling her now. "Excuse me."

                                           Without waiting for a response, Suki quickly got up and left the restaurant before she answered the phone. "Nat, what's going on?"

                                           "Travis is dead," Natalie responded, sounding emotional.

                                           "What?" Suki's heart sank.

                                           "He's dead. We found him at the ranch and... He's gone. Someone killed him," Natalie explained.

                                           "Oh my... Nat, I... I'm so sorry," Suki apologized. She knew the complicated relationship between Natalie and Travis. While they weren't good for each other, they had loved each other. But now it was all over.

                                           "Did you see anything?" Nat questioned.

                                           "I... I saw him just now. He told me something," Suki admitted.

                                           "What did he say?" Natalie inquired.

                                           "Tell Natalie she was right," Suki answered with a shake of her head.

                                           Natalie nearly dropped the phone right then and there.

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                                           Courtney looked absolutely meek and demure as she sat at the park bench, glancing around her old stomping grounds. When she was a teenage girl, she'd walk the streets and have her fun - keeping the high school population of Wiskayok under her thumb. Courtney had been royalty back then.

                                           Now, she had all the glory but none of the power.

                                           In the distance, she could see a girl around her age with her girl friends. She was obviously the ringleader - tall, blonde, and gorgeous. With the way she grinned and talked down to the others, Courtney was instantly reminded of how she had been at her age.

                                           Footsteps approaching her causes Courtney to snap out of it. Jessica Roberts was now approaching her, soon sitting right next to Courtney on the bench. To any casual onlooker, it'd seem like they were two friends sitting down at the park and talking. But the truth was a lot more twisted than that.

                                           "You made it impossible to find you, Courtney. It's impressive, I'll have to admit that," Jessica remarked. "If it wasn't for you calling me, I never would've been able to find you."

                                           And that explained why Courtney hadn't been sent a postcard.

                                           "Thank you," is all Courtney says with a nod.

                                           "So how did you find out about me? Or should I just take a wild guess?" Jessica questioned.

                                           Courtney smiles. "I'd rather hear your guess."

                                           "Suki. You two were close in high school, only to fall apart right after you all were rescued. Then you disappeared for decades until now. The question is why?" Jessica remarked.

                                           "I thought you'd know. You have all the answers, don't you?" Courtney replied. "But I want an answer from you. What do you want from me?"

                                           "The truth of what happened to you all out there. Just from the looks of it, money won't be enough to persuade you. But maybe fame will. If you agree to a book deal, you'd catapult to fame in an instant. No one will forget your name," Jessica assured her.

                                           Courtney smiles. "Seriously?"

                                           "Seriously."

                                           "I don't know. If I tell the truth, the others would hate me. If I agree to tell you everything, I want guaranteed protection."

                                           Jessica nods. "You have my word. You'll be protected completely if you agree to this."

                                           "Fine, I'll think about it. I'll call you to set up a meeting, alright?"

                                           And with that, Courtney prepared to get up and leave. But before she could take the first step, Jessica had something more to say.

                                           "I visited your sister not too long ago. She said that she hadn't seen you since you left town. I almost thought she was lying but now it's obvious that she was telling the truth," Jessica added.

                                           Courtney slowly turned around to look at her. "How is she?"

                                           "She's a proper housewife and all. You two are leading two very different lives. If it wasn't for you two sharing a last name, it'd be hard to believe you two were related at all," Jessica explained.

                                           "Right," is all Courtney says, walking towards her car. "I'll see you around, Jessica Roberts."

                                           Courtney now realized that it was only fair for her to pay her little sister a visit. It was long overdue.

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word count: 2041
notes: as always, i hope you all enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you thought! we're going back to the wilderness in the next chapter 💕