Rest is not for the wicked. Living is not free. The debt will never be paid.

Funny thing about travel.

Sometimes one's body just...doesn't keep up?

Some people get jet lag over the time differences. Others may find their face breaking out or perhaps face new skin concerns. Lots of things really.

June rolls around, taking up the new couch.

She probably ate something funny. Something could be anything. The weird rat thing they roasted, that half-melted candy bar in their diminishing stash, a magic mushroom? Whatever it was now her digestive system was paying the price. Maybe it was the girls' problem. Maybe it was some very bad gas. All of it?

"My tummy hurts."

"That's the 16th time you said that. Today." Mattie remarks.

While the older teen seemed more put together, he wasn't doing too great himself. Anxiety bubbling in his stomach, forcing him to the point of doing... math.

He already did his sit-ups for the day and honestly anymore and he'll feel like he'll hurl. Not from pain but something else, something much worse to a busy mind.

That's right. At the shoddy bamboo and bark table, with nothing but the minimal glow of artificial lights and a scented candle, because that's his business, Mattie had reduced him now seemingly endless free time to this. He had a textbook and plain lined notebook open. No phone, no extra tools, just him and his healthy brain.

But where did he get said...luxuries? Of all things?

Magic.

Or Sophie.

Same thing at this point.

Like pulling doves and white rabbit out of a hat, their sister was just...making things appear?

It was met with mixed reactions, from a confused June and Mattie to a tired and increasingly pissed off Sophie.

Their older sister giving them little to no explanations, and with her increasingly bad mood it wasn't something they made an effort to pry. Sometimes she just rolled out of bed to throw shit at them, before disappearing back to her 'bedroom' behind palm dividers.

Something she's isolated space for herself after the whole couch incident.

No one wanted to be in the wrong place at the wrong time if something like that happened to materialize. Something larger enough to crush or harm them.

No one understood a thing about how or why. But after a certain number of times, even miraculous 'magic' tricks would get old. And in all honesty, most of the newly apparated items were kind of...useless?

A sturdy but standard clipboard.

A dog leash that was too big for their Peanut, a damn chihuahua.

A department store shopping bag with overpriced old lady skincare and perfume.

A fire extinguisher, the only thing maybe useful in an emergency.

A roll of cheap paper towels.

A wooden case of red wine.

A very nice, though slightly outdated, pair of noise canceling headphones.

A vintage Chinese tea set that Mattie is pretty sure belonged to their grandparents.

And of course, a plain school backpack that might have been Sophie's in highschool, textbooks included.

There were at a bit of a loss to do with all these and Sophie was a little....under the weather.

"You know. If you asked me, 'Heeey say you guys are stuck on a deserted island. What is your brother gonna do?!' I would totally say something like: pfffft his homework. But I wouldn't be serious about it. Why the fuck would anything willingly do ....Algebra 2?" June groaned, looking over to the only company she had.

"Concentrating and problem-solving with highly focused activity like math problems is not only a valid coping mechanism, it keeps you mentally sharp. The muscle building of the brain" he recited without any tone or soul.

He sounded a bit too much like his older sister sometimes, but hey, it's not like one of them claimed it all.

"....You ran out of things to clean. Didn't you?" June blinked around the oddly neat and organized space. Well as neat as a literal cave could be.

"You can't assume that. There's always filth to clean." he twitched in response, pencil falling. .

"Soooooooo you ran out of things to clean with?" she raised.

"....God damn it ...yes."

"Heeeeey no problem. How about a nice fancy cup of tea now that we have these things? Yeah some relaxing tea. Like something for my stomach. Owwwww. Oh yeah that's a cramp." June started shuffling about.

They've been trapped in the cave for days, the heavy rain putting a literal damper to a lot of plans. In retrospect, they didn't have all that much time to prepare for being full time shut-ins.

In any situation, adequate preparation was needed. Especially when was one was stranded in a whole new environment to get used to. One without a single grocery store, or well anything.

In other times and places, wouldn't people spend months preparing for a grueling winter? This was somewhat similar, though a very wet and tropical situation.

Setting up their nest to this point was already only due to Sophie's tight schedule and strict orders. The fact that she had a plan and layout for them to even follow.

Now they were without a task really.

It wasn't like there were absolutely lost without Sophie's every reminder. Not with the way she drilled their heads and bodies, painfully, day in and out over the course of the month.

There was always something to do, something to take care of. Survival mode didn't just, turn off or anything like that. Not out here.

But it was Sophie that told them what to do and when. How, in what order, and in the most efficient ways. How to identify and pile the firewood, how to turn it into charcoal. Even something so simple, they relied heavily on her.

There was always something to do. Foraged supplies to clean and sort, in the cave and protected by the palm frond patio. Materials to prepare for a future time. A barely started tester garden going on in the connected cave. Handicrafts to build and weave. Hell even a vending machine to break into.

But without her voice, it felt....directionless.

It was never discussed but it was an uncontested fact, Sophie was their leader. Even without strangely convenient 'psychic' powers at play, she was the eldest child growing up. Obviously, throughout the years, they had their systems and shared responsibilities. It was often her way, or... not exactly the highway, but life was a lot easier if you just listened to what Sophie said.

That was even more so the truth now that they were lost on a floating piece of land in the middle of the seas of nothing.

Since the beginning, they've been relying on Sophie. Without meaning to, even Mattie depended on Sophie to tell him just what to do and when. Lead the way, tread the best path for them to follow in this grand survival plan.

As aged as she claimed to be. As seemingly changed their sister had become despite the very same face and the knowledge she now held, there was a limit on the human body.

If one constantly remained 'on', there was always a way to turn 'off'. Overheating. Forced reset. Just one little virus in a weakened run bare system and that was it.

Sophie was down with a cold.

That's right. A fucking summer cold.

Miss 'I'm a mysterious badass now' who stressed them to keep fit, eat well, take their vitamins and be prepared for absolutely anything in this dangerous whole new environment was struggling with the sniffles.

Sore raspy throat. Fatigue and weakness throughout the body. Mild bouts of fever. The whole formula to a classic cold.

The siblings felt quite bad seeing their sister ill in such a state, though according to Mattie she was practically asking for it by running out into the rain.

Sounds crazy right?

Who in the world would just, burst out into an angry outburst and try to pick a fight with the elements? Screaming that it was 'all the rain's fault!' In the middle of the dark drizzling night especially?

Sophie apparently.

For that's exactly what she did last night. Just threw off the covers of common sense and run out cussing out the skies and all that it rained down.

It wasn't exactly freezing weather but she did get drenched and fail to win the fight against nature. Not that it was ever a fight in the first place. If it was then she quite badly lost.

"It's the rain, it's the fucking rain! God fucking damn it! This is why I can't fucking sleep without one of these stupid- god fuck shit -" and so that's how the two younger Quans had to fish out their own sister from picking a fight with the weather of all things.

Not fun.

Her condition only worsened since last night. Going from groggy, sleep-deprived, and somewhat in a constant in and out tired headache to a full-blown fever before settling down to what resembled a bad cold.

After getting her out of the battering rain, bathed and warmed up they did the only thing they could. Hopped her with some decent flavored soup, some cold meds and symptom relief pain relievers then tucked her into her bed. Checking in periodically to check her temperature and condition.

For the first time since, oh say the vending machine came crashing down, Sophie slept the whole night and still to now.

For the first time since this all started, she actually took a rest. Though it would be more accurate to say her body forced her to rest.

Mattie had since had a lot of time to think since then.

Too much time really.

Even without his ability, he was originally a rather quick-witted individual. His mind connecting the dots, reading between the lines of what people say, do and mean.

But this strange ability, this sleepy drawl of time itself, gave him so much more personal perspective. On hot days, when he stays too long, too slow, there's a drawback. Like a recoil, he's hit with various levels of fatigue, headache, and a heavy uncomfortable feeling in his chest. It felt not dissimilar to heatstroke, at the worst of it a bad migraine.

Time already went so slowly now, waiting around for something. He avoided using it.

So the thing eating inside his chest had nothing to do with the recoil. The gross anxiety, curling with panic and fear, was all his own.

Too many thoughts swam in him at any time. Too many overreacting feelings. He feels like he's drowning and no amount of time can save him from that. Not if he doesn't move.

He could connect the correlation of Sophie's condition to her ability. Something they don't yet fully understand and were far from fully controlling. Even he himself was beginning to see a pattern and the differences in what he experienced to her.

Other than his own will, the only other time it all slowed down was dependent on him. If he was feeling too tired. If he was feeling stressed or frustrated. Only then, he couldn't fucking help it.

To Sophie, she couldn't control the dreams. Yet. If that was even possible. Couldn't control a lot of things about them, where, when. Something about the rain only made them more frequent and tiring.

For him, pouring the feelings of helplessness, that overeating urge, into something else, helped. A lot. At least he wasn't affected by the damn weather. Just himself and his own weakness.

Mattie watched the world go by like an internet video. At first too slow, like someone messed up and set the playback speed setting to another configuration. It went slowly back to normal. He used the natural unknowing motions of his little sister to match the speed.

.25x

.5x

1x

Breathe.

That was it. Optimal speed, the normal natural state.

Don't think about it too much. Don't worry about it too much. Don't....let it eat you.

"Can I like, put on a movie?" June said casually.

She set down the fancy pot on his table, pouring him a cup of herbal tea. Bottle of aspirin set on the side like a bowl of sugar.

The fine glazed ceramic stood out of place in this setting, with its smooth and delicate jade-like appearance. Not the kind of thing you would back and bring along on a trip. Not the kind of thing you'd find in a jungle or a cave. With no handles, the cup felt hot in his too pale hands. The blood and warmth seemingly rushed out, numb and slightly shaking.

"You don't need to ask me for permission." Mattie looked up, warming himself in the heat and steam.

"But like, will you watch it with me? Duh. " she rolled her eyes at him.

"...yeah. Yeah sure, Why not."

"Sweet."

June already pulled out a laptop, ready for the entertaining distraction. They couldn't spend the whole time in here moping and weaving baskets, that's just sad and ridiculous.

"K, Imma go slap Sophie a bit to see if she dead yet and you can pull out whatever. But like if you don't pick something good I'll do it myself."

"I don't know if I trust your collection and tastes"

"Dude. Why is Monty Python so damn funny? Coconuts! Ha!"

The world slows and for a moment, Mattie lets it.

1x

.75x

.5x

Good enough.

Breathe.

A minute tremor is barely a twitch. A breakdown takes only a blink, the sparest barest moment in time.

Mattie watches the world move like a movie on a screen. The steam cinematically rising, coiling like a dragon, snake, before fading away. He watches as June slowly, but surely, takes exactly two knocks on the bamboo divider before promptly invading Sophie's space. A bowl of water and clean towels on her tray. A dragged out cheerful humming, sounding too loud, filling up space.

.25x

.1x

Mattie gives himself three seconds before he steps out and cries. Cry something loud, wet and ugly too far away to be heard. Crystal water droplet barely touching him on his way.

Then he steps back in, shoes neatly put away, to set and fix whatever June left simmering on the charcoal fire. Tasting. Seasoning. Mentally note the good rice was running low. Cleans the ash. Add more wood. Rearrange the slight mess on the bare shelves they used as a cabinet. Kick the vending machine again. Just because. Refluff the couch and cushions to perfection, lay out a throw blanket to keep it clean. Set out the laptop. Peek onto June laying a fresh cold towel on a feverish Sophie's sleeping head, ensuring they were ok. Sit back down. Scratch. Clean glasses. Get back up. Pace the biggest room in the cave. Peek into the smaller rough spots they have yet to touch. Take note of a leak. Mark it. Split some more wood to weave. Rock on the floor like a crazy person. Clean that up.

Sit back down. Finally, drink that damn tea.

It's still steaming hot.

.25x

.5x

1x

Good enough.

"Did you pick yet brah?" Junes struts back out, satisfied how Sophie's peacefully out like a light. If she notices how the cave is somehow even cleaner, she doesn't say anything more than the judgemental raise of an eyebrow.

"...No. No time. Monty Python is fine."

"A fine choice this evening.~"

When June moves there is no need to time for a beat. No need to speed or slow. It just was. A normal person existing in one place on time. Seemingly not a care in the world as she plopped him over on the couch. Rummaging around like the mess she was for tea and snacks.

Mattie is used to the stone of jealousy in his throat, reserved for their spoiled youngest. Same for the bile that rises and settles for his older sister.

But he wouldn't have it any other way. He knows that he would be infinitely lost if it wasn't them by his side. He knows how wrecked, eaten, he would have been if Sophie had managed to leave him behind.

He's had more than enough time to think about it, that 'what if'.

It wouldn't have happened. Reasonably it wouldn't have happened. Sophie wouldn't, couldn't have gotten away with it at the time. But swimming fearful thoughts don't do reason, this island didn't do 'reason'.

He knows how lost he would be if she left him behind.

Damning him to the crazies of jungle island survival is not in any way ok. But being left behind? Alone. Without knowing a thing?

Mattie doesn't know where he would be today if it had gone differently. But mentally, he knew he could be in a very worse place.

"Less brooding more coconuts!" two shells smacked on each other in front of his face, making an exaggerated horse galloping sound.

Without much of a warning, a blanket fell over him rubbing harshly into his hair. The small conserved lights shut off, and his not so little sister rammed into his side with her one giant plushie. He screams when her cold feet snuck into his shirt.

"AHH God damn it! June!"

"Ssshhhhh ssshhh movie time. Ack Ahahah my heheh foot hahaha let go you fucker!?! Ahahahah!"

"Get off! Don't kick my face?! Stop that!"

"Ahahahahaha you cheeeeater! AHahahaha! I'm ticklish!"

"Fuck off!"

"No ahahahah! fott ahaha no you!"

The great battle ends when they respectively knock each other off the couch, which was admittedly a pretty sweet thing to have. Then tumble back up to rewind the movie back what they missed all over again.

Absurd medieval parodies playing in the laptop and prepackaged snacks. For two or so hours in time, they're just normal brain dead teenagers again. Just like at home. Chilling on the couch with nothing else they have to do.

Mattie wouldn't be annoyed to death by anyone else. Even if he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter.

For a little bit, time passes by as it should. Unfiltered. Untampered. Gone elsewhere, instead of here. And that was ok. Necessary even.

Rest was more than just food and sleep. A healthy body and mind required more than the bare minimum to survive. The ability to help others lied in one's safeguard to help yourself first.

Don't let it eat you up. Don't let it take over your life.

You deserve to live.

Not you deserve to live "too". You deserve to live. Period.

When the movie plays on, with no tear jerker moments at all, June simply pretends her brother is crying out of laughter. When he silently falls crying into her shoulder, blankets tangled in between them, it's like the worst of the rain out of the way.

Guilt. From their parents. From their losses. From what they have that others didn't. Of all the fates that will end up in death or worse. This entire fucked up situation. So lost and guilty.

June doesn't know what to do, she's equally if not more so lost in it all. But the young simpleminded had their strengths too. She held his hand the whole time, relieved in her own way. Relieved that Mattie was finally letting go, letting be. All to the background of a stupid movie and the constant rain outside.

The same way she held Sophie's through her fevers, she held Mattie through tired tears. Though their older sister didn't fully trust or share her weights yet, they'll be there for her when she does. For better or worse. Hopefully the former. The warmth of another person, smelling of fuzzy blankets, tea and bickering, was uncomparable to a hidden breakdown anywhere else.

After the laugh tracks and screen credits stop playing, the tea gone beyond lukewarm, bordering cold, he snarks at her to not say a word. Like nothing happened and he did not cry like a baby god damn it.

"Right. Sure." June smiles.

Then ruins the mood by kicking her cold feet back under his shirt again.

"Alright. Get up. I know you're there." Sophie's very awake voice clamors at the same time Mattie screams in shock. A clear contrast between his loud and offended with her tired and impatient gravel, throat swollen with the cold.

The screen divider cracks as the one behind kicks it open. Dragged across the floor by her side is a heavy blue and white plastic case, seemingly too large to be carried by one very petite young woman.

"Really? Nothing?" Sophie looked worse for wear.

Messy hair, dark circles, a bright new zit, and all the usual symptoms of anyone who spent the day in bed from a cold. Her usual cool controlled demeanor wasn't exactly gone, but it was certainly on the short end of her temper.

The plastic cooler, something that would look more at home at some beach or park party, made a rough grating sound as she dragged it all the way to the couch. Lightweight as the plastic may have been designed, it sounded quite filled and heavy.

Mattie and June stared silently, jaws open, somehow still always shocked when Sophie showed up with something new.

At least it wasn't anything too large?

It looked...kinda useful?

Sophie looked...healthier? Better than this morning? Definitely better than last night.

With a sigh Sophie dropped it to rummage in their designated 'kitchen'. Returning with a spoon she practically flung herself on the couch, uncaring if anyone was already there. She lazily tossed up the cooler's lid, digging through the still freezing ice to pull out a beer and a fat partly eaten tub of ice cream.

"You can fucking have some if you open the damn vending machine. I know you can figure it out. Hurry up because this shit going to melt eventually." Sophie took no shame, nor concern for her health when she ate out directly from the tub.

She probably chugged down half the beer and eaten 3 spoonfuls of plain vanilla ice cream, relishing the way it iced her sore throat, before finally addressing her own still unmoving siblings with a spoon.

"There's another party tub and some other shit in there. No drinking." she pointed, somewhere under the ice.

Mattie gave her that look. Very unimpressed.

"Cool! Good enough for me!" June dove down, more than ready to dig through the cold for treasure.

Who wouldn't? There was ice cream to be found. And sodas. And more ice cream. Ice cream but on a stick. The younger girl gleefully counting off whatever she could find and ingest. Perfect movie snacks. Sweet, perfect timing, best psychic thing yet, June thought to herself, body half in the iced cooler. Looking much like a dog digging for bones.

Mattie continued glaring. If his eyes were still red and puffy no one said anything about it.

"Fine. You. You can drink. No one else." the eldest stuffed another spoon of ice cream into her face, handing her brother a can.

"Bigger things give you more a headache Sophie. We've been over this before. "

"It's fucking ice cream Mattie. I'll figure it out." she shrugged.

Worth it in her opinion. She was going for the cooler this time. The stuff inside just a bonus. After a series of dreams, Sophie was learning the hard way that not every place had anything useful. Nor was it worth the pain. Either by exploring or trying to bring something over.

All memories though, some practically forgotten.

An empty classroom.

The rough side of a dog park.

Carrying mom's bags through a heavily perfumed store.

Trapped in the car, her younger siblings arguing in the background.

Sophie doesn't even know, loses count so much so it's frustrating. Not everywhere had something useful. Not everywhere was worth it. Dreams could continue. They could fade. They could mean nothing or everything.

Sophie had wanted to sleep, and so she did. Figured a bit more things out. Saw long dead people, saw her parents again.

Dreams...weren't so bad once in a while.

"Guuuuys, there's god damn poundcake in here. So gooooo. I can make a rootbeer float? Ohhhh I love you Sophie. I'll give you all the massages and sponge baths and fried rats or whatever Sophie. Love you."

"Stop being such a kiss ass June, and stop using me as a heater! Get your freezing hands and feet away!"

Sophie spooned another bite, falling into the sweet noise.

A creak and a slamming sound rang out, a small spill of debris, rock and shattered plastic. Forcing everyone to look over.

The vending machine cover had loosened and fallen off. The contents inside finally out in the open.

So was a short boy. Dark, dusty, and glowering like a skinny kitten caught in the rain.

"....I want chocolate flavor," he growled, voice yet to hit puberty. Hard to take seriously at all, even if he was brandishing a weapon.

Somewhere Mattie dropped his drink along with his jaw. Somewhere June was 5 seconds away from screaming, or squealing, or both.

Ignoring everyone again, Sophie pointed with her spoon. Help yourself, essentially.

Then went right back to eating her ice cream.

Worth it.