chapter two
be of service

A WEEK LATER, Cheryl found herself counting behind a tree. ". . . 29, 30! Ready or not, here I come!" She stepped out from behind the tree. It was childish, but surprisingly a bunch of campers wanted to play Hide and Seek. Cheryl had been voted as The Seeker and was on her way to search for everyone.

Craning her neck so she could see behind a tree, she laughed in glee. "Gotcha, Theo!"

The boy sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're a fucking cheater."

"I am not a cheater," Cheryl crossed her arms. "You just suck at Hide and Seek."

"Cherry!" a voice called out, making the girl turn to see Nick Goode. "We got a problem with Ziggy again!"

The Watson girl's face fell as she followed Nick and Kurt to a patch in the middle of the woods. Cheryl wasn't a counselor, but as far as everyone knew, she and Ziggy were close and she was the only one the redhead would listen to.

Cheryl gasped and took off running when she saw Ziggy hanging from Sarah Fier's tree by her hands as Sheila edged forward with a lighter.

"Sheila! Don't!" Ziggy yelled, attempting to back away from the girl. "Don't!"

"Put the goddamn lighter down!" Cheryl screamed, shoving Sheila to the ground. She turned sharply to Will Goode. "Let her down!"

Will ignored her and turned to his brother. "Nick, I can explain-"

"Let her down, Will!" Nick demanded as the two counselors rushed over. "I swear to God I'll tell Mom!"

Will turned to the rope and undid it, making Ziggy almost fall to the ground. Thankfully, Cheryl helped steady her and hurried to undo the rope on her wrist.

Kurt had them all stand in a line and explain to him what happened. "I went back to my cabin, the door was open," Sheila began, Cheryl rolled her eyes. "The next thing I knew all my money was gone and Ziggy was just sprinting away."

"Because you were chasing me," Ziggy jumped in.

"Ziggy," Kurt warned. "You talk when I tell you to talk."

"That's such a male thing to say," Cheryl muttered under her breath as she bit the inside of her cheek.

"Did you see her take it?" Nick wondered, clearly asking his brother.

"Everyone did," Will answered.

"Everyone," Sheila's friends chorused.

"Alright," Kurt slipped his whistle back on his neck. "Well, that's it, Berman. Five strikes." He snapped and clapped his hands, pointing at her. "You're out."

"I'm out?" Ziggy asked incredulously. "They just tried to murder me!"

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed. "And I'll deal with them. But first, get back to camp, call mommy because you're done at Nightwing."

"You'll deal with them?" Cheryl scoffed. "Attempted murder is actually a crime and you'll deal with them? They should be the ones getting kicked out, dumbass."

"Watson-" Kurt turned sharply towards Cheryl.

"Kurt?" Cheryl raised a challenging brow. What was the worst he could do? Kick her out?

"I didn't do it," Ziggy insisted.

Kurt moved his gaze from Cheryl back to Ziggy. "Oh yeah? Just like you didn't set the camp flag on fire? Or let out the camp rabbits? Or graffiti the outhouse stalls. I warned you-"

"Kurt," Sheila interrupted. "It's not her fault, really." Sheila looked over at Ziggy and smiled sweetly. "She's possessed by Sarah Fier."

"Oh, you-" Ziggy marched forward. Nick rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her to hold her back.

"If anyone's possessed here, it's you," Cheryl pointed out. "The people the so-called 'witch' possesses turn into murderers, and, um, didn't you just try to kill Ziggy?"

Sheila glared at Cheryl. "The witch only possesses Shadysiders."

"Oh, well, then maybe you're just a psychotic fucking bitch," Cheryl cocked her head, daring Sheila to say anything else.

"Look, Kurt," Nick struggled holding Ziggy. "We kick her out, somebody's gonna ask about the burn on her arm. Then who's in trouble? Huh? Why don't we just let this one slide? Yeah?"

"Alright," Kurt agreed after a moment. "One more strike and you're out for real. You hear me, Berman?" He raised a finger. "One more."

Ziggy pushed herself out of Nick's arms. "Being bossed around by a Goode? Wow. Guess somethings never change." Ziggy grabbed Cheryl's arm and led her away from the group.

Both Ziggy and Cheryl ignored Nick's presence on the way back to camp until he finally stepped up beside them. "Hey, have Nurse Lane check that burn out."

"No," Ziggy replied heatedly. "I think I'm just gonna let it get infected and die."

"The hell you are," Cheryl protested.

"I don't even get a thank you?" Nick inquired, making the girls stop. "I saved both of you, Kurt was actually considering kicking you out, Cherry."

"Oh!" Ziggy exclaimed. "I'm sorry, we forgot. Thank you, King of Sunnyvale, future Police Chief Nick Goode, for rescuing poor, helpless Shadysiders like us! How could we ever repay you?"

Ziggy looked at Cheryl, waiting for the girl to add her piece.

Cheryl tapped her chin, pretending to think. Her eyes widened in false realization. "Oh! We could. . . I don't know, bat our eyes at you, make you feel like you're the hottest thing at camp! You'd like that, wouldn't ya, Nick?"

"Like all the other dumbass girls," Ziggy glared at him.

As if planned, both Cheryl and Ziggy started walking backward, flipping him off. Cheryl and Nick were actually semi-friends, she just hated the fact that he expected a thank you.

Ziggy stopped behind a tree. "I need a kiss."

Cheryl grinned and leaned in, closing the small distance between them. Ziggy wasn't ready to come out to anyone yet, so she and Cheryl hid their relationship. Cheryl didn't mind though, she knew firsthand how bad it could be.

Ziggy pulled away and let out a sigh. "I feel so much better."

Cheryl saluted her. "Happy I could be of service."

Ziggy giggled and pressed her lips against the other girl's again before they continued walking.

"Nick being a dick aside," Cheryl started. "You really should get the burn checked."

"You don't want me to get it infected and die?" Ziggy tilted her head.

"Not really, no," Cheryl responded with a small laugh.

"I'll get it checked," Ziggy promised.

"Despite our differences, we're all perfect!" Joan Schmidt's voice chimed. Before Ziggy knew it, a shirt was being thrown at her face. "Even you, Ziggy Berman." Cheryl quickly caught the shirt that was launched at her. "And you, Cheryl Watson."

Cheryl raised the blue shirt, giving the girl a small smile as Ziggy led them to Nurse Lane. They passed Cindy and Tommy in the outhouse, cleaning it for the Color War. Cheryl didn't bother to stop and say hi, figuring she'd just do it at the Color War.

"Nurse Lane!" Ziggy called out when they reached the infirmary. "Hello!" She closed the door and placed her free hand on her hip. "I'm in trouble again. Help." When they heard no response, Ziggy went on. "Nurse Lane, come on! I could die any minute now."

"Don't be so dramatic," Cheryl lightly scolded.

"I'm not," the redhead grumbled. "It's true."

"Okay," Cheryl patted her shoulder. "Whatever you say, babe."

Ziggy's cheeks flushed but she hid it well and walked over to the door to Nurse Lane's office. "Nurse Lane?" The redhead moved forward and picked up the book on Nurse Lane's desk. "Look at this." She motioned Cheryl over to see the weird pictures in the book.

"What the-"

"What are you doing?"

A shocked scream slipped past Cheryl's lips as she and Ziggy turned around. Realizing that it was just Nurse Lane, she put a hand on her heart.

"Nurse Lane, you scared the shit out of me!" Ziggy told her, sucking in a breath. "You definitely scared the shit out of Cherry here." Her brows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

Nurse Lane sniffled. "I am." Ziggy ran a hand through her hair and Nurse Lane saw her burn. "Oh, my goodness. Ziggy, Ziggy, Ziggy, what did we do now?"

They ran her through what happened while the woman led them to the beds so they could sit. Cheryl took her place next to Ziggy and tucked her leg beneath the other.

"Okay, so you gonna apply this once a day for three days," the nurse instructed. "Okay?" She took the cap off of the medicine. "It's gonna protect against infection." She took a bit and put it on Ziggy's burn.

Ziggy watched her. "It's gross."

"You'll survive."

Ziggy nodded and glanced at Cheryl before looking back at Nurse Lane. "So, um. . . what's the Witch's Mark?"

Nurse Lane paused. Her gaze moved down as she closed the ointment. "You know about my daughter, right? Ruby Lane?"

A flash of recognition crossed both girls' faces.

"Uh, I don't-"

Cheryl nodded, trying to come up with something to say. "We don't - um, well-"

"Of course you do," Nurse Lane concluded. "Everybody talks, I know. Tell me, what do they say?"

"Oh, um. . . they say she, uh, she killed people," Ziggy stammered. ". . . at a party. Seven - seven friends."

"Eight," Lane corrected. "She killed herself that night, too. So eight."

Cheryl frowned. "I'm so sorry, Nurse Lane."

"Ruby was such a sweet girl," Lane continued. "Oh, and she had a sweet voice. She was in choir, she wanted to be a singer. I was so proud of her." She began to wrap the gauze around Ziggy's arm. "The doctors say it was a psychotic episode, that she just snapped. But the kids. . . the kids say Sarah Fier made her do it."

Cheryl's eyes widened as the nurse continued to tighten the gauze on Ziggy's arm, making the redhead wince. "That's a little tight-"

Nurse Lane completely ignored the girl. "What do you two think?"

"I don't-"

"'Cause I don't think you go from being a sweet girl with dreams to ripping someone's insides out with a switchblade."

"Nurse Lane-"

"You're hurting her!" Cheryl exclaimed.

"People, I found, usually kill for a reason and sometimes that reason is justified," she went on. "Sometimes killing isn't murder. Sometimes it's necessary."

"That's kind of hurting me," Ziggy tried.

"Sometimes it is good-"

Cheryl got up and pushed the nurse's hand away from Ziggy, making the woman snap out of whatever trance she had been put in.

Nurse Lane simply grabbed the ointment again. "Once a day for three days, okay?"

The door opened. Cheryl glanced up to see Cindy Berman, looking as uptight as always. The girl smiled at Nurse Lane. "Hi, Nurse Lane." Ziggy and Cheryl both bolted up.

"Hi, Cindy," Nurse Lane greeted.

"Cheryl," Cindy nodded her head politely to the girl, earning a polite nod back. Cindy's eyes then trailed to her sister. "Ziggy."

𝒎𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒍 !!