Archive of Our Own

“We had a life. She didn’t. That’s my vote.”

Ocean’s confident façade crumbled as her voice trembled. She looked back for guidance, support, validation in her decision. Constance was the first to walk up, their failing relationship starting to mend after the hour or so spent in the warehouse.

Ricky was next, falling in on Ocean’s other side. Jane reached out for him, for all of them, but the light was pulling her towards it.

Noel and Mischa went next, standing besides the rest.

“Motion carried. Democracy rocks.” No one pointed out the crack in her voice.

Constance and Ricky turned around, leading her to the very edge of the curtain.

She took the last step on her own, feeling the warmth of two hands disappear...

...and feeling the warmth of the sun on her face.

Where was she? Who was she? She felt like she was missing something. She knew her name, but she didn’t quite remember it. The first thing that popped into her mind? Savannah.

And that one word unlocked everything. Well, not everything. The stuff before the warehouse was still hazy, but she was sure it would come back. Wait. If the warehouse...

No.

She glanced up, remembering what she was supposed to be doing right outside of the bathroom. The others were already in line for the Cyclone, getting ready to board. The seat next to Ricky’s was empty.

Nonono. This could not be happening. What time was it? She pulled out her phone. 6:17, the time the St. Cassian Chamber Choir boarded the Cyclone. She had 2 minutes before the accident. She stood, frozen, watching the Cyclone head up, before springing into action. She dialed three numbers, anxiously listening to the jarring ring.

“Hello, this is 911, how may I help you today?”

“I need an ambulance immediately! Right away!” She was aware she sounded like a crazy person, especially to any onlookers, but she was desperate.

“Sorry, ma’am, I can’t understand you, could you repeat that?”

“I. Need. An. Ambulance. Right now.”

“I’m going to need to know why.”

“There’s going to be a horrible accident, I just know it!”

“Sorry, ma’am, we can’t send an ambulance based on instinct.”

There was nothing wrong with stretching the truth a little, right?

“I just saw the front axle of the Cyclone break! There are people on that ride!”

“Oh! That's serious. We’re sending someone over now, they should be there soon. Stay calm, okay miss?”

“Um. Okay. Okay.” She nodded, hanging up. 6:18. Oh no. Oh no. She tore her eyes from the ground to the ride. Their arms went up, and they had just started screaming. 6:19. The cart should have come crashing down, but it didn’t. What? Maybe it was because she wasn’t on the ride. She took a deep breath. Maybe they wouldn’t need an ambulance after all. 6:20. They were on a smaller hill, though it was still high up relative to the other rides. Then it happened. The axle broke. The cart derailed halfway through the descent. Her breath quickened. She thought it was different, but- well. They could hold on, right?

Right?

The cart was headed right towards the ground. There was screaming, and not just from the choir kids. People were rushing away from the area where it was going to land. She started running. Her phone hit the ground before they did.

They were not in good shape. Ocean was partially out of the cart, neck snapped back, clearly broken. Her head was bleeding, having suffered the impact of hitting the back of her seat. The lap bar was digging into her lap, but it was slightly cushioned by Constance’s arm. She had tried to protect the redhead in her final moments, but now her arm was definitely broken. She was slumped forward in her seat, shaken by the fall. She landed with a smile on her face. Noel was half out of his seat, as if he had been slipping off the ride before their cart hit the floor. His hand was holding Mischa’s arm in a death grip. Mischa’s arm was around Noel, his (seemingly) final act having been to grab on to the boy next to him, to keep him grounded, or perhaps to keep the other from slipping completely out. Both boys’ legs seemed broken, or at least fractured, a pattern following the rest of the choir. Ricky, the only one sitting alone, was in horrendous shape. He had slid during the fall, from one side to another, leaving both arms heavily bruised and possibly broken. His legs were almost crushed by the lap bar, and his neck was bent unnaturally forward.

Savannah-Jane- Penny remembered screaming. She clawed at them, trying to pull them out, reaching towards them like she remembered Jane doing in the warehouse. Something wet slid down her cheek; was she crying? She barely registered the sound of a siren, people rushing around her, gently but firmly peeling her off the kids’ bodies, telling her to rinse her hands of the blood—oh good God the blood —none of it hers. It should’ve been her, it should’ve been her, it should’ve been-

A hand was placed on her shoulder. She shoved it off, standing up and turning around.

“What.”

“Sorry, miss. Do you have someone to pick you up or-”

“Where are you taking them?” She was hysterical, her voice climbing in volume with each syllable, and she knew she sounded the part, but she couldn’t help it. “Take me with them, please, take me with them.”

“Alright, but you gotta sit in the front, okay?”

“Okay.”

The ride was a long one. Savannah-Jane-Penny jolted at every bump, anxious even as she saw the cold, bleary hospital appear on the horizon.

She was certain everyone was still alive, however close they might be to going towards the other side. It had been a few hours after the accident, and everyone was still unconscious. The doctors refused to tell her much more than some basic information no matter how much she tried to convince them she was close with them. They stated that only the kids’ parents or guardians could retrieve that information. Unfortunately, not everyone had shown up.

Constance’s parents showed up first, rushing into the hospital and demanding to see their daughter. Savannah—she would go by Savannah until she could remember who exactly Penny and Jane were—walked up to them, asking if they would take her to see Constance with them. Her mom asked her how she knew her daughter, but cautiously allowed her to come inside with them. The moment she saw Constance’s heart monitor, beep-beep-beeping away, she sighed in relief. She left when the tears came.

She was waiting outside when Constance’s parents left. They asked if they could see Ocean, though it was less of a question and more of a statement. She watched them enter her room, watching silently from the doorway. The doctors shooed her away. She had only seen two of her friends.

Mischa’s adoptive parents hadn’t arrived, and she had been waiting in the hospital there for around three hours already. She was sure she would be kicked out at any point, but she would wait until the last minute to call someone to pick her up.

Ricky’s parents showed up next, and the hospital recognized them, instantly bringing them to their child’s room. She tried talking to them, but was ultimately ignored by everyone. She barely caught a glimpse of Ricky before she was back in the hallway. The fact that she was still here was a miracle, at least to her. The hall had a distinct sterile smell. It was clogging her nostrils, making it hard to breathe. She heard a door creak from the entrance of the hall. Her head snapped towards the sound.

Ms. Gruber entered, heading towards the office, clicking away at her phone. One of the staff members chatted with her, and she was briskly led to Noel’s room. She stayed for a few minutes, face wet with tears. She spent an hour or so in his room, and Savannah could hear muttering from behind the door. When she left, she had another phone call, but she was apologizing profusely to her son before walking out of the hospital. She didn’t stop for Savannah’s questions, but that was alright.

The choir was alive.

Constance was the first to wake up. The first things she noticed were a dull pain in her head and her blurry vision. She blindly tried to reach for her glasses, but her arm was encased in a clunky cast. She only succeeded in knocking something off of the table beside her.

The second thing she noticed was the excruciating pain in her legs. What the f-

“Oh my God, you’re awake!”

Wait a minute. That sounded a lot like-

“Jane?!”

“Constance!”

“Wait, what do you-” And then it hit her. The warehouse. She was certain they had just voted Jane—Penny?—to live on, so why was she still alive? The last thing she remembered was boarding the Cyclone again with the others, and now... now she was awake.

“I’ll call a doctor!” Jane (Penny? Jane for now.) exclaimed, pushing one of the buttons near Constance’s bed. A doctor quickly rushed in, giving her a quick rundown on her condition and about how long she would need to stay in the hospital for. It was honestly overwhelming, she couldn’t take it all in. Then the doctor seemed to notice the other girl in the room, attempting to pull her out.

“No!” The doctor looked back, surprised. He reluctantly let her stay, seeing how distressed Constance was becoming. A few minutes after he left, Constance turned to Jane. First thing’s first.

“Can we still call you Jane?” The other girl looked shocked at this question, before flashing a teasing grin.

“That’s the first thing you ask? Not ‘how long have I been here?’ or ‘how are the others?’?” Constance’s face flushed.

“I’ve just been thinking about it! How are the others, by the way?”

“Well, okay. I’m not really sure. I remember who Penny is, but I don’t really feel like her anymore, you know? But I don’t feel like Jane either. She was the me who didn’t know who I was? If that makes sense.” Constance nodded along. “So for now, I’m actually using Savannah. She’s like a clean slate.”

Constance grinned. “That’s great, J- Savannah!”

Savannah continued, answering Constance’s second question. “The doctors won’t let me see how the others are doing, you have to help me! They’re all still knocked out, but they’re still alive, to the best of my knowledge. You’re the first one to wake up. They only let me stay in your room because I have your parents’ permission. They aren’t here right now, they’re taking care of the café, but I’ll text them immediately! They were so worried.”

“Oh thank God! At least everyone is still alive. Can you get my glasses by the way? And where’s my phone?”

“Here!” Savannah placed some familiar frames into Constance’s hand. Her vision immediately cleared. “And I think it’s in your bag. You guys left your stuff on the van before going to ride the Cy- the rollercoaster, so it’s either at school or with your parents.”

“Oh, okay. How long was I out?”

“Only about two days. The others should be awake soon, from what I’ve overheard.”

“TWO DAYS?!”

They continued talking, reminiscing over their time spent in the warehouse and what had happened while Constance was passed out. Her dad arrived about 30 minutes later, barging into the room and nearly crushing his daughter in a tight hug. Her mom was bound to come later, but the café needed her. Her brother had started asking where she was, apparently. She formally introduced her dad to Savannah, and Constance was to be sent home in about a week. Surprisingly, although she had sat in the front, she hadn’t suffered super horrific injuries besides head trauma and broken bones.

His head was pounding. What the fuck had happened? He reached up to rub his eyes, but he could barely move his arms. It felt like they were filled with lead. He groaned, blinking his eyes. The room was too bright, though the sky outside was pink-tinged with the sunset. The lights were on a little too high and the glare from the white walls and the white bedsheet and the white ceilings was too much. He heard a muffled voice outside his room. Someone peeked their head through. It looked a bit like Jane, from the clips of her life they had seen. Wait a minute-

“Mischa? Oh my God you’re awake!”

“Is that you, Jane?”

“Umm. Could you just use Savannah for now? But yeah, it’s me!”

“Why?”

“I don’t feel like a Jane Doe anymore. And before you ask, I don’t feel like a Penny Lamb either.”

“Oh. Okay. Dope. What happened?”

“Well, I came back.”

“так. Of course.”

“And I called the hospital while you guys were on the ride. And then they showed up and now you’re all in the hospital. Ta-da!”

“Where is everyone else?”

“Constance woke up this morning. She should be discharged in a few weeks. The others are still knocked out.”

“Oh.”

“Wait! You’re awake!”

“...Yes?”

“I have to call the doctor!” Penny pushed the call button and immediately bolted out the room. “Sorry! I’m not supposed to be in here, but don’t tell anyone, okay? I’ll be back, don’t worry!”

Mischa sat there in shock until the doctor came through the door to explain his predicament. He hoped the others were doing fine.

Two days. It had been two days since Constance and Mischa had woken up. Maybe it was dumb of her to think the rest would follow close after, but she had gotten her hopes up anyway. Savannah paced the floor of her room. She wanted to text them, but she also didn’t want to bother them.

Well speak of the devil because her phone buzzed right after that thought.

5:43 PM

Connie <3
SAVANNAH
GUESS WHAT

Sav ♡
what happened?

Connie <3
NOEL AND OCEAN JS WOKE UP

Sav ♡
OMG :O I’M ON MY WAY!

She stuffed her phone into a small bag and rushed to the bus stop, hoping to catch a quick ride to the hospital. Her foster parents wouldn’t notice she was gone.

Soon she was standing in front of the large building.

She walked up the stairs and into the building. The hospital staff recognized her, asking if she wanted to visit Constance or Mischa again. She nodded and checked in, and she headed towards the general area they were staying in. Pulling out her phone, she asked Constance where she was.

6:00 PM

Sav ♡
where are you?

Connie <3
me and mischa r visiting noel and ocean !
yk the room numbers right

Sav ♡
yeah i’ll be right there

Connie <3
okk

She sped towards Ocean’s room first since it was closer. Upon making it, she knocked on the door and waited for Constance to let her in.

“You made it!” she said, hugging her with her free arm and showing her in.

Ocean looked like a mess. Her arms were in casts as was one of her legs. She looked gaunt and pale, a contrast to her bright orange hair. Her neck was in a brace, and her hair was haphazardly chopped but her head neatly bandaged. She tried for a weak smile before waving at Savannah.

“Um. Hi?”

“Oh! Oce this is Jane! Except she has a name now, it’s Savannah!” Constance explained. Ocean relaxed a little.

“Hi Savannah,” she said, clearly exhausted. “Do you remember if my parents came in?”

“Oh. No, sorry.” She really was sorry. Ocean noticed the look on her face and reassured her that it was fine.

“Don’t worry! I can’t expect them to show up this far from home without a car, right?”

“Ocean... you almost died. They should have shown up for that.” The ginger only laughed it off, changing the topic.

“It’s fine! It’s so nice to see you, I thought we were going to be stuck in that warehouse forever!”

Constance nodded along. “Oh yeah, when you left, Karnak showed us clips of your life, but it glitched out right about when you joined our school for some reason. I guess it’s because you saved us, huh!” she said, giving a corny wink towards Savannah.

“And then he malfunctioned! I think that’s when he died,” she said, frowning. “And then... we rode the cyclone again, and now we’re alive? I guess?”

“Oh...” Savannah started, trailing off.

“Anyway, guess what!” Constance said.

“What?”

“Wait- can I tell her?” Constance asked Ocean. Ocean nodded, and then leaned back, resting her head. “Okay! Ocean’s going into surgery soon, they have to do something because of her legs so they heal right.”

“Oh, I hope it goes well!” Savannah said. They talked a bit more, though the conversation was mostly between Constance and Ocean. When Savannah noticed Ocean nodding off, she excused herself to go see Noel. Ocean said one more thing before she left.

“Savannah, could you make a group chat with everyone? I think it’ll be easier to communicate that way.”

“Oh, okay! One of you will have to add Ricky though, I can’t get his phone number until he wakes up and I don’t have it right now.”

They waved her off while she walked towards Noel’s room.

She knocked like she had on Ocean’s door, hearing a faint “Come in!” from inside the room.

Noel looked slightly better than Ocean had. His hair was messy, not styled the way he usually had it done. One of his arms was in a cast along with his legs. He was still bruised all around. Mischa sat next to him. His arm was bruised on the side, something she had noticed during her second (and less rushed) visit to him. He was fretting over Noel when she walked in.

“Noel! Welcome back from the dead!” she joked. He grinned lightly, before grimacing.

“Stupid fucking injuries. Mischa was just telling me you were gonna be here soon!”

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Nothing like being in the hospital on your average Friday night. What about you?”

“I’m doing fine. Nothing like seeing your friends get hospitalized.” They cracked up. Mischa looked at them like they were crazy.

“What?” His statement only made Noel and Savannah laugh harder.

“Anyway! I need your guys’ numbers. Ocean wants to make a group chat.”

“Don’t tell me you visited that she-devil before moi!” he said, faking offense.

“Alas, she was closer. Also, Constance technically invited me first.”

“I’m only letting you off the hook because of Constance. And, okay, let me put my number in.”

“Me too,” Mischa said.

The two boys put their numbers in and handed Savannah’s phone back. Her screen was cracked from when she had dropped it, but luckily it was just the screen protector. She was due for a new one anyway.

“Do either of you guys have Ricky’s number?”

“I do!” Noel said. Savannah handed her phone back over while Noel typed in Ricky’s number.

Savannah has created a group chat with: Constance, Ocean, Noel, Mischa, and Ricky.

6:47 PM

Savannah
hi guys :D

Constance
u made it !

Savannah
of course! i think it’ll be easier too :)

Constance
ocean says ty
shes rly tired but she said shed say hi later

Savannah
guys i hicjaked savs phoen >:) -noel

Constance
omg hi noel hru

Savannah
good good wbu lol

Constance
p good!

Savannah
i got my phone back :) anyways i have to go back rn, but i’ll be sure to text you guys!

Constance
ok byee

Savannah
bye <3

Savannah said goodbye to Mischa and Noel before heading out. She checked out and took the bus back to her house. She quietly made it to her room and breathed a sigh of relief. Her foster parents hadn’t heard her come in. She got started on her homework and went to bed around 11:00 PM.

Ricky didn’t wake up for another week and a half. When he did, he woke up to the view of familiar white walls and the memories of a time spent in a warehouse.

Their dad was there when they woke up. He immediately pressed the call button and gently hugged his child. He took his phone out to call Ricky’s mom and soon beckoned someone inside.

The nurse came into the room and started giving him a basic rundown of his injuries and the treatments he would need. They nodded along, but their mind was elsewhere. After the nurse left, he checked his phone. There were about a couple hundred messages. Ricky read through every single one.

Tuesday, 22 Sept., 1:32 PM

Noel
guys im fr dying
let me out of hereeeee

Ocean
You are such a drama queen. Same, though. It’s getting really boring here.

Mischa
SO boring
I will visit you 💪

Noel
absolutley not you stay wehre you are

Constance
yeah u could make ur injuries worse >:(

Mischa
Ugh fine
Only becuz you two ask

They were so... themselves. Ricky smiled at their phone.

Wednesday, 23 Sept., 8:29 AM

Savannah
oh my god. i hate math i’m actually quitting school. i can’t believe they’re still making me do class like i didn’t go through a traumatic experience :(

Wednesday, 23 Sept., 10:04 AM

Noel
omg thats so messed up like you didnt jsut go thru watching ur bffs die

Ocean
Can you get our homework while you’re there?

Noel
nooo why would you ask that i dnot wanna do that shit

Ocean
Watch your language, Noel. And for your information this way we don’t have to catch up as much and will have something to do.

Noel
ur so boring
cant we liek guilt trip them or smth

Constance
LMAO yess i hate hw

Ocean
Constance...

Constance
sorry!
for telling the truth 😈

Noel
lmaooo

Savannah
if you really want me to get your homework i will but like... i CAN guilt trip all of them into not assigning it :)

Noel
YES PLZ

Oh thank God. School sucked.

Friday, 25 Sept., 12:53 PM

Mischa
Do you guys think ricky will wake up soon?

Noel
yeah im gettnig worried
if you see these messagrs we miss you come backk :(

Constance
yeah get better soon!
ocean says she misses you too!

Savannah
we miss you!!!

And if Ricky teared up at that? Why, no one had to know.

Tuesday, 11:48 PM

Noel
this chat is so borign why do we still hve our og naems

Constance
were waiting for ricky
remember

Noel
oh yeah lol

Ricky was touched. They actually remembered him this time around. Not that Ricky was expecting them not to, but... well he kinda was.

8:15 PM

Ricky
You guys r legit all disasters lol

The chat exploded.

8:15 PM

Noel
HOLY SHTI UR BAKC

Constance
OMG WELCOME BACK <333

Noel
WTF
WTF
WFTF
WTF
WTF
WFT
WFWT
FWTF

Mischa
MUST BE EASTER CUZ SPACE JESUS IS BACK

Noel
WTF
LMAO MISCAH WFT

Mischa
WELCOME

Ocean
Why the heck are you guys spamming.

Noel
“heck”
RICKYS BACK

Ocean
Oh! Hi, Ricky!

Ricky
The one and only me 😼

Noel
WAIT QUICK SOMEONE CALL SAVANNAH
@Savannah
@Savannah
@Savannah
@Savannah
@Savannah
@Savannah

Savannah
what do you want
WAIT

Noel
@Savannah
@Savannah
OH HI

Savannah
OMG I’M COMING RIGHT OVER!

Savannah was through Ricky’s door in less than half an hour.

“Ricky, oh my God, you’re okay, you’re alive, you’re alive,” she repeated, like a mantra. She went to hug him, but retreated at the last minute, not wanting to worsen any of his injuries.

He awkwardly waved at her, as much as he could with both his arms trapped in casts. He typed something on his phone, and a voice came out of it a few seconds later.

“‘You kept the name?’”

“Uh- yeah. I hope you don’t mind.” Savannah rocked on her feet.

“‘No, I gave it to you for a reason.’”

“Thank you.” She gave them a small smile. “Anyways! How’s it going?”

“‘As well as getting flung around by a roller coaster can go.’”

They laughed together and spent the next hour with Savannah telling stories about what Ricky had missed and both of them discussing everything from the warehouse. It was nice.

Savannah left with a full heart. She did it. Her friends were alive.

The following weeks were filled with pain and recovery and laughter. The kids had been through a lot, but that wasn’t going to stop them from continuing to live. They had each been given a rare chance: to live again. The grand prize that was shared between the six of them.

Savannah told them about what happened. They all thanked her. No one had escaped the mess scot-free. They were littered with scars, mentally and physically.

They couldn’t avoid homework. Savannah pulled as many strings as she could, but the workload was only cut down to half of the original size.

Ocean could be seen reluctantly helping the others with their work.

The days they got out of the hospital were joyous ones.

Constance got out first. Her arm was mostly healed, now in a sling. Her legs were only heavily bruised, so they recovered quickly. She visited with Savannah every day. The school decided to move the choir’s classes together, after Savannah threw a fit. She was a great actor.

After a week, Mischa was freed. He had to use crutches, for one of his legs was fractured. His arms were healing up nicely, though. It was the only reason he was allowed to use crutches at all. As a result of the accident, however, he was getting migraines more often. Going down to the basement was an intensive affair.

The following week, Noel was let out. He had to use a wheelchair since he couldn’t put weight on either of his legs. He was grateful to be out, sure, but now he actually had to go to school. His relationship with his mom was improving, though, and he was kind of grateful for the accident in a weird, twisted way.

Ocean and Ricky stayed for another two weeks. With Ricky’s disease, the doctors were constantly fretting over him, worried about how the accident would worsen his mobility. His arms healed over the course of two months, though, and so had his legs. At least, partially. He had to use a wheelchair as opposed to crutches, but at least he could leave the hospital. A couple of his ribs had been bruised during the fall, so breathing was rough for a while, but they had healed by the time Noel was discharged.

Ocean’s hair had been cut short. It was a hassle to bandage her bleeding head around long locks of hair, so they chopped it. Before, it had been choppy and uneven, but someone helped her smoothen it out. She was not taking it well, though. She couldn’t look into a mirror without crying. Her hair had grown out about an inch since then, and her hair was now closer to a long pixie cut. Her leg was healing nicely, the surgery helping it to stay correctly aligned. The majority of her injuries were mostly healed, so she was discharged and sent some medication to alleviate the pain. She stayed at Constance’s.

The choir stuck together.

During a sleepover (those had been happening more and more often), in the dead of the night, when almost everyone was asleep, the only people left awake were Savannah and Noel.

“Hey, Savannah?” Noel asked, turning to look at her. They were in the middle of waiting for their nails to dry.

“What’s up?” She turned her gaze from the floor, where the others were, to Noel.

“I’m glad we got closer. That we have all of this now. Even if it was because of a shitty accident.” He smiled, and she smiled back, humming in agreement.

“We’ll stick together, yeah?”

“Yeah. Together.”