You’re sitting on the couch beside Leah, some television show about vampires living in New Orleans playing in the background, when your phone buzzes several times. Taryn and Carrie are sitting on the opposite couch, chatting with Leah, while you’ve mostly been in your own head after several hours of preparing food for your own ‘farewell feast’.
Out of some sense of respect or concern for you, none of your cousins have eaten today, or at least have not eaten anything other than ‘manfood’. It’s a rare quiet moment so far in this vacation, and while some part of you remains steadfastly bitter toward your female relatives for being so casual about your death, more of that bitterness has begun to attach to your male cousins.
They did nothing. They didn’t try to help; they didn’t try to comfort; they had barely spoken a word to you at all since you found out you were Mira’s dinner, and aside from a few terse greetings and head nods, you’d barely even seen them.
When Mira had come home from their horse riding trip to find you in the kitchen helping prepare for your own demise, she had been beaming. Rushing in, she’d hugged you so tightly, head on your shoulder and thanking you before pulling you off to the side and rushing to tell you all about the horses. Taryn and Leah had been similarly pleased to see you, although not quite as enthusiastically as Mira, they’d nonetheless hugged you and sat with you as you all chatted. Even Carrie seemed to be in a friendly state.
Meanwhile, your male relatives were nowhere to be seen. Off hiding somewhere far away from the cabin. Bernie, who’d been warm to you thus far, wasn’t around. Harvey, who should be the one dissolving in his sister’s gut tonight, wouldn’t look you in the eye. And even Rudy, your own brother, was gone off somewhere else, not even answering your texts.
It had been hours now. Mira had scampered off, blushing after a growl from her stomach as she sat beside you on the couch had left you shaking. She’d hugged you and kissed you on the forehead before excusing herself to get ready for later, leaving you with Leah to look after you.
Maybe Rudy had finally texted you back… It was getting late. You probably didn’t have much time left.
