Your head feels heavy, your memories foggy, and as you struggle to recall where you are and what you were doing, you hear the sound of something large and heavy moving behind you. Whatever it is - machinery of some sort, you can tell that much right away - it doesn’t seem hostile; merely a massive machine going about doing something down far, far below you. You can see it - through the cracks of the floor you're standing on, and the steep drop off the side. At least there’s a railing on this path to keep you from falling down there?
No matter which way you look - up, down, or out straight ahead of you - there’s endless paths and structures, as though you’re standing in some sort of massive building. You look to your left and there’s a broken section of wall revealing open space - strange, since you aren’t wearing anything different, yet you’re still breathing just fine.
A loud ping! catches your attention, followed by a few more. As you turn around to find the source of the noise, you’re led to a rundown computer terminal. It looks ancient, untouched, and dusty, and yet there’s a message in bright green standing against the stark black contrast of the monitor.
/// L O A D I N G . . .
Oh good, you’re awake.
Hi, I don’t have much time, so please pay close attention.
You’re the only ones who can save this world - all worlds, maybe.
Thank you for agreeing to help.
For now, please practice your new abilities and try to work together.
I’ll be in contact with you as soon as possible.
It feels familiar, like maybe you've experienced something similar before, despite the fact that none of you recognize this place. What's going on here? What have you gotten yourself into?
AWAKENING
Your memories leading up to your sudden arrival in this place may be foggy. Even if they aren't, you certainly don't remember how you got here of all places. And where exactly is here? Well, inside of some sort of massive structure that expands outwards, backwards, downwards, and upwards. Every direction you look, there's plenty of building to be seen, whether it's walkways over the abyss (but thankfully with mostly sturdy guard rails) or stairs and ramps leading up and down to new floors, or even rooms that don't seem to hold much of interest. All of it is rundown, worn and in desperate need of some dusting.
Before you sits the terminal, a sturdy computer set into a pillar with an old-fashioned and dusty keyboard. The green text remains bright against the black background, with a cursor indicating that you can input text, if you'd like. You may try to communicate with whoever's on the other end at any point in time during the week, though you may not receive the answers you're hoping for.
Not too far away is a carefully-arranged group of supplies. You'll find plenty of non-perishable food, blankets and bedrolls, clothes in your sizes that are plain but acceptable, and some basic supplies - things like rope and matches and flashlights, but no weapons or anything you could use to defend yourselves. You'll also find a large room nearby that happens to have several bathrooms and a fairly large communal shower. Despite being rather old and dusty, they do work... though the water never gets above "not freezing". Sorry about that.
Looks like you'll have to settle in, as there doesn't seem to be any way out of this strange structure.
EXPLORATION
It's likely that your first thought will be to explore. Why not? After all, there must be a way back home, or at least a way out of wherever this is. Traversing the structure is fairly easy, as even if a path is blocked by rubble, you'll find another one going in a similar direction somewhere nearby. In fact, the entire place seems to be rather pointlessly constructed - hallways that lead to dead ends, paths that loop in circles for no reason, and far, far too many stairs.
If you're lucky, you'll stumble across rooms with some basic supplies. They won't have any food or weapons, but you'll find some dusty fabrics and blankets, or small caches of tools. If you're unlucky, you'll be lost in this structure for far too long, wandering off the beaten path and possibly losing track of where you are and how to get back to the base... you might want to travel with a buddy, just to be safe. Or hope that someone stumbles across you and can guide you back, your pick.
Holes in the structure open out into what looks like... well, outer space. An endless sea of stars amidst a black sky that never changes, making it hard to tell how much time has passed. Despite this, you can breathe easily, just as you would back home.
MACHINES
It won't take you long to notice that you aren't truly alone. After all, how could you be, when massive machines seem to be hard at work on constructing even more of this place? The large ones - the builders - do just that, building more pathways and rooms and walkways, endlessly working and never stopping. They don't take notice of you; they won't respond to anything you say, and even attempting to poke and prod them won't get a reaction. Even if you get particularly daring and try to take one apart, you'll find that it's nearly impossible; these machines are massive. Finding a panel to get into to get at their wiring is strangely impossible. They seem to be completely seamless, with nothing you can really do to investigate them further.
But they aren't the only machines present. Though you likely won't see them immediately, you will hear them; a skittering, metal-on-metal clicking sound that alerts you to a presence, but fades before you can even detect which direction it was coming from. Whatever it is, it seems to be watching you.
And if you're ever alone... well, then they'll show themselves. Around three feet tall and made of metal with long, spindly legs that look like they shouldn't support their thicker cores, these spider-like robots aren't particularly strong on their own, but they never attack on their own, only in groups of three or more. If you're especially unlucky, you can find upwards of ten of them at a time. They have two claw-like "hands" that can shoot a jolt of electricity or scratch at you - and be careful, because they hurt! That jolt of electricity can even leave a burn if you're unlucky.
But surely if you stick together you won't have to fight them... right?
SHARDS
The strange gemstone imbedded in the back of your dominant hand almost hums when you're in danger. It fills you with confidence, with the knowledge that you can do something - though what exactly that something is varies from person to person. You might be lucky enough that you innately recognize your power and know how to use it. You might not be that lucky and you might have to manifest it in combat to defend yourself. Regardless, it will manifest - and you now have access to a power all your own.
It's not going to be easy to control it. This power is new to you, and you'll need to practice to have a hope of utilizing it in full. But right now, you have the means to defend yourself, and if those spider robots get particularly bold, you can stop them. After all, what better way to put your power to use than by testing it on fairly weak robots?
Let's hope that you can aim your power well enough, however. While the builders may not care about you at any point in time, if an attack goes wide and hits them or they're otherwise in the path of an ability, they will turn their full attention on you. You really don't want that. Builders are relentless in their pursuit of you - and they have massive steel beams they will swing at you, or they'll try to crush you with their giant hands and fists. There are only two ways to stop a builder: the first is to run far, far away. They cannot chase you, as they are connected to the building itself, after all. The other way is to destroy the joints of the arms or wrists, rendering the builder incapable of doing anything. Better hope you don't anger any of the ones near your base!
DOWNTIME
Aside from exploring, mastering the power of your shard, and getting to know one another... there really isn't much to do here. So how are you going to spend the time? After all, it's just you, your fellow shardbearers, and some robots that probably aren't sentient. Settle in, it looks like you've got a long week ahead of you.
ENEMIES
This week's enemies are described above: spider robots and builders. If you have an enemy idea you'd like to have your character encounter, let me know and we can discuss it!
Spider robots are three feet tall, silver metal spider-like robots that look vaguely like this. They have a core in the center of their body that can be taken, but it isn't particularly useful outside of being cool to look at. Even you tech nerds won't be able to get much out of it, as it seems impossible to find a way to dismantle it further. Spider robots come with two "hands" that have sharp claws on them; they're capable of creating electric zaps with these hands, which really hurt if they connect! Spider robots are very fast and will skitter away the moment there's danger... unless there's three or more of them, then they get bold. They will attack anyone sleeping, especially if they're alone. They're fairly weak enemies, and can be fended off even if you don't have a great grasp on your powers just yet.
The builders are a different story. Massive, structure-spanning robots that are nearly impossible to tell apart from the building itself, the only real part of them that you can identify are their dark metal arms. They are likewise massive, with one hand being large and strong enough to flatten five of you if you aren't careful. Though the builders are non-hostile and will go about their business of building this never-ending structure, they will turn their attention on you if you hit them with any sort of ability... even if that ability isn't an attack. They can swing giant metal beams or just go for the option of trying to crush you with their hands. They're slow-moving, but very powerful; though they can't pursue you so at least there's that. If you anger one near the base, watch out - as you will have to defeat it.
[ Ashley turns so she's properly looking at him, not just glancing out of the corner of her eye. ]
It's been what I've wanted to do since I was young. I...I spent a lot of time with my nose in a book.
[ when Josh or Chris wasn't pulling me out of it, she would say, if it were a week ago, before both boys became the last thing she wanted to talk about. It's impossible not to think about them. They're always there, like a hand on her shoulder or around her throat. All she can do is pretend she doesn't feel them. ]
The older I got, the more I started realizing just how amazing it can be, to create a whole new world with just your words. I kept reading...but I wanted to make my own, too.
[ She seems passionate about this, and he respects it. Art is empty if you don't put your heart into it. ]
What kind of stories do you like to read? ... What do you write about?
[ Hopefully, these stories are kinder than whatever she's been through. And if they are, hopefully those stories will become a reality for Ashley, who, perhaps, has nothing waiting for her back at home, if her argument with Dorothy is anything to go by. ]
Fantasy's always fun, and I feel like the author can slot mystery and romance in there, too! Romance is pretty versatile and can go pretty much anywhere, setting-wise...
[ That's what he thinks, anyway. Ashley's the expert, here! ]
What? Oh, no! [ For the first time since the meeting, she seems a little animated, waving a hand back and forth. ] I'm still a student. I'm just in my second year. There's so much more to learn before I could ever feel ready to try publishing.
[ I think Jessica was like that When he got too drunk, Matt once started crying about what he was going to do after football Josh struggled until just a few months before we ruined everything
Her stomach twists and twists and twists. Even if it's not Chris, it's the rest of them. It's the last eight years of her life, every friend she's ever had who matters.
I'm sure a girl like you has much she needs to get back to. No. No. There won't even be much for their funerals.
After a significant pause: ]
...I...think I just got lucky. It's normal to be looking well into college. [ Josh was ] What did you like to study?
I didn't like studying, period. [ Hehe. ] But it was kinda fun to learn about things like fashion, media – stuff like that. English was fine, but writing wasn't my strong suit. Don't even get me started on math and science.
[ That stuff really isn't for him. ]
Feels like it's been a while since I last went to class, actually...
Studying can be...really tough, on your own. [ Like ice in her veins. Even what she used to like feels wrong now. ] I- I find it easier with...a friend.
[ A friend. A best friend. A friend you who when the chips are down will- ]
Someone to cover your weak points and keep you honest. [ honest? like she feels right now, honest, acting like nothing's changed, when she can still hear his shocked, panicked gasps and the way those claws went through his—
She's been talking about things with some hesitation and unease, but nothing she's said or done keyed him in to...that. Had she been gripping the pencil so tightly that it broke? He didn't realize. ]
W-we don't have to keep talking about this if you don't want to. Seriously, it's fine.
[ Her hand's shaking a little. She tries to stop it. She remembers, she's been told she doesn't have to smile through it, when she doesn't want to, and she can't, she can't, but still—
Ashley shakes her head a little, before dropping her forehead to her knees, pushing it into them. ]
I wanted to. I wanted to talk about anything normal, anything I liked, bu- but it's- it's impossible, now!
[ Percy watches her for a second, almost like he doesn't know what he should do.
However, as he's learned from his time with his sister and Lia, when he's in the moment, he's going to do what he feels like doing.
He lets out a (silent) sigh, not because Ashley's distraught but because he is really going to be pushing himself out of his comfort zone with this one.
He scoots towards her. He doesn't make contact like he would've with the other two, but he's just...here. Percy can't even bring himself to say it's going to be okay, because it probably won't make her feel better right now. It may even take the entire time they're here for her to be able to talk about normal things again without feeling like this. It could be longer, it could be never.
He knows. He gets it. Yugi brought this out of him – he's the same way, just in a different flavor. ]
...I know.
[ His words are quiet. He's speaking slower than usual, like he's trying to make sure he's being mindful...or careful. Maybe both. ]
It's gonna take time to get there, but – it helps, I think, to let it out. To not be the only one who knows about what you've been through.
[ Says the guy who never talks about his own problems, never shares them. He nearly did the other day with her, and maybe it'd do him some good, too...but unlike Ashley, he is a coward who usually can't say how he really feels. This is an exception. ]
I won't ask you to give me details. Just know that you aren't the only one who cares about what you've gone through.
He'd said before. He knows. He's been there. Ashley hadn't wanted to confront that. No one really knows what there is. Not even those she's accidentally spilled her guts to in the incorrect belief that none of this was real, like Yeager. Right now, even more than when she was a friendless kid, even more than after Hannah and Beth—Ashley feels so alone.
At least when they were all responsible for the disappearance and probable death of their friends, it was the group of them. At least even though she felt sick to her stomach even looking at Mike, she wasn't the only one who got someone killed. At least she knew they were also getting weird looks at school, probing questions from their parents, all united in how terrible they were.
But now, they're all gone. And she's alone...isn't she?
Her eyes sting with tears that she can't quite keep from falling. Out of her periphery, she sees Percy. Sitting there. Not...pushing or prying, or... ]
Y-you ca- can say that...for certain?
[ She sounds like her voice is being squeezed in her throat. Her pain has been empty for almost a week, but now? It's sharp, stabbing from the inside out.
The hand that holds the pencil fragments just drops to her side. ]
[ It's something to see her crying, her expression so pained and the way she's practically curled up against the wall. He sees her expression and hears her question, trying to verify if he's telling the truth. Is she searching for any reason to doubt him? If it were him, he'd be doing that. He'd be looking for any reason not to believe it because it'd just be better that way, right?
(No. He shouldn't be projecting like that – not onto her.) ]
...Yes. I do.
[ Percy's answer lacks the carefree tone he's carried in his voice since (before) he got here. It's serious, like he's trying to remove any room for doubt or second-guessing on her part. This is very uncomfortable to admit, just as much as it is to accept that he is actually somewhat emotionally invested in whatever's going on with Ashley.
Dorothy told him to keep her happy. Even if it was in jest, how's he supposed to do that when she's so distraught? She showed up with blood all over her clothes, and he's not stupid enough to believe that whatever happened was nothing worth being so anxious over. How do you come back from that? How are you supposed to be happy after something so awful's happened?
(...Questions that he thinks he's gotten his own answers to, but he really hasn't. Pretending that your feelings and problems don't exist, surprisingly, doesn't really work the way he's been wanting it to.) ]
I wasn't there, and I don't know what's happened. That's fine. We can leave it that way if you want, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna just...walk away.
[ Which bothers him, yeah, because he was going to when they first met. He may have regretted the decision to stick around back then, but he doesn't quite feel that way anymore. It's puzzling, frustrating, but it's also hard to be mad about it when he looks at how much she's crying. Besides, it's not her. It's him, and he knows it.
There's a moment after he speaks in which he hesitates, but he quietly moves his hand to gently move the pieces of the pencil. He takes them out of her palm and sets them onto the floor between them. ]
If you want me to leave, though, you can say it. I won't be upset.
No one else is. Not Chris, not Josh, not Emily or Jess or Matt or Mike or Sam. Not Hannah or Beth. Sometimes she thinks she sees them when she's trying to get to sleep. (That hasn't come easy, not at all.) A glimpse through her tears, then she blinks, and they're gone.
For the first time in the last five days, that does not happen, and Ashley can't quantify how much that means to her. ]
I-I'm sick of b- being alone. [ Now, it's more a whisper. Sick of being alone, but terrified of the wrong people knowing.
The wrong people. She thought she knew who that was, before. The last time she trusted a boy—either boy she was closest to—he'd tossed her away. He'd tied her up and knocked her out and tormented her. He'd said he loved her just to throw her away, to leap at the chance to save himself.
But more than ever, she's so acutely aware... She's so incredibly alone.
Percy removes the pieces of the pencil from her hand, but that little contact feels like fire against her. As his hand withdraws, she catches it with trembling fingers.
She doesn't know if she can trust him- if she can trust anyone ever again. But the isolation has her so cold... She'll freeze if she doesn't reach out, even if he does hurt her.
He doesn't voice that, he doesn't know if he ever will, but her words pierce through him like a knife because he, too, has no one. Had no one, even, but his parents – and his parents can't even see him anymore. They can't see him or June, the only two children they had. And Lia...
Lia, the only person to hold his hand, the only person whose heart he broke in two because he couldn't keep his shit together – the last person he thought of before he...
...Lia is not here. The one who's grabbing onto his hand is Ashley, and she is her own person. They are still just getting to know one another, but the silent understanding he feels on his end is enough to at least fill a small part of the void that's been sitting in his chest for far too long. Being alone was all he knew and all he thought he wanted, but being met with someone telling him to stay is...surreal.
It's like coming home to an old friend, to a warm meal, to someone who he can only hope will accept the life he lead. To someone who can accept who he is, as he is now.
Isn't that a scary thought?
It takes a moment, and it may feel like one that's far too long, but he ends up gently wrapping his hand around hers. Strangely, his hand is colder than that of a human's. It's still got warmth to it, but one would think he's feeling a bit chilly in this place if they could feel how lukewarm he is to the touch.
Still, the smile on his face might make up for the warmth his hand lacks. ]
[ Ashley feels about ready to crack in half. She feels ready to break, tears starting to spill faster down her cheeks. She hasn't even been trying to hold it in, really—she doesn't have that skill set, one that she at times envied Emily for.
(Not at the end. Not at the end, with how terrified she was.)
It's just built up, from that haze hanging over her, that deep emptiness that feels heavy in her limbs. Like she forgot half of herself on the mountain, and it's only just catching up.
And she's about to just break down, but...
But the curious little mouse that she is perks up. That has been with her all along, keeping her going. Through a gasp of tears, turning her head against her knees so she's really looking at Percy, she murmurs: ]
[ ...Cold? He...hadn't realized. Yet, he's not surprised. Not even remotely. He's more surprised that he didn't catch it earlier, and a part of him is going to be pretty upset about that.
His grin turns a little lopsided. ]
I...don't really know if now's the best time to tell you, but...
[ The fact that he's even considering it says a lot in itself, but. ]
If you're...sure, I...guess I can say something.
[ And if Ashley doesn't back away, if she still wants to know despite his warning, he'll need a moment to gather himself and muster the strength to even say it. And then, just like that, it tumbles out of his mouth and his voice nearly cracks as he speaks – ]
I was killed, back at home. I'm dead.
[ His free hand rubs the back of his neck. ]
Well, I should be, anyway, but I was working towards getting a second chance at life. At least, that's what those of us there were promised. That being said, none of it was all that great, so...you can imagine why I'm fine with being here. [ His grip on her hand loosens, like he's expecting her to pull away and call him a freak. ] Sorry. I...know that's kind of a lot.
I...I don't know? Like I said, I was supposedly going to be resurrected if I "passed an exam", so to speak.
[ ... ]
I feel pretty human now, though. A-and I'm not trying to haunt anyone! I'm just – trying to be a normal guy. Really. I just want to move on with my life and ignore the fact that any of that happened.
[ He may be sounding a little more distressed, now, because he's worried that this is going to isolate him, make him seem like some kind of monster that should be ostracized from the group. ]
[ If there's one thing Ashley knows, it's fear. She feels it so often, after all, her brain twisting the shadows on the wall into something that's going to kill her—and that's before she knew monsters were real and stalked the mountains she'd been going to for years and years.
So she sees it now, even through her tears.
She saw it then, too. When Emily begged and plead.
Ashley's grip tightens on Percy's hand. ]
I-I be- believe you. [ The last time she hadn't— ] I just- How? H-how could something like that- happen?
[ The grip on his hand tightens. It gives him pause.
She wants to know more. She wants to know what happened? She believes him?
He clicks his teeth. His brow furrows. His expression morphs into something nobody's seen on him just yet.
He looks angry. ]
Wrong place, wrong time, believe it or not. It probably wasn't even personal – pretty sure they just didn't want any witnesses alive when they were doing something against the law. So of course they had a weapon, and I was stupid enough to start staring, and...well.
[ Oh. It's like she's pressed a switch in him. A part of Ashley, the distant cold part that she keeps finding herself falling into, finds it fascinating.
She does everything she can to push it back into the box it crawled out of. ]
That's just te- terrible. So they just- they killed you? And- and then...
[ Bang. That's supposed to be the end of it. But it wasn't for her. And it turns out, in a completely different way, it wasn't for him, either. ]
And then I woke up in some kind of holding zone or something. Couldn't pass on right away. I'd have been stuck there if I didn't "pass the test", like I mentioned earlier, so it was either another life or nothing.
[ Yeah. It sucked. ]
We were put into a time loop of sorts, one where we had to face the things in our lives that were keeping us from moving on. Monsters were living there, too, so that's why I was granted my previous ability.
[ He inhales very, very deeply. He looks away, off into the distance like he's looking at something beyond his reach. His hand, however, doesn't move. ]
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no subject
It's been what I've wanted to do since I was young. I...I spent a lot of time with my nose in a book.
[ when Josh or Chris wasn't pulling me out of it, she would say, if it were a week ago, before both boys became the last thing she wanted to talk about. It's impossible not to think about them. They're always there, like a hand on her shoulder or around her throat. All she can do is pretend she doesn't feel them. ]
The older I got, the more I started realizing just how amazing it can be, to create a whole new world with just your words. I kept reading...but I wanted to make my own, too.
no subject
What kind of stories do you like to read? ... What do you write about?
[ Hopefully, these stories are kinder than whatever she's been through. And if they are, hopefully those stories will become a reality for Ashley, who, perhaps, has nothing waiting for her back at home, if her argument with Dorothy is anything to go by. ]
no subject
[ Even though
Josh kept trying t]That's what I write, too, mostly.
no subject
[ That's what he thinks, anyway. Ashley's the expert, here! ]
Were you able to publish anything?
no subject
What? Oh, no! [ For the first time since the meeting, she seems a little animated, waving a hand back and forth. ] I'm still a student. I'm just in my second year. There's so much more to learn before I could ever feel ready to try publishing.
no subject
[ He was trying here and there to do that with art, but not to the same level as Ashley. ]
It's cool that you've found your calling. [ ...a bit more seriously: ] I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
no subject
k Jessica was like thatWhen he got too drunk, Mat
t once started crying about what he was going to do after footballJosh struggled until just a few months before we ruined everythingHer stomach twists and twists and twists. Even if it's not Chris, it's the rest of them. It's the last eight years of her life, every friend she's ever had who matters.
I'm sure a girl like you has much she needs to get back to. No. No. There won't even be much for their funerals.
After a significant pause: ]
...I...think I just got lucky. It's normal to be looking well into college. [
Josh was] What did you like to study?no subject
I didn't like studying, period. [ Hehe. ] But it was kinda fun to learn about things like fashion, media – stuff like that. English was fine, but writing wasn't my strong suit. Don't even get me started on math and science.
[ That stuff really isn't for him. ]
Feels like it's been a while since I last went to class, actually...
no subject
[ A friend. A best friend. A friend you who when the chips are down will- ]
Someone to cover your weak points and keep you honest. [ honest? like she feels right now, honest, acting like nothing's changed, when she can still hear his shocked, panicked gasps and the way those claws went through his—
She snaps the pencil. ]
Oh-! Whoops...
no subject
She's been talking about things with some hesitation and unease, but nothing she's said or done keyed him in to...that. Had she been gripping the pencil so tightly that it broke? He didn't realize. ]
W-we don't have to keep talking about this if you don't want to. Seriously, it's fine.
no subject
Ashley shakes her head a little, before dropping her forehead to her knees, pushing it into them. ]
I wanted to. I wanted to talk about anything normal, anything I liked, bu- but it's- it's impossible, now!
no subject
However, as he's learned from his time with his sister and Lia, when he's in the moment, he's going to do what he feels like doing.
He lets out a (silent) sigh, not because Ashley's distraught but because he is really going to be pushing himself out of his comfort zone with this one.
He scoots towards her. He doesn't make contact like he would've with the other two, but he's just...here. Percy can't even bring himself to say it's going to be okay, because it probably won't make her feel better right now. It may even take the entire time they're here for her to be able to talk about normal things again without feeling like this. It could be longer, it could be never.
He knows. He gets it. Yugi brought this out of him – he's the same way, just in a different flavor. ]
...I know.
[ His words are quiet. He's speaking slower than usual, like he's trying to make sure he's being mindful...or careful. Maybe both. ]
It's gonna take time to get there, but – it helps, I think, to let it out. To not be the only one who knows about what you've been through.
[ Says the guy who never talks about his own problems, never shares them. He nearly did the other day with her, and maybe it'd do him some good, too...but unlike Ashley, he is a coward who usually can't say how he really feels. This is an exception. ]
I won't ask you to give me details. Just know that you aren't the only one who cares about what you've gone through.
[ ...Huh. Yeah.
He cares. ]
no subject
He'd said before. He knows. He's been there. Ashley hadn't wanted to confront that. No one really knows what there is. Not even those she's accidentally spilled her guts to in the incorrect belief that none of this was real, like Yeager. Right now, even more than when she was a friendless kid, even more than after Hannah and Beth—Ashley feels so alone.
At least when they were all responsible for the disappearance and probable death of their friends, it was the group of them. At least even though she felt sick to her stomach even looking at Mike, she wasn't the only one who got someone killed. At least she knew they were also getting weird looks at school, probing questions from their parents, all united in how terrible they were.
But now, they're all gone. And she's alone...isn't she?
Her eyes sting with tears that she can't quite keep from falling. Out of her periphery, she sees Percy. Sitting there. Not...pushing or prying, or... ]
Y-you ca- can say that...for certain?
[ She sounds like her voice is being squeezed in her throat. Her pain has been empty for almost a week, but now? It's sharp, stabbing from the inside out.
The hand that holds the pencil fragments just drops to her side. ]
no subject
[ It's something to see her crying, her expression so pained and the way she's practically curled up against the wall. He sees her expression and hears her question, trying to verify if he's telling the truth. Is she searching for any reason to doubt him? If it were him, he'd be doing that. He'd be looking for any reason not to believe it because it'd just be better that way, right?
(No. He shouldn't be projecting like that – not onto her.) ]
...Yes. I do.
[ Percy's answer lacks the carefree tone he's carried in his voice since (before) he got here. It's serious, like he's trying to remove any room for doubt or second-guessing on her part. This is very uncomfortable to admit, just as much as it is to accept that he is actually somewhat emotionally invested in whatever's going on with Ashley.
Dorothy told him to keep her happy. Even if it was in jest, how's he supposed to do that when she's so distraught? She showed up with blood all over her clothes, and he's not stupid enough to believe that whatever happened was nothing worth being so anxious over. How do you come back from that? How are you supposed to be happy after something so awful's happened?
(...Questions that he thinks he's gotten his own answers to, but he really hasn't. Pretending that your feelings and problems don't exist, surprisingly, doesn't really work the way he's been wanting it to.) ]
I wasn't there, and I don't know what's happened. That's fine. We can leave it that way if you want, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna just...walk away.
[ Which bothers him, yeah, because he was going to when they first met. He may have regretted the decision to stick around back then, but he doesn't quite feel that way anymore. It's puzzling, frustrating, but it's also hard to be mad about it when he looks at how much she's crying. Besides, it's not her. It's him, and he knows it.
There's a moment after he speaks in which he hesitates, but he quietly moves his hand to gently move the pieces of the pencil. He takes them out of her palm and sets them onto the floor between them. ]
If you want me to leave, though, you can say it. I won't be upset.
[ ...is what he's telling himself, at least. ]
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No one else is. Not Chris, not Josh, not Emily or Jess or Matt or Mike or Sam. Not Hannah or Beth. Sometimes she thinks she sees them when she's trying to get to sleep. (That hasn't come easy, not at all.) A glimpse through her tears, then she blinks, and they're gone.
For the first time in the last five days, that does not happen, and Ashley can't quantify how much that means to her. ]
I-I'm sick of b- being alone. [ Now, it's more a whisper. Sick of being alone, but terrified of the wrong people knowing.
The wrong people. She thought she knew who that was, before. The last time she trusted a boy—either boy she was closest to—he'd tossed her away. He'd tied her up and knocked her out and tormented her. He'd said he loved her just to throw her away, to leap at the chance to save himself.
But more than ever, she's so acutely aware... She's so incredibly alone.
Percy removes the pieces of the pencil from her hand, but that little contact feels like fire against her. As his hand withdraws, she catches it with trembling fingers.
She doesn't know if she can trust him- if she can trust anyone ever again. But the isolation has her so cold... She'll freeze if she doesn't reach out, even if he does hurt her.
And... If he does, then...
(she isn't entertaining that right now) ]
D-don't go. Please.
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...Yeah. Me too.
He doesn't voice that, he doesn't know if he ever will, but her words pierce through him like a knife because he, too, has no one. Had no one, even, but his parents – and his parents can't even see him anymore. They can't see him or June, the only two children they had. And Lia...
Lia, the only person to hold his hand, the only person whose heart he broke in two because he couldn't keep his shit together – the last person he thought of before he...
...Lia is not here. The one who's grabbing onto his hand is Ashley, and she is her own person. They are still just getting to know one another, but the silent understanding he feels on his end is enough to at least fill a small part of the void that's been sitting in his chest for far too long. Being alone was all he knew and all he thought he wanted, but being met with someone telling him to stay is...surreal.
It's like coming home to an old friend, to a warm meal, to someone who he can only hope will accept the life he lead. To someone who can accept who he is, as he is now.
Isn't that a scary thought?
It takes a moment, and it may feel like one that's far too long, but he ends up gently wrapping his hand around hers. Strangely, his hand is colder than that of a human's. It's still got warmth to it, but one would think he's feeling a bit chilly in this place if they could feel how lukewarm he is to the touch.
Still, the smile on his face might make up for the warmth his hand lacks. ]
You got it.
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(Not at the end. Not at the end, with how terrified she was.)
It's just built up, from that haze hanging over her, that deep emptiness that feels heavy in her limbs. Like she forgot half of herself on the mountain, and it's only just catching up.
And she's about to just break down, but...
But the curious little mouse that she is perks up. That has been with her all along, keeping her going. Through a gasp of tears, turning her head against her knees so she's really looking at Percy, she murmurs: ]
Y-your hand, it's... Why...is it so c-cold?
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His grin turns a little lopsided. ]
I...don't really know if now's the best time to tell you, but...
[ The fact that he's even considering it says a lot in itself, but. ]
If you're...sure, I...guess I can say something.
[ And if Ashley doesn't back away, if she still wants to know despite his warning, he'll need a moment to gather himself and muster the strength to even say it. And then, just like that, it tumbles out of his mouth and his voice nearly cracks as he speaks – ]
I was killed, back at home. I'm dead.
[ His free hand rubs the back of his neck. ]
Well, I should be, anyway, but I was working towards getting a second chance at life. At least, that's what those of us there were promised. That being said, none of it was all that great, so...you can imagine why I'm fine with being here. [ His grip on her hand loosens, like he's expecting her to pull away and call him a freak. ] Sorry. I...know that's kind of a lot.
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Wh... What?
[ He was dead...but he's here, talking to her. ]
A g-g- ghost?
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[ ... ]
I feel pretty human now, though. A-and I'm not trying to haunt anyone! I'm just – trying to be a normal guy. Really. I just want to move on with my life and ignore the fact that any of that happened.
[ He may be sounding a little more distressed, now, because he's worried that this is going to isolate him, make him seem like some kind of monster that should be ostracized from the group. ]
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So she sees it now, even through her tears.
She saw it then, too. When Emily begged and plead.
Ashley's grip tightens on Percy's hand. ]
I-I be- believe you. [ The last time she hadn't— ] I just- How? H-how could something like that- happen?
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She wants to know more. She wants to know what happened? She believes him?
He clicks his teeth. His brow furrows. His expression morphs into something nobody's seen on him just yet.
He looks angry. ]
Wrong place, wrong time, believe it or not. It probably wasn't even personal – pretty sure they just didn't want any witnesses alive when they were doing something against the law. So of course they had a weapon, and I was stupid enough to start staring, and...well.
[ Bang. ]
You can figure out the rest.
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She does everything she can to push it back into the box it crawled out of. ]
That's just te- terrible. So they just- they killed you? And- and then...
[ Bang. That's supposed to be the end of it. But it wasn't for her. And it turns out, in a completely different way, it wasn't for him, either. ]
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[ Yeah. It sucked. ]
We were put into a time loop of sorts, one where we had to face the things in our lives that were keeping us from moving on. Monsters were living there, too, so that's why I was granted my previous ability.
[ He inhales very, very deeply. He looks away, off into the distance like he's looking at something beyond his reach. His hand, however, doesn't move. ]
That's the short version.
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Still. It makes her think, for a painful, horrible moment, about her friends. About how Chris— ]
God. [ And monsters. Ashley blinks out a few more tears. She can't really stop. ]
How l-long...were you there? Since you d-d- died.
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im in hell
yeah. YEAH.
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