[h2]Camilla "Cam" Moris[/h2]

[hr][color=lightblue]Location: Cave simulation[/color]
[color=lightgreen]State of mind: Scattered[/color]
[color=pink]Days sober: Still 0[/color][hr]

It wasn't long before the actual meeting began. I felt a bit uncomfortable and nervous. A chanrged silence radiated in the room, making my head ache. Then the woman that had earlier introduced herself as Erina spoke up.
"Hello everyone! Welcome to Atypicals Anonymous! There are so many new faces here," she observed calmly. There was something unsettling about her, but for some reason it didn't make me feel on edge. Only calm. I suppose it could've been the weird pauses she kept having in her speech, but oddly enough, they made me feel even more relaxed.
"As you know, this is a support group for the strange and unusual, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you. I am Dr. Erina Slate, though you are all welcome to call me Erina. I started this group to help unite people like us, and form a community. Many of you have abilities that are challenging, difficult to control or understand, and are affecting your ability to live a normal life. It's our goal to help you learn more about yourself, how to control your powers, and how to live up to your fullest potential."
I listened intently. So at this point there was no doubt left that this really wasn't your typical AA meeting. This was something else. I glanced around me; Lan seemed accustomed to this, and so did Thalia. Both of them were old-timers, so it was a given.
"Now, I've noticed some of you have been quiet. And I understand your trepidation. Some of you have never talked about your abilities before. But, I want you to learn how to become comfortable expressing yourself with others, especially in a controlled environment. So, I have developed a new introductory exercise!"

Erina switched the lights off. I felt a bang of panic, since I had never been a fan of the dark. For obvious reasons. To my relief, the room still had a dim light source. I could see everyone's faces, and it provided me even some level of comfort. The others in the room looked about as prepared for what came next as I was. Me, for one, felt the comfort I had felt just moments ago thrown out the window.
"Please close your eyes, and imagine yourself deep underground, in a cave that is eerily silent, except for the occasional sound of water dripping from stalactites hundreds of feet above you."
Everyone obliged after the initial surprise everyone must've felt at the request. I was the only one left in my place, eyes open and afraid. I didn't want to close my eyes. I... I couldn't.
My eyes met with Erina's calm ones across the room. She didn't address the panic she must've seen in my eyes, she only nodded encouragingly. I swallowed.
Glancing around the blissfully quiet, dim room one last time, I obliged.

[i][b]WOOOOOOOSH.[/b][/i]

An onslaught of feelings washed over me like a blanket that wanted to suffocate me. I gasped audibly, feeling a shiver travel down my spine. [i]Unsure. Calm. Afraid. Confused. Sleepy...
'Dope, ASMR.'
'What's Erina planning?'
'This is weird...'
'Her voice is oddly relaxing...'[/i]
I felt it all, and none of it, all at once. My head hurt. I grasped the sides of my head, shaking but too determined to open my eyes. I felt so violated, and like I was the one violating everyone else's privacy at the same time. I hated every second of it.
I tried to picture a cave, but the thoughts and feelings that danced on the canvas of my closed eyelids were too bright, too loud. I could see all the people around me, sitting in a circle in the room we were in, white shadowy figures whose minds grew foggier and foggier as the moment passed on.
[i]'You can do this, Camilla...'[/i] That thought was calming yet stern. It came from outside, it came from someone in the room. Was it Erina? Who had it been? Whoever it was, that someone believed in me. I felt an emotion of calmness wrap me in itself like a supporting, warm blanket. I took a shaky breath, letting the comforting emotion consume me. I tried focusing on the mental image of a cave with only water drops breaking the tranquil silence.

The next thing I knew, I was falling.[hr]
A shriek escaped my lips. My head was spinning. I prepared myself for the pain of the landing, but it never came. I simply found myself sitting on something wet, cold and bumpy. As I stood up on shaky legs, I could feel the cool air around me. I tried to pull the sleeves of my shirt down, only to remember I hadn't worn anything particularly warm today. I heard shuffling and quiet grunts.

Then, something bumped into my back, startling me.
[color=#92278f]"Hey!"[/color] I shrieked in surprise, but my voice wavered with fear. I spun around to see someone - Thalia? - in the dim light produced by some glowy worms on the cave walls.
Wait. We were in a cave. How the [i]hell[/i] had we ended up here? Just a moment ago we had been in the meeting room, and... Wait, was this a nightmare? Had I fallen asleep? No, that was impossible.
As if on cue, Erina's voice echoed in the chambers: "You are in a mental simulation. You must find your way out using any means at your disposal. There are ways that your abilities can both help and hurt your progress. Look for clues and help each other. Good luck."
[i]'Yeah, these assholes couldn't handle a yes or no question, like I'm gonna trust them to do anything,'[/i] a foreign thought snuck into my mind.
I felt a sense of dread settle in the pit of my stomach. Great, just great. We were... hypnotized, somehow, and now we had to find our way out. There were glowing maggots on the walls and I fucking hated worms. And I knew no one here, well, no one except Thalia and Lan...
"Is everyone okay?" Thalia asked next to me. I felt like grabbing her arm in support. I was damn near a panic attack. It was so dark I couldn't be sure if my eyes were closed or not, which resulted in a weird state between real world and eyes-closed world: I could see Thalia and other figures, but also feel my fear and confusion multiplied while also seeing white shadows lurk in the corner of my eyes.
Next I could hear someone responding, asking Thalia if it was her. Was that Lan? There was a growl somewhere. The hairs on my neck stood up.
[color=#92278f]"Lan?"[/color] I asked in an unsure manner. I felt like my head was going to explode if I didn't get away from here soon.

”I don't know what you fuckers are thinking but somebody needs to find me some ore, we're gonna need something sharp before that thing gets here," a man's voice growled at the same time from somewhere further away. I heard steps echoing, moving around. Trying to get my scattered mind back in one piece, I nodded.
[color=#92278f]"...Yeah. I wish I didn't know what you were thinking,"[/color] I shot back, trying to get back my snark, [color=#92278f]"but you're right. I'd rather not be here when that... [i]thing[/i] gets here."[/color]