Days

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

@Lexisheeps I hope so too! I should be over the worst of it. I lost my voice for a full 3/4 days at camp and it still sounds like I smoked heavy ciggs for most of my life, haha.

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

Caana, East Hole

She jumped. And then there was nothing.

Well, there was darkness around her, a terrifying blanket over her body, and blood rushing through her ears. Nova felt weightless. As if she was in one of those sensory deprivation chambers Kai had her try after everything transpired last year. She had damn hated it. She had screamed, thrashed and cried, and wouldn't calm down until Kai had her in his arms and told her she'd never have to try it again. Oftentimes, fear or phobias don't have a true cause, just a lingering feeling of unrest, and triggers to make it worse. For Nova, it was damn clear why the sheer thought of going into the beautiful tub in their house was still a bridge too far. In the dark corners of her mind, it was almost as if she could still hear the creaking of the sinking submarine.

There was a boulder on her chest and fire in her lungs. Don't be mad at me. Why? Then, she was no longer weightless. The pressure behind her eyes just made everything worse, but suddenly, she startled back into consciousness. A hand was patting between her shoulder blades, as roughly as they could manage as Nova threw up salty water before sucking in a prickly but oh-so-welcome breath. With wide eyes, she sucked in another to try and replenish what her body was so dearly missing. Oxygen.

Annalise.

Her head whipped around, but the scientist let out a breath of relief as she saw that it was Annalise who hovered over her, worried and inquiring. "Anna!" Scrambling, Noah got onto her knees and sat before Anna, on her knees as well. Her shaky, cold hand rested on the girl's cheeks and Nova checked her for injury. "Are you alright, Anna? Are you?" Franticly, she examined the girl more before their situation dawned. They were resting on dark, glimmering sand, unlike anything Nova had ever seen before. As if the land existed of glimmering, dark pieces of diamond. A few steps away, water washed ashore as it did on beaches, unassuming with the air of innocence, despite the water being darker than the sand itself.

Realisation slowly hit the woman as she looked back at the one she was supposed to protect, but who ended up protecting her instead. "You saved me, didn't you?"

Plopping back on her behind, Nova rested on her palms as she looked up at the sky which wasn't a sky. Her breathing returned to normal, and she closed her eyes for a brief moment, wondering how her vitals would've shown at Voidlight headquarters through her monitoring. Or if it showed at all. "Thank you, Anna. You're amazing. I fucking hate water." The woman said, closing her eyes and letting her body return from its fight or flight response. The terror was softly leaving, and while she knew it must've been terrifying for Annelise to haul an unconscious Nova to shore, Nova was secretly thankful she hadn't consciously experienced being in a body of water.

When she reopened her eyes, she spotted her backpack close to the waterline, the axe still attached. Getting up from the sand, Nova walked up to the bag and quickly snatched it, wanting as much space as possible between her and the water. Yet, as she palmed the top handle of the bag, something odd happened to the water arriving on the dark shore. It had a different tint to it, making the curious scientist lean down and press her hand to the sand. Once the water returned, it rushed over her porcelain-tinted hand.

The woman gasped in shock. The water was a terrifying shade of red, making her quickly pull back her hand. The rushing of blood in her ears morphed to a beat of drums, oppressive and loud, and surprisingly, something even Nova could hear through the percussion in the sand she stood on. When she turned around, she looked at Annalise with her eyes wide, curious. Were they insane for allowing the girl to come along? Nova supported her search, but the danger went from 0 to 100. Would she be able to protect her, or almost fail like she did with Cosy? Were Cosy and Nick fine, right now? And what of Jay?

Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, Nova was about to speak when something caught her eye. Behind Annalise, a big slab rose and Nova wasted no time rushing forward, positioning her body between Annalise and the strange object. "Be careful."

She looked on as she recognised a body, tied to the slab, making Nova's chest constrict. For the briefest of moments, she feared it was someone she'd recognised, used as a pawn in a twisted game. But the unfamiliarity of the person, no, man, on the slab didn't make the sight any less terrifying as the drums vibrated the sand at her feet, making the sound feelable to the woman.

Fixating her backpack fully on her back, Nova took a step forward, noticing an ornament knife shining in the orange of the light. She thought back to her previous deduction. Blood sacrifice. Her gaze went over the man tied on the slab, sympathy thrumming in her heart, but she remained wary. She didn't know this man, nor knew if he was safe to set free. Or if he was alive at all. With a shaky breath, she took him in. Dark hair, messy and somewhat matted. His skin was paled from his condition. Bushy brows furrowed in a pained expression. Tall, really tall. The rope had rubbed on the man's skin, already leaving painful marks. Slowly, Nova approached more as she studied the man, but her focus only made her start as the man suddenly moved, fighting against his bindings and coughing up odd-coloured fluids. "Holy shit."

Before she could think better of it, Nova snatched the sharp dagger and held it in her hand should she need it for protection. The action made Nova's eyes meet his. And while hers stood cautious and curious, his stood scared and pained. Steeling her nerves, Nova approached the table and put her hand on the man's forehead. Warm, clammy. What had happened to him? Beneath her feet, the drumming crescendo. "Hey, are you you okay?" She inquired, then flicked her eyes to Annalise. "Stay back Anna."

Ideally, she should help the man off this slab, but she couldn't take the risk just yet, not when she was in charge of Annalise's safety, and this man still looked like he could snap her like a twig despite his condition.

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

I think Angel’s lovely last post deserves a proper answer! I suspect to post today or tomorrow! <3

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

@Estylwen Heey lovey! As you know I got back yesterday from camp, and I am very sick! Camp was nice, though. I am just catching up on sleep and everything. I need to catch up reading, too, and then I'll be able to write! <3

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

@WhiteAngel25

Ooomg what an enticing post! So creative, I damn love it! I was on the edge of my seat! Poor Nova. the water was perfect after my posts ending, haha.

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

Nova mothering, two babygirls and two psychopaths <3
(Jk I love all of your characters)

Axen is also responsible!

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

Let it be known that I am a scout and should know these things. xD
Uh, east! Sorry love.

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

Hearing Annalise speak, Nova looked over her shoulder at the girl. She was a marvel at languages, something she and Kai quickly learned when they took the girl into their home. She had other talents, of course, and one would be a fool to think that the at first glance timid girl wouldn't be useful, or wasn't astute. With a smile, she encouraged her to speak her mind freely. Then, her eyes dipped to the bag she knew Annalise was holding and found it gone. Nova bit her lip, hoping no one else spotted that. Warmth flooded her chest when Cosy said hi to Annalise, yet Nova couldn't help but wonder if this was an appropriate place for the both of them. The scientist shook it off, as there were other priorities, and focussed back on the other two.

Pushing her lips together at Nick's answer, the corners of her mouth lowering while her eyebrows raised. It was a valid argument, and Nova showed so with her expression. The scientist-turned-agent would love the opportunity to bludgeon Von Galloes for what he did to her. To Stella. To the de Villiers kids. To Cosy. A shudder ran down her spine as the creaking of the submarine, which had been haunting her nightmares, played in the back of her mind. And she would be considered one of the lucky ones.

Nodding at the man, his gaze went back to Jay before rising toward the circling creature. It answered, and Nova allowed herself to zoom in on the creature and study it a moment before letting its words seep in. Stable energy? Blinking, Nova grinned. God, she loved science. "Neat. Nick, let me guess, you want to ju-"

As her duo-coloured gaze landed back on Nick, his back was already receding as he ran toward one of the growing holes to the west, for shits and giggles. Her jaw became slack as she watched him dive into it like an Olympian would. Her hands hoisted up her own backpack as Cosy ran after her stepfather and Jay ran toward another hole, leaving her companion screeching above. "Right, because we should totally split up." Behind her words, worry still lingered.

Frowning, Nova noticed the portals were ever-growing, and soon they wouldn't have a chance to choose, nor time to get the map out from her bag. Her eyes flickered between the hole Jay disappeared down to and the one that swallowed up Nick and Cosette. There was no telling if jumping down the same hole, which seemed more like a portal, would lead to the same destination should she choose to follow. "East for us, then." Nova held out her hand toward Annalise. "I don't want to split from you, Anne. Stay with me, okay? Grab a weapon, anything."

Leaning down, Nova grabbed a CDE axe which held a pleasant weight. After one more glance at the one she promised Kai to protect, Nova ran toward the large east hole and jumped in, praying to all the things she didn't believe in that she would be okay. As long as it wasn't underwater, she'd be fine, right?

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

@Estylwen I will be working hadd at this camp, cooking for 25ish people everyday. I’ll surely enjoy too, haha.

Dark Beyond: Voices of the Past

@SporkoBug Such an enjoyable post! Man, Nova's gonna have her hands full with two corporeal interpretations of "YOLO" in her team.

Yup, that's the standard for @Estylwen stories right there. p:

@Lexisheeps

Everyday occurrence, right? :)

Edit: I'll try and get my post out as soon as I can, but I doubt it'll be today.

Also important: I'm going on camp for a week, from the 13th until the 21st. I might be able to post in the evening but frankly, I doubt it. I hope the timing goes well but I don't foresee massive problems :)