#024B30 .....|
..... outfit .....|
..... Duke’s Old Cabin -> Main Hall .....|
..... #F1724B .....|
..... outfit
Fiona was lost in her grief and misery; the sudden abandonment by Duke had sent her spiralling into the darker parts of her psyche. Her eyes were tightly shut while she muttered angrily, half curses at Duke and half casting, blaming herself for why he left in the first place. Her body was shaking while her arms were wrapped tightly it as if she was trying crush herself or just keep everything from falling to pieces.
She barely even recognised the gentle touch of her friend on her shoulder as Nelly's fingers brushed against Fiona's own. However, as soon as their skin made contact, her head snapped back and up, eyes wide and unseeing as the cabin vanished from her view.
Fiona was in a forest, breathing in the smell of night, earth and trees all around her.
They were dark and foreboding, as if they were closing in by the moment to suffocate her. She can feel herself falling as she trips on the roots, tumbles and keeps on falling. The trees don’t feel as if they were ever there.
Suddenly, she’s lost in darkness, surrounded by stars that flicker. Sounds of clinking cutlery, sloshing of drinks and roaring laughter.
The trees rush back to fill the space, only their branches whip against her now, thickening and stretching out till she’s surrounded with dense hedges that are both too close and too far away as if she’s lost in a maze.
The harder she tries to focus, the fuzzier the details become till she’s tripping again.
This time, she’s splayed across a body lying on the grass, eyes staring unblinking at the starless sky.
The laughter returns, deafening her as voices shout to one another in a language that hurts to try to understand.
There are bodies in the hedges, their lifeblood dripping down onto the churned earth; her throat is filled with the cloying scent of death. She’s kneeling in the soaked earth, her hands pressed against Nelly’s belly, trying to save her innards.
She blinks, and the bodies are screaming, their flesh burns, and the hedges burn with them.
Blinks again, and now she’s the one lying in the blood-soaked mud with Nelly trying to stop her intestines from spilling out.
The air is filled with moaning, screaming, and crying.
The sounds of clinking cutlery, sloshing drinks and roaring laughter that have only gotten louder and louder suddenly stop.
And she locks eyes with a shadowy figure holding a golden goblet.
Eyes as cold as the space between stars.
Eyes that freeze the blood in her veins.
Eyes that make her wish she was dead.
"I am here Fi." Nelly's voice pierced through Fiona's fragmented vision, dragging her unceremoniously back to reality.
"Jesus, fecking Christ!” Fiona cried out as she jerked away from Nelly as if she’d been shocked, scrambling to her feet in an almost blind panic. Her eyes were wild, unblinking, as they darted around the room as if she didn’t know where she was or even who Nelly was, for that matter. The look on Fiona’s face of uncertainty and what was verging on terror began to soften the longer she looked at her friend.
"He’s gone Nell, just left.” With a sigh of defeat, she just deflated. Her body crumpled as she sank to her knees while fresh tears cascaded down her cheeks.
Nelly was rarely shocked herself, but when Fiona cried out, Nelly literally stumbled back and rolled onto her back on instinct. She almost screamed herself, but managed not to. She waited for Fi to calm down a bit before approaching her again and this time she started rubbing her back.
”Did he leave any messages at least?”She had no clue on why Duke left. And to leave without saying goodbye, yeah that was in bad taste. Still this wouldn’t be the first time someone left in such a way. Cherise left similarly as well as Liam and Theo. The only one who said goodbye before leaving was Ethan.
Fiona sank further onto her haunches as she leaned against Nelly's hand, relaxing a little at her friend's comforting gesture, even as she hugged herself. There was a twinge of guilt at her initial reaction to Nelly’s arrival, mixed in with the hazy dread that her vision had signalled and the aching loss of Duke.
"Stay vigilant, he says, gone back ta his true home, his ‘real’ family. Told us ta look after camp.” Her words are derisive and venomous, even as her cheeks are stained with fresh tears of sorrow.
"Left a note on the door. T’over there...” She waved dismissively towards where the crumpled note lay on the cabin floor, where she’d discarded it earlier before falling into silence for a few moments as she shifted a little uneasily.
"Sorry fer afore, gave me a fright…”She went quiet again and looked down, seemingly wrestling with some inner turmoil before speaking softly.
"Don’t know what I saw, not exactly,” she paused and tried not to flinch as those eyes burned in her mind, making her bite her tongue against what she wanted to blurt out before she swallowed and continued.
"But it weren’t good Nell. I can’t be losing you an all, not with Duke gone. Other’s gone too, so.” Fiona released herself from her self-imposed hug and let her arms fall down into her lap, her hands twisting together before she spoke again, her voice barely a whisper..
"I found Rae, that night…”Nelly took a deep breath at that last statement. A lot had happened that night. Maybe it was because she had been in danger herself in the past, but she was used to feeling fear, so she got used to managing it. Like when Fiona found her cabin that night and ended up passing out and Nelly remembered feeling fear for her when that huge serpent appeared. Instead of freezing though, she didn’t think, just acted on instinct to save Fiona. Sure she got hurt in the process and ended up suffering a nice amount of blood loss, but she didn’t regret it and knew she’d do it again in a heartbeat. However, she would make sure she survived such an act again. She didn’t know that Fiona had been the one to find Rae though. At one point during the night they got separated when Fiona went off to fight something else.
”I have never seen someone I know die before. I can’t imagine what that was like. I know I can’t promise you I’ll be safe 100% of the time, but I will do my darn best to stay alive. It’s why I carry an EpiPen at all times,”pulling the item out of the armband she had on her upper arm.
She remembered that feeling of dying as a kid. There was no way to describe it without feeling it yourself. Maybe that’s why she did her best to live her life to the fullest, because she knew that life was fleeting.
"Better you do, Nell, ‘cause I ain’t carrying you to hospital if you’ve got to use that thing, half the reason I wanted Duke round was fer the lifting.” Fiona was sounding more jovial as she joked with her friend, but it felt a little strained, as she was clearly deflecting the pain from the loss of their friend and the potential fear of losing another.
”You just better make sure you take care of yourself too Fi. I wouldn’t want anything else happening to you too. Rest assured I definitely won’t leave this place either. My dad would also give me an earful since he’s been demanding I come here for over a year now. Ironic, he wanted me to come here for my own safety. Considering all that’s happened here, even before Pandora’s box, I’ll admit, I wonder why he thinks it’s safer here than out there with humans.”She remembered Iliana telling her how she never wanted to live around humans anymore due to what she saw in Iliana’s trial. Nelly personally thought Iliana was being too harsh on humans, but she wasn’t bound to tell her otherwise because the blonde could get emotional for that.
"Ya da sound’s like mine, always had eyes in the back o’his head so he did, but he wer all proud at whatever mischief we got up ta.” Fiona had relaxed more with them, just sitting there in each other's company to the point that she was about to lean her head back to rest on Nelly’s shoulder before she caught herself, paranoid at the thought of their skin touching again.
"My mother's gifts. They’re just curses. ‘Powerful words leave deep marks’ is what me Granda always said about it, ‘cause I could get others to do what I want, out I want really. Got me step-mum to hang herself in front of me once, can’t do it twice so, her voice was pitching higher and becoming more manic as the past trauma rushed out to mix with more recent pain.
"But I couldn’t get Rae to stop bleeding, couldn’t make her live as I held her in me arms and screamed at her to live. I did’nae even know her, and I miss the lass.” Fiona lifted her hands and ground her palms into her eye sockets, as if trying to grind the pain out as fresh tears poured out and her body shook as it was wracked with sobs.
"You’ll not be rid of me anytime soon, an a’ll take any wi’me who tries to end either o’us” her accent had thickened as she’d let her walls down so her mumbled words to Nelly were becoming harder to make out in between her gasps for air, as she continued to cry, broken and vulnerable with the one person she trusted without reservation.
When Fiona placed her head on her shoulder, Nelly automatically wrapped her arm around her shoulder in comfort. It looked like she was starting to calm down a bit, considering she started talking about her dad.
”I could never get anything past my mom. Ironic, both of my parents are sharp as knives, yet I have some catching up to do. I notice things at times, but I am nothing compared to them or others in this camp.”Nelly didn’t know what it was like to have the ability to influence others. It had to be a burden to have if you didn’t like that kind of ability. Definitely a skill someone could take advantage of. She wondered if Lochlan showed the same restraint as Fi. She listened very closely though when her friend talked about Rae though and unconsciously started rubbing her shoulder. She stayed silent as Fiona cried.
After a few more minutes she spoke up again.
”I don’t know if this will help, but at least she’s not suffering anymore right? After we separated, I bumped into Iliana, who had broken her knee in the conflict. I can’t even remember much after that, but I was out of it for a few days. It was then I learned how we lost and who left. I think the best we can do now is learn from what happened and be prepared for what may come next.”Fiona took several deep, long breaths as the tears finally dried up. She tilted her head up and gave Nelly a weak smile,
"yeah, not sufferin’ so. She’s well out of it.” She pulled away slightly as she lifted her head fully off the other girl's shoulder, and dislodged herself from her friend's hug before standing unsteadily on her feet. She quickly rubbed at her cheeks to clear away her tears, even though her eyes were still red-ringed, raw and glistening. Giving her throat a rough clear she pulled out her flask from her pocket, drained it and hid it again with a sigh of relief.
Bending down, she offered her hand to Nelly to help her up,
"I were gonna say let’s have a proper breakfast, but it’s gotta be lunch now. Let’s gan down the main hall, shall we?”Glad to see Fi doing a bit better, Nelly placed her hand in hers and allowed her to pull her up. At the mention of lunch, her stomach let out a loud noise. Nelly laughed in embarrassment.
”Hehe, there’s your answer. I could eat a whole mountain of food like that one dude did the other night. I don’t know who he is, but his name is either Elias or Theron since he was in Trinity and Daniel’s group. By the way, you did a great job in your assessment! I was cheering for you the whole time. I do feel bad for those who had to redo the course again. I’ll be curious what the next few assessments will be over.” she said as she put her extra clothing back on.
Fiona smiled, feeling her cheeks burn a little at the unexpected compliment. She’d spent so long before her time at camp either manipulating others to survive in the world or slipping through the shadows and cracks between their lives that she honestly didn’t know how to react to genuine friendship at times.
"Yeah, I cheered fer ya an all. You did a right good job o’ that course. I did feel sorry for Wes, though, poor bastard.” Shaking her head, with a bemused smile on her face, she turned towards Nelly as they made to leave the cabin.
"Not a bleedin’ clue what River’s got fer us next. If it’s right bad, we’ll knock him out, do a runner, eh?” She was grinning at her own joke, while her tone left it uncertain if she was being serious or not.
Nelly laughed at that.
”I would have had a much better time if I was at 100%, but hey I don’t regret the fun I had last night and I knew training was going to start today too. Still, Mason gave me a run for my money. I know it’s not a race, but I didn’t want to lose to him. I know powers weren’t allowed, but I am still Hermes’ daughter, and got a rep to uphold. You know who I felt bad for, Blair. That poor girl, bless her heart. Personally, I hope we get to show Rivers our powers. They are a part of us after all. I can’t wait to see what everyone else can do. And hey if River gives us a hard time, and if we knock him, we better make sure we sprint for the hills haha.”With that she followed Fiona outside.
Just as Fiona was stepping over the threshold into the cold air, she muttered,
"bollocks”, to herself before darting back inside and scooping up the crumpled note that Duke had left. The tape was torn and useless, but she went to the kitchen bench in the cabin, flattened it out, and made sure it was legible before rejoining Nelly outside so they could start walking towards the main hall.
"Case anyone comes looking for him”, she mumbled sheepishly.
Nelly nodded her head.
”Darn shame neither Andy or Daniel aren’t here. They could make that note into pristine condition again.Theo wouldn’t be the last person to leave camp, but at least he left a note.
While they trudged through the snow, Fiona was meandering sideways so she could kick up the fluffy top layer to watch it spiral in the air and grinning ear to ear, even as her boots, jeans and eventually her socks were becoming wetter.
"I used ta live for days like this when I was a kid. Snows were fewer every year; it were special.” Nelly was quick to respond.
”I don’t know if it ever snowed in Louisiana, but I wasn’t there a lot growing up either because of my mom’s job. Summers are brutal though with all that humidity. Of course it’s nothing compared to a rainforest. I am glad I can adapt to any sort of climate.”Finally making it to the Main Hall, Nelly walked with her friend to the food location where they both picked up trays and loaded them with food. There were plenty of people here. Nelly considered eating with just Fiona, but she saw someone eating alone. She wondered if the person wanted to be by herself. She recognized her from the first group and finished third behind Andy and Silas. After getting her lunch, Nelly turned to Fiona.
”There’s someone sitting alone there. Is it okay if we join her? Or do you just want to eat together alone since there are options to do that.Fiona looked over to where the girl was sitting with what looked like a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her. Honestly, she looked like she’d much rather be left alone in much the same way that Fiona didn’t particularly feel up to being sociable at the moment, even if she was far more in control of herself since her earlier breakdown. On the other hand, though, the thought of having Nelly thrust upon an unsuspecting stranger lost in their own world had a certain appeal. And while she’d never turn away at a chance to stick up for her friend nor wish ill on her, she did hope that the newcomer wouldn’t react too badly, or she’d need to make sure she apologised to Nelly.
"Aye, sure, I’ll grab mysel a chair since she’s only got the one going spare”Nelly nodded. The person at the table looked intimidating, but that never stopped Nelly before. Still she approached the new camper slowly and waited for her to look at her. Nelly smiled before talking.
”Hello, I am Nelly, short for Penelope. My friend and I were hoping to sit here. I hope you don’t mind. I just like meeting new people. You did great out there today.” she said before putting her tray down and started taking off her extra clothing, her workout gear making her stand out as always.
Fiona watched as Nelly headed over to join the other girl before she went to pick up a chair for herself, which while trying to carry her tray at the same time proved to be far too awkward; so she instead settled for balancing the tray on one arm, doing her best not to spill her glass of apple juice while just nosily and noticeably dragging the chair across the hall to where Nelly was now sat.
It was only once she’d put the tray down, and was swinging the seat round to join them, that her internal monologue ran through the alternative of balancing the tray on the chair. The only outward indication of this realisation was the slight shrug of her shoulders accompanied by a defeated muttering under her breath,
"oh, Bollocks”After Fiona was seated at the table with them, she gave the new girl half a smile along with a nod in greeting before introducing herself,
"Hey, I’m Fiona.”She then reached under the table and pulled out a bottle of whiskey from one of the shadows, then poured a small helping into the second of the two glasses she had resting on her tray before looking around the table.
"Sorry, did either o’you want some? Forgot me manners.” She asked the pair, half-jokingly, given that it’s barely the middle of the day, even if she’s been drinking herself since sunup.
Interactions .....|..... Nelly, Fiona, and May @Qia............... Mentions .....|.....Past campers, Iliana, River, Andy, Wes, Blair @Mjolnir, Lochlan, Daniel, Mason @Sir Sparky, Elias @Qia, Trinity @xNocturnax............... Collabs .....|..... @Pristine1281
Mjolnir
Nallore
Scrawl Banditta
Fetzen
xNocturnax
Altered Tundra
Pristine1281
