Introduction
when madness takes its promised due,
still I'll search this place for you
still I'll search this place for you
widow's peak is a small town in oregon. for years, it was a perpetually dreary town that always seemed years away from fading into nothingness once its residents eventually all passed away of old age. but in recent years, it has been revitalised and given a new lease of life, drawing more families and young people to the town. but even its new residents can't shake the feeling that something is... off about the town.
the few older residents still left in town will say that this town has a connection to the supernatural, that it always has. they blame construction delays on ghosts and demons, and if anything goes wrong, it always has some occult root. but while some of these occurrences are a stretch, it is true to say that the supernatural forces are... stronger in this town. the veil is thin between worlds, but widow's peak is one of those places where it is thinnest. nobody knows if this is why more tragedies seem to occur in widow's peak... or if the tragedies are the cause.
two weeks before halloween, seven people wake up. this would be unremarkable, except for the fact that all seven of them died at some point in the past seven years. some died only weeks ago, others years ago. all seven of them died in tragic circumstances, with a life left unfinished. but these are not the only souls that stir. a dark force has arisen and intends to use these seven souls for its nefarious purposes. this dark force grows stronger as time goes on, and gains more power and control over the returned souls. but as is so often the case, there is a way out.
but when ghosts walk to return the earth, people are sure to notice. and these are the people that provide the way out. there are people out there that tie our ghosts to the human world through memory, through love, through anger and a desire for vengeance, and these ties will prove vital in stopping the ghosts from succumbing to darkness. somewhere in town, there is one person that can put an end to the darkness overall. but in order to find them, the group must overcome their own darkness.
how barely you elude me still
I'll find you soon, I will, I will.
I'll find you soon, I will, I will.
the few older residents still left in town will say that this town has a connection to the supernatural, that it always has. they blame construction delays on ghosts and demons, and if anything goes wrong, it always has some occult root. but while some of these occurrences are a stretch, it is true to say that the supernatural forces are... stronger in this town. the veil is thin between worlds, but widow's peak is one of those places where it is thinnest. nobody knows if this is why more tragedies seem to occur in widow's peak... or if the tragedies are the cause.
and then i'll raise my lips and say
please my love, please let me stay
please my love, please let me stay
two weeks before halloween, seven people wake up. this would be unremarkable, except for the fact that all seven of them died at some point in the past seven years. some died only weeks ago, others years ago. all seven of them died in tragic circumstances, with a life left unfinished. but these are not the only souls that stir. a dark force has arisen and intends to use these seven souls for its nefarious purposes. this dark force grows stronger as time goes on, and gains more power and control over the returned souls. but as is so often the case, there is a way out.
we can be together here
that is the truth i speak
that is the truth i speak
but when ghosts walk to return the earth, people are sure to notice. and these are the people that provide the way out. there are people out there that tie our ghosts to the human world through memory, through love, through anger and a desire for vengeance, and these ties will prove vital in stopping the ghosts from succumbing to darkness. somewhere in town, there is one person that can put an end to the darkness overall. but in order to find them, the group must overcome their own darkness.
forevermore, togethermore
inside the house on widow's peak
inside the house on widow's peak
first things first, a reminder that god-modding is forbidden. god-modding typically means controlling a character without their player's permission. so when in doubt, ask. communication is key. if i don't hear from you in a while and have made one or more attempts to contact you with no reply, i will assume you have had to leave for whatever reason and will proceed as such. i promise i don't bite, so if you're busy or have bad writer's block or anything like that, please do let me know! romance and violence are pretty much a given for a drama-driven rp like this, but keep it within site rules. most importantly, if things get steamy, either fade to black or bring it off site. there will be adult themes within the rp. if the content veers into uncomfortable or distressing, please PM me and we can work around it or i can ask other players to alter as necessary. please keep the drama to the ic. i want plenty of drama between our characters and as little drama between players! any issues arising among members of the rp should be dealt with over pm. you have 72 hours to submit a WIP. that WIP can be a blank sheet, i just want something in to know you're still on board. you will then have 5 days after submitting your WIP to finish your character. i will grant extensions as long as you pm me. any further questions or issues, please pm me!
please let me know if you have any questions or if you want me to clarify anything! if you're not sure yet, feel free to join our discord server, get to know us and our characters a little better, and discuss any potential character ideas!
when it comes to reserving characters, i'm going to try things a little differently. i don't want to give set character briefs as i don't want to limit your creativity, but obviously pre-existing relationships are key. so when reserving your character, i would like:
please let me know if you have any questions or if you want me to clarify anything! if you're not sure yet, feel free to join our discord server, get to know us and our characters a little better, and discuss any potential character ideas!
when it comes to reserving characters, i'm going to try things a little differently. i don't want to give set character briefs as i don't want to limit your creativity, but obviously pre-existing relationships are key. so when reserving your character, i would like:
- a 500px wide gif (height doesn't matter)
- the character's name, age (or age at death), how long they've been dead if they are a ghost, their sexuality, their face claim, and their dialogue colour. all characters must be 18+ and should have been 16+ at time of death.
- and a short paragraph description of their life (and death, if relevant.) more details about this paragraph will be given in the OOC.
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all of the ghosts died somewhere between seven days and seven years ago. all have some degree of amnesia which seems to be related to how long they've been dead for. those that died recently seem to be able to remember everything up until about an hour before they die, while those that died longer ago may not be able to remember anything about their lives. there is some degree of variation, however. the ghosts have some strange abilities, but not every ghost has every ability. most commonly, they have some degree of telekinesis, invisibility, and intangibility. their level of control varies greatly. they do not look exactly as they did when they died; rather, they look as if they were alive and aged as normal. for example, someone who was eighteen when they died seven years ago will now appear to be twenty five.
(i am currently capping the numbers of ghosts at seven with a maximum of one ghost per player; this may change depending on demand and interest.)
(i am currently capping the numbers of ghosts at seven with a maximum of one ghost per player; this may change depending on demand and interest.)
soren bowers - deceased at 20 - died 7 years ago - pansexual (male preference) - josh ramsay - #4d5676 - partially-stars
from day one, the cards were stacked against soren. but that never stopped him from trying. he was the first in his family to finish high school. his music blog was picking up traction fast, and he'd been given the opportunity to interview some big bands. he was on his way home from a party when he was killed. he and markus vasco had just had a blazing argument in front of everyone, ones where they'd both said things they didn't mean. soren stormed out and got a ride home. but another drunk driver ran a red light and hit the passenger side of the car. on waking up, though, soren has discovered that he can remember almost nothing about his life before, other than a memory of a name.
Erin Monaghan - deceased at 20 - died 5 years ago - homosexual - lynn gunn - #8BA3A6 -Wolf's Bane109
For as long as Erin could remember, it always seemed like life was out to get her in every way she looked. Her home life had been a mess, she wasn't exactly the brightest ontop of suffering from severe adhd, depression, and dyslexia, toppled on top of a terrible dating life...Well, it was only a recipe for disaster. She grew up in the small town not having made much of a life for herself except as a bartender, which leads into the tragic night of her death. She was walking home after a late night shift, as well as having a few drinks with her friends and decided to walk home, texting her girlfriend (human three) that she was on her way back home. Erin didn't exactly remember what happened next due to the alcohol and how quickly it all happened, but a speeding car came around the bend and everything went black. When Erin woke up, she could barely remember anything, not much more than her name as well as someone else's. She doesn't know why or who this person is, but she's determined to find out.
Elodie "Elle" Aldrich - Died at 18 - Died 6 years ago - Bisexual - Elizabeth Lail - #D4A9D6 - Sorella
Elodie never had the adventurous life she always sought to have. Her mother was a drunk that never cared what she did, but on the flip of the coin she had an overprotective father that wouldn't let her go out unless she snuck out herself. One day she snuck out with her boyfriend (human two) so that they could do something adventurous before college started in the fall. They had decided to go river rafting, but as soon as they were back up by the shuttle bus, Elle checked her phone and called her father. They began to argue which is when Elle began to pace closer and closer to the cliff side. Just as she was being warned, she fell off into the fast moving river and they never did find her alive.
Alexandra "Xan" Cole - Died at 20 - Died 4 1/2 years ago - Pan, femme leaning - Zendaya - #8c8d9c - Rosa
Xan had maybe a year of memories of a childhood, she was quickly thrown into the word of IV's and hospital beds. It was hard to long for something else when she didn't know what else there was. She spent the better part of the next two years in a children's hospital. The doctors told them at this rate, they wouldn't be able to keep up with Xan's illness especially given her rare blood type. It was still controversial at the time, but they discussed conceiving a child designed to be genetically compatible with Xan. They had talked about having another kid but that went on hold with Xan was diagnosed. They conceived Nixie in a petri dish, picking and choosing which genes they inherited. It wasn't until a few years that they started the process. All they were told as kids was that Nixie was going to help Xan. They caught on quick, kids weren't dumb. Xan hated subjecting Nixie to the hospital, she was supposed to be the big sister taking care of them not the other way around. She'd try to refuse, but she was still a minor and her parents had the say so. The moment she turned 18 she refused any more donations from Nixie. Her parents begged her to change her mind but she was unwavering in her decision. She skated by a couple years on chance, but after a couple years her kidney was failing and death was approaching. Her parents begged her to take Nixie's kidney, and she said no. Then Nixie begged and Xan almost broke, but she knew that taking Nixie's kidney would cost her a couple years of life best case scenario, let alone life long side effects. A couple days later she died, smiling and surrounded by loved ones.
Cassidy Aisling | Deceased at 23 | Died 1 week ago | Homosexual | Mickey Murphy | #012244 | Ivisbo
Cassidy Aisling had known death his entire life. Cystic fibrosis was a death sentence, timer given to you when you were too young to know what death was. His family was strong and supportive, but Cass knew they were in struggling. Death is harder on those that keep on living and since day one, he knew he would never experience that pain. So he'd tried his best to make it easier on all of them. Cass developed his own inner sun to make even the gloomiest of hospitals rooms just a little brighter, or derail an uncomfortable conversation with a well-timed joke. He liked people, loved to be near others and got too still when he was alone. Cass has never done much more then wait to die and struggle to breath, so he had next to nothing when it came to wild-growing-up-tales. He listened well and collected stories from every patient, nurse, and doctor- and when he'd met Dr. Blake, he'd been an instant fan. Moody and apathetic, Cass had just smiled brighter at the med students solemn stares. He'd made it a game to weasle his way under that stern surface and was pleasently surpised by the genuine human underneath. Maybe it was because he was one of the sharpest and most beautiful things he'd ever seen, opposite from him in everyway, but Cass was captivated. Until he wasn't anymore. Until breathing had gotten too hard and the inevitable had happened. He rememberd hating that Atlas Blake was on duty when his lungs finally gave out, he rememberd wishing that the young doctor had someone else to confide in- and then he'd woken up and gotten his wish.
ghost six - age at death - died (time) ago - sexuality - face claim - user
ghost seven - age at death - died (time) ago - sexuality - face claim - user
these are the people who have been left behind. these were the people that the ghosts left behind when they died; their loved ones, their family, their enemies. these are the people who must help the ghosts to figure out what and who they are looking for, and also to retain their humanity so they are not lost to the darkness.
(there is currently no limit on the number of human characters we can have, i just have seven slots to start with!)
(there is currently no limit on the number of human characters we can have, i just have seven slots to start with!)
Markus Vasco - 26 - Bisexual - Andrew Garfield - #800000 - Wolf's Bane109
For Markus, well, life was a bit different. He had everything going for him. He had good grades, a moderately good family, all while working as a tattoo artist in town. Things were going well for him, as he was saving up money for his own apartment and had planned to finally ask his best friend (Soren Bowers) out on a date after they were coming back from a party. But things went horribly wrong between them, things had been said and he's regretted it since. When he got the call the next day of a drunk driver hitting the car Soren had gotten into, and he hadn't made it, Markus fell apart. He didn't go to college like he wanted, his family dynamic started to fall apart as he turned into himself and became more reserved. His job is barely hanging on by a thread as he lives alone in a small apartment. This wasn't what he was wanting from life, and the memories he still has of his best friend hasn't left his mind. Markus wishes he had a second chance to make things right with Soren, but he knows it's impossible..
Leopold “Leo” Mathers – 25 – Demisexual – Jacob Bixenman – #584b29 – Rosa
The Mathers were a respected family in Widow’s Peak, his dads owned and operated Mathers construction, a massive provider of jobs in the area. Leo was their only son, their crowning jewel. He was happy playing the role of their sterling son, well – happy was maybe pushing it but he was compliant. Then came along Elle. She was the sun on his skin, the breeze in his hair. Her home life wasn’t that great, all he wanted to do was give her the life she deserved. Then she died. There was a moment loss in his memories between calling out to her and standing at the edge of the cliff where she fell, screaming her name. All he could remember of her last moments was that look of realization as she lost her footing. They never found her, but they knew she was dead. After that college was postponed, eventually indefinitely. His dad’s tried being supportive but he just sunk deeper into his grief. He refused to talk about Elle, his fists clenching and eyes narrowing when her name would be mentioned. Even six years later he carried her death with him. Too afraid to let someone else in again, too afraid to watch them fall to their death never to be seen again.
Phoenix "Nixie" Cole - 22 - Homosexual - Hailee Steinfeld- #de8245 - Sorella
Nixie was the product of her parents needing someone to help with Xan's health, but they also wanted another kid so it all worked out in their minds. Nixie always looked up to Xan, she never saw the sickness that everyone else would pity her for, instead she saw how brave and strong she was to live with her illness in day to day life. Nixie never felt bad for herself having to go through multiple procedures just to help Xan out, it was what sisters were for. She didn't get to be careless about things or get into fights because she needed to stay healthy and well, but despite that fact she snuck out to parties regularly, but made sure not to do anything that would be too risky. Even if that meant she was sober 90 percent of the time, but she liked being at parties because that's where her girlfriend Erin would have been. Nix was incredibly invested in they relationship that they had together, so when Erin died it only made her more cautious about walking anywhere or driving anywhere. It made her stay indoors for days on end, but nothing prepared her enough to lose her sister a year later. Nixie literally begged on her knees crying, trying to get Xan to take her kidney. She didn't want to lose another loved one, but Xan never gave in. It wasn't long after that she lost her too. Ever since Nix hasn't taken a single day for granted.
Preston Atlas Blake | 26 | Homosexual | Sylverster Ulv | #BF0000 | Char
The first born male in a wealthy, prestigious family, Atlas' first day on Earth (and every day after) was met with high expectations and a pedestal that he was destined to fall from. A perpetual only child, he was spoiled rotten, in fact it's very likely he never heard the word 'no' until medical school ... and even then it was rare because, honestly, Atlas was quite good. Top of his class at Stanford Medical School and accepted into one of the most selective surgical intern programs in Massachusetts, Atlas was going places. Until Cass. Cassidy Aisling, with his bright smiles and vibrant jokes even though he lived in the hospital. Cass, who would grin widely whenever boring, apathetic, crass Atlas would enter his room. Who Atlas had to remind himself to ignore his growing crush over, because he was a professional, and Cass was sick. Cass who died while Atlas was on duty, the first patient he'd ever lost, the first time his composure in front of his fellow interns broke, the first time the Chief had to physically pull a doctor away from doing compressions
human five - age - sexuality - face claim - user
human six - age - sexuality - face claim - user
human seven - age - sexuality - face claim - user
Taking place in...
Widow's Peak our primary setting
A town linked with tragedy and the supernatural.
- 20 posts here • Page 1 of 1
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 6 authors
SOREN BOWERS
xxxnever did I think I'd be coming back around
xxxdigging up old memories
xxxalways used to be the one to let it go
xxxkept my fears in a suitcase
A gasp filled the empty apartment, and a formerly still body sat bolt upright. Soren gasped for air, his heart still pounding in his chest.This had happened every single night since he’d first woken up in this apartment. Every time he woke up, he woke up afraid, but the memories of the dream disappeared as soon as he tried to remember them, vanishing like smoke into the abyss of his mind. His phone was hovering a foot off the bedside table, and he snatched it from the air, checking the time. He didn’t know why he could suddenly move things without touching them or why they tended to hover in midair when he was upset about something or why he seemed to flicker in and out of sight at times. He didn’t know why his memory was so blank. He didn’t know where he was, why he was here, or what the hell he was supposed to do about it. He’d hoped he might figure it out with time, but two days later and he still had no idea. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he needed to do and that something was urgent, and every morning he found himself reaching for his phone as if the answer would be there. It never was.
It was late morning, later than he’d meant to sleep. Groaning to himself, he grabbed the packet of smokes on his bedside table, pulled on a hoodie, took up his usual position, sitting on his window sill with the window open as wide as it would go, and lit up a cigarette. Even if he couldn’t remember what the dreams were about, or why he was here or what the hell was happening to him, he knew that a smoke was one of the only things that could calm the tremors in his hands and the shaking of his breath. It seemed that the things he couldn’t remember outweighed the things he did. His memory was just a gaping void, full of things that he felt he could almost remember, but the minute anything became halfway clear, it would just slip out of reach. Except for a few memories, and almost all of them were ones he would have been fine with forgetting.
And then there was the name. Markus Vasco. It had been his first thought when he’d opened his eyes two days ago, and it was a name that seemed to be constantly whispered in his mind ever since. He’d done a bit of research, and it seemed he was a tattoo artist somewhere in town. Soren had the address written down on a piece of paper, but something was holding him back, stopping him from going and looking just yet. What the hell was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? Hi, two days ago I woke up with total amnesia and for some reason, the only name I could remember besides my own was yours. Do you have any idea about it? Because I sure as hell don’t.
He sighed, blowing out a lungful of smoke out the window into the street and watched as it twisted and curled, before fading into nothing. Somebody had once told him the cigarettes would kill him one day, and he’d just laughed and shrugged. He blinked at the sudden memory, but the faces around it were gone, empty faces he just couldn’t recall no matter how much he tried. He stubbed out the cigarette and closed the window, figuring he needed to get dressed and figure out what the hell he was going to do for the day. There was a leaflet abandoned on the counter, one that had been shoved into his hand by someone on the street yesterday, advertising the town’s Halloween festival. Even if the night itself was just under two weeks away, the town seemed to run events for the whole of October. Soren went over to pick up the leaflet. Something, deep inside him, told him that was where he should go tonight. Well, it wasn’t like he had any better plans.
He spent the rest of the day just in the apartment, doing a little more reading into this Markus Vasco. He’d considered googling his own name more than once, but every time he went to type his name in, a wave of panic and anxiety came over him, telling him not to do it. He figured that reaction meant that he probably wasn’t going to like whatever he found, so he just never looked. But he couldn’t find much on this Markus person either, and he knew that meant he probably just needed to get over himself and go talk to him. He promised himself he’d do it the following day, but first he’d decided to go to this Halloween market for whatever reason.
He pulled on his trusted silver jacket, put on some eyeliner to make him feel a little more like himself (another thing he instinctively knew and couldn’t explain), and headed out. It was cold, but it had at least stopped raining. His breath came out in a swirl of fog as he walked, pulling his jacket a little tighter around him. Torches lined the streets, giving everything an eerie and atmospheric look. Stalls lined Main Street, with local businesses all running stalls of all and every kind. There were people selling handmade masks and costumes, local artists selling art, and so much wonderful looking and smelling food. He bought a cup of hot apple cider and wandered down the street, looking at the stalls and wondering what it was exactly that had drawn him here, or if it had just been curiosity and something to do.
It was late morning, later than he’d meant to sleep. Groaning to himself, he grabbed the packet of smokes on his bedside table, pulled on a hoodie, took up his usual position, sitting on his window sill with the window open as wide as it would go, and lit up a cigarette. Even if he couldn’t remember what the dreams were about, or why he was here or what the hell was happening to him, he knew that a smoke was one of the only things that could calm the tremors in his hands and the shaking of his breath. It seemed that the things he couldn’t remember outweighed the things he did. His memory was just a gaping void, full of things that he felt he could almost remember, but the minute anything became halfway clear, it would just slip out of reach. Except for a few memories, and almost all of them were ones he would have been fine with forgetting.
And then there was the name. Markus Vasco. It had been his first thought when he’d opened his eyes two days ago, and it was a name that seemed to be constantly whispered in his mind ever since. He’d done a bit of research, and it seemed he was a tattoo artist somewhere in town. Soren had the address written down on a piece of paper, but something was holding him back, stopping him from going and looking just yet. What the hell was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to say? Hi, two days ago I woke up with total amnesia and for some reason, the only name I could remember besides my own was yours. Do you have any idea about it? Because I sure as hell don’t.
He sighed, blowing out a lungful of smoke out the window into the street and watched as it twisted and curled, before fading into nothing. Somebody had once told him the cigarettes would kill him one day, and he’d just laughed and shrugged. He blinked at the sudden memory, but the faces around it were gone, empty faces he just couldn’t recall no matter how much he tried. He stubbed out the cigarette and closed the window, figuring he needed to get dressed and figure out what the hell he was going to do for the day. There was a leaflet abandoned on the counter, one that had been shoved into his hand by someone on the street yesterday, advertising the town’s Halloween festival. Even if the night itself was just under two weeks away, the town seemed to run events for the whole of October. Soren went over to pick up the leaflet. Something, deep inside him, told him that was where he should go tonight. Well, it wasn’t like he had any better plans.
He spent the rest of the day just in the apartment, doing a little more reading into this Markus Vasco. He’d considered googling his own name more than once, but every time he went to type his name in, a wave of panic and anxiety came over him, telling him not to do it. He figured that reaction meant that he probably wasn’t going to like whatever he found, so he just never looked. But he couldn’t find much on this Markus person either, and he knew that meant he probably just needed to get over himself and go talk to him. He promised himself he’d do it the following day, but first he’d decided to go to this Halloween market for whatever reason.
He pulled on his trusted silver jacket, put on some eyeliner to make him feel a little more like himself (another thing he instinctively knew and couldn’t explain), and headed out. It was cold, but it had at least stopped raining. His breath came out in a swirl of fog as he walked, pulling his jacket a little tighter around him. Torches lined the streets, giving everything an eerie and atmospheric look. Stalls lined Main Street, with local businesses all running stalls of all and every kind. There were people selling handmade masks and costumes, local artists selling art, and so much wonderful looking and smelling food. He bought a cup of hot apple cider and wandered down the street, looking at the stalls and wondering what it was exactly that had drawn him here, or if it had just been curiosity and something to do.
She would go to the one for the terminally ill in the hospital, but then she just started going to others because she wanted somewhere to be where she wasn’t the sick girl. Where she was defined by her own voice and no one else’s. She knew it was wrong. Usually she’d be in and out before people got to the sharing part, but she’d be lying if she said she never lingered; never felt so lost that she just needed someone to talk to who wasn’t looking at her like she was the walking dead. So she told herself she came for the coffee and cookies, sometimes she stuck around to be seen.
Caffeine was a poison Xan would have to indulge in small doses. The stress on the rest of her organs from her failing kidney made caffeine hard on her liver. She could never drink alcohol, so she found a way to make the most out of a cup of coffee. Usually after one she’d get a stomachache, yet here she was looking into her fourth cup of coffee feeling better than she’d felt in her entire life.
There was a sinking feeling in her gut that she couldn’t shake, that something was wrong. That she was wrong. It hurt her head to try to connect the dots. She squeezed her phone tightly. That compulsion to scroll through every app and text freezing her in place. Every time she went to text to someone she’d feel paralyzed with a sense of dread. It wasn’t like the dread that had followed her for so long in life, that oncoming expiration date. This was something else, an existential crisis at every micro decision and non-decision.
“Did you want to come up and introduce yourself?”
A voice broke her train of thought, Xan looking up to the room to realize they were all staring at her. She almost dropped her cookies, losing her grip for a moment while she re-oriented herself. Xan gave a weak smile, shaking her heard no then leaving hurriedly. She threw her coffee and cookies into the bin as she left.
She found a bench around the side of the church, collapsing onto it wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her face into them so that her hair spilled over to reach the tops of her converse. She’d only ever left Widows Peak en route to or from a Hospital, having to stick around her local physicians to assure they were only a call away at all times. Yet here she was in her hometown and she felt like a fucking stranger.
“You okay?”
Xan looked up, recognizing the woman from inside.
“You looked like you might want someone to talk to that wasn’t in front of a group of strangers.” Full lips pulled back, her two front teeth too big for her smile – but they just made her shine brighter. Xan tilted her head to the side, enraptured immediately. She sat down beside Xan, offering her hand. “I’m Raven.”
“Xan….nice to meet you.” She said in return, taking Raven’s hand gently. There was a beat of silence that followed, the look in Raven’s eye told Xan she expected a little more than just a name and pleasantry in return. “Oh – well, I should be honest I’m not an addict. I just…well I don’t really know what.”
Raven gave a knowing look, nodding her head as she looked out into the distance. Xan couldn’t tell if she believed her or just thought Xan was in a phase of denial, but either way she could sense the understanding from the way the corner of their eyes crinkled with concern. “I think most people who come here just want a place to be heard. I guess I just recognized that look you had when you walked out. There have been people I didn’t go after when I saw that look and – well, I just didn’t want to keep making the same mistake.”
Xan had to look away to keep herself from crying, forcing herself to laugh instead. “Sorry – I don’t mean to laugh.”
“It’s okay, I get it.” Raven smiled again, this time it reached her eyes. She rifled around in her bag for a moment pulling out a card and handing it to Xan. “Here. Call me if you ever want someone to listen. Not to brag or anything but I’m pretty decent at it.”
Xan took the card nervously, her lips pressing themselves flat in an attempt to maintain her composure. The heavy card stock and embossed letters on the back took Xan aback, expecting it to be some poorly cut business card of some social worker. She ran her thumb over the letters as she read:
Raven Bloom
Life Coach
Life Coach
“Life Coach, huh?” Xan chuckled, looking up – but Raven was gone already. She glanced around briefly, shrugging when Raven was no longer in sight. Her stomach growled, regretting the decision to throw out the cookies. She’d had four cups of coffee and no food. She slid the business card into her back pocket, shoving her hands into her front pockets and walking towards downtown to find a place to eat.
Erin Monaghan
xxxI would sell my soul for a bit more time
xxxYou stain all on my body like you're red wine
xxxYou're the fuckin' acid to my alkaline
xxxYou run your middle finger up and down my spine
xxxI'm sorry there was no one to apologize
Erin stared blankly into the void as her mind tried gathering her scrambled thoughts, as if any of this even made any sense to her, and she doubted it was going to make sense anytime soon. The platinum blonde woman simply sat on one of the old creaky chairs in the small diner that stood along a multitude of buildings that aligned the street of the downtown area of Widow's Peak. Ever since she woke up in that field, Erin couldn't place her finger on it. But something felt off. She felt constantly paranoid and confused, not exactly understanding why nothing felt like it was supposed to, as if she even knew what that was supposed to mean.
But, normal people don't exactly wake up in an empty and barren field on the outskirts of a town, right? But what did she know? That question was all too relevant, as the only things she knew were her first name, Erin, the town of Widow's Peak, and someone by the name of Nixie. That was all. Aside from waking up in the middle of nowhere, with an apartment key and phone, ones she wasn't even sure were her own well, Erin wasn't going to complain. It was something, and she gladly took it. After walking into Widow's Peak, almost being guided by some unknown force, she found herself arriving at a small apartment complex, and found herself going to the second floor and entering one of the rooms.
Erin had simply closed the door behind her as she entered, sat on the couch as she tried to think until she eventually fell asleep, feeling absolutely drained and exhausted. She didn't know why, but her body was tired and even sore to a point. But she didn't care. If she even could have guessed, she slept for two days in a row, a soft gasp filling her lungs with air as she finally woke up again. Rubbing her face as she tried to wake herself up some. It was already half passed noon, the sun shining through the curtains of the small apartment.
Erin would have normally ignored everything and would have gone back to sleep, if it wasn't for the growl of her stomach, signalling to her that she was hungry. Getting to her feet, she rubbed the back of her neck as she shuffled over to the fridge, rubbing the remaining sleep from her eyes as a soft yawn escaped her lips. Erin's eyebrows tightly knit together as she looked into the void of the fridge, "Well that's lovely..." she muttered to herself. The fridge was entirely empty, which meant she'd need to go out and find food on her own. Even for the faintest moment she considered calling in food, but...The thought of using the phone caused a small burst of anxiety in her. She could do it later if she really needed to. Grabbing her long black coat, Erin put it on as she left the apartment in search of some food.
Which is how she ended up where she is now. Dark green eyes staring off at the wall that stood opposite her across from the counter-bar where she sat. Her back against the walkway people would use to come into the small diner. "Will that be it, ma'am, or are you going to order another round of food? Again?" a voice broke her trance like state. Blinking rappedly, Erin had to think to herself for a moment, looking at the few scattered, empty baskets of food she had already eaten. Erin bit her lip, "Uhm...I'll take one more round please, and make it a coffee instead of a root-beer, please." she gave the aged man a small smile as she read his name-tag. Harold. "Thank you, Harold." she continued. The old man gave her a small nod, his aged eyes looking her up and down for a moment as he thought, leaning against the counter as he eyed her, "You look familiar...What did you say your name was again, love?" his brow raised, pouring another cup of dirty bean juice into the mug that sat in front of her. Erin blinked for a moment, "Oh. Erin." she replied simply, before adding a few sugar packets and cream into the coffee before taking a sip.
The old man nodded as he caressed his chin, "You don't happen to be from around here, do you?" he questioned casually. Erin raised an eyebrow at his question, thinking for a moment as she took another sip of the hot liquid. The bitter yet sweet taste dancing across her tongue before she swallowed the coffee. Placing the mug down on the counter, "No...Why?" she questioned, an immediate feeling of dread and anxiety began to well up inside of her after she asked the question, why, Erin wasn't sure. Harold simply shook his head as he scoffed, "Sorry just...You look a little familiar is all. Must just be an old man's mind, huh?" he chuckled. A small smile spread across her lips, "I suppose so...But yeah, I just arrived in town a few days ago..." she replied before taking another sip of her drink. Harold chuckled as he finished up filling another basket with a cheeseburger, extra onions, extra pickles, ketchup and light on the mustard. And side of house fries. "What is someone of your age coming to a town like this then, if I may be so bold?" Erin cleared her throat as she accepted the food, placing it in front of her. "I uh..." she paused for a moment, biting her lip as she thought for a moment, "Just passing through, I suppose." she said cooly. Harold nodded solemnly, "Well, where ya headed?" Erin gave a small shrug as she took a bite of her food, quickly swallowing as she cleared her throat before answering. "I'm not exactly sure just yet...Just...On the road, I suppose." she said with a small smile, but her voice gave off the air of being unsure of herself in the statement. Harold nodded once more, "Well, wherever you're headed...I hope you find what you're lookin' for, Erin. I'll let you be now." he gave her a smile before he turned and began to take care of a few other customers' orders.
Erin took a deep breath as she nodded, "So do I...Thank you, Harold." she gave him a small smile, before going back to her food. Where was she going? What was she really doing in this town anyway? Nothing made any sense since she found herself waking up in that god damn field. But all she knew was that she was here for something, and there had to have been someone to have known why and who she was. But for now, she was simply left to her thoughts and breakfast.
-Few Days Ago-
A bright light could be seen through her eyelids. Her back was stiff as if she slept far too long, and her eyes slowly opened to reveal her irises to the moonlight. She was almost mesmerized by the moonlight that she nearly did not notice the whooshing and trickling sounds of water.
Her heart started to beat in her chest harder and harder as she was picking up on more of her surroundings. Quickly she rolled off of her back and onto her stomach, so that her arms could extend in front of her to push herself up and onto her feet. As she got up sand began to slip off her clothes, and even more dusted the ground as she turned her back 180 degrees to look at the water in front of her.
She could start to feel all sorts of emotions rise up inside of her looking at it, and it got to the point she had a headache that was growing in strength by the second, before she had to just look away.
Exhaling sharply she began to wipe the sand off of herself before she started to take her leave from the stream. She had no idea where she was, but she walked until she found a road, which had said Widow’s Peak was up ahead.
-Present day, October 17th-
The apartment had been so empty and lonely, Elle hated being there. She didn’t talk to many people and she felt like she didn’t know anyone. All she could remember were different places that existed and what some people looked like.
Not to mention the apartment building she was living in was not something she ever saw herself in, maybe she would have to get a new place or get a job so she could save up and move out of town, but so far she needed to check it out and see what this place had to offer.
The blonde had been walking down the streets of Widow’s Peak. She could tell that fall was popular here as she saw multiple signs about the festival going on for the next couple of days with various events that were fun for the whole family. For a minute she wondered what a family would be like to have and to take to a fall festival. She imagined having two little kids, a girl with brown pigtails and a messy blond mop on a little boy as they ran towards the face painting station.
It was a brief flash in her mind, and she couldn’t help but smile. Hopefully one day she would get to do something like that.
There was a particular place that was in Elle’s head, and she couldn’t get it out. She wanted to be able to remember exactly where it was, but it was clear as day in her mind. Maybe it wasn’t even here, but she had to at least try and find it. A name was ringing in her ears as she tried to find it, one that came up in her dreams a lot since being here.
After a couple of hours walking around, thinking about heading back she saw the house. Her blue eyes grazed over the house and for a moment she could feel a warmth in her chest that felt almost nostalgic.
It only took a few moments of looking at it, so a few little blurry memories to flutter by. Ones of setting carved pumpkins outside of the house, or being nervous as she entered the door frame to have dinner for the first time. It only made Elle curious about what kind of first time.
Without even thinking she was crossing the road towards the house and walked up the the front door. Her hands traced the wood trim around it. She could feel her heart become happier as she stood there as she whispered the name that she felt was connected to the house, “Leo.”
Elle knew there was something significant about the name, she would just have to see who this Leo was, and maybe it would all click. Maybe this was why she had to come here. She exhaled softly and as she turned on her heel to leave she had nearly bumped into someone. Instead she was incredibly startled and placed her hand on her chest.
“You scared me. I’m so sorry, I will get out of your way.” Elle said as she began to make her way passed the female and back onto the sidewalk.
“Hi there! I’m with the Widow’s Peak Church, did you have a moment to talk about the lord?” She asked in her usual cheery way.
Elle stopped in her tracks and sighed, almost as if this was muscle memory or it just slipped into her head. It came out so casually as if she had been saying it for years. “No Zoe, I am good. I’m sure if I haven’t joined by now I’m not going to.”
“Do I know you?” Zoe asked as Elle’s eyes went wide, before turning to look back over to Zoe. That was right, Elle went to high school with Zoe, she was a couple grades younger, but always promoted no sex before marriage and purity rings. Now she was going door to door to talk about the lord?
Elle didn’t know why she felt compelled to lie to Zoe, but she did. “No, no you don’t. Namaste or whatever you wanna call it.” She said waving her hand as she walked away from the house. Maybe the festival would be the better idea.
Besides, maybe Leo wasn’t that important. Maybe that was who Zoe was with now and she was intruding on their little family. If anything the world felt incredibly confusing right now, and Elle just needed some sort of answers, but she didn’t even know what answers she was seeking for.
It felt like she was on the world’s longest hangover, but regardless she started to head back to the main area of town. Maybe she would make it in time to see what creations were made in the pumpkin carving contest, it had always been her favourite.
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He’d picked the design, tracing it onto the pumpkin for his parents to take turns carving over the next hour. Some years he’d go with a pop culture reference, Stranger Things was a fun couple of years of designs. Leo had tried convincing his parents to do a Tiger King themed pumpkin, but they didn’t want to associate the show with their image. Instead Leo had opted for a harvest theme with an ornate designs of foliage to be carved at different depths to play with the light. It was a classic country design that the judges just ate up. Leo free handed most of it, he’d always had superior spatial reasoning.
“Alright, I think that’s it.” Leo said after some time, using the pumpkin to counterbalance his weight as he stood and leaned back to crack his back. His shoulders were stiff from leaning over for so long, he rotated his neck until he heard his joints click from the motion. His dad took the pumpkin, the other still arranging their tools.
“Stop fussing over the station, Michael. We have forty-five minutes.” His dad said. Leo resisted the urge to roll his eyes, already the competitiveness was surfacing. He scratched the back of his neck, his already mussed hair ruffled askew. His dad set down he pumpkin, Michael taking it and beginning to carve stale-faced without another word.
“You wanna hang around kid?” His dad asked him, reaching to smooth the back of Leo’s hair.
“Yeah, I was going to check out some of the vendors but I’ll be back before the judges come around.” Leo assured him, knowing his dads would want him around for pictures.
“You don’t want something to eat?” His dad asked.
“Nah, I’m not hungry.”
“You sure? There’s a place that has a whole turkey leg, or maybe a pumpkin pie?”
“That sound’s good. Maybe we can get one all together later?” Leo was expert in dodging the subtle manipulation to eat. His medicine gave him a low appetite, something that his dad thought gave him reason enough to monitor Leo’s eating.
Michael looked up from the pumpkin he was carving, sensing the tension. “Ray will you take over? I need to find my rubber tipped gloves.”
Leo gave his dad, Michael, an expression of gratitude – taking the distraction and ducking out the moment Ray had his back turned and disappearing into the crowd. It’d been years since he had been to a Harvest Fest with Elle, but still it was hard to walk through it without thinking of her. Memories of celebrating her birthday came in with the Autumn breeze. There were always reasons to remember her. She was in the touch of fresh fallen snow, the smell of fresh Spring rain, the warmth of Summer sun. There was no part of his life she hadn’t touched.
Leo tensed, his body’s rhythm sensing the oncoming alarm. His watch beeped, his hand already reaching to silence it. He pulled a small pill box from his pocket. His dad Ray would arrange his medicine every Sunday night. They had a set of seven small pill boxes that each had two compartments, one for morning one for night for each day of the week. It was small enough to fit into his pocket, he’d grab a new one every day. It had all become so apart of his daily life he barely registered when he was doing it now. He didn’t even need water to get down the pills, just swallowed them dry.
He’d been walking around for nearly half an hour and barely took in any of his surroundings. That’s how he spent a lot of his time, on auto-pilot. It seemed to be better than whatever he was before, or at least that’s what the people around him said. He could see people grouping around a hot apple cider stand, deciding he’d grab some for him and his dads before he headed back to the pumpkin carving. A flash of silver caught his eye, Leo doing a double take for a moment certain that he saw someone he hadn’t – couldn’t. He furrowed his brow, wondering when was the last time Soren had ran through his mind.
“Here’s your ciders!” Said the peppy worker, handing him a drink tray with three cups of cider.
“Thanks.” He said, shoving a few stray dollars into the tip jar as he took the ciders and headed back towards pumpkin carving area.
N I X I E X C O L E
Nixie felt weird being back in her hometown after being gone for four years. She had spent so much time in New York City, that Widow’s Peak was eerily quiet in comparison. It was the silence of mourning and loss that reeked the town as townspeople kept dropping in numbers. It wasn’t even a conspiracy theory at this point, with the amount of deaths that this town has had alone, you would think that gang violence was going on.
Sometimes the town just felt dark, cold, and cursed. Nixie believes that was why she almost felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and she had a new freedom in the city. No one knew who she was and no one was going to bring up her sister’s name or her ex girlfriend’s name.
Widow’s Peak was different. People would watch you with their eyes and whether they said something to themselves or aloud they had a judgement of sorts for you, or they had their own opinions on your life and where you should be. It was hard because no matter where she went she would get asked how she was and people pitied her at every turn in the road that they could.
Her eyes traced the trimmings around the window in her bedroom as she laid in bed. Kat was insistent on the fact that the Harvest Festival would be fun, that it would be a good thing to get out and do with her parents. It wasn’t what Nixie wanted to do. She had been every year that Xan hadn’t been ill and honestly she had her fill on the whole thing.
Exhaling a little shakily, she could feel Kat’s arm slip around her as Kat came in for a cuddle. Her orange tinted hair shifting to move over some of Nix’s skin and as it did it tickled.
“Are you okay?” Her soft voice came in breaking the tune of silence. She nodded her head and then turned her head to look over at her beautiful girlfriend.
“We can go to the festival today, maybe they’ll have the communal piano out. I can play something for you.” She said with a grin as she leaned in and kissed Kat.
-
The pair had got ready relatively quickly and decided to walk from their apartment towards the downtown area. Hopefully there was a spot to get apple pie, Nixie was starving and did not feel like stopping at any coffee shops. She had already talked to so many store owners about her return and her degree, she was just over it.
That however didn’t stop Kat from dragging her to Java Jive just on the outskirts of the festival.
“You need to eat.” Kat declared and then looked over to her in that ‘look’ that meant you better do as she said or else. “And no, apple pie does not count as breakfast.” the red head said shaking her head before the ding could be heard when Kat opened the door.
“Well, I’m not going in.” Nixie said with her arms now crossed.
“You don’t have to, you will just get whatever I get you.” Kat said with a cheeky grin.
“Better not be a bran muffin, Kat or I swear to god.” The brunette groaned tilting her head back in frustration.
“Just wait and see.” And with that the locks of red followed behind her into the store as the storefront closed. Nixie didn’t know what she was getting, but as long as it didn’t taste horrible, she wasn’t too fussed, she just liked to bug Kat when she could.
After about ten minutes Kat came out handing Nixie a hot chocolate and a morning glory muffin. [color=#de8245“Kat-” [/color]
“What now?” Kat said, almost seeming frustrated with Nix.
“You might as well have gotten me a bran muffin.” She said, rolling her eyes and taking a bite out of it.
“Yeah, but I didn’t. Maybe next time you should go into the store.” Nixie knew she couldn’t argue any further with Kat about it, she was right. If she had really wanted something else she would have gone in there and grabbed it herself.
As they started to enter the Harvest festival Nix was still eating her muffin as they looked around at everything that was going on. All the other streets were relatively empty because people were either here or working.
“What did you want to do first, babe?” She asked Kat. She didn’t really care what they did, because she had done it all. They could do the corn maze, get photos at the pumpkin patch, look at the pumpkin carvings for the contest, apple bobbing, pie eating contest, or anything. For all she was scared they could go to the face paint station that most kids went to.
“I know you will probably be against it, but I would really love it if we made our way over to the pumpkin patch and got photos done. You hardly ever agree to doing photos, and you look so cute today.” Kat said, trying to get her way with sweet talking.
Nixie rolled her eyes as he looked over to Kat, “Well, today is your lucky day. I want to do anything you want to do.” God, she sounded like a cheesy rom com, but it made Kat happy and that was all that mattered to her at this point in life.
It wasn't that Nixie didn't love Kat, it was just this place brought up so many more feelings and emotions than she wanted to admit. It was incredibly hard to be in Widow's Peak, she was so looking forward to next June when they would be going to live in Kat's hometown for a year and once that happened Nixie was sure she was ready to spend the rest of her life with Kat. Kat knew about everything she has been through and tried to help her get help when she needed it.
As guilty as she felt about these floating thoughts, part of her just felt she would never get back what she had with Erin. Sure she was in high school, but Nixie always felt a bit older for her age and that she had to mature faster. To her that was the most genuine and real relationship she had ever had. Nothing could replace it, but what she had with Kat was really good. They were good together and things were going to work out. They were patient and kind to one another, and that's all Nixie could even really ask for to be honest.
Markus Vasco
xxxThey say I may be making a mistake
xxxI would've followed all the way, no matter how far
xxxI know when you go down all your darkest roads
xxxI would've followed all the way to the graveyard
The soft chirping of birds, the sound of the engine of a car that occasionally passed by on the busy street, and the sound of the wind softly hitting against the large pine trees that encircled the area were the only sounds that filled the air, in the otherwise entirely silent graveyard. A soft sigh escaped Markus' mouth as he remained crouched down in-front of one of the graves. It was somewhat worn and weathered, due to the constant onslaught of a vicious winds and harsh winters in the small town. Markus lifted his hand to wipe away the thick layer of dirt that had gathered over the front of the grave marking, his eyes seemingly life-less as the name Soren Bowers was now visible again. "I...I'm so sorry..." Markus choked out, the words came out as barely above a whisper. He could feel his eyes begin to burn once more as tears slowly began to creep into his vision. Markus sniffled as he wiped his nose, slowly getting to his feet as his hands shook by his side. "I'll...I'll be back sometime later this week..." he said softly, the words falling from his lips as his eyes glanced back towards the headstone and then to his feet. It didn't matter how many times he came to visit the two graves for his friends, the pain never left. Almost like he could never fully accept the fact that it had been seven years since Soren's accident, and five since-He shook his head of those thoughts. Doing his best to disgard them as best he could. He'd be back later, that was all that mattered.
Markus looked over the small headstone once more, before he began making his way back a few rows to the front of the graveyard, before stopping. Turning his head to look in the direction to his right, resided another grave. Somewhat newer than Soren's, but still somewhat old and weathered. His eyes glanced at the name, quickly averting it just as quickly as his eyes landed on those etched in letters. It was still too soon, still hurt too much to think about. Hell, shortly after the accident, Phoenix left for college, even though Markus couldn't blame her. The town took everything from her. First her girlfriend, and then her sister. It was only fair she left too but, it still didn't change anything that he had lost his last remaining friend from heighschool. But he couldn't hang onto those feelings and thoughts anymore. She was off in New York, making something for herself while he resided in this small little god forsaken town. He couldn't continue to be bitter, it wasn't healthy. He was just hurt, even if he didn't want to focus on it anymore.
He sighed once more, and turned and left the graveyard. He could come back anytime. He just needed to get his mind off things. And today he was in luck as the local Halloween Festival was taking place this week, and if he wanted anything to help cheer him up, this usually did the trick. But it was usually with his friends, but...Markus needed to grow up and accept what had happened and move on. Shaking his head to himself as he walked down the old worn pathway back to town.
Markus arrived in the market-place a few short minutes later, and the town-square was already buzzing with life. The pumpkin patch was busy as ever, with locals and visitors busily carving them for the small little competion they held every year. Leo and his parents must have been here somewhere, Markus thought to himself. They'd never miss out on this. A faint smile crept across his face for but a moment, as he could have sworn he saw the quickest flash of blonde main of hair flitter by in the corner of his eye. Markus took a double-take, as it would have been impossible. But by the time he looked off in the direction he thought he saw her, the person was gone. Markus blinked, his mind was playing tricks on him. That was all. As Markus looked back around, he could have sworn that a familiar face caught his eye among the pumpkin patch. The brown wavy hair, darker skin and eyes. It had been a few years but, there was no mistaking it. It was Phoenix. A small smile appeared on his lips, seeing her once again after all this time. But a somber feeling hit his chest, it couldn't have been easy for her to be here. For whatever reason-Oh. He blinked again as he saw a red-haired woman talking with her. Slowly he nodded as another smile appeared on his face. He was happy she was doing well for herself. She deserved it after all she'd been through.
Markus began to turn and walk away in the opposite direction of the two women, he wasn't ready to talk to her just yet and found himself practically walking into someone. "Oh shit, I am so fucking sorry. I didn't mean to-" Markus stopped as his eyes found themselves bounding over the person that stood before him. A flashy and shiny jacket, dark blue dyed hair. Maybe it was just an coincidence, but the moment the two locked eyes, Markus froze.
It wasn't possible, was it? It had been seven years. But those eyes and his face. However aged it may have been. But it couldn't be, right? Markus had been to the hospital. He went to the funeral for god's sake. This couldn't, there was no logical or realistic reason for it to be him, right? Markus found himself with mouth ajar as he tried to say something, anything at all other than staring at this man who simply could have just looked like him, right? After what felt like forever, which in reality was no more than a minute or two, Markus shook his head. Snapping himself out of his dazed stupor. "I am so sorry. I just...I was clumsy and didn't watch where I was going...And...I accidentally spilled your drink." Markus said numbly as he saw the freshly spilled beverage on the ground. "Uhm...How about I...How About I pay for a new one, huh? And whatever else you may want. Only fair, right?" he chuckled awkwardly, outstretching his hand to the man. "I know this is going to sound weird but...You don't happen to be from around here, do you? Sorry if that's a weird question just...I don't know. Sorry." Markus fumbled for something to say, anything to help get rid of the awkwardness he was feeling. "But what do you say...Let me buy you another drink?"
SOREN BOWERS
xxxnever did I think I'd be coming back around
xxxdigging up old memories
xxxalways used to be the one to let it go
xxxkept my fears in a suitcase
A display of ornate masks had caught Soren’s attention, just for long enough that he also didn’t see the man about to walk straight into him. The collision was hard enough that Soren’s still full cup of apple cider went flying from his hand and landed somewhere behind him. But Soren’s attention was fixed on this man. For a brief, fleeting moment of a second, there was a rush of emotion, and Soren wasn’t even sure how to put them into words. He had so much to say, so much to apologise for, so much to-
And then just like that, the moment was gone, and Soren found himself staring at the man’s face, scrambling for memories that weren’t there. But he knew that he knew this man somehow, that there had been something there once upon a time, but he couldn’t remember what. Frustration grew inside him, so much that he almost missed the man’s words. He forced a smile, shrugging a little.
“It’s fine, these… these things happen,” he said. At the offer of being bought another drink though, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Sure, if you’re offering.” He reached out and grasped the man’s hand for just a moment, and again, there was that rush of emotion, the beginnings of memory, and then it was gone again, and Soren shoved his hands back into the pockets of his jacket. His skin tingled at the memory of the touch, but the question of whether or not he was from around here quickly distracted him as they stepped back into the queue for the apple cider.
“I… yeah, I grew up here,” he said. Even that was a guess, he was working entirely off the basis that he seemed to be able to find his way around without having to think about it and knew the streets intuitively. “Or… I mean, I think I did. I, um…” He wasn’t even sure if he should be saying this, but those flashes of emotion and the ghosts of memories… he had known this man, and the longer he stared at him, the more certain he was of that fact. And he was just so tired of not remembering anything, not remembering anyone. That flash of a subconscious reaction was the first reaction he’d had to anything since he’d opened his eyes, and it was the closest thing he had to any sort of hope right now. Hope that things might actually get back to some semblance of normality. If there was any chance this man had known who Soren was, who he had been, then Soren was going to take that chance.
“I… actually have pretty bad amnesia at the moment, so… if it looks like I’m blanking anyone, it isn’t me being rude, I just… can’t remember who they are,” he admitted with a nervous laugh, tucking his hair behind his ear. He stepped up to the counter and gave the order for two apple ciders and a toffee apple, stepping aside to let the man pay and handing him one of the cups. “I’m… I’m really sorry about this but… I feel like I know you or… knew you. Did… did we know each other?” He asked.
And then just like that, the moment was gone, and Soren found himself staring at the man’s face, scrambling for memories that weren’t there. But he knew that he knew this man somehow, that there had been something there once upon a time, but he couldn’t remember what. Frustration grew inside him, so much that he almost missed the man’s words. He forced a smile, shrugging a little.
“It’s fine, these… these things happen,” he said. At the offer of being bought another drink though, he raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Sure, if you’re offering.” He reached out and grasped the man’s hand for just a moment, and again, there was that rush of emotion, the beginnings of memory, and then it was gone again, and Soren shoved his hands back into the pockets of his jacket. His skin tingled at the memory of the touch, but the question of whether or not he was from around here quickly distracted him as they stepped back into the queue for the apple cider.
“I… yeah, I grew up here,” he said. Even that was a guess, he was working entirely off the basis that he seemed to be able to find his way around without having to think about it and knew the streets intuitively. “Or… I mean, I think I did. I, um…” He wasn’t even sure if he should be saying this, but those flashes of emotion and the ghosts of memories… he had known this man, and the longer he stared at him, the more certain he was of that fact. And he was just so tired of not remembering anything, not remembering anyone. That flash of a subconscious reaction was the first reaction he’d had to anything since he’d opened his eyes, and it was the closest thing he had to any sort of hope right now. Hope that things might actually get back to some semblance of normality. If there was any chance this man had known who Soren was, who he had been, then Soren was going to take that chance.
“I… actually have pretty bad amnesia at the moment, so… if it looks like I’m blanking anyone, it isn’t me being rude, I just… can’t remember who they are,” he admitted with a nervous laugh, tucking his hair behind his ear. He stepped up to the counter and gave the order for two apple ciders and a toffee apple, stepping aside to let the man pay and handing him one of the cups. “I’m… I’m really sorry about this but… I feel like I know you or… knew you. Did… did we know each other?” He asked.
Atlas pushes himself into a sitting position. His head hurts, he’s probably dehydrated, and his fingers itch towards his phone to check the time, the date, anything, but he can’t. He’d put it on ‘do not disturb’ mode eventually, but he knows that if he unlocks it, the text that will be waiting for him is from his supervisor: a long winded speech about how the death of a doctors first patient follows them their whole career, but it doesn’t make them any less of a doctor.
People die. Atlas had been snapping those two words ever since he’d been accepted into med school. People die, get over it. Every human came with an expiration date. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t lost people before. His grandfather, a well liked aunt, a friend in college from a freak accident. But this was different. This was … worse than he had expected.
His fingers reach for the Johnnie Walker on his coffee table and the polish on his nails is beyond chipped, a look he never would have accepted before. The bottle comes up with a flyer stuck to the bottom of it, and autopilot more than actual desire leads him to peeling it off.
Widow’s Peak Halloween Market.
It was from the hospital. Some teen had been passing them out to the staff, Atlas had ignored them but Cassidy had taken it, and with a bright smile pressed it into Atlas’ hand and asked him if he was going. Atlas had given him a blank stare as a response, but Cass had just shrugged and mentioned that he’d like to, if he could.
Atlas had talked to the Aisling’s, Cass’ head doctor, and they’d all agreed Cass could go, with a wheelchair and his oxygen and a medical professional with him. Atlas had volunteered to go, and so had Graham, to his great annoyance.
Four days later, Cass was on a ventilator.
He should go. It’s an annoying, intrusive thought that doesn’t feel like it belongs to him, but for some reason it makes him stand. He takes the bottle of whiskey with him while he showers, and while he picks out clothes that are warm enough he won’t be miserable. He used to enjoy that part of his routine, but now it’s just black jeans and a black turtleneck and the closest shoes and he decides that's good enough.
He trades the bottle for his wallet on the way out the door and lights up a cigarette the moment the cool Oregon air hits him, and walks. There’s not many people out, small towns don’t promote loitering, but there’s a boy on the bench and Atlas turns his gaze to the ground because he’s not in the mood for small talk.
A curly mop of hair. A flash of glasses. A smile. That smile. His smile.
Atlas closes his eyes tight and takes a deep inhale of smoke, his logical mind fitting the pieces together. He hasn’t been sleeping well. He’s dehydrated. He’s been drinking. He’s going through the stages of grief. He shouldn’t look back. Keep walking.
He looks back.
Round cheeks. Fidgeting thumbs. Deep breaths. Bright smile. His-
Stop it.
He’d thought he’d gotten past the denial stage long ago. Maybe this was the bargaining stage? Maybe this was the part where he would think the world owed him just a little more than it’d already given him. Where he’d promise he’d give it all back if that boy on the bench was-
“Atlas!”
I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes,
unique in each way you can see.
And now after some thinking, I'd say I'd rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery
serving something beyond me.
Vines were growing up the brickwork, interlacing themselves amongst each other and reaching upward with hopefully tendrils towards the sun. He liked tracking a single vine, following it with steady eyes before losing it amongst the growing chaos of the plant. Beautiful in a way that only nature could manage, artful its simplicity, pure decision to just survive even if a brick wall stood in its path.
Cassidy wasn’t too sure where that train of thought came from other than that it felt very important, very true, and utterly meaningless. Listlessly he broke his staredown with the wall, tugging at his overlarge sweater as a gust of wind cast up the street he’d been inhabiting for the better part of the morning. Or maybe he’d been there for a few days? Years? He wasn’t sure about a lot of things right now, lost in a sea of blankness and over sensation. If he focused, he could remember the necessary information.
His name was Cassidy Aisling. He had a mom, a dad, a brother, and a chronic illness that was supposed to kill him by 25. He’d spent the last week sick with phenomena, it had gotten worse and worse until the doctors had been forced to put him on a ventilator. Atlas had been there, with a sever set to his mouth and eyes cloudy with a look that Cassidy had wanted to ignore. He'd held his hand and read to him now that he could no longer manage it, filling in for his family when they were too exhausted to stay awake. Atlas has looked mournful, which had frustrated Cassidy because he was stuck to a goddamn machine and unable to force a smile on that annoyingly serious and handsome face. And then….
Disjointed thoughts, foggy from drugs and an unusually dark darkness. His brain could conjure up yelling, someone crying, the wail of a flatline, but they all seemed like memories he was pulling from an old television show. None of them seemed real, just images his brain pulled together to make sense of it all. He didn’t trust any of it, it made him physically uncomfortable to think about, so he just stuffed it deep into the “ignore-this-shit” portion of his brain and moved on.
What he did know is that he’d been sitting at a public bench for a while now, shivering slightly from the cold but relishing in the sensation, and breathing. Deep inhales fully in through his nose and gusting out of his mouth. The plume of hot breath in front of him was glorious, large and full and leaving him with an elated high he’d never known before. Cass had never breathed like this in his entire life, never enjoyed what the expansion of a healthy set of lungs could do for a human. He should probably be figuring out how his broken body was managing this, but for now he was just enjoying the fact that he was defying everything ever expected of it.
There were other weird things. He'd stuffed his hands in his pockets earlier and pulled out a set of keys and phone, both definitely not his but also his at the same time. He’d known the password for the phone, for instance, and he’d known what route to take in this small town to get to where these keys opened a door. Cassidy’s brain had instantly tried unscrambling this knowledge; he had never lived on his own, what with his parents house and the hospital being the only places someone manage his health. But like every time he tried making sense of things, his whole being screeched to a halt and wanted to scramble the hell away from it. And either way, he could breath, so who cared about a stupid new phone and an ominous set of keys?
People began walking by, dog owners on their morning walks or early birds out to fetch a coffee. Cass leaned back against the bench a little more casually, letting the ease of his breath settle him into a comfortable sort of meditation. The absence of struggle had never felt more freeing and he was perfectly content to let the world move around him for a bit, so different then how his life used to be. Everything had been hard before; he’d lived in a world where the basics had been a struggle, he’d had to claw towards every breath and just force his body to keep up with the pace of others. Now everything just worked, he was a functioning part of the world around him and it felt absolutely amazing.
Someone walked out of the building in front of him, a rigid skeleton of a man that Cassidy almost didn't recognize amidst his inner delight and contemplation. It was one of his first times seeing Atlas outside of a hospital coat and his black turtleneck and pants were strikingly odd looking on his pale skin. He also just looked bad, his body caved in like a puppet without strings, his hair limp like dying hay, his brows and eyes screaming ’leave me the fuck alone’.
Obviously, Cass had ignored that expression every time he’d seen it. That was the face that had originally made Cassidy what to crack the med student open, so all it did now was break his own face into a blooming smile. He sat up, grinning from ear to ear and perched on his bench ready for Atlas to smile back in return-
Only to have the man walk straight past him, eyes averted purposefully. Cassidy almost laughed, immediately assuming that this haggard state was something Atlas did not want his patient seeing him in, until the man actually did turn back around relectuantly.
He looked worse, if that was possible, then Cass had originally noticed. He looked like a shell of a human, a gutted pumpkin with only a husk left going about its normal routine. Cass’s smile faded for a moment when unfathomably sad brown eyes locked with his, then he threw himself off his perch and slapped the brightest smile on his face.
“Atlas!” his voice was a croak from misuse- when was the last time he’d spoken out loud?- but he just coughed it away, “Are you ignoring your favorite patient!?”
Atlas blinked at him slowly, like he'd been lost in thought somewhere far away, like he hadn't noticed it was Cassidy he'd just walked passed. When his gaze finally did focus on him, but there was still something not quite ... right about it. "What-" he said, then swallowed thickly and started again, "what are you ... doing here?"
Cassidy threw himself into his normal cheerfulness, hoping that whatever was happening that had chipped apart this man could be fixed with some tea and smiles. He laughed and gestured at the building Atlas had just exited, "I guess its pretty weird I am sitting outside your apartment this early in the morning. I swear At, I am definitely not stalking you. Let's just call this a fun coincidence and ignore all the awkward implications?" He walked a little closer, testing the edges of Atlas's obviously distraught mood, "Are you...okay? You look as uncomfortable as a shrunken wool sweater on tumble dry"
Atlas snorted softly, the way he always did when Cass said something weird. For a moment, that odd expression on his face slipped into something more normal, but it was back far too quickly. "Halloween Market," he said, random, avoiding the question. "Do you ... still want to go?"
"YES!" Cass's answer was instant, loud, and accompanied by a full leap forward. He'd never been able to move like this before and it felt absolutely great to follow up his energetic personality with actual energy, "And I don't even need you as a medical chaperone anymore cause I'm good as new" He took a big inhale to punctuate his point and thumped his perfectly functioning chest, "So just as friends?"
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"Got us some ciders," He said, grabbing his own drink then passing off the other two to his dads.
"What a sweetheart, thanks kiddo." Ray said, giving Leo a warm smile.
The judges were working their way down the line, Leo drinking his cider as he admired his parents handiwork. The pumpkin was beautiful, they were sure to get blue ribbon again - though it was hardly a competition. Everyone know the Mathers would win because they'd donate their winnings, it was the necessary order of things.
"Put your drink down," His dad whispered as the judge approached, photographer in step behind them. Leo tucked his drink behind his dad's back, stepping in between his parents as the judges pivoted to face them.
Leo gave them a smile, the small talk already static noise in the background. No one ever asked him to speak, an unspoken agreement between him and his parents. All they asked is that he showed up - and he complied. The photographer snapped a photo, all of them pausing for a moment to pause.
Snap, flash. His eyes drifted over the crowd, one face blending into another.
Then, he found her. Cerulean eyes clouded for only an instant, then like the clouds had parted before them he could see the light return. He hadn't thought he would ever see the shape of her smile again, lost in the curve of her lips. Suddenly short of breath, he realized he'd been holding it all this time. He gasped, slamming down the mug on the table.
His dads looked over at him with notable concern, Leo immediately apologetic.
"Sorry, I -" Leo looked back up, still seeing Elle's face in the crowd. "I don't feel good - I'm going to go find some place to sit."
The Judges still had to announce the winner, his parents would wait until then to come after him. Leo pushed his way past the fringe of the festival, ducking down a quiet alley and bending over to catch his breath. He was certain he'd been mad, finally crossed that line where he was seeing dead people. He shook his head vigorously, losing his balance for a moment and struggling to upright himself. Propping himself against the brick wall behind him, Leo closed his eyes for a moment trying to slow his heartbeat.
The sound of oncoming footsteps made him open an eye, a silhouhette framed in light turning down the alley towards him. Leo furrowed his brow, his hand reaching out to block the light from his eyes. He felt his heart stop when her eyes met his.
"...Elle?"
outfit Song Dialogue colour is #D4A9D6
Her body had been drawn towards the pumpkin carving section. The blonde couldn’t tell why she was drawn to it or how she could remember it was her favourite thing. It just felt right to say and it hit her in one of the warm spots of her heart. She could feel herself looking around at the people and seeing if she knew them or seeing if they knew her. Most people seemed to have more of a confused look for a second but it would fade.
It was when her eyes grazed by some of the carvings and landed on one in particular. The work was so intricate and nice. It took precision and years worth of practice to be that good, something only the Mathers could have done.
Elle could feel the thoughts of confusion wrap around her head and a headache coming on. Some things just came to her mind as if they were nothing, but they also seemed foreign.
The judges had come around to take a photo with the family that carved the pumpkin with all the fall foliage on it, and Elle had watched the boy in the middle hide his cider, which only amused her to the point of her lips curling up in a smile. Of course cider wasn’t the best thing to have in a photo that would be in the newspaper. Widow’s Peak probably tried to save what they could of their public image.
Her eyes glanced over the man in the middle again. Her heart could feel as though she knew him most of her life. She could almost feel herself step forward towards him to try and talk to him, but she realized she must seem like a crazed person. Instead her eyes met his gaze. His eyes were friendly yet sorrowful. Despite the fact that they were brown, they spoke thousands of languages and tugged you in closer. They were the stories of hundreds of years in foot traffic. But they were still kind and they were home.
Their gaze broke as he left immediately after the photo and went elsewhere. Elle was stunned for a few seconds, but immediately her feet carried her towards him. Her brain was trying to fit the pieces together as she ran to catch up with him.
It wasn’t until the last piece was in and she heard her name escape his lips. This was the person she was looking for, Leo Mathers.
Her eyes had gotten lost in his again, but this time it was like some of their best memories flooding in. It was their first date or the first time he helped her sneak out so she could party with everyone.
She nodded her head yes to him questioning if it were her. “Leo.” She spoke softly as she moved slowly to be in front of him before extending her hand out toward him. She desperately wanted to hug him, but she didn’t know what his boundaries were.
Elle had no idea what to say. He seemed like he was unsure of the fact that she was here and that she could see him. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, she didn’t know what would happen if he rejected her, was there something she was forgetting?
“Did something happen to us? We’re still together right? I feel like I have been dealing with amnesia the last few days. Did I hit my head hard the other day?” She couldn’t stop the rambling of questions that came out of her mouth, she could feel a searing headache trying to take over her thoughts.
“I-I’m sorry, I just don’t know who else to ask.” Elle felt a sense of comfort around Leo. She knew he meant something to her, she could feel some of the emotions and she had a decent chunk of memories. Elle just wanted more info and she hated having this feeling that she had blacked out or was concussed. How did she end up in the field by the water? Why was she out that far and not in town? Was it a camping trip gone wrong.
Her eyes had glazed over more a moment until she blinked and her eyes were more attentive to his. They were familiar and they felt like home. Before she even knew what she was saying or why it had blurted out of her lips, she couldn't take it back and she didn't know how to explain herself. Her hand had already instinctively gone to brush up against his, she hadn't grasped his hand or anything, but she did brush her finger against his.
"I missed you."
He hadn’t thought that he belonged in the previous group. The kind who had to conjure up an image of a boy that had died too young for his evident liking. If he was imagining Cass, then he should probably turn in his medical license, because if he could do such a perfect job of it, then he’d evidently spent more time putting his patients features to memory than doing his actual job. And if he wasn’t - well, he had to be, didn’t he? Because he had seen Cass die. He’d watched the machine flatline, he’d stared at Cass’ chest begging for it to rise, he’d heard the chief call time of death. He’d been there.
And this Cass, just like he said, was good as new. Cystic Fibrosis didn’t just disappear. He ignored the urge to reach for him, to tuck his oxygen tubes into place, but they weren’t there to fix. Cass was breathing, like a normal person, taking in greedy lungfuls of smoke and letting them out in visible whisps thanks to the fall chill.
Atlas had been called an asshole since he could walk, but at least he wasn’t so cruel as to make his hallucination of Cass still suffer.
He should turn in his medical license anyway, because he was losing his goddamn mind and he was perfectly okay with it. He was perfectly okay with looking at that big grin on Cass’ face until the alcohol, or the crazy, or whatever it was faded away. Then he’d crawl back in his whole, and hope the world swallowed him.
“Just as friends,” Atlas quoted, and he doesn’t know why it’s so funny, but he snorts and rolls his eyes, and mumbles it again under his breath as he starts walking. Nothing is very far in Willow’s Peak, and it’s just nice enough out that a walk will feel nice.
He thinks of reaching for Cass’ hand, folding their fingers together. He’d done it before, when Cass was at his sickest, because between the vent and the noise and the people it seemed like the best way to say ‘it’s me, it’s Atlas, I’m here’. But now, it feels different. Now it feels like if he reaches out, his fingers will go right through Cass’ hand, and then what? “Is that what you want? Just friends.”
Xan kept her head down as she walked, buried deep beneath her thoughts. Everything looked the same, but different. Just like the woman in the mirror. Some of the sidewalks looked like they'd been repaved recently, some storefronts changed names. She couldn't shake this feeling of displacement.
The sounds of the people made her ears perk, recognizing the smells and decor as the Harvest Festival. She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering how she could have possibly forgotten. Last she could remember it was still spring. A pang shot through her temples, Xan wincing as she reached for her head. The pressure helped dull the pain.
She suddenly remembered how hungry she was, looking around for the first place she could see that had food, recognizing a diner. Still rubbing her temples, she pushed herself through the diner doors taking a seat at the counter.
"What can I get you?" Asked the old man behind the counter.
"Just a milkshake, chocolate malt please."
"Are you sure you don't want to try our pumpkin flavor? It's perfect for the season."
"Uhm, sure - and actually, can I get a double cheesburger too." Xan hadn't ever had so much junk food, it made her sick usually. She buried her head into her hands, trying to collect her thoughts. Nothing was right. Maybe this wasn't even real, maybe she was dreaming - and if she was, might as well enjoy it.
Xan pulled out her phone, suspending in time for a moment - her body telling her to stop. She punched in Nixie's number, something she'd done a dozen times always hanging up before she could hear the click of the line connecting. A couple of times she managed to send the call through - always hanging up before the second ring.
A mop of white blonde hair made her freeze, phone still in hand. She stood up so quickly she knocked down the drink of the person next to her, immediately mumbling a string of apologies. When she looked back, the woman was staring back at her with a blank expression. Xan almost fooled herself for an instant, insisting she must be wrong. This wasn't Erin. There wasn't a blink of recognition in her expression, it was like she was seeing right through her. Then she saw the darks of her eyes, the slope of her nose. There was no mistaking it, it was...
"Erin?!" Xan said much louder than she intended. She heard the sound of a distant voice, looking down and realizing the phone had connected. Panicking, she hung up - not bothering to find out if she'd just been sent to voicemail. She stood there for a moment stunned. The sharp pain in her temple was back, making her wince. Too many things were happening at once. She grabbed her head, squinting her eyes the florescent lights above suddenly blinding.
Then she just vanished.
Disappeared right out of thin air. Those around her so preoccupied with cleaning up the spill they hadn't noticed, only the woman with the white-blonde hair had been looking at her. Xan looked back, completely unaware that she was no longer visible. Her migraine had left as quickly as it came, Xan steadying herself as she walked toward the woman. It was obvious the woman didn't recognize Xan anymore than she had a moment ago, but there had been a shift in her posture when Xan said her name.
The woman's gaze didn't follow her as she approached, remaining fix at the point where she disappeared. Xan sat down across her, unwittingly re-manifesting in the seat across from Erin. "What are you looking at?"
Erin Monaghan
xxxI would sell my soul for a bit more time
xxxYou stain all on my body like you're red wine
xxxYou're the fuckin' acid to my alkaline
xxxYou run your middle finger up and down my spine
xxxI'm sorry there was no one to apologize
Erin didn't know how much longer she had been sitting at the counter of the small diner, but she figured she'd been there long enough. She handed the old man a wad of Cash she retrieved from her wallet, giving him a rather generous tip as well, and got to her feet. All of which must have been a bit too sparatic, as she got to her feet she had accidentally knocked herself into the woman who sat behind her. Coffee spilling everywhere on the counter. "Oh my fucking god, I am so...so sorry. I was careless and wasn't paying attention. I am so sorry." Erin blurted out, as she grabbed for napkins. "It's alright, sweetheart. Just be a bit more careful next time." the old woman said with a smile, patting Erin on the arm. Erin gave the woman a kind smile in return, looking back at Harold. "Hey uh, Harold? Add another coffee onto my tab for her, huh?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, "Least I can do for her." Harold gave Erin a small nod, "I'll make it on the house, don't worry about it, sweetheart." he gave her a small smile.
She didn't know why, but amongst the commotion, Erin could have sworn she heard someone say her name. She blinked in confusion, before finally turning to look in the direction that she at least thought she heard the voice come from. Which was by the entry point of the small diner. Her face remained remotely expressionless as she looked at the other woman, if anything, it was more confusion that overtook her face than anything. She didn't know this woman, at least, Erin didn't think she did. But, somehow she did? Did she? Did Erin know her? She wasn't sure. But there was a small bit of anxiety slowly creeping its way into her stomach the longer she looked at the woman. Something felt off but, Erin couldn't tell what was causing that sense of unease. "I'm sorry, but do I-" she started, and just before she could finish her question, the woman disapeared. Just like that. Erin stood in the middle of the walkway with a look of concern, confusion, and pure worry on her face. Was she losing her mind? Erin looked around the establishment to see if anyone else had witnessed it, but from what she could guess, no one else did. Just her. Great. She thought to herself. Now she was seeing things, ontop of not knowing anything about herself still.
That was until the woman appeared right next to her, in a seat that Erin could have sworn was just empty seconds ago. Was she really losing her mind? Erin shook her head. Looking back at the woman, her green eyes scanned over the woman's face. Trying to decern if she knew who this person was, but she must have. The woman knew who she was, somehow. Erin just had to find out. "Hey uh, Harold...Make it another round for me...But uh..Make it a water. Think I've had too much sugar so far...And uh...Put this lady's order on my tab, would ya? Thanks." the old man nodded. Erin looked back at the woman, eyebrows still furrowed together tightly. Erin didn't know why, but she found herself grabbing Xan by her wrist and pulling her out of the woman's seat at the counter and pushed her and herself into a booth away from most people. Giving them some privacy as they sat across from each other.
A small sigh escaped her lips finally as Erin sat back in the booth for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts before she spoke. She licked her lips for a moment before looking across at the woman, that she still couldn't recall knowing. But if this woman did know her, maybe she could help. "Okay look-" Erin blurted out suddenly, running her hands across her face as she rubbed her eyes, before combing her fingers through her hair as she straightened up her posture. "I know this is going to sound...Really fucking crazy, but...Clearly you know me but..." Erin took a deep breath, "I don't fucking know who you are. At least...I don't think so? I don't know uh...My memory is...Really bad." she pointed to her head for a moment. "I uh...I don't expect you to believe me but...I really don't remember anything, like at all. Uh...Uhm...All I know is my name, which...We both know by now you do. But...I don't know how we know each other. But I'm assuming you do?" she motioned with a small nod.
Erin shifted in her seat once more, before looking back at Xan, "I don't know what I'm doing here...I don't really know...Much of anything to be honest. And it scares me. All I know is that, a few days ago I woke up in a random field outside of town. All I had on me-" Erin started, as she reached into her leather jacket's coat pocket and placed the phone and apartment key on the table infront of her. "-Were these. The phone...and key. I don't know why those are the only things I had on me...I've been too scared to really use the phone and...The key belongs to an apartment that...I don't remember if it's mine or not...I mean..It must be but..I don't know." she muttered, shaking her head once more as she exhaled. She must have looked insane to this woman, none of it made sense to her, so why the fuck would it make sense to this woman?
"Look, if we did somehow know each other..I can't remember anything. I don't even know my own last name or...If I'm even from here. All I know is that my name is Erin, for whatever reason I had to come here...and I know someone else's name which...I can only assume is some nickname. But even then, I don't know why or how I remember it...But apparently it was important enough for it to be one of the few things I do remember, and it scares me." Erin looked down and away, a small pit of fear was only growing more and more by the second every time she talked. But she had to get it out, to hopefully not sound or look as insane as she felt. Erin felt so hopeless and scared. All she wanted was someone to be able to help her. At least in some way of means of information. That's all that could make the difference. She shook her head, pausing for a moment. "Look uh...I'm sorry. I probably sound and look insane to you, and...I couldn't blame you for thinking that I must have lost it but...I really don't remember anything..So...If you do know me, somehow...Well, anything you could try reminding me of would be a lot of help. Even if it's not much. At this point, even knowing my last name would help ease me some.." She nodded, more so to herself than anything else. Rubbing her hands across her face once more, Erin sighed. "You uh...Don't manage to someone know someone with the name Nixie...Do you by any chance? That uh...That's the only other thing I remember...And I don't know why. It's okay if you don't know, just thought I'd ask. Seeing how you seem to know more than me..."
Elle's touch sent a jolt of electricity through him, more real than anything he'd felt for a long time. His thoughts were running a mile a minute but all he could see was her face. The sunlight on her back made her glow, painting her in shades of gold. If this was madness, he wished his mind had gone years ago. He reached a hand to cradle her head gently, his fingers twining through her silken hair. In so many ways she looked exactly the same except, like him, harder lines that traced her face marking the passage of time. Maybe this was his mind's way of finally letting him grow old with her.
"I've missed you, too." Leo didn't realize he was crying until he spoke, the words gurgling up and his vision blurred. He brought his forehead to hers, blinking rapidly in an attempt to dry his eyes.
He'd always thought the way they did these things in movies was overdone. The too-real hallucinations, the sudden dive into absolute insanity. Yet here he was, holding a dead girl who was as real as him. Even her hair smelled like cinnamon, though maybe that was just the smell of the Festival on him. Either way, Leo wasn't going to waste a single gifted moment with Elle - even if it was just in his head.
"You were gone...for a while," He wished he could pretend like nothing happened, like they were kids again. Leo wasn't sure if confronting reality would make her disappear, but he knew neither of them where what they were and couldn't pretend to do so. He reached for her hands, holding them between them.
"I've been waiting for you though, Elle." His forehead still rested against hers, afraid if he leaned back and beheld her again that he would start crying.
Her hands felt so real, he could feel their heat between his. Even her breath was hot on his skin. He closed his eyes for a moment and just let himself soak in her presence.
"I'm sorry you haven't been feeling like yourself, but you're here now." He whispered, his hands sliding to cradle her face between them. Tilting her chin up to guide her lips towards his, Leo leaned in to brush his lips against hers. "I'm going to take care of you, always."
A hand fell along her side, sliding beneath the fabric of her coat to wrap around her, tugging her closer. Her body pressed against his, she still fit perfectly. He reached further into her hair, desperate to hold on tight in case she disappeared in his own arms.
"I love you so much, Elle." Leo's words fell on her lips, melding his mouth against hers. At first he was slow, deliberate; years of yearning pouring into one moment. He gripped at the hair at the base of her neck, deeping the kiss.
One of Xan's eyes had crinkled in confoundment, like her mind was malfunctioning for a moment trying to process the impossible. The story felt eerily familiar, when Erin showed her the phone Xan's hand went to her own in her pocket. They were the same model.
The pang returned, Xan wincing and reaching to apply pressure to her temples to suppress the pain. Erin was dead, that much was certain. A sense of some sort of dread, some aberration, had been following Xan since she woke up on that church bench all those days ago.
"You uh...Don't happen to someone know someone with the name Nixie. - "
Xan was struggling to much to keep herself relatively composed to perk up at the name, but every drop of doubt drained from her in that moment. She'd spend days of these fleeting thoughts, always chased off by sporadic migraines - but here was the truth staring her in the face. Xan shook her head slowly, burying herself into her hands to block the light in an attempt to curb the pain. She sighed heavily, peeking out from behind her fingers. Cycling through the millions of impossibilities that could lead to this, struggling with where to start. She inhaled deeply, preparing to speak - interrupted by the shuffles of Harold as he carried over her cheeseburger and milkshake.
"Here you are," He said after what seemed like an eternity, the two patrons watching him with a tense silence as he approached. Xan gave a weak smile of thanks. When he remained at the table, Xan looked back to Erin then back to Harold. She opened her mouth to speak, Harold cutting in before she could. "Anything else I can get you? Ketchup, hot sauce?"
"No - no thank you," Xan's lips pressed into a fine line, giving Harold a nod. He seemed to be frozen for a moment, searching her face. Xan looked back to Erin, eyes widened.
"Alright then, just let me know if you need anything!" He finally said, giving them both a smile and a nod and returning behind the counter.
"Okay," Xan waited until he was out of earshot, turning back to Erin. Her vision had adjusted, her head still aching but now a dull throb instead of a sharp pang. She had pulled out her keys and phone out of her pocket, slapping them onto the table next to Erin's.
"Your name is Erin Monaghan. We are in Widow's Peak, the town where we grew up...." Xan could feel this block in her mind giving way, weakening to give way to a stream of consciousness. “Your best friends are Soren and Markus. My name is Xan Cole. My sister's name is Phoenix Cole....Nixie, who you dated."
She could see the light of recognition in Erin’s eyes.Suddenly rushed with a sense of clarity, the dull throb in her temples lifted. Xan had been trying so hard to connect the dots but they were already connected, she had just been unable to see it. Her hands had developed a strange tingling sensation, Xan looking down at them for a moment before continuing.
"You don't date anymore though, because....you died - and I'm pretty sure I did too." Xan stretched her arms across the table, reaching for Erin's hands - her fingers passing right through them. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I know it is not possible.”
N I X I E X C O L E
On their walk towards the pumpkin patch for photos, Nixie could get the slightest feeling that faces in the crowd looked familiar, but why? She would blink and they were gone though, so her best conclusion was that she didn't get enough sleep the night before and was making herself see the things she thought she did.
Phoenix had her fingers interlocked with her girlfriend's as their arms swung back and forth. The line up for photos was long, so they decided just to hang out and drink their drinks. That was when Katrina's eyes had caught onto something and Nix could tell. "What are you looking at now?" She asked her as she eyes tried to follow her gaze and eventually landed on the grand piano near by. "No, absolutely not."
"Come on, Phi, you have to. There isn't much else for us to do right now anyways. Think of how happy it'd make everyone right now." Kat said with her pleading face that made it next to impossible for the brunette to say no to.
"Fine. I'm doing it for the people, just so we're clear." Phoenix said as she handed her stuff to Kat to hold. She began to walk over to the piano. The ivory keys were where she felt most at home, and it took her a minute of staring at them before she sat on the piano bench. Part of her hated playing music in Widow's Peak these days. It just reminded her that her biggest fan wasn't there. It was easier living far away from home, because sometimes she would forget for a few a moments.
After she would stand up and bow after every recital though, she always looked for the same familiar eyes or the slight smile on her face. Some days she was crazy and she did see it. Nixie hated that playing was always associated with Xan, but she carried on playing because it was the only thing she had left of Xan and Erin.
Nixie was on autopilot and instantly her fingers began to move along the keys in a rhythm as if they were dancing along the keys. Nothing else in the world could pull her out of the trance she got in whenever she played this song, this was the one she called 'X' for Xan. It was a somber piece with a slow and dark base line, but at points the melody overlapping was upbeat and childish, until it turned more into a ballad.
While she was playing she hadn't noticed her phone had been ringing, but Katrina had answered it, just to hear a mention of the name Erin.
When Nixie was finished Kat was waiting at the piano. "I think its time to go." The words came in blunt, and the brunette was trying to figure out where she went wrong.
"Kat, what's wrong?" She asked scrambling to get up from the piano as she began to follow after her.
"I can't believe you would do this. I begged to move here for this?" The redhead said in a bit of a snap turning on her heel and looking into Nix's eyes.
"I really do not know what you mean, Katrina." The words escaped her lips, but the only thing that filled her mind was on how confused she had been.
"If you want to be with Erin, then just be with her, but don't do all this with me." It was with those words that Kat was storming off again. Phoenix had no idea what she even meant and why she was mad. Even if something had happened usually Katrina was patient and understanding, but perhaps Nixie had run out of having her be patient.
"Kat, Please don't walk away. Just talk to me." Phoenix said as she ran up to her and grabbed her wrist lightly to try and stop her before letting it go. "Please. What happened? Erin's been dead for awhile now. I told you this. How would I even be with her?"
Kat had sighed heavily before looking at her. "It's okay if she's alive Phoenix. You could have just been honest with me. But having someone call you and start with her name? Why would they have your number and why would it be tied to Erin? You know what, just forget it. I will be at the apartment if you need me. I just need time to cool down." With those words Kat had walked off and Nixie only stood there watching.
--
Nixie had decided to just go get a piece of apple pie at the local diner. It was her comfort food and it was all she wanted to consume while her girlfriend was mad at her for a dead ex girlfriend.
She sighed as she entered the diner and took a seat at the counter on one of the stools. "Apple pie with extra whip cream please." Nixie said, ready to go into a sugar high, it was better than subjecting herself to alcohol or drugs, which had always been super tempting after everything that happened.
Phoenix got her piece of pie and grabbed the fork, taking a bite. As she looked up from her plate, she looked around to see if she knew anyone there, the only thing was two figures in the back, looked eerily familiar. For a moment she could have sworn... No it couldn't be. Nixie ignored it and continued to eat her pie. Could it really be them?
Nixie had looked at her phone and saw the phone number that called most recently, and hit the button to redial. As soon as it began to ring on her end, she could hear it in the diner too. Immediately she got up from her seat, if someone was prank calling her and trying to ruin her relationship, they needed to be confronted. The brunette had no idea who it would be, but she had to do this. There needed to be proof so Kat could stop being pissed at her.
As she neared the back of the diner where the gang used to sit she noticed it had to be the last booth. When she got there, she didn't expect to see the two people that she did.
"Is this a fucking joke?" How was this possible? Was this just really good makeup and people wanted to be sick and twisted? Or was she going mental? Either way, Nixie ended the call on her phone and looked between the two of them.
outfit Song Dialogue colour is #D4A9D6
"I've missed you, too."
The words began to echo in her brain. She was confused but she was also comfortable. The same feelings of being safe and cared for came flooding back in to be around him. The only problem was, she felt something was off. Elle had been good for quite some time, but she felt as though she had only been gone since maybe a couple days ago. Leo didn't really offer any other kind of information though. Was there something he was hiding? or was it fine and she was the one being weird?
Her mind kind of faded from the fleeting thoughts she was having, instead all she could see were the tears that fled from his eyes and all her instincts kicked in like they were muscle memory. Her fingertips reached up to his face softly to wipe away his tears. She wanted him to be happy and she wanted him to be okay. Maybe showing up wasn't proving the best for that? Elle almost thought to try looking around for his parents, but her eyes felt stuck to his.
His hands had comforted her emotions from rising too much as he held them, and she let their foreheads touch. Being this close to him, made things feel less scary, like the day she had woken up in a field near the water. This made sense, and even though nothing else did, she would take her moments. Which concluded to her that she was right, that even if she wasn't feeling the greatest at least she was here now, at least she had him.
"I'm going to take care of you, always." The words were just short of making her begin to cry, but she composed herself just a enough, and let his lips brush against hers as one of her arms wrapped around his torso and the other rested on his chest. The movement happened flawlessly and there was no awkwardness about moving around him, it was easy.
She was about to tell him that she loved him too, but his lips fell onto hers. She could feel how much he was holding onto her and just how much emotion was in him. Her fingers clenched a little against the fabric of his sweater as she held onto him. Elle didn't want the moment to go, but eventually she needed air.
"Leo." She said softly, her forehead still leaning against his. "I love you." She could feel her heart beating fast in her chest. She had so many questions, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. Still she could tell that he was putting more into kissing her than he normally did.
"What's wrong Leo? Did we get in a fight and I forgot?" Elle asked as her eyes met his trying to search them for the answer. She hoped he had some kind of an answer for her, but who knew. Maybe she would have to find someone else who knew.
SOREN BOWERS
xxxnever did I think I'd be coming back around
xxxdigging up old memories
xxxalways used to be the one to let it go
xxxkept my fears in a suitcase
MARKUS VASCO
xxxThey say I may be making a mistake
xxxI would've followed all the way, no matter how far
xxxI know when you go down all your darkest roads
xxxI would've followed all the way to the graveyard
Markus found himself staring blankly at the man as he began to speak. Trying to convince himself that he was just imagining things. That there was no way that this was him. There was just no way. It was seven years now, he had seen the body, been to the funeral, everything. So, there was no way, he was just seeing things he so desperately wanted to see. But then, the other man spoke and Markus could have sworn his heart stopped in his chest. His voice. That voice. It was his. And suddenly, Markus didn’t know what to believe. Was he truly losing his mind? Was this the day he finally just lost all of his remaining senses? Probably. But, even if he was just seeing things that weren’t really happening, Markus didn’t want it to end just yet. He shook his head, taking him out of his thoughts as he finally felt strength return back to his legs to help pull him along as the other man got back in line. Markus didn’t know if he was staring or not, but he must have been as his eyes scanned over the man that stood before him as he spoke. Nodding ever so slightly as he said that he was from around here. That he grew up here. Or, that he thought he did. Markus didn’t understand what he meant, but kept silent as the man continued to talk. Not like he had much of a choice, seeing as his voice caught itself in his throat and wouldn’t come out as hard as he tried.
He found himself continuing to scan over the man that stood next to him trying to understand what the fuck was going on. Hell, he was close to asking what kind of sick joke was this, until the man finally said that he was sorry about his memory, and how he had bad amnesia. And that if he seemed to come across as rude, that he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Markus took the cup the man handed to him, and took a sip. The drink helped clear his throat a bit, but not much. Markus finally found himself regain that strength he needed to speak, and he couldn’t help it as his voice came out in a shaky tone, try as he might to not have his voice break, “It...It’s okay.” he began, clearing his throat and took a deep breath as the two began to walk once more. Markus took another moment to gather his thoughts, he didn’t know what was going on but, if Soren was really fucking here, somehow...Well, he wasn’t going to waste it. He didn’t care. All he wanted was to be able to talk to his best friend again-no, the person he cared for more than a friend, but that was so long ago. As if it was almost a life time ago. But, however many years may have passed by, and however older he may have looked...This was Soren. His Soren. His best friend. Markus bit his lip for a moment and began to finally speak again, “Yeah...I guess you could say we used to know each other.” Markus said with a small chuckle, however forced it was.
This felt so unreal, but he wasn’t going to waste time with this. Markus sighed as he looked down at the ground before looking back at Soren. “We...We used to be best friends, Soren. Me, you...and one of our other friends.” he paused for a moment, finally for the first time his memory went back to how things used to be. Back when they were kids, the three of then. He shook his head once more as he continued, “But, that was a long time ago. A really long time ago...But, that doesn’t matter. You’re back and...That’s all that matters.” he smiled slightly, a rather genuine for the first time in a long time. He looked back at Soren, “I won’t ask what happened but...If there’s anything I can clear up for you...I’ll be more than happy to, if I can.”
Soren could have guessed from the man’s reaction that they had somehow known each other, but being told that they had been best friends just broke Soren’s heart. He watched the man, desperately hoping for something to be familiar, for something to just trigger the memories and they’d come flooding back. But besides that lingering feeling that they had known each other, there was nothing. Soren studied the man’s face for a second or two, before things fell into place.
“You’re Markus, right? Markus Vasco?” He said, his face lighting up in a smile at the realisation that the name finally had a face to match. Even though he asked it as a question, his gut told him he was right. Markus Vasco, his best friend… well, before. For a moment, there was that burst of emotion, just lingering for a second, but this time, echoes of the emotions remained. Not enough that he could remember why he felt them, but it was something.
“Well… I mean, even if you did ask what had happened, I don’t think I could answer. I… just woke up two days ago and… poof. No memories, no… nothing. All I could remember was my own name.” He decided against mentioning that his first thought had been Markus’ name for some reason. Now he knew who he was, he swore that the man’s face was familiar. But there was a bittersweet undertone. He knew who Markus was, but he couldn’t remember any of their history, any of the things that defined their friendship. All of the things he could remember were things he’d rather forget, but the good memories were completely out of reach.
“I… have no idea what happened. Just… nothing. Do… do you know?” He asked, turning slightly to look at Markus. There was a wave of that same anxiety he felt whenever he went to type his own name into google, except this time it didn’t go away, settling into his chest and wrapping around his lungs. Soren cleared his throat in an attempt to ease the building pressure, but it didn’t budge. He felt in his pocket for his cigarettes, but he’d left them on the window of his apartment. He took a sip of his cider, trying desperately to ignore the growing pressure in his chest.
Markus nodded slowly as he could tell Soren was trying to piece things together, and the moment he heard Soren say his name, a smile appeared on his face. But for just a moment. “Yeah. That, that’s me.” a tone of excitement rang through his voice, quickly clearing his throat as he recomposed himself. Taking a deep breath as he listened to what Soren said. Not exactly fully understanding but, for as far as Markus was concerned, why would Soren be lying about this? It didn’t make sense. Hell, none of this made sense. Markus took a deep breath, before taking a sip of his drink, “Uhm...I think it’d be best if we...Sat down first..?” he motioned with his head to a few benches that were off to the side of the main square, far enough away from most crowds. Once they both sat down, Markus put the drink down next to him on the bench, and clasped his hands infront of him before he began to talk, “Soren..” Markus began, “....Seven years ago...There was an accident...We got into an argument and….We both stormed off...I don’t know what happened exactly but...You got into a car accident, and...Sor... You didn’t make it.” his voice dipped at the end, as tears began to fill his eyes. He let out a long held breath in a small gasp, rubbing his head. “...You wouldn’t know this cuz...Well...You were gone after this but...Our other friend...Erin she...She died not too long after you…” he shook his head, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his knees as he looked away. This was the first time in years he talked about either of them. And now, he was somehow talking to Soren again? Whether he was really here, or Markus was just imagining it, he didn’t know. But, if this was really Soren, however he may have been here, he deserved to know.
Soren’s chest tightened even more as Markus suggested they should sit down, but he just nodded numbly. It felt like every nerve in his body was screaming at him to run away, to leave, that he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear, but he needed to know. He needed to know what the hell had happened to him.
But he never would have guessed what Markus was about to say. He had died. Seven years ago. It felt like there was a weight pressing on his chest now, enough that it hurt to breathe. He wanted to accuse Markus of lying, wanted to say it had to be some type of sick joke. But… deep down, it felt like he knew. When he desperately tried to call up some memory of the incident, all that came up were all the bad memories he’d tried not to think about. The shattering of glass less than an inch away from his face, the burning of cuts, and the sickening smell of whiskey. The fear of creeping through an empty house as silently as possible in case it wasn’t as empty as he thought.
“This… this can’t be happening,” he managed to force out, searching Markus’ face for some type of answer. “I can’t… how did I-“ The weight on his chest now was unbearable, and Soren realised that the light above their head had begun to flicker and both his and Markus’ cups of cider were now floating in mid air. His hands were flickering in and out of sight. “I need to go.” He bolted to his feet, looking at Markus for just a second longer. “I’m sorry.” He managed to get out, before turning and walking away.
He didn’t know where he was going or why, but all he knew was that he needed to get out of there before something bad happened. Back to the apartment, back to where he was safe, away from everyone else. The quickest way home was through the crowds, and his intense discomfort won out over his desire to be away from people.
It was when he was in the crowd, surrounded by people, that it happened. His vision suddenly went black, and it felt like he’d been pushed into a freezing lake, gasping for air that wasn’t coming and the cold practically painful against his skin, even through his clothes. And then there was a voice. Low and dark and sinister. “I’ll take things from here.” It sounded smug, as if this was a game. And Soren couldn’t do anything to stop it.
And suddenly it seemed like he was watching his body from somewhere else. Something else was wearing his skin. Soren had never stood that tall in his life, had never worn an expression like that, one that was somewhere between idle boredom and intense hatred. It took him a moment to identify what was wrong. The iris of his eyes was pitch black, darker than dark, chilling when you looked at them for even a millisecond too long.
A demon was wearing his skin and using it to wreak destruction. Soren wasn’t sure if the limitations of his strange new abilities were just gone or if the demon just knew how to use it better. Because handmade stalls, impeccably made stalls, were shattered to smithereens with just a lazy toss of it’s- his- hand. In only a few short moments, it had destroyed half of the carefully made stalls without a second thought. And it smiled, an awful, twisted smile that looked all wrong on Soren’s face. It caught two people staring at him in terror and that horrible smile widened.
“Haven’t you ever seen a ghost before?” It asked, in a voice that was both his and not his, reverberating all wrong for such an open area. “Consider this your first warning. Restore what was mine to me or I will use these vessels to bring more destruction than you can ever imagine,” it called. It turned its cold, harsh gaze on a figure that Soren swore he knew, and Soren panicked. He didn’t know how he did it or even that he could, but he flung his consciousness towards his body. And it worked, because there was that same feeling of being temporarily submerged in water, of breathlessness and not being able to breathe.
For a moment, he stood exactly as the demon had stood. And then his legs gave out at the same time as a wave of dizziness and exhaustion hit him, and he hit the ground, dazed and trying to piece things back together.
He found himself continuing to scan over the man that stood next to him trying to understand what the fuck was going on. Hell, he was close to asking what kind of sick joke was this, until the man finally said that he was sorry about his memory, and how he had bad amnesia. And that if he seemed to come across as rude, that he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Markus took the cup the man handed to him, and took a sip. The drink helped clear his throat a bit, but not much. Markus finally found himself regain that strength he needed to speak, and he couldn’t help it as his voice came out in a shaky tone, try as he might to not have his voice break, “It...It’s okay.” he began, clearing his throat and took a deep breath as the two began to walk once more. Markus took another moment to gather his thoughts, he didn’t know what was going on but, if Soren was really fucking here, somehow...Well, he wasn’t going to waste it. He didn’t care. All he wanted was to be able to talk to his best friend again-no, the person he cared for more than a friend, but that was so long ago. As if it was almost a life time ago. But, however many years may have passed by, and however older he may have looked...This was Soren. His Soren. His best friend. Markus bit his lip for a moment and began to finally speak again, “Yeah...I guess you could say we used to know each other.” Markus said with a small chuckle, however forced it was.
This felt so unreal, but he wasn’t going to waste time with this. Markus sighed as he looked down at the ground before looking back at Soren. “We...We used to be best friends, Soren. Me, you...and one of our other friends.” he paused for a moment, finally for the first time his memory went back to how things used to be. Back when they were kids, the three of then. He shook his head once more as he continued, “But, that was a long time ago. A really long time ago...But, that doesn’t matter. You’re back and...That’s all that matters.” he smiled slightly, a rather genuine for the first time in a long time. He looked back at Soren, “I won’t ask what happened but...If there’s anything I can clear up for you...I’ll be more than happy to, if I can.”
Soren could have guessed from the man’s reaction that they had somehow known each other, but being told that they had been best friends just broke Soren’s heart. He watched the man, desperately hoping for something to be familiar, for something to just trigger the memories and they’d come flooding back. But besides that lingering feeling that they had known each other, there was nothing. Soren studied the man’s face for a second or two, before things fell into place.
“You’re Markus, right? Markus Vasco?” He said, his face lighting up in a smile at the realisation that the name finally had a face to match. Even though he asked it as a question, his gut told him he was right. Markus Vasco, his best friend… well, before. For a moment, there was that burst of emotion, just lingering for a second, but this time, echoes of the emotions remained. Not enough that he could remember why he felt them, but it was something.
“Well… I mean, even if you did ask what had happened, I don’t think I could answer. I… just woke up two days ago and… poof. No memories, no… nothing. All I could remember was my own name.” He decided against mentioning that his first thought had been Markus’ name for some reason. Now he knew who he was, he swore that the man’s face was familiar. But there was a bittersweet undertone. He knew who Markus was, but he couldn’t remember any of their history, any of the things that defined their friendship. All of the things he could remember were things he’d rather forget, but the good memories were completely out of reach.
“I… have no idea what happened. Just… nothing. Do… do you know?” He asked, turning slightly to look at Markus. There was a wave of that same anxiety he felt whenever he went to type his own name into google, except this time it didn’t go away, settling into his chest and wrapping around his lungs. Soren cleared his throat in an attempt to ease the building pressure, but it didn’t budge. He felt in his pocket for his cigarettes, but he’d left them on the window of his apartment. He took a sip of his cider, trying desperately to ignore the growing pressure in his chest.
Markus nodded slowly as he could tell Soren was trying to piece things together, and the moment he heard Soren say his name, a smile appeared on his face. But for just a moment. “Yeah. That, that’s me.” a tone of excitement rang through his voice, quickly clearing his throat as he recomposed himself. Taking a deep breath as he listened to what Soren said. Not exactly fully understanding but, for as far as Markus was concerned, why would Soren be lying about this? It didn’t make sense. Hell, none of this made sense. Markus took a deep breath, before taking a sip of his drink, “Uhm...I think it’d be best if we...Sat down first..?” he motioned with his head to a few benches that were off to the side of the main square, far enough away from most crowds. Once they both sat down, Markus put the drink down next to him on the bench, and clasped his hands infront of him before he began to talk, “Soren..” Markus began, “....Seven years ago...There was an accident...We got into an argument and….We both stormed off...I don’t know what happened exactly but...You got into a car accident, and...Sor... You didn’t make it.” his voice dipped at the end, as tears began to fill his eyes. He let out a long held breath in a small gasp, rubbing his head. “...You wouldn’t know this cuz...Well...You were gone after this but...Our other friend...Erin she...She died not too long after you…” he shook his head, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his knees as he looked away. This was the first time in years he talked about either of them. And now, he was somehow talking to Soren again? Whether he was really here, or Markus was just imagining it, he didn’t know. But, if this was really Soren, however he may have been here, he deserved to know.
Soren’s chest tightened even more as Markus suggested they should sit down, but he just nodded numbly. It felt like every nerve in his body was screaming at him to run away, to leave, that he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear, but he needed to know. He needed to know what the hell had happened to him.
But he never would have guessed what Markus was about to say. He had died. Seven years ago. It felt like there was a weight pressing on his chest now, enough that it hurt to breathe. He wanted to accuse Markus of lying, wanted to say it had to be some type of sick joke. But… deep down, it felt like he knew. When he desperately tried to call up some memory of the incident, all that came up were all the bad memories he’d tried not to think about. The shattering of glass less than an inch away from his face, the burning of cuts, and the sickening smell of whiskey. The fear of creeping through an empty house as silently as possible in case it wasn’t as empty as he thought.
“This… this can’t be happening,” he managed to force out, searching Markus’ face for some type of answer. “I can’t… how did I-“ The weight on his chest now was unbearable, and Soren realised that the light above their head had begun to flicker and both his and Markus’ cups of cider were now floating in mid air. His hands were flickering in and out of sight. “I need to go.” He bolted to his feet, looking at Markus for just a second longer. “I’m sorry.” He managed to get out, before turning and walking away.
He didn’t know where he was going or why, but all he knew was that he needed to get out of there before something bad happened. Back to the apartment, back to where he was safe, away from everyone else. The quickest way home was through the crowds, and his intense discomfort won out over his desire to be away from people.
It was when he was in the crowd, surrounded by people, that it happened. His vision suddenly went black, and it felt like he’d been pushed into a freezing lake, gasping for air that wasn’t coming and the cold practically painful against his skin, even through his clothes. And then there was a voice. Low and dark and sinister. “I’ll take things from here.” It sounded smug, as if this was a game. And Soren couldn’t do anything to stop it.
And suddenly it seemed like he was watching his body from somewhere else. Something else was wearing his skin. Soren had never stood that tall in his life, had never worn an expression like that, one that was somewhere between idle boredom and intense hatred. It took him a moment to identify what was wrong. The iris of his eyes was pitch black, darker than dark, chilling when you looked at them for even a millisecond too long.
A demon was wearing his skin and using it to wreak destruction. Soren wasn’t sure if the limitations of his strange new abilities were just gone or if the demon just knew how to use it better. Because handmade stalls, impeccably made stalls, were shattered to smithereens with just a lazy toss of it’s- his- hand. In only a few short moments, it had destroyed half of the carefully made stalls without a second thought. And it smiled, an awful, twisted smile that looked all wrong on Soren’s face. It caught two people staring at him in terror and that horrible smile widened.
“Haven’t you ever seen a ghost before?” It asked, in a voice that was both his and not his, reverberating all wrong for such an open area. “Consider this your first warning. Restore what was mine to me or I will use these vessels to bring more destruction than you can ever imagine,” it called. It turned its cold, harsh gaze on a figure that Soren swore he knew, and Soren panicked. He didn’t know how he did it or even that he could, but he flung his consciousness towards his body. And it worked, because there was that same feeling of being temporarily submerged in water, of breathlessness and not being able to breathe.
For a moment, he stood exactly as the demon had stood. And then his legs gave out at the same time as a wave of dizziness and exhaustion hit him, and he hit the ground, dazed and trying to piece things back together.
Erin Monaghan
xxxI would sell my soul for a bit more time
xxxYou stain all on my body like you're red wine
xxxYou're the fuckin' acid to my alkaline
xxxYou run your middle finger up and down my spine
xxxI'm sorry there was no one to apologize
After Erin had asked that final question, a bit of dread began to fill her entire body. She didn't know why, but the small pause of silence that filled the air between the two woman was suffcatingly thick. Erin could have sworn she couldn't breathe, like all of the oxygen in her lungs had been snuffed out, and she was left gasping for air. But she was taken out of her thoughts when another voice spoke up, seeing it was only Harold that had brought the woman's food over to them. The tension that suddenly filled the room was palpable, and it was only making her current state of nerves worse by the second. Thankfully, he asked Xan if she'd need anything else and he soon shuffled back behind the counter. Erin let out an audible exhale as she felt her entire body finally relax into the booth again, finally being able to breathe once more. That was until the woman finally spoke up, which caught Erin off guard for a moment. Somehow, she had entirely forgotten what she was doing there for a moment. Blinking out of her confused state as the woman talked once more, putting two items onto the table, next to Erin's own phone and keys. It took the blonde woman a moment to piece it together, but they were the exact same items. Erin reached out for a moment, but immediately retracted her hand, she couldn't bring herself to touch the items.
Her green eyes trailed over back to the woman as she continued, finally telling Erin her last name, which was apparently Monaghan, that they were in her own home town of Widow's Peak, and that she has two best friends. But sadly, none of that was ringing any bells right off the bat for her. It took her mind a few moments to register what was being told to her. As she sat there, it finally sunk in. Her name was Erin Monaghan, she was born and raised in Widow's Peak...Her mom and dad, well, her brain didn't let her ponder on that for too long. Her birthday was...March...fifteenth? Yes. March fifteenth. All of that was allowed to come back to her, but why? It didn't make sense to her. But the two names she was given, Markus and Soren? As hard as she tried, the faces didn't come to mind. She recognized the names after a moment, but just barely. But the faces, who the names belonged to; well, that wa bogged down by cloudy vision and distorted images in her mind. Why couldn't she remember them? What was keeping her from remembering them? And why? Those thoughts kept coming back to her and it terrified her, as a sinking feeling began to fill her. And she didn't know why. Why couldn't she remember?
Erin blinked as the woman introduced herself finally. Xan. Xan Cole. Her brows furrowed together tightly across her forehead as she tried to make the connection there. But her mind was blanking entirely. Sure, the name was familiar, but she didn't know why. The feeling the name brought to her was filled with anxiety and a bit of unease, but as Erin looked the girl over, the feelings went away. Why would thinking about the name cause those feelings, when she looked at her, Erin didn't feel anything negative? Something just wasn't adding up to her. Then again, none of this was, so what did she expect? Erin sat back in the booth, until the next few words left Xan's mouth. Phoenix Cole. Nixie.. That was when the dots began to connect. But she didn't know how or why she remembered that name-who she dated. Erin blinked for a moment. That name, and connection there caused a small pull in Erin's chest. It was a tightening feeling that made it harder to breathe. That never ending feeling of severe anxiety and uncertainty returning once more, as she was more or less frozen in place, hands on the table in front of her as they were clasped tightly together in front of her. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make the connection to a face. Her mind just, wouldn't allow it. It was blocking something out, not letting her remember. But why? All she wanted to know was why.
The blonde thought that she had heard it all. That everything Xan had to tell her was said and done with. She would have been able to have stopped there. It was enough for her then, her brain was already having a hard time register it all. But then Xan spoke once more, and Erin could have sworn her heart stopped. She didn't realize just how heavy and hard her heart had been pounding in her chest, but the moment it stopped, Erin's whole body froze in place. She...She died? Erin shook her head, no. There. There was no way. Right? There couldn't have been a way that she died. She was sitting right here. She was alive. This whole thing was some sick joke. It had to have been. There was just no way. Erin wanted to get up and just walk out of there. She needed to get some fresh air, something to calm her nerves. Just, none of this could be real, right? Erin's eyes found themselves trailing Xan's hands down to her own, and was prepared to feel the sensation was skin on her own hands. But she didn't. There was nothing. In fact, Xan's hands phased through Erin's own. No contact was made. What in the hell was going on? Was she losing it? Was this the moment that she finally lost it? Erin simply froze in place as Xan said she didn't know what was happening, and that it should have been impossible. Well no shit, Erin thought to herself. Her body still not letting herself talk. She just couldn't find the strength to force herself to talk. Her body entirely locking up on itself as she sat there.
Erin didn't know what it was, but something finally shocked her out of her damn dazed stupor as she blinked, seeing the phone on the table going off as it began ringing. Someone was calling Xan's phone. Erin froze once more in place, her heart racing in her chest once more. Something in her gut told her to get up right then and there and leave. Just go. Just get up and run you stupid idiot. Now. The voice in her head echoing, but she was frozen in that damn booth. Like a deer trapped in headlights of a car, Erin couldn't move. It was only when another voice finally broke Erin out of her panicked state. She didn't know why or how, but it happened. Erin tore herself out of the booth and into the middle aisle of the diner. Standing across from the woman, who Erin hadn't looked at yet. Erin finally and slowly looked the woman over, from her feet and then finally landing on the woman's face. Everything stopped in time for Erin, as her green eyes landed on the woman's dark brown eyes. She didn't know why. But she could feel that same damn feeling in her chest. "Nixie...?" Erin finally broke her long and overdue silence. She didn't know why, but somehow, she was able to make that connection then and there. But she did. And it was in that moment that something clicked. The fog that clouded her mind for so long since waking up, there was a small burst of clarity for Erin.
A sharp, deep pain hit Erin in the side of her head as visions suddenly rushed into her head. It was like a jackhammer entering the side of her head that caused her to fall to the ground, grasping her head in both of her hands as she gasped out as the pain only grew more and more as the seconds passed. Erin held her head tightly in her hands as flashes of faces and people flooded her memory. It was like waves crashing over her. Some things didn't make sense, or were completely random. Locations and people, some with clear faces that she could see, but others remained faceless. Just the faded outline of a form was all that her mind let her see. Unknown to Erin as the visions flooded her mind, things had begun to float in the air around the diner. It started out small enough. A fork or salt shaker rattled on their own, before lifting off a few inches from their placement, before clattering back down onto the table beneath them. As the visions only continued to happen, and the pain continued to dig through her skull, the worse things became. The chairs and tables began to vibrate on their own, slowly and in small bursts, but it was enough to recognize from anyone standing around. Erin just wanted this to end. The feeling of fear flooded her entire body, and finally the visions came to an end, but not before flashes of something flooded in rapid succession. It was like scenes from a movie playing out in head. Erin smelt the scent of rain. Heard the sound of dull, echoing footsteps on wet pavement as a dark and empty road laid out in front of her as she walked down the lonesome road. It was eery and desolate, and she didn't know why she was seeing this, but suddenly there was a bright light, the feeling of a burning pain shot across the entirety of her back, and then she felt her body crashing onto something hard, cold, and wet beneath her body and everything turned black.
Erin's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest as she was finally shot back to reality. Gasping for breath as tears rolled down her face. Her entire body was shaking as she fumbled for words. All she could feel was fear, confusion, sadness, and anger. All at once it filled her entire being as she tried to find the words. Anything to say. But all Erin could get out was a soft, "I'm so sorry...I...I didn't mean to...I'm sorry." the rambled and fumbled words repeated countless times over and over as she rocked back and forth as she pushed herself up against the wall. Erin didn't know why, but she was petrified to move. If it was true that she died, and she was somehow back...the last vision she had was glimpses of her last moments, and if that was the case, it was horrible. To know she died alone and scared on an empty road as the car didn't even stop. Her hands shook and trembled as she tried to looked around the diner, but she couldn't bring herself to look at anyone. Panic and fear continued to spread throughout her body as the sound of things crashing sounded around her. A plate smashing against the wall mere inches from Erin's face caused another flash of visions to play out in her mind. Memories she wanted to keep deep, deep down in her memory. So far down that she could never find them again. All she wanted was for this to end, but she didn't know how, and she felt like something bad was about to happen as the sensation of a numbing cold began to creep over her body. As if she was being slowly lowered into a frozen lake...
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View All » Add Character » 11 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Cassidy Aisling
breath darling, you survived before, you'll do it again
Atlas Blake
Suddenly, it hurts to breathe.
Nixie Cole
"Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass."
Xan Cole
Chronically Dead
Leo Mathers
What happens when you're hollow inside?
Elle Aldrich
"Your crooked smile brighter than the stars"
Erin Monaghan
"It rained that night..."
Soren Bowers
"i'm not bitter, i'm just tired."
Markus Vasco
"I would have followed you to the graveyard..." (History WIP)
Trending
Xan Cole
Chronically Dead
Markus Vasco
"I would have followed you to the graveyard..." (History WIP)
Atlas Blake
Suddenly, it hurts to breathe.
Cassidy Aisling
breath darling, you survived before, you'll do it again
Erin Monaghan
"It rained that night..."
Leo Mathers
What happens when you're hollow inside?
Nixie Cole
"Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass."
Soren Bowers
"i'm not bitter, i'm just tired."
Elle Aldrich
"Your crooked smile brighter than the stars"
Most Followed
Xan Cole
Chronically Dead
Cassidy Aisling
breath darling, you survived before, you'll do it again
Elle Aldrich
"Your crooked smile brighter than the stars"
Nixie Cole
"Everybody knows my past now, like my house was always made of glass."
Atlas Blake
Suddenly, it hurts to breathe.
Leo Mathers
What happens when you're hollow inside?
Erin Monaghan
"It rained that night..."
Soren Bowers
"i'm not bitter, i'm just tired."
Markus Vasco
"I would have followed you to the graveyard..." (History WIP)
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20 posts · 11 characters present · last post 7 days 12 hr ago »
A town linked with tragedy and the supernatural.
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