"I hope Jayden's okay... He's been so stressed," Nu remarked as Jayden closed the door behind him, shutting them out.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NX1JjHyTj
Senshi just shrugged and went back into the room, slamming the door shut behind her and leaving Nu alone in the main room by herself.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvzTBxZy49l
She sighed, moving her bangs from her eyes and looked around, not sure what to do. Everyone seemed to be shutting out the world - shutting out her.
Spotting the pile of dishes from breakfast, Nu figured the least she could do was was clean them up. Her thoughts wandered as she began her repetitive task and she desperately tried to remember how she had gotten into this strange world with all these strange people. Her mind was fuzzy, though. She remembered being swept away in the river when Ike's earthen bridge had broken. She could hear Mag screaming her name as she was swept downstream, struggling to stay afloat. She must have hit something and passed out.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJS0pvXSZ6Q
But this world was so drastically different than Nu's own, it wasn't simply a case of being swept downstream into a different city. And even if it was, how did she get into the metal building?
Her heart sank. There was only one explanation she could see. She had drowned. Nu was dead. She would never see Mag and Ike ever again, would never see Papa or Granna.
And if this was the afterlife, why isn't Mama here?477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EjrkPV504
Nu didn't even realize her tears had mixed with the dishwater until she was done. She drained the sink, wiping her face with her sleeve and sniffling.
"Even if I am dead, at least I'm not alone, right?" she mumbled to herself, but the empty room seemed so big.
She wrung her hands, thinking about what to do next and weighing her options. She really didn't want to be alone. Jayden asked for some time apart, so Nu had to honour that. She could go in Senshi's room, but Senshi could be rude and Nu didn't want to bother her.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB08BXluEen
That left only one option, so she knocked on Vandal's door. "Vandal?"
There was no answer so Nu tried the handle. The door opened and Nu saw the dark-haired man reclined on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvvEg7I0y7
Nu walked in and sat down on the bed beside him, wiping her eyes one last time. "You're not hurt, are you?"
He shook his head, still staring upwards.
"Good."
The two sat together in silence for a moment, but Nu spoke up first. "Do you want to go exploring with me?"
Vandal finally looked at her. "What?"
"I just..." she wrung her hands, suddenly feeling very anxious with his scrutiny. "I just thought maybe there's something out there we missed. Some clue to why we're here. Even if we are... dead," the word caught in her throat, and she coughed. "Even if we are... you know... this isn't like any afterlife I've heard of." Vandal sat up, interested, and Nu continued. "It's too risky for me to go alone, and I thought you could help me..."477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmvpNs6tQD
"Where are we going?" he asked, and Nu smiled.
"I'm not sure," Nu admitted, "but maybe we can head back to the building I woke up in? I never fought any Umbras or saw shadowy figures, so maybe there's something different about my building."
Nu stood up and grinned at Vandal. "So, wanna sneak out and help me?"
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