"Van!" she tried to scream as the scythe swiped, but her words came out as a sudden squeak of surprise as a blade at the end of the scythe rested across her throat.
Nu had never seen her companions so fazed. Vandal glared at the Jayden look-alike, pointing his powerful weapon at him.
"I'll cut her throat before you can finish pulling the trigger," the man said.
Nu felt so powerless, unable to even force words past the blade's digging. He's going to kill me, she thought, and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't help anyone, not even myself...
Nu woke up with a small cry, drenched in sweat. Magpie was still sleeping, despite the light that flooded in through the thin curtains. Nu smiled, glad she was getting the rest she clearly needed, but her smile was tinged with sadness. With her roommate asleep, she was alone.
Sighing to herself, she got out of bed quietly, trying not to wake her sleeping companion. She brushed her fingers through her hair, wishing she had a proper brush.
Perhaps there's one in that room with the water? she thought, carefully closing the door behind her.
Van was reclined on the couch and noticed Nu as she tried to sneak past him. "Morning," he greeted her.
"Morning, Van," Nu said with a smile that was too wide. Her dream was still fresh in her mind, how scared she was for Vandal to get attacked by the strange doppleganger and how helpless she had felt.
Van seemed to notice her discomfort as she walked away, heading to the room to search for a hairbrush. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. How are you? Did you sleep well?" Nu replied, distracting herself by rummaging through the drawers. She did find a brush hidden at the back of the cupboard, and that bathtub really looked tempting...
Vandal grumbleda response, and Nu made a mental note to ask him if he was okay after she had a good soak.
"I'm going for a bath," she let him know. "Did Jayden come back yet?"
Vandal shrugged. "Haven't seen him," he said grumpily.
Nu let it go at that, closing the door and undressing, turning the tap like she did for the sink to let the bath fill up.
The water was slightly cold, but nice. Nu sank deep into it, closing her eyes and letting her mind wander.
"Mama!"
Nu struggled against her grandmother's deceptively strong arms as the two earth-hunters carried her mother away.
"Nu," Granna grabbed her tightly in a hug, "she's gone, Nu. She's gone."
"No!" Nu screamed, breaking free and making a dash towards her Mama's side.
Her father intercepted her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him. "Nu, stop it! She's gone! There's nothing we can do!"
Papa's tone made her stop, watching tears roll down his normally stoic face. He grabbed Nu tightly into a hug. "She's gone..."
I couldn't help her... Nu let her tears soak into Papa's tunic. I couldn't save her...
Nu opened her eyes, wiping a tear away, and let her affinity work through her. "Mama," she mumbled, "I miss you."
She could have sworn she felt the water of her bath grow slightly warmer, like her mother was giving her a comforting hug.
Nu couldn't keep the connection open for long, she knew. She needed to keep her strength up in case the others needed healing. She may not have had the power to save her Mama, but thanks the her mother's sacrifice Nu had the power to help everyone else.
Too bad she still couldn't help herself.
She stepped out of the bath and noticed the dirt and grime (and what looked like splashes of acidic saliva) covering her clothes. With a tired sigh, she threw them aside, vowing to find a different outfit in the rooms somewhere.
Nu dried herself off and stepped out of the room, wrapping the towel around her. She sat down nonchalantly beside Van on the couch, who instantly freaked out. "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed, jumping off the couch and turning away.
"I'm brushing my hair," she said. "What's wrong?"
"Can't you get some clothes on first?" he asked, covering his eyes.
Nu shrugged. "My clothes are filthy. I was hoping to find something nicer to wear."
"Then go put something else on! Goddamn it..."
"Alright, sorry," Nu caved, going to her room and tiptoeing to the drawers. She found a simple cute dress in there that looked like it would fit, and Nu was thrilled. She was only supposed to wear dresses in public at the yearly Festival, but Nu loved wearing them around the house.
She gave a little twirl, feeling the fabric flow. It wasn't too constricting, thankfully, and Nu felt like she may as well wear it.
She snuck back out of the room, and sat back down on the couch. "Van," she said, "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. It was all my fault. I was the one who wanted to go to the tower and found Fake-Jay, and I fell for it when I gave him my water, even though you warned me against it. And..."
She trailed off, steeling herself for the next part. "And I put myself in danger, and I'm sorry for dragging you into it with me. I always drag everyone into trouble. If it wasn't for Magpie, I..."
She faded out, hoping Van understood her apology, and maybe then he wouldn't be so upset at Jayden anymore. She'd rather it that way, everyone being upset at her for her failings rather than tearing each other apart. In a weird way, it reminded her of home.
"I'm sorry," she said one last time, her hands wrapping tightly around the hairbrush.
ns 18.68.41.147da2
