[Before Amber gets back to the spa....]
Callista can't fall asleep.
She can't get Elysia's words out of her mind, nor the reflection in the mirror. They both haunt her, every time she tries to rest in the quiet and every time she closes her eyes.
The girl with freckles and scratches over her face, and a large thick braid draped over her shoulders.... how could one with eyes so full of fear and anger still somehow look healthier and happier than who Callista is now? That doesn't feel fair.
She peeks out the window at the stars outside..... it's a beautiful night tonight.
.... I need to wash my hands.
Callista carefully unlocks the door and sneaks past Elysia to a washroom. She wishes she was better at sneaking around, but thankfully, Elysia is out cold at this point. Probably for the better.
Her vision grows blurry with tears as she watches her friend sleep. She wants nothing more than for her to be happy and healthy, and NOT try and handle all of this shit that Callista started in the first place.....
All my fault. This is all my fucking fault.
Callista starts washing her hands at the sink. In the dim lighting, her vision makes out blurry red splotches over her fingers and palms...... Callista scrubs harder.
It's not enough.
She tries hard to tell herself it is, and her hands are clean, but to no avail. The soapy suds still look red. Perhaps it's just her mind playing tricks on her, but she doesn't care.
Callista hears Elysia's voice through the sound of running water.
“I mean, you had to doom one of them. Your family or your friend.”
"you had to doom one of them."
"you had to."
"your family or your friend."
"family or friend."
"one of them."
"you had to."
".... there wasn't any other way."
The words stab at her throat. She never wants to say that again, never wants to admit to any kind of acceptance that this was unavoidable. It absolutely was. There were many paths she could have taken, and she chose the worst one imaginable.
Callista barely notices when the water in the sink starts to actually turn red, nor does she notice the raw stinging on her hands as the blisters rip away. It's not enough, not enough, not enough, not enough. Her mind grows hazier, dizzier, the voice and sounds are growing further.....
Callista's eyes shoot open as her body falls on the ground, the impact jolting her back to reality. She sits up, rubbing her shoulder and looking around.... did she just faint? She's not sure.
Regardless, the pain starts to set in. Callista winces, gripping her skirt to try and stop the bleeding. It always hurts more than she expects.... but in the end, at least it tears her away from continuing to hurt herself.
With a sigh, Callista reaches up and turns off the sink, leaving her in silence once again. It's a welcome absence of sound, until Elysia's voice returns to her mind. This time, her sentence ends with a gunshot, followed by a dreaded, deranged scream that sounds an awful lot like Callista. She covers her ears, trying to drown out the sound of her own mind with anything she can think of other than more screaming. What could possibly distract her from such horrific memories that just won't stop?
Callista suddenly hears something.
A melodic humming. Her humming.
A soft, gentle, familiar tune so soft she can barely keep it above a whisper..... but somehow so loud that Elysia's voice and the gunshot are barely audible over the sound of her own voice in her ears.
Callista stops covering her ears, letting the tune follow its own path. Somehow, she knows each and every note that comes next... but she can't place her finger on any lyrics. Regardless, she keeps humming, focusing on the tune until it's time to repeat.
A slow wave of relief and tranquility trickles down her system. She feels oddly calm..... almost concerningly so. But it's hard to care when this melody feels like a warm hug that's shielding all her regrets and hatred.
With a deep breath, Callista finds the strength to stand up. She grips the side of the sink, grimacing as she notices the blood from broken blisters over her knuckles and fingers.
She feels as if it should affect her more than it currently does. But she still can't hear the memories that haunt her mind, so she's content with this odd sense of tranquility.
A towel sits on a nearby rack beside the mirror, which Callista picks up, dampens, and wipes away the bloody fingerprints on the counter, still humming. The white marble shines, even in the dimness of the room... she interprets it as gratitude for cleaning up.
I need to bandage these.... sand would be agonizing to get in those wounds...
She makes her way out of the washroom, holding the rag to her hands as she enters the laundry room. Ambrosius keeps a first aid kit in the lower left cabinet... Callista's sure they won't mind.
Inside, she finds exactly what she's looking for: non-stick bandage wraps. She takes the roll out and carefully starts wrapping each finger. Pinky, then ring, then middle, and so on... she never stops humming.
A lyric finally makes it's way to Callista's tongue.
"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima..."
She pauses for a moment before repeating it in the same tune she unexpected sang.
"... Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima."
The next lyric is nothing more than humming.
Callista shrugs and continues to bandage herself, humming while also softly singing the lyric where it fits. It's such a beautiful song... where did she learn it? Why does she feel like she's missing something with it?
Oh, well. It's still drowning out Elysia's words and what accompanies it. Callista's too tired to let this tranquility end through pausing and contemplating the melody.
After some time, she looks at her bandaged hands.... maybe it wasn't necessary to also do her wrists and forearms, but she feels better about not being able to possibly hurt those areas. In fact, she kind of likes how the wrappings look.
I'll return with a restock for Amber... he'll appreciate that, she thinks as she wipes any remaining blood up and throws the dirty towel in the laundry machine. It feels nice to be able to think rationally and calmly for once and not be in a panic over her past.
Just keep humming and singing. The memories can't hurt me if I can't hear them.
Callista starts the washing machine, praying Elysia doesn't wake up.... thankfully, it's quiet enough to ease her fears.
A small green light catches her attention instead- the dryer. Looks like it's done.... maybe putting the towels away can be one more favor she does for Amber. He deserves it, after everything he's done for both Calli and Elysia. This is the least she can do.
Callista sits on her knees and opens the dryer, taking the first towel out.... it's so warm against her skin that she can't help but close her eyes and hold it close, softly humming into the fabric.
"... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana...."
A second lyric. She puts the two together.
"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana."
Yeah. That sounds right.
Callista folds the towel as the heat dissipates, setting it aside before grabbing a new one. She always forgets how nice these feel against her skin, how nice any warmth feels against her skin.... it feels like a hug.
..... she could use a hug.... that sounds nice. Maybe falling asleep against Amber's tail....
She pushes the thought to the back of her mind. It's nice, but she's scared physical touch could rouse her fear once again. She only just started feeling peaceful, with the song she's slowly remembering.
The towels make do, as she soaks in the warmth of each before folding them neatly until the dryer is empty. Callista sets them all on top of the machine... she would put them away if she had the energy or courage to go around to each room.
... one more thing, she thinks to herself as she walks to the front desk. Sifting through the drawers, she finds a pen and 2 pieces of paper.
The first one she addresses to Amber.
"Hi Amber. I'm okay. But I can't stay, and I won't be returning for a while. I need time. If you need me, I will be at the beach. I know that is very vague, but you'll find me if you need me. Thank you so much for everything. You've been such a kind friend and I care for you very deeply. I love you, please take care of yourself. From, Callista."
She sets the note on the desk and places a scallop shell with pinkish-orange stripes and brown dots at the base over top of it.
The next note is for Elysia.... she stops humming only for a moment to focus. The memories shine through, but she tries to cut them out long enough to write.
"Hi Eva. I'm not going to be here when you get up. Please tell Mercury and everyone else everything. Tell him I'm sorry and I didn't want any of this to happen. None of this was supposed to happen and I wish I took a different path. Thank you for trying to find me, I'm sorry I'm running away again. I'd prefer if you didn't search for me, but if you must then you may. I won't be at the spa for some time. Please be kind to Amber, he's treated me with nothing but kindness and I love him like a brother. I have no doubt you'll be able to be kind to him though, you never had an issue being polite. I love you all dearly. I need to figure things out though. Please stay safe and take care of yourself. I love you all. Tell Mercury I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry that all of this happened. From, Callista."
Her hand is shaking as she makes the final period, and Callista notices tears landing dangerously close to the paper. She quickly wipes them away and starts humming again.... well, more like singing now.
"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana.
O loo fiafia uma o tatou aiga ma uo o loo siomia ai i tatou i le malamalama o le masina."
Callista pauses before continuing her walk down the hall. Third lyric. She's not sure how she feels about it, knowing what it means.
She whispers the song under her breath as she enters Elysia's room.... the girl is so frail and in such poor health. She wonders if it's possible to change that in this digital world.
The note goes on the table next to the bed.... along with a tiny white conch shell with a pink interior. Elysia will like that.
Callista stands there for a few silent moments, mouthing the lyrics, before turning on her heel and walking out of the room... and out of the spa.
The beach isn't a far walk from the spa. What is a far walk is her 'shack', if it's even able to be considered that anymore. But that doesn't bother Callista, as she walks along the shoreline and sings. Every so often, she reverts back to humming. The tune remains gentle and comforting... like a lullaby of some sort.
She reaches down and picks up a few shells on the way.... they're almost unending, and Calli makes a game of trying to balance them on her head and waist rings, which is easier than she anticipated.
She feels better. Maybe only temporarily, but better is better. Maybe there's something wrong with her. Maybe she's starting to lose her mind. But she's content right now.... who is she to take that away from herself?
The wrecked excuse for a shack comes into view and Callista walks towards it.... something is still missing with her song. She feels as if she's not doing something she should.
Her hand suddenly raises up, as if the muscles acted on their own. Calli pauses, looking up at the hand that's reaching up at the moon ahead of her. That's new.... but oddly enough, it feels right.
Callista continues to look up at the moon as simple steps become something a little more elegant.... she points her toes, and focuses on walking in step with each lyric. The sand seems to beckon her to continue.
She spins a bit, searching for the right feeling as she nears the shack.... this is some kind of dance she knows, what comes next though...? She sways her hips a little, letting her voice grow loose and a little less reserved. It feels... liberating.
Callista stops walking, dragging her feet in arches and steps in place as she closes her eyes and tries to engulf herself in nature. The rustle of trees and grass behind her... the warm, fine sand beneath her... the salty ocean crashing ahead.... and the gentle, swirling breeze all around her...
Callista envisions rain and sun, day and night, nature in all of its beauty. She imagines the back and forth of leaves in the breeze, sand holding the memory of even the smallest disturbance, the unique patterns of the waves.... and forms a dance. A dance that feels right, to the lullaby Callista finds herself singing on loop.
Everything, for once, feels right. She can barely hear the memories, or see the face of the killer. Her mind and soul has been taken by nature.
Despite this, tears pour down Callista's face. If emotions had colors, each tear would be more multicolored than a rainbow. All the emotions overwhelm her heart.
She's so angry at why she was forced to make such a choice.
She's so sad for the death of her friend.
She's so guilty for how her actions led to everyone being trapped here.
She's so confused as to what really happened.
She's so homesick and desperate for some kind of familial sense.
She's so happy to, for once, feel like things are right.
She's so scared for what will happen once everyone else learns about what she did.
She's so tired of....
..... she's just so tired. So, so, so tired.
I'm done. To the pits of hell with this all. I can't take this anymore. I just want to go home. I just want to go to hell for what I did. I just want everyone to be happy and content. What God decided that's too much to ask for?
Drops of mixed emotion and exhaustion lands on the sand as Callista's body starts to ache and her voice starts to grow raw..... but she can't stop yet. She needs... the final lyric... to the song... she's almost...
It suddenly hits her.
"O le a ou puipuia oe, laʻu uo, seʻia pa'ū le lagi."
Callista feels herself slow to a halt, smile fading fully.
"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana. O loo fiafia uma o tatou aiga ma uo o loo siomia ai i tatou i le malamalama o le masina... O le a ou puipuia oe, laʻu uo, seʻia pa'ū le lagi."
She repeats it, trying to still sing. The meaning of the lyrics starts to weigh on her.
The memories start to return. Guilt, grief, and anger wash out any other emotion.....
And just like that, Callista's back at square one. She falls to her knees, quietly sobbing and repeating the last lyric. Over and over.
She didn't protect him. She did the opposite. She won't ever be able to look beyond that fact.
The night sounds grow into nothing more than the waves crashing against the shore and a girl crying in her sleep.
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