#unrelated did you know a human can live with a lung removed and all the bones in their limbs gone

[puppetmaster13u]

Mini Prompt

"It's me or him, Bruce!" Jason screamed, green covering his vision as he held a gun to the Joker's head.

"Pull the trigger."

"What?!"

Batman Bruce His Dad simply tilted his head, voice quiet, emotionless almost.

"I have decapitated that thing no less than three times for what he did to you. Pull the trigger."

[bookwyrminspiration]

Shattered Upside Down

A kotlc wings au: masterpost here

Chapter 5: The Hollow Echo

word count: 7.6k

chapter summary: Something is very wrong, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that Sophie doesn’t know what she’s doing. 

warnings: medical emergency (vaguely described), blood (also vague), panicking, the urge to pull out hair (no actual pulling), swearing, heights. Let me know if there are more /g

taglist: listed in the replies. let me know if you want to be added or removed!

I had fun with this one, which is an obvious sign you should be worried. Anyways, enjoy!

ao3 link here or read beneath the cut

That was all she said.

Then she turned

and

ran.

Sophie jolted out of the bed, stumbling towards the door as her heart clenched and her throat constricted and her lungs squeezed. Dex.

Something was wrong and it was Dex.

Fitz was only a moment behind her as they shot out the front door, hot on Biana’s heels. She moved quick, quicker than Sophie’d ever seen before, flitting sporadically over the planks on the woven bridges like she’d been born for it.

She danced through the canopies, those shimmering wings flapping in distress behind her, urging her along.

Sophie wasn’t nearly as graceful, but goddammit she was fast.

Scenery turned to nothing but blurred colors around her, eyes focused solely on Biana, on the direction she moved.

She was aware of nothing but Biana ahead of her and Fitz behind her, the pounding in her chest, and her breathing as she ran ran ran.

Biana seemed to be heading to one of the houses on the outskirts of the conglomeration, slightly lopsided and dripping with foliage, roof cracked and gaping. Ominous. Maruca and Wylie stood outside, speaking in hushed whispers. She could’ve heard them if she focused.

The wings at her back buzzed and she nearly lost her balance as she moved faster still, the noise deafening in this taut silence as they did nothing but move move move.

Each new sound was nothing in her ears as she slowed, cresting the porch and nearly crashing into the wall, stumbling back into Fitz as he rammed into her, grunting slightly as they both tried to regain their balance. The door, where was the door where was Dex--

“Did you find--” Linh asked leaning out a low open window and looking towards Biana, cutting off when she saw Sophie and Fitz behind her.

“What’s wrong,” Sophie asked, deadpan, voice quivering as she rushed to the window Linh peered out of, not even bothering to look for the door. There wasn’t the time for that.

She climbed through the fucking window.

The room inside must’ve been a living room once, small tables adorned with now-dry flora, petals crusting the tenderly woven rugs. The only light cascading from the window behind her, the others shut to keep it dark--like her human mother had done for her when she had one of her headaches.

Now was not the time.

No one answered her question.

Their eyes were on the couch.

On him.

Dex lay on the couch, head tilted forward and rested on Keefe’s shoulder, breathing heavily with his eyes scrunched closed. His hair tousled and ragged, Keefe’s hand resting gently on the back of his skull, fingers brushing against the nape of his neck. Keefe’s eyebrows were furrowed with concentration, and she’d been on the receiving end enough times to know what that look meant--emotion regulation. He’d only done that in extreme situations. Shit.

Her voice dropped to barely audible. “What’s wrong?”

“We didn’t get an explanation, we just started running,” Fitz added, climbing through the window himself. They’d find the door someday.

“Don’t know. Hurts,” Dex groaned through gritted teeth, turning his head to face them. His skin had taken on a pale sheen, all color drained as he breathed too quickly to be effective, and with the absolute silence in the room, she could hear his heartbeat too.

Thump thump. Thump. Thu-mp. Thump.

...that wasn't normal.

Next step. Next step. What should she--

He exhaled stiffly, fisting his fingers in the fabric of Keefe’s pants, turning away, shivering and jerking slightly as he moved.

It aggravated the wings on his back, the ones she’d gotten so used to ignoring that she’d forgotten they were there, they could be part of the problem. They were the problem.

They jolted up, spreading slightly behind him,

and

her

stomach

plummeted.

Sophie saw nothing but red. Angry red veins pulsing bulging bursting beneath his skin reaching up out down around branching across those feathers growing maiming falling from his back.

The floor was littered with them.

Browns and whites and red.

“What the--” someone cut off, and Sophie startled. She hadn’t known Tam was in the room. Tam, who was never far from Linh, Linh who had stepped forward and curled her fingers, water dancing racing cascading from her fingertips.

Move. Do something.

Rivers tumbled over Dex’s back, the wings, staining red as it met flesh, Dex arching hissing panting at the feeling, the pain.

“It’s okay. You’ll be okay,” Keefe whispered, distracting him, voice hypnotically honey. Demanding. Unrelenting. There was no choice but to listen.

Do something.

“--towels or anything? I don’t know what’s here--” Marella. Marella had found the door. She was walking towards Dex. She was talking. She was saying things.

Sophie should be listening.

She did nothing.

Her hands shook as Marella took control, nothing but fiery determination in her voice, a practiced calm as she listed off instructions, as she looked down at Dex and did not panic.

An emptiness fogged her mind as she stood there, everything moving around her as Dex’s breathing slowed and someone was talking and Sophie realized she did not know what to do she wasn’t made for this she couldn’t do this she could fight and kick and scream and raze the world to shreds with her bare hands if she wanted but she Could Not Do This.

“Sophie. Sophie.” Marella said, grabbing her hands, her attention as she did so. Sophie’s entire body trembled down to her shaking breaths as she looked into Marella’s face. The stern composure staring back. “I want you to stay here. With Dex and Keefe. Keep an eye on him mentally--but don’t be invasive. He was having trouble talking. You can help with that too. Do you understand? Can you do that?”

How long had she been standing there? The room was empty. Her friends had gone where were there where had the time gone how long had she stood here and done nothing and--

It took her a moment, but she nodded slowly, and Marella released her with a nod, turning to go do something, be somewhere. Like Sophie hadn’t been able to.

Thick silence permeated the room as she stood there for a moment, collecting herself enough to move. There was no one else. Just them in this room with all this pain.

She hadn’t noticed the others leaving, what they’d gone to do.

“Hey, hey, hey,” someone said oh so gently, and she jerked back into her body. Keefe. He still sat on the couch, one hand resting on Dex’s bicep, holding him steady. Dex. His eyes were closed, a vacancy to his expression that hadn’t been there when she’d last been able to look. “He’ll be okay. I can feel your...numbness, the shock. But it’ll turn out fine.” He smiled tentatively at her, giving her more attention than she deserved right now; she was not the problem.

Wait.

Do something.

She should’ve been.

Marella had given her a task and yet she stood here not doing it. The numbness Keefe felt from her--it had locked her muscles in place.

She shook herself off, shaking her head and flapping her hands, letting the wings buzz, feeling her muscles shift as she reanimated herself.

“I know.” She said, voice hollow. She climbed onto the couch beside the two of them, curling her legs up beneath her as she tentatively placed a hand on Dex’s shoulder. She would say it as many times as it took to convince herself, to manifest that reality into existence. The one where Dex was fine and wasn’t hurting and his back wasn’t stained red and his skin didn’t chill her to the touch.

He seemed to be...asleep. Maybe unconscious was a better word.

Hesitation shadowed her mind as she reached for his, walking through the flowered gates of his consciousness, vulnerable. She stopped at the threshold, not wanting to invade--she didn’t need to anyway. His mind was on display for any who wanted to look, no barriers between the roiling turmoils and clouds within from her view at the edge of those curling gates.

She pulled back. She didn’t need to be there.

“I know,” she repeated, leaning her head back on the couch, staring into the darkness of the ceiling, watching the static play across her vision.

“I don’t think you do, Sophie.”

She looked back down, confused, searching for an explanation on his face. He looked away, glancing down at Dex as he opened his mouth, then closed it again. Stray pieces of hair tumbled down with the movement, and he distractedly brushed them back, frowning. He flinched for a moment, breath catching in a soundless gasp.

Lips trembling, he breathed. “It’ll be fine.” His voice broke at the end of the sentence; he cleared his throat. “It has to be.” His statement, the broken plea, echoed in the silence.

He didn’t believe a word he said.

Neither did she.

“What have we gotten ourselves into,” she laughed humorlessly, pulling at her cheeks, dragging her hands down her face. “This is...beyond fucked up.”

Keefe’s hollow laugh sounded alongside hers, his smile empty as he hissed slightly, wincing as he gently combed back Dex’s hair, repositioning him between them. He carefully slid his body out from underneath, cradling Dex’s head as he lay him prone on the cushions, then collapsed backward on the rug, careful to avoid the red stains that still hadn’t been wiped away.

He pressed his hands into his face, then froze as he realized what he’d done.

The wings were on full display beneath him, spread across the plush petals of the woven petals.

Sophie leaned forward involuntarily, bracing her hands against the edge of the couch as she marveled at the feathers--there hadn’t been an opportune moment to observe, to take the time to see the wings that’d clawed their way through his skin.

The structure reminded her of Fitz’s--a sturdy, muscled base overflowing with organized feathers--but that was where the similarities ended. Where Fitz had been earthen and warm, Keefe was otherworldly and harsh.

The exact color was difficult to determine--they seemed to shift between monochrome shades, but as his eyes met hers and flicked towards the figure beside her, they darkened.

Pitch black.

Her head cocked as she watched the shift, trying to tell if it was a trick of the light.

“What?” he asked, shifting beneath her scrutiny, glancing away, hand coming to rest on the back of his neck.

She shook her head slightly, smiling down reassuringly. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I just--the color. How did--” she exhaled slightly, snorting at her own incompetence. “Let me try that again. Do you know what makes the colors...shift like that?”

He smiled slightly at her tongue tied-ness before his expression became inexplicably bewildered as his brain processed her question. “Shift?” He rose up on his elbows, head snapping to the side as he looked upon the wings splayed beneath him. “I--” he cut off, mouth falling open as he looked down at the feathers, tentatively reaching out to brush his fingers along them.

As he glanced up at her, something eased in his face, and the feathers shifted again.

Lighter.

“They shifted again,” she noted, pointing.

“They were nearly pure white this morning.”

She didn’t know how to respond, tried to visualize it in her mind. Keefe with pure white wings seemed almost...angelic. Sophie leaned back, running her hands through her hair and nearly pulling a few strands out, fingers fisting against the temptation.

Her attention snagged on Dex and her pulse skipped.

They weren’t doing anything. The two of them were laying here, unconscious friend between them, and neither of them knew what the fuck they were doing. Her fingers clenched tighter and she exhaled heavily, trying to ignore the overwhelming urge to tear her own body apart.

Briefly, she brushed her consciousness against the open valley of Dex’s, seeing there was still nothing she could contribute. Wherever he was right now seemed a hell of a lot better than being in the mess his body had become--she’d hold off on finding him. Let him sleep through the worst of the pain, while the others finished doing whatever it was they’d gone to do.

“Any reason you’re laying on the floor?” She needed a distraction. She couldn’t be alone with her thoughts even if she wasn’t really alone. She needed to speak them away and this was the only thing she could think of.

Keefe lowered himself back down, looking off into the ceiling, and with her crystal sight, she could see each individual eyelash framing the ice of his gaze. Must be nice to have eyelashes.

“It was too much,” he admitted. “I needed a break. It wasn’t--he’s not in as much pain anymore. But there was just so much of everything and anything. Maybe it’s because he’s a technopath and his mind is so unique, maybe it’s because we’re all...like this. But it was a lot. I think--I can be more helpful if I just check in every now and then--you know?”

Sophie nodded, and he seemed relieved, as though worried she’d judge pity scorn him for not forcing himself to endure someone else’s pain.

They fell into a comfortable silence, and Sophie finally had the willpower to let go of her hair, brushing it back before wedging her hands between her legs, sitting on them.

She couldn’t stop watching Dex.

Where are you, she wondered uneasily, and the thought raced through the mindbubble like electricity through water, misery disrupting the eye of the storm. Keefe’s head snapped up as the thought reached him. Then spread beyond.

Sophie’s eyes closed as each of her friends' consciousnesses lit up like a light in response to her, a terminal web of electricity and personality coagulating into people.

I’m on my way back, Linh answered, and although Tam didn’t say anything his presence loomed close behind. Footsteps sounded a ways away, and with it, all the other sounds she hadn’t realized she’d been consciously ignoring came crashing grating screaming through her senses. All three of their heartbeats in this quiet, Keefe’s feathers brushing against the petals of the rug, the sigh of skin on skin as she jerked her hands from between her legs and pressed them against her ears, trying to block suppress squeeze the noises away.

“What’s wr--” Keefe began, cutting off as the footsteps shifted, becoming less squeaky and erratic and instead sounding solid against firm ground--stepping from the bridges to the porch.

Linh pushed open the door, Tam only a moment behind her, cold morning dew and shivering stone brushing against her nose. Oh. Perfect. More sensory information.

Something was...off. About Linh. But she couldn’t tell what it was in the dark as she made her way toward them, toeing off her shoes as she knelt on the rug, Keefe moving out of her way, wings folding closed as though he could hide them.

“You’re stealing my aesthetic,” Tam deadpanned from near the door, having closed it behind them, nearly sinking into the shadows. She couldn’t see the wings on him from here, not with that darkness framing him--and she couldn’t see Linh’s either. They must’ve been similar to the one’s on her own back, delicate and small enough to lay flush with her skin, hidden.

Keefe scrunched his nose back at him, cheeks staining a pretty pink. But there was something else there, too. Something...warm. As though all too happy to indulge in whatever distraction Tam brought, embrace the harmless bickering for the both of them.

She wondered if Tam knew the effect he had.

“Are you alright?” Linh asked, eyes flicking to meet Sophie’s from where she knelt before the couch, wrists moving in slow circles as molecules drenched dripped condensed down her fingertips, falling in an unnatural cascade towards Dex’s back. That must’ve been why she’d come back. Whatever she’d been doing out there hadn’t been as beneficial as being here--she often helped with healing, cooling burns and blisters and easing the mind.

She was much more suited for this than Sophie would ever be.

She’d frozen, colder than the frost of Marella’s piercing gaze as she stared her down and took control. Linh right behind.

Linh had stepped forward, curled her fingers, and taken control.

Linh and Marella.

Marella and Linh.

They’d be nowhere--Dex would be nowhere--without them. Sophie would be frozen stuck cemented in the dark. It had always been her. The center of the world the moonlark the revolution. She took the hits, she got hurt and beat and bruised.

She never dealt with the wreckage left behind.

Hurt grated through her bones as she realized just how much she’d put her friends, her family through. How many times had they endured this? Sat by her bedside as she lay unconscious, bleeding broken damaged. How many times had they watched her with bated breath, searching hoping screaming for any flicker of life, for anything.

“I’m fine,” she answered, although she might have grimaced just a little.

Linh’s gaze lingered for a moment before she returned her attention to Dex, letting the cool waters wash over his skin, flushing away the angry, frozen reds.

“I’ve got this from here, Sophie. You can take a break.” Linh’s voice was gratingly soft against the quiet air, and Sophie barely had the wherewithal to nod before rising, stumbling slightly as she made her way to the door.

Tam opened the door for her, and she nodded in thanks, hands still pressed over her ears.

Too much.

Everything was too much.

Heartbeats echoed in her mind as she started walking, needing to get away from everything everyone everywhere. Faint tendrils of warm light pushed its way through the overgrown canopies, flower petals swirling by in a passing breeze, the pollen sticking to her skin.

She inhaled.

She exhaled.

Looking down, Sophie watched her steps as she tip-toed her way across the bridges, savoring the sway beneath her, looking down through the slight gaps to the ground she knew lay down there.

She paused for a moment, staring down down down over the edge.

Breathing.

The mossy forest floor became visible, down to the ladybugs crawling along the exposed roots so far below. She really didn’t know how high up she was.

How far she could fall.

Sophie stepped back from the edge, pushing the thought away, pushing it all away. She didn’t even know if she still could fall.

She always had her levitation, her teleportation, and now...the wings.

Theoretically, Sophie Foster was immune to heights.

She was not immune to panic.

And just like that,

she

plummeted.

Her nails dug into the sides of her head as she clenched her teeth, utterly alone with herself. She’d panicked and it could’ve killed Dex. She’d panicked panicked panicked. Frozen in time in place in her body in the moment he needed her.

Everyone needed her. She needed to be there for everyone and now they were nowhere with no one because they’d followed her when she was out of her mind and she couldn’t bear to take it back.

What the fuck were they doing out here. There was no fucking plan for ending up in the middle of nowhere. She had absolutely no clue where they were on the planet--they could be in Canada, Japan, Finland, Russia, maybe even back in the fucking United States. The only information she could base her guesses on were the trees around her.

That ruled out the Sahara, she supposed.

Once-woven vines splayed their way across the abandoned bridges, leaves fanning out everywhere, tickling the soles of her feet. She had no shoes on. They were back near that broken window.

Biana had so effortlessly flitted across the bridges in their dash, darting side to side with apparently no effort, but it seemed much more difficult than she’d made it look. Still, Sophie tried to avoid the leaves, to float and take control the way her friends all appeared so much more equipped to do.

A plan.

That was what she was good for. Desperately, Sophie wracked her mind, squeezing her ears harder as if blocking out every noise would somehow create better ideas.

The facility still stood, which meant it could come back, which meant they needed to destroy it. Again.

Buildings typically don’t have a tendency to move, so it was probably still underground. But where? Flori had transported them the first time, traveling underground using old roots until they’d reached that tunnel.

They’d have to figure out where they were before they could figure out where their underground was so they could figure out which direction the facility was and then get back to it.

Or maybe they could follow the monsters again.

No.

Too risky; Grady would--

Grady.

Grady wouldn’t want her to take such an uncertain gamble, even with the support of her friends. He wouldn’t want her to be alone. He wouldn’t want her to feel so alone.

Sophie Foster existed separately from everyone else. Her entire life, there’d been something...imperceptible, like a glass wall between her and everything. Even amongst elves, others with abilities, others with motives and power and rebellion simmering beneath their skin, that something was always there.

And that’s why she was standing in the middle of an abandoned village in the treetops, hands pressed to her ears, wings protruding from her back, regrets for decisions she hadn’t yet made screaming in her mind, by herself.

There was no one to joke away the thoughts now; she’d left Keefe back in the cottage.

Hollow nothingness popped sizzled crackled beneath her skin, spreading like lightning as it shot through her, dancing along the lining of her bones, roiling in her blood.

Down and

Down

and

down.

“--nking it would be--” Sophie keeled over, gasping, hands dropping as she caught herself on the edge of the bridge, someone’s hand clasped on her shoulder. Breathing choppy, she trembled on the ground for a moment, everything and anything everywhere assaulting her senses, snapping her out of that hollow echo all at once.

She couldn’t see anything as her gaze darted around, rolling, too fast to pick up information.

“Sophie?” Fuck. That was someone’s hand on her shoulder. Someone was here. Someone was seeing this.

She forced herself to take a breath, focusing entirely on the sensation, on shoving everything into threads beneath her ribs as she turned to see the person attached to that hand.

Teal eyes framed with worry, brows scrunched together with concern, frazzled hair framing her darling face.

Biana repeated the question. “Did you hear me?” Sophie couldn’t think of a response so she just shook her head, leaning back and crossing her legs beneath her. She didn’t think she had the willpower to stand back up.

Lowering herself, Biana came down to her level, adjusting her tunic as she did so. She’d also had the mental capacity to change into the clothes she’d brought--or maybe it was just a front. Holding desperately to control of the one thing she had left. Something...was different about her.

Everything about her was so...alive. Her eyes bright, skin seeming to ripple in the light, movements just a little quicker than they were supposed to be. Biana had been born to live loud...but her body was screaming with vivacity.

What would she do with it?

The first time Biana’s world had been so thoroughly flipped upside down, she’d become a hollow shell, the echo to her brother’s rage. The second time, she’d desperately tried to hide from herself, bouncing back with such confidence so quickly it was difficult to believe it entirely genuine. The third time, the Lost Cities crumbling and moving underground, it was as though it hadn’t fully registered for any of them.

And now, for a fourth time...

“I was going to ask about Dex, but--” she stopped herself, biting on her lip as her hands shook in her lap. “The others are taking care of that, and I’m of no use there.” Something bitter echoed the words, haunting them and swallowing them whole.

“You’re very useful,” Sophie responded, automatic.

Biana snorted, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I could keep us hidden in the facility. I can follow your lead.” Sophie flinched; Biana didn’t notice. “But I have...no goddamned clue what to do now.”

Sophie didn’t answer immediately, instead looking her friend--family, really--up and down. Purely impulse, she scooted forward, beside Biana, dangling her feet over the edge of that bridge.

“That part is my job,” she smiled slightly, nudging her with her shoulder. “Don’t worry about that.” It cleared her mind, somehow. Seeing Biana and thinking of her instead of all the possibilities, the failures, the regrets swarming and buzzing in her own mind.

Biana frowned slightly, nudging her back. “It shouldn’t be just you. You really think you can Moonlark your way out of this one?”

“Moon--what? Moonlark my--what?”

“You know, somehow figure out what to do with all your abilities and get yourself out of tricky situations.” Biana shrugged like it was supposed to be obvious.

Sophie stared for a moment, momentarily forgetting about the world on her shoulders.

“Yeah...I guess I’ll...moonlark it?” Baffled, she shook her head, laughing. A genuine laugh, absolutely incredulous, so tired and worn she couldn’t contain it. Biana joined in after a moment, trying to suppress it by clapping a hand over her mouth.

She couldn’t.

It wasn’t even that funny, but she doubled over, and the wings that had been folded at her back flared slightly, spreading just enough to lightly--but solidly--wack Sophie in the face. Biana’s eyes widened, but she couldn’t contain her laughter.

“Shit--wait--sorry,” she gasped out, clutching her side. Sophie’s mouth dropped in mock offense, also trying to suppress her giggles. When was the last time she’d laughed with a friend? When had she last looked at someone in the sunlight and seen anything but weary resignation or decaying rage?

Months.

It had been months.

So she enjoyed the moment and missed it like it was already over.

It took her two tries before she was able to get through the sentence. “And here I was, thinking we were friends. Some friend you are.” Her grin was genuine this time, and watching Biana grin back was enough to dissolve a few of those threads roiling in her ribs, to lighten her chest.

Sophie relaxed, turning her attention to Biana’s back, the delicate softness that had slapped her soundly.

She’d seen it briefly before, watching the wings flutter as they raced towards Dex, but she hadn’t looked at Biana and seen her. Monarch butterfly wings spread from the hasty tears in the back of her tunic. The black was decorated with pairs of delicate white dots, curving around the edge. Vibrant oranges melded into each other and mixed loud--Biana had never been a quiet beauty. Squinting slightly with that razor-sharp vision, she could see--scales. Thousands upon thousands of tiny overlapping scales forming the rich hues; she’d forgotten butterfly wings were made of scales. The wings shivered slightly under the attention as Sophie’s gaze wandered and--

The oranges disappeared.

Sophie gasped, leaning forward, watching as the scales rippled and the oranges blinked in and out of view like Biana herself, entirely transfixed by their transparency. Every thought about how distorted and wrong and selfish this was dissipated, replaced with pure confusion, pure intrigue.

She was too baffled to remember how horrid this was.

“It suits you,” she whispered, and Biana flushed. “I know it’s...strange, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way...but at least they’re pretty.”

Something relaxed in Biana’s face. “Yeah.” She exhaled shakily, then something sparked behind her too-bright eyes, and she grabbed Sophie’s arm, hauling them both to their feet. “Look at this.”

She dragged them both across the rest of the bridge towards a patio off to the side overflowing with flora, all leaning into the sunlight streaming through a gap in the canopy. Biana skidded to a stop and Sophie could barely match the pace, wings steadying her as Biana let go, pulling her hair over her shoulder as she turned her back to the light, the wings spreading fully behind her.

The orange pieces flickered in and out of view for a moment as Biana closed her eyes in concentration, then they disappeared entirely.

“What are you--oh.” Sophie hadn’t thought they could get any more hauntingly beautiful. It was...unsettling, to say the very least. To find something so damning, so deadly...so utterly enchanting.

Patterns of webs of veins danced across the ground before Biana, those wings spread, light reflecting and shifting as though through a stained glass window. Threads of sun streamed through the air, reaching from the wings and casting their designs into the wind, burrowing into the wood beneath their feet. Each one of those tiny scales became a pattern as the light flowed through them. When Sophie had been little, her human mother had brought home those little window crafts, the ones where you painted the plastic a myriad of colors and when you hung them, the light shining through would change color

Not the time, she reminded herself.

Biana exhaled, and the effect faded, wings tucking back behind her as she blinked slowly, then looked to Sophie.

Devastation wracked through her, but she plastered on a smile. “You’re too pretty for your own good.” She couldn’t stop herself. She had to get it out. “And all that on top of being so tough, it’s impossible to bring you down.” She was so so so much more than her looks and she hated that that’s what she’d defaulted to, what she’d said first. There were so so so many thoughts compliments marvels whirling through her head but she couldn’t get them out. Had complimented her beauty over everything else.

“Seriously,” she continued, trying to correct something no one else could see. “The strength it takes to look at...all this. And still find something about it to appreciate? You’re...inspirational.”

Biana stuck her tongue out, but then she smiled, exhaling heavily; then, she surged forward, crashing into Sophie’s arms. Sophie short-circuited for a moment, arms hovering awkwardly in the air before she gently rested them on Biana’s shoulders, careful to avoid those wings. She’d always been told to never touch a butterfly as a child, and she wouldn’t risk it now, not with someone so important.

“Thank you,” she responded, holding her closer. “I’ve just...I haven’t processed everything yet. But you’re...you’re not so bad yourself, Sophie. You’re stronger than you think, and I know you’ll get us through this, and we’ll get you through it too.”

The crushing expectations curdled through her veins, but before Sophie could piece together a frazzled response, something pinged in the back of the mindbubble, like a little hail, and Biana’s attention snapped to it.

“That’s for me,” she said, as though Sophie couldn’t guess. She gave one final squeeze, then let her go, turning and darting away with a tentative smile. Even the way she moved had changed, erratic and spastic, moving from side to side in a way that made her dizzy to comprehend. Those devastating wings moving almost too quick to see, propelling her forward without thought.

It was probably best she’d left before Sophie had the chance to say she had no fucking clue what she was doing.

All of the sudden, every laugh, each smile fizzled out and she was left with that hollow echo reverberating through her bones; but she was...aware of it this time. Frighteningly aware of everything around her, as though she’d taken two steps back and was watching herself from both inside and outside her body.

The buzz of the universe pressed against her head, aching and overwhelming, and Sophie shook her hands out, trying to regulate the feeling. Her mind went numb, the way your stomach was both numb and overstimulated at the same time when you were anxious.

Walk it off.

She exhaled. She’d walk this off.

Brrrr.

Sophie’s muscles jerked, physically launching herself into the air a few inches, hovering before dropping, wings flared as though ready to scatter. Strange. She didn’t remember being so jumpy.

Brrrr.

The sound echoed again, this time behind her. Whipping around, Sophie dropped into a slight crouch, knees bending as she scanned her surroundings, every sense on alert.

That mind-numbing anxiety didn’t fade, instead pulsing stronger as her stare flicked from side to side. What made that sound? Was there something here? Was she in imminent danger? Did she need to relocate her friends?

Why am I most lucid when things go wrong?

She couldn’t see anything, so she just waited, holding her breath, slowly spinning in a circle, eyes darting through the canopies, looking looking looking--

Brrrr.

There. Her sight narrowed in on something black and blurred among the branches. It seemed to glitch closer, darting between impossible distances as it grew closer and closer, and then it sat before her, moss and shadow scratching her nose.

Her stance relaxed subconsciously, a world of human memories flooding her mind.

It was a cat.

No, that wasn’t right. It was cat-shaped. A strange hollowness echoed around it, the shadows around it creeping towards it like it was magnetized, coalescing around it into the creature. Threads of light patches swirled along its body, giving it a Vincent Van Gogh monochrome Starry-Night-like pattern.

It blinked at her, hollow pits of white, and she blinked back. Her old cat, Marty, had done the same to her once. She didn’t know why, but she was reading it like a cat, analyzing its movements like she’d done for Marty, although this thing was the farthest thing from a cat it could be.

“Hello,” she whispered.

If she touched it, would her hand go through? Would it even let her try?

Wait.

Why did she want to try?

Brrrr.

It turned and leapt off into the trees, glitching through the air, landing on a branch just a few feet below the bridge. It looked back at her over its shoulder and blinked again. With intention.

“Do you want me to...follow you?” she guessed, not as repulsed by the idea as she should’ve been. It didn’t respond--obviously.

Instead, it leapt to a further branch, then looked back at her expectantly once more.

“What the fuck am I doing,” she groaned, running her hands through her hair once before eyeing that branch. It seemed sturdy enough to support her weight, but could she make the jump?

She knew this was a terrible idea. It just seemed that part of her wasn’t loud enough to overshadow the overwhelming curiosity, the hollow numbness that kept her from thinking the consequence through.

Sophie shook out her hands, took a breath, aimed,

and

jumped

too

far.

The branch was so much closer so much quicker than she’d expected. Suddenly she was twelve years old in the estate grounds of her friends, tracking them with her mind playing a game and jumping for victory and darting blinking flying through the air into a tree before he’d had to get her down. She shouldn’t be thinking about that.

That tiny little creature blinked at her with nothing behind its eyes as she was flung upside-down over it, and some back part of her mind realized this would be the part of a movie where a comical slow-mo would begin to watch her fall.

But this was not a movie.

Pure, raw adrenaline jolted through her veins, her entire body jerking as the wings at her back flared and spread, catching her with a buzz.

They did not drop her. But they didn’t take her anywhere, either.

The little echo creature continued its descent, carefully choosing which branches it glitched to and fro upon, making its way forward. She had the strangest feeling it was deliberately so she could keep track of it. It looked up at her, opening its mouth as if it would make a noise, but nothing came out.

“Ah. Yes.” She responded. “I'm afraid you’ll just have to give me a moment; I appear to have gotten myself into quite the pickle. Oh deary me.” She laughed slightly at that, the little elder accent she spun on words.

The thing didn’t say anything.

Sophie didn’t move. Didn’t know how. The wings were buzzing at her back, but she wasn’t controlling them, not consciously. Fixed in dynamic equilibrium mid-air, she realized this was an issue she’d have to solve.

They’d caught her, yes. But they clearly weren’t doing anything else, and as much as it sounded like a cheery way to spend the morning, she couldn’t just...hover here.

Brrrr.

“Yes, brrrr. I’m a little preoccupied though,” she grimaced. “More of a bzzz bzzz if you get what I mean.” Bubbling in her stomach was the sick realization that she’d have to work with them to move. The sensation spread, that thick silence creeping through her mind as she breathed slowly, concentrating.

She could squirm about this later. Now was not the time.

Already she was shifting, kept mostly in one place, but insects were not meant to be stationary. Sophie didn’t let herself think, only let her body drop as she gave in, relented, leaned into the movements.

Posture shifting, she fixed her gaze on that echo creature, leaning leaning leaning towards it, letting that lingering adrenaline push her forward until she was moving moving flying towards it.

The creature turned, seeing that she was following and not caring that she was actually careening on a collision path with anything and everything in sight, that these wings at her back were not hers and that she didn’t know what to do with them and that they’d kill her in the end.

It leapt to another branch and Sophie threw her entire weight with it, narrowly avoiding crashing into a branch. She’d been there, done that--no need to repeat the experience.

Branch after branch she narrowly avoided, following that hollow echo of a creature through the trees, unable to land, to put her feet on the ground and support her weight on her own. No. Everything relied on those wings.

Minute after minute ticked away, no clue how long she’d been following, when the creature finally touched the ground, glitching into the unkempt grass. The swirls of blinding white against its dark form were stark in the shadows of the trees.

Brrrr.

Fuck. She’d known she’d have to land eventually, but some part of her hadn’t realized she’d have to land eventually. How had she done it before? When she’d leapt from that creature, she’d glided her way through the treetops and--right. It was all about where she put her weight.

“If I fall on top of you, no I didn’t.” The creature didn’t respond, only flicked its tail in what might have been impatience.

Okay. Here goes everything, she thought, careful to keep it to herself. There had never been a more crucial time to be alone--she didn’t even want to imagine what her friends would say if they could see what she was doing in the mindbubble.

All or nothing. Sophie leaned her entire body weight forward, tilting at a frightening angle as her body aimed head first for the ground, which rushed up to meet her. Her hands came up instinctively near her face, although they couldn’t protect her from feeling as though she were walking down the stairs on all fours.

Moments before she splattered her brain on the ground, she shifted. Her trajectory curved, sending her upright, a few feet above the ground, like a very sharp u-turn.

The wings stopped, and she dropped to the ground. Hard.

Her joints absorbed the impact better than she’d expected, but her muscles groaned and bones ached, her teeth set on edge.

That damned creature didn’t even seem to care, just saw that she was there and turned, gracefully glitching its way ahead.

“Yeah, no, it’s fine,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “We can just walk away from this, no problem.” She straightened back out, rolling her neck and shaking out some of the more bruised joints, jogging slightly to catch up.

This was a terrible idea, she realized. Absolutely nothing she’d done today could’ve been worse. Today had only begun a few hours ago and yet it had lasted her entire lifetime. Had looked her in the eyes and stared until she couldn’t bear it, until she’d seen it and turned away.

What was there to fight for?

The cottage, the people she was slowly walking away from, drifting farther and farther, dancing her way blindfolded till the very end.

The edge of the world she was always falling off.

Maybe she wasn’t immune to it, then.

She was alone often as of late.

Something--someone--flickered in the back of her mind, like a tiny little wordless question, though she didn’t know who it was. Mentally, she turned away from it, and they got the impression, fading from the peripherals of her consciousness.

How fucking pathetic they needed to check in on her when Dex was...like that.

She’d frozen.

What was the goddamned point of being a leader if she couldn’t take control in times of distress, when her friends were suffering and hurting. She still didn’t even know what the plan was.

The plan.

They didn’t have a goddamned plan.

And now she was trailing behind some mysterious creature that had glitched its way to her and dragged her along with its snare of intrigue.

Curtains of thick vines swept down, snaking their way through the grass, making the ground unbearably uneven--she nearly lost her footing several times. Pollen stuck to her arms, but the flowers became less and less frequent, more gnarly and cracked and haggard with each step away. She didn’t know what it was--maybe the flora in that village still thrived in honor of the gnomes who’d once cared for them. Lived for the people they’d lost.

Sophie watched the canopy leaves shift in the breeze, gaze trailing along the vines reaching all the way down to the forest floor, snaking amongst the grass. It was so far down.

The gnomes who’d been there before her, the gnomes who’d built those homes and platforms--they wouldn’t have been able to see the life below them. The bugs, the flowers, the pattern of the roots.

Yet they’d built it all anyway.

Calla would’ve loved the open space, clouded with the thrum of life.

Calla would’ve braided her worries away.

Calla would’ve helped Dex.

Brrrr.

The echo of its noise tore her from her thoughts, and Sophie became acutely aware of the leaves against her bare feet. Each crunching step took her further and further away. How much more was she willing to go?

Brrrr.

Apparently it didn’t matter. They were here.

That haze in her mind had grown so thick she nearly couldn’t stand to be in her own skin. Pounding pounding nothingness eternal against her conscience. Something clicked haphazardly in the back of her mind, and she moved to block out her friends before realizing--

That wasn’t her friends.

It never had been.

Brrrr.

Something else was crying out.

The creature circled around her feet, brushing up against her legs and humming to itself as if trying to remind her why they were here--although she’d never known in the first place. They were here, wherever...here...was.

Standing amongst the trees, a thick swath of vines intertwined and marked off the space between the two in front of her, blocking the path.

The echo creature looked back at her, then jumped through one of the small gaps, barely visible on the other side. It popped its head back through after a moment, waiting for her.

I cannot fucking believe myself, she swore, but she’d come this far. How could she get through? Sophie wasn’t cat-sized, so she couldn't fit through the hole the creature had jumped through, but she didn’t want to tear the vines either. Something inside her shuddered at the thought of harming them.

She took a step back, looking up.

There. About a dozen feet up was a larger gap--she could get through with enough force. But how could she get up there? She huffed with chagrin, stomach boiling as she realized the quickest option.

Brrrr.

She could’ve sworn there was a hint of impatience, of urgency in that one noise. And she held out her hands placatingly. “A minute, please.”

The wings at her back buzzed in anticipation, as she just hoped hoped hoped they’d go along with it.

Sophie crouched down,

and

jumped.

The wings followed along and she shot straight upwards, leaning backward and away to gain a little wiggle room before leaning leaning diving curving straight towards that gap in the vines. That Sophie-shaped gap she burst through.

Where was she?

What was this?

Sophie hovered in the air for a moment, surveying the area, the conglomeration of vines and tangles and webs and terror woven amongst the trees, the glisten of the bugs on the bark, the gleam of the sap trickling down the foliage.

BRRRR.

The creature made the noise again, and her gaze snapped down, that crystal sight helping her pick it out amongst the shadows. How was this part of the forest so dark?

It leapt nimbly through the vines, drawing her attention to the--

holy

fucking

hell.

It drew her attention to the distorted, frantic center of the mass, the thing desperately hanging from the vines--a monster. Ensnared.

[changingourdestiny]

Beyond Light Part 4: The Lightborn Captain

Summary:

Fireteam Paralight have successfully tracked down Phylaks. But after the baroness mocks Tif for their rank as a captain and association to Mithrax, both she and Fireteam Paralight quickly learn just why she was made a captain in the first place...

Previous Part: Here

Next Part: Here

As Fireteam Paralight entered the Nexus, Phylaks contacted them again, “They say you all are great warriors. Rae, Slayer of the Red Legion. Blaze, Destroyer of Oryx. Marcia, Light’s Shadow. But you I’ve never heard of…”

“I think she means you, Tif.” Berhane whispered. “I’m Tif. Captain of House Light and right-hand of Misraakskel.” Tif replied. “A human captain? Bah!” Phylaks began to laugh, “What a joke.” Tif let out a low growl as Phylaks continued, “You all are built with machine-weakness. God-dependence. You flee from battles you think you’ll lose. Prove you are worth my time.”

Tif muttered a curse in Eliksni under her breath as they continued into the Nexus. “What did Phylaks mean by ‘god dependence’? The Traveller?” Ghost asked, “I don’t feel dependent on or limited by the Traveller. I feel close to the Traveller. Protected. Or…I did.”

“What do you mean?” Rae asked.

“Ever since you got that splinter…I feel further away than ever.”

“Don’t worry. The second this power does anything to hurt you or me, it’s gone. I promise.”

“Thanks, Rae.”

“Don’t worry ya little core, Ghost.” Marcia grinned, “As someone who had Darkness that did hurt them, I can say- WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!”

Marcia looked on with a horrified expression as she spotted a large Vex marching with a group of smaller ones. “Is that a harpy…with legs?” Rae stared with a confused expression. “Who cares what it is, just kill it!” Blaze called out, gun at the ready.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Rae’s Dawnblade faded from her hands as the last of the Vex burned away as Blaze took out the cube powering the barrier blocking their way. “We should be close by now.” Marcia sighed as she reloaded her gun. “I see now you are a worthy challenge. A chance to hone my blade.” Phylaks’s voice came through once again, “Come find me, machine-spawns. I am waiting.”

“Alright then. Let’s keep pushing.” Rae said as the fireteam made their way deeper into the Nexus. As they did, Rae noticed Tif looking a little peeved. “You okay, Tif?” she asked. “Yeah…it’s just…” Tif began, “Phylaks is wrong. Just because I’m a Guardian, doesn’t mean I’m no less of a captain! And I’ll prove it to her! With or without Stasis.”

“That’s the spirit!” Marcia grinned, giving Tif a playful nudge, “Let’s give her a piece of our mind and let nothing get in our way!”

“Another Brig up ahead.”

“SON OF A-!!”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Fireteam Paralight arrive at what seemed to be piece of land surrounded by radiolarian fluid. Nearly as soon as they arrived, a ketch appeared overhead and Phylaks emerged from it, cackling as she landed on the ground, “I will bring your corpse to Eramiskel. I will forge myself a ring from your armour.”

“You won’t! We’ll defeat you!” Tif countered. “Ha!” Phylaks laughed, “You really think that you, a human playing pretend, can defeat me? I always thought Misraaks was a fool when I head of his ‘house’. But the fact he made a weakling of a human a captain? He’s truly an idiot.”

Tif tensed up, “Take. That. Back.”

“What-?”

“TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT MISRAAKSKEL!” Tif roared.

“Why should I? He’s an idiot kelling a house of idiots.”

Tif growled, “Rae, Blaze, Marcia. Stay back.”

“W-what?” Rae stared at Tif in disbelief. While her captain-esque mask hid their expression, Rae could make out Tif’s eyes behind the semi-transparent eyepiece that was designed to give off the illusion of Eliksni eyes. Tif’s expression wasn’t their cheery or determined one. It was rage. Tif took several steps forward until they were between their Fireteam and Phylaks. They glared directly glared at the baroness and growled out in Eliksni, “She da hu, et? Sha da go do bo ra!”

Phylaks narrowed her eyes at Tif as Blaze and Rae’s went wide. “What? What’s happening?” Marcia glanced between her fireteammates and Tif and Phylaks. “I recognise that phrase.” Ghost replied, “That’s what Taniks said when he was challenging us in the ways of old. Or at least that’s how Variks described it.”

“Tif’s challenging Phylaks by themself…” Rae muttered.

“Are they crazy?! They’ll get themself killed!” Blaze exclaimed.

Phylaks glared down at Tif before chuckling, “You may be small and weak…but I appreciate an opponent with guts. Come then! Show me what a ‘captain’ of House Light is capable of!”

Tif brandished their arc blade and lunged at Phylaks who managed dodge out of the way and fired at Tif with her own gun. Tif took a few shots to the shoulder but shook it off and fired her submachine gun at Phylaks.

Rae, Blaze and Marcia looked on as the two fought each other. Blaze’s expression was one of concern and fear as she reached for Firelight. Rae stopped her by putting her hand on her shoulder, “No.”

“But-!”

“This is Tif’s fight. If she gets in real trouble, we’ll intervene.”

Blaze, albeit hesitantly, removed her hand from her gun’s hilt, feeling helpless as she watched Tif take on Phalyks.

 “Surprising strength for such a tiny creature!” Phylaks chuckled as she teleported from platform-to-platform. Tif gave chase as the ground beneath them began to disappear, the others following suit but not engaging in the fight. Tif could feel themself running out of steam as they began over-exerting their Light, yet they kept pushing. Rae had never seen Tif like this. In battle, Tif would usually be chipper and easy-going, almost seeming to enjoy the battle and treating it like a fun experience. Now they seemed like a whole different person. Serious, determined, unrelenting, even aggressive to a point. This was it, she realised. This was why Mithrax appointed Tif as a Captain. Tif was more than just an optimistic soul who was friendly to everyone. They’re a strong leader who never gives up on others or themself; who would fight until they reached their limit and would still keep pushing if it meant protecting others; who put the safety of their friends and allies before their own. The best way Rae could describe Tif was the living definition of a Titan; a defender of all.

“GYAH!!”

Rae was snapped out of her thoughts as Tif went skidding across the floor as their helmet tumbled next to them, a large gash carved in it. Tif went to get to their feet but was grabbed by the neck and slammed against one of the blocks jutting up from the ground by Phylaks. Even in their situation, clawing at Phylak’s arm, Tif never dropped their expression. Their eyes wide with rage filling to the brim never looking away from Phylaks’s and their teeth bared as they struggled to break free from the baroness’s grip. “I must say, I’m impressed.” Phylaks began, “For a machine-spawn, you definitely put up a fight and I can respect that. But it still wasn’t enough to beat me.” Rae went to grab her gun to get the large Fallen away from Tif but stopped upon seeing a familiar shard floating above the platform, beginning to glow orange. “I’ll make your death quick as a reward.” Phylaks raised her arm as stasis began to gather in her hand. Tif squeezed their eyes shut as a familiar surge of energy began to swirl within them before letting out an enraged yell as a blast of stasis came surging outwards, sending Phylaks stumbling backwards. Phylaks looked back at Tif who had stasis swirling around them as they glared angrily at her, raising their fist. “I’m. Not. Done.” Tif growled as they clenched their fist which became covered in stasis crystals. “Good.” Phylaks hissed, a grin evident in her voice. Phylaks began to send waves upon waves of stasis towards Tif who swiftly weaved between them while sending out walls of their own. However, Tif seemed to be aiming at different points throughout the battlefield instead of towards Phylaks. That combined with Phylaks’s spikes made it hard for the baroness to move throughout the battlefield…yet Tif was able to squeeze past with ease. “Can you see them?” Blaze asked, desperately searching for Tif in the sea of stasis. “No, it’s too cluttered.” Marcia sighed in frustration, “We just have to hope Tif knows what they’re doing.”

“Hiding, are you?” Phylaks chuckled darkly, “That won’t defeat me, machine-spawn.”

“Nah. Just using size to my advantage!” Tif leapt up from behind a spike towards Phylaks and grabbed onto her face, using their stasis in an attempt to freeze her from the top down. Phylaks roared out in pain as she scratched at Tif’s back. Tif cried out in pain as Phylaks’s claws pierced their armour but refused to let go as Phylaks’s movements began to slow as the stasis began to freeze her in place. “Never call me or my house idiots again!” Tif yelled, “I’m Tif Kariuki the Lightborn Captain! And I will never let ANYONE hurt my friends!” As Phylaks slowly stopped moving, Tif leapt up, using Phylaks’s shoulders for momentum, and with a mighty yell, slammed down onto her with their frozen fist, shattering Phylaks into pieces. Tif landed on the ground amongst the frozen shards, breathing heavily as the stasis faded from them once more. They saw Phylaks’s splinter lying amongst the frozen shards and picked it up before turning to where Rae, Blaze and Marcia were watching, slack-jawed in awe at what they just witnessed. “That…” Marcia breathed, “…was the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.” Tif smiled brightly before picking up her helmet and placing it back on, “Let’s go back. I’m super tired now.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 “You guys should’ve seen it!” Blaze beamed as she sat by the fire with Drifter, Marcia and Eris back at the campsite, “I’ve never seen Tif like that! They were all like ‘Rah!’ and ‘Ba-boom!’ and- oh man, you should’ve been there. Phylaks deserved all of what she got!”

“Sounds like you got quite a show.” Drifter chuckled, “Though I’ll admit, wouldn’t have guessed so much rage could fit into that tiny kid.”

“Looks truly can be deceiving.” Marcia added as she looked over at Rae and Tif who were briefing the Stranger on what happened. “And that’s the majority of what happened.” Rae finished explaining. “I see.” The Stranger nodded before turning to Tif, “Well done. You’ve taken to stasis like a fish to water.”

“D’aww…thanks!” Tif grinned, blushing with embarrassment. The Stranger chuckled before continuing, “Eramis’s presence on Europa is not happenstance. Temptation set the wheels in motion, but obsession propelled her here. To destroy the Light with an army of Darkness – she and her followers make those selfish choices moment to moment. The Darkness places a spotlight on our desires as it once did me and those I cared about. For a time, I had forgotten…Humanity relies on our selfless acts to bring about a better world. Darkness is no more than a tool with which we do so. With splinters of Darkness still in hand, Eramis remains an immediate danger to humanity. Look within. Focus your power. Let it grow. The Ziggurat awaits.” Rae gave her a nod before turning back towards the campfire, “Marcia. We’re heading back up to the Ziggurat.”

“I’ma comin’.” Marcia called back as she got to her feet and began following them up to the Ziggurat. The whispers returned as they ascended the stairs. “I want fried chickeeeeeeen.” Marcia whispered, mimicking them. “Eramis stiiiiiiiiiiinks!” Tif whispered back, stifling a giggle. “Guys, knock it off!” Rae giggled. Upon reaching the top, Tif took out the splinter they got from Phylaks and held it towards the shard on the left. The shard glowed brightly as Tif felt another surge of energy flow through her. “Anything?” Rae asked. Tif held up their arm and summoned an orb if stasis in their hand. Their eyes lit up as they turned to Marcia and Rae, “I-I did it!”

“Nice!” Marcia grinned before jolting as she felt another pull, similar to the first time they arrived at the Ziggurat. “You feel that too?” Rae asked. “Yep.” Marcia replied, “Let’s go find another shard.”

 To Be Continued…

[nicole-lynne]

Worlds Colliding - Chapter Eleven

Here’s the next chapter!! I hope you guys are excited :) Please like and reblog, let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list! 

Relationships: Dean x OC, Sam, Stiles x OC, Scott

Warnings: Mention of car accident

Description: The two groups unite to find out what’s coming. Dean tells Natalie about his true feelings. 

Catch up here:

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter FiveChapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten

Natalie sat at the kitchen table, not a single emotion passed over her face. The plant on the other side of the room had captured her attention, effectively causing her to ignore every person that was sitting around her. The ticking of the clock was echoing in her ears, louder and louder. Stiles’ thigh was pressed against hers, barely any space existing between their chairs. His face was pinched into an angry scowl, his eyes never leaving Dean and Sam, who sat across from them.

Dean tapped his foot up and down in nervousness. With each passing moment, he resisted the urge to pound the skinny dork in front of him and take Natalie into his arms with a passion. She looked so gorgeous, more grown up than he could have imagined, but exactly the same as he remembered. His Natalie. Her hair was in a messy bun and she didn’t have any makeup on, but she was still flawless in his eyes. But he knew that she hated his guts. So he resolved to keep a blank face on and squeezing his hand into a tight fist over and over again.

“Why don’t we just explain what we’re doing here?” Sam finally offered, shifting in his chair.

Natalie scoffed and kept her eyes on the fern. She bunched up her shirt sleeves in her hands, needing to hold on to something for support. Something that wasn’t attached to a raging, testosterone-filled boy.

“I can tell you’ve really grown up, Nat.” Sam muttered under his breath. Natalie’s eyes widen in such disbelief at his comment.

“You have got to be kidding me. You don’t know anything about who I am, Sam. Not anymore.” He rolled his eyes at her, an annoyed expression twitching at his face.

She took a long look at Sam. He had gotten even taller than she had remembered, his hair starting to grow out just a little bit. His muscles were larger now and were fighting against his t-shirt. Natalie didn’t want to admit it, but he looked good. Although, he still carried himself the same way, his attitude was as if he was doing her a favor by being her. That attitude that made her want to reach out and yank his hair harshly.

“Nothing seems to have changed to me, you still act like a baby when things don’t go your way.” Sam said angrily. Natalie’s jaw dropped.

“Okay, Sam, that’s not effective for the situation. Can you cool it?” Dean directed his comment to his brother.

“You two ditched me, out of the blue, and expect that after five years of silence, I’ll welcome you back with open arms.” She turned her pitiless gaze to Dean, who still had yet to say a word to her since the diner. “You ripped my heart out and just left me to pick up the pieces.”

Dean’s heart punched against his chest in pain. “Nat... I’m so sorry. You have to know I was doing what I thought was best.”

She ignored his statement. “And now, I find out that you also knew about me being some sort of... supernatural... being and didn’t think it was information I might need to know?” Her voice had gotten low, animosity leaking from every word.

Dean went to speak but Natalie held a hand up to interrupt him. “Just save it. Let’s just stick with the facts that I need to know. The sooner I know, the sooner we can go our separate ways.”

Scott and Stiles watched the exchange back and forth like a tennis match, unsure when to jump in. Stiles reached under the table and put a soft touch on her thigh, reminding her that he was there for every step. She didn’t need to be afraid because he wouldn’t leave her, but he was proud of her for sticking up for herself. The soft touch of his hand lit a fire within her, giving her strength.  

Dean sighed in defeat and looked at the table, studying the grains. Sam’s arms were folded across his chest as if to show that he was in protest. Again, the ticking of the clock took over the strained kitchen.

Finally, Dean spoke. “When you were sixteen, I started noticing that all these weird things would happen around you. It’d be at times that you got very excited... or extremely angry. It was like a vacuum was sucking all of the air out of the room-out of my lungs. And you could move things, but I don’t think you noticed it.” Natalie’s heart thumped excitedly at his words, words of memories she didn’t have. “One night, you and Sam had a fight. He had caught you smoking weed with some kids from school. He forced you to come home and you were pretty upset.” She looked to Sam but his eyes were fixed downward. “You two kept yelling at each other, and even though I was trying to stop it, your...power...took over. You lifted off the ground and everything around you was flying into the air, straight at Sam’s head.” This story was scratching a part of her brain that was dying to come bursting out and she could feel a headache coming to the forefront of her brain.

Stiles’ mind was reeling at this information. He was dying to ask questions but he didn’t want to burst the moment, instead opting to let Dean continue uninterrupted.

“The thing is... my dad, us, we’re hunters.” Scott’s ears perked up at this confession. “My dad hates supernatural things. Something supernatural killed our mom.” Natalie frowned and a pit of sadness swelled in her stomach, but she shook it away. She refused to let this turn into some pity party.

Dean continued, “Sam knew that my dad would kill you if he ever found out what you were. And he’d probably disown me if he knew that I’d known. I was so scared, Nat. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, but I didn’t want to lose you. So I contacted our family friend, Bobby Singer, and he put me in contact with a Shaman.

“I took you to his shop one day and he performed a ritual that would take away your powers... but it also took away your memories of anything having to do with your powers. So you didn’t ever remember why Sam was so mad at you... why he didn’t want to be around you.” Sam’s shoulders tensed up at that comment.

Scott suddenly spoke up, “So you’re telling us that this shaman removed her ability to use her powers? How does that even work?”

Dean ran a rough hand over his face. “I’m not really sure. He had some ability to control spirits. He was chanting and her body was fighting it. Both of them were hovering in the air, her eyes turned completely white, and she... she created this type of force field; I couldn’t get near them. She was screaming and the sound of her screams were wrecking the room. It was terrifying...” He trailed off quietly. “All I know is that nothing ever happened after we went there. You were normal.”

Natalie’s eyes were piercing a whole through Dean’s head, harsh and unrelenting. “Why did you leave me alone? Why would you do that to me and then toss me aside like a used tissue?”

“Nat, I love y-loved you so much. I thought it would be better - safer - for you to live without the complications me and my family bring along. Especially now that you’re human.” His arm was begging to just reach out and grab her hand, but he ignored it just like he was ignoring every other urge in his body. He looked up at Natalie, his eyes pleading for her to understand where he was coming from.

Everything Dean had said had just made her angrier and angrier. Instead of staying with her - loving her - he had left her. He had taken a part of her soul just because she was different than his own family. The person that she had grown to love as a child was gone. Because her Dean would have never done something like that.

“So what am I? Because I sure as hell aren’t human.” Was all Natalie could say. All other words were escaping her mind at the moment.

A hurt look washed over his features, but he answered. “If I knew, I would tell you. But I’ve never seen someone else with those abilities.” He paused and closed his eyes. “I was just trying to do what was best, Nat.”

Stiles had been quiet the whole time, storing all the information he could. He had never heard of any supernatural creature with those abilities, but he was sure that Deaton would know if something like that existed. He kept his hand steady on Natalie’s thigh, rubbing his thumb in circles softly. Stiles could tell that she was clinging to her sanity, wanting to crumble into the floor.

“Why are you here then? If she’s not supposed to have her power anymore, why did you show up and mess around with her life?” Scott inquired. He was just as confused as the rest of them but he saw how hurt Natalie was and she was his friend first.  

At that, Sam directed his attention to Scott. “We were hunting a demon a little over a month ago and it was begging for us to let it free. Started talking about a girl that has these crazy insane powers, saying that their boss wants to use her for it’s own demented plans.”

“Yeah and...?” Stiles prompted.

“So, we’re questioning this little bitch some more and she’s telling us all about the things this girl can do. I don’t know how she knew, but she said every single one of your powers.” Natalie’s eyes looked back and forth between Sam and Dean. Everything that had come out that day was starting to suffocate her and she was trying to break her way out.

“You’re telling me, that a... demon... wants to kidnap me and force me to do his bidding. With powers that I don’t even have anymore.” The words were hanging in the air around her, closing in with each moment.

Stiles’ pulls her a little closer and whispers in her ear. “I won’t let that happen, baby. I won’t let anything hurt you. Ever.”

Natalie smiled at the sentiment, though in her heart of hearts, she knew that he would never stand a chance against a demon. A demon. Something that she thought only existed in her nightmares. Although she truly had no idea what kinds of things Stiles and Scott had fought in their high school career.

Dean tensed as he watched Stiles caress her back and whisper into her ear. He pictured yanking him out of his seat and breaking his arm with barely any effort. Scott sat a little taller as the reeking scent of jealousy increases in the room and he kept his eyes locked on Dean, who’s eyes were locked on his best friend.

Sam cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention again. “Natalie, I’m sorry for what’s happened in the past, but Dean and I won’t let those things get close to you.”

“But just to be safe, you should probably start wearing this again...” Dean slowly slides her necklace across the table and Natalie froze in her seat. The small little pendant stared up at her, waiting for her to bring it to its home around her neck.

“Wha-what the hell? Why would I wan-want to wear that, Dean?” She stuttered.

“This charm keeps you from being possessed by demons.” Sam and Dean pulled down their shirts to reveal matching tattoos of the design.

Natalie scooted the chair back as far as it could go and sighed. She grabbed the necklace reluctantly and started to head out of the room. “I need some time to think. This is all way too much.” Her voice cracked as a tear escaped its rightful place.

Stiles turned and started to follow her out of the room but Scott grabbed his arm. “Just let her have some space, man. I’m sure she’s really overwhelmed with all of these confessions today.”

Stiles knew that Scott was right, but every fiber in his body was calling out to Natalie. He wanted to pull her into his arms and shield her from all of this crap. He wanted to kick all of these people out of the house and spend the rest of the night watching movies with his girl. But... he also knew that Dean wouldn’t leave without a fight. Stiles knew that he cared about Natalie just as much as himself, and it was petrifying to him.

---

Two hours later and Natalie was still perched in a chair on the front porch, trying to soak up the last of the warmth for the day. Her eyes were puffy and her face completely flushed from crying, soft sobs occasionally bubbling back up out of her chest. For the most part though, she was done crying and just enjoying the view of the sun sitting on the horizon. Occasionally, the wind would sweep across the porch and blow through her hair, giving her the extra help to take a deep breath.

The door creaked open and her heart started pounding as she caught a glimpse of Dean sauntering out of the house. He had his hands stuffed awkwardly in his pockets and his shoulders were tense, like he was holding his breath, expecting her to start yelling at him.

“Hey there...” Natalie mumbled. She pulled her jacket around herself tighter, trying to create a barrier.

Dean plopped down on the stair steps and looked around at the neighborhood. “This is a really nice place you have here.” He sounded sad, his green eyes were searching through memories instead of the yard in front of him. Natalie’s body desired to reach out and rub his back, but she refrained. It was an automatic response that she didn’t know was still in her.

“Thanks, it’s a nice place to call home...” She trailed off.

“How can you afford this nice of a house? You’re only twenty-one. You have some fancy-pants job now?” He glanced over at the girl.

Natalie’s gaze fell to her hands, sitting lonely in her lap. “Laura passed away a couple years ago.” Dean’s stomach flipped.

“What? H-how?” He croaked out, shocked. Her aunt had been one reason that he had convinced himself that Natalie would be alright. And now he was hearing that she had been alone for years. He was such an idiot.

“Um, a car accident. It was near the end of winter and this car hit some black ice, crossed over the line, and hit her head on. She never even made it to the hospital.”

The color had left Dean’s face. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, Nat. I can’t even imagine how difficult that must have been. I know how close you and Laura were after...everything.”

Natalie started to speak but the words choked in her throat and water clouded her eyes.

He stood up and moved closer to Natalie but she waved him away. She had a couple tears running down her face but she wiped them away quickly and chuckled. “I’ll be okay, Dean. You haven’t worried about me for five years, no reason to start now.”

Dean sighed and sat down in the chair next to her. “I thought about you every single day, Nat. You have to believe me when I say that it nearly killed me to leave you that night. I’ve been running on autopilot all these years without you.” He reached for her, struggling to hold her hand in his.

“That’s a nice story, Dean, but not one of my favorites.” She said bitterly, avoiding his eyes.

He lifted his hand and cupped her chin, pulling her face closer to his. A small gasp left her lips in surprise, she could feel his warm breath on her face. Their lips were barely inches apart.

“I have been lost without you, Nat. And I’m so sorry that I hurt you and that I left you to pick up the pieces of your life alone. Especially after what happened to Laura. But I love you, I have since the day I met your sassy six year old self, and I promise that I will never hurt you ever again. I promise that I will love you until the end of my life. And I won’t let anything...else...hurt you either.” Natalie’s lip trembled, tears growing again, the lump had returned to her throat.

“I-I don’t know what to say, D” She managed to say. Her green eyes darting between his eyes and his lips with uncertainty.

Determination flooded through Dean’s eyes. “Just say you love me too. Say that you’ll forgive me and let me earn back your trust.” He pleaded.

Natalie wanted to scoff but something held her back. “You make it sound easy.”

His hand tightened around her tiny one with hope. “It is easy, baby. All of this has taught me is that I don’t want to ever be without you again. You make me strong.” His thumb brushed against her cheek, sending sparks dancing across her skin with passion. She was sure he could hear her heart banging in her chest.  

The man that she had loved for a majority of her life was here, in front of her, declaring his love for her. She wanted to scream that she loved him too and that she could forget everything he had done. It would be so easy to lean forward and kiss the lips that used to feel so familiar to her. It would make things so much easier if she could just forgive him for what he did. But her heart clenched at the thought of the past and her walls hardened again. A empty look passed over her face and she dropped his hand.

“I really appreciate everything you’ve said, Dean. And I don’t have any ill-will towards you. But it’s too late. Let’s just get this over with and we can go our separate ways.” With that, Natalie stood up and walked back into the house, leaving Dean alone in the night.

Dean cleared his throat and dried the tears that had escaped. He wished he could forget the look on her face, expel that memory from his head. Now he had to come to terms that the girl he’d loved for longer than he could remember was lost to him forever. He would never have her to call his own.

Tags:  @multifandomdisappointment @music-magic-mayhem @ghostaccio @screamxqueenx94 @rissyrapp20 @dark-night-sky-99 @pissoffghost-korg

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The human body is very resilient, but sometimes the amount of abuse it can take is absolutely remarkable. This list was created to showcase a myriad of stories concerning objects that have, at one point or another, been found in the human body. Whether by accident or on purpose, the sheer size and amount of these objects consumed will blow your mind.

#1 Light bulb If you’re a male and you find yourself in a prison, dropping the soap is definitely something to be cautious about. If you’re a man in a Pakistani prison however, you should be more concerned about the light bulbs you may have shoved up your butt as you sleep. A man named Fateh Mohammad was serving a sentence for bootlegging when he received the surprise of his life. One night he went to bed just minding his own business, and the next thing he knew he was experiencing severe pain in his lower abdomen. As the pain increased, Fateh was taken to the hospital where doctors were baffled as to how a large unbroken light bulb ended up in the man’s anus. Fateh denied any knowledge as to how it got there and claimed he must have been drugged at night as the other inmates or officers inserted it into him… a likely story.  It took surgeons about an hour and a half to remove. He was able to make a full recovery following the surgery, despite the psychological trauma it must have involved. His fellow inmates also now know Mohammad as the only man that has ever been able to bring light where the sun don’t shine.

#2 High Pressure Air Hose Steve McCormack took the term “freak accident” to a whole new level when he accidentally fell onto a high-pressure air hose that began inflating him like a balloon.  As McCormick was working on the brakes for his truck, he slipped and fell onto the valve. As his son began calling for help, the only two ambulances in their small New Zealand town were busy as was the medical helicopter. McCormack continued to grow larger as his colleagues attempted to jiggle him off the valve with no success. At one point, they were finally able to shut off the air, but McCormick was in excruciating pain as he had to lie there until help arrived. The air had filled every available crevice of McCormick’s body including behind his eyelids. This put dangerous pressure on his heart. When the needle to administer the morphine was placed in his skin, it shot right back out due to the pressure. His skin began to crackled like bubble wrap. After three days, McCormick was able to deflate through excessive flatulence and burping. He was able to make a full recovery following the accident.

#3 Cobblestones Many people have fights with their significant others, but few can claim that they decide to go consume more than 20 cobblestones out of pure rage. A woman from Foshan, China decided to do just that in 2006. She first believed the stones could be digested the old fashion way, but when she began experiences severe stomach pain as the cobblestones banged together, she went to the hospital. Doctors were absolutely shocked at finding the 20 cobblestones lumped in the bottom of her stomach. While doctors urged her to have surgery quickly, the girl decided to go the intelligent route and Google advice on online medical forums. To the best of my knowledge, she did decide to have the surgery and was able to make a full recovery, despite most likely losing her boyfriend.

#4 Various pieces of metal A man was admitted to a hospital when doctors found a 12lb mass located in his stomach. The mass was so heavy it was dragging his stomach down to his hips. The man’s name is not known, but he had been previously admitted to the hospital for similar circumstances. The man decided to go to the hospital after his stomach pain grew so severe that he was unable to eat, drink, or have bowel movements. Doctors were shocked to find the man had eaten of $650 worth of coins, necklaces, needles and various other metal objects over a period of 10 years.  Surgeons acted quickly to remove the foreign objects from his stomach, but he died from complications. The man was thought to be suffering from a psychological disorder known as pica, where people have the compulsion to eat non-edible objects.

#5 78 pieces of cutlery While the X-ray of Margaret Daalmans’s stomach looks like she’s housing a jellyfish, it’s actually a mass of the 78 pieces of cutlery she decided to consume. She explained that when she went to eat food, she would end up eating her utensils instead. Furthermore, she had a mysterious aversion to eating knives, with forks and spoons being her utensils of choice. Also thought to be suffering from a severe case of pica, Daalman had been treated several times in the past for similar utensil consumptions, but this particular time she decided to consume the whole utensil canteen. Margaret was able to recover and is working on getting help for her pica.

#6 Unexploded bomb Channing Moss is now known as a true war hero after miraculously surviving an unexploded bomb being lodged into his lower abdomen. In 2011, he was on a routine patrol in Afghanistan in an armored car when he and his crew were suddenly attacked by a barrage of rocket propelled grenades sent at them that killed two of their men. The grenades were very powerful and capable of killing every human standing within a 30 foot range, but somehow it failed to detonate as it became lodged in between Moss’s hips. The team’s only paramedic happened to be with Moss at the time and quickly took care of him. The medical helicopter was called, but it took many hours for it to arrive because of the fighting in the surrounding area. Not only was Moss in excruciating pain and forced to wait hours for the helicopter, he was almost left for dead being that the bomb endangered other soldiers and the military had a rule against transporting injured soldiers that endangered others. Fortunately, the helicopter crew decided to go against military policy and agreed to take him to the nearest hospital. By the time he arrived, his heart had all but stopped due to the massive blood loss. Luckily, one of the few bomb experts happened to be at the hospital the same time as Moss and was able to detonate the bomb in a safe location. Surgeons worked tirelessly and Moss was able to make a full recovery and even walk again. He received the Purple Heart and Medal of Valor for his struggles.

#7 Clothing When 20-year-old Anuj Ranjan came in for a surgery to treat a chest infection, doctors were astounded to find a belt lodged inside of him from a car accident years earlier. He had gotten into the severe car accident in 2006, which had left him with a gaping wound in his abdomen. Ranjan had been suffering from tuberculosis and an infection at the time, which caused a passage to form in his chest. Ranjan was in need of surgery to fix the passage and help treat the infection in order to save his life. As doctors began finishing up his surgery, they suddenly found an 8 inch section of a belt along with some cloth fragments wedged between his lung and heart. The mystery of the infection had been solved, as was Ranjan’s complaints of chronic chest pain.

#8 Microphone stand Usually when a story starts out with a pregnant woman being impaled by a microphone, it definitely doesn’t seem like it could end in any way, but tragedy. Jessie Wickham’s story, however, is one of extreme luck when she had found herself with a 3 foot microphone stand sticking out of her after falling off of a loft. Despite the danger of not only being impaled by a microphone, but the 20ft. fall itself, Wickham only suffered a punctured lung as the mic missed both her baby and heart by only millimeters. She instructed her kids to call 911 and was soon airlifted to a hospital. While it probably didn’t go the way she pictured it would, surgeons were able to deliver the baby unharmed by c-section. Medics decided to leave the stand inside her until she arrived at the hospital where it was surgically removed. She made a full recovery as did her baby.

#9 A stone baby Nine months seems like a long time to most expectant mothers, but how about 60 years? Huang Yijun, a 92 year-old woman from China baffled doctors as she delivered a baby made of stone. In a very rare case of lithopedia, the fertilized egg became stuck outside of the uterus and being that it was already too far along in development, the egg didn’t break down like it usually does. As the child continued to develop, it was calcified and never removed because her body never saw it as an unnatural object. She lived over half a century with the stone baby and never made an attempt to remove it because of her lack of money. Yijun had been visiting the hospital for an unrelated injury to her stomach when the fetus was found and delivered. It hadn’t caused her much discomfort despite being quite heavy. Yijun made a full recovery following the delivery.

#10 Pea Plant In 2009, Ron Sveden received the news that no one wants to hear when he was rushed to the Cape Cod Hospital.  They told him that they had found a mass in his lung and had to do a biopsy to learn more. It had all started a few months prior when he began to suffer from fatigue, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and frequent coughing. The 75-year-old had been a lifelong smoker and feared the worst when he was given the news of the mass. His condition had rapidly worsened and he was rush to the hospital where he spent 10 days waiting for the news that he expected to be lung cancer. After doing an X-ray, the doctors had found that Sveden’s lung had actually collapsed and contained some sort of dark mass. After further testing, doctors were amazed to find the mass wasn’t actually a tumor. The mass had been a small pea plant that had begun to grow in the man’s lung. Sveden had told doctors that he thought the pea pod had just ‘gone down the wrong way’. Fortunately, doctors were able to quickly operate of Sveden and remove the now half-inch long plant from his lung. After his operation hospital staff decided there was nothing better to give him for a first meal than some peas, which he gladly consumed.

Source: TopTenz