forum Something Waits in the Woods // OxO or Small Group // Closed

Started September 15, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

tune

((Sorry!))

Once Maddie made it to her hideaway, she would see a note sticking out from in between two books: Seeing the Flame and Hidden Reflection. Its where Yannaleis always left notes for her comrade there, not wanting to disturb her but also wanting to deliver news to her. Silent and efficient.

The contents of the note would make her aware that despite her best efforts, Yanna was going to talk to the boy. Bellamy Remington. The miracle boy. The only one to return among all the students that went missing… Jessica Abernathy, Maxwell Montgomery, Fergus Smith, Caroline Harris….and Cassandra, her very own sister. Gone without a single trace. For months their names were whispered tragedies in the halls. And all of a suddenly, Bellamy returns. Shivering, terrified, and useless. He offered nothing to the authorities and claimed he hadn't a single recollection of what happened.

How was that possible? He'd been missing for months, and so many students along with him, but he couldn't offer anything? Not a location, not a name, not a minute memory? Nothing. Or at least that's what he told everyone. Yannaleis, for one, didnt believe him. It simply wasn't possible. Had it been Cassandra who'd returned, she would've saw to it that a picture could be drawn with absolute accuracy with the details she would regale.

If only it had been Cassandra…

Yannaleis narrowed her eyes as she stormed down the cobblestone walkway, towards the Tavus building. A place she spent a lot of her time, tinkering and excersing her ingenuity. Although, recently, she spent her time in the library or at the edge of the school grounds, despite the warnings she'd recieved. School stories, regional mythos, any marks from beasts or enemies unknown. It consumed her every moment, the need to find those kids. To find her sister. To find the thing that was snatching them away one by one.

She knew he was the answer. He had to be.

Dressed in a sharp, charcoal black vest and skirt, the sleeves of her white blouse rolled up to her elbows, Yannaleis took a moment to collect herself before she entered workroom. Yanna had come to find that Bellamy spent a lot of his time in this very room, even before he was abducted. She'd never really paid attention to him, but she'd gathered that he was a rather studious boy. And since he returned, he was a ghost that floated about the same circuit. She knew this because she watched him. A low blow.. becoming a stalker, but she hardly cared.

Even now, it was quite obvious that there were…. pressing matters on Yannaleis' mind. Her clothes were wrinkled like they'd been slept in. Her hair was messy, strands falling around her face like spider webs. And the night before, she'd cracked one of her monicule lenses and hasn't bothered to repair it. If Bellamy was a ghost, she was a mad woman. But what scared her most was that she was alright with that.

If it means I find Cassandra….

With a less then steadying breath, Yannaleis knocked on the door gently.If he didnt answer, she would see herself in. But one way or another, she would speak to the boy. She just hoped Maddie would join her soon. Despite the facade of confidence in her discrumpled state, she wasn't sure she could do this alone.

"Bellamy?" She called. "Bellamy Remington? I'd like to speak with you."

Bel whirled, nearly dropping the gears in his hands. He set them on the table beside a half-built creation, raising his eyebrows faintly as he studied her. He knew who she was; her sister was one of the other vanished. Sometimes he wasn't sure he had really come back. Maybe this was a dream and he was still…he was still…wherever he had been. He adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, coughing faintly. Grease stained his fingertips, and was smeared on his face where he'd rubbed his cheek.

"Oh. Come in." he said slowly, still studying her carefully. She didn't look…well. Then again, neither did he, so it was unfair to judge her. Or at least, he supposed it was. He cleared his throat, busying himself with straightening up the supplies on the table. What did she want with him? He hoped it wasn't information about…what had happened. His hands shook again and he pressed them flat against the table, taking a breath and gathering himself. "What do you want?" his hair was falling into his face, russet strands brushing across his forehead.

He hoped he wasn't being rude. Sometimes it felt like he'd forgotten how to interact with humans. Other people. Normal people. His mouth twitched in what seemed like an attempted smile, but it just looked…wrong. Inhuman, somehow. Like the smile wasn't a normal human instinct, but instead the calculated attempt of a fumbling machine. He quickly dropped it, looking away and coughing into his fist, before his eyes darted back to her, narrowed and concerned as to what she wanted from him. Bel knew she must be upset that he had come back. If she'd lost a sister to…to…to whatever had taken him, then…anyone would be upset. His eyebrows furrowed faintly. He still couldn't remember what had happened. Couldn't even remember the nightmares; they vanished as soon as he awoke, leaving only fear and terror in their place.

Madeline quickly checked the two books Yannaleis often left notes between-checking had become a habit by now. Her eyes quickly scanned the sheet, which she hurriedly shoved among her other papers. "Madwoman." She muttered under her breath, going to follow her to where she said she was headed, shaking her head. "Absolute madwoman." She might as well be present for whatever confrontation was about to happen-at least to ensure her friend didn't scare the poor boy more.

Yannaleis stayed in the doorway for a moment, her golden brown eyes practically in the shadow she stood in. Her eyes were intent and focus as they ran along the length of the boy before her. His hair, unruly as it was, was the shade of brown that nature was made out of. His skim was pale, like a bed sheet, and his eyes….The grey of a gravestone, the dark rings around them only intensifying that gaze…He was tall and thin. A timid looking, shadow of a handsome boy. If times were different, Yanna would've enjoyed seeing him smile, seeing the freckles brighten to life on his cheeks. Instead, she did her best to keep her face calm. She wanted to scowl; furrow her brows and clench her jaw. But she figured that Bellamy had received enough of that. She could be peaceable.

A moment passed in thick, uncomfortable silence. It took that moment for Yanna to realize that she probably didn't appear as peaceable as she intended to. Sleep had been far from her the last few nights and it showed on her person. With a hot wave of embarrassment, Yannaleis gave a small cough and looked away. "My apologizes for interrupting you. I could imagine that you wish to be alone. But I….." She what? She wanted to interrogate him like all the rest have? She wanted to make him remember things that his mind perhaps simply couldn't? She wanted to accuse him of hiding the truth? Well…..yes, but standing before him, all her ire suddenly vanished and she no longer thought that to be the correct way to go about this.

"I have a sister." She stated suddenly. "Her name is Cassandra– I'm sure you know this." There were very few who didn't know of Cassandra. Where Yannaleis was more intellectually oriented, Cassandra was warmer…. she loved making friends and always had a natural talent for the more social aspects of life. Yanna had always loved that about her sister….but the feeling sat sourly in the pit of her stomach. "She was taken. Only three weeks after you." Her hands clenched at her sides as she blinked through the burning sensation in her eyes. Yannaleis refused to cry. She needed answers and she wasn't going to get them in a puddle of tears.

"I just want to know what happened." She breathed. "Whatever you can tell me, I'll take it."

"I remember her." he said quietly. "From before." it was the first thing he could think of to say, the first thing that would show he had heard. He understood. He fidgeted for a moment, eyes watching her for a long, silent second. "I'm…I don't remember." he looked down at the table, at the gears and tools that lay on it. "It…I…" he shook his head, eyebrows gathering towards each other. "I don't remember anything." sometimes he thought he remembered flashes, but he could never be sure. Not without someone else to back up what he thought he remembered, because it could always be his imagination. The bare scraps he remembered of his nightmares couldn't be trusted either; it was the subconscious, after all, and who knows if those were true to what had happened. So he had nothing. Nothing to say and no idea what had happened to him. "I'm sorry about your sister." he added the words after a quiet moment, gaze flickering back up to Yannaleis, then back down to his hands.

Madeline used her free hand to hike up her skirt a little, allowing her to move up the stairs quicker, pointedly ignoring the stage whispers of two particularly irritating and nosey boys who caught a glimpse of ankle how scandalous! She made her way down the hall of private rooms, looking around for any sign of her friend or Bellamy- she, admittedly, was not as familiar with this building, favoring other areas of study. She finally spotted the pair at the doorway of one room, letting out a slight breath. Madeline straightened herself, fixing a polite smile on her face as she approached, trying to act natural.

Yanna’s smile faltered at the boys’ words. In her heart she knew he would say such a thing, but she’d rejected that excuse long before she got here, long ago when she was given the news that Bellamy was back. She simply couldn’t accept it. It was as fi a switch had been flipped in her mind; her brows furrowed and her eyes darkened, her lips flattening to a thin, pale line.

“That’s not true.” He’s lying. He has to be. Why is he lying?

Yannaleis lifted her chin so that she managed to look down on the boy, even though they were the same height when her heeled boots were brought into account. Her hands came from her sides, folding on her navel, like a bolt being locked into place. There was a reason she was given the nickname Victoriam, when there was something she wanted, she got it.

“It’s impossible that there isn’t a singe thing you remember. Amnesia? But you suffered no head trauma, so it isn’t likely. Even in the case of trauma, one can never truly forget everything.” Her words grew short and crisp. “Are you covering for someone? I’ll have you know that is the most daft thing you could. Lying for any reason in this situation is down right foolish! And selfish!” she paused, noting that her voice was rising. She took a breath, but her ire was still evident. “You need to try harder to remember. There are people depending on you.”

Bellamy drew his shoulders back at her tone, at the rising voice. He usually wasn't argumentative, not anymore, but that didn't mean it was impossible to get him to be more argumentative. "I am not lying." he said. His voice was quiet, but firm. A little shaky, but not badly so. "But I don't remember a thing, and you accusing me of being a liar and telling me what did or did not happen to me will not suddenly, magically make me remember." he took a single step closer to her. He had been part of the debate team, before. Wasn't now. None of the other students wanted to work with him anymore, and he understood that. Didn't particularly mind, either. He preferred time alone now. "That's not how memories work. I'm so glad you somehow know everything about what happened, enough so as to tell me I didn't suffer any head trauma. Fascinatingly, that's more than I knew, so maybe you're the one lying." he knew quite well she wasn't lying but he was so sick of people constantly questioning him, patronizing him, and shouting at him. So tired of everyone whispering behind his back. So his words came out razor sharp and cutting, his own chin lifting and his shoulders angling back.

"Before you say anything more, I am aware your side focus is medicine. That does not make you an expert in medical anything, especially when my medical records are sealed and you should have no way of knowing what's on them." he had requested they be sealed, and the school had complied. After what had happened…well, the scarring on his body wasn't something that should be public knowledge. Along with a few other…anomalies. "So unless what you're saying is that you illegally accessed my medical files in order to snoop around and hurl baseless accusations at me, I shall thank you for never again telling me what may or may not have happened. If I want your opinion on the matter, I shall ask."

Madeline smiled kindly as she walked up, gently placing a hand on Yannaleis's shoulder. "Hello." She said politely, giving a slight nod. "I'm terribly sorry about my friend, she can be quite intense." She squeezed Yannaleis's shoulder a little bit, trying to signal for her to slow down, cool of a little. "She is easily impassioned, I'm sure she didn't intend to make you uncomfortable."

"I would never do anything of the sort!" Yanna exclaimed. Her hands gripped one another at her navel and she grew tense. How selfish could he be?! Yannaleis gave an aggravated huh as she looked away from him, not wanting him to see the glossiness of her eyes. She was so tired and so lost without her sister. And the fear of being taken as well was one she constantly fought, especially at night when the shadows seemed darker which each sunset. He was the only lead she had, he was her only hope in remaining sane. She couldn't lose this, she couldn't.

Clearing her throat, Yannaleis fixed a fiery look on him. "I was merely reminding you of what's at stake. None of the other's were lucky enough to be returned like you were. And I'll have you know that we did everything we could to find you. And I assumed that you would return the favor and do your uttermost to help. Be I see you'd rather hide… as if that'll make things better. It won't, and you-" Yannaleis froze as a hand gripped her shoulder.

The sound of Madeline's voice filled her with instant relief and embarrassment. She said nothing as her friend interjected, taking over the conversation gracefully despite Yanna's less then appropriate manners.

Bel's eyes flicked to Madeline, then back to Yanna. "Well, thank you for the reminder." his voice was sharp, his words sarcastic. "I am not hiding, and I fail to see how I can possibly return the favor, when I remember nothing." he remembered nothing. He hated it and yes, he wished he could help, but he certainly wasn't going to say so, not when she had come in here and attacked him as she had done. He certainly wasn't going to volunteer anything, either. If she wanted information, she could try to drag it out of him, like pulling teeth.