Her hand raised itself, the bloody red sword dripping and held like a javelin as her other arm was outstretched preparing to aim. Numbers, angles, trajectories ran through her head and processed themselves like a calculator in sketchy white lines as the entire room seemed to darken in her eye, almost as though it were a blueprint for a skyscraper. The hilt of the sword began to slip out of her fingers, threatening to launch itself, and the most unthinkable thing happened, Nicola catching herself at the last second, mouth opening into a small gape. That was the first unbelievable event that she witnessed. Lowering her blade and letting it clatter on the ground, she watched as Madison smacked away the monster that was attempting to kill her.
The recoil and reaction she had watched was almost astounding. This was the same girl who could barely wield a weapon some time ago, right? And here she was, slapping the creation she once feared and facing the consequences. It was quite the change from what she remembered. Unfortunately, it was the also the wrong time to stop herself and admire that bravery, anger flaring as her hands curled into fists once she saw the same hand reach up and mangle the petite girl.
Splotches of vermilion splattered the back and Nicola's face contorted. The treatment that Madison received was far worse than when she herself was being choked by this creature. The way it ravaged and tried to kill her, flinging her body around like a limp doll or plaything, was disgusting and inhumane. One part of her mind tried to convince her that it was only expected by how Madison had defied her fate by this monster's hands, that it was logical. The other half was screaming at her for hesitating and not stopping the whole thing before it happened. If only she hadn't hesitated and thrown the stupid stick right through and let that thing die. Why was she so reluctant to jump into action? There wasn't anymore damage that could actually be done by now. Gods, she shouldn't have let Hieta convince her that apologizing would be a good idea. It couldn't possibly get any worse than this. No fucking way.
...
. . .
. . .
And just like that, Nicola was shoved off to the side, falling back as her head hit the edge of the table, pain searing through her temples. Her vision grew hazy and everything was difficult to discern, lavender powder filling the air like smog and breathing only clogged her airways, violent coughing sounding as it shook her entire figure. Both of her eyes were shut closed, arm reaching up to try and block anymore of the substance from coming in. One eyelid lifted itself in time to see Madison lean far back enough on the window and begin the plummet to the ground. Nononono. Trying to lift herself back up, the weight of the hallucination still clinging onto her ankle made it almost impossible to stand up.
Snatching her sword, she began to pry its beak open with minimal success, and it felt like she was working at a snail's pace, unable to do anything successfully. The roaring stampede of hallucinations rushed past her in a whir, following her friend out of the window. Trying to look back, a cloud of purple puff reached up, and she could only confirm that they were gone as well. Maybe. And suddenly, the dog and bird hybrid disappeared, and Nicola got back on her feet almost too quickly that she nearly fell back, catching her balance with the help of the couch's arm.
Slowly, her eyes darted around the room, first meeting Owen - who appeared more shocked than she expected - to her foot, which was now dangling awkwardly, almost detached from the rest of her leg before locking with the same disgusting humanoid that had almost knocked all of the air out of her on their first encounter. Saliva escaped its mouth upon sounding out the holler, and Nicola mentally steeled herself for some kind of beating or anything, only to see it retreat and burst right into Madison's room... Or one of the rooms.
Without waiting another moment, she dashed towards the window, hovering over the sill, to see Madison's figure distantly in the garden. Her eyes were closed. She couldn't be dead, right? The hallucinations disappeared. If she had died, then they would've all escaped to the real world and they would be dealing with a manifestation that would end with their deaths. Nicola gritted her teeth, banging the side of the window, her knuckles growing red. Blood seemed to run from her foot, leaving a trail of crimson in a sluggish manner from where she was originally. The feather was still in the palm of her hands, carefully slipped into her pockets. And before anyone could say anything, she clamored over the window, her legs dangling dangerously. One hand clung onto the sides, and her eyes narrowed as she focused.
She pushed off.
Landing on her feet, the force of the fall overtook her leg, knees buckling as she fell forward beside Madison. With her sword, Nicola barely managed to stand up again, resting on it like a cane and she was completely disabled. She was a complete mess, but this...? This? What the fuck could she do? It was starting to come to a point where she was questioning her own actions, reviewing them like a bystander who had monitored her entire life, watching it as though it were a movie in the theaters to enjoy.
Everything she did, in the end, someone got hurt. Heroics and silly antics.
If she didn't do something, would there have been less damage? Could someone have died in all of those incidents? It wasn't the first time. She killed her own brother because she got him involved in something he shouldn't have. This was stupid. She was stupid. What kind of genius couldn't figure out a solution that would resolve these to a perfect ending?
Fuck it all.
Fuck all of it.
There had to be another way, another ending, something to restart this, begin at a point where everything could be right. Madison wasn't dead. They could start over somehow, right? Looking up back to the window, it finally occurred to her that she had ditched Owen. Oopsie. Raising her voice as loud as she could, still hoarse from inhaling whatever that thing was from before, and she managed to find the right words. Somehow. "Don't just stand there! G-get help. Please..."
