AvatarofBahamut Presents
I Should Have Stayed in Bed
An Assassin's Creed 2 Fanfiction
Currently Rated T, mostly for language, violence, and suggestive dialogue. However, this may change depending on reader feedback and the author's own judgment.
Chapter 1: And It Was All in Good Fun
What Halloween could mean to a person often depended on how old they were and what part of their life they were in. As a child, one enjoyed dressing up as a cool cartoon character or mythical figure and impressing your friends. The adults gave you candy, more than any other time of the year. It was pretty much a time to be silly and wild and it was all in good fun.
Halloween for a college student, however, was very different, at least at this university. Halloween was an excuse to throw wild parties, dress up in seductive costumes, and basically get yourself wasted. Or, that's how Seona saw many of her peers celebrating the occasion. As far as she was concerned, she wasn't having anything to do with it. It seemed rather wasteful, especially since they were right in the midst of midterms. Not that a party couldn't be fun, but was it a requirement to look and behave like you had the common sense of a dung beetle?
Seona Watson was a freshman at Peace Garden State, many hundreds of miles away from the windy city of Chicago where she was from. She was ambitious, diving right into her double major of Mathematics and Physics. It was tough work, but it was on subject matter that absolutely fascinated her. She wanted to uncover the inner workings of the universe, and use her knowledge to revolutionize the world for the better. She was very studious and hardworking between many hours of schoolwork and a job washing dishes for one of the dining centers on campus.
Wednesday was her day off, and it just so happened Halloween was on a Wednesday this year. She had only a couple of classes in the afternoon the next day, so if she wanted to stay out late, she could have. But, what was there to do, really? She was too old for Trick or Treating and not interested in the parties the Frats were throwing tonight all over campus.
The young woman was flopped over on her side on the top bunk in her dorm room, staring at the ceiling. She looked at her watch, which read 7:03 pm. It was way too early to go to sleep. And her studying was done for the day. There was no choir practice tonight either.
Her eyes wandered to her closet, which was open a crack. She had a costume, actually, but generally reserved it for trips to Sci-Fi conventions and other such things. It was a very long, dark blue robe with black and silver trim along the sleeves and a very large hood. It came with a belt which had a couple of pouches as well, and Seona often added a walking stick as a personal touch.
But, it wasn't like she was going anywhere tonight. At least, not that she was planning. She sat up after a while, running her hands through her long, wavy wheat blonde hair while she tried to think of something to occupy her time. She supposed she could get ahead in her studies if she really wanted to… then again… maybe she should take a minute to relax. After all, she hadn't had much of a break since school started.
After a few minutes, she heard footsteps and the turn of the doorknob to her room.
"Hello!" The cheerful voice of her roommate reached her ears. She looked down to see the older girl come in, dressed in her normal green sweatpants and T-shirt, save for the fact she also wore cats ears on her head and a fluffy tail around her waist. She was similar to Seona in her build, if quite a bit taller, and her eyes were a much darker brown.
"Good to see you. How was work, Karen?" Seona asked her dreamily, starting to feel her mind slipping into a dream. Karen pulled out a brush and quickly worked any mishaps out of her own chocolate colored hair.
"It was quiet, not many people are studying today. So I pretty much had the Computer Lab to myself." Karen replied.
"That's not surprising; everyone's been talking about parties all day." Seona smiled sarcastically.
"Speaking of which…. Are you going to Gamer's Club tonight?" Karen asked, noticing Seona's arm draped over the side of the top bunk.
A sudden thought that had eluded her seemed to come bounding out to slap Seona in the face.
"Oh, snap! That's right! Gamer's Club is having a Special Halloween night, aren't we?" Seona snapped back into reality as she leaped from the bed, only to land on her butt when she hit the floor. Seona rubbed her backside, which was now throbbing from the impact.
"Oww…Ouchie…."
"Uh oh, you alright roomie?" Karen put her brush aside to help Seona get to her feet. Seona balanced herself, but found she was fine after a few seconds.
"I don't think my butt's broken. It's all good."
"Ok. Do you need some ibuprofen or anything?" Karen asked. Seona made her way to the medicine cabinet and grabbed a bottle with her name scribbled on in permanent marker.
"No, I've got some, but thanks!" Seona drank down the medicine with a glass of water. She proceeded to her closet, where she pulled out her costume that had been sitting in there for months. She dusted it off, and pulled it on over her dark blue jeans and purple T-shirt.
Seona found herself really lucky. Both she and her roommate were from very different parts of the country, and yet they both found they had many similar interests. On top of that, the two had been very amicable, perhaps starting to even become friends. Both were Physics majors, they both liked the same music, and they both shared one hobby in particular, video games. Seona was never a hardcore gamer, but she had enjoyed them profusely even since she was eight years old.
And there was a club here at the university dedicated to just that. Perhaps one of the only places Seona found herself talking not only freely, but often. And tonight, she remembered, they were planning a Soul Calibur tournament, something she had been looking forward to since it was her favorite game series.
Seona adjusted the belt on her robe and grabbed her staff.
"So, Karen, what do you think?" She presented herself, swinging her staff as if to cast a spell.
Karen grabbed her purse and keys.
"Try putting your hood up!" Seona did as she requested, pulling the hood of her robe not too far over her eyes. She could see Karen through it and cracked a smile.
"That looks really cool."
"It's comfortable, too," Seona laughed, "You look pretty awesome, too!"
Karen adjusted her cat ears and drew a pair of whiskers on her face. Light was almost gone outside now as the streetlamps started illuminating the street and sidewalk outside. The freshman and sophomore made their way out into the hall before locking the door behind them.
The third floor of Cardinal Hall was pulsating with the sound of hip-hop coming from down the other end in the student longue. Several people whipped past Karen and Seona from the elevator, several of them dressed in costumes. Most were dressed like firefighters, sexy witches, ghosts, and vampires. Perhaps even at one point there was a werewolf in the crowd.
The hallway was dimly lit, save for a few lamps. The large billboard towards the door leading to the stairs was covered in posters, from help wanted signs, to event postings, to even reminders of certain key dates in the school calendar. The walls were adorned with orange lights and there was even a Jack-o-lantern at the entry way to the longue. Karen and Seona maneuvered their way past the crowd of people to the stairs, breathing in a heavy sigh of relief as they shut the door behind them.
Karen turned over to see Seona's face growing very pale, and she was slightly shaken.
"Woah, are you ok? You don't look so good, Seona."
Seona felt her heart fluttering like a Butterfly trapped in a net.
"Sorry, I'm just… not very comfortable with being cramped in like that. With a bunch of people." Seona admitted. Karen pulled her gently along down the stairs.
"It's ok. There will be less people if we go this way. You know how we Americans are." Karen tried to reassure her with a light bit of humor, knowing it was something Seona responded to readily.
"Stairs? What are these 'stairs' you speak of? Doesn't everyone just take the elevator nowadays?" Seona caught on, feeling the color coming back into her face. She started to giggle, which was a good sign for her roommate.
They quickly spun down the several flights of stairs to the back entrance of the building. Karen opened the door to see the sidewalk dark from the rain that had fallen earlier that day. The two girls began their journey across campus, conversing with each other as they went along.
"So, Seona, have you started learning some Italian yet?" Karen asked. Seona chuckled.
"I've got Arabic to study for, so it's been rather slow... I think I've made enough progress to say 'I'm lost and I don't speak much Italian.' Maybe I can even ask where the bathroom is!"
Karen shook her head.
"Seona, Seona! How are you going to know what's going on when you come with us to Rome on Spring Break? All it will sound like to you is 'spaghetti alfredo gnocchi!'"
There was some truth to that, Seona thought. Karen, and then the Gaming Club president Nanette, her boyfriend Peter, and then another friend, Abdi, were all planning to fly to Rome in April for their vacation. They'd be staying with Nanette's grandparents, whom apparently weren't very fluent in their English. They might be able to get away with a few words here and there, and there were several people in Italy would speak English just fine, from what Seona had heard. But, for the most part, she'd have to get used to speaking and understanding a language different from her own.
"Hey, don't worry too much about it, ok? We're still six months away from that trip! I'm just giving you crap."
Seona looked away as the two of them continued across campus.
"Hey Karen?" Seona asked.
"What's up, roomie?"
Seona looked up at the clouds that made the sky seem even darker as night set in. She could hear the squeals and laughter of children hunting for sweets off in the distance.
"Thanks for looking out for me."
"Oh hey, it's no trouble." Karen smiled cordially, "What are friends for?"
Seona nodded.
"Friends…" She repeated under her breath. She liked the sound of that, she thought. College was a new start, a fresh slate to begin a new story. A new life. A new person. She had grown from her time in high school as the nerdy, pizza-faced girl who sat in the corner slurping her orange juice at lunch.
The building the club usually met in was the biology building, Valencia Hall. It was an older structure, with waves carved into the windows and door frames. It was made of sturdy brick, and even had a stained-glass window in the other side featuring the likeness of a Bald Eagle. There was a sign just outside the front entrance, with the name of the buildings and the departments that were located within.
Other than one class, Seona was rarely here. But, she admired how the building had aesthetic appeal, compared to new, flashier buildings on campus that looked more institutionalized. Karen, on the other hand, had a class or two in the big lecture hall here. Seona wondered what it was like, since the door was always locked for that part of the building whenever they were here for Gamer's Club.
"Say, when's the next choir concert coming up? Maybe I could come this time and cheer you on!" Karen asked. Seona blinked, her mind coming back from yet another episode of wandering.
"Oh, in about two weeks. We're singing songs from West Side Story." Seona replied, still partially on other things.
Karen noticed her roommate was not quite all there and looked her in the eye to try and bring her attention back.
"What are you thinking about?"
Seona shook her head.
"Oh, I'm sorry… I was just thinking… about the big lecture hall here."
Karen grinned, showing her white teeth.
"You curious about what's inside?"
"Yeah, I hear it's the biggest lecture hall on Campus." Seona quickly replied.
"There's even a rumor there's a secret room behind the projector." Karen prodded Seona as they went inside.
"Is there?"
"I think it's just where some of the professors keep their supplies. It's really just a lecture hall like any other, just bigger." Karen told her.
"So, then, why do some of the people on campus talk about it like it's this big secret?"
"Well, it could be people trying to freak out the freshman. Most of the classes held in there are upper division and graduate courses." Karen mused. Seona couldn't help but laugh.
"Reminds me of how seniors back in my high school used to say there was a third floor… when there were only two. Seriously, you think people would grow up."
"Hey, some things about people never change. I bet you even in ancient Rome there was stuff like this going on." Karen poked Seona's shoulder.
"Hey! Stop, I'm ticklish!" Seona giggled in response. She noticed the restroom a few feet away as they walked in the main hallway. There were displays of bones, taxidermies, and fossils along the stone walls. She was feeling a bit warm from the heavy robes and the hood on her face.
"I've got to run to the ladies room, I'll see you at Club!"
Seona could already here sound effects coming from down one of the side hallways and to the right. She quickly walked inside to turn on one of the faucets, splashing her face with cold water. The lights were flickering a bit, but there was nothing out of the ordinary as far as she was concerned. She took her staff in hand and noticed a dark figure walk past her when she returned to the main hall.
She turned her head, but couldn't see anything. Then she saw, at the end of one of the other side hallways, the door to the lecture hall was wide open. She could have sworn it wasn't when she was just there five minutes ago. Maybe one of the clubs was having a party? But she couldn't hear any music. She couldn't hear any voices coming from there at all.
Maybe she could just take a minute to peek, she thought. If there was nothing there, she would leave and be on her way to romping with her sorceress character in Soul Calibur in no time.
She strolled down the hall, noticing the room up ahead was brightly lit. There were several rooms on either side, but they were dark and locked. Seona peered through the open door, seeing the dark figure again, disappearing behind the projection screen.
"Hello? Is someone here?"
At first, there was no answer. She saw there were at least a couple hundred seats stretching from one side of the room to the other. It really was a big class room.
"I'm sorry to intrude," She said, cautiously entering in, "I just didn't know there was anything going on tonight here. I'll leave if this is some sort of faculty…"
Just then, the door slammed shut behind her and she heard a gasping sound from the other side of the projection screen. She turned around to go back out, but the door was locked. She pulled at the door, but it wouldn't budge. She started to freeze up, terrified at what was happening. The lights went out, save for a light that was coming from the front of the lecture hall.
Could this be some sort of prank? She followed the light, hearing another gasp behind the screen. She saw some movement as the screen flapped a bit.
"Ok, very funny…" She muttered, feeling an uneasy anticipation building in her stomach. Any moment now, some person was going to jump out at her in a crazy costume and scare her, right? It was all in good fun. It couldn't be anything sinister…unless…
She took her staff with both hands, ready to beat the first person who came out over the head.
"Joke's over!" She yelled, her voice echoing throughout the room. But there was no answer. She was now just inches away from the screen. There was then the sound of a low rumble.
She ran through with her staff, lunging at whatever might be behind the screen. But, as she made her way past it and the screen flipped over and back to its original position, all she could see was darkness. But, wasn't there a light before? The floor in this back area creaked and felt a little weak under her stride; she stretched out her staff into the black, so far not finding anything.
After a few feet, she heard a muffled noise up ahead, and suddenly a light turned on in front of her. There was an old looking door with a sign "DO NOT ENTER" firmly stuck to it. There was a closet nearby labeled for containing supplies and such, but it looked undisturbed. She heard the rumbling again, this time realizing that whatever was making all of these noises, it was coming from behind that door.
"You shouldn't be in there, guys! What if one of the BSTs catches you in there?"
There was no answer.
"Come on! I saw someone go back here!"
Seona looked back before turning the knob on the door and swinging it open, her staff at the ready. There was a light bulb flickering inside, but there was still nobody there, it was an empty grey room, from initial observation.
She tip-toed into the room, not wavering from being ready for a surprise.
But, as soon as she walked inside, she looked down to see a big hole in the floor. The scent of coppery water wafted into her nostrils, and she could hear a sound like a fountain flowing coming from the gaping hole in the floor. She couldn't see anyone, so she turned around, feeling a cold breeze suddenly wisp under her feet.
She felt a sudden force like a pair of big hands grasping both of her shoulders. She took a good look around the room, but nobody was there at first. There were writings on the walls, and she noticed the architecture of the room seemed different from the rest of the building. She moved towards the writing on the wall still feeling a force pulling her back. Her heart started to beat fast, and she could barely make out the words scratched into the stone.
Before she could have time to fully read the words, she felt the force grow stronger on her as she felt a sudden shove, causing her to fall into the hole. She tried to grab onto the edges, but was cut by splinters as she began her descent down into the abyss below. What was down there she could not see, but she could hear the sound of the flowing water growing louder and louder.
As she looked up, she could see light coming through the hole from the room above, then, she saw a familiar form, the dark figure she had followed into the lecture hall. She couldn't make out any features as she fell down and down and down. Suddenly, the light faded, and now everything was pitch-black. She started to feel things changing around her when her body finally hit some sort of body of water, feeling a sudden pain and hearing a large splash ringing in her ears. Seona could sense water beginning to rush into her ears and nose, but she somehow felt no suffocation. Her body became enveloped as she heard a low voice hiss all around her.
And then, everything went silent, and all feeling went numb.
…..
…To be continued…
Author's Notes: And so begins another story of some girl getting transported to the world of Assassin's Creed 2! Isn't it SO original? *sarcasm – is shot* Well, here we are anyway. I'm not quite sure where this is going to go, though I have some ideas. Any feedback on what I can do to make this a memorable fic and anything you want to see in the future is highly appreciated. I labeled this as Ezio x OC, but nothing is set in stone at this point. I am pretty new to Assassin's Creed, so I am leaving it up to you guys. Enjoy yourself and tune in next time…