Been away for the week in Italy, had a lot of fun! Enough about me, here's another chapter, really hope you enjoy it!
Anyhoo, please review!
-Ela
Levi walked into his bedroom, holding his wet towel away from his body and chucked it into the washing basket. Out of corner of his eye he noticed Willa asleep, on his bed, wearing one of his cravats. He stood there scowling at her unconscious form for a while - 'What the hell is wrong with her? She seems more mad than shitty glasses.'
"Why do I get all the crazy ones shoved on my plate?" He asked quietly, approaching the edge of the bed. '"Peaceful", that's the word I'd use to describe her face at the moment, not the perpetual scowl or smirk that seem to mirror my own. With her eyes shut I can finally look at her properly, usually all I see of her are her eyes when I stare daggers at them. Black hair splayed across my pillow like a midnight firework... now I'll have to change my bedding again, her wet hair's soaked through the pillowcase.' With her mouth slightly agape, he watched as her chest rose and fell. Her forehead suddenly became lined as a frown possessed her face, contorting it oddly. Breathing rate increasing drastically.
"Oi!" Startled I sat up, catching my foot in the bed sheets. Almost in slow motion I watched as my face came closer and closer to the floor until -
"Owwwwwwww."
"I told you not to look around my room you insubordinate brat."
"Levi, I'm hurt why did you wake me up like that?!" I sit up rubbing my nose, wiping at it with my index finger making sure there was no blood.
"What were you doing sleeping on my bed." Levi stated rather than asked.
"You've answered your own shitty question, I was sleeping dumbass. You didn't say I couldn't. Anyway even if you had specified, I'm almost one-hundred percent sure I wouldn't have listened." Levi just blank stared, not even blessing me with one of his perfectly devilish scowls. Even his eyes held nothing - at that moment I had no knowledge of what he was thinking.
"Come on we're going to the track. And after we're done training you're going to change my bedding and neaten up the drawers I am sure you riffled through." Turning towards the door I just caught him saying under his breath, "Shitty brat." And in that moment I realised I probably was pushing things too far. Maybe Levi didn't like me? Maybe our 'banter' was just him being blatantly rude to me; it fit his personality. Gloom and numbness seeped its way into my limbs and I just didn't want to move. I wanted to stay on this, what was essentially a stranger's bed. No matter how much I thought I knew him I have only seen him from two points of view - and both were works of fiction. Putting off thoughts of what exactly was going on would only get me so far.
Throwing thoughts of receding back into my detached, introvert shell, I stood, brushing imaginary dust from my clothes, steeling myself for all that was to come.
Closing the door to Levi's room I gave a silent thought to squad Levi, and made a vow to make their last weeks and days leading up to their inevitable deaths the best I could. But maybe...? With me here, the inevitable didn't have to be, inevitable.
Stepping out into the corridor of the castle, finally leaving Levi's dwellings I turned to him, watching his short statured figure fade into the distance. Taking yet another step forward I noticed the world shifting oddly, colours started to blur - everything was technicolour, I felt like I was tripping, in both senses of the word. My body left me and I sunk through the floor, struggling to look up I saw Levi's fleeting form turn to watch my body collapse. And I was gone.
Expecting to wake up in Hange's infirmary room, I was shocked by the realisation that I was not in fact there. I was here. I was in my room. I was in my bed, with my jim-jams on. 'How? What's? What on earth is going on?!'
Essentially jumping out of bed, I quickly shuffle stepped into my slippers, careful when running out of my room to avoid the tea stain on the ground 'So I did actually spill tea?'.
"Lisa?!" I called out slightly panicked. Flailing my head to the side, I read the clock hung up in the corridor, it was ten minutes past four, in the morning or the evening? Quickly running back into my room I retrieved my phone, it was where I usually put it to charge. The date, on my phone, it was the early morning, a day later - I had missed an entire day. How many days had I been in AOT? Wait... That can't have all been just a bizarre dream?
Walking back out to the corridor I plonked myself on the stairs, hurting my butt bones in the process. Finally calming my hands enough to unlock my phone I saw some unread Facebook messages from Lisa. They read:
'MON 17:38
Will, I don't know what you drank last night but you were completely out of it :'D anyways as you can probably tell I managed to get you in your pjs (you got bleach on your skirt). I binned the skirt and also what were you doing in the closet? You know I'll accept you no matter what :P (get it, 'cause you were in the closet).
Oh btw I'm at James', gonna stay over for a while he's struggling a bit so, ya know. I left ibuprofen on the kitchen counter, take it.'
I loved Lisa, she was so unbelievably caring. Her boyfriend James', dad had just died and it was a big loss for him. As a kid he was completely reliant on his dad because his mum was out of the picture. It was extremely thoughtful of her to leave ibuprofen out for me, it meant I didn't have to riffle through all the cupboards and cause a mess.
But still, why did Lisa put my skirt in the bin?! Running down stairs (running was probably not the best idea, as my body was feeling oddly, quite lethargic) I got to the kitchen and swallowed the ibuprofen. Was I really just flat out drunk last night? So off my face that I confused what had happened? Made a version of a fictional world, all for myself? I was nearly a hundred percent sure there had been a gas leak in the cupboard. At least something other than being drunk. I didn't feel hungover per-se, just my body felt weak. I didn't have the usual headache and the will to die along with it. I didn't have the usual thought process; of swearing off the liquid fermented fruit of the gods, cursing Bacchus for making poison taste so sweet, only to know I'd do it again in a week. Really, after finally reaching the legal drinking age and the 'partaaays' that soon followed every night, I'm surprised I still have a liver.
Struggling towards the bin, I pushed the pedal and hesitantly retrieved my ruined skirt. Plodding back upstairs, holding my favourite skirt as far away from me as possible in a two finger pinch, I made my way to the bathroom. Peeling back the shower curtain and removing the bath mat, I set my poor skirt down.
It had bits of dirt and banana peel on it and the bleach had leached away the once vibrant emerald green. Resigned I retrieved another bottle of bleach from the under the sink cupboard and a pair of thick rubber gloves. Then I proceeded to spray the rest of the skirt in a bid to remove all colour from the flowy, banana innard covered fabric. After opening the bathroom window (no more fumes please) I sprayed all over the skirt, and turned it over a few times letting the bleach do the trick. Sat on the toilet seat lid, I watched the green dye remains slowly trickle towards the drain, and I let my mind wander.
I'd been gone for what? Three days maybe more? Yet in the real world, my normality, it had been about the same amount of time for one deep sleep. Carefully setting down the bottle of bleach, I stood, turning to face the bathroom mirror. Leaning over the sink, I gingerly removed the rubber gloves. After washing my hands and drying them, I flicked my wispy fringe away from my forehead and put my face close to the mirror.
It was there. I half expected it not to be there, the red blush of a bruise gracing my head, healing well now. Still there it was, from an injury in a dream? Maybe I'd just hit my head when I fell in the cupboard? Easy explanation. It must have just worked itself into my dream.
I left the bathroom door open, as well as the window to keep it ventilated. Although it formed a horrific draft that made the entire house chilly in under two minutes. Ambling down stairs again I decided to make myself some cereal, who cares if it's 4:35 in the morning? I felt as though I'd slept for quite enough for the time being. Unlocking my phone once more I checked my social media; someone from my Saturday job had tagged me in a meme. I didn't laugh at the photo but instead produced a small shoulder shake, with a puff of exhalation through the nose, like a dragon starting to test their skills. I watched a couple of funny youtube videos while stuffing my face with all bran cereal, it wasn't the tastiest thing, but it was a welcome break from porridge. But I hadn't eaten porridge at all this week, it had only been in my dream. Maybe someone had slipped me LSD or something, as some weird perverted joke, that would explain how real it all felt.
Checking my calendar, I was relieved to find I was basically free all day - apart from a nine o'clock lecture, that I'd already decided I wasn't going to. If the professor is only going to read from a powerpoint, might as well just stay home and read the textbook next to the radiator; so I can at least be warm while torturing my brain. My manga app had a notification showing, something had been updated. Ah, a new chapter for AOT. With only a millisecond's hesitation I tapped on the titan icon, and was directed right back to where I had left the story. The more I read of the story the more interesting it became, and with increasing interest came increased investment in the characters and their eventual fates. One thing did strike me as odd though, one of the characters in the background of an unassuming panel, wore clothing pretty similar to mine, and their face at that angle looked like something I'd see in the mirror. Again my brain was playing tricks on me, no way in hell was that background character me - I mean come on, I'm just trying to fill in the gaps, trying to will this work of fiction into a reality.
I rose, letting my metal spoon clatter into the bowl, then placing it on the kitchen counter top. I'd wash it later. Stumbling, I blindly followed the path to the front room, relying on only the small tendrils of sunrise light snaking through closed blinds to guide my way. Collapsing on the couch I struggled to reach the remote controls. As usual nothing much was on telly, I flicked to a random channel and used the voices as background noise to my internal musings. Staring at the ceiling I realised that even if this 'trip' had been real, what could I change about it? What could I learn from it? Basically, nothing. I don't know how it happened or why it happened. If it were all just some dream, then it must be an entirely too vivid dream, and if it were to happen again I planned to look up lucid dreaming. If I was going to enter one of my favourite fictional universes, I'd like to be able to manipulate things slightly. Frustrated at myself and my inability to separate reality from fiction, I decided to take a break from my favourite shows and books.
This decision was only upheld for two minutes. I put Crimson Peak in the CD player and proceeded to stare, zombie-like at the screen, reciting the script by heart. After the final credits did their roll, I wrapped myself in blankets like a burrito and fell promptly asleep; turned out I was tired despite having been out for hours.
I'd like to say thanks to my guest reviewers, it's lovely to get some feedback and hear that y'all are enjoying it! I've made this chapter slightly longer than usual for you Kohii :D and to the other guest thank you for the positivity - I'll definitely keep going!
-Ela x
