Of all of the inventions; the structures created by life, one in particular haunted Will. The ticking of a clock. #Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.#
Perhaps that in itself was the reason - because Will was certainly disturbed - that Will forced herself to speculate it's every moment. She wanted to feel time for all that it was worth, and more importantly; she could. She could feel everything that Will so stubbornly denied her. Surely it was Will, therefore, who was causing the trauma; inventing this effect on herself. Will wanted to die. "Stop."
She watched the happily ticking face of the digital clock slowly die into a depth of black; the numbers telling her it was time becoming nothing as the life faded in her hands. And Will was following her; Will knew. Except, the hunter didn't know that she was being hunted and Will did not have the upper hand here. Will had nothing. The quiet voice still ghosted through her mind though, and Will consciously counted the seconds. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick. Tock.
...
Time went on. All movement passed by in it's carefree manner. The gentle whir of washers spinning rhythmically, happily swirling though they could not clean the muddy reflection in their shiny glass door. Will couldn't seem to tear her eyes away: a plump woman frowning disapprovingly as cinnamon-glazed brown eyes stared offensively at the foreign materials tossing between soap bubbles and detergents. Her fingers dared, but flinched back front the heat of the tumbling chemistry.
These were not her clothes.
The plump woman was by no means herself.
Where was she? "Don't need me..huh?"
"Get out of my head!" The clocks ticked on, despite the echoing sound that had issued around Will's mind; the plump woman turning away but with a feeling of alarm. Will could feel it. Will could feel her. She didn't care, that everyone could hear her now. They had heard her before; usually screaming out the same general statements. But she'd possibly never been quite as clearly spoken, "Get out!"
...
There was something in Caleb, making him the way that he was. It was because he was clever that he was intrigued by such things, and yet, it was with childish fascination he masked poorly behind a grim expression that he watched the band fiddling with their instruments and electrics that needed function. "Hey, got my girl!"
And then there was that. Matt Olsen's voice filling the room and yet Caleb seemed more interested in finding the face of this girl, than being upset that Matt was deeming her as his own.. Except that the near-eighteen year old only held his guitar up animatedly as Nigel grinned up at him; Joel purposefully ignoring his surroundings, though she doubted Matt was the reason. "So, Joel.. Did you ever notice that, uh, you play base?"
"Sure, Irma.. A few days ago I looked down and there one was..making music!" A faint smile graced Caleb as Joel grinned wryly, and Cornelia wondered if it ever hurt the boy - Joel - when Irma talked about Andrew Hornby. It really wasn't fair that someone was so definitely left. Someone was always alone. "It turns out..I've been playing for years!"
The brunette then rolled her eyes at his false amazement for the revelation, and it was only then that Cornelia again let her gaze wander to realize that emerald clarity was penetrating her in his stare. Cornelia flushed at that moment, only aware that she was closest to him, focussing herself on the couple- friends, because she didn't want to look at him. "Did you notice that that stuff around you is a drumset? What Nigel has in his hands is a base."
"I fit wherever I'm needed."
"Oh.. Like a spare part."
"Like the best part."
"I thought that that was Matt."
"Matt?"
"He sings."
"Pfft! Anyone could sing, grasshopper."
"Even you?"
"Yes."
"Because you're the spare part."
"Exactl- No! Irma, I'm not a.."
"Are you alright?" A small laugh followed that and Cornelia scorned herself for jumping when his hand had rested on her back. Had he been so close a second ago? Cornelia could feel a brush of pink quilting her cheeks as she tried to think what he might want.
"I don't know where Will is."
"O-h. Okay." There it was. Caleb would never quite grasp the concept that he was tearing her soul out with every word he said to confirm that it was never her. It hurt more when it was though. "That wasn't what I asked."
"I'm fine."
"You can tell me anything, Cornelia.." And Cornelia could only stare at him.. Because maybe she cou- She found herself leaving though, before the trail of thought could even persist.
...
As Nerissa had left humbly, Will Vandom did no such thing. It was by no means meant to be surprising; for the Altermere double of the clumsily constructed redhead was quite obviously a derived body, but yet Nerissa's brow raised as though she had come across a secret in the determination beneath the fear on Wilhelmina's fear. And she had. "Oh..heart.. How..interesting."
Wilhelmina Vandom had quite clearly had a glimpse of what she wanted. A glimpse of what Nerissa had so plainly instilled a barrier from for her. And then Nerissa had added fear and hadn't quite realized the recipe she had been creating. Will Vandom would fight if she had to. The one thing she shared in common with 'herself' that wasn't their faces.
Desperation.
It tasted like death to Nerissa. And Kandrakar knew, she had barely be-gifted the little lightning rod. The claiming 'Will' would have eventually pulled from Will and gained the energies on her own. And the little Altermere would pass her the Heart for her secret. Will really couldn't expect to win on her own.
"I hope you're watching from up there, Halinor." Nerissa barely glimpsed to the skies. Of course she was. They all were. "I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen.. And the Heavens will burn beneath my fingertips."