The winter break had seemed to drag by, and Lena was so happy for the time off that she'd gotten. Time to spend with her loved ones was especially precious to her, and she'd so enjoyed every moment of it that she didn't even miss the holiday. Celebrating Christmas with her family always felt like such a chore, like they were just getting together because that's what you're supposed to do. It never really felt like they actually wanted to spend time with one another, not like how she felt with her new friends. Even something as simple as sitting on the couch and watching a movie was special, and she felt a little silly for thinking so, but that was just how she felt.
Of course, the break had to end eventually, and it was with only the smallest feeling of regret that she left her apartment early in the morning, dressed in her professional slacks and emerald button-up. She'd already agreed to take Frisk to school from then on to save Toriel the trip, so when she found herself outside the queen's apartment and gave a small knock, she wasn't surprised to be greeted by Frisk. "Hey kiddo! You ready to go?" she asked cheerfully, giving a small chuckle when they shrugged their shoulders.
"I guess so." She didn't blame them not wanting to go back; every kid hated the first day back after a break. For Frisk, though, there was probably much more to it than that. Her mind flashed back to the last day before the break, where Frisk was bruised, scared, and hiding. The ache she felt in her chest was almost enough to disturb the smile on her face, but she kept it up, reaching out to pat the child on the head.
"Good. We'll see you later, Tori!" she called into the apartment, closing the door as Frisk jogged out of the doorway and toward the parking lot. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked, and they nodded their head. Of course they have! As if Toriel would ever dare let her child leave her home without being fed first. She chuckled, "Well, I haven't. Wanna stop and grab some cinnamon bunnies on the way?" The way their face lit up made the answer obvious and she smiled, unlocking her vehicle and climbing in. "Buckle up!"
She stopped by Mrs. Bunny's store and picked up a dozen of the little bunny-shaped buns before getting on the road headed toward Tristin. Frisk must have eaten at least four by themselves, and she'd limited herself to only having two. She wanted to tell them to be sure not to get an upset stomach, but she noticed that, the closer they got to town, the more quiet and fidgety they got. If an extra cinnamon bunny would help them feel better, then so be it.
The school eventually came into view and she pulled into an available parking space, turning the key and shutting off the engine. Frisk's face was a bit paler, and their hands were gripping at the denim of their pants just over their knees, and when Lena reached a hand over to gently rest on their shoulder, she felt them flinch. "Hey, it'll be okay. If you have any problems, just text me, okay? I'll see you at the end of the day!" She sent them her best and most reassuring smile, and it was small, but she considered it a victory when they seemed to relax.
A small wave was all they shared as they parted ways, Frisk heading to their classroom and Lena walking to the teacher's workroom. The box of cinnamon bunnies was in her hands, and she shifted it to her hip to open the door. Inside was a small group of teachers and other employees. When she entered the room they all quickly separated, falling silent. This didn't bode well.
"Oh, uh, morning Miss O'Brennike! You have a good break?" an intern asked cheerfully, his smile a bit too wide to be genuine. She nodded and set the box onto the center table in the room, flipping the lid open with a bright smile. She didn't miss the disgusted looks a few of the other people in the room gave the cinnamon bunnies, but she chose to ignore them.
"Yeah, break was great! I moved out of my friend's place and met a bunch of new people. How was yours?"
The two of them carried on a bit of polite conversation until the bell rang, which signaled the beginning of class, and several of the people in the room began filing out. Lena turned to her desk to log in and begin her day's work, only to pause...something was off. Her desk's surface had been cleared. Pulling open the drawers, she discovered that they, too, were emptied out. 'Maybe they're moving me again?' she wondered, shrugging her shoulders and giving the computer mouse a small jiggle to make the screen light up. Tristin Elementary's employee log-in page popped up and she leaned over slightly, fingers tapping lightly across the keyboard as she put in her information.
[ No Account Found ]
Frowning, she tried again, only to receive the same message. She tried again, this time while looking down at the keyboard and pressing each key individually, carefully. 'What's going on...?' She stood up and turned around to ask someone. There were a couple people sitting at their own desks, turned in their chairs to watch her. When they saw she'd turned around they quickly returned to staring at their own screens.
"Oh, there you are, Miss O'Brennike." A stern male voice came suddenly from behind her and, when she turned, she saw the principal looking at her, thick grey brows furrowed over his worn brown eyes. "I need a word with you, if I may... Please, come to my office." Nervously, she smiled and nodded, following after him as he led the way out of the room. She caught the glances of a few other people, and their expressions were all pitying. Once they were in the main office, the receptionists immediately gathered together and started whispering loudly to one another, casting wicked and amused glances Lena's way. 'What's happening? Why am I being asked into the office?' She felt much like a small child being told to go see the principal, no matter how foolish that might be. The amount of fear she felt fluttering in her belly was enough to make her feel nauseous. The door to the principal's office closed solidly behind her, and when he gestured toward one of the chairs on the opposite side of his desk, she sat down stiffly. Her smile was still firmly in place, though her eyes were nervously flitting about.
"You needed to speak to me about something, Mr. Atlas?" she asked, managing to keep the nervous titter out of her voice. He sat down in his large leather desk chair and heaved a sigh, bending out of sight behind his desk for a moment before returning with a box. He set it heavily on top of his desk. It was full of her personal items she'd had in her desk.
"There have been some...troublesome rumors going about, Miss O'Brennike, and I must admit that they are worrisome," he began easily, his voice deep and gravelly as if he spoke too loudly far too often. Now, though, his voice was uncharacteristically soft, and it did little to calm her nerves. "Is it true that you have started living in Taobh?" She was surprised by the question, and it took her a moment to reply.
"Well, yes. I moved there a few weeks ago."
"I see..." He sounded troubled by this, but he pressed on. "I've heard that you have become rather friendly with those- ah, monsters... A few of our teachers saw you out and about with one just the other day. You were holding its hand, from what they say." Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink; they'd seen her out with Sans.
"Yes, sir, they're very good friends of mine..." He quirked a heavy brow at this, and she continued. "I don't see what this has to do with my employment." Right to the heart of the matter. Now that it was made obvious she knew where this was going, he lost a bit of his softness, shoulders squaring rigidly.
"It would not be good for the students if someone who fraternized so openly with monsters were to become a teacher here... I am sure you understand." Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she felt tears pricking her eyes, but she forced them back.
"No, sir, I don't understand."
"Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be... You will be paid for the next two months if you leave peacefully. If you don't..." His tone took a bit of a darkness to it that made her shudder, color draining from her face. "...we will fire you, and you will receive no pay. Please do the smart thing and take your things and go." What was going on? Her mind raced as she struggled to comprehend just what was going on, why this was happening. Even as she got to her feet and picked up the paper box full of her belongings, it was as if she was on autopilot. The receptionists were still talking rather loudly, though they quieted a bit once Lena passed through.
"...Serves her right."
She felt a dark wave wash over her, her hands gripping more tightly at the box, but she fought it back, fought it down. As she made her way through the front entrance to the school, she realized it was with a sudden finality that the doors clicked loudly shut behind her. The walk to her car felt like it took ages, her feet dragging against the sidewalk, through a patch of filthy slush, but she paid no attention to it. She dropped the box into the passenger seat and closed the driver's side door behind her, staring at the steering wheel for a long while. A minute, two, six, ten, twenty? How long had she spent sitting there, staring blankly? Numb fingers pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped across the screen.
| Lena: Level 10. |
How did she get here? Lena didn't remember driving anywhere. When had she turned on her car and gotten on the road, heading toward Taobh? She couldn't remember, but that's where she was now, movements stiff and automatic as she pulled into the first available parking space. She pressed the break until her foot hit the floor, held the gear shift firmly, put the vehicle into park, grabbed the key, twisted, shut off the engine, lifted her foot. That was how her thoughts were, every movement being given a tab, like in an internet browser. Every task she did made more tabs, and even something as simple as reaching and opening her door left open so many tabs that it felt like her brain was going to burst. Everything was far too loud, far too bright, far too much. Why? When had this happened?
Her feet scraped against the pavement, loud in her own ears, though it wasn't nearly so in reality. Her expression was empty, she felt empty. Was it better than feeling what she was supposed to feel? She didn't know. Did she ever know? Why was she doing this again?
As she climbed the stairs to her apartment, her foot caught on one, and she didn't move nearly quick enough to catch herself from falling. Her cheek dug roughly into the edge of the step, a hot white ache of pain across her jaw, and she actually laid there for a half second longer than she should have, before she finally pushed herself up again. She was almost there. So close.
The door was in sight, and she moved numb fingers to pull out her key, inserting it and turning it in the lock. The faint click was far too sharp in her hypersensitive ears, and as soon as the door was opened, she dropped her key to the carpet and pushed the door shut behind her.
Closing doors. Closing doors. Only ever closing doors.
She could feel even more of that ugly, thick emotion welling up in her chest, but she forced it down, shaking her head and heading back to her bedroom. Once there, she went straight to her bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out the only thing she needed right then. They were headphones, the kind built to cup over your ears instead of being ear buds, and as she slipped them over her ears, she felt a small bit of relief. Too small. Not enough. She plugged the jack into her phone and turned on music, the sound pouring through the speakers just over her ears, and it was too loud, but she felt comforted by it somehow. With her phone in her hands, she quickly tapped out a message, sending it to Papyrus.
| Lena: I can't bring Frisk home today. Please could you, Tori or Sans do it? Thanks. |
With the message sent, she tucked her legs beneath her and closed her eyes, leaning against the wall as she tried to tune out her mind.
However long she'd been trying, it wasn't working. The dark waves were still lapping at her, now reaching up to her knees, pulling her deeper. It made her feel like breath was hard to come by, and she didn't want to name these ugly feelings, wanting them to just disappear. A loud banging sound sent a sharp pain through her head, and she winced, cracking an eye open to glance around. Her clock read that it was already just past noon. Funny. She hadn't even noticed.
After a bit more banging, there was silence. Then, the sound of something sliding against metal, and suddenly there was a loud voice in her living room. "HUMAN! ARE YOU THERE? HUMAN BRIT HAS VERY NEARLY BLOWN UP MY PHONE ASKING THAT I COME AND WATCH OVER YOU, THOUGH I TRIED TO TELL HER YOU DID NOT REQUIRE IT." Papyrus? The shuffling sounds grew louder as he apparently searched for her, until, finally, her bedroom door was pushed open gently and he peeked his skull into the room. "AH, THERE YOU ARE! HUMAN, DID YOU NOT HAVE WORK TO DO TODAY? DO NOT TELL ME THAT MY BROTHER'S LAZY HABITS HAVE RUBBED OFF ON YOU SO EASILY!" He sounded so cheerful. He always sounded so cheerful, just like she did, like she was supposed to be. She must have been quiet for too long, because he crept into the room, carefully kneeling to sit in front of her. His browbones were drawn together in an expression of concern, the closest thing to a frown that he could muster on his face. He wasn't supposed to look like that, why was he looking at her that way? "HUMAN...? IS...SOMETHING THE MATTER?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but the only sound that came out was a choked sob, and she quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth. It was only then she even realized the tears that had betrayed her, streaming down her reddened and freckle-dusted cheeks. Papyrus seemed to grow a bit frantic, his gloved hands moving out to touch her without actually ever making contact, hovering just over her arms and shoulders. She used every ounce of will she could muster to keep her cries silent, though her shoulders still shook subtly with each and every one, her breath hitching with little hiccuping inhales. He whined a 'nyeh' helplessly, looking around the room as if looking for help, but no one was there. After a moment, she felt him pull her to his chest, one bony arm wrapping around her shoulders while her other hand rested on the back of her head, and she closed her eyes tightly. A soft light permeated her eyelids and, when she cracked them open to look through tearfully, she saw that his eyesockets were glowing with a warm orange light. It wasn't overly bright, but it lit up the dark space in her bedroom like a nightlight, and the sniffle she gave sounded more watery than it had before.
Papyrus really was a good friend.
They stayed like that for a long while, until they could hear the front door burst open, and a voice frantically called out. "Lena?! Lena, are you alright?!" Hurried footsteps approached the bedroom, and Brit stood there suddenly, panting heavily, out of breath, face red from exertion. Her short hair was mussed beyond recognition, sticking up every which-way, and the clothes she wore looked like they'd just been thrown on. It even looked like the shirt she had was inside out. "Lena!" As soon as the frantic human was visible, Lena felt herself crumbling, the tears gathering and falling more quickly from her eyes, and Papyrus' eyes glowed an even brighter orange in an attempt to comfort her.
Lena shoved herself away from Papyrus and toward her friend Brit, the taller human landing on her knees as she caught the other in her arms, which immediately wound around her. "Shhhhh, shhh, hey, shhh, it's okay." Lena's body began to tremble with repressed emotion, and Brit narrowed her eyes, glancing over at Papyrus. "Movie night later."
"HUH?" He looked surprised, which was only natural, and he flinched at the human's direct and terse tone.
"You and Sans are comin' over later for a movie night. But I need you to get out right now. Don't come until I text you." He frowned slightly, glancing between the two humans and the door. "Go!" He quickly got to his feet and stumbled out of the apartment, chancing a glance back just before the door closed behind him. He could hear a wail erupt, muffled, from behind the door, and his soul clenched painfully in his chest. What could have possibly upset the human so much...? That was the answer he was struggling to discover as he walked back to his and his brother's apartment.
"Hey, bro, sup-" Sans lazy tone cut itself off, and it was only then that Papyrus realized his eyes were still glowing, magic reacting to the thought of wanting to comfort the human. "Everythin' okay...?" he asked cautiously, frowning when Papyrus made a small uncertain noise.
"I AM...NOT CERTAIN. THE HUMAN LENA IS VERY UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING..."
"Wh- she's home now?"
"YES. HUMAN BRIT SENT ME SEVERAL TEXT MESSAGES AND PHONE CALLS TELLING ME TO GO AND CHECK ON HER. I WAS NOT CERTAIN WHY LENA NEEDED CHECKING ON, BUT WHEN I GOT THERE, SHE WAS IN DISTRESS!"
"That's...huh..." He fumbled with words to say, though he didn't really need them; Papyrus knew what he meant. "Brit's there now..?" he asked, getting to his feet, and Papyrus nodded.
"YES, SHE IS...THOUGH, SHE KICKED ME OUT. I WAS TOLD THAT NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO VISIT UNTIL SHE TEXTS US AND SAYS SO." Sans fell silent, as did Papyrus, his teeth grinding together nervously as he fidgeted with his hands, picking at his gloves. "SANS, DO YOU...DO YOU THINK THE HUMAN WILL BE ALRIGHT...?" Sans shrugged his shoulders, making a lazy smile spread across his face.
"Ay, Brit's there, and she's her best friend. 'm sure it'll be fine."
The distinct sound of sobbing came through the wall and Sans' eyelights dimmed to nearly blackness, his smile a bit tight on his face.
''m sure it'll be fine...'