WARPED
Chapter 27
Lucy was floating. Drifting along in the darkness. It consumed her. She was a part of it. But it was soothing in a way. She didn't have to worry about Jocelyn's hatred, or Hazelle's annoying super-overprotectiveness. It felt good to give in. Give up control. All she had to do was float.
She had to get back. This darkness, this floating, it wasn't right. Something was wrong. She wasn't in control. A sinking, panicked feeling began to constrict itself around Lucy's chest. She wasn't in control…
The darkness surged, smothering the panic. It filled her lungs, spread through her body. Her limbs felt heavy. Sleepy. Floating wasn't so bad, was it? No worries. Hakuna matata, right? There was nothing but Lucy. She was safe here. No oppressive friends, no annoying Pines family, no nothing. Just Lucy, and the darkness.
The darkness. Lucy had always been afraid of the dark. It was everywhere. In her mouth, her ears, her nose, her lungs. It was inside her. Spreading. Taking control. Weighing her down. Lucy was afraid of heights too. The floating couldn't last forever. Darkness. Panic. Darkness. Everywhere. It wasn't right it wasn't right it wasn't right it wasn't right…
The darkness pushed back, stronger this time. Like morphine it slipped into her veins. She could just stay here. It was peaceful. Nice and soothing. Just float here forever. Here in the darkness. All Lucy. Nothing else.
NO. She couldn't. She couldn't deal with this. She had to get back. Back. Lucy began to fight against the darkness. Holding her breath. Expelling it from her nose and eyes and mouth and lungs and body. She had to fight back. She had to fight… back…
NO. Here. In the darkness. Stay. Stay here. It was soothing. A drug in her veins. Sleep. It's safe here. What's the point in going back? Friends who ignore her? People who act like she doesn't exist? Why would she want to go back? Everything she could ever need is right here. Floating. In the darkness.
I CAN'T. The darkness. Lucy fought back. The panic gave way to adrenaline, coursing through her blood. Burning up the darkness. Hungry, like a fire. She pushed back. The darkness faded a little. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. She fought against the darkness. She had to get back.
The darkness slammed back into place. No. Stay here. This is the only place she matters. The darkness is the only thing that would take her in. Her own friends ignore her. The darkness would be with her, in her. It would be all she needed. She would stay here. Her friends. Where were they? They would pay. The darkness would make them suffer. Deep, cackling laughter, mad, deranged. He's after them. He wants to destroy them, take their power, grind them into dust. C'mon, Pen, isn't this what you want? It isn't? Oh, what a shame. You're stuck with me anyway. Now, let's go find Music Note and Caduceus. We shook, remember?
She screamed and surged toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
XxX
Lucy emerged, gasping, blinking, into the bright sunshine of Gravity Falls.
She was happy to be out of the dark. But she could feel it, itching and scratching to regain control, to shove her back into the shadows.
She didn't have a lot of time.