Stolen Voices ✓

October 31st

She will go off her meds, a barrier between her and nothingness. And she will fall down into a depressive cycle that always ends the same. As if she never learns, but this time is different, she has a reason to stay clean. So she shoves the alcohol away, meeting Will's gaze with a grateful sigh.

"You don't know how many guys grabbed my ass. Or attempted to before I kicked them," she shakes her head, snorting as she hugs back Will's heated embrace. His pupils are dilated, though he is on alert, watching out for his now plastered roommate.

"EMMY," a slurred voice fractures through the crowd, his dilated pupils making his eyes appear almost black. Elias is dressed as a pirate, propelling towards her with a sloppy smile. He falls into her open arms, smelling of both his familiar soap she'd grown used to and the alcohol on his lips.

"You know him?" Will asks, helping Elias off Mara, who struggles to support his mass. Of course, nobody from her group remembers Elias all that well as Mara has kept him more to herself. Handling who he can see, she was scared he would leave her, Will wouldn't remember their one interaction.

"Yes. And what did you do to him?" She slaps Will's shoulder hard, her hand leaving a mark as he hisses. Glancing at Elias, who slumps against the cool wall as support. His eyes are sealed, the smile on his lips drooping as he collapsed.

"Just gave the kid a taste, damn." Will glances over at the now almost dozing Elias, catching just as he begins to fall towards the floor. "Help me get him up to a room or something."

"Ew, no. Gosh, take Elias back to the dorms or something," Mara shudders at the thought of even going up those stairs. Her experience with frat boys, she knows enough to never leave the main level. She will much rather fight off greedy hands.

---

Elias is sitting on his bed, his legs brought up to his chest as he gazes at Mara. Elias has a fascination with getting lost in the purest of things and her attraction. He is always watching her, observing little unknowing things she does. How she picks at her always polished nails or bounces her knees when anxious.

And her eyes, he finds himself staring at them a lot too. They are remarkably blue, like the cloudless skies on a bright day. Not quite as deep blue like the ocean, but nearly as violent as the crashing waves. Her own vitality that Elias has only seen on her. That, or he only cares to notice the blue of her eyes.

"Mara," Elias whispers, grabbing her attention. She is sitting on Will's hard mattress, flicking through the many stations of his flat screen. Elias has been almost silent, she figured he was asleep or thinking, being startled by his rough voice.

"What?" She sighs, glancing over at him. The lights are dulled as his head is pounding, the blinds drawn closed so it is just them and the soft glow of light. She has a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and one of Elias's sweatshirts swallowing her frame, still feeling cold. She had not prepared her outfit for the autumn wind, her teeth chattering as they got back.

She'd offered to stay back with Elias, Will leaving after explaining the basics of their room. Elias had been almost incoherent at that point, slumping into his bed.

"Come here," he pats the empty space next to him. Mara hesitates a beat, biting her lip before shrugging. He won't remember in the morning anyway. Stalking towards his bed, she sits across from him now, matching his position. Getting lost in each other's eyes, Elias is much more alert than before. Everything appeared much more resonant, more vivid.

"Your eyes, look away," he groans.

"What? Why?" She laughs, fluttering her thick eyelashes.

"Because they're scary blue. Like, eat me scary," he shudders, covering his eyes with his hands. Mara giggles, keeping her voice low that it won't hurt his ears, but loud enough that he hears. Smiling, he looks back at her, his eyes falling towards the wings of her costume she'd left on Will's bed.