<< How long will we wander without an aim? >>
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"Is that so..."
Norman heaved a sigh, picking at the grass underneath him as he stared up at the night sky. [Name] had shifted off his lap and next to him, hugging her knees to her chest as she exhaled mist into the midnight air.
"Mhm," she hummed, tightening her hold on her elbows. "Nothing happened to me, though. We escaped before my birthday."
The albino nodded but kept his gaze off of her. "I didn't expect that of all things. So you can access your ancestor's memories? Is that how you knew this cave was abandoned?"
"Yeah," [Name] confirmed. "I should be able to use it later, after my shift."
"Are the dreams the reason you've been screaming in your sleep?" Norman asked, meeting her eyes. [Name] rolled back her shoulders.
"I suppose they would be," she admitted, "although they don't hurt me. At most, they're nightmares."
"You don't have to use it if it pains you," Norman said gently. "As I said before, you come first. I can take care of myself."
[Name] shook her head. "It's fine. Although, you have no room to talk, Minerva." She side-glared him. "I'm still surprised that you want to go along with genocide."
Norman inhaled sharply. "How did you figure it out so quickly? There wasn't enough information for you to come to that conclusion."
"Well," [Name] buried her head in her arms, "it's the safest option with the highest certainty, so I figured that you would think of it. Still, someone like you shouldn't be brought to the point where you'd want or even consider it."
"Someone like me..?" Norman echoed, furrowing his brows.
"You're kind, innocent, and pure," [Name] muttered. "That's who you were. This world put you through things that made you suffer more than you had to. Those things put everyone I care about in danger."
Norman's eyes widened as she spoke, something that [Name] didn't miss.
The (h/c) brought her head from within her arms. For once, the albino saw what Lambda had done to his friend. Eyes colder than ice, with the same emotion within such a solid, her face a mere statue.
"I hate them for that," she whispered. "That's why I want to kill them."
"But," she leaned back, "I understand if you don't want to do it. I can do the dirty work."
"[Name]," Norman said sternly, "What did I say about-"
"Keeping things to myself?" [Name] finished. She raised a brow. "I'm not hiding anything from you."
"I was going to say doing things that hurt you," Norman sighed. The (h/c) pressed her lips together.
"This isn't hurting me," she objected. "With the blood of 15 humans on my hands, I couldn't care less about a few thousand monsters."
"Would you want to..." Norman trailed off, turning his head away. For a moment, he stayed silent, trying to force the words out of his mouth. [Name]'s eyes softened, her gaze dropping.
"...Die like that?" she suggested hollowly. She took a shaky breath. "I - no, we have only 10 months left, if we're lucky. I want you to be happy with the life you lived so that you can... end it peacefully."
As Norman opened his mouth to protest - she could already hear the lecture coming out of his mouth - [Name] effectively shut him up by striking out her hand and closing his lips with her finger. She smiled softly at him.
"If you and everyone else are happy at the end," she said quietly, "then I'll be happy too."
Norman nodded mutely, his voice stuck in his throat as his heart rammed against his ribcage. [Name] withdrew her finger, straightening her legs out.
"Do you have the pen?" she inquired. Norman reached into his pocket, taking out the device. Pulling it out from both sides, the hologram projecting out of the writing utensil.
"We're closer to the halfway point," he finally said, frantically trying to calm himself down. "It's about a 2-day walk after that, if we move quickly enough."
"The food we already have is going to last us a day at most," [Name] commented, remembering supply in her bag. "We'll have to gather food later if we want to make it through the night."
"Unfortunately, we don't know what's edible or what's poisonous," Norman sighed, closing the pen. "Meat is definitely out of the question. What's left are the plants, but Minerva's book doesn't detail much about that either. The most we have are the anemones."
"The best reference we'd have is the people who know the forest the most," [Name] tapped her chin. "That would be..."
She and Norman pointed at each other. "Animals," they said in sync.
"Primates, if we can find them," Norman advised. "They would be the most similar to us genetically, so anything they would eat would be likely to edible."
"I could probably start a fire by drilling sticks into each other," [Name] added. "That would get rid of any parasites or most bacteria."
"Mhm," Norman hummed, beginning to nod off. He blinked, shaking his head. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," [Name] assured, pushing him softly towards the entrance of the cave. She glanced at the sleeping children among the grass.
"Do you think they heard your outburst?" she inquired. Norman shook his head, standing in the arch as over-hanging vines caressed his face gently.
"They're sound asleep from what I can see- and hear," he affirmed, listening to the snoring that was thankfully kept within the cave's rounds. [Name] hummed fondly.
"You should sleep too," she scolded lightly. As if on cue, Norman yawned, his mouth an adorable small gasp. [Name]'s lips quirked up in amusement, Norman coughing in embarrassment.
"Y-Yes, I should," he agreed. Then, a fond smile appeared on his face. "Goodnight, Shortcake."
"Good nigh- Wait-" [Name]'s face went hot at the familiar nickname. She whipped around just in time to see Norman's snow-white slipping down the slide, the only thing she could see being his triumphant smirk.
Shaking her head, she covered her face in her hands, shocked by the pure heat emanating from her skin. Exhaling, she dropped her hands to twindle her music box, holding it close to her face.
Who knew that he could do something that. I guess it's natural that he'd want to get back at me after all of these years.
Still, [Name]'s eyes went blank as she turned over the music box in her fingers. Strange that he'd randomly call me out in the middle of the night, where anyone could hear him. Norman isn't emotional - he tries to be, but he's logical at heart.
He also values his reputation more than anything. Was that outburst to get me to stop hiding things from him, as well as to hide the fact that he's trying to distance himself from the rest of the kids?
Naturally, he'd choose a secluded area to scold me, but this is too close, even if the children are snoring loud enough. Norman wants me to believe that he's still the same old Norman - but he's not.
Taking on the name of Minerva is probably another way to distance himself.
The music box dropped against her chest. [Name] reached to her belt and retrieved Sidra's gun, looking at herself in its reflection.
Hurting myself? What's left to hurt? I'm a murderer who was forced to look death in the face every day for a year. There's nothing left. Norman's the one who needs to stop hurting himself.
I'm fine with dying, and I'm willing to get hurt. I don't care what I need to do, or whose blood I need to spill.
With the time I have left, I will give them the life they deserve.
If that means being a monster, then I'll be one.
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"Barbara," [Name] nudged the girl with her finger. The brunette rubbed her eyes, peering into (e/c) disorientedly. Then, gasping, she scrambled backward, fear in her eyes until she felt grass with her hand and realized that there were no chains around her wrist.
"Oh, sorry Chief," she apologized, rubbing the back of her neck. [Name] shook her head.
"You're next," the (h/c) said quietly, keeping her dialogue as little as possible. Barbara wasn't as bad as talking to the other intelligent children, but [Name] still didn't know how to communicate with her properly.
"Okay," Barbara nodded, covering her mouth as she yawned. [Name] found her backpack next to Norman's sleeping body, reaching into it and flipping out her blanket. Digging behind her hair tie, [Name] let her hair fall free against her shoulders, slipping her hair tie around her wrist. She used her arms as a pillow as she laid down on the grass and attempted to get comfortable.
Well, not like it matters, [Name] huffed, pulling the blanket over her in an attempt to get warm. She glanced back as she heard Barbara carry her rifle and trudge up the cave.
Closing her eyes, [Name] let out a small puff of breath before drifting off to the void.
"You're developing surprisingly well."
[Name]'s shoulder stiffened as a low yet elegant voice spoke calmly from behind her. She turned around in the dark space, eyes widening when she saw Johanna sitting on a moss-covered boulder, spear leaning casually on the rock.
"Who are you?" [Name] said defensively, jumping back with her hands raised in front of her. Johanna raised a brow, tilting her head as her braid fell forward.
"This is the first time we meet," she threaded her fingers together, "though I have sensed your presence before. Both you and the one before you. Henry, I believe. Tell me, child, what is your name?"
When [Name] didn't answer, only narrow her eyes skeptically, Johanna exhaled and stepped off of her perch. Red-stained armor - whether it be blood or rust - chinked ominously, like a haunted knight as the deceased woman walked in front of her.
"So young, and you've been activated," she mused, peering at her. [Name] noticed with a start that the woman was surprisingly tall, taller than Norman would be.
"The mutation is a problem," she clicked her tongue, circling the apprehensive twelve-year-old. "No matter. Your ability is slowly developing to its original state, so no worries there. A shame that a child such as yourself is so untrusting and hateful."
[Name] jumped back as she suddenly stabbed her spear into the ground, startled to see that she had somehow managed to pierce the invisible surface. Johanna leaned forward, nose to nose with her descendant.
"I doubt you are unaware of my title," she hummed, "though you are being difficult. I am Johanna [L. Name], your ancestor. Give me your name, child."
"...[Name]," the younger (h/c) said reluctantly, strangely intimidated by the older woman.
"Such a lovely name," Johanna smiled in a motherly way, immediately sending fire alarms through [Name]'s system. Stumbling back, [Name] dodged her hand that attempted to pet her hair - just like Isabella did, back when she knew nothing.
"Please don't," she said quietly, hugging herself. "Don't look at me like that."
"Is something the matter, little one?" Johanna asked, leaning back with raised brows.
Her eyes narrowed, and suddenly, [Name] felt as if she were looking straight into her, unearthing her deepest secrets and the memories she would never let anyone know. A chill colder than ice ran through her veins as Johanna burned holes into her skull, watching her judging eyes until they softened.
"I see," the woman exhaled, [Name] blinking in confusion. "Poor thing," she murmured, hand dropping to her side. "I apologize for what you've seen," Johanna apologized. "It is because we trusted Julius that you had to suffer so early in life."
"Julius?" [Name] repeated. "As in Julius Ratri?"
"Do not speak his name," Johanna snarled, her spear flying into her hand. "That vile traitor is the reason why you are still on this side of the world."
[Name] stayed silent, watching the woman's spear cautiously. Johanna sighed, leaning the weapon on her shoulder, making sure to keep the point away from her descendant.
"Forgive me for that," she said regretfully. "A thousand years, and I still cannot bring myself to forgive him. But never mind that. You, [Name], are currently within the forest, are you not?"
"That's correct," [Name] confirmed. Johanna beckoned her back to the boulder, where the woman hopped onto its top and sat down. Following her example, [Name] noticed Johanna's eyes widened as she managed to leap right next to her.
"You've inherited my legs," the woman noted fondly. "Now, what do you have with you? How many people?"
"56," [Name] tapped her fingers against the boulder as she refused to meet Johanna's gaze. "We have enough food for a day, water from the anemones, and blankets."
"Severely unprepared, duly noted," Johanna said casually. She turned to the teen beside her. "Why did you come out into the wild with so little resources?"
"I was to be bred myself," [Name] muttered. "We were in a hurry to escape."
"Escape?" Johanna echoed. "If only we thought of that too. Then none of this would've happened. Now, enough of this misery," she tapped her spear into the ground.
Immediately, earth and plants bloomed from where her weapon had touched the void. Captivated, [Name] watched with childlike wonder as trees grew in front of her very eyes, rivers flowing full, and the sky melting into existence. Distant calls of animals of all kinds echoed in the void, and their lonely boulder wasn't so alone anymore. In mere seconds, a lush forest had been constructed from an empty void.
"Young one," Johanna called, and [Name] quickly realized that her ancestor had begun her way into the woods. "Follow me."
With nothing else to do, [Name] complied. "What is this?" she awed. Johanna laughed.
"Impressed?" she asked. "When one spends enough time in this space, they can learn to make it their ally rather than an enemy." The woman turned around and stopped in front of a tall sequoia tree.
A lone roar thundered, desperately close. The hairs on [Name]'s body raised as she recognized the howl as a demon's. She glanced at Johanna, whose smile remained the same - unbothered.
"You have plenty to learn about living in the wilderness, little one," she said kindly as a wild demon crashed through the sequoia, sending the tree to the ground and splinters flying everywhere. [Name] blew at her hair, hanging on a nearby tree.
Johanna twirled her spear skillfully, braid flowing wildly in the wind.
"Let us learn as much as we can in this short time we have together."
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Norman opened his eyes.
Pushing himself up from the grass, the albino brushed off the debris sticking to his sweater. For a few moments, he sat there, blinking away the drowsiness. Reaching up, he checked for any crust that might have formed in the corners of his eyes, quickly rubbing them off and discarding them in the grass. After being done with his shift, he had only closed his eyes for a moment before the sun had awoken him once more.
Quiet yet rapid breathing caught his attention as he drew his gaze to their source. Panic nearly had a hold of him when he spotted [Name], curled into her blanket. Normally, he would've awed at the (h/c) sleeping, but his eyes detected sweat beading on the back of her neck and the way her fingers curled open and then closed.
Does she have a fever?
Turning over, Norman pressed a hand to her forehead. She's not hot enough to be sick. This must be one of the dreams.
His hand withdrew as [Name] jerked abruptly, her legs flinching into themselves. Norman stalled, thinking of what to do. I shouldn't interrupt her, she could be doing something important. But what if she's in the middle of a nightmare and fearing for her life?
No, she isn't screaming, so it's not a particularly bad one. Still... Norman furrowed his brows worriedly. It doesn't look pleasant.
"Grr..." Norman's eyes widened as low yet fierce growling emitted from somewhere behind the sleeping (h/c). Peeking at the albino from behind a stained and ripped labcoat wrapped around his head, Zazie glared at him as he growled protectively.
"Zazie, was it?" Norman hummed at the five-year-old. "I won't hurt her, don't worry."
Zazie was not impressed.
With a sigh, Norman leaned back, only to hear a quiet whimpering from [Name]. His face twisted in concern, not noticing how Zazie instantly stopped growling. Stealthily, he snaked his hand under the covers to take a hold of her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles reassuringly.
The albino could feel Zazie staring at him intensely, but at the moment, he didn't particularly care. He didn't opt to give her anything more than that - he didn't like the idea of hugging her when she was unconscious and unaware. Norman also didn't like doing anything too affectionate in public, so he made sure to keep the comfort as secretive as possible.
It seemed as if his gentle ministrations were working, as the whimpering ceased and [Name]'s breathing went to normal. Norman sighed in relief, losing the tension in his shoulders. He went to bring his hand back, only for [Name] to whine slightly at the loss and curl her fingers around his.
Fighting back an adoring smile, Norman tugged his hand out of [Name]'s grip. Her fingers moved to find his, but when they didn't, she gave up with a tiny sigh. Norman ruffled her hair, deciding to keep her actions to himself.
The (h/c) rarely let anyone near her when she slept, and moments like these were ones that the albino would always treasure. The last time anything close to this happening was when they were little. Norman still remembered when he, Emma, and [Name] had sneaked into Ray's bed when the ravenette was having a nightmare.
His eyes hardened at the mention of his friends. ...Right. I can't get caught up in moments like these. I have to focus on keeping them safe.
"Boss." Vincent stood in the doorway, rosey colors washing over him as the sun began to rise into the early dawn. Norman met his golden eyes, nodding.
"We'll meet you outside," he said quietly, but not quite enough that Vincent couldn't hear it. "Wake up Barbara and Cislo."
Vincent nodded. "Right away, Boss."
Norman turned back to [Name], reluctant to bring her out of her sleep, but gently shook her regardless. "It's time to wake up," he said.
[Name] didn't respond, only mumbled incoherently. It wasn't the usual five more minutes that Norman heard from most children, though. Instead, the sentence she muttered almost sounded like a "goodbye".
The albino tilted his head, but otherwise only continued to encourage [Name] out of her sleep. Eventually, she opened her eyes, squinting against the pale light that had begun to leak into the cave.
Sitting up, [Name] stretched her limbs with a silent groan. Blinking away the drowsiness, she glanced at the patiently waiting Norman.
"Norman..?" she said sleepily. Shaking her head, [Name] coughed into her fist. "Is it morning?"
"Almost," he answered, desperately trying not to smile. "How did you sleep?"
"..." [Name]'s expression soured in annoyance. Norman nodded, understanding what she meant.
"Did you find anything useful?" he inquired. [Name] rolled back her shoulders, stretching out her legs.
"Good news, I managed to memorize a decent amount of edible plants," she said as she touched her forehead to her knee, sticking one leg out. "Bad news, locations can be tricky. Most of the plants grow around randomly, but there's a couple that have very specific conditions."
"That's good," Norman agreed. "How many?"
"20 species in total, only 5 are specialized," [Name] straightened. She peered outside the cave. "Why'd you wake me up this early? It's barely dawn."
"We're meeting the others outside," Norman explained, standing up. "Join us when you're ready."
"Hold on a second," [Name] raked her fingers through her hair as a substitute for a comb. When she apparently deemed it enough and tied them into a low and somewhat neat ponytail. Rubbing the crust out and remaining drowsiness out of her eyes, she efficiently folded her blanket and stowed it into her backpack. "Alright, let's go."
Trudging up the slide, [Name]'s hand shielded her eyes from the dim light as she emerged from behind the veil of vines.
Barbara, Cislo, and Vincent all greeted the two, the first two yawning from just being woken up. Vincent shook his head in disapproval at them, giving a curt nod at Norman and [Name].
"Good morning," he greeted. [Name] placed a hand on her hip, shoes squeaking against the morning dew.
"Good morning," she said back. She swept the area with her gaze, already looking more awake than she was. "How was your rest?"
"I slept well, thank you," Vincent replied. Barbara stretched back.
"Slept like a rock," she said, Cislo agreeing. "I haven't felt this energized since, well, ever."
"Good," Norman said shortly. "You'll feel better after we have some food. There's about a 3-day walk from here, so you'll need your energy."
"About that," Vincent cleaned his glasses with his shirt, "we've only prepared about a day's worth of food. Have you found a way to satisfy the need that will arise later?"
Norman glanced at the girl behind him. "[Name]?"
[Name] stepped forward. "I will recite 20 species of edible plants, their appearances, and their locations. Are you up to memorizing them?"
"20?!" Barbara gaped at her. "Along with their appearances and locations - you want us to memorize 60 facts on the spot?"
"Can you do it?" The (h/c) asked. "I can start with 5 or 10 if you wish."
"Yeah, that'd be helpful," Cislo admitted. [Name] tapped her chin.
"Nor- Minerva, I'll relay everything to you when we eat breakfast," she said, the albino nodded in confirmation. "Barbara, Cislo, listen closely. I will quiz you occasionally that helps."
Suddenly, the teenagers felt oddly intimated by their younger co-leader. Vincent sighed knowingly, fitting his glasses over his nose.
"So the first is..."
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"Chief, is this one edible?"
[Name] turned around from her spot on a tree trunk. The group had long finished eating and begun their walk towards the halfway point, Norman checking their position with the pen every half-hour or so.
Barbara nodded towards a group of brown mushrooms, with thick stems and wide-stretched caps. [Name] blinked, startled that she'd managed to find another group of mushrooms so quickly. It seemed as though Cislo had taken to memorizing nuts and vegetables, while Barbara focused on herbs and mushrooms. Those were what they kept bringing her with bright and proud smiles - although some had been poisonous.
"Yes, that's right," she managed out. Barbara pumped her fist.
"Alright!" she cheered, [Name] instantly shushing her. A girl walked to the two, one that [Name] recognized as being part of Cislo's group. They hadn't talked often.
"Chief?" she mumbled, keeping her hands close to her chest. "Are you gathering food?"
[Name] nodded, training her eyes on Barbara. "Don't take too much," she advised. "We'll be discovered if we do."
"I know," Barbara replied. The brunette noticed the nervous girl attempting to make a conversation with the suddenly silent (h/c), who was trying as hard as possible to end the conversation. All the answers she gave were short and to the point, clearly disappointing her conversation partner. "Hey, do you want to help me pick these?"
The girl jumped, not expecting to be called out. "Y-Yes, of course!" She glanced at [Name] timidly, the (h/c) nodding in response. With permission granted, the girl scrambled to help Barbara with the gathering.
"Which ones do I pick?" she asked, observing the variety of fungi at their disposal. Barbara gestured to the thicker ones.
"Shit mushrooms," the brunette explained, the younger girl gasping at the vulgar language.
"E-Excuse me?"
"Shiitake," [Name] corrected, now looking at the sky. Barbara laughed.
"Right," she agreed. "Anyways, this is how you pick them."
As she demonstrated how to do it, [Name]'s eyes squinted at the sun that was now straight over her head. It's about noon. Time for lunch.
"Barbara, take of her," she said briefly, before bounding off to notify Norman and the rest. The shy girl sighed as the brunette piped a 'roger' in response.
"Something wrong?" Barbara asked, plucking a few and stowing them away. "Wow, you're good at this!"
"Th-Thank you," the girl said bashfully, pink dusting her cheeks. "Hey... you're close to the Chief, right?"
"Not really," Barbara answered, tying up the bags and putting them into the backpacks. Extending a hand, she pulled the girl up before checking the mushrooms' original sight. It looks completely natural as if it were only an animal that had eaten it. Perfect. "None of us really know much about the Chief or the Boss, just that they knew each other for a long time."
"O-Oh, really?" the girl dropped her gaze. "Barbara, that was your name, right?"
"Yep," Barbara helped her put on her backpack. "Why?"
"Do you think the Chief hates me?" she asked suddenly, taking Barbara by surprise as they started moving towards the group, who were at a slight distance from them. "She kept trying to end the conversation. I don't think she wanted to talk to me."
"Don't be like that!" Barbara playfully shoved the girl's shoulder, making her yelp. "Thing is, I just think that the Chief has a hard time talking to new people. I've seen her talking with Cislo, Vincent, and the Boss. She'll warm up to the rest of you, don't worry!"
"Are you sure?" the girl asked. Barbara nodded. "That's good, I guess."
"Mhm! But enough depressing talk, let's start cooking lunch!" she whooped, nearly smacking the other girl with her fist in her excitement. "I think that's why the Chief went over to talk to the Boss."
As if on cue, Norman's voice came out, telling the group to stop to eat.
"See?" Barbara grabbed the girl's hand, running up to the group. "Do you want to help?"
"Can I?" the girl yelped.
"Of course!"
[Name] blinked as Barbara rushed through the kids, almost barreling into Cislo. She sighed, shaking her head as she stood up from the small fire she had made.
"Don't be so reckless," she scolded. "There's a fire and children here."
"Sorry, Chief," Barbara smiled toothily. "But we got a lot of mushrooms, so let's make something with it!"
"We can't use all of it," Vincent objected. "That would be foolish."
"Yeah, I know," Barbara stuck her tongue out at the dark-skinned male, said male rolling his eyes.
"Don't fight, you two," Norman ordered from where he was using a make-shift grill to cook.
"Yes, Boss," the two immediately snapped to attention. [Name] glanced at the timid girl, who shrank under her gaze.
"Are you going to help?" she asked, startling the girl with the question.
"If you'll let me," the girl replied, twiddling her fingers. [Name] waved her over.
"Let's see the mushrooms you gathered," she sat down. "I need to check them over."
"Right!"
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can you tell that i was really starved for fluff because of lambda
uh okay SO THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE AN UPDATE NEXT WEEK - maybe idk, but i'm going on vacation for a bit (without my laptop and like maybe my phone :') ) so i won't be able to write. i might be active on wattpad and quotev with replying to comments, but i won't be writing.
also i am beginning to write a new fanfiction on twisted wonderland, and idk if i can publish it tomorrow, but if i can't, oh well. i have plenty of angst prepared for this mc too >:D
but I've stalled enough, thank you all for reading!!!
p.s. are y'all ready for [name] in a suit because that is coming next chapter that isn't next week as much as it pains me