|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
Apr 27, 2019 19:16:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2019 19:16:42 GMT -7
Kinsey felt like she was walking in a fog. Almost nothing seemed real to her anymore. At least, she couldn't tell the difference between reality and fiction, to the point where she actually believed that her dreams were reality, that Riley truly hated her, along with Toby and her other friends. After the first nightmare, she'd fought off the thoughts, the suspicion that people were just pretending around her. She approached Toby, told him about it all, but things were changing now. The nightmares didn't come every night, they were completely random, but they drained her. They kept her in bed late into the morning, or even the afternoon, forcing her to watch the love of her life with someone else. Her friends degraded her until Kinsey found herself in a corner crying for what seemed like hours, but that didn't mean she was alone. Someone always showed up to tell her how useless she was and how no one really wanted her or cared for her. Her defenses were worn down as the torment sank in and she believed the words spoken to her in her nightmares. She couldn't look at Riley or Priscilla anymore without feeling sick and having to leave the room. She couldn't hear their voices- or Toby's- without feeling the need to hide. The only person she felt like she could trust now was Joe. For some reason, the American wasn't part of her dreams, and the only time she was able to relax was when she was with him, though she still hadn't told him that. It was obvious to anyone who paid attention that something was wrong with the Bainbridge girl. She was missing classes due to her nightmares, turning in assignments late. Her grades were suffering, which had never happened before, but you could tell just by looking at her that things were wrong. She rarely put any effort into her appearance anymore, not brushing her hair or straightening her robes. When she could dress casually, her clothes were worn and dirty. Black circles appeared under her eyes, which were almost always red and puffy now. Why should she care? Without even noticing where she was headed, Kinsey went to the pond. If she had been paying attention, she wouldn't have gone there. That was where her dreams always started. Then again, how did she know she wasn't in a dream now. She arrived at the pond, walking right up to the edge before falling to her knees and starting to sob quietly into her hands. No one would care. No one cared about her anymore. @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2019 13:36:44 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 13:36:44 GMT -7
Riley’s life had been fairly… quiet lately. At first he wasn’t sure why. Not that life was usually dramatic and loud, but recently, it had been a little too easy. A little too easy to focus on school work and a little too easy to make Priscilla happy enough. Though he still tried to avoid her and his little sister whenever possible. It wasn’t until Kinsey had missed classes for a few days that he realized it was becoming a regular occurrence. It was easy this time of year to miss classes due to illnesses, the cold was traveling through the castle at an alarming rate and it hadn’t been odd to him at all at first when the girl he usually sat behind or shared a desk with was gone in class. He had missed seeing her, but he was sure that if there was anything really wrong, she would tell him.
But then it got worse. Not only was she not in classes, but she wasn’t at meals either, and she couldn’t ever be found in the common room. It was almost as if she had just disappeared. A part of him wondered if she had… But then, as he walked from the greenhouses where he had just got out of class, towards the castle, he saw the tiny, huddled body near the pond. Kinsey?! He made his way over, calling her name from the distance. “Kinsey?” he asked again when he got closer. He could hear her sobs. He set his books and bag down on the bench. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2019 21:45:37 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2019 21:45:37 GMT -7
Kinsey was too caught up in her own emotions to listen to anything around her. In all honesty, she didn't think that anyone would try to talk to her or even approach her. Hardly anyone seemed to notice her anymore, even less people cared about what was going on with her. Besides that, it was much easier to assume no one wanted to talk to her. That way, she couldn't be in the way or cause more problems or grief than she already did. She didn't notice Riley calling her name or even approaching her until he was directly behind her, asking what was wrong. She recognized his voice instantly; how could she not? Kinsey spun around, her eyes wide and red from crying as she stared at the guy in front of her. "What are you doing here?" she asked harshly. She knew he'd caught her being weak, crying even, but she had no intention of admitting it. Why would he approach her now, after parading Priscilla around in front of her for so long? "Waiting for your fiance?" she asked dismissively, a distinct note of disdain in her voice as she turned back to face the pond. She couldn't look at him. Even after these weeks of him practically torturing her in her dreams (was she dreaming now?), just hearing his voice made her heart pound. He could read her, she knew, and Kinsey didn't want to make it obvious that she still had feelings for someone who cared nothing for her. Why was he here? Why did she care? @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2019 14:55:45 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2019 14:55:45 GMT -7
Kinsey didn’t move at first but when he asked her what was wrong she spun around and he got a look at her. But what he saw shocked him. She had been crying, obviously, and her eyes were red and bloodshot. She looked absolutely exhausted. “I was just walking back from class and I saw you over here… I haven’t seen you in a while…” he admitted. Then she asked if he was waiting for his Fiance and he raised his eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into her. Sure, he spent some time with Priscilla, but it wasn’t much and anyone could tell by looking at him that he usually wasn’t thrilled with it. He figured that she would know better than anyone that he would never go looking for Priscilla on purpose. “No? Why would you think that? You know I hide as much as I can.” they had hid together before the winter break. Something wasn’t right.
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2019 20:26:26 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2019 20:26:26 GMT -7
The look on Riley's face when she turned to look at him ... he almost seemed surprised or confused. Why was he confused? He was the one being confusing! Why was he trying to talk to her now, after basically ignoring her the past few weeks ... or treating her like crap the past few weeks. She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion. She was still having a hard time distinguishing between the two Riley's. The one from her dreams and the one she'd spent winter break with. The problem was, how was she supposed to know the difference? She couldn't seem to get it right, always trying to talk to the wrong one and it was breaking her inside, to the point where she was starting to believe neither Riley would want to talk with her. She scoffed, but didn't say anything in response to him saying he came over because he hadn't seen her in a while. She didn't want him to see her. She didn't want to see him, especially with Priscilla. The dreams that forced her to miss class helped with that, but part of her was surprised she'd made it this long, if this was the real Riley to begin with. Kinsey wasn't watching him, but she could hear the hesitance when he said he wasn't waiting for Priscilla, asking why she would think that. Kinsey lifted a hand to her temple as it started to throb, the pain in her head sharp. "I don't know what you're talking about," she tried to make her voice strong, hoping that the fact she was turned away from him would keep him from seeing something was wrong with her. "I never see you without her anymore," Kinsey added after a moment, her voice still hard and angry. She cringed as the pain in her head increased for a moment, then turned part of the way to see him, her tone decidedly softer as her real thoughts slipped out, "You still hide from her?" The hope rising within her was pathetic. She shouldn't care how Riley answered ... but she did. @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 1, 2019 12:14:43 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 12:14:43 GMT -7
What was she saying? She never saw him without Priscilla? He couldn’t imagine when she would have even saw him with Priscilla in the first place. Sure, he had to spent time with her, he had to go along with what he was supposed to be doing, at least until he decided how he could handle all of this with no one getting hurt in the process. He had thought that she understood that though, that they would sometimes be seen together, but it didn’t mean that he liked her as anything other than a friend. He was sure that Kinsey understood all of that. “Kinsey I don’t know what you’re talking about. Of course I still hide for her. You think I want to spend time with a girl whom I don’t love when all she wants to do is hang off my arm and trying to kiss me?” he asked. He stepped forward and reached out, trying to offer her some comfort. “I’m worried about you…” he admitted now. “You’ve been missing classes and now I find you like… well, like this. Did something happen?” he asked. Was it her bully? Was he back?
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 1, 2019 16:34:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 1, 2019 16:34:23 GMT -7
Riley looked so confused, which in turn was confusing for Kinsey. Why was he acting like he didn't know what she was talking about? She stared at him, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure it all out despite the pain in her head. Was there any way she could be talking to the real Riley? That by some miracle he was the one to find her right now? It almost seemed to good to be true. She frowned as he explained more, her heart starting to hope when he started talking about how he hid from Priscilla and how he didn't love her. She shook her head, partly in answer to his question, but also to try and push out the hopeful thoughts. If she actually believed this and he was just messing with her ... she'd break again. "I don't know what you want anymore," she answered, forcing her hope back. She had to protect herself at all costs. Then he touched her. Kinsey's breath caught when his intentions washed over her, familiar and comforting. Her eyes closed as she exhaled in relief. It was her Riley and suddenly everything was different, somehow. Her headache started to fade at her realization that this wasn't the Riley from her dreams. This one ... he still loved her? And now she had to explain everything. "I ... I think I'm going crazy," she answered in a low voice, proud of herself for not being emotional or crying. Apparently she had learned a bit since this all started. "I've been having these dreams ... well, they're actually more like nightmares and I can't wake up from them. Like, I know I'm sleeping, but I'm stuck in a place that seems like it's designed to torment me." She shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, though it really was. "By the time I wake up, I've missed most, if not all, of my classes, but I'm exhausted. I ... I can hardly tell the difference between being awake and asleep anymore. Sorry, I know this must sound insane ..." Kinsey trailed off, wanting to tell him more, but honestly not knowing what else to say. He had to think she was losing her mind. Kinsey thought the same thing. @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 2, 2019 10:36:48 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 2, 2019 10:36:48 GMT -7
She looked so frustrated as she exclaimed at him. She didn’t know what he wanted anymore? How could she not know? He wanted her of course, and he was working on that. Unless maybe she didn’t want him anymore and was avoiding him because of it. The thought terrified him, but it soon left his mind as he saw her expression soften when he touched her. She began to explain, saying that she thought she was going crazy because she had been having these extreme dreams that were tormenting her and making her miss classes. Riley sighed and stepped closer again, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. “Oh wow, Kinsey. I’m so sorry.” he whispered to her. He had read about nightmares before, but they were all the result of stress or anxiety and none of them seemed as bad as the ones that Kinsey was explaining. “Is there anything I can do? Can the healers in the hospital wing help? Can they give you a potion or something?” he asked.
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 2, 2019 12:06:34 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 2, 2019 12:06:34 GMT -7
Riley was apologizing, but Kinsey shook her head. She didn't tell him this to make him apologize. She knew that this Riley would never wish that kind of pain on her. The other Riley though ... she couldn't say what he would or wouldn't want for her. "You're in the dreams," the words burst out of her lips against her will, but there was no taking them back. Would he realize what that meant, the fact that he was in her nightmares. Would he realize that in them, he was mean to her? She shrugged at his question. "I don't know. I ... haven't gone to anyone for help. I'm kind of afraid that something is wrong with me, and that if I go to someone for help ..." she trailed off, pulling herself closer to Riley as she hugged him back. If anyone could help her through this, she knew he at least would try to. He cared about her that much, even if she doubted some of his feelings for her, she didn't doubt them all. She nuzzled against his shoulder, "Riley I don't know what's happening to me." She was scared. Though she couldn't come outright and say that, she definitely was. @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 4, 2019 10:46:50 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 4, 2019 10:46:50 GMT -7
He was in her dreams. Her nightmares. He sighed again. That was when she had seen him with Priscilla. In her dreams. That must have been awful. He couldn’t imagine the things that she had seen and the ways that they had made her feel, but he could see on her face that they weren’t pleasant. He wished more than anything that there was something that he could do to make it all go away. He didn’t know how. “I’m going to look into it.” he promised her, still holding her tightly to him. “I’m going to try to figure this out for you.” he would. He would do as much research as he needed to do to try and find out why she was having these dreams and how he could help, or how someone could help her, even if he couldn’t. Maybe a real healer could. He understood that she didn’t want to get help. He could see how she felt about it. She felt like she was going mad. She didn’t want other people to think that she was crazy.
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 4, 2019 13:41:10 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 4, 2019 13:41:10 GMT -7
His arms were still around her, holding her tightly and Kinsey loved the contact. She loved being so close to Riley. She'd missed him since Christmas break ended, since the nightmares began and started warping her perception of him. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry every time you see me, I'm emotional. I swear, I don't do this on purpose," she muttered against him, appreciating that he hadn't pushed her away yet. Of course, it would have to happen someday since he was engaged, but that didn't have to be today, which was a relief. Then he was promising to look into it, saying that he'd figure it out and Kinsey shook her head. "I've been trying for weeks. I've searched the library and in every place I can think of." Except for talking to healers. She hadn't gone to them yet, but she'd scoured every shelf in the library, even in the restricted section. "I can't figure out where it came from or what's causing it or anything." Kinsey leaned against Riley a little more. "I'm just so tired. You'd think that sleeping so much, I'd be fine, but it's almost like the nightmares drain any remaining energy I have." @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 9, 2019 11:22:55 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 9, 2019 11:22:55 GMT -7
He gave a soft laugh when she started to apologize for being emotional every time he saw her. “Kinsey I don’t care if you’re emotional. I appreciate that you don’t mind being vulnerable with me still.” he admitted. He wished that he could do more to help her. He knew that there was more that he could do, but he didn’t know what, yet. He would find out though, he promised himself. Even if it meant spending the rest of the term in the library, he’d help her. She began to explain that she couldn’t find anything to help herself and had been searching and searching in the library for a while already. He could see how much all of this was wearing on her. “Okay well how about this, until we figure it out, let’s figure out a way that you can tell reality from a dream.” he suggested.
@kinsey
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 15, 2019 21:18:42 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 15, 2019 21:18:42 GMT -7
Riley laughed when she apologized, but his arms were still around her and Kinsey knew he wasn't laughing at her. She relaxed against him even more when he said that he didn't care about her always being emotional. "I trust you," she muttered softly. "The real you, that is," Kinsey chuckled ever so softly. It wasn't funny, but it was true, and was also why her dreams hurt so much. She trusted the real Riley so much she couldn't stop giving dream Riley chances to break her. She sat up, eyes widening when he suggested that they should find a way for her to tell reality from dream. "Like a sign or something? What were you thinking?" Kinsey asked, an obviously eager tone in her voice. If this worked ... it could change things. @riley
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 16, 2019 14:43:03 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 14:43:03 GMT -7
What kind of sign was he thinking about? He had no idea, he honestly hadn’t ever thought about it before, he never thought he would need to make up a sign like that. He never thought that something like this would happen. “How about, when I see you and I wave by wiggling my fingers like this…” he demonstrated, holding his right hand up and wiggling his fingers. “Then you’ll know it’s the real me.” he decided.
@kinsey ((go ahead and end it))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 20, 2024 0:10:29 GMT -7
|
|
|
May 16, 2019 19:26:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on May 16, 2019 19:26:16 GMT -7
Riley looked a little confused, for about a fraction of a second. It was almost like he hadn't expected her to ask that, but Kinsey didn't mind. If he wanted, they could come u with something together. However, Riley didn't take long to think of something. He suggested a specific kind of wave, demonstrating it for her and Kinsey smiled. Dream-Riley would definitely never wave at her like that. "That would be perfect," she said with a small chuckle. "Thanks Riley," she added after a moment. She was just so glad that he was wiling to be there for her and help her. It still felt a little surreal, like this was the dream instead of reality, but this was the Riley she knew and she was glad to know that he was still there. "We should go get a snack from the kitchens," Kinsey suggested after a moment. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten. Food was probably a good idea. She stood up and walked with him to the kitchens, feeling more calm than she had in quite a while. --- the end --- @riley
|
|
|
|