First Night [Open to Multiple]

[heysoulsister]

Jodie Holmes, age six, sits in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. One wall is lined with a mirror that is not really a mirror. There are cameras mounted in the corners, their power lights like unblinking red eyes in the dimness (not darkness; they left the light in the hall on for her). She surveys the sparsely furnished room with her back against the headboard and her chin atop her teddy bear. There is a flashlight on her bedside table, and she knows Cole is just outside. They should be safe here, and she tries to be brave - brave for Aiden, whose fear shivers the tether that binds them.

"Don't be scared, Aiden," she says, hugging her teddy closer. "We're gonna go to sleep, and nothing bad is gonna happen." The phrase has a practiced cadence to it, like a prayer, or a magic spell. But God hasn't stopped the monsters, and she doesn't know if she believes in the good kind of magic anymore.

She pushes her legs beneath the covers, but she doesn't lie down. Something is coming. She can feel it.

Comments

[heysoulsister]

Aiden shrinks in on himself a little as the doctor seems to look at him… but that can't be right. No one can see him. Even so, he drifts closer to Jodie, feeling self-conscious. It's not a good feeling.

Jodie shrugs in response to the question. He's being silly. This place is nothing like a party; it's bare and boring, and she and Aiden are the only ones in here. But this doctor seems friendly, and she amends her response to a nod.

[has_a_horn]

"Awesome." He makes his way in, closing the door behind himself. It really isn't that exciting of a room, all in all, but a slightly strange one. The giant mirror and what's behind it are particularly concerning.

He plops himself down in the desk chair and brings up his legs to sit cross-legged. "I'm Gabriel, by the way. What's your name?"

[heysoulsister]

She's pretty sure he already knows her name - he can't have just wandered in by accident - and the look she gives him isn't very impressed. But maybe he's just trying to be nice, and now that he's here, she doesn't want him to leave. The monsters only come for her when she and Aiden are alone.

"Jodie," she says. The safety in numbers isn't lost on Aiden, either, and he gives her a little nudge. In an automatic rush, she adds, "Nicetomeetyou."

[has_a_horn]

He keeps his focus on Jodie, but when the other person moves closer to her, he takes the nudge for what it is. "Nice to meet you too." Now, his gaze does shift to where Aiden is. "Who's your friend?"

[heysoulsister]

She feels Aiden's surprise like a sharp poke in the stomach, and she frowns. She can't always see where Aiden is, so the fact that Gabriel is looking right at him is lost on her. Not is she surprised that he knows about Aiden, because everyone else here probably does, too. It's how he describes him that's wrong. "Aiden's not my friend," she says flatly. He doesn't like being tied to her anymore than she does.

[has_a_horn]

"Oh? What is he then?" His eyes linger over the spot where he can feel Aiden, then he focuses back over at Jodie. "He doesn't hurt you, does he?" He doesn't...necessarily get a dangerous vibe from him, but it's difficult to tell. He doesn't even know what Aiden is.

[heysoulsister]

That's what everyone wants to know, and it's sort of nice having someone just ask her plainly instead of trying to sneak answers out of her. But she doesn't have answers; that's the problem.

So she shrugs again. "He doesn't hurt me," she says, putting some emphasis on 'he.' "He tries to protect me, sometimes." He's just bad at it, going overboard defending her from a bully and doing nothing when the monsters come for her.

Aiden drifts up and to the side, beginning to suspect that this guy really can see him. He doesn't want to stray too far from Jodie, but he does want to see if Gabriel starts glancing up toward him.

[has_a_horn]

"Well, in that case." He lifts his head to track Aiden's new position. He smirks, because he has a feeling that Aiden isn't used to being seen. "It's nice to meet you too." He'll take Jodie's word for it that he tries to protect her. It's definitely a big point in his favor. And a girl in this situation...he glances at the mirror behind her, then back to Jodie. It seems see needs all the protection she can get.

"Does he talk?" he asks Jodie.

[heysoulsister]

He can see him! Aiden darts behind Jodie, unsettled by the man's gaze. But hiding doesn't sit well with him, either, and after a few moments he drifts back up to watch the man from over Jodie's shoulder.

The girl shrugs. "Not really." He can make noise, but that's not the same as talking. "He can write, a little."

[has_a_horn]

"Impressive." And it is, kind of. He doesn't know exactly what Aiden is, but if he's some sort of spirit, moving things about enough to write is pretty hard to do. There's one point about this all that he's not really getting, though. "Why does he protect you, if he's not your friend?"

[heysoulsister]

"We're tied together," she says flatly. "He can't leave." He protects her because it's the same thing as protecting himself. If they weren't connected, she's pretty sure he'd be gone in a second.

The lights flicker, and she huffs, unimpressed. Now he's sulking. "Stop it, Aiden," she orders.

But it's not Aiden messing with the lights, and he stays huddled close to Jodie as the flickering continues and the temperature starts to drop. Jodie backs into the headboard, breath quickening. "I said stop!"

[has_a_horn]

Tied together. That's interesting. He wonders why that is, but he doesn't have much time to consider it. The lights flicker, and he looks over at the lamp as if it might provide an answer. He doesn't get the feeling that Aiden is the one causing it, but if she's connected to him Jodie might know better.

He drops his legs fro their cross-legged position, ready to stand if he needs to. "What's happening, Jodie?"

[heysoulsister]

The flickering grows worse, more pronounced, and she can feel Aiden's terror humming through the tether. No, no, no… they shouldn't be here, not with Gabriel here, but then something zips through the room from floor to ceiling, something smokey and indistinct, and Jodie's eyes widen.

"The monsters!" she cries as another formless creature flies through the room, circling her bed like a vulture. In the blink of an eye, it's on her, hoisting her straight up into the air as she drops her teddy and claws helplessly at the empty air.

[has_a_horn]

Whoa. Okay. Yes, definitely monsters, but unlike Johie and Aiden, the monsters aren't actually separate beings sharing the dream. That means that whatever they are doesn't matter, because Gabriel can get rid of them.

"No, not tonight." He lifts a hand, snaps his fingers, and immediately the monsters are gone and the room clean and well-lit. Jodie falls back to the bed slowly, and Gabriel leans in to check if she's alright.

[heysoulsister]

They're gone. He just snapped his fingers, and the monsters left. Jodie gapes up at him, tears still streaming down her cheeks because the rescue was so sudden and absolute that she hasn't had time to stop. "… How did you do that?" she asks once she's caught her breath a little.

Aiden, too, can barely believe it was that easy. He darts into the surrounding rooms, half-expecting to find the monsters lurking just out of sight, but they really are gone. Bewildered, he rejoins Jodie and Gabriel in the bedroom.