Fantasy The Restart Rehab

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Nora

Everyone was waking up from their deaths and they looked truly disturbed. Marisol woke up and began crying and explaining what happened. Before that memory Nora thought that she had killed herself. She struggled with that for a while and eventually forgave herself. She was going to get a better life, she was happier now than she had ever been. Turns out it was Marisol that killed her...did that change anything though? Not really. She was still dead.

Yuu was patting her on the head and it made her heart swell. She gave him a small smile before rubbing her tear filled eyes. "Marisol I'm not mad. I forgive you. Back then I would have done anything to be your guys's friends. We were young and stupid." She walked over to Marisol and pat her on the head like she did to Yuu to cheer him up and comfort him. "That was another life. You've changed. Do us both a favor and forgive yourself and we can move on."

Her eyes glanced over at Viola. She looked awful. She even had to swallow it again! And Raven ran off...

"Congratulations on passing everyone! You have faced your death and overcame your traumas. We are so proud of you. You're one step closer to nirvana and reincarnation. Please get ready and head for the bus, it'll be taking you to the resort you'll be staying at. Please take this paper with your roommates and a list of rules to follow. Now I am going to tell you that these capsules have a small side effect for about a week. You may have visions of your past self. Just remember, memories can't hurt you. Hold your breath and they'll go away. Please have a safe, relaxing trip!"

--

Since their group finished first they got to take the first bus to the resort. It was a comfortable charter bus all to themselves as they headed to the spa. Apparently it was an exclusive resort, but it didn't explain why there was a spa in hell. Nora had a bad feeling about it though. She spent the bus ride looking over the rules. 1. No leaving. 2. Remember the lessons you've learned in the past year. 3. If you have a bad memory hold your breath, it'll go away. 4. Memories can't hurt you!...To be honest? Nora really didn't want to half visions of her past self.

Once they got to the spa Nora stood up and looked around at everyone. They all needed some time to themselves after their test. "Hey, we're here." Nora grabbed her black suitcase when she stood. Gently she pat Yuu on the head when she walked by him on her way off the bus. He seemed a little distant but what could she expect? He just escaped his own death. "Whoa." The resort was traditional style and looked very quiet and relaxing. The girls would be in one room and the boys would be in another. "We should probably stick together since we might have visions." She walked inside and was greeted by an older lady who gave them each their keys to their rooms.

"Yuu want to meet at the hot springs?" Nora turned to her fox friend and gave him a small smile.

Spoiler: Spa

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Delphina

What was that look Raven gave her? It made her heart hurt. Did she say something to offend him? Her heart felt heavy. She took the paper that appeared in front of her and gave a small sigh. "I'll see you guys on the bus." Delphina grabbed her pink suitcase from the apartment before she headed straight for the bus. Quickly she found herself a spot at the back of the bus and decided to sulk there. She had so many questions and things weighing on her heart and she couldn't even ask Raven for his opinion because he looked at her like some sort of monster!

Delphina spent the bus ride either pouting or sleeping. She didn't like being lonely, thankfully the girls would room together. None of them seemed to be avoiding her.

When she got off of the bus she avoided eye contact with Raven and stuck close to Nora when she got her key. "Maybe we should just have a girl day, Nora. I don't think the guys want much to do with us." Why was there suddenly a wall between the two genders? Just this morning they were all friends.

 

[Sir Damien]

Castor

How do you apologize to your own brother for killing him? Marisol's situation was different. She didn't intentionally kill Nora. Castor? He struck his brother down as he begged him to stop. Castor could have easily been struck down by Everest but instead Everest begged him to stop. Castor didn't listen. He killed Everest. He didn't blame him for not wanting to speak to him.

The bus ride was quiet. Castor needed a little time to himself to think over what just happened. This whole ordeal left him confused and downtrodden. He was meant to die and stay dead. What was the point of this anyway? He might achieve Nirvana but he didn't deserve it. It was like the reality of the whole situation sunk in. He stared at the flowers on his arm and grimaced slightly. It was year two and he hadn't even gotten rid of one.

"A day with the guys doesn't sound too bad. Besides, I don't think I'm going to be getting in the water much. I wouldn't be much fun anyway, I think our serpent forms would take up too much space." With that said Castor took his key from the older lady and gave a long sigh. "Have a good girls day, girls." With that said Castor made his way to their room they'd be staying in. Staying away from water was a good idea, less likely to have a a vision that way. "Everest I want to say, um, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Do you want to, uh, talk about it?" This was a dumb idea.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Everest

A spa to relax in while you get over the death capsule. What could go wrong? At least the memories couldn't hurt them. The bus ride was long and silent. Everyone was awkward with each other. Yuu barely looked at Nora, Raven avoided Delphina like the plague. Even Castor was more distant than usual, sitting by himself rather than Marisol. He didn't blame them. What they had just been through was exhausting and traumatic. Even Everest was feeling off. It was just hard to grasp at the fact that he could have been a dragon by now.

What's three more years before eternity? He didn't destroy his own brother, he felt good about that. The fact that ate him up inside was that if he did destroy his brother then he would have become a dragon. How would that have made him a hero?

When the bus stopped Everest picked up his white luggage and stepped off of the bus. They got their keys and Nora mentioned something about meeting up at the springs with Yuu, Delphina quickly trying to change her mind. Wouldn't Delphina be happy if they were going to the water though? "Have a good day then ladies." He gave the girls a gentle smile before walking to the room.

Castor started to apologize. Everest couldn't help but chuckle. "We cannot change the past, Castor. You are not the same serpent I battled on the beach. I...would change nothing. I would never kill you. You are my brother and you will always be my brother. I forgive you." Everest gave Castor a pat on the shoulder. "I hope this does not change our relationship. Your snarky attitude brings me a smile sometimes."

 

[KAYDEN]

Raven

Raven didn’t understand it. Why was he so afraid of the women in their group? Sure his death was due to his fiancée but up until the test he didn’t have a shred of worry when looking at Delphina or any of the other girls. Plus in his old life he had sisters! But he couldn’t shake the feeling of betrayal that a woman who he trusted was the reason he was here. He wasn’t in love with her but her hatred for him caused a worry that followed him into the afterlife.

The bus ride left Raven with questions. Ones that he would usually open for discussion to the others but he had no want to talk to anyone. He simply sat in silence and shut his eyes until they arrived. This whole thing would hopefully make his worry go away, maybe this was one of the side affects. As they walked inside Raven peered into one of the ponds and a gentle smile crossed his face. Peaceful. His reflection however showed a man with wide bloodshot eyes who was gasping for air. Raven jumped away from the pond and quickly followed the others inside. What was that?

Nora mentioned the hot springs to Yuu and Delphina, thankfully, quickly re-routed the plans and most of the others quickly agreed. “I’m going to go hunt down some tea.” Raven followed the serpents to their room and dropped off his suitcase before leaving them to their discussion and finding himself in the lobby once more. He needed to just sit and breathe.. that’s why he was seeing things. All he needed was to de stress.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Viola

Viola was having an internal crisis, this entire time she felt so prideful and so above it all but the truth was that her death meant nothing. She died. The elves wouldn’t have stopped... they would have moved onto the next prisoner without even blinking. Sure, she died without selling her people out but... maybe if she had been smarter and saved herself back then, she could have gotten back to fight for them. Viola thought she was so righteous and so brilliant and her life ended because she didn’t eat for a few days? Pathetic! She didn’t even get a warriors death! That was all their guard ever wanted out of their duty. They wanted to serve and protect or die serving and protecting.

It didn’t help that Viola had distanced herself so far from the others that now she had no one to talk to. Everyone was acting strange anyways. The knowledge that four members of their group were involved with one another in their past lives made this tension hang in the air. Nora voiced her acceptance to Marisol but it didn’t seem to help. And the brothers were sulking in their own thoughts as well.

Once at the spa Viola followed with her bags and let out a small huff when everyone began to go their separate ways. What was this boys versus girls? Viola wanted to relax. Not stew in the tension more. “You and you.” Viola gently grabbed both Delphina and Nora’s hands before looking around for Marisol, “Yellow human come on. We’re dropping off our things then getting in the hot springs. The mermaid could use some water and you two need to sweat out the toxicity.” And she desperately needed a friend... ​

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marisol

Nora forgave her but did she forgive herself? Marisol was disgusted with the person she was and honestly she had been back when she was alive. Just now it was too hard to ignore it. When she was alive she was mean to people to avoid getting hurt. That wasn’t okay! Just because her parents didn’t want her didn’t mean she could put that pain on other people. Ultimately her bad life decisions got someone killed...

As they traveled to the spa her eyes stayed glued on the flowers in her arm, one was gone but was drying off Everest really a good enough deed to erase a third of what she had done. How did that make sense? One of the two other flowers was a lighter shade... maybe admitting what she did was helping.

They came to a stop and everyone started to get off the bus. As Castor walked by her she couldn’t help but almost call out but she stopped short. He didn’t sit by her. That hurt a bit... he must be going through some shit as well but the last year they had gone through all of their shit together. Hell he wouldn’t even talk to her about his memory... Marisol told the whole damn room and not that he owed her but having someone tell her he understood would make her heart lighter.

Marisol grabbed her yellow suitcase and exited the bus, just in time to hear Viola order her around. “Viola I don’t really want to go for a swim okay?” She didn’t want to sit in awkward silence. Or either Nora... well more she didn’t want to ruin Nora’s time here. But it seemed like she had no real choice. “Fine. Whatever.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Yuu

Directly after the test Yuu was so worried about what he heard from Marisol that he didn’t think twice about comforting Nora but now? Just a small while later? Looking at either of the humans made him angry. His gut would twist in this sort of feral hatred for their species. Nora had done nothing wrong but Marisol told a story of humans hurting each other for fun? They burnt down his village out of fear? They were stupid creatures with little respect for the world around them. They ruled 90% of the world while species like the Kitsune, faeries, Elves and various others lived hidden away. All because one over populated species let fear and ignorance rule themselves. It was a thought he couldn’t shake. It made him feel so guilty that the anger and guilt made him feel like he was on a never ending rollercoaster of nausea.

Nora gave him a pat on the head as she exited the bus, a notion that would have usually delighted him but now made him want to lash out. Yuu bit his tongue though. Instead he simply grabbed his bag and made his way inside. Nora then asked him to meet her in the hot springs and he looked down at her with emotionless eyes. “I think the others are right. Have a girls day.” It took all of his strength to not be outright mean for no reason. He couldn’t be like them. He couldnt fear or hate them because of a few bad things or stories but it was so damn hard!

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Nora

Why did her chest feel so heavy? The look that Yuu gave her and the tone he used reminded her of how people used to talk to her. Nora never had a friend before coming here. Yuu was cheerful, fun, and nice. Was she an idiot for thinking they were friends? She felt like crying. "H-Huh?" Nora wiped her watering eyes when Viola suddenly started to drag her off. Were the girls her friends? Delphina was sweet and bubbly and she probably considered everyone to be a friend. Mariso was still torturing herself for killing her so probably not. Viola? She was usually too busy for everyone.

"Swimming sounds fun." Nora gave a forced giggle and followed Viola to their room. She pulled out the swimsuit she had packed and went to the bathroom. After she changed she looked in the mirror and flinched slightly when she found a crying image of her old self. "Stop it, you're not real." She shook off the image and walked back out to the other girls. She put her long wavy locks in a high ponytail and gave a small sigh. "I'm exhausted..."

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Delphina

A long sigh passed her lips. What was up with Yuu and Raven? Even poor Nora looked upset over it. "Oh, a swim?" Delphina smiled brightly and gave a firm nod. "I could stretch my fin!" That perked the mermaid up. Quickly she hurried to the room and opened her bag. She had been working on a new top for when she was in the water for a while now and it looked perfect. She was ready to see it on with her fin out. After Nora got done changing Delphina ran in the bathroom and quickly changed into her top and a black pair of bottoms. Not like her bottoms mattered much with her fin out.

"I hoped the boys would of been able to spend some time with us during this trip but clearly we won't see much of them." Her smile faltered for a moment before it became bright again. "I'm glad I can spend it with you guys, though. We don't do much together."

"I'll go test the water for you guys!" Delphina ran through the halls back to the lobby. Her eyes bat curiously as she tilted her head at Raven. "If you're looking for tea I smelled some coming from down the hall in the kitchen." She awkwardly tucked a piece of her pale pink hair behind her ear. Her eyes stared at the floor. "I'm sorry for whatever I did to you." With that she ran off to the hot spring.

Once there she went to jump in the water but stumbled as she seen her reflection. She was squirming around in the net with the humans stabbing her. Her heart started to beat loudly as she just stood there and watch.

 

[Sir Damien]

Castor

Was this serpent a damn fool or just a saint? "You saw what I did to you, right?" He shook his head and regained his composure. "I, uh, thanks. But don't expect some brotherly bond or anything between us." With that said he felt something weird on his arm. Castor glanced under his sleeve and seen one of the flowers were gone. He couldn't help but smile. "Right! Well."

He glanced over at Yuu and tilted his head. "Now why are you avoiding the humans?" He couldn't help but smirk. "You were so fond of the brunette, it's a damn shame. Luckily she's so popular, someone will come comfort her in no time." He gave a small chuckle. "Your roommate seems to be at odds with his little pet mermaid. Maybe he'll find some comfort in that human girl. She seems nice." Castor couldn't help it. Yuu wasn't making jokes so someone had to.

And taunting the fox was pretty fun. "Won't it be awkward living with her? She was basically your only friend. Will you find comfort in other women like you fox boys do so often?"

 

[ZombieBaee]

Yuu

This. Fucking. Little. Boy.

It was the first time that Yuus powers emerged since they came to this place. His eyes went ghostly white and his mouth curled into a grin with one of his fangs poking out a bit. The wind that swirled around him picked up his hair a bit before moving around Castor with a flick of Yuus hand. A lot of people expected fire from the Kitsune, but Yuus clan was from the mountains. They controlled the winds.

“Me? Hah!” Yuu picked up the boy with the wind and slowly walked over to him, the cocky tone back in his voice. He may be avoiding Nora but he wasn’t going to take shit from this punk. “Humans killed me, sue me for being cautious. What’s your excuse? Besides being a poor excuse for a man.” He spun Castor around a few times before dropping him to the ground and growling. “Your little girlfriend is begging for you to help her and you’re so self absorbed in your own self pity to realize. At least when I heard what happened to them I asked Nora if she was okay. More than you can say. And keep her name out of your fucking mouth snake.” Yuus eyes slowly returned to normal as he took a few deep breaths. He wouldn’t allow someone to make jokes at Nora’s expense. Was Yuu avoiding her? Hell yes. Did he want to be? No! But he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t control this anger he was feeling right now and clearly he was quickly loosing his temper at everything!

“I’m going to get some air. Fuck this bonding thing. Have a good trip.” Yuu snatched his bag and headed back out to the lobby, finding the deck and laying out on the wood while using his bag as a pillow. “Fucker. So what if I’m avoiding her?” They we’re friends yeah but Nora had other friends right? Surely the girls could have a good time together. And so what if Nora and Raven talked or something? Though Yuu did have to admit the idea made him a bit red in the face.

 

[KAYDEN]

Raven

Raven nodded at Delphina in response to her information, "Thank you." He worded it absently, his mind was still cloudy. What he didn't expect was her apology. "Wait Delphina-" But she was already gone. He felt terrible that she felt like she was the one who did something wrong here. In all reality no one did anything wrong! Raven just couldn't shake this feeling of being betrayed, there was an unexplained paranoia going on in his head and the image in the pond wasn't helping his nerves at all!

"Oh my..." Raven groaned and made his way toward the kitchen and found a cup of tea from one of the attendants. This would ease some of his anxieties. He took a few small sips and looked up at the wall, catching his reflection in a mirror. This time he was mouthing someone at himself and Raven couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Everyone is only helping themselves and you're just a pawn in their story."

Raven dropped the cup the the ground, causing it to shatter. The room was empty now. It was just himself and... himself. Terror took over his body and his feet refused to move for a long few moments before he finally pulled himself away and shook his head side to side, pushing back his dark brown hair and letting out a heavy sigh. Maybe he needed some sleep or something. The visions were a side effect sure but this was too hard to handle.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marisol

Despite her worries of spending alone time with the girls, Marisol got dressed in the bathing suit she found in her suitcase and pulled her bright yellow hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. Delphina was so excited that she basically ran off without any of the others and Marisol let out a small chuckle. "You two ready then?" Marisol sighed as she rejoined Nora and Viola in the lobby. They were about to head after Delphina when she heard a commotion from the boys room.

"What in the hell?" Marisol took a few steps in the direction of the room and suddenly could hear everything. "Nora stay there." Yuu stormed out of the room and passed her and Marisol stormed right into the boys room without a second thought. Screw whatever Yuu said about her, she wasn't that pitiful! But Nora didn't need anymore shit after how understanding she had been with Marisol! She felt like she needed to protect that girl from any further hurt just to even slightly make up for well... killing her.

"What is your problem Castor!?" Marisol huffed, face red and eyes in slits. It was probably one of the few times she used his real name rather than goat boy. "I get it. We're both sarcastic bitchy people. Make fun of Yuu and his stupidity all you want but do you even slightly understand how hurt Nora would be if she heard the conversation you two just had?!" Not to mention Marisol's feelings were slightly hurt as well. Deep down she knew how badly she wanted to talk to Castor about everything but she had been pushing it down. She didn't think anyone else really noticed but clearly someone did. "I understand you're hurting but jesus Castor so are all of us. That was the wrong way to pull off comic relief." She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a giant breath. "I just don't get you." For the past year they got each other, helped each other progress. Castor was a good guy and different than this. Distasteful jokes were honestly usually hilarious but it was almost like he was trying to get a bad reaction from Yuu.

 

[EclipseRosee]

Viola

Viola was changed and ready to go quickly, pulling on the metallic bathing suit that complimented her wings nicely. She wouldn't be able to fully get into the spa but soaking her legs would feel amazing she was sure. Soon enough Delphina was running to the water, leaving Viola with a small smile on her face as she waited for Marisol to finish getting dressed. "I believe so. Let's get going then, I'm sure Delphina's already done laps." Then her ears tuned into it, Marisol caught on soon after. Before she could stop her, Marisol was off and telling Nora to stay. And for good reason. Yuu went storming by and Viola reached out, grabbing Nora's hand gently and giving her a reassuring smile.

"Nora, let's just wait for her in the springs okay?" Viola gently but surely pulled Nora towards the spa and found themselves quickly outside. Nora was a mess and hearing the boys fight and poke fun with her name in mix would make it worse. "There we go! It's so nice out here!"

Viola let go and walked to Delphina's side where she stood still. "Delphina? You're not in the water yet? That's so surprising." The girl was staring hard down at the water and then it dawned on her. Viola quickly reached down and splashed the water so waves would start moving. "You saw it didn't you? The side effect visions?"​

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Nora

Although she was worried about Yuu she spent her time with the girls instead. He didn't want to be anywhere near her, he made that perfectly clear. He wouldn't even look at her and when he did it was a soulless look that broke her to pieces. Maybe he had been using her? Why she would never know, but that was the only logical deduction she could make. It was time to make friends that wouldn't abandon her.

It was nice spending time with the girls in the hot springs. Delphina swam around and hummed, Nora spent her time sitting on a rock in the deeper end of the water submerged to her neck. The water relaxed her body and mind. The girls bonded and it was nice.

As they all started to turn into prunes (save for the mermaid) They headed back to their room and turned in for the night. Nora got a little bit of sleep but it was broken and in pieces. "Oh, to hell with it." Nora stood with a small sigh and ran a hand through her long chocolate waves. She was in a pair of long black pajama pants and a tight red tank top, the petite girl slipping on a black joggers jacket. Maybe a walk would clear her head? Slowly she tiptoed out of the room and wandered the halls slowly. The place was so pretty and so detailed and clean, it was hard to think this place was in Hell. Eventually she wandered into the lobby and the lights went out. The darkness felt unnerving, goosebumps spearing along her arms. Her heart started to race. You know that feeling you get when you sense an ominous figure behind you? Usually it was just a weird feeling but this time her heart pounded so loudly she was scared it would burst out of her chest.

Slowly she turned around and standing dead in front of her was a large, scary man. This was a memory, it had to be. why did it feel so weird? Who was this guy? "Out late again? What were you doing, 'studying'? Is that just code for whoring around?!" The man struck Nora and she fell to the ground with a yelp. This was a memory, why did her cheek hurt? Gently she touched her cheek and winced slightly. This was her dad, wasn't it? "Ah!" Suddenly she was being lifted into the air by the collar of her tank top. Her feet couldn't touch the ground and she held her breath. This was a memory, this would go away if she didn't breath. Right?

"You think that trick will work for me?" The mans voice suddenly became deep, dark, and demonic. Like several scary voices talking at the same time. The man smiled and emitted a black aura, his once drunken eyes red, glowing, and looking right at her. It wasn't a memory! "Let go!" The mans fingers grew into long claws that pierced the flesh over her collarbone. There was only one way out. Nora closed her eyes and bit down hard on the creature and felt her shirt tear as the creature shook Nora onto the floor. Her ankle twisted and she winced. Quickly Nora turned and ran straight out into the lobby, out onto the deck, and across the bridge that covered the lake in front of the spa.

Fuck the rules. She ran through the sparkling blue barrier around the spa and appeared in what to be an dark forest that appeared to be endless. Her dad would never find her here.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Delphina

The hot springs had enlightened Delphina. Typically the girl liked cooler water, but the warm water relaxed her to the point where she just couldn't stop smiling again. Who cared about her past or how she died? This was all temporary. Her Nirvana was two years away if she played her cards right.

Delphina slept like a baby. More specifically she slept like a baby with her stuffed stingray she made and the turtle nightlight she brought with her. Viola always made fun of her but this world was scary! The turtle and stingray made her feel safe. So when Nora sneaked out of the room she didn't wake up. What woke her up? Her nightlight going off. "Viola turn it back on..." Delphina murmured quietly and rolled over in her bed to argue with Viola. "Nightlights are not for babies-" It took a minute to process that Viola wasn't the one to turn off her lamp. How could she? She was sleeping. Quickly she pulled the thick comforter above her pink shorts and pink crop top and up to her nose.

Goosebumps went down her spine and she gripped tighter on her stingray. She wanted to speak but she was too afraid. What if whatever turned off the lamp was in the room with them? Did the boys have power? Was it just them? Wait. Delphina dropped the blanket from her hands. "Viola, Marisol, where's Nora?" This was bad, she had a bad bad feeling about this. They had to look for her.

Would someone please explain to her why she was so terrified to get out of the bed?

 

[Sir Damien]

Castor

Sleep wasn't happening for the foolish sea serpent. He didn't mean to insult Nora, she was just something that the fox was sweet on. He wanted to rile the fox up by pissing him off, make him remember his cocky attitude. He didn't mean to upset him that bad, and he never meant to hurt Marisol. Everest said he didn't think things through thoroughly and, honestly, he was right. He went off instinct and usually looked out for himself. He was selfish. Castor didn't want to be selfish though. He wanted to be nice and heroic, someone people could look up to. Like Everest.

The thought pissed him off and jumped up and out of bed. If being like Everest was what would comfort Marisol then he'd do it. She out of everyone deserved some happiness, Castor would do anything to give it to her. He went to the bathroom to get a drink of water, sighing quietly when the power went out. He stretched out his arms and glanced at himself in the mirror. Black workout shorts and a red tank and the black lip ring in his lower lip. "Technology is a joke." He looked up at the light in the bathroom before glancing into the dark mirror. He dropped the cup of water in the sink when his eyes locked with the image of his father staring at him. His hands formed fists and Castor felt his canines grow longer as he stared at the white serpent in the mirror. "You're just a memory." Stay strong Castor, you can do this.

"What's a memory? My murdered hero of a son or the worthless son that could never win my affection? You're the reason your mom is dead. How could I ever care for a monster like you?" Castor's heart hurt. "You're...just a memory..." Castor turned his back and shut the door to the bathroom behind him. He wasn't going to sit there and argue with something that wasn't real.

He slowly made his way into the lobby with the intention on apologizing to the fox. He was out of line. Tomorrow he'd apologize to Marisol and be the friend she deserved. "Huh..." He looked down and found a piece of red clothing in the hall. "Wonder what this is from?" Castor walked through the dark lobby and onto the deck.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Everest

Would it shock anyone that Everest had no problem whatsoever falling asleep? All this drama, none of it involved him. He kept his nose clean. Yes it bothered him to see his friends so upset but at the end of the day none of it was his fault. He could not right the wrongs that the others had committed, despite one of those people being his brother. He could not fix what the humans had done, he could not undo their deaths. They had to power through it like Nora and him. They didn't blame anyone, they just wanted to move on.

Everest how could you fail me so badly? Everest's eyes burst open from the deep sleep he was in and sat up quickly. That voice was his mothers. But why? No, how? That was not a memory. His mother showed him nothing but love, kindness, and grace.

Everest stood up and smoothed out his white hoodie and light blue pajama pants before heading into the hall. You were supposed to be a dragon, Everest. Why wouldn't you do what you were meant to do? Meant to do? He was never meant to kill his brother. Family was family. Everest followed the voice down the hall and stayed sharp, ready to shock anything that attacked him. Your father and I had nothing but high hopes. By failing to be a dragon you failed to be the son I dreamed of. The words hurt more and more as he followed the voice. "Be gone evil spirit. Taking on the form of tender souls memories? How crude. Have some class." Everest began to taunt whatever this was to get it to come out of the shadows.

That would hurt if I was talking to a dragon. Too bad you'll die before you become one. I'll not only kill you but I'll gut your friends and eat them in front of you. There it was. The demon lost his mothers voice as he stepped into the lobby. Sparks shot off of his hands as he looked around the dark room. "I may be a serpent but I have no problem striking down a dirty trickster demon. That's all you are, aren't you? You live for the attention, you thrive on it. You'll probably become stronger for eating two sea serpents, wouldn't you?" I'll enjoy watching you squirm.

Tsk. Everest scowled slightly as the light turned back on through the hotel. He needed to gather everyone. "Yuu." Everest stepped out onto the deck and glanced at Castor. "We need to get Raven and the girls. We can't separate from each other. These aren't memories."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Marisol

Surprisingly, Marisol slept just fine, all the heat from their time in the hot spring must have finally worn her out. The noise of Nora leaving the room made her budge slightly but it wasn't until she heard Delphina's panic that she finally sat up sleepily in her bed. "What is your problem pinkie?" She rubbed at her eyes and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark. Only they didn't... Delphina sounded scared and Nora was gone. Then it all got scarily silent. "Nora is gone?" She looked around but everything was dark... then it started.

"Come here baby it's okay... I know the darkness scares you."

"Mo-Mom?" Marisol didn't even think of how impossible that would be, she didn't even register how those words were ones that had never been spoken to her in her life. All her body and heart knew was its innate need for her mom's attention... and how she never got it. When Marisol was a child and would cry because of her fear of the dark her parents ignored her and shut their door so they wouldn't be bothered by her screams. Marisol's need for attention, good or bad, came from her childish want for her mothers love.

Without another second Marisol threw off her blanket and moved into the hallway. Panic was starting to possess her. It was dark. Nora was missing. Feelings and emotions were flooding her mind.

"Just here love." Then Marisol saw her, the woman who was the spitting image of herself at the end of the hallway, the only difference was the hair... her mom always had gorgeous copper hair. She took a few steps forward and suddenly the woman turned around and bared her teeth and red eyes before darting around the corner. "Wait!" This was one of those bad memories they warned her about but even with the horrible image, Marisol chased. Corner after corner until she was in the lobby and finally out onto the deck running smack dab into Castor's back as the lights turned on and her vision cleared up. "S-Sorry. I don't know what I was doing." She took a few steps back, her body was shaking and she hadn't realized that tears were running down her cheeks. "Why are you all out here?" Marisol looked up at Castor and suddenly gasped, reaching out and grabbing his hand holding the red fabric. Nora. How could she have gotten so into that memory that she forgot?

"Where'd you find this?! Did you see Nora? That's her top!" Marisol's head whipped side to side before her eyes fell on Everest as he spoke. "Wait what do you mean? A we're already separated... Nora wasn't in the room when we woke up just now.... I didn't see her in the halls either and trust me I just took a tour of this place."

 

[ZombieBaee]

Yuu

Yuu had fallen asleep out on the deck at some point after his argument with Castor. He knew the idiot was just joking but man did it piss him off... Yuu had basically sulked himself into a slumber. His dreams were unpleasant but he couldn't shake himself awake from them, he kept seeing the burning buildings around him over and over and no matter what he did he couldn't move. It was like his body was encased in cement and he just had to sit and watch as it all happened. In his dream he felt ready to die when suddenly he jumped awake to see some of the others outside with him.

"What's going on?" Yuu grumbled, barely registering Everest's comments. "What?" Then Marisol spoke up and Yuu's ears twitched. "What? No there's no way! See that barrier, she has to be on the grounds somewhere." He quickly got to his feet and pushed past the group, paying no care to Everest's warning. "If you don't want to be alone I suggest you follow. I'm not going to sit around and do nothing." The idea that Nora was in any sort of trouble made Yuu go into hyper mode. His eyes went white and his ears turned in every direction as he stormed through the hallways, breaking down doors and peering into each room. Eventually he made his way to the bedroom she should have been in and opened the door with silent hope that on her way to get some water, Marisol and the others just simply missed her and now she was safe in her bed once again.

No such luck.

"Has she come back at all?" Yuu knelt down next to Delphina and patted her on the head as she clutched the silly looking stuffed animal. "Let's get Viola up okay?" Yuu looked over and threw a pillow at the sleeping faeries head, "Hey woman, your roommates are falling to shit and you're in lullaby land?"

 

[KAYDEN]

Raven

Everyone had gone their separate ways and Raven tried to sleep that night after his repeated run ins with his reflection... It was hard but after a long time he finally felt himself slip into a deep sleep. It wasn't until the lights clicked off that he woke up, feeling a difference in the energy of the spa. "What?" He sat up and looked around, he was the only one in the room. Where had everyone else gone too? He stood and began to make his way to the door only to suddenly catch his reflection once again.

"Why are you looking for them? They're not your friends. You've always been a loner... your fiance even killed you for loving your little books more than her. Just stay here. With me." Raven couldnt look away from himself, no not himself... a red eyed devilish version of himself. What was going on here?

On the other side of the door Raven began to hear voices and he wanted to go join the others but what if... what if he was right? Wouldn't his time be better spent studying? Friendships and relationships didn't last. Knowledge and legends did.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Nora

Hell was truly something to fear. The forest was freezing and just as equally terrifying. It wasn't quiet. Voices taunted her endlessly. She was alone, all alone. How long was she in here? It felt like ages. She was constantly looking over her shoulder for her dad to find her and finish her off. The thought made the scratches on her chest burn. You're all alone, Nora. You have always been all alone. Remember your childhood? No one wanted to be friends with the girl who's daddy was an alcoholic. No one wanted to be friends with someone who's so shy she can't pull her nose from a book. No one likes you, Nora.

The voice was right. Nora was always all alone. Why was she such an idiot? Just because she was in hell didn't change a damn thing. Eventually everyone would hate her like Yuu did, it was only a matter of time. "Why bother with reincarnating when all I'm going to be is a stupid loser in the next life too?" Nora picked up some of the sand she was sitting on and let it fall out of her hand. It was black and looked dead like everything else around here. "I'm just going to end up being dirt in this forest aren't I?" That's all she was worthy of being anyways. Dirt. "I was never really worth reincarnating was I?" Tears streamed down her face as she finally broke down.

A river suddenly appeared in front of her and she wiped the tears from her eyes. It looked so calm and comforting, like it was calling her. Slowly she stood up and walked into the water. It was cool but relaxing. Slowly she walked further into the river and felt her eyes gloss over. She felt tired suddenly. Before she knew it Nora fell into the water and blacked out.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Delphina

Tears were streaming down her face after Yuu pat her on the head. "She was the nicest soul ever! Yuu if you were nicer to her this wouldn't have happened! She's been so worried about you and you treated her like she hurt you or something! Humans do bad things sometimes but Marisol is sorry and Nora has never been anything but nice to everyone! She brushes my hair and gives you sake and studies with Raven and-and-and-" Delphina jumped out of bed and ran with her stuffed stingray crying like a baby. She wiped the tears from her eyes pitifully as she made her way across the spa. "Raven?! Raven! Are you safe?" She whimpered quietly as she knocked on the door of the boys room.

"Raven I know you're hate me but Nora's gone and I just want- no! I need to make sure you're safe!" She hugged her sting ray closer to her like it had the power to protect her and walked inside the room. "Are you okay? Did the evil thing get you too?"

 

[Sir Damien]

Castor

His heart sunk in his chest when Everest came out and made his announcement. He went to turn around but felt his heart race anxiously as Marisol appeared. She looked rough. "Are you okay?" It was like he couldn't focus on anything. "It's not real, y'know. My uh, my dad killed me. And whatever this is is taking on his form and taunting me. It's like it's digging deep into our memories to find what affects us. Who knew what he showed Nora-" His eyes widened slightly. "Humans." they were like a supernatural delicacy right? Innocent, ignorant, and tasty. "Marisol do me a favor and stick around me okay? I know you're mad at me and I promise I'll apologize better lately but this thing is after you and Nora." Call it an instinct but he knew this thing was after humans.

"Yuu won't be able to find her..." He watched as he went around the spa and kicked down the doors. They needed someone logical to help with this situation. "Let's go ask Raven for some help. He could fly around and look for her." Castor gently took Marisol's hand so he didn't lose her and he ran back to their room. "Raven!" It took him a minute to force the words out. It was for Nora, he had to ask for help. "Can you fly around and find her? I don't want the demon to..." He awkwardly glanced at Marisol and Delphina. He didn't want to scare them, he hoped that Raven would understand what he meant though.