And in the very instant, the longest of all seconds, that River felt herself falling into a dizzy oblivion, swirls of autumn and the cold mist of colorless winters spiraling around her. She'd wanted to touch the leaves as both of them fell, but nothing had been real. Nothing she touched was real.
In and out of the blackness, River shot up in a bed. Her sides, arms, and throbbing head sending her into a fit of panic automatically. The other. The other one. The other one that had done this to her. The white room. The bed, the desk, the barred doors. Every last inch of it screaming with false voices as she fell back against the pillow. She could hear them all. The woman sleeping beside her. The millions of them walking the halls like tired dead. They were all screaming and saying nothing at the same time.
River jerked back away from the heavy door as it opened to reveal a woman in white. The panic became a dragon in that instant, and it threatened to swallow her whole. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. She shrank back into the mattress, fingers digging into the nasty bruise gracing her left eye. It was real. The pain was real, but how could it be possible when everything else wasn't? They were here. They were here, and they were real enough to hurt.
"It's not time. It's not time. Wasn't supposed to go back. Stay away. Get away. No more needles," she whimpered through her hands, her mask. The woman only came closer, reaching out and actually touching the trembling girl.
"Come now, Summer. I know you've had a rough night, but you're okay. You didn't hurt yourself badly enough so that you can't get up and come to breakfast." Fake. The smiles. The woman. Them. It was them. River peeked through her hands at the nurse.
"Not summer. Autumn. The leaves are falling, and it's cool. Almost cold. Almost," she mumbled quietly. Didn't make sense. Didn't process. The woman just smiled, tugging her out of her sitting position as gently as possible.
"Come on now, Summer. Let's get you something to eat. You're just wasting away as it is!" River eyed her suspiciously, every moment looking as though she were about to burst into tears. Still, driven by a something that couldn't be touched, she rose with the nurse and took small, careful, precise steps toward her destination.
The halls were long. White. Like winter only without the snowmen. River was careful to observe as she walked, wishing her feet were bare so she could really see, with arms clenched tightly about her small form. When they opened the large doors that would lead to the cafeteria, she cringed back. Not from the noise that bombarded her ears. No. The noise that pounded meaningless nothing into her head over and over and over again until she knew the nothing by heart. So many. Too many. It wasn't normal.
"Summer..." The nurses's voice trailed off, bordering on slight annoyance now as though dealing with the troubled girl had become a regular event. "Just get in line, and find a place to eat. There are a lot of people here, people who need help just like you. Why don't you try and make some friends, hm?" River stared at her for a moment, reading the emptiness in her shimmering eyes, before she moved away slowly, never shaking but always holding herself close, to move to the line.
One more soul to the line. One. Two. Three. Four. One by one the cattle had their plates filled up. Aside from mumbling a bit about the snow not being pure when offered powdered sugar on her toast, River managed somehow to acquire a small portion of nourishment and juice before wandering into the loud nothing and finding a place to sit.
And sit she did, staring into the nothing as she remained motionless on her bench. The girl didn't even move to eat, but it was a sensible thought even amidst the chaos of autumn and winter clashing in a great battle.
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And in the very instant, the longest of all seconds, that River felt herself falling into a dizzy oblivion, swirls of autumn and the cold mist of colorless winters spiraling around her. She'd wanted to touch the leaves as both of them fell, but nothing had been real. Nothing she touched was real.
In and out of the blackness, River shot up in a bed. Her sides, arms, and throbbing head sending her into a fit of panic automatically. The other. The other one. The other one that had done this to her. The white room. The bed, the desk, the barred doors. Every last inch of it screaming with false voices as she fell back against the pillow. She could hear them all. The woman sleeping beside her. The millions of them walking the halls like tired dead. They were all screaming and saying nothing at the same time.
River jerked back away from the heavy door as it opened to reveal a woman in white. The panic became a dragon in that instant, and it threatened to swallow her whole. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. She shrank back into the mattress, fingers digging into the nasty bruise gracing her left eye. It was real. The pain was real, but how could it be possible when everything else wasn't? They were here. They were here, and they were real enough to hurt.
"It's not time. It's not time. Wasn't supposed to go back. Stay away. Get away. No more needles," she whimpered through her hands, her mask. The woman only came closer, reaching out and actually touching the trembling girl.
"Come now, Summer. I know you've had a rough night, but you're okay. You didn't hurt yourself badly enough so that you can't get up and come to breakfast." Fake. The smiles. The woman. Them. It was them. River peeked through her hands at the nurse.
"Not summer. Autumn. The leaves are falling, and it's cool. Almost cold. Almost," she mumbled quietly. Didn't make sense. Didn't process. The woman just smiled, tugging her out of her sitting position as gently as possible.
"Come on now, Summer. Let's get you something to eat. You're just wasting away as it is!" River eyed her suspiciously, every moment looking as though she were about to burst into tears. Still, driven by a something that couldn't be touched, she rose with the nurse and took small, careful, precise steps toward her destination.
The halls were long. White. Like winter only without the snowmen. River was careful to observe as she walked, wishing her feet were bare so she could really see, with arms clenched tightly about her small form. When they opened the large doors that would lead to the cafeteria, she cringed back. Not from the noise that bombarded her ears. No. The noise that pounded meaningless nothing into her head over and over and over again until she knew the nothing by heart. So many. Too many. It wasn't normal.
"Summer..." The nurses's voice trailed off, bordering on slight annoyance now as though dealing with the troubled girl had become a regular event. "Just get in line, and find a place to eat. There are a lot of people here, people who need help just like you. Why don't you try and make some friends, hm?" River stared at her for a moment, reading the emptiness in her shimmering eyes, before she moved away slowly, never shaking but always holding herself close, to move to the line.
One more soul to the line. One. Two. Three. Four. One by one the cattle had their plates filled up. Aside from mumbling a bit about the snow not being pure when offered powdered sugar on her toast, River managed somehow to acquire a small portion of nourishment and juice before wandering into the loud nothing and finding a place to sit.
And sit she did, staring into the nothing as she remained motionless on her bench. The girl didn't even move to eat, but it was a sensible thought even amidst the chaos of autumn and winter clashing in a great battle.
After all it could be poisoned.