Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 11:09:27 GMT -6
One thing that Seychelles had learned in her time spent here was that it was painfully easy to get separated. She didn't watch many horror movies, but she was well-versed enough to know that bad things always happened when people split up. But what was one to do if the splitting up was forced? It wasn't as though they could have done anything to stop it, could they? Her hands curled into fists, unfurled, and gripped her skirt, fingers itching to feel something, to find someone to hold onto. She wasn't the only nation still here; she couldn't be. The people here were scattered: far between, but far from few. Just because she hadn't seen any didn't mean they weren't there. Having learned from experience, she knew that leaving this place was a harder task than it initially seemed. She also knew the next person could be just around the corner. She would just have to try harder to prevent their separation.
A rustling against a nearby window made her jump and whirl around on her heels. It was dark– the kind of dark that was only possible on moonless, cloudy nights miles away from civilization. The pitch blackness stared her in the face, daring her to make her way through it without getting swallowed by the void. Granted, Seychelles was no stranger to this kind of darkness. She had to brave it many times over before the French began colonization on her islands. But somehow, it was just all the more ominous in an old, creaky house, full of unnatural sounds and a stuffy atmosphere. She moved her arms to hold herself, letting herself breath easy as she tried to walk off the edge that the startling sound and empty view brought her. With every step she took, though, she could feel the shadows clinging to her, sharp at her heels, almost like they were trying to pull her back and hinder her progress.
Too quiet, too dark, she thought to herself, biting her lip and keeping her eyes trained on the ground. She had to watch her step in a place like this. The claw marks and bloodstains on the carpet came to her attention, and she wondered why she had never payed much mind to them before. With a heavy breath, she began to sing, desperate for anything to break the heavy silence that was setting all around her.
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…" It was silly, and her voice was uneven with tremors that revealed her unease, but the sound of her own singing did alleviate the tension just a fraction. She cracked a small smile and tried to recall the feel of the tender embraces she shared with her family only just earlier that day. What she wouldn't give to be back in the kitchen with them, right there in that warm moment where there was nothing to be afraid of. With France, Monaco, Canada, all of them, she felt secure. She felt like she belonged. She didn't belong in this dark and stuffy place all alone. How had they been separated? One moment, they were all together, and then the next, she was on her own. Where were they now? Would she be able to find them again?
"Oh ho ho how I love to swiiiiim!" She sang a little more confidently, swinging her skirt and even allowing a little skip in her step. If she was going to find anyone, her family or anyone else, she wouldn't get anywhere just staying in one place. Maybe her voice would be a beacon, calling out to those who would never find her if she kept silent. Who knows? There could be a friend just behind every door she passed, hiding in wait for any small reassurance that they weren't alone.
"When you WAAAANT–" suddenly, she stopped, letting out a small gasp. For the first time since the lights went out, she recognized where she was. This was the first floor staircase! The exit was just at the base of the stairs. All she had to do was descend, and she'd be free! Using the rail for balance, she practically flew, her steps light and quick as she went down as fast as she could without tripping and falling in the dark. Her eyes shone with new hope– now she could finally go home! The nightmare was over! But what of everyone else still in the Manor…? Would they be able to find the door and escape just as easily? She slowed to a stop, not only because of this realization, but also because of a dark figure that suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat as the black silhouette seemed to manifest from the darkness, and she found she was too stunned to move as she kept staring.
A minute passed, and Seychelles' eyes strained to see some definite outline in the hazy figure at the base. Slowly, a grin spread across her face as the figure became more recognizable.
"Hong Kong?" she asked warily, not quite sure if she should trust her eyes in the dark. Without waiting for a response, she ran down the rest of the stairs and flung her arms around him in a tight hug, recalling a little too late that the Asian nations didn't respond well to unanticipated affection. Regrettably, she wasn't sure she cared. Seychelles had been looking for someone she knew, and now she had found someone. If this encounter too was going to end in separation, she would make that separation as difficult as possible.
A rustling against a nearby window made her jump and whirl around on her heels. It was dark– the kind of dark that was only possible on moonless, cloudy nights miles away from civilization. The pitch blackness stared her in the face, daring her to make her way through it without getting swallowed by the void. Granted, Seychelles was no stranger to this kind of darkness. She had to brave it many times over before the French began colonization on her islands. But somehow, it was just all the more ominous in an old, creaky house, full of unnatural sounds and a stuffy atmosphere. She moved her arms to hold herself, letting herself breath easy as she tried to walk off the edge that the startling sound and empty view brought her. With every step she took, though, she could feel the shadows clinging to her, sharp at her heels, almost like they were trying to pull her back and hinder her progress.
Too quiet, too dark, she thought to herself, biting her lip and keeping her eyes trained on the ground. She had to watch her step in a place like this. The claw marks and bloodstains on the carpet came to her attention, and she wondered why she had never payed much mind to them before. With a heavy breath, she began to sing, desperate for anything to break the heavy silence that was setting all around her.
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…" It was silly, and her voice was uneven with tremors that revealed her unease, but the sound of her own singing did alleviate the tension just a fraction. She cracked a small smile and tried to recall the feel of the tender embraces she shared with her family only just earlier that day. What she wouldn't give to be back in the kitchen with them, right there in that warm moment where there was nothing to be afraid of. With France, Monaco, Canada, all of them, she felt secure. She felt like she belonged. She didn't belong in this dark and stuffy place all alone. How had they been separated? One moment, they were all together, and then the next, she was on her own. Where were they now? Would she be able to find them again?
"Oh ho ho how I love to swiiiiim!" She sang a little more confidently, swinging her skirt and even allowing a little skip in her step. If she was going to find anyone, her family or anyone else, she wouldn't get anywhere just staying in one place. Maybe her voice would be a beacon, calling out to those who would never find her if she kept silent. Who knows? There could be a friend just behind every door she passed, hiding in wait for any small reassurance that they weren't alone.
"When you WAAAANT–" suddenly, she stopped, letting out a small gasp. For the first time since the lights went out, she recognized where she was. This was the first floor staircase! The exit was just at the base of the stairs. All she had to do was descend, and she'd be free! Using the rail for balance, she practically flew, her steps light and quick as she went down as fast as she could without tripping and falling in the dark. Her eyes shone with new hope– now she could finally go home! The nightmare was over! But what of everyone else still in the Manor…? Would they be able to find the door and escape just as easily? She slowed to a stop, not only because of this realization, but also because of a dark figure that suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat as the black silhouette seemed to manifest from the darkness, and she found she was too stunned to move as she kept staring.
A minute passed, and Seychelles' eyes strained to see some definite outline in the hazy figure at the base. Slowly, a grin spread across her face as the figure became more recognizable.
"Hong Kong?" she asked warily, not quite sure if she should trust her eyes in the dark. Without waiting for a response, she ran down the rest of the stairs and flung her arms around him in a tight hug, recalling a little too late that the Asian nations didn't respond well to unanticipated affection. Regrettably, she wasn't sure she cared. Seychelles had been looking for someone she knew, and now she had found someone. If this encounter too was going to end in separation, she would make that separation as difficult as possible.