When Manon looked at Colette, the ginger already knew what she was thinking. But it couldn't be helped, as it was a canon event. Colette heaved a big sigh just before Anya turned to the children.
"Colette and Beckham. You'll be up first."
Colette nodded at Manon, and scanned briefly over Remy, whose stormy eyes were trained on the ginger as well. He wore an expression that she couldn't necessarily read, but she still knew the truth of. She smiled at him tightly, before turning to Beckham who was ushered beside her.
The blonde boy was shaking, terrified in his white frilly boyish button up and trousers that matched her dress. Colette couldn't blame the child, as what they faced was the more…directly frightening setting….
"I'll go first." Colette offered, allowing Beckham a few moments to prepare himself for what was to come. Anya didn't object, her AP of 25 blinking at Colette. It had gone up since the previous evening almost too easily. The blonde woman simply nodded and gestured for Colette to go ahead and enter.
So with a deep breath, Colette stepped through the door and heard it shut closed behind her.
There were various doors one could get for this trial. But in extreme difficulty- this was the only one Colette's player could get.
It was just very unfortunate for the loser.
….
…
..
Manon watched as the door shut behind Colette with a thud. A few seconds later, it opened again on its own.
"D-do I really have to go in there?" Beckham stuttered, the boy trembling in his shoes. Anya was unsympathetic, the ogre nun grunting as she reached down and shoved Beckham through the door without a word.
Anya herself waved to the boy before the door shut right in his horrified face.
There was a brief pause, in which the silence was uncomfortable.
The door opened a third time, creaking slowly to reveal a murky pond surrounded by mossy trees. The sun was going down, and soon it would be too dark to see that far.
But just as Manon thought it, that problem corrected itself. What started as one twinkling little light buzzing around the pond became tens, hundreds, and thousands of tiny fireflies illuminating the area.
She could almost call it beautiful if not for the putrid smell of it all. But surely, the children could easily find their way back like this?
The hallway they waited in was narrow, but Anya stood firm beside the door, simply waiting. Manon and Remy were instructed to wait with their backs against the wall to make room, and Maria stood next to them while the ogre nun stood on the other side of the open door beside Anya.
"This doesn't take as long as you think…at least to us." Remy whispered, seemingly aware of how utterly uncomfortable Manon was. He wasn't someone she could say she liked that much- but he was the only other person she could even think about trusting besides Maria in the vicinity. Perhaps Manon was too reliant on Colette in this way- but as far as she had been told- trusting people in this world fully was always a death sentence- especially if affinity was not yet at 100.
Manon nodded carefully, her expression softening but her brows still creased.
"Time works differently every time the door is shut fully. You may not have noticed before. Colette leaves it cracked." He said. Manon ignored how utterly creepy that sounded- like he had been watching whenever they'd visited the room before. "By now, it's probably been around an hour and a half for both of them. Shouldn't be too long now." Remy stated, standing up straight as if he heard something.
Manon's eyes narrowed in on the doorway, where she didn't see anything aside from the fireflies and the green, murky stagnant water of the pond. Only the occasional bubbles that were brought to the surface truly foreshadowed that there may be other things lurking within the depths.
But as her brown eye squinted, concentrating on a single lone firefly off to the far left, she saw it.
A small frame, hunched over.
She sighed in relief, turning to Remy- but the boy's eyes were frighteningly wide as he stared at the door.
Confused, Manon looked again, unable to see as well as she wanted due to the eyepatch limiting her vision range. She took a step closer after making sure Anya was not looking.
But she felt a hand tug at her sleeve.
Looking up, she met Maria's brown eyed gaze, sharp and knowing.
"Not too close." She mouthed the words, releasing her sleeve but staying close to her just in case. Manon's mouth parted in bewilderment.
Just what did they see that she couldn't?
She leaned forward, making out the outline of the small figure better.
That was…odd…
The figure was indeed the size of a child. But they had such tattered clothing.
Remy had said it would have been nearly 2 hours since Colette and Beckham entered the room, so had they encountered such hardships while looking for the exit? Their clothing ripped by branches?
Then she noticed.
Skin.
It wasn't normal skin. It was…the color someone would be if they died of nauseous poison. Pasty and green like the algae floating on top of the pond.
The little figure walked slowly but deftly, expertly ensuring they made no sounds as they disappeared behind a tree and reappeared after passing it.
Manon could not make out enough details to know what it looked like- but she did know that whatever she saw was not human.
She reeled back in shock, a silent gasp ripping through her lungs as he back pressed to the wall. Her nerves were trembling not necessarily in fear, but discomfort…and something else. Her expression was not terrified, it was something between fascination and disgust.
Remy had finally looked at her then, a questionable smirk on his face.
"You're weird." He simply said, shaking his head. They both watched as the small figure disappeared behind more foliage, not reappearing this time.
"What the hell was that?" She whispered to Remy, who shrugged.
"Probably some sort of monster. Common in the swamps and forests. Hard to get a good look at them if you never go yourself." He said it as if it wasn't a big deal, but Manon could see the excitement in his gaze like he'd just seen something cool. At this point, Anya had heard their whispers and turned her icy gaze on them. The duo went quiet instantly.
Anya's AP still hadn't shifted and Manon was more worried than anything as she stared at the number 9 flashing above her head. Even Maria's had risen to 30 by now, her protective nature palpable in how she warned and guarded Manon. But Anya seemed to firmly have an opinion on the brunette girl now.
"They will be arriving soon. Do take care to remain silent." Anya stated, turning back towards the door. "A capable child should be resourceful and clever."
The words seemed to pinch Remy in particular, the air around them turning cold as they pressed their backs against the wall more firmly.
Silence pressed on for another minute or so, before Manon finally made out the figure of an actual child.
Everyone leaned forward, all their eyes squinting as long copper hair illuminated by fireflies came into view.
Colette.
The girl was walking quickly as she saw the exit, but came to an abrupt stop at the pond. There was not a way around it to the door. So she lifted her black dress and began to walk through.
Manon worried her lip as she watched, unable to cheer or feel relief after seeing the glimpse of that monster earlier- not until Colette was safely through the door.
The pond was much more shallow than Manon expected, the 7 year old was able to walk through without it reaching her hips, albeit fairly slowly. As she came closer and closer, moving debris and algae out of her way, Colette's disgusted expression became visible, the creases in her browbone and the curling of her upper lip. Manon could have laughed aloud, but held it in.
This acute sense of relief was short lived as Colette made it halfway through the pond towards the door, her damp skirts clutched in her fists. The copper haired girl paused as the loud sound of footsteps approached from the right- her left.
Manon, like the others, also turned, tensing as they realized something was coming.
Colette moved faster, almost slipping on slippery moss within the pond, wincing as the soles of her feet probably met sharper points of sticks or rocks.
But he barreled forward with precision, focused on the door, light blue eyes shining from the fireflies.
The footsteps drew nearer, seeming to pick up speed abruptly until they became wetter, meaning they were near the pond just out of their view from the doorway.
Manon wanted to yell at Colette to hurry, looking between her friend and Anya, back and forth 1, 2, 3, 4 times- panicking.
Maria held her back, nodding her head as if to say Colette would make it- but she couldn't be certain.
Colette stopped caring as the footsteps were very close, dropping her skirts and just trying to get to the door as fast as she could.
Then she froze.
She let out a soft breath, her face fully visible as she was close enough to the door now.
"It's just Beckham." She called out, beginning to wade over to the door again, much less urgent.
But her actions seemed…like she was preparing for something.
She wanted to seem relaxed, but Manon could see that her lips were trembling. Maybe she had been very scared regardless of her knowledge- or maybe the water was freezing. Manon did not know.
But she felt it. Sensed it like nothing else.
But…no one else seemed to.
Remy leaned back as he watched Colette finally step through the door, Beckham maybe 20 feet behind her to the right. He looked scared and tired but alive.
Maria looked satisfied, as did Anya, a small smile even on her lips.
Colette was instantly given a towel by Maria, and made to sit down beside her as they all waited for Beckham. The girl gave Manon a thumbs up, breathing hard, but unharmed. The soles of her feet were red, maybe a few cuts here and there, and her black frilly dress was soaked up to her waist, soiled with algae and dirt and sticks that were also in her hair along with oddly shaped leaves. But she looked fine. She would be fine. And so would Beckham.
But Manon could feel it.
She felt something…something was coming.
Beckham was 10 feet away when it began again.
Thumping of footsteps.
Lighter, more nimble, more practiced.
Avoiding hard stomps, but not able to avoid the unsatisfying crunch of stale wet leaves, as if unable to contain excitement.
Beckham screamed, his eyes wide at whatever he had witnessed that was out of view of everyone on the other side of the door.
Anya tensed but she made no move to act at all.
He tore through the pond as fast as he could, tears streaming down his cheeks as he frantically flailed.
This only served to slow him down, his pace severely affected by how terrified he was.
Huffing became audible.
Wet and raspy, maniacally shrill like Smeagol- Manon's least favorite Lord of the Rings character.
It wasn't coming from Beckham.
Remy and Manon leaned forward as Beckham came closer, looking to his side, then back at them, over and over.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
The 4th and final look as Beckham's first leg made it out the door was not scared- it was relieved.
He had a big smile on his face, crying tears of happiness as he finally tumbled out of the-
SKREEEEK!!!
It all happened extremely fast.
The shining metal, the sound of crackling and splashing.
And the face of the figure that Manon would remember forever.
Flesh stretched taught over a wide, round head like it didn't belong there.
The pasty green skin made to cover long pointy ears that could cover her entire face.
And the shit eating grin of a wild monster with 4 rows of nothing but carnivorous canines whose eyes looked as disgustingly ravenous as a demon.
…
Anya slammed the door shut.
…
Smack.
Roll…roll…roll…
thud.
….
Manon looked down at her feet.
Staring up at her, were the wide green eyes of Beckham.
His face forever frozen with the expression of complete and utter salvation.