Don't Drown (open)

[Olivia Baker]

Her eyes flew open as the ice water hit her skin like a thousand needles. Her mouth opened to scream but her breath got caught in her threat as her lungs strained for breath, shocked. It was rising the water was rising faster and faster every moment as she fought to keep her head above it. One foot, two feet, three feet , she couldn't keep up. She had to find a way out. There had to be a way out because somehow she got in. She looked around frantically but couldn't see a door or a window. Then it occurred to her that the door had to have already been submerged below her in the dark dark water of an unknown depth. There was only one way out.

She took in as deep a breath as her lungs would allow before diving into the water. The water stung her eyes, it stung her face, it stung every single part of her. 

Her hands searched desperately for anything that wasn't flat or smooth to no avail. She was going to die. She was sure of it. She needed air but when she looked up there was only darkness and she only had the choice to keep swimming. 

Her lungs started to strain as the air ran out and she searched for up, in case somehow there was still air in some place in this room. But up was hard to find because the funny thing about water was once you were submerged it was so hard to tell which direction was the direction you were supposed to go.

Water started to fill her lungs and right as she was about to die.

She woke up.

Liv screamed as she found herself standing in the shallow end of the swimming pool, her body soaked from a mix of sweat and pool water. She hadn't been prone to sleepwalking until recently, but meta's were known for it. Drowning. Her dreams were always about drowning.

She hoisted herself out of the pool, laying besides it as she tried to catch her breath. 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Another night with no sleep. Monroe had jerked awake about ten minutes ago, letting his surroundings fade in around him as he rubbed his eyes and tried to remember why he was laying on a chair and why the air smelled like chlorine. But finally he connected with everything around him and was staring into the blue of the Hammel Institute Pool.

And then he remembered. Every night he tried to go to a different place to keep himself awake. If he stayed in his room, he usually went crazy anyway. The pool was the one place he hadn't gone to before and so he'd made his way there, bringing a book he had to read for class which was unopened on his lap.

And now he'd known why he jerked awake so quickly. It was because he felt the presence of a dream, of the pulling. But he'd resisted and now he was looking around frantically wondering who was dreaming in the pool area. His eyes landed on a brunette standing in the pool motionless. Was she actually there or was he still asleep?

He nearly fell off of the chair at what happened next. The girl screamed. A shrieking girlish scream. And a minute later she was laying on the tiled floor beside the pool, practically hyperventilating. He didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was, but he did want to help and so he got up slowly from the chair, leaving his book there.

"You okay?" he asked slowly as he approached.

[Olivia Baker]

Olivia closed her eyes tight as she tried to regulate her breathing. She gripped the concrete. She was awake. She had to be awake now. Part of her was afraid she wasn't and that this was just her waking from one nightmare to face another. But she could feel the cold air around her, and the blood that was starting to drip down her shoulder, a casualty from her frantic wakeup call. 

The voice that came through the empty space startled her, causing her heart to jump even faster. "Yeah." She answered automatically as she wiped the tears and water from her eyes. But she wasn't so sure she was. She had slept walked before... but this was different. This was borderline suicidal. 

Her breath caught in her throat as the boy approached her further. She knew him, she knew who he was and the fact that he was a student catching her in her soaked sweats and t-shirt, yesterdays makeup down her face in a post nightmare state was embarrassing. At least if it was a teacher or a janitor or someone they wouldn't go off telling everyone that Olivia Baker had officially lost it. 

"Sorry." She apologized not really sure why. It just seemed like the right thing to say. "I'm fine." She wasn't.

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe just stood there at the edge of the pool, looking at her as if waiting for her to take back her statement that she was fine because she was most certainly not. She sleptwalked into the pool. That wasn't exactly normal behavior. "I felt your nightmare. I was almost pulled into it." Maybe he should have let himself. Then he could have helped her. He remembered her, from the coffee shop. They'd shared a table, months ago.

She was one of those girls who looked like they had it together. And now she looked like she was definitely afraid of him finding out that she didn't. He bent down to her level. "Don't apologize. You just woke up some guy sleeping in a chair in the pool area. It's nothing catastrophic."

[Olivia Baker]

Liv propped herself up on her elbows, wincing as the adrenaline faded and the sharp pain from her injury started to become more apparent. It was only a scrape, but right on the bone where there wasn't much more than skin to protect it. 

She wasn't sure if his comment was an attempt at humor. Her mind wasn't really receptive to anything pleasant at the moment. "I'm glad you didn't get pulled in." She admitted. That would have been a fucking disaster. She raked her hands through her drenched curls, pushing them out of her face. Her breath was still labored. Still though, she wondered how much he knew if he felt her nightmare.

"What did you... feel?" She asked looking up at him for the first time praying he didn't feel much. She wasn't sure exactly how that worked, she wasn't even sure what happened now that the dream was starting to fade and settle into pure anxiety. 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

"I'd say I was glad too, but maybe I could have helped. I don't know...I'm so used to just wanting to avoid getting into people's dreams. They're usually not too happy with me." She probably wouldn't have been either. He meddled in dreams before and it really hadn't worked out for him.

"I don't know. It just felt dark and suffocating. Honestly, I frequent nightmares and they all feel kind of similar, like they're trying to suck the life out of you." She looked anxious and he wasn't sure if he should continue talking. "Look, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

[Olivia Baker]

Olivia nodded as he spoke though his words didn't manage to penetrate. Her head hurt. She felt like it was going to explode and she could hear this ringing that didn't want to stop. She closed her eyes shut tight as the world around her began to glitch and his words repeated over and over and over so many times that by the time they stopped she was in near tears again.

She wanted to apologize. He must be feeling the glitching by now and even if he didn't know what was causing the deja vu... She wanted to speak but the words kept catching in the lump in her throat as she fought against the tears welling up behind her eyes.

"No..." She said. "I mean... No I'm not hurt... I'm fine." Her words were sharp, guarded. She quickly wiped escaped tears from the deep purple bags that had settled under her eyes. Looking weak wouldn't help her any. 

"Thanks." She said as she pulled her legs into her chest as she stared at the water not brave enough to look at her companion. 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

She seemed to be off in her own world, a distant world that didn't seem too pleasant and he identified with that as much as he did with the bags under her eyes. Monroe wished he knew what to say or do in these type of situations. She insisted she was fine and now wouldn't even look at him, yet she wasn't leaving which meant she was still reeling or wanted his company. He doubted it was the second option.

"Look, this kind of sleepwalking, it's really dangerous," he offered. "I know that's probably common sense and you realize that, but you should probably be seeing a psychologist. Sleep is a crazy thing and there can be all sorts of problems. Believe me, I know."

[Olivia Baker]

"See a psychologist?" She asked, whipping her head around to look at him. Was he serious? Her? Olivia Baker see a shrink? "No. That's completely out of the question." She said almost laughing out of discomfort at the thought. "I'm sorry but... that would just... that would do way more harm than good." She could see it now. Her parents would get word through Tristan who was sent up to Pilot Ridge to ensure that she didn't fuck her own life up more than she had when she manifested. If they knew she was in therapy... well that would just be unacceptable. They'd end up moving up there or put further strict constraints on her life through her brother or worse, make her move in with Tristan. 

"This... This isn't normal for me. I've never slept walked before... not like this. It won't happen again" She assured him as her heart rate came down. The adrenaline was wearing off and she started to shiver as her body registered the cold air. Her cut started to sting and she winced when she touched it, examining the damage. 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe was shaking her head before she'd even finished what she was saying. The idea of therapy seemed preposterous to her, off limits and completely unnecessary. "What, you don't think that people should need assistance to be mentally healthy? Or do you just think that you shouldn't need assistance because that's a lot to expect out of yourself, especially when you're a meta." She was so quick to put a cap on the idea and throw it away. "Look, I'm not usually one to butt in and meddle in others' lives, but these are sleep issues and it's kind of serious. How do you know you won't sleep walk like this again? Have you talked to future you?"

His mom was a psychologist and people acted like they were horrible people, like they didn't understand and it made you weak to go see them when really you were just talking to another human being about yourself and your life. Why was it such a big deal. "But whatever, don't listen to the guy sleeping by the pool." He threw his hands up.

[Olivia Baker]

"No. I don't think either of those things at all." She started to say over him, all of a sudden getting very heated very quickly. She normally was a level headed girl, but this was just none of his business and out of line. "You have no idea the amount of pressure that's on me. You have no idea what my parents would do if they knew I needed therapy." She said not even sure why she was telling him these things. She sighed putting her face in her hands. "They already think i'm some failure and sent my brother up here to make sure I don't screw things up further than I have by having my "birth defect" or whatever... If I was in therapy... God..." She looked up at him. She sounded nuts, she knew that, but she just wasn't ready to be told it by a doctor. 

"I'm sorry." Again with the apologies. "I know you're trying to look out for me and I appreciate it... I really do considering we don't really know each other and you're possibly the only person who could relate or understand at all... but..." She sighed "i'm just going through a lot." And she felt like she was going through it completely alone. 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe knew he was getting way too personal, something he didn't often do, something that had caused things to get very bad with Adaryn very fast. So why was he doing it again? He blinked in confusion. "Look, I get it. I'm just saying that sometimes you should look out for yourself and your health rather than be concerned about what everyone else thinks. You're a meta. You're already different."

He nodded at her, that's exactly what he was trying to do. "Got it. Going through a lot isn't any fun. But this sleepwalking...it's dangerous. That's all I'm saying."

[Olivia Baker]

She nodded. "You're right" There wasn't anything she could say to make him not right, and she wasn't sure if he wanted him to be wrong, but she just didn't want to be wrong because she was already so embarrassed.

She sighed into her knees looking over at the boy just happy to have someone sitting there. "The weird part is I feel like I'm invisible anyway.." She chuckled "So why I care what anyone else thinks..." She shrugged "It's all just stupid." Liv said looking back at the dark water. She sounded pathetic. She felt pathetic. But she wasn't sure the next time she'd have someone to listen to her. 

"I don't normally sleep walk if it helps." 

[Thomas "Monroe" Montgomery]

Monroe knew he was right and he was glad she finally aknowledged that. "Guess I'm a hypocrite though," he admitted. "I mean, I hate intruding on others' dreams so I don't sleep. That's depriving me of good health...but then again, I don't really like dream walking anyway." He shrugged his shoulders. He wanted her to know he wasn't out to get her, but rather that he could relate and he was just trying to save her the trouble of hitting rock bottom.

"I find that sometimes being invisible to others is easier. You can be who you want and nobody is gonna criticize you for it. Besides, invisible people...the people that no one knows, they're a lot more interesting." He sat down next to her on the tiled floor of the pool area and gently nudged her in the shoulder.

[Olivia Baker]

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Not to sound like a bitch but... I feel like none of us really like our "special gifts"" She said using air quotes. She'd become more cynical since he'd seen her last. She brought her knees up to her chest, hugging them in close as the cold air penetrated her wet clothes. She wasn't shivering, but it was starting to get to her. 

Liv gave a small smile when he nudged her, wiping up a stray tear that'd managed to escape from the corner of her eye. "Yeah I guess..." She sighed. "But... I just..." She shook her head knowing that it all was so dumb. "I don't know... I guess nothing." She didn't even have words anymore. 

"It's hard to be OK with being invisible when you want so desperately not to be alone. And I feel alone. And it's so stupid and I feel pathetic and I probably am considering my track record of pity dates and failed this and that but... It's not so much that I want to be seen... I just don't want to be so easily overlooked." Not only did half of that probably not make sense but it came out so fast that many of the words streamed together until finally ending in a sigh. "But I'm just whining and there is no use in that." She rested her head on her knees. He was probably the last person who was interested in all of this and she felt bad for sticking him in the wake of her self loathing.