The World Beyond || Alex, Zoey, Lauren, Ophelia, Emily, Nora, & Nina
Tagging: Alex, Zoey, Lauren, Ophelia, Emily, Nora, & Nina
Location: RIAP
Date: July 7, 2017
Notes: The girls are summoned when the pain of losing Nina overbears Alex. They must make a tough decision, and Alex must take a trip to the Spirit World.
Alex continued to scream violently as the last hunter fell to the ground, tears still were falling from her eyes. Watching as the ghosts around her disappeared now that their job was done, she dropped to her knees. Even though they were dead it didn’t replace her loss, it didn’t bring Nina back. Looking towards the dead body next to and Alex screamed out in pain as she put both hands over her mouth. “I’m so sorry.” Shaking as she pulled Nina’s lifeless body to her. Letting her tears fall onto Nina’s blood stained dress as pulled her closer. There was blood now covering her hands and clothes. “Please, Nina.” Begging the girl she was clothing onto for life, even though she knew there wouldn’t be a response. “I need you. Please come back.” Screaming again as she grabbed at the fabric of Nina’s clothing. Silently praying to whatever deity that may be listening. Offering up various things like her magic, happiness, money, or whatever they needed. All she wanted was Nina back, but her prayers fell on deaf ears. “You promised me that you wouldn’t leave, Ryback. It’s not far. You don’t get to leave me, not like this.” Not bothering to wipe her face that was red from her screaming and crying. Holding onto Nina even tighter as she shook, she couldn’t let go. She wasn’t sure if she could ever let go. “Come back, please! I’m begging you!” Alex asked angrily as she rested her head on top of Nina’s. “Please.”
Zoey felt as though the day couldn’t get any work. This attack was…brutal. She was so thankful for the glasses that she wore that aided in her aim, and pinpointed weak spots. She still had one of the hunter’s guns when she felt the familiar feeling of teleporting except she wasn’t doing it. The feeling made her heart sink because there had to be something bad occurring with one of the girls for this to happen. She didn’t even explain to Ophelia what was happening, instinctively she grabbed her hand. “Oh, God, it’s happening again! Hold on to me,” she instructed. One minute they were in the earth dorms and the next she and Ophelia were outside and all she saw were hunters lying dead, but the screams practically ripped her heart in half. It was Alex and the air witch she knew to be Alex’s friend. She put her hand to her mouth because she was…she was dead. Zoey didn’t know Nina but the sight brought tears to her own eyes. “Alex…” Zoey said, touching her shoulder. She was still holding Ophelia’s hand, forgetting to let go for a second probably afraid to let go especially in the middle of what looked like a war zone and had been.
Lauren had one thought replaying in her head as she watched the scene unfold: What the hell. All in the matter of what felt like a few seconds Nina had fallen, Alex had screamed, the hunters all died because of it, and now she felt like she was having déjà vu. It was only a couple of months ago she’d held a bloodied rag to someone’s wound and watched them slip away, leaving their crying best friend and Lauren in their wake. Why did it have to be happening again? She couldn’t wrap her mind around Nina being dead. The two of them were supposed to get through these together. They always found each other. And what the hell was she going to tell Isaac and Zach? Her knuckles were turning white from how tightly she gripped her bloodied sweater that she’d held to Nina’s wound as she looked down at the girl's body. She didn’t even react as Alex grabbed onto Nina and held her. Lauren couldn’t process what was happening, because Nina couldn’t be dead. She was Nina Ryback—this didn’t happen to her. Alex’s screams sounded like they were miles away, and she barely even noticed as the other girls from the circle started to appear. “Alex,” she said, her voice monotone as she reached out to place a hand on the older girl’s shoulder. “Alex, please…” She shook her head as tears formed in her eyes. “Alex.” Her voice cracked. She didn’t know what else she could say. She just watched like she had last time, only now she felt no need or desire to get up from where they sat or to get somewhere safe.
Ophelia had been exhausted from fending off hunters, but her, Zoey and Isaac had succeeded. No injuries had occurred and she was thankful for that. Looking towards Zoey, she didn't even realize the girl had grabbed her hand. "What? What's happening again? Are you okay?" Before she even knew what was happening, she was in a completely different place. All she heard was screams and, when she turned her head to see who it was, she saw that it was Alex. And, in her arms, she saw Nina laying limp. "Nina." Ophelia held tighter to Zoey's hand and then looked back and forth between both girls. "Isaac. You should've brought Isaac." That was all she could think of. If they had known what was happening, she was sure that would have been her first option. Ophelia would've preferred if Zoey took Isaac instead of her. But here they were. And now she worried for Isaac. "What just happened?"
Nora couldn't believe this was happening again and so soon. However, there was part of her that was glad. Ever since she heard the hunters killed her parents, she had been looking for her opportunity to get them back. Part of her worried if Declan had noticed the extra power Nora had been using against the hunters, but she also didn't care. They were getting exactly what they deserved and she would kill as many as she had to in order to get the message through. In what felt like a small moment of silence, Nora suddenly felt like she was starting to teleport somewhere. She had only experienced it a small number of times, so the feeling was odd and she didn't know what was happening, because she surly wasn't in control. Finally she ended up somewhere outside and looked around to figure out where she was. "Shit!" She called out as her thoughts went back to Declan. He had been left in the middle of a hunter attack, but she didn't know why or how. As she heard screams, her body turned to see Alex and the other girls sitting around someone's dead body. Quickly she moved towards the group only to notice Alex clutching the somewhat familiar looking witch in her arms. It made her heart stop for a second and she felt like tears were starting to form, but she took a deep breath and focused on the girls in front of her. "What happened?" She asked softly.
Emily had just wanted a family dinner. A FAMILY DINNER. Why was that so hard? They'd managed to hold the staff dorms but she'd failed to protect Mason. Once again the hunters were hurting the people she loved. She sighed, rubbing her temples, and all of the sudden she was being pulled away again like she had with Nora. First she wondered how she would explain this to her family. Then she was worried. Who was hurt? What was wrong? Suddenly she was surrounded by dead hunters. Alex was crying over- Emily's heart nearly stopped. Nina. This couldn't be happening. Tears started to fall, and she ran over, dropping to the ground near the other girls, surrounding Nina. She couldn't even put words together. The hunters had gone too far.
Alex feeling people touching her made Alex jerk, she moved closer to Nina so she was away from their hands. “Don’t touch me!” Screaming to the two girls next to her as she clutched onto Nina tighter, her tears slid down her face as they fell onto the limp body she was holding. Feeling her lungs tighten as she cried harder, it felt like the air was being sucked away as time passed. All she wanted was for everyone to just leave, for them to all go back to their lives and leave her here with Nina. “Just go away, please.” Begging the girls as she finally looked at them. “Just get out of here please.” Giving another scream as the pain inside of her built up once more, this felt like the only way she could actually release it. Digging her nails into Nina’s skin as shook more violently, she felt like if she let go it was going to kill her. “Nina, please. Come on please. You can comeback, I know you can.” Whispering in Nina’s ear as she ran her hand over Nina’s dark hair, she just prayed that Nina would wake up. That Nina was wrong than this and she could pull herself back. Resting her head on Nina’s shoulder as she sobbed, she just thought back to the memories she’d made with Nina.
Zoey turned to Ophelia when she mentioned Isaac. “It happened so fast I would have grabbed him too.” She just hoped he was okay because the news that his girlfriend was dead wasn’t going to be pretty. She knew how much this would hurt. As the other girls started filtering in, she wished there was more that they could do. Suddenly her hand went to the second charm on her bracelet. The book. She and Alex had talked about her other magic, but since it hadn’t manifested that was all they could do - talk. There was something there about resurrection, but she didn’t think Alex would like the costs. “Alex, what if…what if you could resurrect her?” It wasn’t a guarantee because it depended on her pulling from the strength of all four girls, and it also depended on how ready the dead was to come back, along with the price that the spirit child had to pay. A life for a life. Just the thought made her shiver. She didn’t even want to say it out loud. Didn’t even want the other girls to know Alex’s price if she truly wanted this and the consequences didn’t even stop there.
Lauren pulled her hand away when Alex jerked back from her touch. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I’m sorry." She looked down at her hands and while she’d become numb to the sight of blood after the first bonding circle, knowing that the blood on her hands was Nina’s made her feel nauseous and light-headed. She wanted to beg her to come back too., but she bit her lip and kept her hands balled into fists as Alex continued to beg Nina to come back. Her head whipped around when she heard what Zoey said, finally acknowledging the fact that the other girls were there but not enough to register or question why Ophelia was there too. “Resurrect?” she questioned. Would there ever be a day where all of this magic stopped surprising her? Probably not. “She can do that?” She looked between Zoey and Alex then to Nina’s body and knowing that if she and the others needed to help in any way, Lauren would do it without a doubt. She looked back up at Zoey. “How? How does that work?”
Ophelia: When a bunch of people started showing up, Ophelia started looking around. She shouldn't have been here. But Zoey had brought her. And Alex was here. And so was Nina. Nina, who was... Then she heard Alex screaming again and all she saw was Lauren backing up. Once Zoey started talking, she let go of her hand and knelt down in front of Alex. She didn't care if the girl had just told everyone else not to touch her. This was her best friend. No matter how mad she was at her, she was not letting her go through this alone. Placing her hands on Alex's face, she lifted it to look at her. "Breathe. Do not lose control. You are capable of a lot more than you give yourself credit for. And, if you can bring her back, you can do that, too. Hey," she paused and looked right into Alex's eyes. "I love you, okay? You can do anything. Isn't that what Nina would want you to do? Anything?"
Nora was looking from one person to the next as she was still taking in the situation. Alex clearly didn't want anyone to be here, but Nora didn't blame her. Even now she still wasn't up to seeing people. Her eyes moved over to Lauren and she noticed the blood on her hands, so she took a small step towards the other girl and placed a hand on her shoulder before giving a small reassuring smile. Her eyes moved once more when Zoey spoke and she paused. Since when could they resurrect people? It wasn't something she felt like needed to be asked right now, but more about how it could happen and they could bring their friend back from the dead. "What needs to be done?" Nora spoke, knowing that she needed to help her fellow circle member in any way she could.
Emily was overwhelmed. Alex's screams tore right into her heart, breaking it into more pieces. She didn't know how to help. She didn't know anything any more. How did they get Nina? She was so strong. Emily gave Alex space, her body shaking as she cried. Then Zoey started talking, and Emily turned to look at her, not daring to be hopeful. Resurrection? She sniffled, wiping at her face and for the first time since being teleported there she tried to talk. "How. How can we do it, how can I help." She turned back to face Nina, lifeless on the ground. "I will do whatever it takes to help." Also, Ophelia was here. Emily didn't even have time to really question how or why she had come along with Zoey, and was honestly just glad to have someone else here.
Alex could feel the ache in her chest from the pain she was feeling, she felt like she was going die at any moment. Tears still fell down Alex’s face as she listened to the chaos around her and she could only make out a few words. At the word resurrect Alex turned her head towards Zoey as she gripped onto Nina’s lifeless body. She tried to make out the other words around it to hear exactly what Zoey was saying, but it all sounded like another language. At Ophelia touching her Alex jumped slightly from the contact, but she allowed it. Letting her blue eyes meet Ophelia’s hazel eyes as she cried, she did her best to try and stay focused. Taking in a deep breath as she tried to control the now five elements coursing through her veins, but she could feel the magic itching to escape. Each element wanted to come to light and to have it’s moment, but right now she needed to save them. More pressing matters were at hang than her element problems. Listening to Ophelia, she nodded softly, she had the chance to bring Nina back. The change to bring back Nina, she knew it wasn’t even a question. She needed Nina back. “I love you too.” Lifting one hand off Nina’s body and she placed it against Ophelia’s hand. Turning her head towards Zoey as she looked at and nodded. “How do we bring her back? I’ll do whatever it takes it doesn’t matter the cost. Just tell me how we do this.”
Zoey waited for Alex to say she wanted to bring back her friend before she whispered the incantation for the book on her bracelet to return to life size. She turned straight to the page that spoke of spirit magic and resurrection. “You and Nina will be in the middle of the circle. Each of us will hold hands as we channel our strength and chant: Viața și moartea sunt împletite, cu dragoste și încredere în fiecare inimă care se va lega pentru a se reînvia.” Life and death are intertwined, with love and trust each heart will bind in order to revive. While we are chanting this, you will chant: Intrând în lumea spiritelor vin să găsesc spiritul celui în care se definește iubirea și încrederea mea. Cu această magie, spiritele noastre se leagă.” Entering the world of spirits I come to find the spirit of the one in who my love and trust are defined. With this magic let our spirits bind. “You’re going to pass out, Alex. You have to enter the spirit world and you have to bring her back, but only if she agrees. You can only bring her back if you truly love and trust her. Our chanting keeps the portal open, but you can’t stay long because it will drain us. If one girl,” she paused to look at each girl, “stops or breaks the chant for some reason, we could lose the both,” Zoey warned. “Ophelia, could you make sure that none of us break the chant?” She knew in her heart that ths would put a heavy burden on Alex, but it might be worth the risk. “Alex, do you want to know the consequences now or later?”
Lauren felt more tears prick her eyes when she felt someone place their hand on her shoulder and she turned to see that it was Nora. She gave her a small smile as she met her gaze. “Thank you.” She couldn’t articulate how grateful she was to Nora in that moment, especially because of everything she was sure Nora was still dealing with after the death of her parents. She turned to Alex and felt relieved when she pulled herself together enough to say she’d bring Nina back. That was all Lauren needed to pull her own self together and take a deep breath; there was still hope. She listened to Zoey carefully, suddenly worried about having to speak that mysterious language again but willing to become fluent in it if it was going to help bring Nina back. She nodded along to Zoey’s instructions, wiping her hands on her pants so none of the other girls were forced to feel Nina’s blood on their hands. She sat back more so Nora could be beside her, then turned to Ophelia when Zoey asked her to watch them. “You have full permission to slap me if it’s necessary,” she told her. Yet she knew that if it was keeping Alex and Nina safe, she was not about to let herself pass out or mess up. She finally looked at Emily too and tried to give her a reassuring smile. She knew Emily would do anything for her family and Nina was close to all the Bryants. She wanted her to know there was hope and that no one in that circle was going to let Nina stay dead. Lauren then ran the saying over and over again in her mind to make sure she knew what to do.
Ophelia stayed quiet as Zoey spoke about how to bring Nina back. This was something she couldn’t really help with, but she was going to be here through it all. After all, she had no choice in the matter since there were probably hunters still lingering about on campus. Nevertheless, she was still ready to help. When she heard her name, she looked up. "I'll try my best," she said in response to Zoey. As she turned her head to look at Alex again, she let out a sigh. “Should I move out of the circle or...?” The question was more directed at Zoey than anyone else since she seemed to know most of the information.
Nora smiled at Lauren and gave a small nod of her head before turning back to Zoey. She listened to the instructions quietly, trying to remember the words they needed to say. This was going to be a lot more than she needed for the day, but she knew everyone was probably in the same boat right now. Her eyes moved to the other members of the circle and the other girl who was here, Ophelia. "Whatever it takes to bring your friend back, Alex." She spoke, knowing that if she had been in the same situation, she would do whatever it took. Her eyes moved back to Zoey and the circle girls before standing up again. "Let's get this going, shall we?"
Emily listened very carefully to Zoey telling them what to say. Unlike the last time they had been doing rituals like this, she wouldn't have time to practice, and this was not a situation she was willing to mess up. She didn't like that Zoey was mentioning a price, but she wanted Nina back. She just wished that it wasn't all on Alex like this. Not because she was worried it would be too hard, if there was someone who could drag Nina back from literally being dead, it was definitely Alex. She just felt helpless in a way. She could keep the portal open for Alex, but that was all she was going to be able to do to help, and it wasn't enough. She looked over at Lauren, determination settling in on her face and nodded. She didn't know that she was going to end up so close and tied to all of these people when she agreed to do the circle, but she was glad she had. She threw her hair into a ponytail, ready to start. "Nothing like a good old chanting circle to really set the mood, am I right ladies?"
Zoey nodded to Ophelia at her question. “Yes, I don’t know if it’d take everyone inside the circle, or not so to be safe, stand outside of it. Okay, ladies, form a circle around Alex and hold hands.” Zoey sat the book down in front of her. With the amount of magic this was going to take, she couldn’t cast an illusion to keep them safe from anyone should they happen upon them. “Alex, start chanting when we all do, okay?” Zoey repeated the words that Alex would say one more time: Intrând în lumea spiritelor vin să găsesc spiritul celui în care se definește iubirea și încrederea mea. Cu această magie, spiritele noastre se leagă. “Okay girls. I’ll say it once and then we start ours. Viața și moartea sunt împletite, cu dragoste și încredere în fiecare inimă care se va lega pentru a se reînvia,” she began to chant then.
Alex stayed in her position as she held tightly onto Nina and she knew that she needed to let go. At least for a few moments, she laid Nina easily back against the warm ground. Putting her hands on Nina's face as she looked down at her dead friend. Keeping Nina's hand in hers as she listened to What Zoey was telling her. Nodding at Zoey's words as she looked around to each girl, she gave each of them a weak smile. Mostly to thank them for all they were doing for her right now. None of them had to do this, they could have simply said no, but here they all sat around her. Letting her eyes rest on Ophelia as she looked at the brunette girl, she just stared for a long moment. "I'll be back. I love you." With that she turned away and started to chant her words to the group around her. As she said it a final time she felt everything go black, she passed out on top of Nina.
Michael had been here for only God knew how long. Time was different here, or rather time was absent here. There were old friends here, people roaming through this world, this place. Everyone seemed to have their own little corner, their own world just behind each door. His was a world where he could watch out for Zoey and his parents. It was a room of televisions and his favorite beer and chair, and cupcakes it wasn’t the best life and something felt as though it was missing, always and it was always cold here, reminding him that he was dead. That life got boring living in your own room alone, so spirits often visited one another. He was lingering in the hall, really with no destination planned just planned to chat up whoever else seemed to be bored of their own personal world when he saw a familiar face that shouldn’t have been here. “Alex?” he asked. “What are you…are you?” Funny he was dead but couldn’t say the word.
Alex didn’t know exactly what she expected in the spirit world, but this wasn’t it. Walking down the dark hallway as she wrapped her arm around herself. She just kept walking as she passed numerous rooms all with the door shut, she didn’t dare to open them, mostly because of the fear of what lurked behind them. Some doors were meant to stay shut. Looking down at her shoes as she walked faster, she didn’t know how she was going to find Nina especially with all of these doors. Checking every door in this place would take years. Hearing the familiar voice made Alex stop as she tenses up, she looked up to see Michael a few feet away. Instantly her heart started to ache, she felt the loss not for herself, but for Zoey. She knew that Zoey would have given anything to be here with Michael for a moment longer, to at least have a goodbye with him. “No– I’m alive still. I’m just looking for Nina.” Admitting sadly as she looked down. She couldn’t help but wonder if just maybe she could bring back Michael too, this way Zoey could have her happy ending.
Michael nodded then. He breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting Zoey to have lost him and Alex in what he thought was a short time, but he didn’t know anymore. “Oh…oh Nina’s…hunters I presume,” he asked, but figured that was the only way he could see his former student going. “She’d be with the Rybacks. Just above each door is a letter, first of our last names. New doors pop up all the time the halls extend and twist and turn, it’s never ending,” he informed then. Michael almost didn’t want to ask, but he figured why not. “If you have the time could you tell her something for me?” he asked Alex. He knew she knew which her he was referring to.
Alex had to admit she was just as relieved as Michael was that she wasn’t dead. “Yeah, she died just a bit ago and I’m trying to bring her back.” Biting her lip as she nervously rubbed her arms. “So many people’s last names start with R so this is going to take a hot second.” Giving him a small smile, but she was truly thankful for the help he’d just provided her. “Yeah, I’ll tell her anything Michael. Just tell me whatever you want her to know.” She figured it was the least she could do after how horrible she’d been to Zoey over the past few months. This was also a way to help give Zoey the closure to her former relationship that she hadn’t got.
Michael nodded. “I wish you luck. I don’t wish this, on anyone not that early in life. There are but she’s Nina I’m sure you’ll find her easily, and Ryback is probably near the end of the Rs.” He tried to be as helpful as he could. For a moment, Michael opened his door. So that Alex could see the tvs in his room. “I’ve got three tvs in here, one of my parents one channel is all Zoey, and one is the Food Network, but she’s never far, and I see her struggling. I just…I need you to let her know that I love her. That I’ve always loved her and I never stopped. It was stupid of me to end things but I was scared of how much I loved her, of how full of love I was with her and how I’d never felt this way before. She’s always been my heart, and don’t tell her this part but I am waiting and it can be a long wait for the day I see her again. But I just want her to know that she’s a Kingsley, and I wouldn’t change our story. I want her to be happy, I’m watching over her and I just want her to find happiness. It’s okay to let me go because I’m never far. Tell her to stop living in those illusions and pick up her camera again. So she knows it’s really me, tell her that I love her more than cupcakes.” If he could feel pain, he would but pain was earthy and he was just empty, but he still held onto his love for his parents and his fiancé. “Also tell her thank you for looking after my parents. Thank you, Alex for doing this and I hope you find Nina.”
Alex just simply nodded to him as he mentioned wishing her luck. She truly needed it right now. How in. The world was she going to find Nina in all of this mess. As Michael started talking Alex looked into the room, she could see Zoey sitting there as still as possible, she could see his parents. Feeling the tears already starting to fall as he talked, she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Instead she focused on listening to him while he talked, she wanted to remember as much of this as she could for Zoey. “I’ll tell her everything I promise.” Wiping the tears that were streaming down her face away as she just looked at him. “Michael wait–” Reaching out to him, but her hand went right through his arm. Realizing that she couldn’t touch him broke her heart, she knew that there was no real way she could bring him back for Zoey as much as she wanted to. Instead all she could actually bring Zoey were his words. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to bring you back to her. She loves you so much, Michael. I’m sorry that you’re apart, if I could I…” Trailing off as she wiped her nose and some of the other tears that were falling. “Rest easy Michael.” Waving goodbye to him as she just stood there for a long moment crying.
Michael knew she wouldn’t be able to touch him, but if only he’d have hugged her at least so she could take that back to Zoey. He nodded at her words. “Hey, Alex, tell her to listen to In Case You Didn’t Know, by Brett Young, sums things up perfectly…it was going to be our first dance at the reception,” he said simply before disappearing into his room once more.
Jack Mooney was sitting in the room he shared with his wife, listening as she messed with the roses. It had been hard being down here, even though it was just the beginning of it all. The hardest part was coping with the idea that they were away from their daughter. Nora had been the biggest thing in their lives, and they didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. It was why their room looked like the family garden they had back at their house. There was Earth for the women in his life, and water for him. While he was able to keep Lily calm for the most part as they got used to it, he felt like her wasn’t going to do well for much longer, knowing how much pain their daughter was in. As he stood there he heard something outside and moved to the doorway, only to notice a girl who looked about Nora’s age wondering around, looking lost. “Hey there, Lass.” he called out. “Is there someone you’re looking for?”
Lily Mooney knew that there was no pain here, but she could have sworn that she felt the pain of being away from her daughter. She didn’t want to be reunited with her here, but she did want Nora to know that everything was okay even if she didn’t feel it was so right now. It could have been worst, she was at least here, sharing this afterlife with Jack. When he moved to the doorway, she frowned, not far from him. “Who’s there, Jack?” Seeing a young woman always made her feel as though the pain had returned. It always made her think of how Nora could be next and she didn’t want that. “Can we help you?”
Alex felt her heart growing heavier by the moment and when Michael mentioned his wedding song with Zoey she lost it. Hugging herself as she cried. She did her best to try and pull it together, even though she didn’t know if it was possible right now. At new people appearing Alex became more nervous, she wasn’t sure who else might pop out at her. “I’m just looking for Nina Ryback. I’m sorry to both you lovely people.” Frowning as she looked at them, they had a sense of familiarity to them that she couldn’t place for the life of her. “I’m sorry you both are down here.”
Jack Mooney looked at the girl with a little confusion when she spoke. He didn’t understand why she was sorry that they were down here, when he was sorry she wasn’t….Unless. “Are you not like the rest of us?” He asked, wanting to avoid the word dead if he could. When she spoke the name, he shook his head and gave a shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t know anyone by the name of Ryback,” He spoke as his thick accent made the name sound different. “But we have a couple old pals down that way and I can tell you that you aren’t too far off. I mean, you made it to Mooney, so you are almost out of the M’s.” He assured the girl.
Lily Mooney shook her head then. “No, dear, I’m sorry that you’re down here. You can’t be much older than our Nora, and I’d hate to see her here.” She didn’t want that day to come. “The Reinharts are close, down the way take a left. The Rs end the hall If you make a right at the end you’ve gone to S. If you run into Reinharts tell ‘em Mooney sent you, I’m sure they’d help.”
Alex frowned at him asking about her being like the rest of them, she moved some hair out of her face. "I'm not. I'm still currently living." As the woman mentioned the name Nora it caused Alex to raise an eyebrow. "Are you talking about Nora Mooney?" Asking curiously as she stepped forward to the two people near her, she hoped that maybe this was actually Nora's parents. Even though they had gave her useful information for later it caused Alex to smile at the last name. "Are you Nora's parents?" Asking with even more hope than before. "You both look just like her."
Jack Mooney sighed a small breath of relief and nodded his head. "Well, then I hope you get out of here as soon as you can. You still have so much life to life." He commented. However, as their daughters name was spoken, Jack's head perked up and he smiled at the girl. "You know our Nora?" He asked more for his own sake before looking at his wife for a moment, then back to the girl in front of him. "If you're talking about a little Irish girl who is very big into music, then yes. That's our little girl." Jack spoke, trying to keep himself calm. "You wouldn't happen to know if she's okay, would you?"
Lily Mooney ’s lip practically quivered at the mention of her daughter. This girl knew Nora. “If you mean that feisty little thing, that happened to snag her mom’s sarcasm then yes, that’s her.” Part of her hoped that they could get this girl by chance to send their daughter a message since she wasn’t one of them. “If you do know her can you tell her something for us?”
Alex nodded happily at their words, she couldn't help but smile. This was Nora's parents, which warmed Alex's heart like no other. She reached out to them, wanting to see if she could touch them. Maybe since they had died more recently there was a better chance, but her hands still sadly went through them. "I do. She's--" Trailing off as she tried to thing of the right word, but it never came. Instead, Alex just went with honesty, she hoped for the best. "Sad. She misses you guys so much right now." Wrapping her arms back around herself as she talked. "I'll tell her whatever you would like me to. I promise I'll tell her."
Jack Mooney felt a little excited to hear that this girl had known their daughter. He missed her so much, but there was no way to get to her. When she mentioned their daughter being sad, his smile fell a little a bit and he looked down for a moment before looking back up at the girl. "I mean, I don't..." He looked over to Lily. "Hun, what would you want to say?"
Lily Mooney had to think on it for just a moment. She took a breath, unbelieving that this was actually happening. “I want her to know that first we love her. We never stopped and I want her to carry that with her. Don’t let this close her off, I hope that she doesn’t stop living. Just as the life and the earth flows through her I want her to know that I’m there, it’s what we share. The plants and the trees and everything about it we’ll always be connected through it. I want her to remember us, to continue to love us but to keep living too, because though we can’t continue living, we will never stop loving her. And if she’s anything like me, she’ll want revenge, but tell her to kick ass but be careful. I don’t want to see her here, or I’ll personally find a way to send her back.” She was rambling and she knew it. “Honey?” she looked at Jack in hopes that he might have something to say to make sense of her rambles like he always did.
Alex: 'It's okay for her to be sad. She just lost you guys, but she'll be okay. I promise I'll be there for her." Biting her bottom lip as Lily started to talk, she felt like she was going to cry again. Lily's saying she wanted Nora to remember them was what broke Alex and the floodgates started up once more. Crying softly as she listened to Nora's mother talk, she smiled at the end. "I'll tell her every word of this." She knew Nora would want to know ever single word. "Is there anything else you want to say sir? I'll tell her anything.”
Jack Mooney was looking at his wife as she spoke and nodded his head. Every word she said was something he felt like his daughter needed to hear. His arm moved around his wife and placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Looking back to the girl, he gave her a soft smile. "Make sure she knows we love her with all her and to let her music flow. We're there in every note and lyric she rights. Stay strong Sweet Potato." He paused, laughing a little. "She'll know it's us if you add in the Sweet Potato." He explained. "Thank you very much for passing along the message. We hate the idea of here being along, but we know she will be strong enough to make it through." Jack continued. "And we wish you the best of luck in your search for your friend. Hopefully you two can get out of here as soon as possibly."
Alex: Listening to him and she smiled at both of them, she just stood there silently for a long moment. She couldn't imagine how hard it was for Nora to lose both of these amazing people. "I'll make sure to add that in just so she believes me. Although I don't think she'll have much trouble." Who would really make up seeing someone's parents who just died. "I'm sorry you both are here, but I hope you both rest in peace." Walking past them as she gave them both another smile. "I promise I'll check in on her often." Keeping the fact her and Nora would be tied together forever a secret because the last thing she needed was more questions. "Thank you, both." Turning her head back straight as she walked down the hall as she tried to find the family that the Mooney's were talking about. As she walked farther down the hall Alex felt a pull that was leading her to her destination. She wasn't the least bit sure how she got here, but before she knew it Alex was standing outside a door with her fingers on the handle. Opening it slowly, she kicked it opened with the front of her heel to look inside. "Nina?"
Nina laid back on the replica of the dock of the boathouse from her home in Charlotte, listening to the water flowing. In her room it was practically eternally night because it was her favorite time, watching the moon reflect against the water. Her parents sat in lawn chairs behind her and it felt as though she was almost complete. She told them all about the things she’d been up to after they’d died, and they’d asked questions enthusiastically. One thing her mother didn’t really talk about was her birth father. She figured that there was good reason behind that. Probably that it was an awkward situation and it didn’t matter now, she’d never know him. Not unless he suddenly died. “Do we sleep here?” she wondered. ”There’s not really a need. We don’t get tired. We’re spirits, dead. There’s nothing human about us anymore,” her mother informed. Nina nodded. She closed her eyes regardless. Behind her lids, she saw Isaac and she could have sworn her heart ached. She let the silence permeate the room again and they all sat in contented silence. That was until a voice cut through the silence and Nina jumped to her feet along with her parents. Seeing Alex, she was annoyed. “Cromwell, I pushed you out of the way for a reason. What the hell are you doing here?”
Alex walked into the scene and she had to admit it was beautiful, it felt real even though she knew nothing about this was real. Walking out onto the dock, she practically cried at the sight of Nina. Not even thinking Alex ran towards Nina as she pulled her in for a hug. She realized for the first time she'd been able to touch someone; being able to touch Nina made her eyes start to water. Maybe she was able to bring Nina back afterall. "I'm fine." Putting both hands on Nina's face as just stared at her happily for a moment. "I came down here to get you, to bring you back home." Rubbing her hand down Nina's arm as she locked their hands together. "Please come back with me. I don't know how to do this whole life thing without Nina Ryback beside me." Smiling towards Nina once and she gave Nina's hand a gentle squeeze.
Nina let confusion mar her features for a moment, because people didn’t open other people’s doors. People who weren’t dead also didn’t hug and touch dead people. “I’m sorry, what?” she asked, as she hugged her tightly. She was happy to see Alex, yes, but none of it changed the fact that Nina was resigned to her fate. “Alex, I’m dead. I have a room. My family is here. Hayden’s in the Ls with a Strip Club. I’d say I don’t know how to do life without you, but I’m dead so I won’t have to worry about that. There’s no pain in here,” she told her then.
Alex just licked her bottom lip as she stared at Nina, she silently prayed that Nina wouldn't fight her too much on this. "I used my spirit magic to come down here and get you. It's a long story, but the sparks note version is you can come back with me. I promise I'll explain it all later to you, but you have a chance right now. You can walk out of here with me and be a living breathing person once more. At Nina mentioning her family and then Hayden living it up in the dead her eyes flickered red as she filled with rage. Of course, Hayden was partying like the trash queen she was. While she knew she couldn't attack her right now, next time though Hayden's little spirit ass was going to be hers. Sighing as Nina continued talking and she let go of Nina's hand. "How nice it must be to not have pain." Rolling her eyes at Nina's words before she looked towards her and she let her face soften. "You don't wanna be here, Nina." Sighing heavily again as she ran a hand through her hair. "I get your in pain.... I couldn't imagine if I had lost what you had." Looking towards Nina's parents who were still on the doc. "I don't know if you ever truly come back from that so I get wanting to stay. It's nice to be numb, but that's all it is. You're numb right now. The problem with being numb though is eventually that will grow to not be enough for you anymore. Do you honestly think someone as great as you can just sit here day after day feeling nothing." Nervously playing with the ring Ophelia had given to her as she tried to find the right words to talk. "I know I can't stand here asking you to do this for me or for Isaac. It's not fair to ask that of you. I'm asking though that you look at your future though Nina. What is it? If it's here then fine I'll leave you. If it's up there though then you know what you have to do."
Nina heard what Alex was saying. She did, but she thought about the fact that once she left this world that old pain, that old hurt would come back. She could see Hayden now and the pain wasn’t there. That blind rage didn’t matter because there was nothing left. She could see her parents and her grandparents and that sadness and loss wasn’t there anymore. “Maybe I don’t want to be here, but I don’t want to be there either. Not living like that, not crying every day because of it.” Suddenly it was as if she heard Zach’s voice in her head as she’d mentioned crying. “Whatever is going on and whatever’s making you want to cry, its okay. Everybody needs to cry sometimes. I know I do. I gotchu.” She swallowed the lump in her throat thinking about her friend. “That’s the thing…I don’t come back from that. I’m going to be in pain like this forever, nothing erases it but death.” It was Mason’s voice that she heard then, telling her the opposite once upon a time. “Nina Ryback, you’re a fighter, you’re amazing, you have been through so much and come back the other side, you have more than survived, you made it, life keeps trying to knock you back and you get back up again, stronger and better.” Nina sighed, trying to drown out the memories that came back to her in painful clarity. “I’m not that great. I’ve killed so many people, it’s like Karma has caught up to me.” It was a memory of Emily that weighed in next. “I can’t wait to see who Nina is, deep down.” Followed quickly by the very person that she was talking to. “I love you, okay? If you ever need a reminder about how you’re not a monster come find me and I’ll list you a number of reasons why you’re not.” Nina sighed. This was asking her to go back to hurt. To constantly losing people and watching almost helplessly as those she loved were harmed. She did remember though that she did have those people. She had people that were there for her. She had Lauren, who’d said, “But Nina, I would never have left you behind. As much as I wish things could have been different, especially for you, I want you to know that I’m glad I found you too. And I don’t let just anyone fly me up into trees and, you know, other heights.” She had Nic and in his own Nic way expressed that he cared about her.“Nina, I keep remembering why you’re one of my favorite people every time you speak.” “Is the pain really worth it, Alex?” but as she asked, she thought of Tyler. “Whatever you need, I’m here for it. Even if it means just sitting here and letting you talk through it or if you need to get anger out or anything, I’m here for you. Always will be. Just let me know what you need.” She heaved sigh then. “Do you even think I’ll get that family and future I want? Those three kids I want two girls and a boy. Mostly named after me and Isaac and all of you. It’s only a matter of time before I lose it all because of who I am.” Yet again she recalled words that disproved that very thought this time from Isaac. “I don’t care about what we go through, I care about you. That’s the deal, babe. I love you, better or worse. Look, we go through stuff and we deal with it together. It’s not conditional, I don’t want us to ever pick and choose. I just want to be there.” If that wasn’t enough, here Alex was in the fucking spirit world to come retrieve her, defying all kinds of laws of magic. The love of her friends greatly outweighed any love that her family had ever given her. She took Alex’s hand in hers then, looking apologetically at her parents. “I think I’m going back.” She looked back at Alex. “You and the rest of them love me way more than they ever have. Take me back.” She wrapped her arms around Alex in a tight hug. “And I love you too. Even though you’re crazy enough to defy magic laws for this.”
Alex watched closely as Nina made her decision, all she could really do was stand there and wait. “Nina—“ Reaching out to touch her, but she knew she couldn’t make this decision for Nina. This had to be Nina’s decision to come back, but if she said no then Alex was prepared to drag her back. She didn’t care if the spirit world crumbled on the way back, Nina was coming back one way or another. Although Alex believed in at least giving Nina a chance to reach the right decision herself. Taking in a deep breath as she played with her ring some more, she tugged at it nervously. Shifting her weight as she bit down on her bottom lip, she knew this wasn’t looking good right. “I do actually. If anyone can get happiness and that future it’s you, Nina. You will have Lily Alexis, Isaiah Edward, and Natalia Nicole even if I have to carry these damn children and give birth to them for you. You’re getting your family do you understand me. This is happening.” Putting both hands on Nina’s face as she spoke, she was serious. She’d do anything she could to make sure this was Nina’s future even if it killed her I promise you it’s worth it. At the end of the day it’s going to be worth it.” Looking at Nina when she said she would lose it all and she shook your head. “You are so wrong Nina Cromwell. You will always have me. You are just as much blood to me as my sisters and Sera are. You’re one of us. I love you so much.” Wiping away the few tears that were falling as she talked, she had to admit she was starting to feel tired and hopeless. Holding Nina’s hand back as she looked in the same direction, she frowned at Nina’s parents. Hearing Nina say she was going back actually shocked Alex and she hugged her back tightly. “Oh thank god.” Letting out a sigh of relief as a few happy tears fell and she was holding onto Nina for dear life. “I’d only defy the laws of magic for you, babe.” Letting go of Nina slightly, she started to feel more weak. “We have to go. If you want you can take a moment to say goodbye, but my energy is draining quickly. The girls can only hold on for so long.”
Nina shook her head but smiled as she did so. “People around me die then I die. Do I look like I get happy endings? I died. I get more pain and suffering every time I try as hard as I can and things like this happen.” She didn’t want to be a downer, but what do you do when you already died? Things couldn’t get much worse. “Alex, as much as I appreciate that, I want babies that also look like me and I want to be the big house of a pregnant lady. But I died, who’s to say I won’t be back here.” Alex believed in her future more than she believed it would happen at this point. It was as if she was already preparing for the worse. “Now where were you when I was trying to change my last name? I could have used that.” It meant so much to her that she had Alex in her life and she had a sister. “I’ve always wanted a sister, somedays rather I wanted a sister.” She was too spoiled to want a full time sister. “I love you too. This couldn’t possibly have been easy and I want you to tell me what you did,” Nina said, knowing that something bad must have happened to get her out of here. She was an Occultism major, she knew that people didn’t just leave the Spirit World. “It’s fine. I don’t want to say goodbye. Just, I’ll see you guys later,” she promised. “Mom will be back topside as a ghost. I know it. Dad, you can come too.” To which her mother and father nodded. “We can go,” she told Alex.
Alex just laughed softly at Nina's words. "I mean hey most of your friends are still kicking." Although she didn't really count the hell beast that was Hayden as one of Nina's friends. She was more like the demon who had been summoned to ruin everyone's lives then die the moment she actually had to deal with any of her bullshit. "You'll get a happy ending, I swear." Giving Nina's had a squeeze as she smiled at her once more. "Hey if you die again then we'll start this all over." Shrugging lightly, she knew she wasn't lying. She didn't care if she had to do this over and over again, she'd do it for Nina. "I guess I never got the memo." Hugging Nina tightly once more before she let her go. "You know if you want to change it then you're welcome to." Offering in case Nina still wanted to change her name, she wasn't sure if she did. "It's not easy at all. I promise I'll explain it all to you later." Her body started to feel weaker as the longer they stayed in the spirit world, she tucked some hair behind her ear. "Oh okay." Giving Nina's family a weak smile as she took Nina's hand and she started to lead her out. Walking back into the hall and towards the now bright light. As they made it to light Alex looked over at Nina and smile again before she pulled Nina into the light with her. Jolting up from her sleep and she gasped for air as she looked around. Her body felt absolutely drained from all the energy she used, she put her hands on the ground to try and steady herself. "She's back." With that Alex laid back against the ground, she did her best to keep her eyes open.
Nina nodded then. “I’ll think about changing it I’m sort of hoping Ryback is a temporary thing anyway.” She shrugged. “But who knows what the future holds.” Death sure was around every corner. As they walked toward the bright light, Nina couldn’t even prepare or brace herself for every emotion that left her to come back to her full force. She felt her body come to life once again, gasping for air as if she couldn’t catch her breath. Kept gasping but instead of a sense of calm all she could do was cry. That perfect dream felt like a distant memory. She didn’t just cry, she sobbed because she was back and so was everything else. The hole in her body that killed her was gone but it felt almost like tenfold her grief came back. She looked down at the bloody dress she’d been wear. “My fucking dress,” she cried harder practically hysterical at this point.
Zoey was so glad when Alex was back. She didn’t feel like she could even stand anymore she was so weak. She sank to the ground, trying to keep from simply laying there and never getting back up. She did have to say something to Alex though, the price was an urgent one. She crawled over to the other girl then. “Alex,” she whispered. “you have twenty-four hours to take a life or she’s going back. It’s a life for a life.” She didn’t say it loud enough for the other girls to hear. “There’s more…side effects but for now you have to that or all of this is for nothing.” She spoke with urgency, before looking around at the other girls then. “We all okay? We need to get Nina to the healing center and get to safety. I know we’re tired but we have to move and soon.”
Lauren had chanted as she held onto the other girls’ hands desperately. Nina and Alex were depending on them and it was very clear to Lauren that she’d do anything for them, whether that meant guarding the door or chanting in a foreign language even though she could feel her energy slipping away from her. She didn’t know how much time passed, but she nearly collapsed from relief and exhaustion the moment she heard Alex’s voice. She opened her eyes and took a few steps towards the two of them before she fell to her knees beside them. “You did it. You’re back,” she breathed out, reaching out to grab Alex’s arm then looking at the hysterical Nina who was devastated over her ruined dress. Lauren gave a weak smile as more tears flooded her eyes. “She found you.” Her arms felt like lead, so all she could do was grab onto Nina’s hand with both of hers. “She’s totally our savior daughter now. Nina… I’m so glad you’re back, Nina.” She nodded slowly at Zoey’s question, and while getting up from the ground seemed like the greatest challenge they’d ever face, she reminded herself they just brought someone back from the dead, so she could definitely stand up. “I can call Isaac...tell him to meet us there."
Emily felt like her mouth was a desert. Chanting for that long was hard. There was something else at work too. Standing up, even holding her arms that long shouldn't have tired her out. It was far less strenuous of an action that what she was used to. Still, she was drained, like the energy had been pulled right out of her. A weak smile moved her lips when Alex woke up, Nina suddenly gasping next to her. "I knew you could do it." Slowly she lowered herself to the ground, a long sigh leaving her lungs. She knew they needed to move, but it seemed next to impossible right now. Then again, so did bringing Nina back from the dead. She crawled on the ground over to Nina, putting an arm around her very bloody dress. "Don't go dying like that again on us, got it?" She tried to laugh but her throat was parched and she just ended up coughing.
Nora didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to hold. This kind of magic was taking more out of them then they really could handle, but she knew they were doing it for a good reason. They had to help their fellow circle member out as well they could. As she heard Alex's voice, Nora placed her hands on her knees and took a few breaths trying not to completely fall out from exhaustion. After a couple seconds, she moved towards the rest of the group before giving herself a chance to sit down. Getting a chance to relax was needed, after both the attack and this, but now they were talking about moving again and Nora was almost ready to just chill there. After a moment, Nora talked herself into standing up again and listened to the plants around here. "If we are moving by foot, now would be the time to go. The hunters aren't near this area and we can find some more hiding spots further on campus." She spoke, looking to the other girls.
Ophelia watched as they did all of their chanting and all she could do was stand there. Her eyes darted around them to make sure everyone was okay. It seemed like quite a while for the procedure to finish. When she saw Nina and Alex both wake up, her eyes widened. Then she looked at Zoey, her ears focusing in on the life for a life part. Letting out a breath, she shook her head. "I need a nap." All of this was too much to process.
Alex just put her hand on Nina as she heard Nina start crying, she did her best to try and comfort her. Even though she extremely exhausted and felt completely drained. She could hear others around her talking, but everything faded out as Zoey told her the price. A life for a life. The clock was already ticking away as each second past. Setting up as she bones ached, she knew she had to get this done. "Just get her to the healing center and call Isaac please. I gotta-- I gotta go." With that she pulled herself up wobbly and put her hands on her knees. "Thank you. All of you." Looking towards the girls as she gave them a weak smile. "I love you guys." Putting her hand back on Nina as she looked at her for a moment. "You'll be okay. Let them get you to the healing center." Placing a kiss on top of Nina's head, then she took off back towards her apartment. She needed to get her phone and get this done as quickly as possible.