NIXON HAGEN ;
he was late. of course he was, he’d spent the LAST HOUR debating over whether or not to actually go. nixon didn’t party, never really had. since running away from home at the tender age of fifteen, staying away from the social scene seemed like the best way to keep himself hidden from those he never wanted to find him. but ann had invited him, and while he hadn’t been expecting it, something inside of him told him he had to go. he rounded the corner, mind wandering elsewhere as he did. body collided with another, crate of alcohol in hand almost slipping from his grip. he managed to save it, place it down on the sidewalk before he turned to apologize for the situation. but when golden hues settled upon such a h a u n t i n g l y f a m i l i a r face, words were lost in the space between. it couldn’t be, could it ? eyes closed tightly, head shaking. for a moment he was convinced that this was another hallucination. that the events of the masquerade were happening all over again. after years of searching, it could be this easy. it couldn’t be. the world around him seemed to slow as eyes flickered back open, the vision of his past still stood right there before him like a memory come to life. SO VIVID, SO REAL. “ v-vida ? ” there she was—— the girl he’d once sworn he’d protect for the rest of his life. the girl he’d let in, trusted. the one that was ripped away from him by a force that was much too strong for them to f i g h t at such a young age. the girl he’d never given up on. the one he’d bought an apartment with two rooms in mind for. vida. vida. the facade he’d perfected, the one that allowed him to hide emotion that lingered below the surface, was shattered by her presence in an instant. eyes stung with tears that threatened to fall, hands shaking with something he couldn’t quite explain. it didn’t feel possible. so much time had passed. so much time. and all he could do was stand there in shock and STARE. life, once again, had proven how well and truly cruel it could be. this moment was supposed to happen years ago.
it only took her a moment to look up , of course , this was after she had already scolded the other person who had walked into her . but when she lifted her head up , brown eyes meeting those of the boy in front of her , she immediately regretted it . the girl who usually had an answer to everything and if not an answer a w i t t y comment to send you on your way , she was coming up short as she stood there SHELL-SHOCKED & speechless looking nixon hagen , the boy vida had once trusted completely and unequivocally , in the goddamn face . years she’d spent trying to put him out of her mind , y e a r s of pain and anguish she didn’t want nor would ever visit again . and yet words to get her away or our of the situation evaded her completely . she wanted to pinch herself , maybe this was a dream , maybe it was fake and all she had to do was wake up and it would be over . . . maybe she was u n d e r e s t i m a t i n g the universe & how much it liked to fuck her over . she could feel the PANIC inside of her rising and knew all too well what would happen if she didn’t get away . she swallowed trying to make the lump that had formed in her throat go down as her brain raced to put words together . get out , get out , get out NOW ! ‘ ━━ i’m sorry . . ’ she bit her lip shaking her head as she spoke . ‘ i think you have the w r o n g girl , i hope you find her though . ’ she smiled sweetly and shouldered passed nixon , the shock returning to her face once more as she had her back to him . she didn’t have a clue what the fuck it was she was doing & how long this LIE was going to last ?? any minute someone could walk out and call her name , he could walk into that party and ask almost anyone present who she was and they would all say the same thing . vida oliveira ; usually slicker than your average , now , completely & utterly L O S T .
