(Little Nightmares) Love Me, Normally

One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards

The ocean looks distant now; Sarah's raincoat is barely visible. She's been climbing for an excruciating amount of time, made even worse by her downwards gaze. Sarah is terrified of heights, even on the hot-air-balloon she felt queasy. Sarah would look up, stop the constant churning in her stomach and overall feel relaxed, but...
It's embarrassing, really.
The winds pick up speed, their chilly breeze rustling Sarah's hair. As if the extreme height wasn't bad enough, the speedy winds make Sarah unbearably cold. This wouldn't be a problem, if she had her raincoat. All Sarah has on is a grey (previously white) long sleeve shirt with red shorts. Perfectly fine clothes to wear during Summer, but not now. Sarah's teeth shiver, goosebumps rising all over her body.

Sarah reaches the top of the ladder, the flimsy rescue being connected to a giant boulder. All the anxiety of falling washes away, the ocean looking microscopic from the cliffs. Sarah looks around, her surroundings painting a cave with rocks and dying shrubs hanging about. The only light illuminating the cave is the sun from the ocean. Sarah doesn't need light though, she can see The Pretender bright as day.
The Pretender made it up before her, as such she was waiting for Sarah to make it to the top. She sits on a boulder, not too different from the same rock that tried to kill her. She crosses her arms, the disgust on her face bright as day.
"What are you doing? I already told you to scram, so, scram!" Once again The Pretender shows her lack of empathy. Sarah sighs, brushing off more sand and squeezing out some water from her shirt.
"You didn't let me check for cuts or bruises. Aren't you hurt?" The Pretender scoffs, her face of disgust turning to one of smugness.
"Of course not! Like I'd let some stupid rock hurt me. Do you even know who I am?" She points to herself, smiling stupidly. "My death will be luxurious!"
"But you almost- ugh, nevermind..." Sarah sighs, looking back to the sparkling ocean. "No offense, but I don't know you."
"W-what!?" Sarah looks back at The Pretender, a nervous smile crawling on her face. "Don't those mushroom idiots call me... pretty or something?!" She looks genuinely hurt.
"They call you The Pretender, and they're not idiots. They're very smart, they write and everything." Sarah often saw drawings in The Nest, usually with a caption explaining what it was or why the thing should be avoided. The Pretender was always drawn with an excessive amount of green.
"The Pretender? Is that the best they could have come up with? Ugh, that is so lame!"
"I guess." Sarah thinks the name is fitting. "That doesn't matter, yo-"
"They should call me mistress. That sounds much better, wouldn't you agree?" Sarah blinks, her mouth slightly ajar.
Mistress? That sounds silly.
"Sure?" Sarah shrugs, tilting her head slightly. The Pretender groans, disapproval reeking her voice.
"Why am I even asking you? You obviously have terrible taste. Mistress sounds great, rolls right off the tongue." The Pretender smiles, pointing her finger to the sky as an epiphany strikes her. "No! Mistress sounds silly, do you know what sounds better? Pretty!" She giggles, lifting a hand to conceal her cute smile. In a strange way, it's endearing. "That suits me perfectly!"
"Can I please help you? You could be seriously hurt, you might not even know it!" Sarah takes a few steps towards The Pretender, her face returning to disgust.
"No! Why would I want your help, do I look stupid? You're gonna try and kill me, I just know it!" The Pretender gets off her rock-chair, water staining the seat. She walks to Sarah, stomping until she's right in her face. "Stop following me, this is my last warning." She turns around, looking around the cave before marching in one direction.
The Pretender feels the cave's walls, looking for an opening. Sarah goes to the other side of the cave, her soft hands patting the hard walls of the cave. It goes deeper in, but neither of them want to walk in complete darkness.

Sarah's hands roughen, the constant padding of rock staining her delicate hands. Neither Sarah nor The Pretender have found an exit, yet their efforts remain constant.
Sarah looks out the mouth of the cave, checking for any other exits. Theoretically, Sarah could climb on the outside of the cave. However, She doesn't want to fall again.
Sarah looks at The Pretender, still determined to find something that doesn't exist. Monotonous would be a generous description of searching for the exit.
"Pretender, I think-"
"Pretty." Sarah looks at The Pretender with confusion. Sarah is in total disbelief, never before has she met someone, let alone a child, with so much pride.
What kind of name is Pretty? It's an adjective!
"Okay, Pretty... I think the only way out is deeper in." Sarah looks at the darkness, faint echoes of dripping water sounding from within.
"As if!" Pretty scoffs, shaking her head in disapproval. "I'll find my own way out." She walks around the cave, frustrated with her lack of results.
"Pretty, I'm not leaving you here. C'mon, it's just a little darkness."
"A little!? Look at that!" She points at the darkness, her frustration clear as day. "It's pitch black! Who knows what's in there? I'm not finding out! And you cannot convince me otherwise. Just leave ready!" Pretty pouts, going back to the walls.
Sarah looks at the darkness, fear building in her.
What if there is something in there?
Sarah nods, shaking away her fears and rebuilding her confidence. She walks to Pretty, ignoring the rocks stabbing her exposed feet. Pretty looks at Sarah, clearly irritated.
"What now?"
"We're going, now."
"Are you deaf? I said no!" Despite the protest, Sarah grabs Pretty's hand. Whines then ensue. "Let go of me! Wench!" Pretty tries to yank her hand, but Sarah's good grip keeps her from leaving.
"I said let go of me! Do you have a death wish!?
"Pretty."
"What!?"
Sarah rubs her thumb over Pretty's knuckles, slow motions on her rough hand. Pretty calms down, confusion overtaking her logical thinking.
"Pretty, what do you feel?" She looks at Sarah, her eyebrows saying 'are you stupid?'
"I feel you rubbing my hand. I guess?" Pretty scoffs, already upset again. "Listen, if this is some sort of joke, I done wi-"
"Exactly. You feel me." Sarah says, cutting Pretty off. "All you need to do is feel me. Just look at my hand. Everything will be okay. I promise. Just follow along."
Sarah takes one step forward. She keeps rubbing Pretty's knuckles, like a geologist rubbing a diamond in the rough.
Pretty takes a step with Sarah, almost mesmerized by Sarah's comfort.
They duo slowly towards the darkness. Sarah preparing for Pretty's eventual freak-out.

As darkness envelopes the duo, Pretty allows herself to succumb to fear. Her grip lessens, along with it faint murmurs of terror echo throughout the cave. Sarah stops walking, taking a moment to interlace her fingers with Pretty's, ensuring she can't leave .
"Focus on me, okay? There's no monsters, no scary bugs or bats. It's just me, only you and me." Sarah waits, Pretty's breaths soon stabilizing. Pretty rests her fingers, squeezing tightly.
Right now, the duo need each other.
They continue to walk in the dark, each little noise making Pretty squeeze Sarah even tighter. Sarah can feel the floor change, from sharp rocks to small puddles of cold water. Sarah worries for a moment, wondering if Pretty is barefoot too. The faint clicking of ballerina shoes comforts Sarah, though her own pain isn't lessened by Pretty's protection.

The floor changes once more, from dampness to softness. The floor feels wet, but with a softness that's all too familiar. The squishing of water changes as they walk on mud, their surroundings still completely dark.
"Are we out?"
"Not yet, but don't worry. We're almost there." Sarah looks around, worry slowly building inside her. "Just don't let go, okay?" Pretty doesn't respond.
Sarah turns around, aghast by the complete darkness consuming them; she can't even see Pretty. They keep walking, Sarah holding hope for an exit. The cave seems to go on forever.
Sarah almost opens her mouth, only to be silenced by the faint rays of outside sunlight. She looks at the small specks of light on the ground, its shine making small circles on the ground. She looks upwards, its origin spawning from above them.
Sarah walks towards the light, the elevation of the cave growing upwards. The ground is littered with weeds, further proof that they're almost out.
"Pretty, look!" Sarah points to the exit, walking up the slope slowly. However, Pretty isn't as careful. Almost instantly she rushes towards the light, abandoning Sarah's hand to go uphill and leave.
Sarah tries to warn Pretty of the mud, but it's too late. Pretty almost instantly trips, with a yelp she falls with a squish. She wastes no time getting back up and running back towards the exit. Sarah sees her do all of this, the faint sun rays illuminating the cave ever so slightly.
Pretty makes it to the top, but finds the exit blocked; she's quick to thrash and attack the blockage. Sarah joins Pretty, choosing to push against the blockage. With their combined efforts the blockage creeks, sunlight pouring into the cave.
Sarah slips out first, the loss of pressure making the blockade lock Pretty back in the cave. She screams and raves, banging on the blockage even harder. Their exit is a trapdoor, the blockage being a medium sized statue of a hand. Sarah drags the hand off the trapdoor, letting Pretty escape from the cave.
Pretty stumbles out, dirt and grime all over her fancy dress. She takes a moment to compose herself, mostly ignoring her filthy attire. Sarah keeps her distance, giving Pretty a chance to breathe.
"See? It wasn't that bad!" Pretty looks at Sarah, the look of disgust all too familiar.
"Bad? Oh bad isn't even the start of it!" Pretty storms to Sarah, her rage building progressively. "My favorite dress is ruined! I might as well walk around in rags!" She raises her voice while pointing at her green dress, mostly covered in dirt. "Do you know how much work goes into cleaning this?" She laughs, her voice still filled with frustration.
"Pretty, I'm sorry." Sarah smiles weakly, tilting her head to look friendly. Pretty still looks upset, maybe even more so. "But hey! We're out! I'm sure The Nest isn't very far from here." Sarah looks around, The Nest high above them. The cliffs seem to breed death, with white-withering-trees curving wildly as shrubs, both green and brown, lay astray.
"Do you think sorry is going to fix this?! Ugh!" She turns around, looking for The Nest. Sarah takes the moment to relax, seeing a perfectly good tree stump to sit on. She groans while walking, small twigs stabbing her feet. As she sits down, the back-pain and feet-pain she's been ignoring hit her the moment she relaxes. Sarah groans while putting a pained expression on her face, holding her head as the pain combines with a headache.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Pretty calls from a distance, her voice ringing brightly throughout Sarah's head. Sarah doesn't answer, she can barely think straight. She waves her hand, politely telling her to go away. She returns both of her hands to her face, leaning down as the pain remains constant.
"You look stupid, can you hurry up? We need to get back." Her words come like bullets, throbbing pain enveloping Sarah's mind. Sarah opens her eyes, looking around her as the world spins. Sarah stands up, bewilderment painting her face.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The world around her comes to a halt as Sarah struggles to stand. Everything is a muffled, loud and nauseous mess. Colors blend together, most shapes looking like a total blur. Searing hot pain ignites throughout her body, the heat of Summer making things worse. Sarah's knees fail her. She crashes to the ground, fainting instantly.