𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄, apply fic

𝙫𝙞𝙞𝙞. it's all been for you

TW // knife, suicide mention

( ARIA'S POV )

"ARIA..." THE WIND whispered. Tonight continues the saga of my newfound ability of hearing voices in the dead of night, in my sleep. Except, this one sounded distant. Old and new. It was a man's voice. Neither Issac's nor Mateo's. Not even Giovani's or Peter's.

Suddenly―I remembered. The tone as deep as the Pacific Ocean goes. The hoarseness for his thirst of adventure. A voice I haven't heard in a decade, yet I couldn't mistake it for anyone else's.

"You don't have enough time. You have to move quicker," he tells me. If I were awake, tears would've been streaming down my cheeks, partnered with unbearable pain in my chest. Was it from familiarity or foreignness?

Where are you? I wanted to ask. Where do I find you?

"I've been with you since the day you set foot on the garden," he says, almost as if he read my mind. "Don't let the beauty deceive you―pretty places don't have pretty endings, mi vida."

Mi vida. Was it possible I was merely delusional? Maybe my head injury had done more than a physical wound. But I couldn't quite fathom the idea of that. I needed this to be real. I needed to know he left my life thinking we'd meet again in the future. That moment was now.

My mind swarmed with questions. "Did you miss me? Thought of me? Loved me? Why would you leave us? What was more important than us?" I couldn't utter a word. It felt restraining. He was both there and not there, for I could only hear his voice, but not feel his presence.

"You may rest for a while, but know that time is never a luxury in paradise. The faster you and your friends get out of here, the safer you'll all be. Do not listen to the pixies." I heard a vwoop sound―had he disappeared into thin air? I tried to wake myself up, hoping I could get even a glimpse of him. Yet, there I was, my arms pressed onto my chest as my exterior peacefully slept like a baby.

Papa―I'll find you. I won't leave until I do.

( ARIA'S POV )

I WAS CERTAIN that only an hour had passed, because my mind was certainly awake and counting the seconds till my body shook itself, marking the end of my slumber. My eyes snapped open—not even bothering to take a second to rub the gound off of it. I must've resembled a deer caught in headlights, because Issac stared at me in horror. Giovani, Mateo, and Haven were nowhere to be found, which provided me with comfort knowing only four people had to witness me waking up in the most peculiar way possible.

"What. The fuck. You're scary when you wake up. Do you always do that? Is that normal?" Issac bombarded me with his amusing comments.

"No, just don't mind it. Had a nightmare," I half-lied, pointing to my head.