A Fool's Guide to the In-Between [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 16

TW: panic attack (I know that panic attacks differ based on the person, so this is just based on my own experiences)

That night, Y/N felt restless. Too restless to fall asleep. She tossed and turned from side to side, her eyes wide and alert as she stared at everything in her room. She had grown tired of counting guppies long ago. Eventually, she got tired of counting the things in her room and sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead. 

It felt as though there was a black cloud in her mind, but instead of relaxing her, it felt like a poison that was slowly creeping into every part of her body. She shivered and shook her head, trying to clear away the cloud. She didn't want to think of it. She wanted it gone. But no matter what she did, it remained there. Like a parasite.

'Riddle,' she suddenly thought. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly the black cloud was replaced by a hazy image of Riddle. She nearly ripped the covers off of her and she fell from her bed, falling to the floor. She couldn't even feel the pain. All she could feel was the sense of panic that was slowly consuming her. The inability to think of anything other than Riddle.

"Riddle," she whispered, pushing herself to her knees. She gripped her forehead, gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut. "Riddle... Riddle... Riddle..." The headache vanished for a moment. "Riddle me this..." The headache returned and she forced herself to her feet. She couldn't afford to visit the In-Between like this. In her current state, she might never leave the In-Between. Or worse, she could get stuck in the Nowhere... She shivered at the thought of it. No one had ever been in the Nowhere and come out alive...

Suddenly there was a knock on her door and Y/N gasped. 

"Y/N? Are you okay?" 

Y/N couldn't place the voice. All she could tell was that it was concerned. Concerned for her. She forced herself to the door and nearly ripped it from the hinges. Standing on the other side was one of the Leech twins. Which one she didn't know, but she didn't care. She let her body fall into them, their arms instinctively winding around her shaking form.

"Y/N," Jade hissed, holding the girl tight. "Y/N, what's wrong?" As she started to shake worse and worse, he held her tighter, ensuring that she was pressed tight against his chest, unable to fall. 

"Riddle," she suddenly whispered, burrowing her face into Jade's chest. Her hands gripped his shirt, threatening to tear holes in the black fabric. "Riddle... please..." She glanced up at Jade and the boy felt his heart jump into his throat at her panicked expression. It seemed as if she would fall and shatter at any second. 

"Do you want me to take you to Riddle," Jade asked, already starting to pull her away from the dorm. 

Y/N nodded stiffly as if her neck were made of gears and wires rather than flesh.

Jade didn't hesitate before scooping her into his arms, holding her tightly as he ran down the hall. He didn't care if he woke anyone. All he was worried about was Y/N. The entire dorm could have woken up and he wouldn't have cared. He just wanted Y/N to be safe. It felt as though she was burning in his arms. Even her hands were like hot coals against his chest as she clung to him.

"Riddle..." she whispered. "Riddle... Riddle... Riddle me this..."

"It's okay, Y/N," Jade whispered. 

He shouldered the door leading to the lounge and it swung open with a terrible screech. Y/N flinched at the sound and suddenly Jade couldn't keep a hold of her. She fell from his arms, landing on her knees and hands, her nails digging into the carpeted section of the lounge. 

"Y/N!" Jade crouched beside the girl, his hand on her back. "Y/N!"

"Jade!" 

The vice housewarden looked up from Y/N's shaking form, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Azul and Floyd standing at the door. For once, Floyd wasn't wearing his goofy and careless expression. Instead, he seemed concerned and almost fearful for the girl that they had all grown to care for over her time in their dorm.