Righteous Indignation - RF! Welcome Home

Chapter 18 - Sapphire Tones

(Bestie girlie wanted angst, I delivered)

You laid in bed, not even bothering to change into pajamas because you knew full well you weren't going to sleep. And you were right. You stared at your ceiling, listening to the clock tick, everything that Wally said rushing through your mind. Fuck Wally, fuck what happened at the Spectra Falls, fuck this. You wanted to forgive him, but what if he pushed you away? Again? You felt your eyes stinging, and panic spiked in your chest. Tears? No, no, this won't do. You can't be weak, remember? It might have been okay in the Infirmary, but only because you just lost an eye.

You need to calm down.

Then you remembered something.

Last Tuesday, Wally had given some Spectra samples to you for study, as you had begin to climb up the ladder in the lab, you now held a hell of a lot of authority.

You opened the little briefcase they were cased in, eyeing the blue vial. Calm.

Opening the vial, another horrible thought came to your head.

What would happen if you drank it?

Curiosity burned in your fingertips, and you remember how you almost cried earlier. It's better than doing something that can get you killed, right?

It can't be that bad. We all have natural Spectra. What's a little more?

Upon the vial meeting your lips, something in the back of your mind regret it, but you ignored it. The blue Spectra was cool, and tasted almost identically to peppermint.

You were fine. The hell?

And then it hit you. All of a sudden, you were dizzy, and you felt nothing. You wanted to panic, or be angry, or know what to do, but you didn't. You saw your vision sliding, but you didn't panic. You just kinda let it happen. Now you were calm.

You laid back down, allowing what you thought was sleep to consume you.

But in all actuality, you just poisoned yourself. Congratulations! Throughout the night, through your sleep cycles, your heart rate dropped, to where when you were in a deep sleep state, you almost died. You did that on repeat throughout the night, from REM sleep to the half-awake states, you lingered on Death's door, teasing the Reaper with your soul. Eventually the morning came, and you still hadn't awoken. And guess who found you?

Your work mom, Poppy.

"Neighbor! Wally sent me!" She's calling out, banging on your dorm door.

"Neighbor!" She calls out.

And she continues to call out. She tries to coax you, to demand, to act angry. Nothing rouses you from your Spectra-induced sleep.

Eventually, Wally gets called down. He knocks once. With no response, he breaks down the door, the poor piece of wood flying off the hinges.

He approaches your unconscious body, shaking you furiously. When you don't wake up, he looks around at his surroundings, noticing the evidence of last night out in the open.

"God damn it, Poppy, your kid drank the fucking Spectra. The fucking Spectra! I'm gonna be completely honest, I want to throw their passed out ass in the grinder! How could they be so fucking stupid?!" He was in a tempest at this point, but Poppy placed a hand on his shoulder, and he took a breath to calm himself.

"Maybe I shouldn't throw my best worker in the grinder. Thank you, Poppy."

He sighed, and he leans over to press two fingers against your neck, checking your pulse.

"Holy shit- Poppy, take them, now." He says, recoiling his hand as if he was burnt after feeling how weak your pulse was.

"Don't put them in the infirmary, bring them to my lab."

She nodded, picking you up with ease (she's eight feet tall, you stand no chance of being remotely heavy) and carrying you away. Wally is furious at you. Part of him wonders if it was a suicide attempt, and if it was, if it's his fault.

Then, he did something quite strange.

He cried.

He sat down on your bed and let genuine tears fall. I have to congratulate you, Neighbor, you made the heartless and cruel Walden Darling cry.

Way to go.

He sobbed quite a bit, and he hated himself for it. And it's Neighbor's fault. Your fault.

What would you say once you get conscious?

If you get conscious.