𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄 -- 𝐀 𝐌𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐘𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘𝐅𝐈𝐂

⸻ 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐓𝐖𝐎

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It was raining this morning, cold water descending in bursts of transparent chill. It was much more steady now, fogging up the outside of the windows of the college. It's pretty. The rain has always been pretty, and in the distance, gentle thunder rumbles over old-soul forests. Ireland is so pretty, maybe everywhere is pretty though, and it just takes a little change to see it.

Sulli squints past the raindrops caught on the frame, tilting their head. There's a dark figure beyond the glass, standing stock still, staring back up at the window. Their heart sinks deep into their chest as familiar paranoia lathers their tongue. Whatever it is, it's staring back up at the window. Back up at them.

"Sulls?"

Sulli jumps slightly when they feel a hand on their arm, whirling to face the cause of their mini-panic attack. Madden's features are knitted, watching their own. "What? Sorry- did you say something?"

"What are you looking at?" Madden's gaze shifts to the window, and when Sulli follows it, theres nothing there. Nothing at all. As if it was all in their head in the first place.

They bite back their shock, shaking their head, "Nothing, I just thought I saw something." Surely, Sulli wasn't going to be telling their friend that they had started to see things. Something, someone, following them. They saw them at night when they were walking home from fencing. Saw them in passing mirrors. Saw them in the windows of the classroom. And yet, every time Sulli looked again, it was gone, whatever it was.

I must be going crazy.

It felt like it a little, especially after this past month. Sulli had quickly discovered that a drunk kiss from Yaşru and Magnus meant absolutely nothing. All that it might mean, is that Sulli is pretty enough to be kissed when you're absolutely fucking wasted. But it does not mean, Magnus or Yaşru have any kind of romantic feelings for them. They've made that pretty clear. Sulli is their friend, after all, and they won't ever be anything more than that.

To be fair, the past month in general had felt off for the entirety of the Lore club, not only did Sulli feel incredibly awkward around Yaşru and Magnus, but it was an absolute pain to watch Cassiopeia interact with Julian so strangely. Not unkind, because Cassie was never unkind, but removed in a sense. Then there was Kelsey, who seemed so incredibly anxious over Sulli of all people. Even yesterday, Sulli had thought about telling him what they'd been seeing, but he already seemed so overwhelmed, that they'd decided against it out of fear of burdening him even more.

The only ones who seemed like themselves might have been Madden and Adelaide, and now that Sulli knew he was in love with her, their interactions made a lot more sense. Especially after Madden figured out a way to get Rowan expelled. He didn't tell Sulli how though, only gave them the brief insight that he'd had help from Yaş and Magnus.

Even still, Sulli can't help the nagging feeling that Rowan wasn't done with them all yet.

"Sulli."

They blinked again, staring at Madden, realizing after a moment that he'd been talking to them. Dismissing the exhaustive embarrassment, they shook their head, "Sorry, I-"

"Are you sick?" Madden's hand is on their head a moment later, but Sulli brushes his hand away, shaking their head.

"I'm not sick, just a little tired." They shrug then, "I haven't been sleeping well is all, I'm probably gonna start trying to take something for it." Sulli doubted it would help though, each night they were haunted by the same visuals of that eldritch being, crawling along the walls of their mind. Sulli smiles anyway, "Melatonin, or something like that."