Windows to The Soul | Twisted Wonderland

3 - III | Through the Eyes of a Bystander

Dark gray eyes open in a flash; his eyes dart around with apprehension. The dim lighting of the rising sun does nothing to ease his mind as his breathing comes out as trembling gasps. The frantic movement of his vision piles onto the nausea boiling in the pit of his stomach as his vision finally adjusts until he registers his room ceiling. His blanket rustles as he kicks at it, scrambling to snatch his phone off the nightstand. The intensity of his phone's brightness singes his eyes, yet he blinks rapidly past the tears, oblivious to the pain amidst his panic.

He enters the password despite his turmoil as the motion of typing in his passcode is ingrained into his body. It wasn't a dream— the photos of the manor sit in his gallery, staring him in the face. He opens up one of the images to compare the dates to the present. The pounding of his heart seems to roar in his ears as he clasps a hand around his mouth, his nails digging into his skin. How could he not remember a day's worth of memories?

He untangles his legs from the sheets before getting off the bed to scour through his desk. He grabs at his notebook placed on the surface. His nails scratch the surface of the corner as he rushes to turn the page. The foreign handwriting dances around the lines with excessive curls, mocking his usual chicken scratch. In the next pages, an apology letter nestles in between, which mentions his unauthorized usage of the dark mirror and his excursion.

"Attie?" A voice hushed with concern reaches over to his shoulder to comfort him.

However, it grants the opposite effect.  Atreus staggers back with an arm held defensively in front as he steps out of arm's reach from the other. It's only when he makes eye contact that he suddenly gains awareness of his surroundings. The sound of his blood pumping fades to his strained breathing, with flashes of chills and fever blooming throughout his body. His head throbs with pain that ebbs away with each passing second. He averts his gaze to the side, then obscures his face with his hand. It takes a few seconds for him to regain his composure, his hands dropping to his side after his recovery.

He shifts his attention back to Michio, whose eyebrows angle down at the outer corners with worry, "Ah, sorry for waking you up with the noise. I was just disoriented after waking up from a nightmare."

Michio's eyes linger on him, but his expression remains at his usual resting face. With that, his uncertainty eases as he grins, "No worries! I'm glad you're alright. Don't forget to ready up for the unbirthday party. We might get called down to help soon. I heard we were behind for some reason."

"Mm, alright, thanks for the notice," he turns to his closet to gather his dorm uniform after pushing aside the hanging articles of clothing. Something colored catches his eye, causing him to lean forward for a closer inspection. It's the same container he'd discovered two days ago. Despite the curiosity clawing at his mind, he straightens his back and drapes his clothes over an arm, shutting the closet when he finishes. He exits the room while Michio flops onto his bed, drowsiness kicking in when the tenseness dissipates.

One extended trip to the shower later, he reenters the room with fluffed-up hair, and the top of his shirt is discolored in small patches from moisture. Scrubbing his entire body felt purifying past the physical meaning; it was just what he needed to clear his mind. A red diamond is drawn under his left eye compared to yesterday when it was incorporated into his eyeliner. He chucks his pajamas into his laundry basket from his position in front of the wardrobe. He slides on the red patterned vest and outer jacket, running his hand down to smooth any wrinkles.

"Attie."

"Hmm?" He doesn't look back at his roommate, occupied with the embellishments to his dorm uniform.

Michio's voice is full of vigor, "Your eyes seem to sparkle today! Though, you're still like one of the cold-princey types!"

He ties the striped black and yellow sash around his waist, "Thanks...?" He's unsure what Michio is referencing, but he doesn't ask him to elaborate. He attaches the white rose covered halfway with red to his lapel and the gold heart-shaped brooch to the side of his jacket. With his dorm uniform set, he turns to Michio, who is dressed the same with the difference of a black vest.