The Summoning

XVI - Drag Me Under

On my way down the hall, I could already hear murmurs and laughter from III's room. The door was wide open and inviting, but I still crept up to the doorway timidly. They were piled onto the couch, II and Vessel watching as III and IV focused on the TV while holding controllers. 

Feeling a bit awkward, I knocked on the frame of the door and, while Vessel and II looked up, III and IV barely had time to glance up before getting back to the game. 

"Y'okay?" III said as he smashed multiple buttons at once. 

"Mhmm." I leaned against the door frame, feeling as though I was an outsider. Maybe I should've just stayed in my own room.

To my surprise, Vessel scooted over and patted the spot next to him in offering. I took a few steps in, keeping weight off my leg and Vessel clenched his jaw, raising a hand to me in question as he looked me over with almost an irritated and exasperated look. 

I froze and thought about just leaving. He didn't want me here, after all.

"He's wondering why you aren't using your crutch." II brought a leg up to rest on the edge of the couch as he sat back, not looking up from the TV as he spoke. II looked to be freshly showered and his hair was more fluffy as it fell around the sides of his face. 

"Oh." I thought about going back to grab it and took a step back. "It's just annoying."

Rolling his eyes as he tipped his head up to look at me, Vessel pushed himself off the couch and offered a hand to help me the rest of the way. 

Pinching my lips together, I begrudgingly took his offered hand and hobbled to the couch before dropping myself down. Upon being able to properly see the screen, I saw they were playing a newer version of Mortal Combat. 

Juju was asleep on the armrest next to IV, tail curled up around himself as he softly snored.

"How do you guys know what he's trying to... say?" I gave an apologetic little smile to Vessel at the fact that I was talking about him right in front of him. He looked... less upset this time. 

III shrugged, eyes tracking the screen as IV's character charged him again. "We've been friends a while. Guess we just know him well enough."

Figuring it would be an easy yes or no answer, I asked Vessel, "Is it ever hard for them to understand what you're trying to say?"

Vessel gave me a deadpan stare that seemed to say, what do you think?

I nodded in understanding, biting my lip.

"Ever played charades?" IV spoke up with a sarcastic lilt to his tone. 

I flinched as III cried out in defeat just as the game's announcer said "K.O.!"

IV sat back after setting his controller down with a smug smirk on his lips. "Two?"

II held out his hand for the controller and III handed it over with an annoyed pout. After taking a moment to choose their characters, IV and II started a new game and II seemed to do better against IV. 

"Are you annoyed with all my questions?" I asked meekly, glancing at the four of them. 

Even with the bored look on Vessel's face, seeming to look through the TV rather than at it, he shook his head. 

"No, Hun." II shook his head minutely, eyes set in concentration as he battled IV. "It's a lot to handle. If I'm being honest, and I'm not sure if anyone else agrees, I think you're doing quite well handling everything."

III and IV hummed in agreement together as III sat back to cross one leg over another and drape an arm around Vessel's shoulders. Vessel leaned back onto III's arm in response to get more comfortable, stretching his own legs out in front of himself.

Juju got up to stretch before padding across the back of the couch to crawl into III's lap and go back to sleep.

As I watched them play, I felt my eyelids become more and more heavy. I settled back into the couch and set my hands in my lap as I tried to concentrate on the screen. I was more tired than I had thought. Maybe it was because of the stress of the past few days or the interruption in sleep I'd had the past few nights. Their murmurs and chuckles became a little more distant, my eyes lazily trying to open back up with each little noise, until I felt myself relax. 

I didn't know if I had slumped over or if he had moved closer, but I felt my heavy head rest on Vessel's shoulder as I gave up the battle to keep my eyes open. Their voices became soft, far off murmurs and I slipped into a state of half sleep.

"Is she out?" It sounded like II, voice low.

There was a slight jostle as Vessel either nodded or shook his head.

I was floating in my state of non-sleep, hearing them talk as if I were in a room below.

"Vess... I think I know why she was there that night." He lowered his voice a bit more. "I wasn't entirely sure at first, but when I looked up the dates..."

He sighed, "Maybe it was no accident that she was there. A shitty coincidence, sure, but I can't help but think..."

Vessel moved a little again and it went silent as II seemed to think on his next words. 

"He went to Manchester. Software designing major. He left a note in his dorm..." II let his words hang in the air a few moments and I felt Vessel tense under me. "It was exactly a year before. I think that's why she was there. Some sort of personal memorial trip or something."

After another pause, II sounded so very sympathetic when he spoke again. "But... you..."

III called out in triumph, "Yes!"

I jolted up, eyes roaming around and blinking away the bright light that I forgot had been on.

I rubbed my eyes as I sat up straight, embarrassed to have fallen asleep on Vessel. 

"Oh, sorry." III looked over at me, finding II and Vessel glaring at him and gave me an apologetic smile. "Were you asleep?"

"It's okay." My voice was slurred as I stretched my aching limbs. "I should probably go lay down."

I began to get up, wondering if maybe I had dreamt the entire conversation. I feared if I stayed, I would find that, not only was it real, but that Vessel would see through to my racing mind and read my thoughts.

"Here, let me take you back, then." III seemed to feel bad about waking me up as he stood to walk with me, offering his arm as he had when I first met him. I nodded sleepily and wrapped my hand around his forearm without a second thought, letting him lead me back to my room. 

Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was drifting back off into a dream. Water surrounded me, but I wasn't breathing and wasn't drowning either. It was some sort of in between state, maybe trapped in the moment my body hit the water. As expected, the waves began dragging me under, but when I looked down into the depths, it wasn't a wave pulling me down, but a hand. 

Beginning to panic, I tried getting away from the hand pulling me down before I was forced to suck in a breath. Or maybe I was taking in water. The scent of cedar and saltwater surrounded me and I let myself sink with it under a blanket of waves.