Ethereal Beings

Chapter Seven: Back To Reality

As the words escape Nephthys' lips, the atmosphere changes, growing denser.

The Inbetween's foundations shook around Nephthys, vibrating so heavily that the mighty Gateway crumbled, collapsing into ruins. The light it had been previously throwing out ceased to exist and the reaches of the blank space fell dark. The shadowed figure of Lucas shifted and became static before fading away with the rest of the Inbetween.

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Nancy is ripped away from the dream violently, her body shaking and her skin damp from sweat. Her hand moves quickly to her phone, charging on her bedside table, and she dials Lucas' number from memory.
"Pick up, please, pick up!" She mutters the words to herself, shocked at the images her mind had shown her just a few seconds ago. It was just getting light outside, and Nancy could hear birds beginning to chirp their morning song.

"Hi, this is Lucas! Sorry I, uh, can't get to the phone right now. I'm probably asleep, or busy, or whatever. Just leave me a message and I'll call ya back as soon as!" Nancy was met by Lucas' voicemail, which sounded almost as chirpy as the birds outside.

"For shit's sake, Lucas!" She dials again, anxiously grasping her phone waiting to hear her best friend's voice and to know that he was okay.
"Hi, this is Lucas! Sorry I—"

Nancy hangs up the phone, frustrated as she is faced with Lucas' voicemail once more. Determined to know that Lucas was okay, she tries his number for a third time. The phone seems to ring until the end of time and Nancy's heart sinks lower in her chest. Her breath is shaky as it leaves her lungs and her eyes sting as tears begin to form.

"N-Nance?" Lucas sounds as if he had just woken up. "Is everything okay? It's 6:02 in the morning."

A wave of relief rushes through Nancy's body and she feels as if she can breathe again. "Oh, Lucas! I'm, I'm so sorry. I had the worst dream and I thought that something had happened, and I was really worried..." The words leave her mouth in a blur, melting into one.

"Hey, hey... calm down! I'm okay! You're fine!" Lucas coos, his voice soothing to Nancy's ears. The weight lifts from her chest more and Nancy begins to relax, her heart rate slowing to a normal level.

She spends the rest of the early hours of the morning explaining the dream that she had, with Lucas reassuring her and joking about how he had to be up for work so wasn't super pissed that she had woken him up at this "ungodly hour." The two ensure that each of them is okay, before hanging up and getting on with their days.

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It was Nancy's first day back at college since the incident, and she wanted to look her best, just to prove to everyone that she was fine and to stop people from hassling her about it. She showers quickly, washing away the events of the night, and gets ready with haste.

As she is about to leave the house, she is met by her mother, who is stood by the door with a cup of coffee. "You're up early! Where are you going?"

"Oh, morning mum! I'm going to college today, I have a load of work to do and I'm so far behind, so I wanted to go in early to catch up." Nancy smiles, leaning down to give Emile a kiss on her cheek.

"Nance, you don't have to. You've only been out of hospital for a day now! If you're not feeling okay, then—" You can hear the worry in Emile's voice and her eyes are pleading for Nancy to stay at home.

Nancy sighs heavily. "Mum, I promise you I'm fine! If anything, I need to get out of the house today, just so that I can stay sane. I'll let you know if I feel like I need to come home, or if I need anything. I love you!"