Fate (PIPABETH FF) ✔️

What's Key?

A N N A B E T H

I usually didn't mind waking up. Compared to other people, I was more of a morning person, able to wake up and be alert in five minutes flat. Or perhaps it was more discipline than anything: rather than groaning and sneaking in five more minutes of half-hearted sleep, it was more gratifying to simply get up right away. Sure, it could be unpleasant sometimes, but it was always easier to just get it over with and start the day.

Today was a bit different, though. And although differences were fine with me—just find a way to adapt, I'd say—this was...

Well, it was something else.

I cracked my eyes open uncomfortably, grunting quietly. I had a good rest, all things considered, but everything felt too hot and too cold at the same time. My extremities felt chilly but I was somehow sweating, my shirt damp. "Ugh," I muttered, my hand coming up to rub at my eyes. "What the...?"

A cough. Not from me, but from some ways in front of me.

Wait a minute.

I sprung to attention, suddenly hyperaware of everything around me—the chirping of birds (morning birds!), the bustling of a crowd; the chatter of one, to boot. Not only that, but the warmth I was leaning on that smelled oddly of vanilla and something warm and spicy, like cinnamon or chai. Something that smelled strangely like...

"Piper. Piper, wake up." The sleepiness coursing through my veins went away as I blinked hard and sat up so quickly that I felt light-headed. Nudging the still-sleeping girl next to me who only groaned in protest, I felt a chill run down my spine. "I'm serious, Piper, get up!" I hissed quietly, staring right at the crowd of campers awkwardly staring and whispering amongst themselves. I only glared, humiliation and indignation making my face feel hot—not the morning sunlight. In fact, I was beginning to think my skin was a little sunburned thanks to the slight itch on my cheeks. As if this morning could get any worse...

Piper finally began to stir, prompted by my sharp tone of voice, no doubt. It was obvious when she noticed the crowd with the stiffening of her body and the way she drew away from me as if she'd touched fire. It suddenly felt a lot colder than usual.

The hushed murmuring from the others didn't help either, only making my face feel even more flushed with each passing second. "Alright, shut up," I growled quietly, eyeing a few campers who were obviously stifling some sort of amused laugh. Their expressions shifted quickly with the callout, though, but the humiliation didn't dampen even after they turned and began to leave, slowly but surely.

In my eyes, there wasn't much to do in such situations. Not like I'd been in anything like this before, really, so there wasn't much to compare it to, but still. I was more used to waking up to ambushes and fighting my way out of horrible situations with the power of logic and adrenaline, but this? This was something a bit farther away from my areas of expertise, that was for sure.

"Let's go," I muttered, jostling the other girl with my hand and feeling something sharp travel through me at the ashamed expression on her face. My grasp tightened softly and I exhaled, focusing on the moment at hand and not what I wanted to do to the other people instead. "C'mon, Piper. Just ignore them and let's get out of here."

Walking past the small crowd that had gathered wasn't the most humiliating thing I'd done, but it was certainly making its way up there. I pretended not to notice, taking the other girl's hand in mine and yanking her alongside me as we pushed past a sea of bright orange t-shirts and stupefied faces. I squeezed her hand firmly, an action I thought would help ground her, although a small part of me hoped it would help stop the unusual pounding of my heart, so strong I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. Or was that just the rustling leaves...?