Beyond the Veil

FOUR : Off Tempo

SONG RECOMMENDATION: I Go Crazy by Orla Gartland

FRIDAY NIGHT

Ruby was no stranger to waking up in odd ways.

Once, when she slept over at Bree's, she awoke to the screeching of Mara playing (read: murdering) her violin at full volume-- a pillow fight quickly ensued; Mara was horrendous when it came to any musical instrument, and waking up to what sounded like a cat stuck in a washing machine wasn't Ruby's idea of a nice morning.
When she went camping with her mom, Ruby woke up to a moth crawling across her face. She had shrieked, swatting helplessly at it, and her mom hadn't stopped laughing for a solid five minutes.

Now, Ruby woke to screaming-- high-pitched, full-on, terrified shrieking coming from the dorm next to hers that sent her bolting upright. She could hear the clatter of her other dorm-mates rushing out of bed and into the hall, and she threw off her duvet and raced out of her own room to investigate.

Owen scrambled past her, and Ruby grabbed him by the arm as Nori and Abbot flung open Rory's door.

Owen whirled on her, his face panic-stricken.

"We don't have time to explain right now-- just, just get Rory a glass of water, okay?" He pulled away and rushed into Rory's room, leaving Ruby to clamber down the stairs.

Her mind was a scrambling mess; what was wrong with Rory? Was this a regular occurrence? Judging by the look on Owen's face in the hall, it had happened before. As she hurriedly filled a glass with water, she began counting backwards from twenty in her head-- it was a trick she'd read about online, a method to soothe anxiety and calm a racing mind.

She could hear Rory crying a floor above her-- jagged, hiccup-y sobs that made her heart clench.

She took the stairs two at a time.

She lingered hesitantly at the doorway. Ruby barely knew these people, and now she felt like some sort of intruder. Nori and Abbot were huddled around Rory, and Owen was crouching beside her so they could be at eye-level. She was disheveled, sprawled across the floor, her sheets and comforter in a tangle around her legs. Her face was tear-streaked and pained.

Owen turned and locked eyes with Ruby, and he smiled sympathetically.

"You can come in, you know."

She stepped reluctantly into the room, handing Rory the glass of water-- she took it gratefully, draining it in about ten seconds. A heavy silence followed, and the room seemed to grow about ten degrees hotter. Ruby could feel their eyes on her, and her heart thudded relentlessly in her chest.

"Um, I'm just gonna--" Ruby motioned awkwardly toward the door, turning to leave, but Nori strode across the room and took her by the arm before she made it halfway to the exit.

"It's okay. You don't need to leave... don't worry about Rory, she just has night terrors sometimes. She might seem a little out of it right now, but that's just how she gets after they happen."

Ruby swallowed. "Yeah, okay. Yep. I'll stay."

"They don't want her to be here," Rory sniffed.

Nori sighed. "Who doesn't? Rory, just go back to sleep--"

"She isn't safe, we're not safe!" Rory's voice grew in volume, and Ruby could tell that panic was setting in. She edged towards the door hesitantly.

"Hey," Owen said gently, brushing Rory's hair behind her ear. "Why don't you try to get some sleep? Big day tomorrow, classes starting and all."

Rory's eyes glazed over, and she nodded absently as Owen ruffled her hair. Ruby blushed and looked away-- this was a private moment, and here she was again, intruding on people she barely knew who were practically each other's family. As she moved towards the door, Abbot locked eyes with her.