necroslacker | seattle ; tuesday

Current Mood: guilty

Entry tags:

seattle ; tuesday

Sam had walked all the way back to his house after waking up completely lost yesterday. He still had no memory of what had happened and that was scaring him. But, he'd made it back after multiple people had offered him help and some food. He didn't know how he must have looked to them if they were offering him food and shelter and water.

But, he turned down each offer and kept walking. By the time he ended up back at the estate, his feet were bloody and sore, his stomach was growling and he was dirty and tired. It hadn't been a good day. There was fear clawing at him, deep inside his belly but he was ignoring it.

He stared at the door in front of him, almost not wanting to open it. He knew his friends would be on the other side, possibly angry, possibly scared and he wasn't sure if he wanted or even had the ability to face that down right now.

He needed help. He really did and he knew it. Maybe he could sneak in, pack a bag and leave. That's what it was coming too. He was going to have to leave and either find his uncle or...find Douglas.

Sam shuddered and turned the knob so he could slip inside the house. He'd shower, pack a bag quickly and leave.

[NFB again but open for interactions, if needed]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Straw that broke the camel's back?" Ramon said, shrugging.

"He's been dealing with a lot," Frank said. "His dad not wanting to be around him, his uncle taking off, the whole powers thing and Natalie breaking up with him. It's a lot."

"... I suppose I had that lack of reassurance coming."

She exhaled. "I thought things were going better between us now." Okay, not ideal, since it was all a bit unhealthy. But still. "Guess that's not enough to uncrack him."

"What the hell is taking so long?" Brid asked, starting to pace. "What's his mother doing in there?"

"Sorry, Natalie," Frank said, frowning. "I didn't mean to include you in the blame but it was a tough time for him. Still is."

Natalie waved a hand. It was a slightly stilted movement, but it still suggested it didn't matter. She'd deal with her guilt on her own time.

"Talking, I'd imagine," she answered Brid. "Although Frank said she said something about temporarily binding him, too."

"What?" Brid asked, glancing back at Natalie. "She'd do that?"

"Apparently." It was all she'd heard. "I'm not sure I think it's a great idea, because he hates it, but..."

"I didn't bind him," Miss LaCroix said as she stepped out of Sam's bedroom and shut the door behind him. "I thought I might have to but I didn't. I don't want to either."

She clasped her hands in front of her and sighed quietly.

Natalie raised one eyebrow, half expectant, half... just worried, exactly like she had been for a while now.

"So, what now?"

"Sam thinks he's turning into the one that tortured him," Miss LaCroix said without preamble. "He's told me of the nightmares he's had and that he's heard voices several times and that he's just felt...not right for quite awhile. He thinks he's spinning out of control and he doesn't know how to stop."

She sounded remarkably calm about it.

If nothing else, that helped Natalie at least try and keep a level head about hearing it. The parts that were new information, and yet not quite.

She still chewed on the inside of her lip a little. "And how does anyone help him stop?"

"I don't know," his mother said and looked down. "I've convinced him not to leave but I don't know if that will truly stop him if he wants to go. I'm sure his father would be able to help but Sam doesn't want me to ask him and I respect that. The other option is his uncle and we don't know where he is."

"I don't think his dad would be that much help anyway." Or maybe Natalie just had a really low opinion of him. That could be a thing, too. "I don't know. Maybe it's enough for right now if we get him to actually eat and drink and rest."

"Yes, I've made it clear that if he doesn't do that, I will bind his powers for as long as it takes," Miss LaCroix said and it was evident that she meant it. "He's not taking care of himself because he's too worried about everything else. Sam's...he's very sad about a lot of things but that's no excuse and he knows that now."

"Can we see him?" Brid asked, glancing at the door.

"If you'd like but perhaps do it one at a time," Miss LaCroix said. "Don't overwhelm him. He knows what he attempted to do was wrong."

Brid didn't wait any longer and took the first turn, leaving Miss LaCroix with the three others.

Natalie fell back into silence. Guess they couldn't yell at him. She didn't think they should, either, although she wanted to.

All of this was stupid and hard and for a few seconds she wondered if she shouldn't just go.

Miss LaCroix glanced at her and tilted her head. She smiled gently.

"It's been awhile, Natalie," she said, nodding. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Standard answer with very little in the way of inflection, yeah. "I'm not the one hearing voices."

Nah, she was just the one with a mass of guilt and other assorted feelings all in a clump inside her.

"You don't look all that fine," Miss LaCroix said, smiling lightly at her. "And, as I'm sure your mother can tell you, mothers know when you're lying, dear."

"I prefer to think of it as a modified truth," Natalie replied mildly, not letting it get too dry. The words did that enough on their own. She shook her head. "I'm not your problem, Mrs. LaCroix. I'm fine."

"If you're here because of Sam, you are my problem but I'm not going to push either," she said kindly. "I'm going to go downstairs and make some tea, though."

With that, she nodded at the group and headed for the kitchen downstairs.

Pushing would have been pointless, anyway. Natalie was doing her best to keep her own crap on lockdown. She'd deal with it later, on her own.

Because that always worked oh so well.

She was quiet for a moment, then noted, "Well, at least I can't hear Brid yelling at him."

"Hopefully she hasn't killed him," Frank said, crossing his arms and sighing. "I don't think she would but...well, she's Brid and she's unpredictable that way."

As he was saying that, Brid came out of the room, wiping at her eyes a bit. She looked at the group once before pushing past and heading downstairs as well.

"Yeah," Natalie muttered quietly, glancing after Brid, "unpredictable."

She hesitated for a second before asking, "Either of you dying to go next?"

"Go ahead," Ramon offered. "We live with him. We can wait."

Frank nodded his agreement to that.

Natalie wasn't sure she was dying to go back in, either. Wasn't sure why that was either, exactly. But she nodded and turned and went in because she also wasn't about to argue.

She closed the door behind herself.

Sam was still in bed and that was probably due to his mother threatening bodily harm if he moved after this whole passing out episode. He glanced over at her for a moment and then closed his eyes.

Maybe he was embarrassed or scared or worried. He didn't know.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject