Mirabelle Everhart
|♡|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Hampton Inn, Room 208|Tags: N/A|
The one night in her life that Mirabelle was looking forward to sleep, it didn't come easy.
Staying in a room with only one other person was an odd sensation. She was used to sharing a cabin with countless half-siblings; letting their soft sounds of slumber ease her off to sleep. And being in a strange bed, to boot... The hotel sheets felt cold and alien against her skin. She shivered, burrowing further beneath the blankets as if that would aid her at all. It might’ve helped if she'd had a stuffed animal; something familiar and comforting that was truly hers. But she had left all her stuffed animals at her childhood home. She couldn't bring herself to get new ones. She had seen them more as friends than toys; pieces of herself who kept her company throughout the years. An image swam into her mind’s eye, making her heart pang with an aching nostalgia.
Coco. The little stuffed dog with the torn ear. She wondered if the plush golden retriever still had that tear. If she's even still around. The thought almost made her want to cry. She took a small, short breath, hugging her arms to her chest in an act of self-soothing. Right. Let's focus on something else, Mira. A trip down memory lane is only going to make everything worse.
Easier said than done. Mirabelle stared at the wall, listening to the rise and fall of her chest. In, out. In, out. In, out. She bit back a groan in frustration as the act only served to make her uncomfortably aware of her breathing. Of all the times to have trouble falling asleep... this is seriously the worst. She switched to lying on her other side, being careful to create as little noise as possible. Just because she was having problems sleeping didn’t mean that Aggy had to be awake too.
She tried counting sheep. Heck, she tried counting satyrs. But her anxiety kept rearing its ugly head, planting seeds of doubt that blossomed in her brain. What if we fail? What if Khione and her allies succeed? It was a valid concern, as much as she hated to admit it. A bunch of teenagers with magical powers were nothing compared to an alliance of gods and who knows what other creatures. What if I don't come back? The notion of her own death didn’t scare her half as much as the thought of all the people she would leave behind. Chuck, Ophelia, Will, Tulip, Delilah... Delilah. Her hand found its way to the opal pendant around her neck. Even going to bed, she hadn't taken it off. What if... what if I die? What if I leave her all alone? Tears pricked Mirabelle’s eyes, blurring her vision. A few traced their way down her face before she angrily scrubbed them away with a sleeve. Right. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. A few shaky breaths later, she had managed to get her emotions under control. She sniffled, rubbing a hand under her nose like a little kid. Mes dieux, I need some sleep. She cast a look over at the clock, secretly dreading what she would see. 2: 31, it glared at her. Ugh. By that point, she was kicking herself for not asking Ash for some sleeping dust.
Eventually, she resigned herself to lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her arms laid instinctually over her stomach, as if to protect the vulnerable spot from harm. She could hear the blood pumping through her veins; the soft thrum, thrum, thrum of her pulse. The persistent rubatosis only served to make her heart feel like an invader in her body.
At some point during the night, there were voices from across the hall. Hotel room walls weren't known for their thickness. She'd heard a baby crying earlier on their floor, a couple shouting, and footsteps in the hall. But this was new; these voices were oddly... something. She knew them. That's what it was. If I could only just... She searched the contents of her foggy mind as to why. Ash. That's definitely Ash. But who are the other two? I know those voices, if I could just... Their names slipped from her grasp like sand through her fingers.
Another glance at the clock. 3:26. If I fall asleep now, I’ll get a little over three hours rest, best scenario. She sighed, rolling over onto her left side. Her eyes burned with all the familiarity of sleepless nights. Right. How do normal people fall asleep? She thought she’d read somewhere about white noise helping people sleep. But there wasn’t much white noise in a dingy hotel room...
I'll just have to create some in my head. Think about... water. Rain thrumming against a roof. Waves rolling on the lake. A burbling mountain stream. Think about water, water...
It was a bit past three forty-five am when Mirabelle finally managed to drift off to sleep. At first, it was troubled and uneasy, but Delilah's promise to keep her free of nightmares quickly took effect. A dreamless slumber soon enveloped her like a warm, dark blanket.
|♡|17|She/Her|Aphrodite|Head Counselor|Location: Hampton Inn, Room 208|Tags: N/A|
The one night in her life that Mirabelle was looking forward to sleep, it didn't come easy.
Staying in a room with only one other person was an odd sensation. She was used to sharing a cabin with countless half-siblings; letting their soft sounds of slumber ease her off to sleep. And being in a strange bed, to boot... The hotel sheets felt cold and alien against her skin. She shivered, burrowing further beneath the blankets as if that would aid her at all. It might’ve helped if she'd had a stuffed animal; something familiar and comforting that was truly hers. But she had left all her stuffed animals at her childhood home. She couldn't bring herself to get new ones. She had seen them more as friends than toys; pieces of herself who kept her company throughout the years. An image swam into her mind’s eye, making her heart pang with an aching nostalgia.
Coco. The little stuffed dog with the torn ear. She wondered if the plush golden retriever still had that tear. If she's even still around. The thought almost made her want to cry. She took a small, short breath, hugging her arms to her chest in an act of self-soothing. Right. Let's focus on something else, Mira. A trip down memory lane is only going to make everything worse.
Easier said than done. Mirabelle stared at the wall, listening to the rise and fall of her chest. In, out. In, out. In, out. She bit back a groan in frustration as the act only served to make her uncomfortably aware of her breathing. Of all the times to have trouble falling asleep... this is seriously the worst. She switched to lying on her other side, being careful to create as little noise as possible. Just because she was having problems sleeping didn’t mean that Aggy had to be awake too.
She tried counting sheep. Heck, she tried counting satyrs. But her anxiety kept rearing its ugly head, planting seeds of doubt that blossomed in her brain. What if we fail? What if Khione and her allies succeed? It was a valid concern, as much as she hated to admit it. A bunch of teenagers with magical powers were nothing compared to an alliance of gods and who knows what other creatures. What if I don't come back? The notion of her own death didn’t scare her half as much as the thought of all the people she would leave behind. Chuck, Ophelia, Will, Tulip, Delilah... Delilah. Her hand found its way to the opal pendant around her neck. Even going to bed, she hadn't taken it off. What if... what if I die? What if I leave her all alone? Tears pricked Mirabelle’s eyes, blurring her vision. A few traced their way down her face before she angrily scrubbed them away with a sleeve. Right. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. A few shaky breaths later, she had managed to get her emotions under control. She sniffled, rubbing a hand under her nose like a little kid. Mes dieux, I need some sleep. She cast a look over at the clock, secretly dreading what she would see. 2: 31, it glared at her. Ugh. By that point, she was kicking herself for not asking Ash for some sleeping dust.
Eventually, she resigned herself to lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Her arms laid instinctually over her stomach, as if to protect the vulnerable spot from harm. She could hear the blood pumping through her veins; the soft thrum, thrum, thrum of her pulse. The persistent rubatosis only served to make her heart feel like an invader in her body.
At some point during the night, there were voices from across the hall. Hotel room walls weren't known for their thickness. She'd heard a baby crying earlier on their floor, a couple shouting, and footsteps in the hall. But this was new; these voices were oddly... something. She knew them. That's what it was. If I could only just... She searched the contents of her foggy mind as to why. Ash. That's definitely Ash. But who are the other two? I know those voices, if I could just... Their names slipped from her grasp like sand through her fingers.
Another glance at the clock. 3:26. If I fall asleep now, I’ll get a little over three hours rest, best scenario. She sighed, rolling over onto her left side. Her eyes burned with all the familiarity of sleepless nights. Right. How do normal people fall asleep? She thought she’d read somewhere about white noise helping people sleep. But there wasn’t much white noise in a dingy hotel room...
I'll just have to create some in my head. Think about... water. Rain thrumming against a roof. Waves rolling on the lake. A burbling mountain stream. Think about water, water...
It was a bit past three forty-five am when Mirabelle finally managed to drift off to sleep. At first, it was troubled and uneasy, but Delilah's promise to keep her free of nightmares quickly took effect. A dreamless slumber soon enveloped her like a warm, dark blanket.
