we're all mad here [ avoir. x chasing_stars ]

[paper planets]

── ( ✰ ✰ ✰ ) ──────────── (( M E L A N I E !!! ✰✰✰

" can anybody hear me? am I talking to myself? "


Melanie watched as Cooper gave her a small smile before he slung the large duffle bag over one shoulder and slightly adjusted the strap. She managed to return the smile and she took a few steps to stand beside Cooper. As she stood there she looked down at the white jumpsuit that was at their feet. A slight pang of fear pierced her chest as her mind quickly sped through the possibilities of what could happen. The people of the lab could figure out where Cooper lives, come up here and see the jumpsuits and all of the missing clothes and know that they had been here and that now they were on the run. A few murmured words escaped past her lips, only causing her heartbeat to speed up even more, "They could find us." Then, her brown eyes flicked up to Cooper, that thought was one he should hear, so she repeated it, louder this time, "They could find us from the jumpsuits being here," she said as she pointed down to the pile of white clothing on the floor.

Before Cooper could respond, Melanie heard his thoughts in her mind. At first, she was angry, upset that she had to live with the constant voices in her head and wishing she could just turn them off and live normally, but then she actually listened and her eyes grew wide. A shiver passed down her spine and she felt frozen to the floor. As she stood frozen she caught Cooper's horror at the thought and she tried to use that to calm herself down, "He wouldn't do that to me, he's my friend, he rescued me. And I would know and then escape before we got there, anyways... But, he wouldn't," she murmured quickly, eyebrows slightly furrowed as she thought. At the end of the string of thoughts she nodded sharply, deciding to trust Cooper. She had trusted him this far anyways and he had already done so much to help her, why would he throw that all away?

So, when Cooper asked her where she wanted to go, she considered it without any suspicions. Melanie's first thought was to go back home, maybe see her parents, but then all she felt was fear. What if they thought she was crazy? What if they sent her back? Or called someone? What if they thought she was dead? She shook that thought away quickly and focused on another place and it came to her almost immediately - Deer Lake. She used to go camping there with her family when she was younger. There were many cabins sitting around the lake, but there was also a designated area of camping grounds were you could bring a trailer or pitch a tent and stay for however long you wanted. The lake itself was beautiful, surrounded by tree-covered hills and the blueish-green water easily growing warm underneath the sun. It was a peaceful place and, even though she had been mumbling all of those thoughts out loud, she didn't hesitate to look up and say, "Deer Lake."

( thank you and no worries! C:
Also, I just came up with a random lake name, I don't know if a Deer Lake exists out there, I just went for it cx )

[avior.]

⎯⎯xxxC O O P E R !!
xxxxx❝ weep, little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start

Cooper listened to Melanie’s thoughts spill out, though he tried his best to tune out the actual words as he led her down into the lobby. Purposely hearing everything she said to herself seemed like an invasion of privacy to him, like he was taking advantage of something she couldn’t help. It was obvious her last two words were directed at him, though, so he gave a nod, though it was a place he’d never heard of before. He’d been one of the people who kept her trapped for months on end- the least she deserved was to be able to pick where they went. After checking the apartment keys back in with someone before heading out to the parking lot.

”Alright, that sounds good,” he replied, unlocking the car doors and getting into the driver’s seat. After fastening his seatbelt, he picked up his phone and put the location into the maps app. It would be a bit of a drive, he realized. ”I think we can make it by early tomorrow with no stops,” he said to his companion. ”But I can afford one stay at a hotel too. Then we’ll get there around midday tomorrow.”

[paper planets]

─────────── (( M E L A N I E !!

" can anybody hear me? am I talking to myself? "


After Cooper nodded, the two returned to the main lobby via elevator. She stayed silent as Cooper handed back the keys and she kept her eyes on the floor. She didn’t want to draw any unwanted attention to herself, she just wanted to get out of here and away from the labratory. So, she tried her best to keep her mind silent until Cooper headed for the door and out into the parking lot. Melanie followed after him and hopped into the passengers seat and clicked on her seatbelt. Then, her newfound companion was speaking about the plan to get to Deer Lake and she directed all of her attention over to him. There were two options: drive straight to the lake without any stops or stop at a hotel for the night. She initially wanted to say to just go straight to Deer Lake with no stopping. But, then she actually sat back and considered it before she blurted out an answer. While she wanted to get far away from the lab and all of the terrible memories it held within its walls, she knew that she had to think logically. Firstly, it would exactly be fair to Cooper. He was the one who was driving and he’d have to be driving all night long, not only was that unfair, but it could also become dangerous very quickly. Then, she let a little selfish thought in, about actually being able to sleep on a real bed again. Lastly, she knew that hunger would get the best of both her and Cooper before long and they’d stop anyways. Why not make it just one stop and eat at the hotel, most hotels had food or little restaurants connected into them anyways.

So, after her whispered ramblings, she decided. Melanie turned her brown gaze back to Cooper and made one firm nod as she spoke, “I think we should make a stop at a hotel. For food and rest. It’ll be dangerous if you’re driving all night and get tired,” she said.

( a little header reworking ^^ I couldn’t stand the other one, it was so old cx )

[avior.]

⎯⎯xxxC O O P E R !!
xxxxx❝ weep, little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start

Cooper couldn’t resist flashing her a somewhat relieved smile. Starting up the vehicle and lifting his voice slightly over the sound of the engine turning over, he replied without looking at her but with friendliness evident in his voice. ”Good to hear. I’m not sure I want to drive all night.” Twisting to look over his shoulder as he backed out of the parking lot, the young man turned the wheel and headed in the direction his phone instructed him. So far they were safe- maybe it would be alright to relax a bit and get to know his new companion. The more he considered that notion, the more he liked it. Of course, he wouldn’t blame her if she resolved to split off as soon as they were safe. He wasn’t a good person, whereas she nearly radiated gentleness. She deserved a much better travelling companion. It would be for the best if he didn’t get too close, he finally resolved. But he could still be friendly. Trying to brush aside his thoughts in attempt to keep her from knowing them, he took one hand off the wheel and tugged his wallet from his coat pocket.

”Fast food first?” He suggested, already beginning to turn off into the driveway of a nearby McDonald’s. She probably hadn’t had fast food in forever, and he was hungry- it had been a while since his last meal. He’d take the drive-through, since speed was of the essence, but he was dying for a soft drink.

[paper planets]

─────────── (( M E L A N I E !!

" can anybody hear me? am I talking to myself? "


Hearing the relief and the friendly tone that laced Cooper’s voice made Melanie feel relieved herself and hopeful - oh-so hopeful. Perhaps now, with the laboratory behind her, she could rejoin life. The time she spent in the lab was bleak and grey and sad. The thoughts and memories alone made her smile - one which seemed glued to her face as the car began to move - falter for a brief moment. She suppressed a shudder and pushed away the bad memories. Instead she focused on what was to come. Before her time in the lab, in her old life, she was always scared to think about the future, it stressed her out and made her feel scared and small. But, now, the future seemed bright and she wanted to leap into it with her arms open wide. She briefly wondered how her time in the lab with all of those scientists had changed that. She kind of felt like she was a completely new person now, new to the world and all of the wonders it held. She couldn’t say that she didn’t like it. If fact, she did actually enjoy the fresh, new possibilities that she could muster up in her mind.

Melanie held onto her smile with all of her might, holding onto this joy and she’s turned to look at Cooper, “I didn’t think so, I don’t think I would want to either,” she said, then her eyes quickly turned to the window and the world that she had been missing so much. The muted colours of the buildings were even lovely, especially how they contrasted against the bright blue sky. And that set her thoughts astray, so much that she talked to Cooper and asked her questions while still staring out of her window, “What season is it?” she murmured and then she paused, “What day is it?” she asked incredulously, her voice soft, almost as if she was asking herself. The brown-haired girl slowed sat back into her seat and looked down, her face contorting into a look of confusion as she stared blankly at the dash of the car with her eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember how long she’d been in the lab.. even what day she had first gone to the lab. She heard Cooper suggest something, but he sounded faraway, so she just nodded slowly. Melanie turned to look over at her companion as the car slowed, “What’s today’s date?” she asked again, this time her voice was loud and her question was clearly directed at him.

[avior.]

⎯⎯xxxC O O P E R !!
xxxxx❝ weep, little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start

The lineup was long, so Cooper had plenty of time to lean back against the seat with one arm draped over the steering wheel. His gaze wandered over to Melanie when she spoke, eyes catching on hers before he looked away, considering his answer. He was awful with dates- one would expect him to be neat and organized, since he worked at a lab, but he’d never had a head for routine. Still, he thought he had a pretty good idea. ”June... uh, wow. June twenty seventh? It might be the twenty eighth, though.” He reached for his phone and pressed the power button, checking the calendar briefly. ”Okay. Twenty eighth, sorry about that.” He couldn’t imagine not at least having a vague idea of what the date was. He felt a familiar surge of guilt as he realized she wasn’t to blame for that; he was. It was hard to tell the time when you were locked in a small, white cell for months on end.

It was their turn to order and Cooper rolled down his window, raising his voice to ask for a large root beer and fries. He turned his attention back to Melanie. ”What do you want?”

[paper planets]

─────────── (( M E L A N I E !!

" can anybody hear me? am I talking to myself? "


Melanie heard the date that Cooper spoke and she felt like melting back into her seat. How had it been that long? She had been in that awful lab for months and all of it had felt like a daze. The days would blend together and she wouldn’t know when the sun was out beyond those walls or when it was down. She slept when she was tired or at least when she was able to without being plagued by nightmares. She never really thought of how long she had been in the laboratory for, that thought only made her more sad and confused, so she just never lingered on it. But she would never have thought that it was already June and nearly July.

Cooper’s voice brought Melanie back to reality and she blinked a few times before she turned to look at him, “Oh - um.. Just fries and..” she trailed off to look up at the menu and spotted a milkshake. Oh, how long had it been since she had something sweet? In the lab she got water and that was about it. Suddenly, the excitement returned, she promised herself to stop living in the past and she pushed away those worrisome thoughts of how much of her life she wasted in that lab. Her life was now and it was only just beginning, “Could I get a milkshake too?” she asked hopefully.

( ah, sorry this is so late! I don’t know what happened, but it just completely escaped my mind... probably because school has been crazy )

[avior.]

⎯⎯xxxC O O P E R !!
xxxxx❝ weep, little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start

Cooper couldn't resist a small smile, adding both her requests to the order. It was only fair, after all. He couldn't imagine going as long as she had without junk food. Then he sighed, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as he waited for the line to advance. Finally, they were at the window, where he paid and then took the food that was passed to him. He put the two drinks into the cup holders and then handed her one package of fries, keeping the other for himself. Then he left the drive through and merged into another lane, unable to risk checking his shoulder for anyone that could be from the lab. Then again, he didn't know what he was looking for. Helicopters? Big white vans? Either way, by now they were just another vehicle in a sea of them. There was no good in being paranoid; especially since it wouldn't do much besides stress Melanie out even more.

"I'll look for a hotel around here somewhere. It won't be completely dark for another hour or so, but I guess we can see what's on TV or something," he stated, not wanting to drive to the next city. That one was still about two hours away, and by then it would be completely dark.

[paper planets]

─────────── (( M E L A N I E !!

" can anybody hear me? am I talking to myself? "


The line moved fairly quickly up to the window. Though, she still saw Cooper’s fingers tapping against the steering wheel as if he was impatient for the line to be moving. Melanie guessed that he was hungry, but she paid more attention to the idea of if she should be more impatient than he was? She had spent months of her life in a basement of a corrupt laboratory.. she had always longed to be back outside to live her life again, but now that she was here she didn’t exactly feel the need to jump right back into everything. Perhaps she was just glad to be free, even if being free meant ordering fast food. She just wanted to enjoy even the smallest of things.

As her fries were handed over to her, she thanked Cooper and began eating them, remembering very quickly how much she’s loved fries. It was a great upgrade from the stale, tasteless food she had been given at the lab. As Cooper spoke up she looked over at him as she munched on the fries and nodded to his words, speaking once she had swallowed the food in her mouth, “Okay, that sounds good,” she agreed before she relaxed back into her seat and let her eyes wander to the window where she watched the cars speed by and the buildings rush past in a blur. Her murmured, rambled thoughts were soft, barely noticeable, as she wondered aloud about the hotel and what was to happen next, not allowing her thoughts to fester of her worries about the lab.

Before she knew it the car was slowing down and, after a few faint mechanical clicks made by the signal light flashing on and off, Melanie watched Cooper turn the wheel. The car pulled into a parking lot of a hotel and squeezed into an spot between two larger vehicles. She vaguely wondered if Cooper had done that on purpose to further hide the car from anyone from the lab who may be searching for her and him. She wasted no time in grabbing her milkshake and exiting the car, but she didn’t go any further. She stood at the front of the car, leaning against the cool metal and sipping her sweet milkshake as she waited for Cooper because he was the head of this whole operation after all.

[avior.]

⎯⎯xxxC O O P E R !!
xxxxx❝ weep, little lion man, you're not as brave as you were at the start

Cooper ate as he drove, eyes scanning the streets for a nice hotel that looked affordable. Finally, a generic-looking, brick-walled one appeared, multiple stories high and with windows and balconies. A sign outside advertised a pool and wifi, but he figured the first one wouldn't be much use. Oh well, it had to at least say something about how reputable the place was. He pulled into the parking lot and shut off the vehicle, then took the keys from the ignition and unlocked the doors. Exiting after Melanie, he locked the doors back up and then strode towards the front entrance, waiting up for his companion for a few moments.

Upon entering the lobby, he began to relax visibly, figuring they were probably safe for the time being. He made his way to the front desk and requested a double-bed room for one night, paying and then taking the key cards that were handed to him. He turned and gave one to Melanie with a faint smile, then went for the elevator, looking down to see what room they were in. Room six, third floor. The elevator doors slid open and he stepped inside, stepping slightly to one side to leave room for Melanie. Then he pressed the button for the third floor, letting the doors slide shut and glimpsing his foggy reflection in the metal surface.