Creeping sense of dread (Zoe, Rachel, Danny)
Mar. 26th, 2014 02:05 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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darker_londonRachel hadn't been at school for two days and Zoe was dreadfully worried. Yesterday she'd called Rachel's house and Rachel's stepmother said she was just sick. But she wasn't replying to texts and she hadn't been online and maybe she was sick but maybe she was kidnapped and Imogene was lying and Zoe had a huge knot in her stomach as she waited to find out which.
She'd had another bad dream last night, and she'd written down what she could remember but it wasn't much more than creeping sense of dread. This was worse than a vision, because maybe it was a premonition but maybe it was just a dream.
Basically Zoe had arrived at school that morning as an anxious mess. She had only done half her homework, and only then because she'd been using her Critical Thinking essay as a distraction. There was going to be a short test in Chemistry this afternoon too but Zoe thought she could probably wing it and get a decent mark anyway. She was good at Chemistry. And even if she fudged one small test she'd still be alright.
She and Liz had a good run of traffic on the way to school so Zoe had plenty of time to wait around before class began. She lingered in her usual spot near the front gates, where she and Rachel (and lately, Danny and sometimes even Dylan) would meet if any of them were early. There was a little flower garden protected by a short stone wall which was the perfect height for sitting and watching everyone arrive at school.
Relief crashed over her when she saw Rachel walking through the gate, and Zoe jumped up from the wall and ran over. It was obvious something wasn't right though; Rachel looked wrecked. Drained of all energy, dragging her feet. Her hair was dirty and pulled up in a ponytail and she clutched the straps of her backpack like it was a parachute.
"Rach?" Zoe asked, putting herself in Rachel's path so she had to stop and look at her. "What happened? Are you alright?"
Rachel looked up at her, without her usual smile. She breathed in deep and let it out, like she was gathering the energy to talk. "Having a bad week," she said.
"Why? Did your Dad do something? Is you family being awful?"
Rachel shook her head. No, her dad was being very helpful. He'd pulled her out of bed yesterday and guided her downstairs and put a spoon in her hand and watched as she ate breakfast. He'd put clothes in front of her and made her get dressed. He'd put her in the car and taken her to Regent's Park zoo and wasn't even mad when she refused to get out of the car because people in a crowded zoo sounded like the worst place in the world to be. He'd called school and lied and said she was ill. Today he had work, and had left her care with Imogene.
They must have arranged it because Imogene took much the same approach. Pulling her out of bed (she was stronger than she looked) and sitting her in front of breakfast. Getting her into her school uniform, putting her in a car, and driving her to school. Rachel felt like the world's must useless puppet.
"Was it finding out about what happened to Danny?"
Rachel closed her eyes and leaned forward, till her forehead rested on Zoe's shoulder. "Danny," she murmured, so sadly. Zoe wrapped her arms around her and held her, even though this caused a few members of the stream of students walking past to start calling out things like "get a room!" and "gaaay!"
"It's just everything," Rachel said, trudging the few steps back to the flower wall and sitting heavily down. "I just feel like everybody is going to die."
"Oh shit," said Zoe, who knew that feeling in her own way. She looked up as she noticed one of the people in the student stream walking deliberately toward them, but it was just Danny. "Hey Danny," she said, and shot a smile towards him.
She'd had another bad dream last night, and she'd written down what she could remember but it wasn't much more than creeping sense of dread. This was worse than a vision, because maybe it was a premonition but maybe it was just a dream.
Basically Zoe had arrived at school that morning as an anxious mess. She had only done half her homework, and only then because she'd been using her Critical Thinking essay as a distraction. There was going to be a short test in Chemistry this afternoon too but Zoe thought she could probably wing it and get a decent mark anyway. She was good at Chemistry. And even if she fudged one small test she'd still be alright.
She and Liz had a good run of traffic on the way to school so Zoe had plenty of time to wait around before class began. She lingered in her usual spot near the front gates, where she and Rachel (and lately, Danny and sometimes even Dylan) would meet if any of them were early. There was a little flower garden protected by a short stone wall which was the perfect height for sitting and watching everyone arrive at school.
Relief crashed over her when she saw Rachel walking through the gate, and Zoe jumped up from the wall and ran over. It was obvious something wasn't right though; Rachel looked wrecked. Drained of all energy, dragging her feet. Her hair was dirty and pulled up in a ponytail and she clutched the straps of her backpack like it was a parachute.
"Rach?" Zoe asked, putting herself in Rachel's path so she had to stop and look at her. "What happened? Are you alright?"
Rachel looked up at her, without her usual smile. She breathed in deep and let it out, like she was gathering the energy to talk. "Having a bad week," she said.
"Why? Did your Dad do something? Is you family being awful?"
Rachel shook her head. No, her dad was being very helpful. He'd pulled her out of bed yesterday and guided her downstairs and put a spoon in her hand and watched as she ate breakfast. He'd put clothes in front of her and made her get dressed. He'd put her in the car and taken her to Regent's Park zoo and wasn't even mad when she refused to get out of the car because people in a crowded zoo sounded like the worst place in the world to be. He'd called school and lied and said she was ill. Today he had work, and had left her care with Imogene.
They must have arranged it because Imogene took much the same approach. Pulling her out of bed (she was stronger than she looked) and sitting her in front of breakfast. Getting her into her school uniform, putting her in a car, and driving her to school. Rachel felt like the world's must useless puppet.
"Was it finding out about what happened to Danny?"
Rachel closed her eyes and leaned forward, till her forehead rested on Zoe's shoulder. "Danny," she murmured, so sadly. Zoe wrapped her arms around her and held her, even though this caused a few members of the stream of students walking past to start calling out things like "get a room!" and "gaaay!"
"It's just everything," Rachel said, trudging the few steps back to the flower wall and sitting heavily down. "I just feel like everybody is going to die."
"Oh shit," said Zoe, who knew that feeling in her own way. She looked up as she noticed one of the people in the student stream walking deliberately toward them, but it was just Danny. "Hey Danny," she said, and shot a smile towards him.
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Date: 2014-03-26 02:36 am (UTC)From:"Hey," he said softly, moving closer to them. "Is everything okay?"