[GC.Room] Fall Into Ourselves (Gaspard)

[Adelaine Russo]

A loud gasp escaped from her as she sat up quickly. Her eyes were wide, and she could feel her breath come in quick, shallow breaths. Adelaine’s heart fluttered in her chest as she pressed her hand against it. Slowly, her fingers relaxed and released their death grip on her blanket, and her heart regained its normal pace. Her roommates didn’t seemed to be disturbed much either, because none of them stirred from her abrupt awakening. Not even Prue, who was sprawled across her bed in perfect slumber. Everything else was still in the room.

Addy moved quietly off of her bed and grabbed her wand from the table next to it. She slipped quickly and quietly out of the room, not wanting to disturb any of the other girls. With a trembling hand, she grasped the railing and slowly made her way down it. Adelaine tried to focus on her footing, but her mind was too riddled with other things to care if she fell or not.

Finally, she slid off of the last step. Addy pried her hand from the railing, almost wincing because she no longer had anything to hold on to. Instead, she gripped onto her arms and shuffled over to the couch. Adelaine rested silently against the aged thing and leaned back against it. Her hands still trembled as she gripped her arms, refusing to release her vice-like hold on herself. If she let go, she might be exposed, or the nightmare would come back.

Now, she knew that the thought was rather…childish, but she couldn’t help but resort to juvenile ways to comfort herself. Addy couldn’t remember the whole dream, but the images that did imprint upon her mind caused a wince to flash across her face. “Just a dream.” She whispered to herself. Dreams weren’t real. They wouldn’t become real either. They were just a way for her fears to rear their ugly heads again. Shuddering lightly, Adelaine pressed herself further into the couch.

Something jerked her forcefully from reliving her nightmares though, luckily for her. There was a loud bang, followed by a crash. It sounded like it came from outside. But, who would be out there at this time at night? Prefects perhaps, but why cause all the ruckus? That would only make their job harder. So, her curiosity getting the best of her, she removed her hands from her arms and pushed against the side of the couch to stand up. She paused for a moment, debating whether or not it was actually worth walking outside and seeing what was out there. But, at least it would be better than reveling in that reoccurring nightmare of hers.

Addy pressed her hand against of the Fat Lady’s portrait and the object swung open slightly. She slid out of the common room, with her wand now held securely in her hand, and jumped as the portrait swung close behind her. Goosebumps were spreading along her arms and the hair on the back of her neck rose in anticipation. Finally, she found the source of the bang. Sitting on the floor a little away from her was a portrait. It was face down, but seemed to be shaking violently for some reason. Adelaine walked slowly over to it and bent down. Her hand curled around one of the edges and she heaved, pushing up the painting so it now rested against the wall.

The man in the painting slowly turned around, finally noticing that she was there. What he did next, she didn’t quite expect. The man ran forward and slammed into the front of the painting. He let out a terrible shriek, and Adelaine jumped back in fright. The painting toppled over again, and the man was silenced. Addy’s heart pounded in her chest as she slowly moved away from the painting. That was enough adventure for one night. With her legs still trembling slightly, Adelaine moved back toward the portrait of the Fat Lady…only to find that it was no longer there. “What…” The painting was empty, and try as she might she couldn’t force the door open. Stuck, she was stuck outside in the middle of night.

Hopelessly, she slumped against the wall. The corridors were eerily dark, and just as creepily silent. The crazed man in the painting had finally quieted down, and now it was just Adelaine, sitting alone in the hallway. It was almost an unspoken knowledge among children that the darkness bred fears. Everything looked somehow more sinister while sitting all alone. Even the small light that her wand provided gave an even more demonic edge to the hallway.

Another crash sounded through the hallway, and Addy jerked backward. She winced as her head smacked into the wall, but her gaze still flicked back and forth, trying to find the source of the sound. Adelaine stood and gripped her wand more tightly, waving the object back and forth with her small source of light, trying to find the sound. And then, just as suddenly, one of the paintings on the wall dislodged itself from its place and fell with another crash onto the floor. With a small shriek, Addy jumped just out of the way of the falling portrait, only to crash into something behind her. Or, to be more precise, someone. With a sickly sense of fear, she hopelessly spun around and pressed her hands against the person’s chest, trying in a rather vain attempt to shove them away from her.