08-12-2008, 12:07 AM
[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj31 ... sts/t4.png); background-position: top center; background-repeat: no-repeat;">
She saw nothing, and heard nothing more than the sound of her own breathing, the rush of blood in her ears, and the gentle sounds of the morning and the lake. The latter might have calmed her if it weren’t for the fact that she felt as though she was getting worse, and by the day. Who knew how she would be afflicted tomorrow? Would it be worse? Would new symptoms appear, or would old ones worsen? She had half a mind to restrict herself into some quarantine somewhere so no one else could get infected (though it was probably too late for Laurel). She loosened the tension that had been gathering in her shoulders, trying to get back to that clear, somewhat-optimistic state of mind she had had not only moments ago. She would have continued to try — and fail — if it weren’t for his voice drifting down to the shoreline.
Nikita shivered slightly, though she couldn’t exactly pinpoint what emotion caused it. She was pretty sure it was nothing negative. She simply attributed it to the cool water for the moment. She took a rattling deep breath, making sure that there were no coughs that were waiting to ambush her words as soon as they came from her mouth. “Never been better,” she rasped, her mouth a grim line as she stared over the lake. It seemed that not even such an illness would distract her from her usual sharp sarcasm. “Then again, maybe I should go and stay in the sick shack for a while. I’m sure Jasper and whoever else is in there needs some company.” At first she wasn’t serious, but, a moment after saying it, it did seem to make sense. Perhaps this thing wouldn’t spread if they stuck around in one place until… it was cured. Or whatever else happened to them. She could already feel the ghost of crushing guilt sitting on her shoulders now, thinking about how she would feel if Laurel came down with it now too. No doubt in her mind it would be all her fault. She groaned to herself at the thought.
She saw nothing, and heard nothing more than the sound of her own breathing, the rush of blood in her ears, and the gentle sounds of the morning and the lake. The latter might have calmed her if it weren’t for the fact that she felt as though she was getting worse, and by the day. Who knew how she would be afflicted tomorrow? Would it be worse? Would new symptoms appear, or would old ones worsen? She had half a mind to restrict herself into some quarantine somewhere so no one else could get infected (though it was probably too late for Laurel). She loosened the tension that had been gathering in her shoulders, trying to get back to that clear, somewhat-optimistic state of mind she had had not only moments ago. She would have continued to try — and fail — if it weren’t for his voice drifting down to the shoreline.
Nikita shivered slightly, though she couldn’t exactly pinpoint what emotion caused it. She was pretty sure it was nothing negative. She simply attributed it to the cool water for the moment. She took a rattling deep breath, making sure that there were no coughs that were waiting to ambush her words as soon as they came from her mouth. “Never been better,” she rasped, her mouth a grim line as she stared over the lake. It seemed that not even such an illness would distract her from her usual sharp sarcasm. “Then again, maybe I should go and stay in the sick shack for a while. I’m sure Jasper and whoever else is in there needs some company.” At first she wasn’t serious, but, a moment after saying it, it did seem to make sense. Perhaps this thing wouldn’t spread if they stuck around in one place until… it was cured. Or whatever else happened to them. She could already feel the ghost of crushing guilt sitting on her shoulders now, thinking about how she would feel if Laurel came down with it now too. No doubt in her mind it would be all her fault. She groaned to herself at the thought.