Realistic or Modern So Let's Meet in the Woods | Codex/Nightingale [closed]

[codex213]

Genesis Vaughn opened one bleary eye, trying to find her phone. The alarm was going off and she knew that there’d be hell to pay if her mother was woken up by it. Although, after a night of partying, Genesis was sure that nothing would wake her mother up. Quickly flicking the screen to shut off the alarm, the black-haired girl checked the time. 7:00. She had time to kill, but it wasn’t worth staying in the apartment, tiptoeing around her comatose mother. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Genesis pulled on her signature leather jacket and began lacing up her boots.

Grabbing her house keys and backpack on the way out the door, Genesis grabbed her helmet from its perch on the handlebars of her motorcycle. Part of her was amazed it hadn’t been stolen yet, and part of her was disgusted that that most likely meant that she was one of the few people in town who knew how to ride. Hitching her backpack other both shoulders, she kicked off, dust and dirt forming a cloud around the bike.

Speeding through town, Genesis kept an eye for cops--in this town, they would pull her over just for having a motorcycle. Parking in her usual area on campus, she ran a hand through her hair, easily accomplishing the bedhead look so many others tried to achieve. Helmet dangling from one hand, she made her way through the student center, nodding curtly at the pool players in the corner. She had an 8 AM lecture in the science building, but it was only 7:23. At least the doors would be open and she could hang out until class.

She shouldered the door to the lecture hall harder than intended and grabbed a seat in the back. Pulling out her laptop, she checked her email before pulling up a blank document for class notes. Other students began piling in, most avoiding her, or for the few who looked at her, a small smile. Those that did neither were too busy on their phones, making their way to the front of the class. Genesis chuckled to herself, stretching as the clock ticked nearer and nearer to 8:00.

 

[nightingale]

To those who knew Sabrina and her usual demeanour, she was acting incredibly unlike herself. Checking behind her shoulder every two seconds, flinching at the small brush of a stranger's shoulder or her unruly sleep schedule. Nothing about her current self was like how she used to be - she wasn't her smiley, cheerful self. She was nervous and quiet and second guessed everything she said or did. With her hoodie pulled over her head, Sabrina slipped through the door into the building.

Despite the early hour, it was clear to see that the pale skinned girl was exhausted. She had dark circles hanging under her eyes and although her clothing obscured her head, her hair was a mess underneath. It wasn't exactly anything out of the ordinary, she was a college student after all. To the strangers she passed she simply must have had a tough assignment due that she'd procrastinated on... or something similar to that idea.

Joining the back of the small crowd that was filing into the lecture hall, Sabrina clutched onto the strap of her bag. She couldn't help but turn to look out at those behind her, the feeling of a bright red target fixed onto her back ever-present as her eyes scanned the building. Damn it. There was nothing there, like always. She shrunk down a little further as she frowned - people probably thought she was going mad. Maybe she was, she'd been catching glimpses of suspicious characters for weeks now, but no-one else seemed to notice the abnormalities that Sabrina did.

Finally stepping into the lecture hall, Sabrina shuffled to the closest chair to her and sat down. She remained sat upright and her body was tense, unable to relax. She furrowed her brow as she tried her hardest to calm down, rubbing her temples with a small, tired groan. Anyone she brought this up to looked at her like she'd just spoken an entirely new language of bullshit. Bouncing her leg restlessly, Sabrina moved her hands away from her head and leaned back into her chair, staring at the ceiling. She was exhausted.

It wasn't until now that Sabrina took the time to focus on those around her without fearing for her safety. She recognised the short haired woman sitting a row in front of her. The two had crossed paths a few times but she'd never introduced herself. Sabrina had heard rumours, though. The woman certainly looked like she could handle herself in a fight, and given that none of her friends had really taken her too seriously, Sabrina was growing desperate for help. Hesitantly raising her hand up, she tapped on Genesis' shoulder. "Um... excuse me, sorry if I'm bothering you..." She mumbled nervously. "Your name is Genesis, right?"

 

[codex213]

Genesis hesitated. No one talked to her unless they needed something. And the girl behind her? Genesis was sure she needed something. After all, she knew her name. And not just a nickname, but her given name. Suppressing a sigh, Genesis turned just slightly enough that she could still change her mind if need be. “Yeah, I’m Genesis,” she said quietly, her mouth barely moving. She believed that names held power, and she didn’t want anyone to steal hers.

She studied the other girl as she waited for a reply. She was cute enough, the type that was unquestionably straight, with a jock boyfriend and a tight circle of girlfriends, none of whom would approve of Genesis. She flicked her black hair out of her eyes and arched an eyebrow. She had patience, sure, but she was also impatient as hell—she blamed it on her astrological sign.

“What’s up?” she asked before the silence grew too long and became awkward.

 

[nightingale]

Sabrina cleared her throat, panicking a little. The other woman had a bit of a reputation, at least amongst Sabrina's own friends. They could be mean sometimes, but with Genesis they always spoke of her like she was some sort of ghost story - all mysterious and spooky. Sabrina always found it silly, she was just another person. Then again, it wasn't unlike her friends to gossip about others like they were still in high school.

"I- uh... y-yeah." She replied awkwardly, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say. Luckily the lecture hall was big enough so that there were few other students surrounding them, at least she wouldn't be overheard by anyone else. Still, even if Genesis was more likely to help Sabrina didn't actually know anything about her,

"I need your help... I know you don't know me, but..." She paused momentarily, the hair on the back of her neck standing up as her head whipped around to the door. There was nothing there, but she could have sworn she felt someone watching her. The blonde quickly turned back to Genesis, a little embarrassed. "...I think someone is following me... or, uh... something."

 

[codex213]

Genesis didn't betray any emotion while Sabrina was talking. She had people asking her for bodyguard duties all the time, what was one more? Her ears perked up as Sabrina finished talking. Her eyes darted to the door behind Sabrina and back, as if debating whether or not she still had time to run. She couldn't resist the 'something'. And she had tried to. Her skin tingled slightly, the way it always did when Genesis was getting closer to the paranormal and supernatural realms...closer to the truth of who she was. The urge was too big to ignore. "I'll help you," she said after what felt like a lifetime. Scribbling something down, the black-haired woman turned back to the blonde. "Here's my number. Text me after class and I'll tell you where and when to meet up." It wasn' t too dismissive, Genesis hoped. She felt bad for the other girl. It wasn't her fault that her request came at the tail end of what felt like identical requests.

 

[nightingale]

Sabrina couldn't help but grow more nervous as the silence set in, her leg bouncing in anticipation - or maybe due to all the caffeine she was running on - as she waited for a reply, or... any kind of response from the other woman. She knew she sounded insane, but telling someone 'I'm not crazy,' followed by a jumble of what sounded like absolute nonsense was a sure-fire way of being perceived as crazy. It wasn't like Sabrina had any other options, the cops definitely wouldn't believe her. She stared at Genesis, trying to remain stoic yet unable to completely mask the slight look of desperation she held. When Genesis finally did reply, Sabrina let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "Uh... thank you, really." She mumbled, trying not to freak her out by being overly-excited. It was hard not to be, she wasn't out of the woods yet but she finally wasn't alone. Sure enough, once class was over Sabrina had texted Genesis and created a contact for her.

 

[codex213]

Genesis glanced at the text after class, saving Sabrina's number to her phone. Making her way across campus, she typed as she walked, her eyes flitting up every now and then to make sure that she didn't run into anything--or anyone. 'What's up? If you'd rather talk about it in person, meet me at Steadham Hall at 3, if you're free. Just know that people don't usually ask me for help..." she read it, sighed, re-read it, and finally hit send, shutting her eyes as she did so. She breathed a sigh of relief. She shouldn't be feeling this level of anxiety about a text. Walking into her next class, Genesis tried to concentrate. She really did. It wasn't her fault she was growing more and more curious as the hour wore on. She surreptitiously checked her phone again, for what felt like the hundredth time in five minutes. Letting out a small, frustrated sigh, she turned her attention back to class. It was going to be a long day.