The island town had been left behind for the grassy incline Manon was now climbing.
She could only assume that Venetia had meant that this area was the best for portals to be opened- could only presume that it meant if any portal opened- it would be here.
She was curious about why Anya would have sent her and Remy there- to an island abandoned by the empire, but she had a creeping suspicion that was not exactly pleasant, just like…what happened to Beckham.
The image of his head thumping by her feet made her nearly gag, but she pushed on, palm bracing on her knees as she climbed steep step after step up the incline.
She began to see it, then.
A… dampness.
The leaves were wetter in one specific direction, large palm-like trees flaking her left and right as she walked. Then she noticed the damp dripping trees were mostly on her left. So she continued to lean that way.
When Remy had walked through his door, the water was not frozen, it was shallow and clearly melted. It was a silly notion that it had anything to do with the water on the large leaves of trees here- but perhaps it was more about the climate- one side being slightly warmer- or at least unfrozen if the frozen waters of her entry area were due to magic or some other circumstance.
Her hunch proved itself though. And soon enough Manon could see something vague in the distance as she stood underneath a leaf larger than her own body.
There it was.
It was not in a pond this time, but planted in a pool of fine white sands.
As she approached, relieved that this was almost over, she felt something…odd.
As if a memory that was not hers was resurfacing.
A…sandbox.
Her eye remained trained on the wavering portal door, and she was unable to see through it clearly. Only able to see the faint coloring of the floor and hallway of the noble orphanage.
It was not some other worldly or even climactic moment when she stepped through. It wasn't interesting or even fun.
She was on the sand one moment, then she was falling a few inches through the door and stumbling to her feet in the hall.
The end.
Just like that.
Easy…too easy.
Manon looked up, Anya staring down at her with a completely blank expression.
The woman's eye seemed to twitch before she blinked once. Only once.
"Congratulations Manon."
She had come through before Remy.
Manon just nodded and Anya turned her head and looked at the door again.
It was still open, still showing the sandy pool and the inclined forest she was just in.
Manon felt odd- like she'd just woken up from a dream, a vivid one where she met people and touched them and talked to them. It was so strange, like it never happened but it did.
She looked down at her open palm, squeezing a slight fist before flipping her hand over.
Venetia and Percy. She would remember them, and ask Colette to find them later.
Manon finally snapped out of her trance and walked to stand next to Colette and Maria. Colette immediately took Manon's hand in hers. Not needlessly- comfortingly but solid, not staring at her, just staring at the door all the same, being there. As if she knew her confusion, her questions, everything.
Manon was able to sigh through her lips, her nervous system settling down as she squeezed Colette's hand back.
The girls stood side by side, Maria beside Colette as they all waited for Remy to appear.
….
And they did wait.
For 15 minutes.
Then 30.
At the 1 hour mark, Manon was breathing heavily, her eyes horrified and a deep frown twisting her features. She looked at Colette, who held a similar expression, but her eyes having a deeper knowing to them. She was not surprised.
Manon tried to stabilize her breathing. By now it would have been 2 almost 3 hours within the portal.
Where was Remy?
Colette squeezed her hand again as if she felt her quickening pulse.
He couldn't be dead. He couldn't, right?
Anya seemed to sigh through her nose deeply, but her features were at ease. Calm. Almost…pleased.
Manon wanted to speak, but the moment Anya slammed the door shut and whipped around to face the girls and their attendant, her lips froze in place.
"It seems that Remington was not able to make his way back to the portal. It is most unfortunate." Anya nodded. "Since it has been too long, Remington is disqualified. The conditions in the area are quite severe. So he will be pronounced dead."
Anya almost relished in the way Manon and Colette stared at her unable to speak. Manon could tell from the way the corners of her lips shook exactly 3 times before she pushed down her own satisfaction, clearing her throat and clasping her white gloved hands together neatly and firmly. "Congratulations, Colette and Manon. You are the final candidates for adoption. I will see you tomorrow morning for the final test." She spoke quickly but smoothly, her voice clear and concise.
Manon watched as the blond woman whipped around again and walked in the same direction the ogre nun had with Beckham's….head.
Manon's chest was rising and falling rapidly. She was confused. So so confused. She glared at the closed portal door as soon as Anya was out of sight- as if it would swing open and Remy would fall out, covered in sand and that infuriatingly goofy dimple smirk on his annoying ass face.
But no such thing happened.
As if in slow motion, Manon was pulled along by Colette and Maria, guiding down the hall and to their room. Her feet felt numb, dull and thudding against the floor like it was carpet and not a glossy wood. She couldn't hear past this dangerous low ringing in her ears like she simply just couldn't process anything she was hearing or feeling.
She sat still while Maria washed her, while brushing out her hair, while she told her it would be okay, which was very unlike her. She just stayed still, her brown eye looking like a porcelain doll with a matte acrylic finish painted over it.
It was only when Maria finally left with Clare, and Colette and her were alone that Manon finally moved from her own will and desire to do so.
She looked at Colette, who had just sat next to her on her bed, red hair tied into a side braid as she looked at Manon with an apologetic expression.
But was she? Manon was confused. Did Colette know? Did she know??
"I knew."
Ah- it was as she feared.
"Manon….He is still alive." Colette reiterated.
Manon hated how relieved she was over that sentence. She knew Colette didn't like much. She…believed her. But that was not the problem.
It was extremely clear that throughout their entire time here, Colette had hidden this information.
Not that Manon ever thought she would care so much. But still. She had felt real loss, real trauma, real consequence from the belief that Remy could be dead.
Now that she had thought about it it made sense because he was a male love interest and would definitely have to survive until adulthood. But again- it still was not the issue.
"Why did you say nothing about this?" Manon pushed, her face hardened. Colette seemed to purse her lips, her expression shifting to reveal underlying pain. Manon waited, waited to hear her explain.
"The system told me to stop telling you about plot events involving the love interests last night. I can no longer reveal anything about them, or the system will degrade my AP dangerously for every infraction." Manon paused, her eyes wide.
Just how far did the system have to go?
Manon shook her head, not in disbelief, but in pure rage. Why did the system seek to make her miserable?
"Does that mean you can't share status anymore?" the brunette asked, leaning closer to Colete. The ginger shook her head.
"I can- but it is limited now. It won't let me share windows of interest like Remy. But I can share the status screens of everyone else." Colette took Manon's hand again, lacing their fingers together. Manon's eyes traced the edges of the bracelet Colette wore, pretty and dainty and bright. It suited her
"I wanted to tell you everything- prepare you well. I'm glad I could at least get a lot out about the main plot and some names before this happened. But that doesn't make survival impossible. You just need to remember the canon events I told you for now and keep a low profile." Colette reassured her, and Manon just kept shaking her head. She honestly didn't remember all the names Colette had mentioned were love interests. Maybe Luke? And of course Antoni and Remy? Who else? She couldn't even ask anymore. Percy was not even a factor in her brain. She was focused on the current situation as of now.
"Now that I know, can you explain more about what happened to Remy?"
"No…I'm sorry Manon. But without Remy even here for me to make sure his AP isn't too low- and with me needing Antoni at a decent AP to help you get out of here soon- I don't think we can risk it. But know that he is a main character and has plot armor."
Manon nodded slowly, though conflicted- she did understand this. It was just very very hard. She would soon….be completely alone for an unknown amount of time while waiting for Colette to save her. No Remy, no Beckham, no familiar faces. No Maria. No Clare. Not even Anya. She would be sent back to Madame Delores and have to wait things out.
But at the very least, there was a plan, and Remy was someone she could meet again as annoying of a prick the kid was.
She was not scared anymore about a possibly brutish death.
She just…
She was scared of being alone.
Night fell quickly and even though Maria offered dinner, neither girl could stomach it. They went to bed after taking small bites of pudding and a tall glass of warm milk with cookies. Comfort foods.
Foods Manon would miss while she waited alone when Colette left the following afternoon.
….
Manon could not sleep.
It was approximately 2am when she woke from a dream she could not even remember. All she remembered was…..pink. Pink like the skies of Martinique, pink like the blinding light that once obstructed her vision in the merchant Harry's shop. Or was it Henry? She didn't recall his name.
She stared at the ceiling after waking. Unable to fall asleep again, the comforting spell of the warm milk she drank before bed broken indefinitely.
Her eyepatch was off, which she hoped would aid her comfort, but strangely made her feel naked, a feeling she found unpleasant not only because of the definition, but because she felt as though she needed to cover something about herself to begin with.
Manon was grappling with this fact when she suddenly remembered something else.
Remy, and their promise.
Before the last trial, Remy made her promise him something. She had nearly forgotten.
She needed to write in her journal.
Manon sat up, slowly turning to Colette's bed to make sure she wouldn't wake her up as she climbed out of her bed and lit a small thin candle next to the desk by the window so as not to disturb her.
She sat down, plucking a small white feather quill pen that was placed neatly beside the leather journal on the desk.
Manon's fingertips flicked at the little bookmark Colette had given her, the pressed freesia flower encased in a strong but thin crystal. It was still beautiful, and made her heart swell with comfort and a platonic love as she flipped open the notebook.
Once she did, her heart dropped into her stomach.
"What is…this…."
Neat, elegant, loopingly free handwriting covered 2 pages of her journal. Handwriting that did not belong to Manon.
A dark indigo ink, bold but refined. Classy but playful.
The first sentence in cursive on the very top of the left page made Manon gasp sharply.
…..
To my (possible) friend, Mammoth Manon: I, Remington Castan, sincerely apologize for…dying?