((Rainbow Moseki continued from the river))
It had only been a few minutes since nature took its thumb off of the cave's entrance, and Rainbow could see the moonlight.
Rainbow had immediately regretted running away from Seychelle and Philia only moments after she could no longer see them. She'd spent her minutes clutched to the nearest tree, and it took all the energy she had to run back. Only when she got back, nobody was there. She didn't know what had transpired, only that she was now alone, and the sun was only going down and the day was only getting colder, and she was not prepared for any of it.
So she left the river in better poise, keeping an eye out for anyone, friendly or otherwise, but finding nothing. By the time the sun touched the horizon, things were looking grim.
At least until she found the entrance to this cave she was now perched in. The air within wasn't notably warmer, but it was still slightly so. She dipped inside and found it black, but almost immediately after she did, it began to rain outside, so it's not like she was going back out there.
The rain from outside poured in through the entrance, a phenomenon that Rainbow could not see but could definitely hear. The river had found her once again and was reminding her of her failure. But there was nothing Rainbow could do, except remain sitting on the raised rock in the dark and cold for hours on end, bag drapped over her exposed skin in a sore attempt at regaining her warmth.
When the light returned, Rainbow got to take another look at herself. She was shivering, constantly, anywhere she could land her eyes. Her feet still felt muddy from when she'd jumped in like an overgrown child to help Seychelle's wound, and her fist was clenched inside of a patch of mud in a hole beside her rock.
She brought her fist upwards, and looked at the mud her hand had taken.
For a moment, as she contemplated, she stopped shivering.
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She went the wrong way.
She moved, quietly. The cave became her, and hers. The girl that would now be named Cavern moved slowly. She was freezing. She didn't get the chance to get changed. She had walked the wrong way, and she had ended up wandering, or rather falling through, into the underground cave that seemed to be spanning the entire island.
She clenched her fist around the handle of her new gun. Cavern had thrown away things from the other boy.
Someone had pissed in a bottle, it had stained some stuff, and it made Cavern incredibly more nauseous than she'd expected from bodily fluids. If she were fine with blood (she wasn't) then why wasn't she fine with this. She shook her head. The guns were heavy. She wanted to rest somewhere, get changed, or at least dry her clothes, and then wait for sunrise but... everything felt like shit.
She kept moving.
Her feet dragged. They had been dragging for a while especially the one with a missing shoe. She only noticed now when she stepped on a rock, or three. She didn't flinch, but she shuddered.
She kept moving. She shuffled. She moved and the cave moved alongside of her. It was soothing. Beneath the ground, she could almost lose herself into the dark sky. How many creatures had only have this sight?
How many creatures considered the phosphorus to be the stars? The moon? The sun? She felt the island breath in this cave, and it felt strangely like home. She felt comfortable, she felt at home as if she had her large comforter wrapped around her entire body. She kept swaying, and she kept
moving.
She moved, quietly. The cave became her, and hers. The girl that would now be named Cavern moved slowly. She was freezing. She didn't get the chance to get changed. She had walked the wrong way, and she had ended up wandering, or rather falling through, into the underground cave that seemed to be spanning the entire island.
She clenched her fist around the handle of her new gun. Cavern had thrown away things from the other boy.
Someone had pissed in a bottle, it had stained some stuff, and it made Cavern incredibly more nauseous than she'd expected from bodily fluids. If she were fine with blood (she wasn't) then why wasn't she fine with this. She shook her head. The guns were heavy. She wanted to rest somewhere, get changed, or at least dry her clothes, and then wait for sunrise but... everything felt like shit.
She kept moving.
Her feet dragged. They had been dragging for a while especially the one with a missing shoe. She only noticed now when she stepped on a rock, or three. She didn't flinch, but she shuddered.
She kept moving. She shuffled. She moved and the cave moved alongside of her. It was soothing. Beneath the ground, she could almost lose herself into the dark sky. How many creatures had only have this sight?
How many creatures considered the phosphorus to be the stars? The moon? The sun? She felt the island breath in this cave, and it felt strangely like home. She felt comfortable, she felt at home as if she had her large comforter wrapped around her entire body. She kept swaying, and she kept
moving.
There was a way.
It would make her look ridiculous, of course, and anyone who saw her would probably think she was insane.
But it would make her feel better, and at the end of the day, that was probably what she needed to survive here, whatever happened. That was how school worked, it was how the real world worked, Rainbow assumed, but most importantly, that was how it worked when she went to the concerts, and the bands. She created a person that helped her survive - not even that, it helped her thrive.
So maybe she could do that here.
She just had to stop pretending she looked ridiculous, and think about how she actually looked.
The first step was removing the band keeping her hair up in a ponytail. She felt her braids crowd her face.
The second step was less essential, but she took a deep breath, and held it. She exhaled eventually, but her chest was full now. She took another breath. Held it. Exhaled.
The third step involved the mud in her hand. She moved her other hand over to her bag, and took out the torch that had been provided to her, shining its light on the mud.
It wasn't exactly the right colour, but it would do.
As for a reflective surface, she wasn't exactly overflowing with those, but she knew a way to improvise. With somewhat more difficulty, she placed the torch down beside her and removed the fishbowl from her bag, placing it in her lap. Rainbow turned the torch on so it shone upon it, and within the glass she could see herself. Barely.
With that, everything had been set up.
And Rainbow began to use her fingers to paint patterns on her face.
It would make her look ridiculous, of course, and anyone who saw her would probably think she was insane.
But it would make her feel better, and at the end of the day, that was probably what she needed to survive here, whatever happened. That was how school worked, it was how the real world worked, Rainbow assumed, but most importantly, that was how it worked when she went to the concerts, and the bands. She created a person that helped her survive - not even that, it helped her thrive.
So maybe she could do that here.
She just had to stop pretending she looked ridiculous, and think about how she actually looked.
The first step was removing the band keeping her hair up in a ponytail. She felt her braids crowd her face.
The second step was less essential, but she took a deep breath, and held it. She exhaled eventually, but her chest was full now. She took another breath. Held it. Exhaled.
The third step involved the mud in her hand. She moved her other hand over to her bag, and took out the torch that had been provided to her, shining its light on the mud.
It wasn't exactly the right colour, but it would do.
As for a reflective surface, she wasn't exactly overflowing with those, but she knew a way to improvise. With somewhat more difficulty, she placed the torch down beside her and removed the fishbowl from her bag, placing it in her lap. Rainbow turned the torch on so it shone upon it, and within the glass she could see herself. Barely.
With that, everything had been set up.
And Rainbow began to use her fingers to paint patterns on her face.
Cavern curled up on herself. She had to sleep.
The ground wasn't comfortable. She closed, and opened, and closed, and opened her eyes. She was home beneath the ground. She reminded herself that she was home. That she was exactly where she needed to be. She closed and opened her eyes again. It was a song, a dance. She heard the breathing of the cave, and Cavern felt at home.
...
...
...
She couldn't sleep.
She closed her eyes.
The ground wasn't comfortable. She closed, and opened, and closed, and opened her eyes. She was home beneath the ground. She reminded herself that she was home. That she was exactly where she needed to be. She closed and opened her eyes again. It was a song, a dance. She heard the breathing of the cave, and Cavern felt at home.
...
...
...
She couldn't sleep.
She closed her eyes.
She wasn't a new person, that much she knew.
But it was in these points, where she could be who she wanted to be. An elevated person. A better version of her self. One that wouldn't second-guess, or think about the thoughts of others when they didn't matter, even if she always told herself they didn't but it kept happening.
So while it was one girl who found the cave as shelter from the rain, sat on the elevated rock to prevent the water from rushing her away, and put mud on her own face, it was another who woke up.
It was another who saw the sun had come out, and saw someone leave the cave. A ghost from another girl's past. Followed her out, tried to stay distant, but utterly unsure as to why she existed.
Rainbow Moseki may have walked into that cave
but ((Blood Diamond continued elsewhere))
But it was in these points, where she could be who she wanted to be. An elevated person. A better version of her self. One that wouldn't second-guess, or think about the thoughts of others when they didn't matter, even if she always told herself they didn't but it kept happening.
So while it was one girl who found the cave as shelter from the rain, sat on the elevated rock to prevent the water from rushing her away, and put mud on her own face, it was another who woke up.
It was another who saw the sun had come out, and saw someone leave the cave. A ghost from another girl's past. Followed her out, tried to stay distant, but utterly unsure as to why she existed.
Rainbow Moseki may have walked into that cave
but ((Blood Diamond continued elsewhere))