Midnight had long since passed him by in the small apartment Nikolas sat awake in, during the odd hours of the morning. Sleep as of late seemed like an impossibility. With the demon's mutterings in his head and the re-occurrence of strange dreams pulling him awake, tonight he hadn't even thought to try.
Eventually, in picking up his phone, a message would ring out on Neseva's phone, wherever in the world she'd be.
And so… Nikolas waited.
Eventually even dropping the phone when the answer hadn’t come promptly.
She had to be sleeping. What time was it, anyways..?
His hands darted to the unlock button on the phone before the
notification had finished sounding. Tired eyes went across the screen as
he read Neseva’s words. He started typing promptly after.
A half minute or so came to pass before the phone would ring,
phone held loosely to his cheek as he waited.
Ring ring. The little jingle of Neseva's phone went off and she quickly departed herself from the fam in order to get on the phone. where was this super secret hiding spot? Her closet.The tones on his end only went on for some time until she picked up.
Eyes cast to the wall across from him absently, when the dial tone stopped and a voice picked up, Nikolas snapped back to attention.
"Yo yo yippity yo, sup Niklet."
A quiet chuckle answered on his end.
"Hey, stranger... glad I didn't interrupt any crime fighting."
An evident tiredness wore down Nikolas', seeping through his tone of voice.
Yet it would have no effect on sarcasm.
"No, not yet. But you caught me on the night before I'm heading out.
I won't be as easy to get a hold of once I leave the states and all."
A pause then a more softer and careful tone asked,
"why are you having trouble sleeping?"
Nikolas hummed briefly in acknowledgement to it.
The next moment the phone went silent at the question. A sigh escaped.
"I... don't know. It's like I can't get my head to quiet down.
Like... trying to fall asleep in a room full of people talking."
"I have no idea what that feels like, man. I am so sorry."
Heavily implied sarcasm, but he knew where she was coming from with it.
"Whats been on your mind? Why does it feel like that?"
"...Yeah."
Nik stated almost apologetically. A sheepish smile lingered on his end of the phone.
"Well... its terrible, don't know how you handle it. Its been... three days now." He admitted.
"I've been having these dreams that come back."
"Came back? And exactly what were those dreams in the first place?"
Thunk.
"Ow.. Hey I need that! Sweet."
"You okay, there?"
Nikolas questioned to the background noise.
"They're... I don't know where they take place for sure. Somewhere with trees.
I remember a small building. I was going somewhere, I don't know where.
And I heard a voice talking but they were too quiet to know what they were saying."
His words trailed off tiredly.
"I'm great! Found my throwing knife case. I bumped into it in the closet."
Nes replied quickly but was also in haste to listen to him and the dreams that he were having.
The silence on her end showed that she was intoned into it, but at the same time concerned.
"Is this place... Is it somewhere you think you've been physically?"
"You're... you're sitting in the closet then?"
Nik responded rather... skeptically to say the least.
Silence persisted as he thought on the question. A deep breath heard, exhaling out a reply.
"No... I don't think so. But it feels familiar like I should know. Then something about it throws me up out of bed."
"My dad gets... nosy. Didn't want him getting like that this time either. But anyway."
"Ah."
Nik confirmed, curiosity sufficed. The image stuck in his head though.
Off that subject, onto the one about the dream that she tried thinking hard about.
She could sift through his memories if she were there but she couldn't even read his mind here much less sift.
"Maybe.. you had an episode? Blacked out and the demon was there?"
More silence. Three, four, five... quite a few seconds before a quiet reply.
"I... don't think so."
Think, and hope. Two different things entirely.
"Maybe... I'm just overreacting. Maybe its just a dream after all."
Nik suggested weakly.
"If dreams are busting you out of your sleep it means that you're having an inner turmoil.
Looking into dreaming guides and stuff might help you with that. From what I recall, dreams
about forests, distinct voices and lonely building all point to maybe you're feeling trapped,
alone with people you don't know talking around you.
And maybe you're jerking yourself out of it because you're trying to escape."
After listening there was a pause. A heavy silence lingering over the phone.
Was he still there? The feint sound of an exhale now and then answered yes.
"Yeah... that might be and... I'll look into it. Thank you."
"I know that sounds.. shaky and scary, but I could be wrong too.
It could just be a dream, don't listen to me, I talk to much anyways. Hahah."
Smooth. Ehhh... Another silence later and the easier question came after.
Shaken by her last words, that's about all he could make himself say.
"So... where is it you're headed soon again? Russia right?"
"Russia, yup. I'll be able to text.. I think. I don't know so much on calling.
With the time difference and all of that. But I'm still here. Getting myself killed, but here."
"Hey. No getting killed."
Nik 'reminded' her.
"And no problem... you have a job to do, y'know? And I'm not going anywhere.
Wouldn't want to be the reason you get in trouble again. "
"Right right. No dying. What would you do without me, huh?"
He could hear the smile, then the air.
"Pfft pffffft what? Me? In trouble?"
She was scoffing more over the phone. Wherein on the call a bit longer.
"You're the one with a demon in your head Nik-Knack.
I'm more worried about you being in trouble.
And sleep! You need sleep too. Me? I need to stay up. I've got a long plane ride tomorrow."
A halfhearted chuckle came from him.
"Believe me... I'm not trying to go all 'insomniac' right now.
I've tried a lot of things. I go any heavier on sleep aids and I might not wake up at all."
Somewhere near the end there, the humor was stripped from his voice.
"I'll let you know what happens, I guess.
And when you come back you might have a story for me next time."
That made her feel nervous for some reason.
She didn't like the sound of that and it wasn't at all comforting.
"Nik, try getting on a schedule or something. Like waking up at this time and sleeping
at another, because then your body is tired and forces you to sleep more, imploring you to-
-- I'm here!"
A pause, some muffled noises after while she listened and a door opening.
"No one! Go dad! You bug. Go! I'll be out in a second!"
"Yeah... yeah I'll try to-"
His voice cut off at her sudden exclamation.
Listening in carefully, the scene came into his head a little too clear and he held back a snicker.
Shoving, then a door shutting and she was back on the phone.
"Sorry about that. I have lots of stories actually. But none to help you go to sleep, sadly. Just.."
She sighed.
"Be careful. You need sleep, you need your strength."
"I'll try... promise. You be careful, okay? I'll let you get back to packing."
The 'try' was where it hurt, but it wasn't like she could go over there.
"Okay, you'd better. If anything, anything Nik, happens call me.
I don't care what time it is. I'll do my best to pick up."
"Promise... g'night."
"No dude, you good night. Really. Get some sleep."
"NESEVA!"
"COMIN'! Okay, I gotta go, bye!"
Click.
Collaboration with Neseva.
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