forum Hamartia // One-On-One // CLOSED

Started May 10, 2020 by Deleted user

tune

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"I…" She died off, knowing that her reflection was right.
"No words, Daphne?"
"I'm scared."
Her reflection's expression softened slightly, something rare. "Oh, right. Yeah, I get that."

Ben continued to wait for his sister, his head filling with nervous thoughts. What if Cameron dies? What if he’s in a coma and never wakes up? What if he lives but is in constant pain for the rest of his life? What if Daphne can’t handle it? He had to force himself to stop before he started crying.

(sorry i got really busy with school stuff (like two assignments were due today lol)

"Why do you exist?" Daphne asked the mirror.
"Well…" The mirror took a few moments to respond. "I think that you needed someone to talk to, someone that wasn't Ben or Cameron. Someone that really understood you. And the only person who really understands you is you. So you made me. And I'm you."

(it’s okay!)

Ben took out his phone. Should he call Daphne yet? Every few minutes he would glance up to see whether she had arrived or they were going to call him back to see Cameron. He was beginning to get a stomach ache from the anxiety of it all.

Daphne realised that her hands were frozen into the frost when she decided to wash her face. She ripped her hands out of the frost, an act that she'd done hundreds of times before when she was stressed.

Ben texted Daphne, a quick text that was asking where she had gone. She’d probably just gone to the bathroom, but Ben got worried easily when it came to his sister.

She felt a buzz in her pocket, but she ignored it. Daphne knew that it had to be Ben, but she wasn't in the mood to talk to him. She had to deal with this, and right now that was on her own.

Ben began to chew his fingernails nervously, his thoughts still swimming. He absentmindedly bit his nails before realizing what he was doing and pulling up Netflix on his phone. He popped some earbuds in, trying to clear away the anxiety and sadness with John Mulaney. It was helping somewhat, but Ben knew right off the bat that nothing would make these awful feelings go away.

Daphne took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes to calm herself. She slapped her face with water, her hair getting a little bit wet. She didn't care. Not anymore. Nothing mattered without Cameron.

Every few minutes Ben would check his texts, despite knowing that nothing new would magically appear. He waited for a notification from Daphne to show that she was okay. Nothing. It made his skin itch, a sense of unease gathering. It wasn't helping the rest of his tumult of feelings. After several minutes Ben cracked and sent another text. He was not a patient person.

Daphne sighed, drying her face off with the paper towels. She went to the door and rested her hand on the handle, not sure if she was ready to go out. A knock startled her, and she was forced to open the door. A big man stood at the door. "Sorry," She mumbled, moving out quickly.

Ben realized once again that he was biting his nails, frowning. He could barely focus on his show, thinking about Daphne. Where was she? Why wasn’t she back?

Daphne slowly walked back to where Ben was sitting, taking her coffee. It had been so long that it had gone cold. "I'm just gonna go to the vending machine."

Ben brightened a little when Daphne approached, nodding as she mentioned the vending machine. His own stomach grumbled. “Okay. Would you mind getting me some chips or something?”

"Yeah, definitely." She walked over to it, out of sight from Ben. She inserted her card into the machine, grabbing her drink first. Then she did it again, grabbing chips for her brother.

Ben sat there, still trying and failing to focus on his phone. Maybe he’d seen this particular stand up too many times? But deep down he knew that there was no way to shake the anxiety and dread building up inside of him.

Daphne walked back to Ben when she was done, handing him his chips. She opened her drink as she sat down, taking a sip. She was still worried, but she knew Ben was as well.

“Thanks,” he said, taking the chips and opening the bag. He started eating. Ben was known for being a slow eater, because he liked to savor every bite.

"I…" Daphne trailed off, not sure where to start. "I know you're worried as well. About Cameron, I mean. I know that I'm not the only one worried about him, even though it feels like that in my mind."

Ben looked back at her, turning off his phone and taking out his earbuds. “Yeah, I worry too,” he confirmed. “If you need any support, I’ve got you. I am your brother, and I care about Cameron too.”

"It's just…" She trailed off again. "I have no idea what I would do without him. No, offence, but I can't really start a family with you. Firstly, that would be incest. Secondly, that's gross."

Ben wrinkled his nose. “Well, obviously that’s nasty,” he agreed, wondering why she’d even had to say that. “But I see what you mean. He means a lot of to both of us, you especially.”

A nurse came over to them. "Are you the family of Cameron Donolley?"
"I'm his girlfriend. This is my brother."
"Does he have any family?"
"No, not really. They disowned him years ago. To them, he's already dead."

Ben looked up at the nurse, nervous yet hopeful. Was Cameron going to be okay? Hopefully they would be let back into his room and be able to talk to him.

"We have some news on Cameron. He's stable…but he's in a coma. We don't know when he'll wake up, or even if he will. We're gonna do all that we can to save him, but there's a possibility that you will have to let him go in the future. Follow me."

Ben blinked, trying to adjust to this new information. Cameron was alive! But he was in a coma, which he may never wake up from. After a couple of moments of silence, he got to his feet. How was Daphne taking this news?

The moment she was told that Cameron was in a coma he might not wake up from, Daphne wanted to die. Her throat felt like it was closing up, and she could feel tears welling in her eyes.

Ben glanced at her, seeing her shock and pain written all over her face. He held out his arm to help her to her feet. His own eyes began to sting in sympathy.

"Follow me," The nurse said. "I'll lead you to his room. We won't be moving him to a separate ward, as it would be too dangerous. We wouldn't want to risk anything."
"Ok, yeah. That sounds…alright."

Ben brushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, his hands shaking a bit. This was crazy. They were superheroes; they weren’t supposed to actually get hurt. After so long of avoiding this kind of situation, it was a shock to Ben’s system.