@CrystalPeacock Waaay late, but I came here by Nutty's signature and wanted to give it a try and hopefully bring this back to the front page for a while.
She wasn't an expert on time, not like Britanny always gloated she was, but Camille was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to keep repeating like this. She’d lost track of how many times she’d appeared at the edge of the lake with the sun in the same position as last time and plodded through snow into town. After all it wasn't like she could carve a tally like a prisoner counting the days until their release. She only had one short part of one day to serve. And it was this one. Again.
Turning her back to the lake, Camille hurriedly piled some fresh snow over the slushy, tamped down mess around where she’d been standing. It was her least favorite part of any cycle, but with any luck it would be her last and covering the slush would be worth it in the long term. When she was satisfied, Camille headed back to town along a path that, although longer, would take her away from growing crowd and their annoying questions at the sheriff's office.
As she approached town, Camille rehearsed the plan for this cycle. It was bold, but with her limited time she had no choice but to be direct. Not too direct of course.
She passed the bakery first, checking off the first item on her list by snatching a fresh loaf of sourdough while the baker was questioned by some amateur sleuths. She caught the end of their conversation and mocked their concerned voices to herself. It was cute they thought Britanny would ever be this worried about them or anyone if it didn't have to do with magic.
Camille held the bread close under her jacket, relishing its warmth while maintaining her brisk approach of Ernest's house. The door rattled at the force of her knocking. Ernest appeared a minute later, his look of excitement dissolving into confusion.
"Camille? Is this about my decision, because I’m not--"
She shoved the bread at him. "I got this for you!"
He took it, blinking owlishly, "…Thanks?"
"Britanny wanted me to give it to you to say she's sorry she’ll be missing her lesson. Actually she wanted to give you a bran muffin, but bleh, I can do better. Anyways, since she can't come she was hoping you’d teach me about that time bubble stuff so I can tell her about it later."
"Oh. Well I'm only supposed to be teaching the town wizard train--"
"Trainee, yeah whatever. But Britanny really wanted me to do this for her and, besides! It's never wise to put all your eggs in one basket."
Ernest looked nervous but waved her inside anyways, sniffing the bread. It always worked.
"So the uh... the time bubble? I already taught her that one."
"She wanted it again," Britanny said, looking at his clock. She couldn’t stop her foot from tapping at what she saw. "Anyways, let's hurry it up. How about we start with how to break one?"
"Now hold on," Ernest chuckled. "We really ought to start at the beginning. Now, Britanny certainly already knows this, but time is a very emotional aspect, and--"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just hurry up! How do I. Break. One."
"Break... one?"
"A bubble!" She shrieked, yanking at her hair.
Ernest was squinting at her. "Are you... are you in a time bubble, Camille? Is that what this is about? Hold on," he looked alarmed, "did Britanny make it? Camille, this is serious, are you sure Britanny's okay? Bubbles can only be made in moments of high emot--"
"Shut up you old fart!" Camille tore her gaze away from the clock to better aim her kick at Ernest’s crotch. "You wasted all my time, you pretentious dust bag! Now I'm gonna have to do it aga--"
Darkness. It had happened so many times before, but drowning isn’t something one gets used to. Camille couldn't stop herself from panicking at the sensation of water flooding her lungs and tried to kick to the surface. Something attached to her feet kept her from it, kept her going down down down. As terror and despair and anger welled inside her, she looked up. Her own face looked back.
Camille gasped and opened her eyes. Not looking at the lake, she started gathering fresh snow to cover the slush.
She wasn't an expert on time, not like Britanny always gloated she was, but Camille was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to keep repeating like this. She’d lost track of how many times she’d appeared at the edge of the lake with the sun in the same position as last time and plodded through snow into town. After all it wasn't like she could carve a tally like a prisoner counting the days until their release. She only had one short part of one day to serve. And it was this one. Again.
Turning her back to the lake, Camille hurriedly piled some fresh snow over the slushy, tamped down mess around where she’d been standing. It was her least favorite part of any cycle, but with any luck it would be her last and covering the slush would be worth it in the long term. When she was satisfied, Camille headed back to town along a path that, although longer, would take her away from growing crowd and their annoying questions at the sheriff's office.
As she approached town, Camille rehearsed the plan for this cycle. It was bold, but with her limited time she had no choice but to be direct. Not too direct of course.
She passed the bakery first, checking off the first item on her list by snatching a fresh loaf of sourdough while the baker was questioned by some amateur sleuths. She caught the end of their conversation and mocked their concerned voices to herself. It was cute they thought Britanny would ever be this worried about them or anyone if it didn't have to do with magic.
Camille held the bread close under her jacket, relishing its warmth while maintaining her brisk approach of Ernest's house. The door rattled at the force of her knocking. Ernest appeared a minute later, his look of excitement dissolving into confusion.
"Camille? Is this about my decision, because I’m not--"
She shoved the bread at him. "I got this for you!"
He took it, blinking owlishly, "…Thanks?"
"Britanny wanted me to give it to you to say she's sorry she’ll be missing her lesson. Actually she wanted to give you a bran muffin, but bleh, I can do better. Anyways, since she can't come she was hoping you’d teach me about that time bubble stuff so I can tell her about it later."
"Oh. Well I'm only supposed to be teaching the town wizard train--"
"Trainee, yeah whatever. But Britanny really wanted me to do this for her and, besides! It's never wise to put all your eggs in one basket."
Ernest looked nervous but waved her inside anyways, sniffing the bread. It always worked.
"So the uh... the time bubble? I already taught her that one."
"She wanted it again," Britanny said, looking at his clock. She couldn’t stop her foot from tapping at what she saw. "Anyways, let's hurry it up. How about we start with how to break one?"
"Now hold on," Ernest chuckled. "We really ought to start at the beginning. Now, Britanny certainly already knows this, but time is a very emotional aspect, and--"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just hurry up! How do I. Break. One."
"Break... one?"
"A bubble!" She shrieked, yanking at her hair.
Ernest was squinting at her. "Are you... are you in a time bubble, Camille? Is that what this is about? Hold on," he looked alarmed, "did Britanny make it? Camille, this is serious, are you sure Britanny's okay? Bubbles can only be made in moments of high emot--"
"Shut up you old fart!" Camille tore her gaze away from the clock to better aim her kick at Ernest’s crotch. "You wasted all my time, you pretentious dust bag! Now I'm gonna have to do it aga--"
Darkness. It had happened so many times before, but drowning isn’t something one gets used to. Camille couldn't stop herself from panicking at the sensation of water flooding her lungs and tried to kick to the surface. Something attached to her feet kept her from it, kept her going down down down. As terror and despair and anger welled inside her, she looked up. Her own face looked back.
Camille gasped and opened her eyes. Not looking at the lake, she started gathering fresh snow to cover the slush.
