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Mikaela feels an uneasy sensation wash over her. The sort of uncomfortable tugging in one’s stomach that bubbles and builds when being watched. She feels a chill run down her spine, not unlike the feeling when a killer comes nearby during a trial. It gives her goose-skin.
Glancing over her shoulder, out of the window of the cabin, she only sees darkness. This wasn’t unusual for the realm - it was difficult to tell if there even was a day and night, but one can assume that it’s what the Entity would consider night-time to be when the cabins manifest on the outskirts of the campfire’s glowing flames.
Mikaela watches the window for a minute, just to steel her nerves. She reassures herself as she fiddles anxiously with the hem of her cardigan. It wasn’t unusual to feel watched at the campfire - more often than not you actually are. Being watched inside the cabin, though, is different. It’s invasive, personal.
She , once again, confirms in her mind that nothing is there . It had been a long day for her. She couldn’t remember exactly how many trials she had been forced to take part in, but she knew that it was measureless, and she hadn’t escaped many.
After a while of being in the Realm, many of the events that took place just seemed to blur together into one big, jumbled mess. Now all she wants is to collapse into her uncomfortable bunk-bed and try to get as much sleep as she can before being dragged by her hair to the next trial.
Undressing for bed, she removes her cardigan first and hangs it over the railing of the bunk. She was practically alone in the cabin. Or more, nobody that cared to speak to her was around .
Yun-Jin was off in her own personal corner, also sleeping off a long run of merciless beatings - she was more of a sore loser than Mikaela was, so her arrival back to the campfire was less well received. The rest of the girls were probably off exploring the nearby woods , or sitting at the fire , or doing whatever one can occupy one’s time with in the Realm .
Mikaela slowly strips down to her underwear and sits on her bed, letting her hair fall in front of her face and over her legs. The strands tickle her thighs gently and she lets out a soft sigh. Noticing a bright light pierce the room, she decides to ignore it - assuming it to be lightning. That wouldn’t be out of place with the usual dreary weather the Entity seems to prefer.
She allows herself a moment of solitude, rolling her shoulders back and cracking her neck. She knows that she’s safe here at this moment, getting the feeling that the Entity is done with her for now .
The same uneasy feeling creeps back into her stomach. She feels her eyes drawn to the window again and gets the compulsion to check just one more time . She tries her best not to give in , telling herself that she’s just being paranoid.
She’s reminded of the time in her childhood where her parents sent her to summer camp and she was too afraid to sleep in the cabin alone because she was convinced that Jason Vorhees would come and get her.
The only difference now is that her paranoia is justified.
Mikaela lifts her head and takes a deep breath. She starts trying to mentally prepare herself for sleep - slow her thoughts down and try to think of something positive to push away the nightmares - but can’t help but steal a glance at the window as she moves.
The moment that her eyes meet the glass another flash pierces the room. This time she notices that the source is not, in fact, lightning. The light is bright and concentrated to one corner of the window. Mikaela feels her heart drop into her gut.
A camera.
Her blood runs cold and she’s suddenly much more aware of her nakedness. She catches something moving , ducking behind the window frame once the perpetrator notices that she’s caught on. Something white? She scrambles for the blanket, ripping it off her bunk and swiftly covering herself with it.
Her eyes dart over to Yun-Jin, who remains asleep. Trying to steady her breathing and her now rapidly pounding heart, she paws at the top bunk for her clothing. She’s set on checking outside of the cabin. She knows that the Entity won’t let any killer hurt her or the other survivors this close to the campfire. She highly doubts that it is a killer out there anyway! They never come this close. Do they?
Shaking the question from her mind, Mikaela quickly re- dresses herself - wrapping her cardigan around her and pulling it tightly around her body, her hands tucked under her armpits. She approaches the exit to the cabin and peeks through the small windows at the top of the door. She sees some of the others outside sitting around the fire.
Kate is playing her guitar. Hearing the melody faintly from behind the barricade, Mikaela listens closely, pressing her forehead against the door as a wave of calm overcomes her.
No need to worry, it was just paranoia. She reaches for the handle of the door and swings it open, almost over-confidently as if compensating for her fear earlier. She does check the porch of the cabin for any potential creeper but finds nothing, not even a trace that anyone had even been there. She sighs in relief and looks out at the others around the fire.
Some take notice of her and wave to her, beckoning her to join. She does so, stepping off of the porch and towards the fire.
Danny grips Philly tightly, his gloves creaking under the stress. He watches as Mikaela leaves the so-called safety of the cabin, making her way to the fire . Somewhere where she’s actually safe.
He’s satisfied with the results he got from today’s endeavour and he’s certain that he’ll continue to be satisfied for at least a little while. He got lucky today, getting such intimate, close-up shots of his favourite muse in such a vulnerable state - but he had been sloppy. The last photo was greedy, he couldn’t help himself, not when such a perfect opportunity was right in front of him.
He watches from the shroud of darkness beyond the campfire’s reach as Mikaela takes a spot amongst the other survivors and begins to mingle. He grumbles softly to himself. What he wouldn’t give to actually talk to her for once.
He often gets overzealous during trials , some primal urge takes control of him and he becomes unpredictable. All of his actions are still calculated, but are more instinct-driven rather than based in logic and strategy . This, of course, leads to some complications when it comes to Mikaela.
Danny wouldn’t give up the opportunity to feel a blade sinking deep between her ribs and slicing her from one side to the other just because he likes her more than he likes other people. He likes to kill, and won’t stop himself just for having some favour towards the red-headed witch .
This does mean that every time he tries to talk to her it’s either when she’s bleeding to death, impaled on a rusty meat hook, or actively being stabbed to death. Women aren’t particularly receptive to the whole insane serial killer that actually wants to kill you shtick.
He strokes Philly affectionately, like a cat, going over this last encounter in his mind again and again.
Suddenly, he feels his face get hot under his mask.
He recalls her body. How her hair flowed over her shoulders like a train of autumn leaves. Her face. Her expression of relaxation.
Relaxation was something she had never shown around him. Not once. Her face twists into a glare of terror whenever he approaches.
Danny feels a new emotion enter his mind - it sets off alarm bells in the part of him that refuses to feel such things. Is it guilt? Regret? He hums curiously, examining and analysing this feeling as a new factor to add to his game.
After all, it would be a useless feeling if he didn’t use it to make things interesting for himself.