#margot1

Suddenly Nate couldn’t stand being in his home anymore. But going outside and traveling around town was equally as terrifying as being haunted in his own home by the face that used to look at him with love and kindness and now only wanted to eat him. The chance to stay with someone else, someone who didn’t know about his trauma was so enticing, even if it was a bit weird for him to watch over someone he barely knew. It would certainly make himself feel better, knowing that Margot wouldn’t be wandering around the beach at night without knowing it, but he was well aware how odd he seemed for even offering. Nevertheless, Nate put Alea into her brand new cage, setting her up for bedtime. “G’night love,” he whispered, placing her blanket gently over the cage before forcing himself outside. Unlike the last time, he only had one flashlight with him – well, one light on – as he made his way to the address Margot had given him. He’d packed a big bag of snacks and supplies and more than a few cans of energy drinks. It didn’t take him long to reach her home and he stifled his nerves as he reached out, rapping his knuckles against the door. “H-hey! Margot! It’s Nate! From...online?”

If only it was sleepwalking that Margot currently fretted over. It was a culmination of odd habits she had picked up, some unbeknownst to her at all, apparently. But she wasn’t about to throw all of her theories surrounding the uptick in weird behavior at Nate. At least, not tonight. Thankfully her dad had gone out to Dell’s for the evening - after some rather persistent suggesting on her part - so there wouldn’t be any awkward conflict with a guy being in the house. Well, for a few hours, at least. The blonde had been idly watching television, already in a pair of flannel boxers and a t-shirt, prepped for sleep when she heard the knock. She took a deep breath before rising and making her way towards the door, opening it up and offering Nate a small, if not slightly anxious smile. “Hey, glad you found it alright. Uh, c’mon in,” She stood back to allow him inside, then closed and locked the door behind them. “Hope you brought a Redbull. If not, my dad likes his coffee strong if you can stand the taste.”

Nate tried to smile as confidently as he could. After all, he was here as a guardian of sorts tonight, and he needed to play the part. Sure, he was still overwhelmed with massive anxiety and really hoped that the night went off without a hitch, but when had he been blessed with a normal night in the past few years? “Hi! Yeah,” he pointed to his bag, bulging with cans and small 5 Hour Energies. “Got lots of supplies!” Normally he’d be rambling on and on about how he wasn’t creepy, how everything was gonna be just fine, how he’d make sure she didn’t wind up down on that cursed beach on his watch, but he just...couldn’t. Maybe his online therapy was working! He wasn't using word vomit to mask his anxiety anymore! “So...ready to get a good night’s sleep?” He kept his tone light and cheerful, as if they were just having a normal slumber party. Where one party member stared at the other one all night. Nope, nothing was weird here.

Margot didn’t make a habit out of having people over. She was sure that was evident in the current state of the house - laundered, yet unfolded clothes strewn over the couch, various papers and magazines on almost every surface, dirty dishes in the sink. One could certainly tell that the residence was occupied, but she and her father never made a large fuss over keeping things spic ‘n span. Maybe she should start, if this was going to become a regular thing. Though nothing about this situation felt regular, or normal. Still, she willed herself to relax her shoulders, huffing out a chuckle at his ‘supplies’. “Wow, you really came prepared, huh? Y’know for a second I didn’t really think you were serious, but, you proved me wrong,” And maybe that was a good thing. As she led them into the house, turning off the television while passing the living room, she couldn’t help but mull over his question a little longer than was typical. “I guess. I haven’t really been sleeping much - kind of afraid it’d happen again. But… Yeah, I think I am,” Upstairs, she directed Nate into her room which, surprisingly, was just a little tidier than the rest of the house. “Here, you can take the bean bag,” She hefted the purple sack to the side of her bed, then glanced over to him. “Oh uh, the wifi password’s blackberry201. Hopefully you brought something to keep you occupied when I’m… not up,”

Nate was surprised at how comfortable he felt here. Maybe because it didn’t feel sterile, it felt lived in. His own home felt so...careful in comparison. No clothes strewn about in case he got his feet caught up in them and fell and hit his head, no dishes anywhere because he was too afraid to cook, nothing to really show a human being lived there. This, by comparison, was nice if not a little anxiety inducing. If anything, the state of Margot’s home reminded him how un-normal his life would always be. But he smiled as she led him through the home, landing in her room on the second floor. It was nice, if not a bit weird with him being in it at all. He plopped himself down on the bean bag and carefully began unpacking his supplies: can after can of energy drinks, some books, a few files from work, his phone charger, some flashlights, a fresh first aid kit, and a couple granola bars. “Trust me, I’m all set!” He smiled up at her, wiggling his butt into the chair to emphasize how settled he was. “All you have to worry about is sleep.”

While Nate got himself settled, Margot took to straightening out her covers. Rarely ever did she make her bed after waking up, and being such an active sleeper aside from the past few nights, her sheets and blankets were usually a tangled mess on the regular. When she felt satisfied with the state of them, she glanced back in Nate’s general direction, brows raised at the array of things he’d set out for himself. She couldn’t help the small, bemused smile that appeared on her lips. “And I thought I was someone who always came prepared. You might actually put me to shame,” Sleep. Right. Chuckling softly, the blonde lowered herself into the bed, deciding to leave the covers off for the time being. “Easier said than done but, I uh, took an allergy pill too. Those tend to knock me out pretty well, so I’m crossing my fingers it works tonight,” Initially she wasn’t sure what to do - Nate wasn’t staring directly at her, but the idea of sleeping with someone else in her room just… wasn’t one she had given much thought to, before. After another moment, she opened her nightstand drawer and pulled out a hair scrunchie with a small bell attached to it. “It won’t wake me up, but, just in case you doze off,” She explained, wrapping it around her ankle. “Okay… Well, goodnight. To me, y’know,”

Nate smiled, cracking open one of his cans and settling in with a book. “Sweet dreams!” It was weird to be sure, but he was trying not to be too intrusive, all things considered. He was pretty well versed in all nighters, they just didn’t tend to come with a sleeping ward that he barely knew. He sighed, settling himself in for the night. Hopefully it wouldn’t be very eventful. A few hours passed quietly, Margot’s breathing slowed and Nate hoped the rest of the night would pass like this. He wasn’t entirely sure what good he might do if she did sleepwalk, how he’d be able to stop her if something went wrong, but he knew he would do whatever he could. He was just coming to the final chapter of his first book when a light tinkling of a bell caught his attention. “Margot?” He whispered, figuring she was probably just tossing in her sleep. Nothing to worry about, right?

It took Margot longer than she would have liked to fall asleep. The moment she closed her eyes, that damned eye showed up again. It was the sole occupant of the darkness behind her lids, an intruder that she could never seem to shake. Even when closing her eyes for too long it would appear, staring back at her. It didn’t appear to be anything other than an eyeball, but that in itself felt vaguely threatening. Why was it there? What did it want? Was it even capable of having wants or needs? Her eyes flickered open and shut multiple times until the allergy pill finally began taking affect, lulling her into a drowsy state before finally falling under the blanket of slumber. The eye was still there, but it couldn’t stop her from doing what her body desperately pleaded for. And so hours passed, the world felt still and silent. Yet while Margot’s conscious mind had gone to rest, her body still moved of its own accord. She dragged herself into a sitting position, poised at the side of the bed as her feet settled onto the carpet, eventually pushing herself up to stand. Her body swayed a bit, then she took a step forward, and another, slowly making her way towards the window.

Nate had turned his attention back to his book when the rustling from the bed became more active. Instead of seeing Margot in the throes of a bad dream, he saw her sit, then stand, then move towards the window. He threw his can of Monster to the side and leapt into action, gently reaching for her arm. He’d heard that you weren’t supposed to wake sleepwalkers, just get them back to bed, and he wanted to disrupt her as little as possible. “Margot,” he whispered, his hands gently trying to steer her away from the second story window and back to the safety of her own bed. “Let’s just get back to bed, ok?” Thank god he was here!

Margot didn’t make a move to remove her arm from the other’s grasp, initially allowing herself to be guided back in the direction of her bed. But her subconscious guided body had other plans. Suddenly, she began lowering herself onto the floor on all fours, whimpering slightly as her frame trembled. The sound of bones shifting echoed around the room as her back arched, the transformation beginning to take place. It wasn’t a pretty sight - jaw elongating, teeth inching out into dagger-like sharpness, body rising and darkening with a generous layer of fur, expanding… until after a few minutes, the slim blonde had become a 500lb bear. A bugbear, specifically. She grunted, large, black eyes still shut before sniffing the air and turning to Nate’s general direction and starting forward.

Nate dropped Margot’s arm as it began to crunch and shift into something very inhuman. He stumbled backward into a dresser, his eyes wide as saucers. “M-Margot?” He remembered Morgan saying something about werewolves and vampires and stuff existing, but what about werebears?? His eyes locked on the bear’s face, trying to read any semblance of humanity, and sign that Margot was in there, that maybe she was still in control of this thing. But if she was, would she have needed Nate’s help to begin with? “J-just– don’t come any closer! I’m just- just trying to help! R-remember? It’s me! N-Nate!” Trying to keep his voice calm and soothing, Nate began to side step, wondering if he would be able to run down the stairs quicker than the bear. But what about her father? Wasn’t he in the house? What if she tried to hurt him too? Goodness gracious, what did he get himself into now??

Margot slipped further into a state of unconsciousness now in her other form, grunted softly at the sound of Nate’s voice, head turned in his direction. Every word he said went in one ear and out the other, barely registering aside from the fact that someone was actually talking to her. To her knowledge, she had never carried out the act of sleepwalking as a bugbear. But that revelation mattered little when she couldn’t even realize it. Instead, she made a soft, chuffing sort of noise, approaching Nate and bumping her snout against his leg. Realizing it as solid, she mouthed at the material of his pants before biting down, teeth barely scraping against his skin, and began to tug him. If he stayed upright and followed or needed to be dragged, she didn’t really care. Either way, she thudded down the hall, eventually leading them into the bathroom.

Nate raised his hands in a gesture of peace, slowly attempting to back away from the monster that stood where Margot had been just a few moments ago. But his slow, careful movements didn’t matter as a bear snout clamped down on his leg, pulling his weight out from under him. “Margot!” He yelped, hoping against hope that her consciousness was still in there somewhere. He clawed and scratched at the walls, the edge of her dresser, the panel of the bedroom door, but he was no match for the bear’s strength. If he fought any harder, she would surely tear his leg right off! In a matter of moments, the hulking, furry mass had dragged him down the hall and into the bathroom. At least she wasn’t trying to take him to the ocean, but no matter where Margot was taking him, Nate didn’t have the slightest idea how to get them both out of this. Tears began springing up behind his eyes as terror attacked his mind. “M-Margot! It’s me! Nate! I’m- please don’t hurt me!”