Mono + Six Afterstory || Little Nightmares II

Twenty-Six

Six, Riley and the other kids, as well as Julie, walked in silence for a while, relying on Six's sense of direction to lead them to the school, which meant they would definitely have to go through the hospital this time. She didn't have much to say, and regardless, she felt weird being with Riley and without Mono's presence to reassure her. She was leading the group for a while until Riley came up beside her and held onto her shoulder, his expression full of compassion.

He noticed her rather sour glare, but it didn't stop him from checking in on her. "You sure you're okay? Maybe we should take a break." He suggested this after noticing her staggered breathing, but she nudged his hand off her shoulder and sped up.

"I'm fine. Don't touch me." Her tone was blunt, snappy enough to peeve Riley off. One thing about him—he was just as much of a brat as Six, he just didn't show it as much.

"What's your problem? You were talking to me normally on the boat." The brunette boy stared with menace back at Six, his eyes fierce under his bangs. Maybe Mono put up with it, but he'd had enough of the tension. "It's foolish to wander off ahead of everyone else. You'll get yourself hurt even worse." He insulted her without restraint, causing her to finally snap.

Six stopped in her tracks, but only for a brief moment, just enough time to make eye contact with Riley. "I can take care of myself. I'm not some weak little girl." Although she was being serious, it wasn't necessarily transparent; she wasn't very slick at hiding that frown when she turned away from Riley and continued walking.

The boy caught sight of her slip-up and jogged to her to ensure he didn't fall behind again. Rather than being subtle, he decided a more direct approach would be more effective. "I know something's up. You were harsh to me the whole time Mono was asleep. Just tell me what's wrong." Even after this, she had a heart of steel and ignored him for her own sake, that is, until he spoke yet again to expose her sensitivity. "Sasha." He knew he had gotten through to her, because she glanced at him incredulously, but he had to react quickly as it led to her tripping over a crack in the ground. Once he had caught her, holding her close out of habit, he couldn't refrain from showing concern, despite how ugly she had been to him.

Six didn't even realize she was crying until after shoving Riley away. She'd wanted to hide these feelings at all costs, but he just had to go and break that barrier of hers. Honestly, she wasn't even mad at him, she just didn't want him to know more about her than what was necessary. She did really like him, but those weird prophetic dreams she had about him were still fresh on her mind. Why was he so important? Why him?

     Even though she had nothing more to say, it seemed, Riley didn't give up. He boldly grabbed Six's hand as she tried to get away from him, interlocking their fingers. "I told Mono I would take care of you. There's no use acting like this. I'll just catch you over and over." He interjected with a rational comment, and although he suspected Six would run yet again, she actually, to his surprise, just stared at the ground and squeezed his hand. He really didn't know how to react, so he just stayed quiet so that he didn't upset her more.

     A few minutes passed as they continued walking. They had made it to the hospital, and Six was no longer trying to hide her face. She had stopped crying as well. When she spoke up finally, her voice carried a relaxed, but also more confident tinge. "Riley—you and I—we met for a reason." She referenced her visions, which lit up the boy's face with curiosity. "Before I even came to The Maw, I had dreams about you and that place. I saw The Lady capturing you in one of my dreams. I had it a lot, and I would see it every time I rested my eyes after I met you. And it came true, didn't it?"

     Seconds of pondering passed before Riley could even think of responding. He was stunned by her honesty, and even more perplexed. "Yeah, it did... Mono saved me from her." He answered her briefly, then letting his mind wander back to when they first met. His eyes flashed with realization. "So that's why you looked so surprised when you saw me. You already knew me from your vision."