Running from My Past

New Plans, New Worries

"Deceit what's wrong?" He had come barging into my room, not even bothering to knock like usual. His eyes were wide and panicked as his hands fidgeted around the hem of his shirt. He took a few minutes to try and catch his breath. Wherever he had come from he must have run all the way here. I placed my hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. 

"It's Depression," he gasped out. "He has a plan to go after the main sides." I shook my head. 

"That's not going to happen, Deceit. None of his plans ever work and he would have called another meeting if he thought he had a breakthrough idea," I reasoned. There's no way he could actually be right. Depression couldn't go through any semi-plausible plans for domination, not since Thomas's teenage years. 

"He didn't call a meeting because he didn't want the others to interfere with their bickering. He told me he only holds them so the other think they have some say in what is going on. I'm concerned though, Anx, it sounds like this isn't some crackpot theory. He may be on to something."

Deceit sat down on my bed and stared at his feet. "His power. I didn't see it before but it is growing and he's gaining more control." 

"Thomas. Is Thomas okay?" I demanded. If anything happened to him...

"Thomas is fine. He's not the main concern at the moment. Depression pulls his power from others sorrow and while I'm sure that Thomas feels some of it he isn't the main source."

That was how I had gained enough power to cross the border. Thomas had been going through a stressful time which had continued to build until I was strong enough to transfer over. How else could someone like Depression gain more power? 

"Anxiety, It's Roman." Roman? The ever-confident bravado force that stood for all happy ending and cheerful dreams? Deceit had to be mistaken, there's no way that Roman was........ depressed. I clutched my hands to my sides as my head shook back and forth.

"No, there's no way it can be him. Roman's always happy and confident. No. It can't be. Not him," I muttered. 

"I'm positive it is. He's changed since you left. The last time I visited, I didn't tell you because I didn't think anything of it but he stayed in his room. He doesn't talk to the others, he doesn't eat, all he does is lay in bed. And it's only getting worse." My heart felt like it was beating out of control. Roman. This couldn't be happening, not to my prince. I wouldn't allow it to.

"What can we do? There has to be a way to stop him, right?" I couldn't just stand here while he tore them apart. Not only for the sides but for Thomas. 

"The only way would be to stop his source of power before it became enough to let him cross the barrier. There's no telling what damage he would cause if he made it out." We had to stop his source. Roman. We had to help Roman but we couldn't even get to him.

"Deceit, maybe you can cross for a bit. Then you can disguise yourself as me or something so he'll listen. Tell him that he can't keep this up, tell him what will happen if he does. Then he can get help from Logan and Pat. He could get back to his normal self," I tried. I hated the idea of him thinking it was me but I knew it was the only way to get him to listen.

"Anxiety, I can't. Thomas hasn't told a lie in a little while or at least not a big enough one to send me across, even for a bit. Plus I don't think it's such a good idea. What if I just make it worse by losing my disguise on accident? Then he will never listen. What if it makes it worse when I leave? It will be like you left him twice." There were just too many things that could go wrong. Too many 'what ifs'. I felt my pulse quicken. What choices did we have though?

"We have to try. Please. I'll use what little bit of strength I have to send you through. It should be enough to get you there at least. Go as yourself if it's easier," I tried. They needed to be warned and I so badly wanted to be the one to do it but I knew I couldn't. If I came back so did Thomas's anxiety. And if I saw them.....could I willingly come back? Logan would tell me that it would be most logical if I did but I couldn't do it. Not again. 

"If we are going through with this it needs to be quick, before Depression has a chance," Deceit commented. I glanced around the room looking for anything we would need. Everything that had any value was in my old room and nothing useful to us was in this bare one. I didn't even have my phone anymore. I had left it in the living room after the Disney induced head smacking accident.

"Do you have anything going on tonight?" I asked with a grimace. He smiled and opened the door.

"Nothing at all."