Nathaniel Darkthorne
Day 1
“Within the depths of my mind, a tempest brews, a storm of fears and doubts that define me.”
The day began like any other, the sun's rays casting a tone of warmth and promise upon our arrival at the Egypt exhibit. My groupmates, Scarlett, Carmen, Camilyn, Hayden, Delphi, Josias, Jamie, Halia, and Erek, all together, seemingly random yet not I'm not so sure. I look at where I am now, and I wonder if this was truly a coincidence.
The encounter with Saige was curious, to say the least. Her appearance coinciding with the current events felt too much of a coincidence. Her enigmatic nature echoes the very essence of shadows, blending in with the darkness she seemed to command. And yet, her intentions remain a shrouded veil, concealing a cryptic truth.
Delphi, my ever-curious friend, showed a peculiar interest in the state of the Egyptian god of death. Anubis watched over us, his silent gaze foretelling a fate that came all too soon. The mysteries deepened as the lights flickered, the dimming illumination revealing cracks in my fractal reality.
Then came the blackout, a veil of darkness I was meant to be in. Chaos ensured and screams echoed throughout every chamber and building. But all that noise seemed to flatten when a gunshot was heard, the sound echoed through the darkness, and Erek's anguished cry pierced the veil, pulling me toward an unfathomable truth.
As I vented into the room, a disturbing fate awaited before my very eyes. Erek was not Erek. Instead what lay in his wake, an android amongst humans, his metallic nature exposing a truth that shattered the illusion of normalcy. His claims of emotions and memories counteracting everything media has shown us. Furthermore, his claims of being hunted by the ominous Berenson and CO added a layer of complexity, or should I say even more uncertainty.
My pen trembled in my grasp as I struggled to see the lies behind the truth. Skepticism intermingled with curiosity, weaving a dance that mirrored my surroundings. Erek's plea to "save the world" sounded more like a command to "end the world." The truth, heavy and elusive, hunted me like phantoms in the shadows.
The device he presented, granting the power to transform into any animal that is touched, seemed fantastical, mythical in nature. The allure of such power enticed my groupmates, Jamie, Halia, and Camilyn to reach out tentatively. Their reasoning slipped like grains of sand in an hourglass. Yet my reasoning held firm, a rock amidst a stormy sea, questioning the authenticity of it all.
Erek revelations painted a grim canvas, yet the shadows concealed a deeper truth that I yearned to uncover. As events unfold, my role in Erek's plan, is unknown to even me, yet my thirst for knowledge and determination to seek truth burn within me. The shadows may be daunting, but I will not be swayed, for I am Nathaniel, and my Journey has only just begun. And I will not fall puppet to a scheme yet undiscovered.
As the room pulsed with a sudden silence, Nate’s heart pounded in his chest, torn between the gravity of Erek’s revelation and the lingering doubts in his mind. The flickering light cast eccentric shadows across the group of students gathered around Erek’s broken form, their expressions a mix of hopefulness and shock. Nate knew instantly what he had heard: Erek’s plans to send a bunch of teens to fight a global company.
But what made Nate pause was Erek’s warning to Nate specifically. Beyond this door is the second half of the story, and although Erek’s voice bleeds urgency, the seed of doubt had already been planted in Nate’s mind.
His gaze flicked to Saige, the newcomer whose appearance seemed to coincide with the unraveling chaos. Suspicion clouded Nate’s judgment; his grip held strongly on the door, demanding it to open and for him to hear the truth from the gunslinger; yet he knew they were already long gone he couldn’t help but wise otherwise.
The device Erek exposed, capable of granting the ability to transform into any animal, sounded like a dream Delphi would tell him. An extraordinary claim with zero scientific backing. Nate wasn’t a science guy but when it came to robots and death, he had already delved into the realm of ‘how much sense does this make?’ How could such a device exist, and how has it possibly stayed hidden for so long?
The fact that Erek had been lying to everyone in the school his whole life cast a shadow of doubt over his motives. What else was Erek hiding, and how could they be sure that he wasn’t leading them into a trap? And so when he looked around, his brain filled with the burdens a 16-year-old should never face. The room seemed to close in on him, suffocating him with the burden of his life and possibly the world in his hand. Even though he dreamt of this moment, how could he make a decision based on the little information he was given?
“Too much…” Nate whispered a little too loud. He hesitated, his hand hovering over his messager bag as though his notebook was calling for him. The clash of doubt and fulfillment within him seemed to find a stillness when he looked at his book. An urge to take his notebook out overtook him…
With a deep breath, Nate made a silent decision. He would approach this situation with the utmost caution, keeping a vigilant eye on Saige and everyone else here. He would question everything and everyone, and whatever words he said from now on would be lies.
Nate began to write when Carmen burst through the door. Her words held a blend of curiosity and defiance, voicing Nate’s hidden thoughts. Carmen’s boldness contrasted with her usual reserved demeanor, and her need to protect the group was commendable. Including Scarlett’s words, Nate was conflicted; they had him poised between the allure of extraordinary power and the peril of blind trust.
To ease his mind he must document everything; to not get caught in his lies he must write the truth. But his fingers struggled to keep steady, the weight of the situation bearing down, and the look of Josias frightening him.
Then, amidst the chaos, Nate’s gaze found Delphi, Followed by the hateful eyes of their twin. Still, the sight of his friend entering the picture seemed to ground him. A sense of calm washed over him, allowing him to regain his composure. With newfound focus, he managed to put pen to paper, scribbling down his thoughts and the unfolding events.
“Within the depths of my mind, a tempest brews, a storm of fears and doubts that define me,” Nate wrote, the ink flowing from the pen he stole reflected his fears and belief.
@/animorphs - Filler post lol
I didn’t wanna be left behind since everything is moving so fast
