The Haunted House on the Hill

"So you can't see 'cuz your eye's gone in a different loop? Shouldn't I be hurting all over or something, then?" Denny asked, reading over Liz's shoulder.

"We all should be." Elizabeth said. It didn't make any sense. "Aria, how's your hand?" she asked.

Aria shrugged. "It's just fine," she said, curling her fingers into a fist and then relaxing them. "See?"

"Maybe it's cause he's the only one to remember that loop." Joseph suggested.

Angel sat up in bed. "Bryant, you remember time loops?" she asked, confused. "I don't remember any of the others except my own."

Bryant shook his head. "I only remember mine."

"My god...." Angel said, shaking her head. This means she'll never forget that loop. The loop she'd rather have pushed out of her head.

Bryant frowned and flipped through the journal, looking at the deaths that happened in Angel's timeline. He couldn't help but noticed that Joseph's and Aria's deaths weren't recorded. They survived...but they don't remember anything. I wonder what happened to them after she went back...

Angel was also remembering the deaths in her loop, and she brought her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. A silent tear rolled down her cheek.

Elizabeth noticed Angel, and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. She knew what Angel was thinking about, and she most likely would never be the same again.

Denny sighed, walking over to Angel. "It was just a dream. A horrible, scary dream. Everyone's still alive, so just forget that the last time loop ever happened. Nothing good'll happen if you dwell on the past forever."

"I can't help it." Angel whispered. "It was too real. I know it was real. There are things in life you can't just forget. That loop was one of those things."

"It was just a scary dream, Angel," Denny repeated, patting her on the head. "See? This is what's real."

"Maybe it isn't real. Maybe it's like Inception." Angel said. Elizabeth almost smiled at the reference. But she knew Angel was serious. "If it's a dream, I want to wake up. I want to wake up right now."

"We'll have to wait and find out if this one is a dream. If we start dying, it's a dream, okay," Denny responded, a small frown hinting on his face.

Angel started shaking. "It's too real. It's too real." she started repeating, over and over and over again.

Elizabeth looked up at Denny with a look of 'Shut up, she's already unstable, don't make it worse.' before looking back at Angel and saying "Angel, I'm going to make some soup for you. I know you like my chicken tortilla soup. If the ingredients are here, I'll make a huge pot for you and everyone else." she smiled.

Angel nodded. "Okay." she said meekly as Elizabeth got up and went to the kitchen area and started sifting through the cabinets for everything she needed.

Denny sighed, laying back on one of the empty beds and closing his eyes.

Angel curled up quietly under the covers, still silently crying, but closed her eyes in exhaustion as the smell of peppers and spices filled the room from Elizabeth's pot in the kitchen. It made her mouth water.

Bryant was still reading through the journal. He spotted the name Ryuuzu and scanned through the page again.

They were so close the first time. Too close.

The boy frowned, before folding the corner of the page so he could look at it later.

It took Elizabeth about forty five minutes to make the soup. She was surprised there was chicken in the freezer, and it hadn't expired yet. She threw it into the soup after cooking it in a pan with some spices she had found, then threw it into the soup that was simmering on the stove. She let it cook for a little longer to get some of the chicken flavor into the soup part of it while she set the table, leaving a bowl on the counter for Angel as she wasn't sure Angel should leave the bed yet in her current state. The pot was taken to the table, and she scooped some soup into each bowl as she announced that food was ready.

Angel, as expected, didn't move. Elizabeth sighed and brought the bowl to her, sitting on the side of the bed and nudging Angel's shoulder. "You don't have to get up. Your bowl is right here." Angel sat up slightly, and accepted the bowl, bringing the spoon that came with it to her lips. Angel devoured it within minutes.

Bryant sighed as he closed the journal, folding the corner of the page he was on. I'll check it out later, he thought as he went to get some soup.

Elizabeth took the bowl and left Angel as she curled up under the covers and closed her eyes. Liz smiled a little. Angel needed sleep, and maybe when she woke up, she'd be calmer and more rational than before.

Denny was passed out as well, sprawled out in a rather awkward looking position, his arms and legs contorted in all sorts of manners. Oddly enough, he still slept peacefully.

Quil peered over at the soup curiously. "Smells good."

"It's Angel's favorite." Elizabeth said. She looked over at Denny. "Should I wake him up?"

Quil snorted. "Nah, let him suffer when he wakes up all stiff."

"I meant to get him some food. You know how guys are, they eat like pigs." Elizabeth shook her head.