The First Body Discovery
Skylar jerked awake hearing the voice through the speakers, sitting up quickly drenched in sweat, body trembling, and heart ready to explode out of her chest.
Somewhat slowly, to make sure she wouldnât faint from waking up so fast, she climbed out of bed, feeling her blood churn coldly at the announcement that a body has been discovered. A dead one.
She anxiously made her way to the gym, her boots quickly clicking on the floor, and at her arrival, she saw the scene. Kotomiâ s dead body lying in a pool of blood and Goro in a state of shock. She only knew Kotomi for a short amount of time, but she was very sweet. How could someone do something like this, especially to someone like her?
She made her way over to Goro, her legs felt numb and her mind was on autopilot.
âG-guh..Goro. itâs me. Shk..Skylar.â She announced her presence. She wanted to embrace him to try to calm him down, but she didnât want to trigger anything bigger. Her legs shook as she stood, taking in the view of Kotomiâ s corpse, but she promised herself, Aiko, and Shouyou that she would be strong, and she would never break a promise.
Seto accidentally grabbed Skylarâs arm while fighting back his own panic attack. He quickly apologized and let go doing his best not to touch you again. The six birds in his hair a bit of a sight to see. But not out of the ordinary. He whimpered softly. âI hadnât even gotten the chance to meet everyone yet and someoneâs already dead.â
Skylar jumped slightly as he grabbed her, but when he apologized she realized he wasnât trying to harm her. She noticed he was having a panic attack right away, as being victim to some herself. She wasnât sure what exactly could help him, so she tried doing what normally helps her.
âHey, hey. Tuh..take a deep breath. Breathe i..in for eight, hold ff..for five, and exhale for eh..eight as well.â She knew that normally bombarding someone with questions isnât good, but she didnât want to touch him in fear of making anything worse, âY..your name? Would you like t..to step outside of the gym?â
She knew that being in confined spaces were not good with panic attacks, and wanted to help him calm down by talking things out and leading him somewhere he can calm down easily.
Seto fought back tears trying breathe and nodded when she asked if he wanted to leave. He was trembling and holding his violin case in a grip tight enough to crack the exterior. He tried to back out but was rooted to the spot. Fear and panic overwhelming at this point. He looked at her and his eyes pled for help.
Skylar hesitantly held up a hand, she still didnât want to touch him, but she had to somehow move him away from the panicking scene.
âI..i need you to ta..take a deep breath, Ok? Ca..can you do th..that for me? Ah..as soon as y..you can, we can l..leave. C..can I put my hand onn.. your shoulder?â Skylar asked him, wanting his permission before doing anything in case it could trigger a worse reaction.
Seto took a gulp of air and tried to calm himself a tad more. He nodded his head in response to her question while gripping the hem of his sweater tightly in his hands. It was his way of preventing himself from flinching when people make physical contact. His shaking eased a tad but it was still clear that he was scared and overwhelmed by everything.
Skylar acknowledged his nod and hesitantly laid her hand on his shoulder, her thumb gently stroking him.
âThatâs good..keep doing th..that. In eight, hold for f..five, and out eight. Just breath. Ff..from there, when youâre re..ready we can eh..exit the gym.â She told him, trying to talk him through the panic before taking any action.
She continued gently circling her thumb on his shoulder out if reassurance and calming, but was ready to remove her hand if he showed any signs of uncomfortableness or worse panic.
Seto slowly calmed down enough to actually get bits and pieces of choked sentences out. It wasnât much but it was enough to confirm he was okay to go. âReady.â His body was still tense but he had at least finally stopped shaking. He didnât move in any way that suggested you needed to remove your hand. He took a step and wobbled slightly. Dizzy from his fit of panic.
Skylar was relieved to see him calm down more than he was earlier. When he choked out that he was ready, she gave a small nod. She didnât remove her hand so she could help guide him, and when he wobbled, out of reflex she grabbed his arms to keep him steady.
âSo..sorry if I surprised y..you, but Iâm just tryi..trying to keep you ss..steady,â She apologized, âI sh..saw you wobble; do y..you need t-to lean on me i..in any way?â Skylar doesnât have the strongest arm strength, but she wasnât weak, either, so supporting people wasnât too hard unless it was for an extended amount of time.
Seto flinched slightly when you grabbed him but didnât yank away. He shook his head when she asked if he needed to lean on her. âIf I lean Iâll collapse.â The look in his eyes wasnât as panicked but it was on edge still. As you two continued to move he slowly became steadier and he kept his eyes down. He wasnât going to look around put of fear of seeing blood.
âAlright, juh..just tell me if you r..really need it.â She released his arms, but was still prepared to reach out in case he fell as her eyes portrayed the concerned look on her face.
When they got to the big gym doors, Skylar held it open for the boy, standing with her back to the door, her body keeping it open for him to pass through.
He gave her a thankful nod and quickly exited into the courtyard taking a deep breath. He shakily sat on the nearest bench and held his head trying not to break down again as the shock hit him once more. He tugged at his hair as his six little birds anxiously held silence on top of his head.
After he stepped outside, she let the door shut behind her as she stepped out with him. She gave him a minute before she carefully walked towards him and sat by him on the bench, giving him enough space.
âFeeling a buh..bit better now?â Skylar asked him.
Seto nodded and took a better breath then smiled at you weakly. âMuch better. Blood and bodies freak me out a lot so I tend to shut down.â He set his violin case down and took his budgies out of his hair setting them on his leg. The chirped and chittered sweetly. A small one with odd coloration that made her feathers like opal looked at you inquisitively before going back to singing with the others. Seto smiled at all of them and seemed to relax so much more now that he was looking at them.
âAh, I s-see..Iâm kind of u..used to them.â Skylar smiled at his little birds, they were adorable, and even though their melodies were different, they harmonized perfectly.
Skylar didnât want to seem rude, but she forgot to introduce herself. âIâm Sh..Skylar. Ultimate Make-up Ah..Artist.â Her eyes shone with warmth, compensating for her hidden friendly smile.
Seto smiled back letting his Budgies flitter about. âSeto. Ultimate Violinist. And these are my babies. Marshmallow, two face, baby, opal, Lilac, and Foamy.â Each bird chirped as if it were role call. He giggled at their antics and watched them. âIâve taught them to sing my violin melodies. Sometimes itâs all one tune and sometimes itâs six different ones. Right now theyâre singing Midnight Lullaby.â He seemed go prefer talking about his birds over himself.
âT-th..thats very nice. Theyâre adorable., and c..cute names!â She chuckled as they chirped, âyou tah..taught the..m all of tat? Impressive!â
Seto blushed slightly and smiled more. âIâm glad you think so. Most think itâs a waste.â He played with his hair, an obvious nervous habit. The way his eyes sparkled when he talked about his birds was adorable.
âPfft. Nah, i..its not a waste. Itâs hard tuh..to teach birds things, espe..especially like music. That tink itâs a wh..waste because theyâve never tried i..it or seen any..anyone else who had.â
Skylar noticed Seto card his fingers through his hair. Nervousness? Fear? Stress? Skylar couldnât pinpoint an emotion, but assumed it wane a good one.
He smiled and pulled out his violin, causing the birds to become silent. âDo you mind if I play?â He looked at you and smiled weakly.
âN..not at all!â Skylar responded. She absent mindedly pinched onto her sweaterâ s sleeves as her hands started to tremble a little and glanced away in fear of him becoming nervous.
He took a deep breath and pulled the bow across the strings making a deep hum. Soon he slid into some song or another playing happily. The birds sang along with what he was playing.
As Seto played his violin, Skylar closed her eyes and her breathing slowed down as she relaxed. Many pretty visions influenced by each note in each melody in each song drifted through her head. She relished in the feelings it brought upon her, until her head morphed them; to many emotions and feelings, pictures and visions flashing through her brain at an incredible rate she couldnât handle.
As it became too overwhelming, she opened her eyes and some tears rolled down her cheeks as her breaths grew quicker once again. It was nice, in fact, very nice in the beginning to just get away from reality, but her mini episode just reminded her of the harsh truth. That this is reality, and she canât escape it. She used the heel of her hands to wipe at her eyes and the back of her hand to wipe the tear tracks off her cheeks.
Seto slowly let the notes fade and looked at her pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket holding it out to her. His reaction showed thst he was used to people crying because of this particular piece. He smiled weakly. âIâm sorry, I guess Summons to Tears may not have been an appropriate piece of mine to play right now.â He sighed softly. âIt helps me calm down rather well but with others it calms them slowly as it begins and as it builds up it summons their most desperate emotions forward to help release the weight and stress they cause.â He rubbed his face and packed up his violin.
Skylar noticed the handkerchief Seto held out for her. With trembling fingers and a quiet embarrassed âthank youâ she gently took it from his hand and dried the tears that welled up on her bottom eyelids before they could spill.
When she was sure that she wouldnt cry anymore she held the handkerchief in her hands, unsure if she should just give it back to him or wash it, sheâs never been great in social situations from never being exposed to many opened or caring ones, glancing to him as if heâd cue her to give it back to him or tell her to wash it before giving it back or anything.
âI..its truly a mm..moving piece. Itâs i-incredible what a com..composure like that c-c..can do. Youâre truly ta..lented.â Through the aftermath of tears, her eyes started to shine again, visualizing a soft smile.
He smiled seeming much more relaxed around you. It was far different from the first time you vaguely saw him. That was when the freaky frog thing showed up. He had stood so far away from the group. Scared of the large amount of people nearby. It seemed like he was okay one on one but shut down when there were more people. âYou can keep the handkerchief. And thanks. I put a lot of work into my music.â
Skylar smiled sensing that he was less tense around her. Sheâs glad she could make someone calm and do things for them that helped them that no one had done for her when she was in need.
âI..it must have ta..taken a long time ff-for you to be ab..le to play like that. It takes ss..self disci..discipline to learn as muh-much as you have,â Skylar commented, âAnd are yâŚyou sure? I-i mean it is your han..handkerchief.â
He nodded and smiled. âDonât worry. I have a few of those. And it did take me a bit of time to hone my skills but I was a bit of a prodigy when it came to violin.â He stretched and popped his back letting out a soft groan at how stiff he felt.
âOh..alright, thanks.â Skylar balled her fist around the handkerchief since she could feel some tremors and lay her hands on her skirt to try to hide the oncoming snarkiness of her hands.
âDo you buh-believe in natural t..talent? Like do you th..think that youâre born with a g..gift, or can prac..tice really hard t-to achieve that talent?â Skylar asked.
He thought about it for a bit then smiled. âSome people work hard and achieve greatness. Others have a natural talent. And others complain about not being able to do something instead of trying to get better. Even with natural talent you need to practice.â He smiled in a way that was almost naive like a child. âThatâs what my mom taught me.â
Skylar nodded, âI compleâŚcompletely agree.â As she stuttered, her left eye twitched a smidge.
She sat in silence for a few minutes wondering if she ask this before deciding to do so. âSo what are you g-guh..going to do about..all of this?â She gestures back to the gym. âI-if someone else dies. If.â Skylar didnât want to believe that anyone else would die, no matter how cruel the situation may be, but she couldnât deny the sinking feeling within her bones.
Seto froze up slightly then coughed. âIf this happens again Iâll most likely lock myself in my dorm and never come out again until this whole thing is over and I can leave. I donât to good in these situations.â He seemed really upset once again by the question.
Skylar internally cringed at herself for asking the question, but it had to be asked. âS..sorry for ak-asking. I donât ll..like any of this eit-either.â Skylar gave him a sympathetic look. She then angled herself in towards him, and instead of looking in his eyes, her eyes scanned his face. âHey, if y-you need someone t..to confide in or ta..talk to, Iâm always guh-gonna be here, okay?â
Seto simply nodded and stared at his hands seeming to be zoning out to some past memory or something. After awhile he snapped out of it and looked at you again. âSorry.â
Skylar glanced at him hearing his apology. âHuh..? O-oh no, itâs qu..quite alright..I do the sshh..same.â Skylar quickly tapped the middle of her forehead with the tip of her left index finger, shakiness calmed down now. âI donât want tuh..to pry into personal backg..rounds, but is everything alri..alright?â
He rubbed the back of his head and sighed before taking a deep breathe. He composed himself and looked at you. âIâm perfectly fine. Just a bit uneasy.â His words didnât seem true but he stayed calm and composed.
Skylar kept her gaze on him as he inhaled, before her eyes twitched over to glance to her side. âOh, I under..understand.â Skylar assumed he was talking about what had just happened and the future possibilities of it happening again. Skylar instinctively shifted her position to slouch a bit and start curling in on herself.
On reflex Seto wrapped his arms around her and held her close humming softly. The six birds fluttered over and landed on her shoulder snuggling her cheek chirping to her. He was being extremely careful with her. âItâs okay. Youâll make it out of here.â
Skylar flinched at the contact, and it took her a few seconds, but once she realized it wasnât malicious Iâm any way, she relaxed a bit. She let out a soft giggle when she felt the birds snuggling her cheek since it tickled. âI believe y..you will t-too.â Skylar replied.
He smiled softly and smoothed your hair down gently. His actions were slow and comforting as he did his best to sooth you. âIt doesnât matter if I die or live. Iâve composed to much to be forgotten.â
Skylar closed her eyes. The gesture was soothing indeed, but when she heard his statement, she opened her eyes, glancing up at him with a solemnly sad look in her icy blue eyes. âNo one deserves to be forgotten. Even if you havenât done some super incredible thing to mark your exact presence in history. There are still people who care, and will remember for who you are and what youâve done.â She spoke to Seto, softly at first, but her voice becoming more confident as she spoke, since it had a deep meaning to her.
He smiled soft and his eyes glittered a soft turquoise in the light. He wiped away some tears and looked at her with a kind of sadness. âI had no family left and very very few friends. If not for my music I would be forgotten.â
âYuh..you can count me as a friend, Seto.â Skylar replied, giving him a look of empathy. âI promise no matturâŚmatter what happens, yuh..you will be rememburrâd..remember..ed by me and everyone else here.â
The smile that split across his face showed that you had really made him feel amazing. He was almost beaming. âDo you really mean that? You think Iâm worth remembering?â His joy seemed contagious.
Skylarâs eyes closed in a smile as well, her bottom eyelids crinkling as she did so. Style nodded as she spoke, âYes. Ss..so much. So, so much. Yuh..youâre a fantastic person, incredi..incredible at your talent, nice, thoughtful, and cuh..caring!â
He hugged you tight and laughed. His budgies snuggled your face as a thank you for making Seto happy. âThanks. Your words help a lot.â The budgies trilled in agreement.
Skylar jumped at first when Seto hugged her, but she was able to calm herself back down and hugged him back. Skylar smiled, speaking into his shoulder, âY..youâre welcome. Any tuh..time, Seto.â Skylar giggled at the budgiesâ chirping.
Seto gently let go and stood up stretching. His entire body ached from the swift transitions between emotion. His back popped as he leaned back and he flinched before sighing softly. He seemed both exhausted and energized at the same time if it were possible.
Skylar gave herself a few seconds before she stood up, looking at Seto nervously. âAh..are you alright now? I hate to duh..do this to you after an epi..episode of panic, but I might need to get buh..back with the others and investiguh..investigate. Maybe at the end of ah..all of this, I could maybe freshen up the buh..body and make it look presentable at least.â Skylar fidgited with her hands.
He simply smiled and nodded in understanding. âYou can go ahead. Maybe if we can have a proper funeral I can play a proper mourning song. Though for now I canât be anywhere near the body or I might habe another break down.â Seto sighed and combed his hands through his hair trying not to shake.
"That wuh..would be so lov'ly and touching, Seto." Skylar responded, "and I understand," Skylar nodded. "Tuh-take care, alright?" Skylar hesitantly placed her hand on Seto's shoulder, then removed it to walk back to the gym, entering back inside to the horrors of her new reality.
