#authorwrites

[author-does-art]

Day Two: “Don’t think I forgot what you did last time…”

Reconcile

The meeting was unprecedented to say the least. Peyton was on a stalking mission, an order from Chorus after one too many bumps in the night. Reagan was out fetching supplies for himself, completely on his own, no other club kids in sight. No one could have guessed that the two would cross paths so soon, and no one could guess exactly how their meeting would go.

        It was Reagan who spotted Peyton first as he exited the shop, lucky that the stalker didn’t spot him first. But that didn’t mean they didn’t spot him next, not when he didn’t move, not when he didn’t keep quiet.

        “Don’t. Move.” Reagan’s voice was low, tired but warning them all the same. He wasn’t happy, and they expected as much. But they could never be sure about their former friend these days. “Drop any gear you have. Phone, book bag, the works.”

        Peyton squinted at Reagan, almost as if asking why, but they knew why. They both did. "Don't think I forgot what you did last time..."

        …That was fair. Even Peyton could acknowledge that, and the sadness and dare they say fear underneath that anger was enough for them to comply. In a few moments, they dropped their small bag. Their phone. Even their earpiece. Not that Reagan even knew about the earpiece, but… it would do them no good to listen to the Dispatcher when they couldn’t talk back.

        ‘…What do you want?’ Despite their compliance, Peyton was still very much tense. They’d been friends with Reagan for a long time. They knew how he could get. And that was why they were so scared of him, yet seeing him like this always seemed to scramble their feelings.

        While Peyton expected more violence from Reagan, the teen didn’t react much at all. All he did was stare at them, seeming lost, even as he sighed and shook his head. “…Fuck,” the teen grumbled, running a hand through his hair. When did he get so skinny? Shit… “…You know, when I woke up and figured out what you did, I wanted to beat the shit out of you.”

         Reagan seemed to find his focus as he began to speak, mismatched green eyes narrowing almost dangerously at the teen. “You were my best friend. I stuck up for you and you shaped me. You. Shaped me.” His voice grew shaky as he continued onward, the punk gritting his teeth before forcing himself to press on. “And you… You’re with them. You’re… with… them. You’re with-“

        Reagan suddenly diverted his gaze, hands running through his hair. Deep breaths, he seemed to be telling himself. Deep breaths. Peyton could see it, his attempt at calming techniques, and their first thought was to try and help.

        Reaching out, they tried to place a hand on his shoulder, but the second contact was made, Reagan jerked away.

        “Don’t touch me!” He snarled, backing up a few paces. It was aggressive. He looked angry, but under that was just… fear.

        They were why he felt fear. This was Peyton’s fault.

        “…Don’t touch me.” Reagan, realizing what he was doing, attempted to straighten himself out, brushing his shoulders and arms as if that would make any difference. “…Just. Urgh-!“

        He then shook his head, seeming angrier with himself than anything. “Why did you do it?!”

        …What?

        “Why did you shape me? Follow them? Save me?!” Reagan’s rambling almost made no sense to the teen, but he didn’t hesitate to put it into context. “You’re their puppet and you took me out. You tried and then you had the chance and then… Then you… At the Hunt you stuck your neck out for me! What the hell were you thinking?! Why- Why would you do that-?!”

        So that was it. Why did Peyton do what they did. What made Peyton tick. A question that Reagan had thought he’d known the answer to until their friendship fell through. Reagan wanted to know why everything had happened, and Peyton… Peyton didn’t fully know if they could explain. But maybe… if what Ara had said was true, if Reagan did seem to be getting better… maybe he could handle it.

        Taking a deep breath of their own, Peyton began lining up their own explanation for him. But they needed to make something clear to their former friend, something that they weren’t even sure they would understand.

        “…E-Everyth- I-“ Their voice suddenly clammed up. Too loud. Too much noise. They couldn’t speak, not out loud. With their trust in him gone, they reverted back to sign, hoping he would understand. ‘…Everything I did… Was to protect you.’

        “What-“

        ‘Let me finish!’ They gritted their teeth, already upset, but surprisingly enough, Reagan didn’t barrel over them. ‘…Thanks…’

        ‘Before the club, the blackouts, the voices… you were so much happier,’ they signed. ‘You still got into fights, you still got into trouble, but it was harmless. We were best friends. We were happy skating to school everyday and running late to class. Everything was fine. Everything was great.’

        ‘And then we noticed the blackouts. We met Bells, and she went missing and the voices… And you became so…’ Their hands shook for a moment, gesturing as they tried to figure out how to even break it to him. ‘…You became scary. Angry. You kept wanting… wanting to hurt things, talking about hurting people, because the club… the club let in traitors. You were mad about the voices- The kids- Everything! The Grudge Queen was blacking you out- The Hunter- The Hunter showed interest-!’

        Their hands shook yet again, eyes flicking all over the place but always returning to Reagan. ‘…You were… not yourself anymore… and when that watcher died and you figured out who it was… I didn’t know if you would actually hurt them, or if you were just being an ass… So I…’ They finally looked away, arms crossed as they shrank into themselves. At first Reagan thought they’d stopped talking, but then he heard their shaky whisper.

        “…I just wanted my friend back…”

        The two stood in silence for a while, opposite sides of the silent war unable to figure out what to say. Peyton had answered his questions, at least the ones regarding Reagan’s shaping incident. And Reagan had stood and listened, after of asking the questions he’d had. Maybe it was his time to respond, to answer to Peyton’s explanation. Maybe it was time to finally try to understand.

        “…We can never be friends again,” Reagan started, the teen shuffling his feet while his hands rested in his vest pockets. “…What you did to me fucked me up, and I’m sure as hell not ready to forgive you for that. Hell I doubt I ever will. And you work for Speak-ass so I sure as hell don’t like you right now.”

        Yeah, that was what Peyton expected. Even if he was better at… this, Reagan was never very good at forgiveness.

        “But…” He sighed, looking away a tad as Peyton glanced up. “…Look. I don’t hate you, I guess. I sure as hell thought I did. Still think I do, but I don’t think I do.” He paused, watching Peyton squint in confusion. “…I’m not good at this feelings shit okay!”

        A small chuckle then sounded from Peyton, surprising both kids for a moment as they went silent. But that didn’t stop the surprised teen from flashing a small smile at Reagan, a smile that he didn’t know how to receive, but… he didn’t react badly to it.

        ‘…That’s okay. You don’t have to forgive me,’ they replied. ‘I… still honestly believe that we’d all be better off in the Song, but… I won’t hunt you down and sell you out to your dad or something.’

      “Dad’s husband. I disowned that bitch.”

        ‘Reagan-‘ Wait. No. They were in no shape to lecture, and they knew it wouldn’t help anyway. ‘…Okay.’

        Giving them a nod, Reagan sighed yet again, now picking up the backpack he’d plopped on the ground. At the same time, the Instrument suddenly sounded, alerting both kids to the coming of the Shape. “…Damn. How fucking sloppy did those guys get?”

        ‘I don’t know. I’ll figure it out in a moment.’ Peyton then began picking up their own gear, earpiece back in place as they got ready to go. ‘…You’re not going to stop me?’ A dumb question, but they were surprised by his inaction. Instead, all Reagan did was shake his head.

        “Not unless I find out you’re bloodstalking. Then I’ll have no choice but to come and kick your ass.” His tone was joking, but there was an air of seriousness to it. Even now, Reagan didn’t approve of the bloodstalking. “…I sure as hell hope you don’t bloodstalk like your ex-partner did at least.”

        ‘Not much. Only those causing serious harm,’ Peyton explained almost too casually. Reagan’s questioning glare, however, got them to pause and explain their reasoning. ‘…People who hurt sleepers and lucids excessively. My job is to keep them safe. That’s what I document as a stalker. And vandalism, there’s no reason to kick so many doors in.’ Well, usually. Reagan didn’t have to know the rest of it.

        ‘…Okay.’ With a small smile and a nod, they pulled out their phone and watched him go, now checking their phone for the total sin reports coming in. It was time to get to work, and so, they began their descent into the maze.

[ask-thetruebelieverhenry]

Henry felt his muscles burning as he strode through the castle. From the moment he docked to his mother’s kingdom he couldn’t stop moving. It had been five years since he’d been home, it was more than enough time though he thought plus.. maybe his mother could help him without her even knowing..

He couldn’t help but wonder if Regina would even recognize him.. at least this would be fun. Henry snickered to himself softly making his way through the castle. He couldn’t help the nervousness creeping up as he heard the clinking of his armor.

@askregalmills

[author-does-art]

Day Ten: “Remember the night we learned how to fly?”

Grapple Lessons

Featuring @setsleepersablaze ‘s Milo, @unusualblackoutkiddo ‘s Sky, and mentions of @.t00lb0xx ‘s Steven!

“So here’s how you use a grapple!” Milo’s voice rang out loud enough for the two kids to hear as he began to fiddle with his hero weapon, unwinding the rope and preparing the device so that it properly stuck on whatever he was throwing it at. Before him were the other two members of the Gremlin Squad, Sky and Vien, the enby looking nervous but determined as they watched him toss the thing up and test it.

        While Sky seemed at least familiar with the process, Vien couldn’t help but be not only nervous, but embarrassed. The grapple was one of the most commonly used hero items in the boxcar, second only to the crossbow, which… dear gosh, she couldn’t believe the club had those. Because of the grapple’s popularity though, many kids knew how to use it, Milo being one of them. 

        Milo… he’d only just joined the club and was so efficient, making friends, saving kids… Sky was also getting better with this item too, even when it wasn’t their main. Like Vien, Sky seemed to have a taser on them a lot. It just made escaping easier, and Vien wouldn’t be surprised if that made them feel safer too. And Sky was even newer to all of this, yet they… apparently had been practicing. There went Milo, asking them to demonstrate, and while it took some effort, they did make it a good way up the rope. Man… The two new kids had already more or less gotten the hang of the thing, and here Vien was, not knowing anything, which she thought they didn’t need to know until-

        “Your turn Vien!” Milo’s voice snapped her out of her daze, the teen blinking as she focused back on her friends. Oh. Sky must’ve finished their climb. They were already back down on the ground again, meaning they probably hadn’t been able to pull themselves up. Guess their arm strength was still weak, but it was getting there. With enough practice, Sky would be able to get up there eventually.

        “Sorry. I kind of slipped down when I tried to grab the ledge,” Sky wheezed, blowing on their hands to try and soothe the rope burn.

        ”You can probably use the sink in 922 to help with the burns,” Vien suggested, gesturing to the house behind them. “Just uh… don’t get dragged. Sometimes a sleeper wanders around up there, but I can totally buy you a tranq if you need.”

        ”Okay.” Giving Vien a nod, Sky smiled in thanks and hurried off to the house. Now, Vien and Milo were alone. Now, Vien would be left to fail at climbing up the rope.

        As Sky left, Vien hesitantly approached Milo, the kid staring up at the top of the rope with a worried frown. She had to climb up that? Oh dear. Already, her worries we’re proving to be a problem. Was that even safe? Would it hold her weight? Nonsense. Of course it would! But what if Milo got it wrong? What if she was too heavy? It was preposterous, but here she was, tugging on the rope to make sure it was firmly in place. Clearly the girl was jittery, and thankfully, her friend was able to read the room.

        ”It’s sturdy,” Milo reassured, giving the rope a much harsher than than what she was doing. “I’ve climbed this thing a bunch of times! Plus I still weigh more than you so if it can hold me, you’ll be perfectly fine! And if you fall, I’ll catch you!”

        He was always so considerate about this kind of stuff, which was always so helpful. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t any less nervous. Clutching the rope, the kid let out a sigh, shrinking into her green flannel a bit more. “…Good to know- I just… I can’t climb.”

        ”Huh?” Ah. That was what was happening. But that didn’t mean Milo wasn’t any less confused. “You can climb! I’ve seen you climb fences and run around on those rafters all the time! You gotta climb to get up there you know.”

        ”I know-!” That was different. Climbing up objects and using a rope were different. “But that’s- Those things are blocky objects- This is a rope-! It’s- I’m gonna fall- I don’t have this kind of strength- I can’t climb it-!”

        Vien’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the rope tighter, the kid gritting her teeth in frustration from her own fear. This was stupid. She knew it was! It was a climbing rope! But it was necessary, what with some of the unreachable things in the maze. That and it was an easy getaway from sleepers and lucids. She needed to learn this if she wanted to stay safe. So why couldn’t she just do it?!

        While the kid stood by and had a some sort of breakdown, Milo quickly picked up just how bad things were and placed a hand on her own. “Vien, if it stresses you out that much, you don’t have to learn how to use a grapple.”

        ”But I should learn it! It’s an extra edge in the game, and I’d be stupid to turn it down.”

        ”Well yeah, but you don’t have to give yourself an anxiety attack over it.” Milo then gave his grapple a few precise rugs and let it fall back down beside them, the rope going slack in Vien’s hands now that it was no longer attached to the rock wall. “You’re just as new as the rest of us, right? You’ll get it.”

        ”No- I’ve still been in the club longer than you, and Steven uses the grapple too- I just…” The kid eventually dropped the rope, crossing her arms and sinking into herself again. “Logically, I should be good at this by now. My best friend is a grapple-runner and he’s the one who took me out in my first few missions. Hell I even tried to use grapple too but like… I never really had the strength for it and stuff… And now you guys are learning how to use it. You took to it easily, which is fair- That does happen, but even Sky’s ahead of me and they pretty much just started and are shaped like a twink!”

        Milo couldn’t help but snicker at that last bit. Haha Twink Sky, but also, that wasn’t really important here. It was clear that Vien felt useless. Inferior even, and Milo wanted to do something about it.

        ”Did Vien just call me a twink?” Sky’s voice only barely reached the duo as they climbed up and over the fence, the kid seeming confused but also vaguely amused by the idea. “Also how’d the climb go? Are we done?”

        ”Nah, we’re not done yet,” Milo replied. “Come on. I’ve got another idea.”

        And so, Milo took off trotting up Upper Hoadly, gesturing for the others to follow, which Sky and Vien of course did. Up past the houses and further into the woods by Old Growth, the trio went, all up until they encountered one of the caves they used to take their exit. Here, Milo tossed his grapple up by the cave, only to then draw the rope out and make sure it could be grabbed by someone in the nearest tree. “Vien’s worried about not having any arm strength, so! I’ve decided we’re gonna do arm strength training the fun way!”

        Oh this looked like fun, but it also looked like pain if they messed up. In a way though, Vien couldn’t help but consider this, the kid watching as Milo climbed the tree and prepared for a swing. “Train your upper arms to hold on while swinging around! Is it safe? Eh, but it’s fun!”

        With that, he then proceeded to jump out of the tree, holding onto the rope tightly as he swung around inside. Laughter echoed through the cave as he swung into it, the sound of boots eventually hitting the cave wall drowning them out before he lowered himself back down to the ground, grinning. “See? Perfectly safe! Just make sure you try to steer yourself into facing the nearest cave wall.”

        This looked so dangerous, but somehow it was overriding whatever logic told her not to do it. Apparently this was more acceptable than your average climbing test, which was bonkers to say the least. Clearly this should be even lower on her list of acceptable activities, but unfortunately for her, Vien was still a teenager, and teenagers are legally obligated to do stupid shit at least once.

        As Milo handed her the rope, Vien got to work, climbing up into the tree and wrapping the rope firmly around her hands. “You sure I’m not gonna straight up die?”

        ”Eh. Probably won’t.” Milo sounded so casual, yet there was something picking at the back of her mind. Even with her teenager brain, her anxiety still wished to come out and over-analyze.

        ‘Don’t think about it,’ she told herself. ‘If you start thinking now, you’ll lock up again.’ So she didn’t. She tried to stop thinking about it, instead taking a deep breath before swinging out of the tree and into the cave.

        The fun was over in mere moments for Vien as she  swung back outside then back into the thing, eventually steering herself so that she could plant her feet on the wall and stop the spinning. Her head hurt just a smidge from getting so disoriented, but for the most part, she was laughing, both afraid and entertained all at once. She couldn’t climb just yet, but she had a grip. She could hold on, and she could only get better from there.

        And that was true. She had gotten better. Now she could keep up with her friends and race up the rope whenever a sleeper was on their tail. Now she could toss up a grapple and even switch with her group if for whatever reason she ever needed to. Now she could climb and swing and play the same game with more certainty than she ever could back then.

        ’Remember the night we learned how to fly?’ The words slid into her mind as she stared at the pictures on her phone, some of Milo and Sky swinging around while a few were of her that she’d gotten from Milo at the time.

        ’Yeah,’ she replied. ‘I remember.’

[author-does-art]

Day Seven: “If we reach for it, we have the future!”

Rambles with Vien

Featuring @paintedbutterstick ‘s Eloise and mentions of @.redacre-sunsets ‘s Kira and @.just-under-lucid ‘s Ara!

Every single voice kid always seemed to have some sort of quirk, some sort of identifying feature that clued another in on who they follow or may resonate with. Grudge kids were feisty, Clown kids were jokesters, and Science kids were thinkers. Vien, like many, fell into many different categories, but today, she was particularly resonating with her patron. Today, she was in the mood to theorize.

        Pacing back and forth in one of the boxcars, Vien seemed to be out of it, at least at first. The kid was just pacing, occasionally pausing and swinging her arms, or she’d snap her fingers and grumble things before suddenly hopping back to it. It was wild, honestly, especially when she’d been so mission-heavy lately. But maybe these missions had something to do with whatever the hell she was thinking about.

        Not wanting to interrupt whatever train of thought her brain was on, Eloise slinked on by and tried to grab her bag to go, except that had put her in plain view of Vien, who immediately clasped her hands together in greeting. “Eloise!”

        Oh no.

        ”Hi!”

        “Yo!” Vien grinned, practically vibrating in place, even as she continued her walking around the sleeping car. Good gosh Eloise hoped no one was sleeping in the boxcar. Was anyone sleeping in the boxcar? Ah fuck, someone was. Eloise could see Ara’s purple hair poking out from behind the mirror. Man, unfortunate for Ara, because now Vien had someone to actually ramble at. “I think we might have a way of beating this shit!”

        ”Huh?” Eloise simply smiled and nodded, letting her friend go absolutely off the rails. But even she was a little interested, just a little bit. Sometimes Vien’s theories had something to them; Vien tried to use only what she knew after all.

        ”Yeah!” Still off her shits, Vien grabbed Eloise’s arm and yoinked her into the next car over. Thank God. Eloise was so worried Vien would wake poor Ara up. Now she was only Eloise’s problem! “Okay okay so! Die-For-You’s dead.”

        ”Yeah.”

        ”The Hunter cronched him.”

        ”Yeah?”

        ”And the Caller’s free!”

        ”Yeah!”

        ”So we’ve got him!” Vien grinned, suddenly pointing at the club’s corkboard. Dear god, she hoped Vien hadn’t added more stuff to it. “We’ve got the Caller! And our man seems sorta out of it but he does remember stuff!”

        Eloise simply nodded as Vien went along. Where was she going with this? Did she even want to know?

        ”And Die Guy’s shit- Die Guy’s shit- If you read the transcript, Die Guy pulled some shit!”

        ”Uh-huh.”

        ”He pitied the shit outta the Hunter.”

        ”He sure did!”

        ”Yeah! And it really seemed to make him mad!” Vien was vibrating even more now. Honestly Eloise was waiting for her to vibrate through the floor. “So that got me thinking- That got me thinking! We might have a key here if we’re nice of course!”

        ”Yeah?” Now this one was something Eloise kind of knew about. “Isn’t Pringles Kira already testing this though?”

        ”Well, yes-“ Vien wheezed, already seeming embarrassed. “But! The thing is- The thing is! We have a way to kick down the Hunter! Things are already going well with probably knocking out Sundown, and the Pact, well, Die Guy’s- You know, and your Clown Dad’s missing a host and all, which sucks, but!”

        The TMC kid suddenly began writing a few things on some sticky notes, adding them to the corkboard while punching a new large one at the top. “We have everything going okay! Tooth’s sus as all hell and I’m gonna personally pester Ara about it, but other than her and Clown Man not coming back with the milk-“

        ”And Die’s death.”

        ”-and Die’s death! Other than all of that, I think now we might finally have a chance!” She then pointed enthusiastically to the note she’d stuck at the top, a note that read, ‘Crash Sundown, save Bells, destroy HTS with power of friendship.’ “We’re almost there! If we keep going, we’ll get there! If we reach for it, we have the future! And it’s ours! Our future! Our good ending! We actually have a chance!”

        “…Did we not already have a chance before?”

        ”Okay yes but-!” Vien sputtered, only to then throw her head back and run her hands through her short hair. “I’m saying it’s better now! Our chances of surviving are so much better now.”

        ”…Ah!” Even now, Eloise still barely understood anything she’d said. “…I should go home now!”

        ”Girl help.” Yeah, Vien knew she’d gone overboard too, maybe a little bit. “But that’s fair that’s fair- Go do house things!”

        ”I will!” Grinning and lowkey relieved to finally leave, Eloise swung her backpack over her shoulder and smiled, already beginning her walk. “Take care! Bye!”

        ”Bye!” Vien called back. Normally she’d feel bad, and part of her still did, but at the same time, she was too excited to be upset. The future was theirs. It was right within their grasp. All they had to do was reach up and take it.

[author-does-art]

Day Six: “The stars… I never sat down and looked at the stars.”

Moving

Unique Smith had never wanted to move. New York had been fine. Loud, but fine. People could be rude, but fine. She knew it. She could navigate it. She’d been there all her life, and better yet, she’d always had a future there. Always. Finally, her smarts were being recognized. Uni’s technology skills were no joke then, and they were certainly no joke now. With proper guidance, she could be a real life Tony Stark, they’d said. A real life inventor, someone who could change the world (and hopefully not be a clusterfuck like that character), they’d said. All she needed was proper schooling and some mentors, and now? She wasn’t getting any of that.

        The sudden move to Redacre, Virginia had come as a shock to the pre-teen at the time. Mother had said she’d gotten a new job, and that job would allow them to start over. ‘Start over from what?’ Uni had asked, but her mother had just shaken her head. ‘Don’t argue,’ was what she’d been told, and as much as she tried, there was no changing her mother’s mind.

        Welcome to Redacre.

        Boxes laid scattered all over the house for the two to handle, along with some neighbors that had come to help out. They’d greeted Uni at the time, but she’d quickly retreated to her new room, upset by this new environment, and even more upset when she remembered how barren her room was. They still needed to set up her bed; her nightstand; her dresser; her posters. It was a nice room though, bigger than the one back home, but that didn’t take away how much she was already homesick. She wanted New York back.

        For a while, Uni stayed put in this room, huddled in a corner by some boxes that she’d moved and stacked to hide herself with. She’d thought about sneaking out via the window, but the kid knew that wasn’t a good idea. Other than stranger danger and getting lost in a new place, Uni didn’t know if the strangeness of the outside scared her more or the inside. At least the inside was safe, in a way. People were in the house, but they’d left her room alone. Good. This was her room. Her space, even if it didn’t fully feel like hers yet. But soon enough, someone encroached on this space, giving a knock and a pause before cracking open the door.

        ”Unique…?” The sound of her tired mother barely caused the kid to stir, her entire being huddled inside her oversized sweater. Despite not making a sound though, it was clear her daughter was in there. And thus, with a sigh, she pushed open the door and walked inside, already moving towards the corner.

        Once again, Uni didn’t raise her head, even when the boxes were moved out of the way, or when she felt her mother take a seat right beside her. And that was how things were for a moment. Silent, no one saying a word. But soon enough, her mother couldn’t help but finally break the ice. “…I know… You didn’t want to come here, and I know this place is very new and very scary for you, but-“

        ”No duh,” the child huffed, making sure to pointedly move away. “You didn’t even give me a warning. Just told me to pack my bags and go, and to some stupid town in the middle of the Radio Quiet Zone!” Finally, she lifted her head, shooting her mother a glare before burying it back in her sweater. “I can’t even text my friends anymore! Urgh- This isn’t fair!”

        The mother simply let the child rant, continuing to frown as she accepted just how much of a toll this was taking on her kid. To her, this was a fun new adventure, a warmer place to live with warmer people and a warmer community. But to her daughter, this was a frightening place, an unknown area with unknown people and things. Redacre was the direct opposite of New York City, and while the woman saw this as a positive, Unique clearly didn’t like it. Not at all.

        ”…I’m sorry.” The woman diverted her gaze and began to stare at the floor as she talked. “I should have told you sooner, and I should have let you say proper goodbyes to your friends… This place… I brought you here because I thought we could-“

        ”-Start over.”

        ”…Yes, start over, in a better environment with better people, in a better community.” She then paused, unsure if Uni would even understand what she was talking about. Maybe she would. She was a smart girl after all, but she was young, not yet even a teenager. She was thinking about her old home, the friends she’d lost. She wasn’t thinking about the bigger picture… meaning she needed her own explanation, at least in her mother’s eyes. “…I know you miss New York, and Redacre… This is a new place for you, and you don’t have to like it right away… or ever if you don’t really want to. But… that doesn’t mean I won’t try to make this transition easier for you. You’ve got all summer to get settled in, and my new job’s giving me time to move and adjust too. So… if you want… we can explore our new home together.”

        Unfortunately, Unique didn’t bother to respond.

        ”…Would you please come outside with me?”

        ”No. I don’t wanna.”

        ”Please?” The mother turned her gaze back to her daughter, watching for any hope that her kid would let up. “…It’ll only be for a moment. I just want show you something.”

        She just wanted to show her something. Honestly, Uni didn’t really feel like getting up. Sulking was fine. Hiding in this new room of hers was fine. But clearly her mom was trying here; Uni couldn’t deny that. Maybe that was why she took her up on her offer.

        Reluctantly, Uni shuffled to her feet, still very much grumpy about the situation. But she was following along. She was humoring her mom, and that was all the woman could really ask for.

        Taking her hand, the mother lead her through the house, first down the hall and then through the living room. Many boxes littered the area, but many already seemed unpacked. Guess those neighbors were helpful after all, which was… weird, in a way. Uni was so used to just minding her own business in their apartment. Sure getting help did happen, but for the most part she knew none of her neighbors. Was this one of these differences her mother liked so much?

        Nonetheless, the real show came from the backyard. It was small, but still very much a backyard. Her own patch of grass to exist in without worry. But she didn’t care that much about it, not when her mother pointed out something else. Not when her mother told her to look up.

        Night had fallen since they’d arrived, since her mother and the neighbors had been moving in. Since she’d gone and hid and napped in her room. More time had passed than expected, but it wasn’t what caught her eye. Instead, it was the many little lights dotting the late night sky. Far and wide, these lights stretched, so many of them lighting up the night. They weren’t brighter than the street lights of course. Uni could still see the street lights illuminating the nearby area. But they didn’t blot out the sky like she was used to. They didn’t keep the sky from shining as much as she was used to. Instead, the minimal lights were allowing these ones to shine bright. Truly, Uni had never seen anything like this before.

        ”The stars…” Her mother squeezed her kid’s hand gently, also taken by the amazing view from their own backyard. “I never sat down and looked at the stars.”

        For a moment, Uni didn’t respond, still too busy staring up into the sky. But eventually, she did pause to look towards her mom, except this time, this wasn’t a look is disdain. “…But there weren’t this many stars back home.”

        ”Exactly.” Catching her daughter’s glance, the woman looked down towards her and smiled. “There are a lot of things here that aren’t like back home. And this is one of the good ones.”

        One of the good ones. She… couldn’t argue with that. The night sky was pretty without so much light pollution. The neighborhood was quiet; it was unsettling, but also calming. Was this just how towns like this were? Sleepy and quiet with never ending stars in the sky? It didn’t mean she didn’t still miss New York City. In fact, she figured she always would. But maybe… maybe. Maybe Uni would like it here.

[august-aches]

“Do you think we’re friends in every universe?”

We’re the Three Musketeers. Lemon, lime, orange. Three different blooms that grow towards each other, three birds that caw at one another. Rock, paper, scissors. You burn me like the sun but you keep us warm when winter strolls. I admire the moon because you appear in the sky, even when your phase is unseen. Call me the stars, let me dance around you, let me glow around you to illuminate your beauty. To light up the sky when you’re not there. Sea, sky, land. Spicy, mild, and sweet. Promises I will keep.

[august-aches]

He glares in the reflection

Clutching his white flag

Refusing to wave surrender

Seemingly strange but enraged

Reflection taunting, making him seem inferior

He had a grudge with the man in the mirror

[august-aches]

Welcome to my personal sideblog which features my interests, rambles, and poetry!

You can call me Author (He/him). I am a minor and transgender.

My interests consists of writing, art, mythology, theatre/singing, reading, Cuarteto De Nos, and much more. I’m always open for a conversation as well!

Main Blog About My Practice

Nottle !

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If you are older then 18, you are completely able to interact, DM, and follow me. However if you make sexual or uncomfortable comments, I will block you.

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