Chapter Text
You’ve had many nights like this one, though not all of them have been quite as peaceful.
It always starts the same way…
You’re falling, for what feels like years. It’s not unpleasant, sort of like that feeling of hopping off the curve of a street, after balancing from it for minutes at a time. Or jumping up and down a trampoline, just waiting in excitement as you come flying back up from the springs beneath.
It’s exciting! Somewhat unnerving, but exciting nonetheless!
Then eventually you're overcome with a soothing calm, as you shut your eyes and simply let yourself fall, with nothing but shadows surrounding you. Usually you find the dark unnerving, especially since… Well, a day you’d rather not think about right now. You feel something lodge in your throat at that thought, but you push it back forcing it away.
Anyway… as you were saying… thinking? You don’t really say much nowadays, and yet your thoughts are so loud it feels like you are, yet whenever you open your mouth, nothing comes out. It’s a weird feeling, but a feeling you’re used to.
The Shadows curl around you like a warm embrace, and say. “Came for a visit, Sunny?” Sunny, the boy locked around the embrace of the shadows, and also his name, in case you forgot. He nods, not uttering a word. “It appears the protector joins us as well.” You nod as the shadows call out to you.
“Well, I shall delay you no longer… please keep it brief, you have a busy day tomorrow.” Sunny nods, as do you. There’s no room to argue, after all the Shadows are known to speak the truth, as much as that fact annoys you to no end. There’s a small click, reminiscent of that of a lightswitch flipping on, and…
You appear in a room of purest light, cut off from the rest of the Shadows and Dreams. Of course you immediately recognize this as WHITESPACE, though as of recently there are several changes to it, as… “Hey Sunny! Welcome back!” Flower, as you’ve been calling him, waves to Sunny who lays still in the middle of the room, slowly opening his eyes.
Sunny nods to him, waving back. Hi Basil, hey Aubrey. His thoughts echo and reverberate throughout the space, and your mind as he greets his friends. Flower smiles back at him, as Gladiator, which is the name you’ve given Sunny’s pink haired friend, nods to him as a greeting seemingly fully engrossed in the game of chess the two of them were playing.
“HA!” She suddenly shouts, slamming down a knight onto the board. “Check!” She crosses her arms with a proud look on her face, as she stares down Flower. “Checkmate.” He responds with a small smile, barely hiding his menace. Gladiator's proud grin almost immediately evaporates, and is replaced with an annoyed scowl. “Cheeky lil’ shit.”
She then proceeds to flip the board, causing it to disappear into thin air. Flower and Sunny laugh under their breaths, the former of which saying. “Good game Aubrey!” He holds out his hand for a handshake, a sportsmanlike gesture really… only for Gladiator to smack his hand away and roll her eyes. “Whatever.”
She pushes herself up to her feet, and falls to lay beside Sunny, who still is laying in the middle of the room, Basil scooches over to join them, sitting cross-legged beside the two of them. “So, why’re you here?” Gladiator asks, leaning on her side with a curious expression. “Don’t really show up that much, since we started having our daily talks out there.” She doesn’t specify what she means, but mainly because she doesn’t have to.
Sunny, Flower, and Gladiator… or at least the real versions of his two friends, tend to have daily calls nowadays. Mostly just to stay in touch and chat, talking about their days, anything exciting that had come up, things of that nature. You don’t really pay attention to most of those chats, you’re only vaguely aware of their contents but that’s the jist.
Going back to school tomorrow. That… you weren’t aware of, but that does explain the odd suspenseful sensation in his chest… and your own. Unnerving, but exciting at the same time. When was the last time you were even in school? It’d have to be… the day the memories were ruined? That was several years ago. Both Aubrey and Basil brighten at this, the former of which saying. “That’s right! Hell yeah man! What classes have you got?”
Sunny responds with a shrug. I don’t know, I still need to get my schedule from the principal office in the morning. His face scrunches in disapproval at the word “morning” he never was an early riser, and in the coming months, that will be a lot more common of an occurrence. “You did remember to set your alarm, right?” Flower asks worriedly, which Sunny just responds to with a nod. Six AM on the dot.
Flower looks over to you for confirmation of that time. You simply respond to him with a firm nod, he gives you a thankful smile, you return it with your iconic stone-faced stare. Sunny tends to be more truthful with those two rather than you after all, so no point in double checking what is most likely the truth.
You walk towards the group, and sit in front of them, tucking in your knees to your chest as you watch Sunny chest rise and fall with his breaths. I hope I have art. I’ve been meaning to get into it again, and it’d be a good excuse to do that. Sunny’s thought hums through your mind, and you can’t help but nod in agreement. You do miss drawing, it’d be nice to have your sketchbook back.
Flower smiles warmly at Sunny. “I hope you show us some of your drawings once you’re finished.” Sunny hums in thought, before giving a small nod. I will. I’d like more opinions on them anyway. An excuse to talk to his friends more you realize, but you don’t say it out loud. Sunny though seems to see right through you, and manages a glare in your direction despite laying on his back.
You barely manage to hold back a small grin, at this hostility. Despite being one in the same, the two of you tend to disagree rather than agree on things nowadays, mostly through no fault of your own of course, considering Sunny’s complete disregard for his own emotional stability and well being… but then again, most of the time his actions tend to have a more positive effect than negative nowadays.
After all, you never expected any of his friends to forgive him… and yet.
A hospital bed, with all your friends gathered around it.
Basil lays on it, his breaths though uneven… proves he’s alive.
A sigh of relief. Tension fades. A look of resolve.
A conversation, a truth, and many tears.
Your voice hurts, from not talking for several years.
Your eye hurts, not only from the injury you’ve received, but from all those tears you’ve finally shed, and will shed.
Your body hurts, after finally remembering how to live after so long.
Your friends are hurt… by you reopening wounds and creating new ones.
A shared smile with a friend long forgotten, and finally reunited, alive and well and now awake for what seems like the first time in years.
Shadows fade.
And days later… another friend returns to see you off.
A blur of pink.
And arms holding you tight, worried that if she lets you go you might disappear and never return.
“I think… I’m just tired of being angry, and besides I almost did the same thing you two did… but worse. So… let’s just stay in touch, ok? I can’t lose any of you after just getting you all back.”
And yet… one of them did. So perhaps he hasn’t lost anything yet, just… misplaced it. Something that was lost but could be regained with time. You just have to wait, HE just has to wait. Though as you’re thinking about this, you feel a firm hand grasp your shoulder, snapping you out of the memory.
Sunny looks down at you with a small smile. When did he get up? I’m waking up now. He says through your mind. You glance around the room and… Gladiator and Flower are gone, a sign that Sunny is waking up. Again he speaks the truth, that seems to be a common thing with him now.
You apologise to him for spacing out, he shrugs his shoulders in response. You had a lot to think about. It’s fine. Maybe next time I visit we can play? It hasn’t been just the two of us in a while. You nod in agreement, you would like that. You’re… tempted to ask if… no. She isn’t here anymore, and thinking about that especially as he’s waking up is dangerous, at least that’s what you’re told.
Sunny removes his hand from your shoulder, and… the door leading out of WHITESPACE appears. You wave goodbye to him, and tell him to have a good day at school. I will, goodnight Omori. With that, he twists the doorknob, and walks through the door-
*Beep*
*Beep*
*Beep*
“Mmm…” I slowly open my eyes, which are still heavy with sleep and glance at the alarm clock beside me.
[Sunny’s Bedroom: September 28th, Thursday, 6:13 AM]
Honestly, that was a lot faster than I was expecting. Slowly sitting up in my bed, I grab the glass of water on my bedside table, and drink it down in one gulp. Ah, Refreshing. Now awake, I grab my phone which was also sitting on the bedside table, and quickly check it for messages.
Just the usual good morning from Basil at four in the morning, Aubrey probably won’t be awake until around eight. I pocket my phone, and grab my school uniform from my closet. A long sleeved gray button up vest, an orange-ish brown shirt with a white collar, a red tie, and simple blue jeans.
Never really had to wear a uniform for school before. I always thought they were weird when I was younger, since you had to wear the same thing every day. But I can’t really talk considering I basically did that for four years WITHOUT going to school, and also… never washing it.
I’m pretty sure mom burned that outfit after we moved, because I have no idea where it is now, but… that’s probably for the better considering- actually no, not going to think about THAT right now. Have a mental breakdown after school Sunny… or not at all would be more preferable.
I quickly take a shower, and get dressed, making sure to remove my phone from my old set of clothes beforehand (Don’t want to do THAT again) and take my meds. Don’t feel like having hallucinations at school after all, I’m already stuck in my own head most of the time anyway.
Actually… speaking of which. I take out my phone and hover over Basil’s contact.
Medicine :[Universally_Loved]
[Fruit_Salad]: o-oh! thank you for the reminder, sunny!!!!
[Fruit_Salad]: I’ll take those right now,,,
[Fruit_Salad]: :)
b :[Universally_Loved]
Friend reminded, now it’s time for breakfast. I head to the main living area where… Mom is actually still here. Though she seems to be getting ready to leave since she has her purse and everything.
“Good morning Sunshine! I made you some breakfast.” She points to the fridge. Must be in there then. That was nice of her. I sign to her. “Thank you.” She returns it with a smile of her own. “Just heat it up alright? Mommy’s got to run, have a good first day of school! I’m sure you’ll do great.” She walks up and kisses me on the forehead, before making her way to the door with a small wave. I give a small wave back.
I heat up breakfast (Eggs and Bacon, nice.) and slowly eat it, making sure to pace myself like my doctor said. Apparently starving yourself for four years has side-effects on your stomach… who would’ve thought? Still good though.
By the time I finish it’s around 7:30. It takes about 45 minutes to get to school so I have some time to kill beforehand I guess. I walk back to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and hear a ping from my phone.
I check it- oh it’s Aubrey.
[Pink_Boss]: Sunny you better be awake
[Pink_Boss]: Basil and I can and WILL spam your phone if you aren’t
[Fruit_Salad]: h-he is aubrey,,, dont worry!!
honk mimimimi :[Universally_Loved]
[Fruit_Salad]: see???
[Fruit_Salad]: hi again sunny!!!!
[Pink_Boss]: Wow, look at you being responsible for once.
thanks kettle :[Universally_Loved]
[Pink_Boss]: Shut the fuck up pot
[Pink_Boss]: Good luck with school, don’t stab anyone
[Fruit_Salad]: aubrey……..
[Pink_Boss]: Gotta cover all our bases
[Fruit_Salad]: >:(
will stab out of pettiness now :[Universally_Loved]
[Pink_Boss]: With what knives?
butter knife :[Universally_Loved]
[Fruit_Salad]: sunny…. i dont think youre strong enough to do that….
[Pink_Boss]: ^ the salad speaks the truth.
hurtful :[Universally_Loved]
leaving now :[Universally_Loved]
[Pink_Boss]: lol
[Fruit_Salad]: hehe!!!
[Pink_Boss]: In all seriousness, have a good day
ill punch the biggest one in the yard for you :[Universally_Loved]
also thanks :[Universally_Loved]
I pocket my phone once again, as I step out of the apartment and into the main hall, and after heading down the stairs into the main plaza, I make it out into the city. It’s still unnerving how different this place is from Faraway. Instead of the sun rising in the distance with birds chirping happily, it’s just towering skyscrapers and cars honking all day long.
It’s a strange change, but not so much that it actually bothers me, it’s like… whenever your birthday comes up and somebody asks if you feel any older. You know that you ARE older, I mean your birthday proves that, but beyond an imaginary number going up nothing has really changed, it just is.
But at the same time it’s comforting because it proves that you’re here at this moment, and everyone around you asking the same question proves that you’re real, if that makes sense? I’m honestly not sure, what I’m saying is that it’s strange but familiar.
Which is also something I can say for this pizza place I’m walking into right now. The atmosphere is similar to Gino’s but… well it’s NOT called that, first off, and second the person at the counter is a lot less hostile about people ordering sandwiches. (Probably because it’s early and they couldn’t care less, but still it’s a noticeable change.)
I write a quick thank you note to the person at the counter and leave my money for the food and drink with it. I put the sandwich in my lunch for later, and take sips of my Life Jammy Juice drink as I walk through the front gates to the school and make my way to the principals office for my schedule.
“Oh hello! Come in, come in.” The secretary at the front desk calls me over, as I walk up to the front desk, and write. I’m here to talk to the principal about my schedule? She glances at the note and nods. “Right… name?”
I write with mastered precision. Sunny Suzuki.
“Ah right! You’re our new transfer student. I’ll let Principal Rabuer know.” She taps a number into the intercom beside her, and relays what I had just told her to the principal, before looking back up at me with a warm smile. “Go through the second door on the right.” I give her a curt nod, and follow her directions and enter the principals office.
“Sunny! A pleasure to meet you, please take a seat.” He gestures to the chair in front of his desk, which I gladly take. Soft and plush, though the arm rests are metallic and cold… 8/10.
“So from what your mother told us, you have selective mutism, is that right?” I nod. “Right! So here’s some options, first we can provide a translator for you, you’re able to speak ASL right?” Another nod, and I sign. I can, I learned when I was younger. I pause for a moment thinking it over, before shaking my head and continuing. But I’d rather not have somebody following me everywhere, I have sticky notes that I can use to share my thoughts.
The principal nods. “I see! Well I was going to offer a whiteboard to do much the same thing.” I physically cringe at the thought of having a white board tied around my neck. That would be embarrassing… and I don’t really plan on standing out too much. I shake my head again. My notes will be fine if that’s alright.
He hums in understanding. “Alright, if you’re sure. If you ever run out, come down here and we’ll provide another stack for you to use, alright?” I nod again. “Great! Now then on to business.” He grabs a paper from his desk and hands it to me. It’s my schedule… though most of it is in the same room?
“Now I’ll be honest, your mother has informed us of… your “recovery” so to speak.” Oh, right. Of course she did… “And while this is highly unprecedented, you seem like a highly capable young man if the records from your last year in school were any indication.” They were honestly pretty average in my opinion, but that’s probably because of… well, DAD’s expectations.
“So! I’m willing to compromise. Through the upcoming months you’ll be mostly in the guidance counsellors office doing catch-up work, with a few regular classes in between, those being your Art classes in the mornings-” Oh, that’s what that is? That’s good. “-And Physical Fitness at the end of the day.” Not as nice, but fair considering what mom probably told him.
“And you will stay with the guidance counsellor until you’re at a freshman level. Which does mean you’re going to be held back a year, but it’s the best we can do…” I shrug my shoulders. That’s fine, honestly I was expecting worse.
He chuckles at that. “Right then, I believe that’s all we’ve got to go over. I’ll hand you a slip to excuse you missing the start of your class, and you can put your stuff in your locker and head up, alright?” I stuff my schedule into my bag and nod, thanking him as I take my leave.
Finding my locker doesn’t take too long luckily, since it’s location was written on my schedule, though finding my class takes a bit longer, probably because I’m not used to the layout of the school yet. Seriously, what does 213A mean? Because my class is NOT on the second floor as far as I’m aware.
Whatever, ignoring that. I eventually find my class, and knock on the door. I hear some shuffling and before long somebody opens the door, with a raised eyebrow. “Hello? Do you need something?” I take the permission slip out of my pocket and hand it to them. “Oh! Sunny, right? Come on in!” I nod, as they usher me in.
A few people look up from their work to glance at me, it’s about what you expect. Confusion, intrigue, disgust (Probably due to the eyepatch?), as I scan the student body around me, I spot a head of pink hair… and as little sense as it makes to do so, I do a double take towards it.
Yep, that is absolutely not Aubrey to nobody's surprise. The girl (very reasonably mind you), glares back at me as I stare at her. Deciding I don’t want to make this anymore awkward I snap my gaze away from her and look back at the teacher, who seems to be speaking to me… oops.
“-so just take a seat wherever you want, I’m not too picky about that sort of thing and get started!” Get started on what? Is what I would LOVE to ask, but I don’t want to seem incompetent, so I just nod and take an empty seat. Pulling out my sketchbook as I do.
It’s a relatively new one that I bought during one of my many MANY walks in the city, which I’ve made it a point to do semi-weekly less I invoke Aubrey’s wrath. Seriously if she found out I just cooped myself up back inside I think she’d find some way to teleport into my room and hit me into the city, homerun style.
That’s actually… a pretty vivid image. Hm. Well at least I know what I’m sketching now. I spend the next few minutes beginning a sketch of Aubrey winding up her bat (minus the nails she took those out a while ago) about to knock me out of the window of my room.
About five minutes before the end of class the teacher stands up and walks to the center of the class. “Alright, everyone do the finishing touches to your introduction sketches, and present them to the class!” Our what? Oh. Hm. I don’t think this really counts as that. Well whatever, it’s better than literally anything else in here at the moment.
I write my name in bold letters underneath Aubrey and I, and shut my sketchbook, watching as my classmates introduce themselves, and a fun fact about themselves or their art. Eventually however, I’m called up, and I walk to the center of the class, notes in hand.
I walk to the whiteboard, which is filled with little doodles, probably from students who arrived early? Some have familiar art styles to a few of the drawings I’ve seen today. Well no need to ruin any of them, I carefully place my notes around the doodles, and motion for the teacher to come over. They oblige.
“Everyone, this is Sunny Suzuki!” I bow my head slightly as they announce that, opening my sketchbook to what I was working on the entire class. “And he tends to base his drawings off of dreams he’s had, both during the day and at night. That’s a very interesting thing to base your drawings off of Sunny-”
They stop mid-sentence as they look down at my sketch. “Er.. what, does this tell us about you exactly?” I just blink back at them, not really sure how to respond to that. I like to think I’m good at coming up with things on the spot, but this is… yeah I don’t even have anything for this.
“Well… you did a good job at showing depth? And the colors you used on the girls' hair are very fantastical! Almost like looking into a starry sky, the drawing itself is also very… imaginative?” I will… absolutely take that. I nod in agreement to everything they just said. Yep! Definitely what I was trying to convey, thank you for noticing.
They clap politely. “Wonderfully done! Thank you for sharing, please take a seat.” I nod again, and head back to my seat. The rest of the class ends up doing the same thing, but I don’t really pay much attention, until the bell rings and we’re ushered out of the classroom.
Most of my classes are the same, review, study, and a few worksheets. The guidance counsellor, whose name is Mr. Vio which is a name that’s incredibly easy to remember. Is very understanding and takes things slow, and above all else he knows ASL, which thank god, I do not feel like writing twice as much as I have to.
Lunch is… fine? I mostly use it to explore the school grounds and get a better idea of where ANYTHING is while picking at my lunch, oh and also remembering to take my meds during it. But beyond that I don’t really have… anybody to hang out with, not that I’d really want to but still just something of note.
I stay away from most of the student body. I do get a few weird looks, mainly towards my eyepatch, but nobody outright says anything so that’s probably fine. Aubrey actually texts me during it, complaining about her partner for her history presentation not doing anything the entire class, which was fun.
Finally physical fitness… and to nobody’s surprise once again, it SUCKS. But it’s a necessary evil, after all I’ve gotta stay fit, and this is absolutely the best way to go about it. The teacher is pretty cool, though he insists that we call him coach? For some reason? Dunno what that’s about, but whatever makes him happy I guess.
Before I feel myself begin to pass out from exhaustion whatever deity above decides to have mercy on my wicked soul, as the bell rings out signifying the end of the day. I changed out of my gym clothes (which are also uniform, still weird but whatever) and made my way towards the frontgates, ready to head home and- “WAIT!”
Wow, that was loud. What’s going on? I turn on my heel and find a girl with glossy auburn hair, and a messy uniform dashing in my direction. I glance around me, looking for who she might be talking about. There is… nobody near me. I turn back to her, and she stops just in front of me completely out of breath.
“Huff- thank you! PHEW!” She wipes out her brow, and looks up at me. “You’re new to the school, right?!” I… slowly nod, looking back at her in utter confusion. What does that have to do- “PLEASE JOIN MY CLUB!” She drops to her knees, and presses her hands together in a praying motion. “Huh…?” I can’t help but breathe out, just out of complete confusion.
I glance around the courtyard… and nobody really seems to be batting an eye at this. Is this just a normal occurrence? “I know this is very sudden! B-But my club needs a fifth member or else it’ll shut down, and every other person is already in a club or refused to join, you’re literally our last hope! So please? I could offer you cookies!” She continues to plead, tears pricking the edges of her eyes.
Ok… so. A few things I’m gathering. One, she’s avoiding whatever this club does seemingly on purpose, which is a bit weird but probably because anyone else who heard about it instantly refused, and two… well she’s very desperate. So this club must mean a lot to her and everyone in it.
I hope I don’t regret this… with a sigh, I write. Please get up, I’ll join.
I also quickly added. Also don’t worry about giving me anything.
She seems taken aback from this, and gets up to her feet. “Really?!” I nod. “Thank you thank you THANK YOU!” She suddenly pulls me into a tight hug, which OW- I pat her back in a panic, trying to make her let go, before she grabs my arm and begins dragging me behind her. “Let’s go!”
Hm, starting to regret this already. Hopefully the other members aren’t as… intense. The girl drags me across the school, and we eventually end up back in the art hall, in front of a pair of sliding doors. “And we’re here! Come on, I’ll introduce you to your fellow members!” Well, no turning back now. I give her a nod.
“Hey everyone! Sorry I’m late!” She calls out to everyone in the room as she enters. “But it was for a good reason, because…” She pushes me ahead. “I got us a new member!” I feel like an attraction at a zoo with how she decided to announce that. I awkwardly wave to the other members.
The boy with messy brown hair, and piercing red eyes stares back at Sayori with an unimpressed expression, the sleeves of his uniform are rolled up to his elbows, and his tie is… completely missing. “Sayo, did you kidnap this guy?” Huh, that’s a good point. Did she? “What?! Of course not! He wanted to join, right?” She gives me another pleading look. Right… ok. I nod again.
He sighs. “Dude, I dunno what she offered you but you don’t gotta join if you don’t want to.” I don’t even know what this club is about, but honestly I think I’m too far in to back out. Is what I want to say, but instead I just shrug, and write. It’s fine, I figured this could be fun.
That seems to put him at ease at least, as he physically relaxes. “Well alright. Welcome to the-” “Wait a second! YOU?!” I’m never going to learn what this club is about at this rate. I glanced over at the girl who interrupted- oh.
I’m met with a familiar head of pink hair, who contrary to everyone else in the room, seems to have the vest of her uniform tied around her waist, and is now glaring at me angrily. “You’re that new weird kid that was staring at me this morning!” She points an accusatory finger at me.
I… looked at her for like five seconds, what? “Nat, guaranteed you’re overreacting if his reaction is anything to go off of.” The guy from earlier quips. “Oh shut it MC, you weren’t there!” She fires back, not even bothering to look back at him.
She then rolls her eyes, looking over at MC. (What kind of name is that? A nickname maybe?) “Besides, do we really need another boy in the club? YOU already ruined the atmosphere with your flirtatious attitude.”
“I’ve never flirted with any of you??” MC says in confusion.
“Besides MC isn’t that smooth, you know that Suki!” The girl who dragged me in here (Whose name is Sayo I guess? That also seemed like a nickname.) also quips. MC seems to physically recoil from the insult, muttering “Ouch” under his breath.
“I guess…” Nat- (Suki? Natsuki maybe? That makes sense.) -suki mutters under her breath, before looking back up at me. “He’s still weird though, I mean he hasn’t even said anything since he’s gotten here!” I pride myself on my weirdness, thank you.
“Oh well, maybe he’s just shy! Like Yuri!” She is really trying her hardest to wrangle these people in. No wonder she’s the leader of… whatever this club is, seriously am I ever going to learn that?
Who is she talking about anyway- “Ah-” OH- I turned to my right and looked at the girl who was sitting to my side this entire time apparently. Damn blind spot. “-m-maybe you should let him s-speak for himself, Sayori.” Her name is Sayori, that makes more sense.
I give Yuri a thankful nod, and take out some sticky notes, pulling on Sayori’s shoulder so she can read them out for the rest of the clubroom. “Oh! Well, his name is Sunny, and apparently the reason he doesn’t talk much is because… um… voice training is a b-word?” I give her a small glare, the bitch in that sentence is very important to the message. MC snickers under his breath.
“Apparently he hasn’t really used his voice in four years… so it’s messed up a bunch.” Good enough I guess. “Oh! And he also says… oh, right. I totally forgot to tell you what club you were joining huh?”
MC sighs, crossing his arms. “Really Sayo? That’s the first thing you need to talk about.”
“Ehehe… It just sorta slipped my mind?” She taps her index fingers together nervously. Yeah, it slipped your mind on purpose, but better to not voice that out loud… not that I could really do that, nor want to.
Sayori clears her throat and steps in front of me. “Well… welcome to the literature club!”
…
A Literature club.
Suddenly starting to realize why she was pleading so much, that makes complete sense.
“N-Now! I know that might SOUND boring- but-” Yeah I don’t want to have her keep pleading, besides if she was nearly brought to tears at the thought of this place shutting down, I might as well help.
Please don’t. She pauses for a moment, as she reads that note.
I’ll join, if only so this place can stay open for you four.
“Huh? That- That’s the reason?” Sayori asks, surprised by my answer. I just nod in response. This place means a lot to you. It’s not really a question, but she nods anyway. “Thank you. Really, that’s super nice of you Sunny.” She smiles brightly at me.
Taking a breath, she composes herself. “Okay everyone! Let’s do proper introductions for our newest member! I’ll go first!” She turns to me and gives a small polite bow, with a bright smile on her face. “I’m Sayori Hirosei! I’m the Leader of the Literature Club!”
MC nods at me. “Names Mike, but you can just call me MC, everyone does.”
“His full name is Mike Collins, he’s just embarrassed about it.” Sayori chuckles under her breath as MC glares at her. “Shut it Sayo.”
“Yuri Risotto…” Yuri quietly says, hiding behind her hair with a faint blush. MC motions for her to continue. “I-I’m the v-vice president of the c-club.” MC gives her a thumbs up, which makes her brighten albeit slightly.
Natsuki just sighs. “We’re really letting this guy in?” Sayori pouts, putting her hand on her hips. “Don’t be rude Natsuki!” Natsuki just huffs, and mutters under her breath. “Whatever.”
She stares me dead in the eyes, and coldly says. “I’m Natsuki Josano, and that’s all you’re getting from me, got it?” I just nod at her in understanding. She really doesn’t like me, I guess I did come off a bit creepy this morning, I should apologise for that.
Sorry about staring at you this morning by the way, I thought you were somebody I know.
She raises an eyebrow at that. “The hecks that mean? You know a lot of girls with pink hair?” I shake my head, and raise two fingers. I only saw your hair and just assumed. That was my bad, sorry again.
Natsuki crosses her arms and huffs. “Well at least you have the decency to apologise, just don’t be more of a weirdo then you already are and I’ll accept you into the club.” Sayori laughs nervously. “Uh… Suki? That’s my call to make, not yours.”
“I-I know that!” Natsuki stammers. “I’m just saying he shouldn’t be staring at random girls! Or they’ll get the wrong idea!” I can’t even begin to think about what she could mean by that, so I’m gonna choose to not think about it.
“Did you want him to look at you that way-” MC says in a huge smirk on his face only to be interrupted by Natsuki shouting “SHUT IT MIKE! You stupid perv!” as loud as she could with a deep blush on her face, as she punches MC on the arm.
He just shrugs in response, whispering something to her that I can’t really make out… but in response her blush seems to get deeper? And she goes silent, muttering something under her breath I also can’t make out.
“Oh yeah!” Sayori suddenly exclaims, as she rushes over to the front desk and pulls out a piece of paper from underneath it. “You should sign this! That way you can become an official member and uh… the student council won’t come and shut us down.” Right, that is important.
I quickly sign the form, and hand it back to Sayori. “Pleasure to have you Sunny!” she cheers, folding the form and placing it in one of her pockets.
“Er.. p-perhaps I should deliver it? So you don’t accidentally misplace it?” Yuri suggests, holding her hand out to take the form.
Sayori hums to herself, before laughing nervously. “Yeah, probably a good idea.” She takes the form out of her pocket “Here you go Yuri!” and hands the form to her. Yuri pockets it, and makes her way to the door. “I’ll be back in a bit…” Sayori waves goodbye to her as she leaves.
Well I guess this is it then. The thought of even joining a club didn’t even cross my mind, but here we are. I tap Sayori on the shoulder to get her attention. What do we do in this club?
Sayori’s smile brightens. “Well! We look at all sorts of literature, and even write some of our own! For example~!” She’d stride over to the front desk, pulling out a folder with a bunch of loose papers hanging inside of it. “These poems! Though these are from last year, they’re still pretty good!”
I glance at one of the poems titled ‘Sunshines’
“Sunshines by Sayori Hirosei
You glow and shine so bright,
in spite of being so far away,
as if you knew I’d drift away,
and see to it that I’d drag you in.
Though lulled into restless sleep,
with cloudy skies that smog my dreams
your smile though small pierces through them all,
like a sunrise which splits through the rain.
Waking up I rub my eyes and hop to my feet,
knowing that you’ll be there till the sun leaves,
you call my name and lift me up,
oh so patient for one like me.
And though I never say it,
you know that it’s true,
that even on the cloudiest days,
you know that I trust you.
Through thick and thin,
spat and fright,
high and low,
if it wasn’t for all of you,
I could never wake up.
I want breakfast.”
I bite back a laugh at that last line. Caught me off-guard. Sayori looks at me with an unsure expression. I hand the poem back to Sayori, and give her a thumbs up. Her smile immediately brightens, as she takes the poem back.
Honestly that was… a lot deeper than you expected from her, and unexpectedly melancholy. I’m glad she’s found people she trusts so completely, everyone deserves somebody like that. Though with that being said… I’m not sure I could write something like that? A poem I mean.
Sayori giggles. “Well, that’s fine! It’s not as if we only make poems!” She puts the folder back in the desk, being sure none of the papers accidentally fall from it. “There’s other forms of literature like short stories, plays, sketches, that sort of thing! In fact…”Turning on her heel, she walks over to the blackboard with a piece of chalk now in her hands.
“Okay everyone! I know what we’re going to be doing for this week's literature exploration!” She calls out to the rest of the members in the room. MC and Natsuki, who seemed to be having a hushed conversation, glance up at her as she continues. “This week we’ll be doing… short stories!” She writes the words Short Stories on the board, gesturing to it with jazz hands.
“No theme this week since I want to make it easier for our newest member, so write about anything you want!” Anything? That definitely makes it easier. Natsuki and MC grin. “BUT- keep it school appropriate.” Sayori gives the two of them a knowing look.
“Booo.” MC well… boos, as Natsuki faintly blushes. “Right, yeah. Obviously.” Ok well now I’m curious about what happened for her to enforce it this much. Something to ask about later I guess.
“We’ll share them the Friday after this one!” So about a week and a half from now? That’s generous. “So be sure to have them ready by then!” I give her a nod. I’m sure something will come to me at some point, after all I used to do this sort of thing all the time in Headspace.
Actually, does that count?
…
I’m going to say that it does, after all it transferred into my art relatively well so why not my writing as well? It only makes sense. “Sunny?” Oh- right, shouldn’t zone out. I turn to look at Yuri, who’s returned from dropping off the form.
Her eyes widened slightly. “A-Ah, sorry I don’t want to bother you.” I slightly tilt my head. It’s fine. What did you want to ask? She relaxes as she reads the notes, and takes a deep breath composing herself.
“I was wondering if there was any particular genre you were interested in?” Huh, she’s speaking much more confidently now. As for her question, I guess the obvious answer would be… Fantasy? I haven’t really read anything in years though so I’m open to suggestions.
“O-Oh, right. Well… I’m not an avid reader of fantasy novels, I… tend to go for things of a more eldritch and horror nature. Or anything that attacks the reader's psyche, and plays tricks on the mind” So psychological horror? That’s interesting, though weirdly not entirely unexpected? I’ve definitely thought of things of that nature both in dreams and… in real life.
Which is something I probably shouldn’t be thinking about right now! So… subject change. Like what? I should probably get more into books. Her eyes light up, as she begins going on a rant about several series that I’ve never even heard the names of. Some of them are interesting, and I make note of them. But honestly I don’t think I could stomach anything related to horror, at least not for a while.
Though as Yuri is talking I can’t help but notice Natsuki staring daggers at me… ok, I thought we had settled our differences, why is she still staring at me? Maybe Aubrey would know? She complains about people staring at her a lot… though that’s usually because she’s a delinquent, and tends to get in trouble a lot, but still better than just wondering forever.
Eventually Sayori calls off the club, and wishes us a goodnight. I grab my things, and head back towards the frontgate, with no random people grabbing me by the arm this time, and quickly make my way home.
Unlocking the door with my spare key I find mom isn’t home yet… I check my phone for any messages from her- ah there we go. She won’t be back until seven, so I’ve got a few hours to myself. Usually I’d go explore the city but… I’m socially and physically exhausted, so no thanks.
I plop down on the couch, and turn on the TV, putting on some random cartoon network show I couldn’t be bothered to learn the name of, and glance at my phone.
i’m sad to say i didnt punch anyone today :[Universally_Loved]
[Pink_Boss]: Coward.
[Pink_Boss]: Want me to call?
please :[Universally_Loved]
[Pink_Boss]: Lazy ass
I wait a few seconds, and my phone begins to ring showing Basil’s homeline number. I always forget she doesn’t have a sim card for her phone. Well at least she was quick. I answer it, and- “You promised one thing and didn’t even go through with it?”
Wow immediate accusation, rude. “I can fucking hear your glare, that’s how obvious your reaction was.” Wow ok, didn’t need to call me out like that. I clear my throat, and force out the words. “Missed you too.” Ouch, that was tougher than I thought it would be.
Aubrey lets out a low but impressed whistle. At least I assume so since she says afterwards “Voice training’s been going well huh? Nice work.” I feel a small smile tug at my lips from the praise, and text back a quick “Thanks”.
“So, who’s going first? And before you say Basil he’s not here so he doesn’t count.” Fair enough. I suggest that she goes first, since I have a few things to share with both of them and I don’t want to say it twice. “Alright well, I had English first which besides Miss Cathode being a total ass as usual, went pretty well! Only got two scathing glares in my direction.”
New all time low, that’s good. I clap loud enough so that my phone can pick it up. “Thank you, thank you. Anyway-” She continues, apparently her and Kel share a gym class, so that’s been awkward (which is my fault- wait- no shut up, not today), apparently all her gang members that are the same age as her share the same gym class (which probably makes it all the more chaotic…) including Basil.
She also apparently grouped up with Kel for a science project? Hearing about Kel makes my heart ache a bit, but… I shouldn’t really complain, after all she sounds happy (at least as happy as she can about it) to be able to hang out with him again, without all the weird tension I caused.
Thankfully before I can dwell too much on that Basil appears on the other end, greeting me as Aubrey finishes wrapping up her day. I figure this is probably the best time to talk about my day as well, and so I do that.
Afterwards Aubrey cuts in. “Wait, so you joined this club just so they wouldn’t lose the room?” I nod, before quickly realizing she can’t see that and give a small “Yes” instead. She hums in thought, only for Basil to cut in. “W-Well that’s nice of you Sunny!”
I thought so as well, especially with how sad she looked- “You should participate.” Aubrey's words cut through my thoughts. I sent a text to her, saying What do you mean? She lets out a frustrated sigh. “Sunny, I know for a fact that you’re going to try your hardest to not interact with these people unless you absolutely have to…” Are you really that easy to read?
She continues. “I’m saying you shouldn’t do that and actually talk to them. God knows you need more friends then just Basil and I.” I squint my eyes at the phone, and send I do have friends outside of you two.
She has the audacity to laugh at that message… though it’s incredibly muted. Rude. “I- also think it’s a good idea Sunny.” Says Basil, the absolute traitor. “I-I think i-it might be good for you? S-Since we don’t live in the same town anymore… I think it would be nice if you had somebody to hangout with at school, o-or even outside of it!”
I… alright, maybe they both have a point. But I don’t even know how to go about making friends? I mean I don’t even think I made a friend by myself in… well, ever actually? Usually it was either Mari that instigated the conversations, or Kel…
“S-Sunny? Are you still there?” Basil nervously stammers, I send a quick text Yes, I am. Just thinking. There’s a bit of shuffling in the background, and Aubrey seems to mutter something to Basil, which gets a chuckle out of him. What is Aubrey saying? “N-Nothing! What a-are you thinking about?” Basil asks quickly, changing the subject.
How to make friends? I sent both of them. “I- well… huh.” Basil seems just as confused as me, fantastic. “God, you’re both hopeless. You just talk to people, and see if you have similar interests, stuff like that.” Easier said than done considering I hardly have a voice anymore. “Works for your writing as well Sunny, don’t pull that shit.” I DIDN’T EVEN SAY ANYTHING- you know what, Aubrey’s psychic, that’s the conclusion I’m coming to from this.
“Anyway, participate in the club and make some friends, that Sayori girl? She seems nice, try talking to her more tomorrow.” Aubrey suggests, which earns a sigh from me. “Ok…” I managed to say. “Good. I think we’ve gotta head out, Polly’s calling for us. So talk to you tomorrow Sunny!” “Bye Sunny!” Both Aubrey and Basil say before hanging up.
I should probably have dinner… putting my phone in my pocket. I get up, make some dinner, eat it, get changed, put my uniform through the wash, and head to bed.
. . . . .
Sunny opens his eyes… and finds he’s in a place he’s completely unfamiliar with. He rubs his eyes, trying to get a better idea of- he pauses as he realizes… ‘eyes’ plural. He has both his eyes, and in fact… he does recognize this place.
Basil’s home. Though none of his friends are to be seen… however he knows what he has to do. Standing up, he makes his way towards the hall, running over to Basil’s room. The hall extends further and further, seemingly going on forever.
He hears the whispers of his friends, Aubrey, Hero, Kel, even Basil. They echo throughout the hall, yet seem oh so far… despite how much he walks…. runs… sprints… there’s no end in sight.
They wouldn’t just leave him behind right?
Flashes of hurt in his friends eyes as the truth is revealed, make themselves known.
No, this is just his penance, for what he has done.
I just need some time… I promise I’ll be back.
You never saw Hero again after that, you can’t say you blame him.
Promises broken… promises you knew they couldn’t keep, why didn’t you stop them?
If you hadn’t-
If you hadn’t…
You don’t deserve any of them, so why are you still moving forward?
There’s nothing for you here then just the endless void around you… why don’t you just… stay still? And let it in.
Let it embrace you, and you can finally… repay your debt-
*BAM!*
[Sunny’s Bedroom: September 29th, Friday, 4:03AM]
My eye snaps open, as I wake up with a sharp breath. I look around the room and find… I’m back in my room… on the floor, with my blanket sprawled around me wildly as if I was thrashing my arms in my sleep. That… oh that sucked. I tap the side of my head with my knuckles, since apparently my mind didn’t want me to sleep today.
Really cool, and awesome.
…
Yeah, I probably shouldn’t just lay here. I get up and grab a glass of water, downing it in one gulp. Refreshing as always, but definitely not going to help me get back to sleep… well, guess I’m headed up then, better to clear my mind then try and force myself to get more sleep.
I head back to my room and put on a sweater, before quietly leaving the apartment, and heading for the stairs. It takes a bit to arrive at the top floor, (and I’m a bit exhausted once I do, why is there so many?) but there I find the way up to the roof… usually this door should be locked but for whatever reason the locking mechanism is broken, so it gives free access… which is probably good considering it’s a fire exit.
Pushing through the door, I glance out towards the cityscape around… is- is somebody out here? I squinted my eye and… yeah, there’s somebody sitting at the edge of the roof. I didn’t think anybody else would be up here… especially- I checked my phone… yep, 4AM. Doesn’t exactly seem like the most reasonable time.
…
Well, no point going back now. I walk towards this person and take a seat next to them, far enough so that it isn’t awkward… they don’t seem to notice, or want to acknowledge I’m here… they have this… far off look in their eyes, which seem to faintly glow from the city lights.
They suddenly gasp, and their head snaps over to me, with a surprised expression… which quickly returns to a more neutral one as they sigh in relief. “God, you scared me…” Oh, oops. I mutter an apology. “Um… how long have you been there?” Honestly not that long, five seconds at most. I raise five fingers.
Getting a better look at this girl, I immediately noticed that she’s wrapped around a thick red blanket, and has huge bags under her eyes, probably from lack of sleep. I probably look similarly now that I think about it, but can’t really do much about it… also she has green eyes? Not sure why that stands out to me, but it’s… something?
Her eyes widened again and she laughed nervously. “Five minutes?? I must’ve been… entranced by the city lights.” I shake my head. “Oh wait, five seconds?” I nod. She sighs in relief. “Oh ok…” She glances back at me, with a curious expression. “You’re not the talkative type, huh?” I shake my head again, before I get an idea.
I pull out my phone, open up my notes app, and write. I can't use my voice that well, so I mostly write my words down. She hums in understanding. “I see… if it’s not too much to ask, why are you up here? Usually nobody else comes up here.”
I could say the same thing. I quickly respond with a small smirk. She snickers. “I guess so huh? Well to be honest… I usually come up here to clear my head.” Oh, so basically what I’m doing then. Same. Nightmare? She hums, staring out into the city again. “Something like that… oh!”
She clears her throat, and turns back towards me, holding out her hand. “Where are my manners? I’m Monika.” I… awkwardly shook her hand. Sunny. She bites back a laugh. “Not exactly the best way to introduce ourselves huh?” I nod in agreement, giving her a small smile. Surprisingly, I’ve had worse greetings.
“Really? How so?” She asks, raising an eyebrow at me expectantly. Well there’s lots, mostly involving Kel, but I decided to tell her about the one time Aubrey had decided the best greeting was beating me up with a bat (though I leave out the fact that she had nails attached to it at the time).
She’s looking at me with an expression between shock and amusement, at least from what I can gather.“And you’re friends with this person?” I nod again. She’s one of the people I’m closest to now, actually. That only seems to confuse her more. “Well, I’ll take your word for it…” she squints her eyes at my phone. “Oh wow, it’s almost five!” Wait, really?
I glance at my phone's clock and… yep, it certainly is. That was quick. Should probably try to get a bit more sleep huh? She nods in agreement. “That’s what I was thinking, I don’t know about you but I’ve got school tomorrow.” Oh? She’s a student? I couldn’t tell honestly. Do you go to Nearby High? Might as well ask.
She seems shocked for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah… you also go there?” I just transferred, so it’d make sense if you haven’t seen me. She gives me a warm smile. “Well… maybe we’ll see each other tomorrow then?” I shrug, cause honestly I’m not sure. That depends really. “Right, guess so…”
She seems… oddly disappointed? Huh. “A-Anyway, thanks for chatting with me tonight, I'm feeling a lot better.” Oh, actually now that I’m thinking about it, I do as well… huh. Thank you as well, it was nice taking my mind off of it. She gives me another warm smile, before standing and offering a hand to help me to my feet.
I gladly take it. “Well, I’ll see you around Sunny.” I nod to her as she turns on her heel and heads back inside.
…
Wait, did I just make a friend? Wow, Aubrey wasn’t kidding, it really was that easy. I take out my phone and send a message to the groupchat.
i think i just made a friend :[Universally_Loved]
[Fruit_Salad]: g-good job sunny!!
[Fruit_Salad]: why are y-you awake at 5 in the morning though….??
says you :[Universally_Loved]
[Fruit_Salad]: yeah… thats fair…
im going back to sleep :[Universally_Loved]
Well, with nothing more to do. I head back inside, and return to my room trying to get some more sleep before I have to properly wake up an hour from now.