Chapter Text
MAY 2025
The ferris wheel of the abandoned park creaks dangerously when the seven girls pass underneath it towards their goal. Ari can’t help but steal a look. It’s a big rusty thing, so rusty that the spots in the joins are flowing over the legs like molten chocolate, and she does not trust the whistling and howling of the wind as it passes through its gaps.
She touches one of the legs, and the rust sticks to her hand. Ew! She looks for something to rub it on, she certainly can’t rub it on her unhinged shirt. This t-shirt actually has good quality, she doesn’t want to get any weird rust on the “unhinged” text in Arial or the black fabric. And she can’t wipe it on her jeans either, she’s literally wearing her lucky light grays. They make her look like she’s an artwork statue, if she rubs her hands on it she’ll be a statue that was shat on.
There’s some booth walls and some grass she tries her best with. The little flickers that remain she’ll have to deal with at home.
“Ari? Come on, what are you doing?” Emily calls over to her, waving her arm at her. The moon is reflecting off her white tank top really brightly. Only slightly more than it reflects from the pale gaps of her ripped blue jeans, though.
“Coming!” Ari hurries next to Nicole, who rolls her eyes in her long sleeve ghost spiral shirt. She looks as unimpressed as ever, but Ari’s used by now to the frown of her lips.
“Sorry.” She catches her breath. “What were you talking about? I got some muck on my hand and like, I had to get it off.”
“Nothing much.” Her girlfriend tells her, putting a hand on the stud belt hastening her black pants. “Emily was telling us about the ritual.”
“Yeah.” Emily points her lean wiry arm back to a big shed looking place, rundown with the red paint flaking off. The sign says its a mirror maze. “I already scouted this place before. There’s a wide hall in one of the paths there, and the mirrors will help us cast the spell.”
“I’m still kind of unsure about this.” Megan rises up, clutching her cross necklace. “I mean, not that it’ll work, but if it does, isn’t literally summoning some eldritch creature just to get famous a bad idea?”
“A better idea than getting famous the natural way.” Nicole shoulders Megan down on her jean jacket. “A producer is way worse than a demon. At least the demon guarantees you’ll get your wish in a fucked up way, producers just use you and dump you to a strip club.”
Megan stumbles just so slightly but swiftly regains her poise, pats down her plaid skirt and tilts her head up despite her short stature. “Hmph! That’s profound and all, Nicole, but I think we need to take a little more caution.” Her eyes dig into her. “I mean, what if this spell leads to something that’s straight up out of a Lovecraft book?”
“Lovecraft? Oh, isn’t that the guy who named his cat the N-word?” Jecka pipes up behind them, more concerned with rubbing her hands in her pockets than anything they’re talking about. If she’s this cold, she should have maybe worn something with long sleeves instead of that pink blouse with pretty ruffle droops. At least she’s worn black jeans instead of a skirt like she said she was going to. “What’s in his books anyway?”
“It doesn’t matter, because if he’s racist enough to do that whatever he wrote is worthless anyway.” Nicole retorts aptly.
Megan mumbles something under her breath that Ari frankly doesn’t care enough to listen to. She’s kinda just happy Nicole shut her up.
“...Still.” Karen walks closer to them, trying to slide her hands out of her cardigan’s sleeves to gesture. “You do know everything about this spell, right Emily? In every horror movie with magic involved, the protagonists get a part of the spell or curse wrong and that haunts them forever...”
“This isn’t even gonna work, Karen, don’t worry about it.” Jecka tosses her golden locks behind her shoulder.
Emily gives her a thumbs up anyway though. “Yeah, probably not. But I mean, I still checked as much as I could. That’s why we’re here at all, it’s most likely to work in ‘symbolic places’.”
“What’s symbolic about an abandoned amusement park?” Kelly asks, leaning in front with her purple hood slung over her shoulder, and her long blonde ponytail slung over that.
She’s smiling in a bubbly way, it’s nice that at least she’s pretty relaxed. Ari herself is a little stressed about this, like Megan and Karen seem to be, though she’s sure it’ll all be fine.
Although, while Kelly, Emily and Jecka seem to be looking pretty forward to this, Nicole seems really tense. Ari wants to ask her what’s wrong, but she knows there’s no way she would tolerate that with all these people here. She would be overstepping her boundaries. Maybe if they manage to get alone, then she can...
“It’s creepy and aesthetic.” Emily answers, looking to the side. “Besides, we’re going in the mirror maze, and all the mirrors there will like, show multiple of us and reflect our true selves, or some other occult bullshit.” It does sound like bullshit, but Ari knows it’s bad to ruin other people’s vibes, so she’s not going to like, mess with Emily.
“Like Bloody Mary?” Kelly wonders, and Emily nods at her with a little grin. “Exactly.”
“I don’t know though. This maze would make way too many Bloody Mary’s.”
Kelly pushes her head in from the open door of the maze, staring at all of their dim reflections. They look warped and wrong on the cracked mirrors of the attraction, splintered into hundreds of pieces.
Emily steps inside confidently. “This way.” She says, and leads them through winding paths through the maze. Ari’s staring at the ground, trying to avoid any pieces of glass slicing through her red converse, and also avoid staring at any of the mirrors too hard. The corridors narrow and widen with twisting turns, shining on them with their fragmented lights. They pass through a large hall, almost oval with nearly two dozen mirrors, all cracked or shattered except one, eerily watching over them. Ari fixes up her hair in front of it, but she hurries to catch up with the others after the darkness creeps her out.
They’ve taken another turn but stopped. Emily is looking around, confused.
“Oh, wait, I think it was the place we passed through. We should-“
CRASH. Glass shatters with fury, the resulting sound echoing throughout the entirety empty building.
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!?” Jecka jumps in the air, wailing at the horrible noise that just came from behind them.
“OH MY GOD, HONEY???” But Ari’s way too busy clinging to Nicole to notice anything, terrified out of her mind. Are they gonna die? Are they gonna die?
She’s holding onto her sweetheart’s scarred arm way too much and Nicole sneers then tries to shake her off. “Bitch, get off of me!” She lets go after being yelled at... just a little.
“W-what the hell was that?” Kelly whispers.
“It’s probably nothing, come on. Just glass breaking. Let’s check it out.” Emily says, but from her angry frown anyone can tell she’s miffed.
They run towards the hall they came through, the source of the noise, and immediately each of them gets pissed.
Kylar, Jeffery and Crispin are standing there. Kylar’s clutching his nose like a moron, Jeffery is shaking in his nerd shirt and Crispin is grinning at them while looking like a wet rat.
Grinning way too much. She can feel Nicole’s arm tense up further. “Are you seriously- Did you fucking trail us here?”
“Hell yeah we did.” Kylar lets go of his nose and stares at them with a smug shit eating smirk. “This place is dope, why didn't you invite us?”
“Because we didn't want to be sexually harassed? So much for that.” Jecka snaps back at him, face red with little tears on that remained on the corners of her eyes. Her hands are shaking while she tries to get her nerves in control. “I thought we were going to actually get raped and murdered, what the fuck is wrong with you!?”
“Still on the table.” Nicole stares at them like they’re nauseating filth.
Karen is standing behind her, trembling a little in her cardigan. She’s cluching her arm tightly, staring at the ground with a frown. Ari catches her bottom lip shuddering. “I've been feeling like something was following us the whole way… I thought I was just scaring myself… Looks like I was right, though.”
“Nah, wait, it's okay, we're chill! We heard you were gonna do something super cool in here so we decided to come.” Crispin smiles at them vapidly, as if that makes it okay. “What are you guys doing anyway?”
Obviously, Emily doesn’t answer him. She’s just holding onto her black backpack tightly, staring at Crispin like she wants to beat his head into one of the mirrors. “You heard? I literally just invited people in private. Where could you have possibly ‘heard’ about this if you weren't stalking us?”
“Well, they literally stalked us here, so...” Ari finds the courage to grumble, glaring at all three of them.
“Yeah.” Nicole agrees next to her, so she feels a little better and closes in. At least she’s not going through this bullshit alone.
“Hey, I wasn't stalking!” Kylar tries to excuse himself as if he’s literally not here and points at Jeffery. “This fucking weeb told us you were going to do some weirdass ritual here!”
“And you just went along with that like a perfectly adjusted non-stalker…”
Literally just what Ari thought, too!
“Of course.” Jecka grimaces. “Jeffery, why were you eavesdropping on me?” She leers at him and sharply tchs. “You know what? I know the answer, so don't bother. We decide to have one fun Friday night, and it gets interrupted by creeps before it even begins!”
“Yo, he's the creep, not us.”
“Shut up! He can't even tie his shoes, you expect me to believe he can drive?”
“Wait, he can't? Ew.” Kelly whispers to Ari. She nods back at her, cringing.
Nicole’s mouth curves into a cruel smirk. “Yeah, let Jeffery drive you three back if he's the only creep. I want to see the crash scene after he goes full throttle on the gas in his shitty velcrons.” It’s literally the only right thing to say to guys who do shit like this.
“Hey!” Jeffery whines like the loser he is. “My shoes are perfectly convenient, thank you! Besides, I wasn't eavesdropping, I just happened to overhear! And Nicole and Emily were the ones talking, not you, Jecka.” He was spying on Nicole? Ari should like... She doesn’t know. Show this bitch what she learned in the girl scouts. She glares at him.
“Ugh.” Nicole’s as grossed out as she is and she stops smiling. “Jeffery, why can't you be a sex pest for someone at your social level?”
“Then he wouldn't be a sex pest, would he? Besides, his social level is zero.” Megan sneers.
“No kidding.”
Crispin gives them like, a gross weird nod as if they need his approval or whatever, so Nicole tries to cross her arms and pull away from her. Ari actually lets her because it’s not the time while that guy is here.
“Too bad he can't level that up.” Emily looks at them like they're actually diseased, which they might as well be true mentally. They really thought they could just stalk girls to some... abandoned ass creepy park at night. What the fuck is their problem? “Anyway, all three of you can fuck off and kill yourselves? We're not letting you in.” Literally.
“What? No way.” Crispin raises his hands. “Come on, we'll be cool.” As if him just saying that will make it true?
“...But you didn't even ask us?” Karen explains despite how intimidated she must have felt. Now she’s thinking about her being alone here, and it’s actually just fucked up. “I mean, you just scared us out of nowhere.”
That would be the unnecessarily nicest way to explain it, yeah. They don’t even deserve to hear that much.
“...Well, can we join? We'll be cool.”
“Yeah, we'll be cool.” Kylar and Jeffrey repeat after him like brainless puppets.
“Pay us and maybe? Fifty bucks for each of us.” Jecka smirks. That’s actually kinda fucking genius, and Emily and Nicole nod at her too.
“A hundred. We might need chumps anyway so this works out.” Emily ups the ante with a knowing smirk.
Kylar has a little male rage thing. “Dude, what? That is such a fucking ripoff for some lame ass magic!”
“Okay, well, if you don't pay you can fuck off. Actually, if you don't pay in general we're going to call the cops, so it's not a choice.” Nicole puts a hand forward, pulling a gimme gesture. “Get over it.”
They take out their wallets and try to manage their accounts, while she and the girls huddle up. “Aren’t we here illegally too, how are we going to call the cops?” Megan whispers to Nicole, who just huffs at her. “’All we need to do is make them believe we will.”
Suddenly, Ari gets a notification on her phone. 100 hundred dollars on her Paypal. She beams. “Oh my god, honey, that was so smart.”
“Don't call me that.”
“Oh, sorry. I-I know… boundaries.”
Jecka mumbles some nonsense about how it was her idea or whatever but she doesn’t even care. Then she turns to Emily and asks her to start.
“Shit, yeah, okay wait a second…” Emily puts her hands on her bag’s straps and just slides it off and drops it on the ground covered in broken glass. Then she takes out a dozen bag of tealight candles and some parchment looking square.
She holds the bag up and gestures towards the boys, but she also looks at the girls for her first order. “Okay, so like, form a circle. I'll tell you three the gist of this as I set it up.”
When she unfolds the paper, there is a great circle inside with magical words intervowen. It looks to be a scroll, it’d belong right in some Indiana Jones movie. Did those have scrolls? Whatever.
A weird sort of pumped inhale from Crispin stops Ari’s line of thought. “Man, this is so punk! Do you like, do magic often? Like spells for everything? That's like so wild of you.” He laughs, while Emily is trying to lay the scroll down on the hazardous floor, on top of a big crack.
“If you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to ‘do magic’ to turn you into an actual pig, so your outsides can match your insides.” And when she seethes that out the stupid fucking grin on Crispin’s face finally falters. Like ew?
With that asshole out of the way, Emily begins to tell the story she’s already heard before. As she recounts it again, she’s setting the tealights at everyone’s feet in a circle. “Okay, so, I found this thing in my bedroom while I was looking for the court drawing of Ms. Ames, like in a box. I stole it from some goth chick, and basically what this spell does is that it leads you to importance, I think.”
“Like being famous!” Kelly adds excitedly, her ponytail swaying behind her. “Which is why I'm here, by the way. It'll be so good for my Instagram.”
“Yeah, so, I thought it'd be cool to cast it with Nicole and she wanted Jecka, and uh Ari-“ Uh? “-to come, but when I was telling Ari in maths Karen overheard us and told Megan, so I had to invite them in case they'd rat, and later I basically just invited Kelly myself because she's funny. Then we drove here and you assholes followed us.
They were just talking behind the class and Karen was sitting in front of her. She really wanted to join for some reason, probably because this is like a movie thing? Though she told Megan to make sure its okay, and that was like, a whole 30 minutes of arguing about trespassing.
“But why, uh, why here specifically?” Jeffery looks around awkwardly. The candles Emily is lighting one by one gleam off the broken mirrors and flicker all over them in arbitrary spots. Nicole’s brunette ponytail looks so pretty in candlelight. “Does the spell work better in an environment like this?” He asks.
Emily stands after lighting the last candle. She mumbles out a response, probably not in the mood to be questioned. “Um, yeah, essentially. I read it somewhere, don't worry about it.”
Megan pulls out her phone and takes a picture of the scroll with the circle of candle flames, "This is honestly such a rush?” She's smiling while thumbing her screen. “That magic circle will look so good on a shirt. I hope it glows or something.”
Nicole cringes at her, turning her head to Ari, but she pointedly glares at Megan anyway, signaling what a loser she is. So concerned until things get “aesthetic”. Ari gives a little nod before Nicole speaks. “Sure. Hey, can we start already? No offense, but I'd actually rather listen to my mom whine about how the family in Adolescence are weak bitches than be around most of you, since it's somehow less embarrassing."
“What-” Megan balks, but Emily cuts her off. “Yeah, we can.”
Out of nowhere, Emily basically tackles Nicole from her other side, pushing her head in her space. She’s got an exhilirated grin and almost giggles. It’s fucking unbelievable? Ari doesn’t know what this bitch thinks she’s pulling, especially after the terrifying stunt a few months back, but she’s not letting her pull anything. She scowls at her, but the girl just bites her lip randomly, not even paying her any attention.
“Okay so, we're all going to need to hold hands.” She says, turning to everyone. “Awkward, I know, but I'd rather not have a demon eat my soul or something? Saving that for Ghostemane.”
“Ghostemane? He just makes noise.” Jecka complains, and yelps when Emily snatches her hand out of nowhere like a psycho. “Ow! What the hell?”
“You just make noise, bitch! So stop having bad taste and focus on the ritual.” She stands straighter and grabs Nicole’s hand. Ari digs her eyes at her and holds out hers for Nicole, who takes it with a roll of her eyes. Then Kelly holds her hand, Megan holds Jecka’s and Karen’s, and there’s also the boys too. It’s awkward, but she could have been holding their hands, so whatever.
Nicole’s kind of staring at Jeffrey over that actually, as she says, “Let's just do this, I'm kinda worried about Karen, she's probably the first girl who held Jeffery's hand and each second that passes is more reason for him to stalk her.”
“Hey!”
Ari and Emily both nod, which needles her further, she really needs to calm down. Since she forgot what she was going to say over that, Emily talks instead. “Yeah, the longer we spend the likelier it gets.” Then, she looks over the whole group, “Okay, so, you guys need to repeat after me. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Got that?”
“Mentos?” Kyler jokes, and normally she’d laugh just so he wouldn’t scream at him, but it was so unfunny no one even bothers, which is nice because she hates doing that.
“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” Emily leads the chant, and Ari tries to follow her alongside everyone else, even if the words feel a little odd on her tongue. It’s like they really have substance, but at first she thinks that’s because she’s just really white. They hold their hands and repeat the words, and she takes care to not say it wrong to avoid getting molested by a demon, as Nicole had put it on the car.
She’d thought nothing would happen, but... she’s pretty sure the candle fire is rising higher and higher. Okay, wait, it’s definitely rising, it’s climbing up to their knees, and then all the way up to her chest level like a stake of flames. They crackle so magically that she’s hardly even hearing the voices. Her own chanting becomes more hurried and frantic, maybe even a little louder, but she’s only paying attention to the ten stakes until they suddenly move.
They begin to bend lower, interlocking at the tip and forming a cage of fire, before swirling around that point almost in a star. As the stakes fall further, the star widens and nears the scroll laid flat, until they meet and it burns to a crisp. The ink on the paper burns blright and stays stagnant, the magic written in fire upon air.
The star with the symbols grows further and further on the ground until it’s almost licking the tips of their shoes. Then, it begins to pull back to the center, concentrates and slams itself into the crack Emily laid the scroll upon. The crack turns hot red and crumbles inwards until it’s as big as a pot. The pit of flames burn hotter and higher until its up to their knees once more, crackling violently and changing in color. Red, white, blue, indigo, black...
The moment it’s truly dark, disappearing into the shadows, they can feel that the fire is gone from the sudden lack of the heat. From the pitch black hole, a little bunny climbs outwards. It’s got a coat black as night, fluffy ears stretching far back with blue innards, just as brilliant blue eyes and an indigo curled unicorn horn. On the horn, floating at the mid point, is a silver ring.
Ari yelps and jumps back from it. When she looks around, so has everyone. Nicole’s staring intently at the rabbit. Emily is smiling with a glint in her eyes.
Her attention is broken by an incredulous Megan. She sounds a lot more excited than she’d probably think she should be. “Oh my god, it actually worked?” She turns to Emily. “What the hell is that?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Emily mouths off dismissively, then she walks forward to get a better look. At that moment, the bunny walks out of the little pit in the ground and stretches, then tilts its head up at her.
It begins to walk in a circle, looking at everyone before sitting facing the girls, its ears swaying at the boys that remain behind it. Its gaze creeps her out. Such vacant eyes.
All of a sudden it speaks, not with a voice but within their minds. The voice is gentle and clear, tickling her ear despite coming from within. Yet, there’s something lacking behind it she can’t put a finger on.
“How curious.” The bunny tilts its head. “The magnitude of logic in this universe would typically render the potentiality of a contract to insignificant levels, much less to this pedigree. I am… ‘Paso’. It’s nice to meet you all.” Paso flicks its ears in a manner that might be described as happy. “Considering all the trouble you went through to summon me, would I be right to assume that you all want the miracle? We can make a contract right now.”
“It’s kinda cute, in a weird way!” With a big smile on her glossy lips Kelly comes forth. She’s extending her hand to pet Paso. “Even if I didn’t get all that. The miracle is the thing that’ll make us famous, right?”
Nicole scrutinizes the creature, putting her free hand on her hip. It’s really smart of her. Ari wonders if it has anything to do with how she seemed to be feeling... “I don’t know. Emily said it leads us to importance, not that it’d make us important.”
“That is right, Nicole.” Nicole didn’t say her name. Ari’s stomach cramps while watching it lean into Kelly’s petting. It makes her squeamish to see Kelly just... touch that thing even though they know so little. Especially when it’s saying things it should not know. “If we make a contract, I will grant you all the ability to sense significance. You will have the agency to choose your course of action for yourselves; although I would advise to choose the most significant option every time.”
“It knew your name...” Jecka says too. She’s squinting at it, trying to discern what its deal is. Her nose is upturned in distaste, but Ari can tell when Jecka is worried. She hesitates as she speaks, and her voice is just a little bit too high. “A contract? Well, what’s in it for you? I doubt you’d just hand out magic for free.”
That is literally true. This is like some sort of... deal sort of deal. She hopes it’s not going to ask for anything crazy.
“Dude, totally, you’re so smart?” Crispin seems to agree with her -or more likely pretend to-, albeit a lot more loudly. Jecka, rightfully glares at him like he’s a piece of shit stuck on her shoe. “Because, uh, like what does it even get out of us being famous, right? Haha…” He never lets up though. Still, Paso must have decided that’s an important question, because it turns to face him.
“The substantiality you will ensure as you achieve your potential is my goal. It’s a mutually beneficial agreement.”
Kylar grunts out a “Huh?”, then bends down a little to gesture his palm at the bunny. “Okay, so it’s just saying random bullshit right? Like what did that even mean?” She’s glad she didn’t have to say that, holy shit. He’s totally right, but he can be the one that looks like a dumbass instead of her. It’d literally be so embarassing, because Nicole nodded like she totally understood that.
Karen answers after hesitating a little. Her glasses are a little foggy from her nervous sweat. “I think… Paso means that us getting more important aligns with what it wants?”
“That is correct.” The bunny looks at Karen and Kylar. Kelly is petting its back now, and it looks almost satisfied, but its eyes are still so dull.
Emily decides to touch one of Paso’s ears, then pulls her hand back. She’s tapping her foot rashly, clearly unnerved. Okay, this whole situation is just really stressful. Like especially Emily being unnerved like that, she just doesn’t get like that. “This is kind of sketchy as shit.”
Duh. “Yeah, obviously.” She says, because she actually can’t keep quiet about where this could, like, go. She’s rubbing her arm, staring down at the floor at the rabbit’s ears swaying way too close to her shoes. “I mean, beyond all the magic stuff, we can’t even know if we can trust this thing. Like, what if taking the contract means we are giving away our souls? Or something like that..?”
“But it feels fine!” Kelly whines up at her, still petting Paso. “I mean, we have to take the deal, right? Otherwise all of this would be pointless, and no one would be famous or rich, which is lame as shit.”
“I think Ari is right to worry, um…” Jeffery cuts in before she can ask Kelly to get away from that thing. He’s a creep, but it’s still nice that he agrees with her, if mostly because Jeffery must know something about situations like this from all the anime he reads. “Hey, Mr. Paso? What is the price of this otherworldly contract? If we know, then we can make an educated decision for sure!”
Yeah, they’ve got to learn that-
“It would have told us during the contract anyway… Not like it matters.” Nicole rolls her eyes. Ari mouths the words “Honey, I don’t think-“ but Jecka nudges her first with a scowl.
“This isn’t like Supernatural, Nicole! We have no idea how this magic shit works!”
“Wrong- bitch, I don’t watch Supernatural. Do I look like a girl who sends reaction gifs of Misha Collins on posts of somebody’s divorce?”
“No, you would just leave a like and a good playlist.” Jecka crosses her arms and sighs, her hair looking a little frizzled from all the times she’s gotten scared, angry or worried here. “Whatever, let’s just listen.”
Paso replies to Jeffery and Ari without acknowledging the argument. “There is no price. You are certainly not giving away your souls! The contract involves me bestowing the ability to you and nothing more. As I have mentioned, my goal is the increase of consequentiality. The bestowal is more than sufficient for me.” Then it straightens up and something like interest flickers on its bunny face, out of nowhere. “Although I must mention that if you reach a certain personal threshold by consistently following the feeling or making enough significant achievements, you will be able to make any wish of your choosing, and become Admirals! Admirals-“ What are-
“Yeah, no thanks, shut up. We just want the fame thing please.” Nicole rolls her eyes, and Megan stares daggers at her, opening her mouth indignantly, but Jecka huffs before she can say anything. She can kinda relate to Megan, she’d want to know as much as possible too, but Nicole’s smart to reject the wish stuff completely.
“As if anyone’s dumb enough to literally ask some weird spirit-demon thing for a wish. Just watch like any movie.” Yeah, exactly.
“Well, obviously we aren’t doing the wish.” Emily purses her lips, staring up at the ceiling in thought, her arms crossed and littered with cuts. “But nothing for the ‘significance sensor’? I mean, I wasn’t sure what it was gonna ask for, but nothing at all..?”
That is suspicious. If it really is telling the truth though, she doesn’t really have anything else to question. She taps her fingers on her arm. It couldn’t be lying if it wants a deal. Then it wouldn’t count like, demon-contractually, or whatever, like in Hazbin Hotel. So it really must be giving them some way to sense significance. She can’t figure out what’s wrong with that, so she just mumbles so.
“Yeah, I’m kind of out of arguments, even though I still feel uneasy.”
Megan’s thinking with her eyes closed. Her arms have been crossed this whole time, and she’s been avoiding to speak except when she got cut off by Jecka earlier. Ari knows she’s deeply into Jesus, so she must have been considering this pretty intently to avoid sinning. She finally steps forward after seemingly coming to a decision.
“Okay, I’ve got an idea!” She grins. “If we can’t actually decide whether we want this magic ability or not, why don’t we just try it out?”
Nicole stares at her with sheer disdain. “This is magic, not Spotify.” And while that obviously makes it way more dangerous than the average subscription service, Ari thinks its actually a good idea, if it works the way she’s thinking. It would just be temporary... She doesn’t get why Nicole was so angry at that. This whole time she’s been kind of distant, it’s hard not to worry.
“Shut up! I bet it’s possible. We just try this sensation for like, I don’t know, two years, and then it will wear off. Once that happens we’ll still have the spell, and we’ll know if we want to make it permanent or not! I’ve got a picture of it and everything.” She takes her phone out of her jacket’s pocket and shows everyone the picture of the scroll before it burned up. “See? I’ll make a Whatsapp group and send it there right now.”
That’s a great idea. Like, a really great idea. Megan is prepared and everything, and two years of even the worst curse shouldn’t be like, that bad. Normally she’d turn to Nicole and make some joke she’d like, maybe something about how it’s way better than being married for two years, but Nicole’s not in the mood for it. She’s just crossing her arms defensively, looking at the mirrors around, sneering at the bunny. She must not be trusting it. Ari wishes she had something to soothe her with. Instead, she turns to Paso to confirm Megan’s idea. “Does that… work? It sounds pretty safe to me, I like it.”
“Yeah, me too.” With a shaky smile, Karen nods.
“Me as well.” Jeffery says with his hands on his hips. That’s like, all the nerds agreeing to the idea, so there shouldn’t be anything bad about it.
Paso turns to her, staring intently. It doesn’t feel like a regular rabbit at all. It’s too fluffy, yet its black fur never catches on the debris on the floor or Kelly’s glittery make up. It remains pristine like the night sky, and the blue horn pierces through, glowing softly. The ring on it floats with a silver sheen.
It’s eerie. When she catches the emptiness in its gaze, she’s unsure if she’s making the right choice, even if they deduced it out. Her gut’s saying something’s wrong.
“A temporary contract. I certainly can, if that is what you want.” Paso says, and she slowly nods at it. Temporary. That word feels relieving.
Kylar breaks her trance. “Okay, let’s just do it then. I’m so bored of all this nerd talk! Make me a famous lacrosse player already!”
“Yeah, because you should just jump into a deal with the devil without thought.” Jecka grimaces at him, clearly done. “Fucking lacrosse…”
“True, go make a deal with a cliff Kylar.” Nicole smirks and nudges her a little. Ari laughs because that was like, hilarious. It sounds a little awkward with how nervous she is, though.
“Fucking whores...” Kylar mumbles. “I hope Jecka becomes a famous pornstar so I can laugh at her on the Hub with the lacrosse team...”
“What the hell?” Ari whispers to Nicole and Jecka.
“Yeah, he’s just fucked up completely.” Jecka whispers back, actually retreating a step to avoid the psycho.
“Typical male behavior.” Nicole rolls her eyes as if it’s the most boring thing she’s heard today. Ari doesn’t think she should be used to that... She’s holding her arms more tensely than she lets on.
Crispin bends down with a vapid smile on his face. Man, this is going to be like, so dope! So how do we start, Paso?” He gestures to the ground. “Do we need to like make another circle for you, or..?”
“That will not be necessary. Our contract will be for the time specified.” Paso walks into the middle of their group circle, sitting next to the pit it crawled out of. “Do you wish to gain the power to foretell entropic potentiality?”
“Definitely.”, “Alright.”, “Yeah, why not...”, “Um- Affirmative!” she hears them say. “Okay... yes.” She herself tells Paso, but Nicole hasn’t said anything. She’s the last one left and Paso is staring at her. She must be worried about something, or must be feeling inconfident, or... It doesn’t matter why, only that she needs to help her, so she looks in her face.
We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, Ari wants to tell Nicole, but she makes her choice. “Sure, whatever.”
The moment Nicole finishes speaking, a ray of light begins to shine from Paso’s horn, making shadows dance in warped and furious ways all across the gleaming mirrors and dusty floors. Then this light covers the ring floating over it, covering the silver with its cerulean light, the ring turning like a wheel upon its head. Light is spun and shot directly at their foreheads and erects into their own unicorns, then all of their horns grow vibrantly and shoot out like harpoons, ricocheting across their cracked reflections and then beaming out of the holes in the roof. What follows is an unbearable headache, made worse with all the shit she’s been popping. She manages to crouch before she loses her balance, falling on her legs. Rubbing her temples isn’t helping...
Everyone is like this when she opens her eyes. Nicole is rubbing her palms to her forehead. Ari slides next to her, trying to check if she’s alright.
“I don’t... feel any different.” Emily’s voice comes from above. She’s standing, patting down her butt. “Was this shit a dud?”
“Obviously not, it was a magic rabbit!” Megan retorts, but Ari turns back to Nicole. Her migraine must be worse, she was already dealing with a hangover... “Give it more than ten seconds.” They continue talking while she checks Nicole’s pulse, her breathing... Nothing out of the ordinary. “Actually, maybe a day, I’m too drained to be famous right now.”
She helps Nicole to her beat up car, Jecka and Emily following behind her. She doesn’t know when or how their new power, or whatever is going to manifest, but all she can hope for right now is their wellbeing. It’s kind of ironic. They were chasing fame, but looking at everyone drop to the ground and Nicole take it a little more roughly, she finds herself caring about that more than she thought.
While Ari knows it’s only been like three days since the maze, she can’t say she’s a big fan of this whole vibe schtick. She rolls her head on her arm, failing to sleep on her shitty plastic desk. The exertion and the droning of the teacher combined just makes her groan, and she painstakingly stares at the clock above the whiteboard. Half an hour left.
She can not believe she felt she had to come here. Nicole is cutting class, probably having so much fun with Jecka while they follow their own mind-signs, while she has to listen to this whole lecture. At least Mr. Katz doesn’t particularly care whether she’s awake or not while Kelly is wearing a crop in the front.
It’s good she snuck her phone in too, she can just look under the desk. The charm’s unattatched because it keeps catching on her stud belt, but she looks at her black Kuromi cover with a little smile. She texts Nicole: “Hey. Hows it going with Jeckas plot? I really dont want to study for these aps tbhhh.”
“no chance,” She’s texted back after ten minutes of anxious scrolling. “anyway tho can you grab some paint from art for me im thinking we can do something fun this weekend”
Her heart jumps in her chest and she frantically texts back, haphazardly making her nails with their frayed polish clink against the screen. “Omg like a date? Yeah definitely what kinda paint do you need? Are u gonna teach me to spray paint??”
“well not painting since i cant draw 4 shit but i will teach you spray arson which is way hotter. go grab some. mr lorre is prolly not there the doors locked whenever i try to go steal a few but i know hes got all the colors”
“Wait” Ari responds, suddenly worried. “If its locked how am I gonna get in”
She waits a minute... then two... but Nicole goes offline, and she knows for sure that she’s being left on read again.
A little whine sneaks out of her glossy lips. How is she going to do this if she can’t get the paint? Will she have to buy some? She doesn’t have the allowance for that! And she doesn’t want to steal from Home Depot eiher, she nearly got caught last time and even thinking about it is giving her an anxiety attack. She’d only wanted a few decorations to DIY and the massive guy working there actually had a blue line Punisher shirt under his shitty apron, like it’s a miracle he didn’t beat her up over her auburn hair alone.
Well... that’s clearly not possible, and there’s no way she’s disappointing Nicole again. Now that she’s thinking about what to do, she can’t help but acknowledge the huge draw she’s feeling for the art room. It’s not just her lack of options, she feels she really has to go there. It’s like the butterflies in her stomach when she thinks of Nicole, or the dread she gets from a project, but oddly neutral. Like an itch. This means she has to at least try doing that, right? But she doesn’t know how to get in...
With a stern gaze, Ari quickly searches for lockpicking videos on YouTube. The ones that can be done with hairpins and a pocket knife. A shitty school door shouldn’t be that hard to pick. Then she can grab a few cans and leave. Maybe one extra to sell Crispin with a markup...
YouTube’s kind of awesome, actually, you can learn anything there. She has no idea why it’s banned on the school’s internet. Of course, she has to watch a few videos until the class is dismissed to make sure she really understood everything, but she really does feel like a talented thief when the bell finally rings.
She’s off to the art room immediately. The school should be sparse with everyone heading to the cafeteria.
The lockpicking video showed that she didn’t even need to try the door. You can just see from the side whether it’s locked or not from the side. With that in mind, she sees that the little slidey thing is indeed in place, so she takes out her stuff and gets to work immediately with her little impromptu lockpick.
It’s actually really fucking stressful. She’s huddled all close to the door, glimpsing to the right and left constantly. Thankfully the security camera is pointed away from the door, but it’s still nerve wracking. It’s such a chore to muffle all the noises too...
In the end after what feels like forever, the lock silently picks and slides all the way in, so she can get up and walk in slowly... Until the door’s parted all the way through and she’s faced with the full frontal of Mr. Lorre jerking off and moaning at the porn on his desktop. He notices her a second too late, a testament to her lockpicking skills.
“OH MY GOD, EW, WHAT!?”
In an instinct instilled by Nicole, she immediately snaps her phone out on video.
“What the fuck are you doing? Are you seriously whacking to porn at work? Why the hell are you masturbating in a public school!?”
The camera catches his bewildered gasp and the shuffle of him pulling his pants up perfectly.
“A-ari!” Mr. Lorre wails, “Y-you- How’d you get in? I locked the-“
She stills for just a moment before gathering up her courage and deciding on denial. “No you didn’t asshole, it was unlocked! I walk in to get my girlfriend’s shitty drawing, and I’m forced to look at the art teacher’s ugly dick!”
She gags. “Doesn’t even matter because you can’t jerk off at work either way! You had to do it at school? Literally surrounded by the pictures made by fourteen year olds?”
“I- just- the door-“
In that moment, a moan sounds from the computer Mr. Lorre has failed to shut down. “Yes daddy~ My pussy needs you so bad~”
He isn’t fast enough. “Babygirl’s teen hole is so tight for daddy. Prepa-“
Ari bleches. “You fap to TEEN PORN in a high school? Full of TEENS? I’m literally being violated right now. The whole school is gonna know about this!”
She ends the video, sends it to everyone, swipes two cans from the side desk and immediately runs to the Principal’s office. At least she got the red and blue ones...
The Feelers
[May 5, 2025]
Ari Fontana
So yeah thats basically the gist of it
I just cant believe hed do that in school
Like cant you wait to go home? Actually kys Im puking right now
jecka
yeah me too because u sent it to everyone
i actually used some audio thing to find the video the actors not actually a teen
but like still fucking insane that hes watching a teen porn vid in a hs
like we all know who you really wanna fuck
Kelly 🌅🔥
Its just awful I tested out tattoo ideas in that class
Now all my designs feel predatory?????
Like actually filthy
nicole
yeah that happens
Megan Grace Sterling
The fact that your feeling led you there might be a blessing in disguise.
I mean, what if he got worse and actually hurt someone?
It was messed up and actually traumatizing, but you definitely saved some future girls by getting his ass fired.
In situations like this, I think it’s best to be positive.
nicole
yeah its a good thing that ari got a full view of the art teacher blowing
em
was he blowing i didnt notice that
Megan Grace Sterling
Not what I said!
Ari Fontana
No I got what you mean and youre right
But like its still so gross
KYLAR
dude hes such a pussy bitch in the video
id just be liek so what
jecka
reassuring
Ari Fontana
What Im thinking right now is like...
How did that even have anything to do with being more important
What was that feeling even for
em
i mean ur the most popular girl in school right now
doesnt that count
Ari Fontana
Ig but like
Idk
Karen Brooks
You know, I’ve actually been thinking about what you went through today.
And everything Paso said back in the maze too.
I think I have a theory.
Like, a theory about how I think this feeling guidance thing might actually be incremental.
Kelly 🌅🔥
Oh wow a whole theory??
Wdym tho?
Karen Brooks
What I mean is that, you don’t feel like what you did was significant, right Ari?
Ari Fontana
Well as “significant” as getting a creep fired can be ig
Im obvi not famous
Karen Brooks
Of course. But I still think what you did mattered a ton for the reasons Megan said.
It’s just unbelievable there was someone like that in our school.
Anyway, in my opinion as we continue to follow these hints, all the important stuff we do will build up.
It’s like we’re in a movie, and it’s the first ten minutes and the action’s just spicing up.
I think that’s why we’re supposed to follow it so closely, since it’s like destiny I guess?
Not that we should follow it if it’s anything bad, but our importance will probably take some time to build up little by little as long as we do.
I hope knowing that makes you feel a little better. Sorry about what you went through today, Ari.
Jeffrey-san
That’s actually in line with what I was thinking!
The “threshold” is basically the level where we evolve, and each decision we make gives us more XP!
Ari must have gotten a lot of XP from being so brave. Maybe she even levelled up!
Even if it’s a little hard to think Mr. Lorre would really do that. I liked him.
Ari Fontana
I guess you would
nicole
so well have to work for it?
god magic sucks
jecka
at least we dont have to twerk for it you gotta look at the upside
nicole
yeah whatever
i mean everyone is talking about ari
if she walks in on a celebrity instead of a teacher shell be famous in no time
Ari Fontana
Ugh
I dont wanna walk in on anyone again even if itll get me famous
Kelly 🌅🔥
Well Ill do it gladly fuck working for fame
I rlly hope it builds up fast
crispy
no but your instagram is doing quite well actually tho lol
like youre def getting famous in no time right
jecka
normal thing to keep track of
nicole
i think my instas too edgy to get more popular
em
no u just need to start postin there when youre sober
crispy
but yeah youre doing well actually
Kelly 🌅🔥
OMG thank you!
But like yeah idk
I mean so far just two huge significant things have happened from this feeling thing
Its only been two days so we just gotta keep believing right
crispy
yeah definitely
Megan Grace Sterling
Wait.
Two significant events?
I didn’t know anything else compared to what Ari went through.
What happened?
KYLAR
oh yea its crazy
jecka
oh definitely sooo crazy
but ill tell it way better than kylar
so STFU kylar
basically
so
Karen Brooks
...You’ve been typing for a while.
jecka
yeah ive been trying to think of a way to word it but its basically just been like retraumatizing me sorry
the gist of it is that
me and crispin found the counselor and mr burledays joint foot fetish stash
crispy
oh
yeah yeah exactly
jecka
but unlike ari there wasnt any like actual evidence we just had to listen to them while they discussed my feet bc the pics and writing was all liek
fucking floor tiles so not court worthy
actually disgusting its so sad that nothing came from that
em
yeah but
then jecka came up to some of us and we threatened the hell out of them
so that we can actually study in class instead of literally being crept on by these sickos
jecka
yeah if i had to go through all of that i might as well get a good gpa
by studing for it obviously
Karen Brooks
OMG, are you okay Jecka?
Megan Grace Sterling
Yeah, that’s awful, three creeps in one day? Are you doing alright?
jecka
i mean not really but ill survive
thank you tho
Karen Brooks
Ugh, I can’t believe all of this is happening.
But that has to be it right?
Megan Grace Sterling
That would be hard to imagine, I’m sick to my stomach already.
If nothing else, the feeling is important for having let us uncover all the creeps in our school.
nicole
...yeah
all of em
JUNE 2025
Ari’s phone remains as dead as it was after the ceremony when she checks it for the seventh time in ten minutes. It’s just a tick at this point, honestly, but she hasn’t heard of Nicole since the big reveal, and she’s just genuinely worried.
The evening sky reflects black from the screen, and the light from the party dances across. It’s chill despite the June evening, and she almost regrets wearing the white string crop Nicole likes, her tummy shivering in the slight breeze.
Right now, it’s all she seems to be able to hear. The breeze, and the song of crickets. The noise of the party just behind the door she’s facing blends into the background, and she feels the wind pass through the sparse suburbs and unkempt lawns. It all appears as messy as she is in her worn-again blue jeans. She hasn’t felt this alone in a long while.
It’s hard to put a finger on whether its the urgency she’s feeling for that feeling to stop, or the other feeling that’s meant to bring her to greatness, but something drives her to step forward in her pretty white flats, avoiding the spilled drinks on the floor.
This is one of the good parties. The best party, since Nicole is supposed to be here.
The sound of suburbia doesn’t carry over inside, and Ice Spice takes over. The atmosphere here is made of vape smoke and she’s craving so hard right now, but she can beg someone for a cartrige later.
The strewn tables are still full of snacks and drinks from what she can see from the narrow gaps between people. Everyone’s basically pressed against each other, even though this house is kind of huge. Whoever’s throwing this must have at ton of drugs...
Her thoughts halt when she catches the sight of Jecka! She’s wearing a blue blouse which appears dark and spotty under the colored lights of the party. Or, at least, she thinks so, that was what she was wearing after the ceremony, right now she only saw her head and shoulder through the gap of two girls clinking their plastic cups together. The one on the left has her lipstick smeared on her pretty full lips from whatever she’s been drinking, but she’s got such a pretty smile despite that, and the one on the right has really toned arms in her tank top, Ari’s pretty sure she was in the school’s volleyball team. She used to follow that pretty intently...
Wait- she has to follow her, Jecka’s going to the kitchen!
Making her way through all the people takes forever, she has to be “Hey, can I pass real quick?”, “Sorry, let me just...”, “Oh, thank you!” all the way to the door. Everyone’s dancing and she gets hit with a few elbows, and that’s annoying, but she can’t really blame them. She thinks it’ll be pretty fun to dance too.
Since she’s so slow, she hears them before she reaches the door.
“FUCK!” Jecka yells. “Oh my god, that burns! Why does it smell like gasoline, did they cut this with lawnmover fuel?”
“Probably.” Comes Nicole’s nonchalant voice. “Or just fent. Emily, is this shit laced?”
“Laced? No. Cut? Obvi, we’re in a graduation party, not the yacht of a kingpin. It should be okay though.”
“Guess I’ll have to trust that... God it tastes so gross, it’s like licking a remote...”
“I kinda thought coke would be more hype.” Ari just barely hears Nicole mutter over the noise of the party.
“Oh... Actually, no! It is hype!” Jecka’s voice comes, faster than earlier. “This feels amazing, I’m like rushing on the spot!”
“Yeah, coke’s really good.” Ari manages to step through the door to spot all three of them around the kitchen island, with Emily shouting over the music. Her blonde hair’s flowing past her shoulders, slightly scuffed from all the moving, and she’s smiling at Jecka, the light of the party reflected in her blue eyes. The blue zip up hoodie she’s wearing over her black shirt actually matches them, which Ari thinks is a little sweet. “You’re like if Rapunzel snorted like a champ.”
“’Like a champ’?” Nicole rolls her eyes, her blue gaze digging into Emily, brunette ponytail waving behind her when she tilts her head. “What are you, an old guy in a porn video?” She’s standing next to Jecka in a tight black string top and she looks so gorgeous, Ari can see that her mascara is fresh around her lovely lashes, her nails newly painted from yesterday’s manicure -andshereallywantstoholdherhand-, but she shouldn’t make things awkward.
“No- ugh- Well, that’s probably where I heard it.” Emily huffs. “Cut that bit out, and I’m right.”
“Yeah, I can see it...”
Jecka whines from the jittery euphoria she had just been in. Her blonde hair is glowing like a halo around her, and she’s constantly running her tongue across her full lips or biting them. Her pink lipstick’s hanging on though, and with her dainty runny nose and wide amber eyes she actually looks super cute. Especially with the little jitter as she hangs onto the counter with white knuckles, her blue blouse brushing against the edge. In front of her is some kid’s cracked Ipad. The screen is white and dusty. “Ugh... the Disney girl?”
“What, is it a little too mainstream for you?” Nicole asks, pulling back from Jecka so she can have her high with some space. Away from the counter, Ari spots that they’re all wearing jean minishorts, but Jecka’s is really pale whereas Emily has a white stud belt. Nicole has the best one though. Her Avril Lavigne “FUCK” Belt. It’s scattering the light in the room, and it looks actually amazing. She’s even let Ari wear it once... “I guess she is a little too quirky to be cool. Would you rather be Belle?”
“Fuck no!” Jecka snaps to Nicole. “I hate that pick-me bitch! All the ugly whores who ‘don’t want to be like other girls’ self insert as her, she is SO annoying! ‘I read books and I love monsters.’, kill yourself.”
“Agreed.” Emily nods curtly.
Then she whines again, leaning further over the counter, looking over herself in the Ipad’s reflection. “I like Rapunzel..!” A sigh follows. “It’s just that it was my favorite movie when I was ten and I don’t like thinking about the things I was into during my childhood because I don’t want to ruin them by knowing whether I was being assaulted.”
Nicole picks up her can of Fireball from the island and takes a sip. “You statistically were but the answer’s not certain if you don’t examine it. It’s like Schrödinger’s trauma.”
“Exactly.” Emily says, tipping her can. “I respect that.”
Ari finally manages to break through and faces the three of them with a smile, her hands on the other corner of the counter. “Hi! You would not believe how crowded it is in there, actually took me like, five minutes to get here. I walked over like, a fainted guy, no way that’s safe to do in a party.” She frowns a little after. “I... I couldn’t call you after that whole expose, I’m so sorry. My phone has no battery, but that’s no excuse, I should have found you. I mean, outing all those pedophiles on stage... I’m just, I’m here to support you.”
For some reason Jecka is awkwardly staring at Nicole, who’s looking at her while biting her biting her lips.
“Hi, Ari. Nice to, uh, see you. Anyway the graduation thing is whatever, don’t worry about it. Forget about like, supporting me.” She says, and she never talks like that.
Jecka blisters at her friend, clearly amped from the coke. “Oh my god- Come on, this is way too awkward.”
Nicole leers at her, but then turns to Ari with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“I’m breaking up with you.”
What?
“What?”
“I don’t think we’re very... compatible?” Nicole looks to the side awkwardly. “I’m traumatized from the podium thing like you said? Really, take your pick for the issue, uh...”
“Uncompatible? We’ve been dating for eight months!” Ari yells in frantics. “Honey, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t call me that- See, that’s the issue, you’re so clingy. And like, I’m a bitch, those don’t mesh well!”
“That’s not true!” Nicole just looks so done with her, Ari has no idea what went wrong. She often looks tired, but she doesn’t just dump her!
Her now ex girlfriend grimaces at her. “Oh my god- if I just say it’s not you it’s me will you just go away?”
Ari frowns. “It really doesn’t feel like you think it’s you right now.”
“Okay, you’re right.” Her ex girlfriend snaps back. “I’m dumping you because you’re cringe and annoying. Does that make you feel better?”
“No?” Ari leans into her. “If that was true, why would you date me for eight months?”
“Because I had to?” Nicole rips the bandaid off. “Why the fuck would I date you if I wasn’t going to get expelled otherwise?”
“Expelled? Over what!?” Ari retreats in shock and indignity. What the hell did she just say?
“Over rejecting you? I tell a girl to fuck off and the entire school gangs up on me.”
“Gangs up on you? MY HOUSE BURNED DOWN!!!! Because of YOU!!!” Ari screams in her face.
“Your parents’ house burned down, and then they got showered in their insurance payout, moron. Your ass is fine.” Nicole scoffs. “Forget expulsion, I’d be going to jail over your shit!”
“How is that fine? You were literally using me!”
“Using implies like, I benefited in some way? I had to date a bitch who shops at Hot Topic and wants to watch Good Omens for EIGHT MONTHS, just so I wouldn’t literally get shanked with a shiv in women’s prison, how are you the victim here?”
“I gave you my heart!” She begins to cry, wail, feeling the warm painful tears run across her cheeks like gashes.
“Ew.” Jecka mutters.
“Ari, I never wanted your fucking heart. You can have it back, just leave so we don’t get kicked out, okay?” Nicole points at the door awkwardly.
“FUCK YOU!” Ari screams and bolts out of the door, thumping into people, yet still slow enough to hear the rest of their conversation.
“So... do you think I could be Esmeralda?” Emily asks.
“Bitch, you’re Snow White.” Her ex replies, barely even shaken.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true...”
They don’t even care!
Ari rushes into the bathroom and begins to bawl her eyes out, staring at her snot-ridden face in the mirror, washing it, ignoring all the losers outside who beg to use the toilet.
She’s all alone now. Or maybe she was never not alone, from what Nicole said. Was all of it really fake? Everything they went through?
She tries to think about the past year, but her mind won’t let her. It’s too fresh. She’s not strong enough to go over everything, trying to figure how much of it was real. Schrödinger’s Trauma.
Ari doesn’t know how long she stays in there, but the door has been smelling like piss for a while when the feeling hits. Her cute string crop is riding a little too high and her short hair is haggard. She doesn’t have any makeup on her, but she applies the lip balm that’s in her pocket anyway, even if it doesn’t do much for the eyebags.
She gets the urge to walk out, and so she does, even if she doesn’t care about being famous anymore. She cares about nothing anymore.
“Ari!”
Kelly is waving to her from above the staircase. She’s smiling, and her long wavy blonde ponytail is waving alongside her as she beckons her over. Her violet eyes sparkle, complimented with the purple shirt knot she’s fitted on her curves just right.
“You finally came out!” She walks down to meet her, patting her ripped jeans when she stumbles against the wall. Definitely high or drunk on something. Maybe more than one thing.
Ari sighs. She wishes it didn’t lead her to like... a conversation. “Sorry Kelly, but, now’s really not the right time...”
“Yeah...” Kelly shakes her head at her, frowning. “I know. I heard you shouting, then went to ask Nicole. Sorry you guys broke up...” She smiles again though. “I made sure to save you some coke. Do you want to do it? I actually need your help too. Me, Megan and Crispin have been like, seriously looking for evidence for like, all the criminals outed during graduation.”
“...How would I be able to help that?” Ari sneers.
“You’re like me! I spent the whole evening talking to girls my power was pointing me to, and I have like, a mountain of evidence.” Kelly takes her hand between hers. “I mean, we could work alone... But I just thought it’d be nice to get your mind off of whatever happened. Nicole has Jecka and Emily... You need a friend too.”
Ari blinks at her. It’s not really just the feeling pushing her anymore. Kelly is just... “That’s really sweet of you.” She gives her a small shaky smile. “I... I don’t know how much I can help, but it’s like, better than crying over some whore, I guess.”
Kelly lights up. “Yeah, exactly. Come with me, Ari. You won’t believe all the shit we found out...”
Ari follows her, grititng her teeth and locking her jaw to prevent herself from looking back to the kitchen.
The Feelers
[June 15, 2025]
Kelly 💞🌼
Yeah I just cant believe it all
Just… This whole week after graduation
I mean I always thought some teachers were bad but like
Idk!?!?!?
jecka
i mean
coach colby being an actual serial necrophile was unexpected
but i cant really say its surprising
em
true
whats surprising is how he was even found
just one speech at the podium and like six missing girl cases are solved
nicole
ur welcome
Megan Grace Sterling
It wasn't just Nicole's speech?
Kelly and I have been spending forever organizing and compiling evidence.
I spent all of last weekend helping the police with the bodies. I used my feeling to find the poor girls and called them.
Ari and Jecka gathered evidence against the counselor and several other predator teachers…
We all worked so hard to see this justice done!
em
sure yeah but if nicole didnt expose them publicly no one wouldve gaf
KYLAR
who cares aoubt all dose bitches
when r we gettin famous
nicole
yeah who cares that the gym teacher was killing and molesting teenage girls
KYLAR
exactly
Karen Brooks
Nicole's being sarcastic, Kyler. You really shouldn't call the victims that.
crispy
yeah dude kinda messed up
anyway what are you guys doing now that school is over lol
like plans for the future and stuff
jecka
truly the epitome of caring
Jeffery-san
I'm actually working in a bookstore over the summer!
Then when college begins I will begin studying Biochemistry in Gotham University.
They have so many resources, and the city just has so much culture!
jecka
im sorry GU?
Jeffery-san
There's no need to be sorry Jecka! Yes, I will go to Gotham University.
Is something wrong?
jecka
yeah can you go to another college
i dont care if you like gotham because theres men in pajamas there
its kinda just not a good fit for you
maybe try central city?
nicole
or japan
jecka
yeah youd love japan
Jeffery-san
Hey! I think Gotham University is a great fit for me, thank you very much! The research done by their academic staff inspires me so much.
Besides, I'm saving Japan for my masters, that way I'll get to see both locations and partake in their rigorous programmes!
Why don't you want me to study there anyway?
em
bc shes going there too obvi
Jeffery-san
But then we can go as friends!
jecka
Jeffery just no
Megan Grace Sterling
Wait, you guys also chose Gotham U?
I thought me and Karen were the only ones.
jecka
well i thought you were going to some ivy place
what gives
its gonna be so awkward there now ew
nicole
i guess yale didnt text back
Megan Grace Sterling
They did, I just can't afford it without a scholarship.
Anyway!
I'm majoring in Political Science, what about you?
em
of course
jecka
sociology
Megan Grace Sterling
Cool, we might have shared classes!
jecka
yeah trying not to think about that
pls tell me this is it for gotham
crispy
well actually
recently ive been looking for jobs
and for some reason my feeling is really leading me towards jobs there?
and i actually got a call back
like im moving there and everything soon
thats so wild right
maybe its like were all meant to be in gotham and thats why all you guys are going to school there
its like fated friendship its so awesome actually
em
more like fated stalking
fuck this is ruining my summer plans
nicole
well you dont have to care
whats the likelihood well come across any of these people anyway
em
kind of a lot if its rlly a feeling thing like crispin said
w/e
KYLAR
dude i go to gotham uni too lol
fuckin cool so mani of u bitches go there aswell
em
…rlly hanging onto that w/e
jecka
kylar how are u getting in
like
college?
KYLAR
i got a schoolar ship
they need my lacrosse talent in gotham lmao
im basicly a genius
em
ok thats enough for 2day
muting
jecka
yeah bye
nicole
i kinda just have this on permamute i look whenever i want to see smth embarassing
hit the quota 4 today tho
definitely not talking to any of you alone
Megan Grace Sterling
Um.
Okay, you do you.
Kelly 💞🌼
Have a nice day!
So many people in GU…
Guess what???
Karen Brooks
No way, you too Kelly?
Megan Grace Sterling
That would actually be crazy. I mean, we didn’t even have the mind compass when we applied.
It’s almost like destiny.
Kelly 💞🌼
Youre right! I know, its insane, but Im actually in communications there
Like what a huge coincidence!
Tho I wont wait for school to begin before I move so maybe thats different
Karen Brooks
I wouldn’t be too sure!
I actually decided to join Gotham University’s Summer Bridge Program.
My major is Computer Science, so I just thought it’d be a great opportunity to get a head start, seeing as it’s a little denser than most. I’m actually going to be moving to the dorms tomorrow!
Ari Fontana
…Wow
KYLAR
aw man yea the shcools forcing me to go too
smth abt my gpa such bs
but ill also be training which will be cool
leaving tomorrow too
Karen Brooks
Oh?
We might end up sharing some general education classes, maybe.
Kelly 💞🌼
Summer school??
Well idk about that LOL
Im just staying in my dads big flat because I want to see gotham
Ari Fontana
Yeah
crispy
oh yeah where are you going ari
are you going to gotham too
Kelly 💞🌼
Yea you didnt really say anything so far
Ari Fontana
Idk
I mean I didnt really have any plans for summer
And Ive kind of been dealing with a lot recently
Megan Grace Sterling
We’re here for you Ari.
Ari Fontana
See thats the thing
Because like
Technically you wont be since youre all going to college or work there
And like… Looking at those messages and knowing what I know
Im the only person with no such plans
Kelly 💞🌼
That sounds so rough?
Ari Fontana
It actually kinda is
But maybe its kinda like
Meant to be?
Because right now Im thinking about it
And Im getting a huge feeling that I have to go there
Megan Grace Sterling
Woah, seriously?
Ari Fontana
Yeah
When I focus I can actually just see the city
Its that strong
Karen Brooks
I didn’t know the feeling could show things!
That means this has to be really significant, right?
Kelly 💞🌼
Omg totally????
Ari this is like
A sign!!!!
Ari Fontana
You really think so?
Kelly 💞🌼
You know what?
I know so!
You have to go to gotham
Ari Fontana
But… How?
Im not going to college
And I dont really have a flat there or anything
My jobs here too
Kelly 💞🌼
Thats so easy
You can just come over and stay with me for a while
And like find a job?
This is so significant that I like have to help you
And its also like totally cool either way its a huge flat
Ari Fontana
Seriously?
That would actually be kinda fucking awesome
Thanks Kelly
Megan Grace Sterling
It’s so great that you guys worked this out, we really should be following our feelings as much as we can.
As in the magical one. Though to be honest, you can follow your real feelings too, I think it’s actually sweet when people do.
Anyway, now I’m thinking I should be in Gotham over summer too...
But I didn’t sign up for summer school or anything, that’s such a bummer.
crispy
nah megan dw about it much lol
like
most of us are just a little early its no big deal
i mean its not just you right?
i think Jeffery and jecka are probably going late too
and i dont think nicoles going to gotham at all
Ari Fontana
She is
Kelly 💞🌼
And jeckas heading straight to gotham too
Jeffery-san
It’s okay Megan! I am staying here over the summer. We could hang out until college begins. Feelers have got to stick together, right?
Megan Grace Sterling
Oh. Um.
Totally. That’s so swell.
KYLAR
fucked up and gay
Kelly 💞🌼
Ykw megan maybe you should come over the summer too
Like its just two months anyway I could deffo host you
Its only fair after all the crimes we solved together
Megan Grace Sterling
Oh my God, you’re so kind Kelly!
I’m sure we will have so much fun.
I can cook and bake and everything.
Kelly 💞🌼
See youre already pulling ur weight
This is gonna be so awesome
“Kelly, are you fucking kidding me?” Is the first thing Jecka says, her arms crossed over her pretty pink string top, when she sees Ari and Megan approach Kelly’s dad’s’ van with their boxes and luggage. “I thought this was just us?”
“Originally, yeah.” Kelly replies nonchalantly, flicking her hair over her shoulder, and it’s so long it nearly flows to the bottom of her black shirt, lustering under the sun. “We talked about this in the chat?”
“I have that shit muted most of the time! Why wouldn’t you tell me? Actually, scratch that, why are they coming at all!?”
Ari gets close enough to reply, wanting to pick at her inner thighs under her black jeans but unable to with the box in her arms. “...I got a feeling.”
Jecka sneers. “You can’t be serious. Over that?”
“It was a HUGE feeling!” Kelly defends her with fervor. “She saw it! Like an image? Think about what that means!”
Jecka eyes Ari a few time all over, from the tip of her red hair to her uneasy looks to her Mitski shirt. “An image... I only really get urges.” She bites her balmed lips, and relents. “Fine, I guess that counts.”
She glares at Megan after, who is still trying to drag her luggage. “What the fuck is up with her, though? Ari is awkward to be around, whatever, Megan is actually a psycho.”
“She’s not a psycho, she’s my friend.” Kelly retorts angrily. “Besides, if she didn’t come she’d be left alone all summer with Jeffery. Do you think she deserves that?”
Her face immediately turns nauseaus. “Ugh... Do I support women’s rights or do I support my own comfort...”
“Exactly. Besides she’s cool, she can cook and everything.”
Jecka rolls her eyes. “Whatever, that’ll have to be good enough. It shouldn’t be that bad if it’s just until school starts.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“What’s the spirit?” Megan walks to the trunk of the van with her boxes, placing them in with some difficulty, having to stretch herself quite a bit in that crucifix shirt.
“Nothing.” Jecka brushes off. “We were just talking about, like, the feeling. The spirit of the feeling.”
Megan smiles at all three of them. “Oh, that! I’ve been thinking about it too. I think Karen’s theory is going to pay off, especially in Gotham. I have a good feeling in my gut about this. Like, as in a vibe. Maybe we should have picked a different word.”
“Little late for that.” Jecka sighs, putting a hand to her hip morosely.
Ari walks a little closer to her. “What’s wrong? You’re a little... uh... sadder than usual.”
“Wow, yeah, thanks.” Jecka huffs at her. “It’s just like... Gotham is fucked up, even if it actually has shit. I’m worried that the feeling’s going to lead me to be murdered by one of the... um. My dad calls them ‘criminal elements’.”
“Like... like what?”
She picks at the pockets of her white jeans. “I don’t know. Some shit like... the luchador guy raping me to death?”
“That’s really dark.” Megan mutters in concern, and Jecka bristles back.
“Life is dark, bitch! I wanna be model famous, not true crime famous! ...What if this whole thing is just the start of something REALLY bad?”
“No way that’ll happen!” Kelly shakes her head so strong that her ponytail basically whips behind her. “I mean, its about importance, right? How important can you really be if you’re dead? So even like mathishly it can’t go that wrong, and that’s besides how I know it won’t go wrong.”
“Mathematically.” Megan corrects.
“Whatever.”
“I guess...” Jecka mutters, but she seems relieved by the logic. Megan’s looking at Kelly intently too, she must also be considering the idea.
Ari hopes she’s right. Everyone else in their group basically has some plan, but she has none. Any expectation she had for the future has been gone for a little while... It’s really embarassing to rely on something so fairy tale, but she really needs this to turn out good.
“Anything can happen in life, whether good or bad... I mean, it’s basically one big exam.” Megan looks at the ground and mutters a prayer under her breath.. “But as long as we try our best, we should be okay.”
“Inspirational.” Jecka scoffs. “Anyway, let’s go. I’ll wait for you guys to pack.” She slides right to the front seat without asking, leaving the back seats for the others.
After a few more boxes, everyone has their boxes placed, and Ari and Megan take their seats in the back while Kelly takes the steering wheel.
Gotham’s not far from DC. It’s an island city in Delaware Bay, on the edge of New Jersey. So it’s not a long drive, and everyone talks on the way over. They even stop in Philadelphia and take a look around.
Ari can’t say she’s all there throughout any of it. Or that she has been for the past few weeks. It’s pathetic, maybe, but she’s still thinking about it. She doesn’t know when she will stop, but she is. And even though she enjoys the trip with her friends and the lunch in Philly, it all feels so... distant. Sometimes, it feels like it will be that way forever.
She watches from the car window as they enter Gotham City. The bridge they go through is the biggest she’s seen personally. Golden Gate is the only bridge she knows the name of, though, so she’s got no idea what this one is called. She doesn’t know anything about what she’s getting into. Essentially nothing about Gotham.
The silhouette of the city is gigantic from here. It perfectly matches the skyline she saw behind her eyes when she was crying her eyes out. She’d learned Nicole was going to live in Gotham with Emily, so she was looking at pictures on her computer. The sight she’d seen with her closed eyes is what she’s seeing now. Would the bunny say she made the choice, now? If she did, she hopes she made the right one.
“Robert Kane Memorial Bridge.” Megan says from the side after a quick search, staring at the cables off the bridge. “It’s both for cars and trains, though I don’t feel any rattle. None must be passing through now.” That’s two things she knows, now, at least. Maybe that’s better than nothing.
The junction afterwards leads to them driving through a long straight highway along the western coast of the city. To their right the Gotham Bay shines a bright blue, glimmering under the afternoon sun, while to their left the city rises. She doen’t know the sections yet, but the parts of the city they pass through are getting visibly less destitue through each bridge they cross. First are old decrepit brownstones, looking almost oily even from far away, definitely some sort of crime den if what Jecka said earlier is true at all. Then the buildings get taller and more intricate, the sun gleaming back at them from their west facing windows. By the final bridge they cross, the characteristic skyscrapers of the city have begun to soar.
She isn’t sure what to think about the sights. Their drive has gotten to a real slog with the turn they’ve taken into the city, and the gothic buildings with their dark concrete facades and ugly gargoyles towering over them makes her feel even smaller than how she usually feels. There are a horde of imps and demons at every crevice, or weird animals, all watching over her through the van’s windows. As if they’re all judging her, like everything she’s worried about is just irrelevant and she’s a dumb slut in over her head. It sucks.
But she was lead here.
That means there has to be something here for her. It’s impossible to know what it is, or if she’ll like it, and she KNOWS that. It’s stupid to expect anything. It’s naive.
Yet as the modern buildings of the Fashion and Diamond districts watch over them, softer and more welcoming than the rest of Gotham, Ari knows she must rely on this hunch anyway.
The streets are full of bright vitrines and luxury stores, crowds of well dressed people, and the mere sight of it makes her think how fun it would be to have a date here. Which is kind of a juxtapose, since it feels classy and she feels like hot suburban trash.
In front of one of the buildings, Kelly yells “We’re here!” excitedly, which makes her look up while her friend parallel parks bady. It’s a pretty residence painted beige with arched large windows and gargoyles shaped like angels instead of ugly ass men. It’s even got stores at the street level. One is a grocery store, which would be convenient if it wasn’t too expensive here for her. Though, maybe she can find a job in walking distance.
They just about barely manage to fit into the huge elevator with all of their boxes, and she giggles back at Megan and Kelly when they giggle at her. She’s anxious like... all the time, but they’re really helping her with it by just being around. Even Jecka who flicks her hair instead of paying them any mind.
They push out all their stuff onto the wide corridor, and Kelly walks towards their new house’s door. “Are you excited!?” She asks, grinning at them after pushing the key in.
“Obviously!” Megan claps her hands around her chest, right on the cross of her shirt.
“Actually, yeah..!” Jecka smiles with a hand on her hip.
“I am.” Ari confesses.
And then the key turns for her new place in the world.