#death note rant for my three followers :33

[mchib]

‘We need more bipolar characters’ 

YOU COULDBNT EVEN HANDLE HIM

first of all i think this is common knowledge but he exhibits a complex and erratic personality which i think could potentially be interpreted as symptom of bipolar disorder - bipolar is a characterized by extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression) - throughout the series and manga (i think the manga shows this better) mellos behavior fluctuates dramatically displaying periods of intense energy impulsivity and irritability which align with manic episodes,,. - in the manga mellos depicted as ambitious driven and sometimes reckless in his pursuit of catching Kira. he has a chronic case of impulsive decision making such as kidnapping poeple and hijacking a character showcases a lack of regard for consequences which is a hallmark trait of manic behavior - i also think mellos extreme emotional responses ranging from fits of rage to moments of despair mirror the intense mood swings characteristic of bipolar disorder. he also struggles with self esteem and identity also point towards bipolar disorder... individuals with bipolar disorder often experience fluctuations in self esteem oscillating between grandiosity during manic episodes and profound self doubt during depressive episodes - mellos constant comparison to near (who he he and only he sees as his rival) and his need to prove himself could stem from underlying insecurities exacerbated by his mood swings

him developing bipolar could totally be a normal trauma response from literally a lot of abuse that he has faced, most of the main characters from wammys house show no signs of like rebellion or outlandish behavior like he does but that doesnt necessarily mean that nothing happened and i think the author gave characters such as near and the other orphans way too much mental fortitude. bipolar can be developed at any age and its especially common between ages 15-19. not to mention other than it being genetic, theres a huge link between bipolar and childhood trauma. like imagine being groomed your whole childhood into this competitive environment with other 4 year olds to be the smartest toddler so u can substitute this crazy genius when he dies. and think of it like come on theres no chance all of these kids desperately wanted to be detectives when they grew up there was definitely like some sort of foul play. L is an exception obviously since the orphanage became abusive after he came and he was treated like a king basically while the other orphans mental state was completely disregarded because they were only brought in from several corners of the world solely to be his successor. in fact the first generation orphans were literally expected to kill themselves because of the pressure and A killing himself literally was not a shock at all to the orphanage in fact i suspect that a lot of the first generation orphans made to succeed L had a horrible mental state and also killed themselves which if you think about it B (which stood for backup) losing his mind was completely normal even if the way he went about challenging L was not. not to mention how he had to live with shinigami eyes but thats for another post lolol.,,, anyways yeah mello's behavior is actually justified when you think about how much of an abusive household he lived in even if its kind of obvious that the author disregarded coming up with an explanation for the orphans mental wellbeing and how it would have affected their adolescence except from the character of mello and even when they show mello they basically make him seem insane and watari like an angel . reading the la bb murder cases from mello's perspective really opened my eyes to like how it actually was in wammys house u can really understand it from his tone and stuff also with that one page hold on lemme find it

'but what if they could copy him? what if they could make a backup? that was us. L's children, gathered from all corners of the world. children gathered together, never told each other's names. but even for a genuis like watari, creating a fake L was easier said than done. even for near and i, who were said to be the closest to L... the more we tried to be like him, the closer we got, the farther away he was, like chasing a mirage. so i hardly need to tell you what it was like when wammy's house was first founded, when he was still experimenting. the first child, A, was unable to handle the pressure of living up to L and took his own life, and the second child, beyond birthday, was brilliand and deviant. B stood for Backup.'

'L was the goal of everyone in wammys house. everyone one of us wanted to surpass him. to step over him. to step on him. M did, N did and B did. M as a challenger, N as a successor. B as a criminal.'

sorry for my complete lack of spelling punctuation and grammar but i think i got my point across and also big thanks to @monards who helped me finish this draft by giving me the energy to continue and also encouraging my crippling death note addiction by feeding into it with questions and remarks like 'woah!' and 'eureka!'

[rainbowxocs]

The Cultivators Demise.

by Angel and Morgan.

A big part of The Hospital's story was done between the two of us. So I decided to compile it together as a short story, this is one of my favorite climaxes I have ever written for one of my stories. I hope that you enjoy it. :)

Also jesus christ this is 33 pages long. Dear god we write a lot.

Some general TWS: Mentions of Child Abuse, Child Death, and other things of that nature.

After many, days? weeks? The two of them weren't sure anymore. Ana and Mouse were close to giving up after falling down into the depths of The Hospital. Ana felt extremely defeated, she had never even been outside of her section let alone the rest of this place, and now she was stuck. There weren't even any nurses to take her back to her room.

"So we gotta get to the place after the Ikea but before the quiz show? Do we have to like. Go backwards through everything we did?" Mouse said.

”I don’t know.. I mean.. We fell downwards into.. wherever we are.. Is there even a way to get back up?” Ana gripped onto her sweater tightly, slightly rocking back and forth. She began to mumble to herself. ”What if this is hopeless…”

"It's only hopeless if you give up, we can totally do this. Just gotta get where we need to go first!" Moira, Mouses... Dog? knocked into Ana affectionately. Ana sheepishly gave her a pat telling her she is a good.. thing, she's still not sure what a dog is.

Ana looks up to the ceiling before taking a deep breath. ”I guess.. we.. go up..?”

Mouse looked around, taking stock of their surroundings while Moira dug at the grass a little bit. Ana looked pensively at the ground before seeming to start walking in a random direction, the other two following close behind her, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Ana knew from living here that all she needed to do was find a seam, if she could find the seam she could find a way out of this seemingly looping place. She held her hand out and seemed to glitch her hand through a “wall”, causing her to fall forward.

Mouse and the hound exchanged a glance and then followed through after Ana. Mouse tumbled and nearly face planted as she came through. Moira landed gracefully, but seemed to have more of an impact than a dog her size should.

"Well.. This is worse.." Ana sighed, softly bonking her head against the checkered floor.

""Uh- this is certainly something alright" Mouse said, standing up and lifting Ana off her feet. The ground began to freeze below them as Ana began to raise her voice. ”UGH! We’re just more lost than we were before-“

Mouse put a hand on Ana's shoulder. "Well. If there's pillars there's gotta be a roof and walls somewhere, right?" Ana, not seeming to get it glared at Mouse. ”So?“

"Gotta go up, right? Walls go up. I guess pillars do too. But I don't think I can climb those." Ana threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, moving away from Mouse. ”OH YEA- Sure! Let me just DEFY gravity real quick! This is hopeless- You can't keep acting like we will get out of this!” Ana stomped over to a pillar during her ranting, walking up the side as if gravity doesn’t affect her, she of course didn’t notice.

Mouse looked up at Ana and shook her head. ".. I'm going. To just accept this. Sure." Mouse walked up the pillar with Moira at her side ending up diagonal to Ana. Ana looked at them and then down before realizing her predicament. She gives a sheepish smile, and makes her way up the pillar with the two of them.

"Has. Has this been possible the whole time and we've just not tried? Or is it just this level?" Mouse questioned Ana, to which she just gave a simple shrug. Mouse noted it for later, and continued upwards.

The three of them walk up the pillar until the world flips upside down, the group beginning to walk on the ceiling, There was a door in the distance. Ana excitedly ran for it, opening the door and appearing in another room. She wilted at the sight of just another room.

”I’m so- tired- of this-“ Ana said.

"We're close. We can do this. " Mouse gave Ana a reassuring smile, before looking at the text scattered across the walls.

”We are just going around in a circle- We keep going around and around- how do we even know there’s an ex-“ Ana bumped into one of the walls, seeming to noclip through it, leaving Mouse in the room.

"I think the secret might just be to say what you want to happen cant happen and then be proven wrong?" She said to Moira, before following Ana.

Ana and Mouse finally made it back. Section 1 Floor 1 of The Hospital. Somewhere actually familiar. Mouse pulled out her axe and Ana picked herself up from the ground, looking around nervously. ”We.. did… it…?- this… feels too… easy..”

"Whoever's in charge of this place does want us to get caught, and this had the most.. "nurses" wandering around from what I saw. We're almost certainly walking into a trap" Mouse paused. "I Mean- we got this!" Mouse said.

Ana looked down, the room getting colder. ”I.. wish.. I knew what we were walking into.. I was never allowed down here..” Ana paused for a second, taking in the... silence...? The familiar whispering and humming of the walls was noticeably absent.

”Does.. it feel… quiet to you…” Ana said, turning to Mouse.

"Not to sound cliche but... I got a bad feeling about this. Be ready to bolt." Moira seemed to grow larger than she was before. and? Mouse put? an earbud in?

Ana seemingly distracted, rubbed her hand across the yellow colored walls. ”…..I… can’t.. hear the walls… They.. aren’t talking…. I.. don’t think they’ve.. ever shut up before..”

"Maybe they're napping." She smirked. " Let's wake em up. get ready to run." Mouse's posture shifted, she flipped the hatchet in her hand and raised her other hand to her mouth, letting out a shrill NYC Taxi-Cab whistle.

”IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO ANNOUNCE OUR POS-“ There was a slight rumbling noise before hundreds upon thousands of hands start to break out of the walls, trying to grab Ana and Mouse. The alarms blaring in their ears.

Everything happened so fast. Mouse grabbed Ana's hand and bolted down the nearest hallway, Moira hot on their heels. They darted down hallways and through open rooms, Mouse seemed to change direction at random. There didn't seem to be any pattern to her movements, and if she actually had any idea on where to go or the layout of this place the three of them would have a good shot at making it. But every hallway looks the same, and every wall seems to have been replaced with a writhing mass of arms reaching for them. Eventually they round the wrong corner-

And something or Someone? grabbed them both, before either of the girls could react they seemed to be pulled upwards through the ceiling and thrown into some sort of black circular room, the hands were gone and the force let’s them go. Ana probably suffering from a concussion from the fall but it’s probably fine, They both tried to move but Ana and Mouse were restrained by some sort of vine. Through their blurry vision they could see a desk in the middle, and the infamous woman they had been looking for sitting at it. Nurse Camilla, Head Nurse of the Hospital.

”You both have allot of fucking nerve with the stunt you pulled.” Camilla said, glaring daggers into the two girls. Ana stared at her “mother” speechlessly, just, staring, and shaking.

Mouse scoffed. "Oh no, a woman." Mouse had a very good poker face, she had the confidence of someone with 5 aces. But also probably just trying to pull attention away from Ana.

Camilla put her hands together, resting her chin upon them, staring at Mouse. The two girls restraints tighten, before Daisy walked out from the behind of the two girls, she stood behind Camilla like a good little solider and glared at the two of them. Camilla focused in on Mouse, staring at her. ”Who are you… You are not a patient here.. You have no reason to be here..”

Mouse pretends to not notice the tightened restraints. "I have several reasons to be here actually. I think my dog isn't a dog, and I heard there's a hospital around here who specializes in that kind of thing. Of course I only want the highest quality doctors, what nursing school did you attend by the way?"

”Cut the bullshit. I’m not here to play games with you, explain yourself.” Camilla said, losing her temper a little bit.

"I know lots of things, and sometimes I tell people what they think they want to know. I've got some cool tricks, but I'm not really anything all that special. Kind of like you, huh? Just a person who got caught up in all of this?" Mouse said.

”In a way yes.” Camilla sighed and pinched her bridge of her nose. ”I’m losing focus. This isn’t about you... We will send you to wherever you come from, you do not belong here with the others..”

Mouse grimaced a bit. "Uh yeah good luck with that, sure. What makes someone belong here? i've only met like one decent person this whole time."

”You aren’t sick. You don’t need to be here.” Camilla said dismissively.

"Oh really? That's impressive since i've never been to a doctor. Except for that elf- but he doesn't count he was just trying to get information on the resistance." Mouse said, completely seriously.

”Wh-…." Camilla blinked. "Okay yknow we don’t have time to unpack all of that. The point I am trying to make is, We will send you home and you can forget any of this ever happened. It will just be a bad dream.“

"This is considerably better than where I was the last like, four times. not completely though, the hand-walls are not my favorite aesthetic. " Mouse said, before Daisy chimed in. ”They’re not USUALLY hand walls. You guys just made the walls mad.” She said, coldly.

”Shut up Daisy- Just-" Camilla took a deep breath. "Where do you want to go and we will throw you there with some bus money or something.”

"I don't think you can reach where I want to go. And I'm not going without Ana." Despite her calm demeanor, she seemed relatively serious when she said that.

Camilla looked at Mouse with confusion. ”Ana..?” Daisy glitched a bit, before turning to Camilla. "She means.. Her.." Daisy said, pointing to Ana to which Camilla began to laugh hysterically. ”You call that thing Ana? That’s not Ana-“ She said, laughing almost to the point of tears.

"Deadnaming is cringe. You're a bitch. multiple people can have the same name. I know like eight Camilla's" Camilla couldn't seem to stop laughing at Mouse's remarks. ”AHAHA. Oh my god it’s completely convinced you it’s a person, that’s honestly so hilarious.” She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Mouse leaned down, half whispering to Ana. "This lady thinks she's helping people? really? I know we're all the heroes of our own story but dehumanizing blatantly sentient creatures is just asking for an animal farm situation at LEAST."

Ana seemed completely out of it, dissociating from her "mothers" presence, ice seemed to be spreading across the floor at a rapid rate. Though Daisy and Camilla do not seem to notice.

”It is mimicking the exact behavior that it knows you would feel the most sympathy for. It mimicked my daughter for gods sake- It doesn’t have any shame in itself..” Camilla said, crossing her arms.

"That's called people pleasing, Cami. A lot of abuse victims do that. Kind of cringe of you to dehumanize neurodivergent traits. As far as i can tell you've just traumatized a bunch of people, and if they really are sick then that's just monstrous. Ironic, isn't it?" Mouse glared at Camilla.

Camilla sighed. ”I literally do not know how to explain to you that it is not a person- It cannot be neurodivergent, it cannot be abused, it’s just manipulating you. The real Ana has suffered so much because of that thing.“

Mouses eyes darkened. "You can abuse anything that's alive, that's why animal abuse is a criminal charge, so your point is nul on that front. and if i was to accept that Ana isn't a person despite everything, and you're right in your attitude towards this, how did your Ana get near this one? Because. that would be your fault for allowing your child to be in a dangerous situation. At minimum it's child neglect or reckless endangerment, which is the parent's fault. you don't leave your kid with an aggressive dog. You don't dehumanize a child and expect their powers not to act up. you've created this hell, it's on you. "

Camilla slammed her hands down on the table in front of her, standing up. ”I didn’t create this place- And Ana wa-… is.. was.. I don’t know anymore with her. A… troubled child.. I didn’t even realize what she had done until it was too late-" Daisy shivered at that, though she couldn't tell if it was Camilla's words or if the room had gotten colder.

"Neglecting a neurodivergent child? Gotcha. This is definitely not your fault, it's gotta be the other responsible adult whose job is looking after their child. What did your kid do, exactly? Because if Ana is copying her, and displaying hypothermia symptoms, then did you let your kid freeze to death or some shit? And maybe you didn't create this place, but someone sure as hell chained it and all signs point to you. Do you know what happens when you chain wild magic? When you cage something destined to be free? Do you know what you're fucking with on any level? you clearly didn't even know how to handle one kid, how can you manage this place? Dumb bitch" Mouse covertly glanced at Ana, and then at Moira. Moira struggled against the force of her bonds.

Camilla paused, Mouses words seemingly stabbing her like a dagger. ”Ana didn’t- I. I have done.. so much for her... I did all of this for her I sacrificed everything for her- Don’t you dare try to tell me about wild magic, you have no idea what it’s like for your child to be stolen away like that- You don't know what I have had to endure."

Mouse sneered at that. "Oh poor you. You had a kid and a shot at a happy family and ruined it for power, I'm so sorry for you. Out of the two of us, you're absolutely the one who has held a child as she bleeds to death. you're the one who tried to give the last of your warmth to the boy dying in the blizzard when you had nothing else to give. You are the one who has raised five children when you didn't have enough to feed yourself. YOU are the person who found a half dead baby in a garbage bag and made sure it survived. And I guess that makes me the one who was so busy creating a "Perfect World" i didn't have time to make sure the person I was responsible for was safe."

Camilla looked like a deer in the headlights. ”I-“ Before Camilla could speak the whole room turned into ice and snow, Ana had broken out of her restraints, She breathed heavily before locking eyes with her "Mother". She lunged towards her but Camilla dodged, putting Daisy between her and Ana and escaping into a staff hallway.

Moira lunged from her restraints, her form shifts as she moved and a black dragon stood in her place, puffing a bit of fire to melt the ground just below Mouse as she falls to the ground, so she wouldn't slip. Mouse is moving the second she hits the ground, heading for the door Camilla just went through, before pausing for just a moment and taking stock of the room. "Ana, are you good to chase? Daisy, are you okay?"

Daisy blocked the door, reaching into her pockets and pulling out her knives. She stared daggers into the two girls, or at least she would be if you could actually see her eyes. Ana cowered at Daisy's gaze, cowering backwards behind Moira, her gaze was transfixed on Daisy.

Daisy seemingly glitches in and out. The room seemingly filling with static feeling. "Oh.. So you recognize me?"

"Yeah. Took me a while to get back here, sorry about that. It seems someone was blocking me. Moira, warm up Ana for me." Mouse said. Ana seemingly snapping out of her trance, fell to her knees, shivering violently. "cold-" Moira, gently slipped up behind Ana and blew fire on the ground in front of her. Not hot enough to burn her, but the heat reflecting off the dragons scales warmed her from both sides.

Ana snuggled up to Moira appreciating the warmth she provided, however the whole scene seemed to make Daisy even more distorted than she already was. Daisy’s mask seemed to shift between a number of different emotions in quick succession. "Well. I will let bygones be bygones. As long as you leave here.. NOW..."

Mouse shrugged. "Sorry, I don't think I can do that. I've got a better handle on this stuff now, I don't think I'll get disconnected again. You two are in a bit of hot water and I need to finish my confrontation with Camilla."

Daisy’s form appeared to distort and crack, slowly elongating and turning into a monster like creature. Except it’s- wrong- it’s glitchy and absolutely covered in fungus. It’s like there was a rendering error except in real life. ”I am not going to let you ruin this for me..”

Mouse seemed to be glancing at the mushrooms sprouting from Daisy. "Daisy, you are as much the victim here as Ana is. I promised I would never lie to you. I am here to fix this. You might not like it at first, but everything about this place is wrong. I made a mistake last time, I thought I had enough time to help you. I am not making that mistake again."

Daisy began to laugh maniacally. ”Help me? I don’t need YOUR help. This is MY paradise. Everything was perfect until YOU showed up again- I thought you leaving me was bad enough but now you are taking the only bit of happiness I have left-“

"I am sorry I left. I don't have control over that shit, not much anyways. But your paradise is hurting other people. Can you honestly tell me you're still in control of your paradise? You've been exploited and hurt more than any child deserves, and I would like to talk to Camilla about this-" Mouse was cut off by a large crack forming in the walls and floor behind Daisy.

”I AM IN CONTROL” She screamed. ”I am NOT going to let you take this away from me. You’ll have to pry this from my CORPSE.”

"I am sorry for this then." Mouse bolted forward, faking one way then the other to get past Daisy. Daisy completely transformed into some sort of monstrous form, Daisy is gone, her mind is completely gone.

”I WILL KILL YOU, YOU RUINED EVERYTHING.” She blocked Mouse from the doorway and began to try and slash at her with her knives. The hatchet is back in Mouse's hand, and there's a long dagger in the other. They're both simple iron tools with silver engravings on them. But they will work for this.

"Okay then-" She ducked under one of Daisy's knives and slashed at a mushroom. That part of Daisy went back to normal, which seemed to make Daisy angrier. She slashed at Mouse wildly, not seeming to have much control over her body. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO COME BACK?" Daisy made a low growling noise as her form shifted slightly, trying to grab at Mouse.

"Because I was not going to leave you to suffer again!" Mouse started moving around, dodging and weaving and lashing out to slash at mushrooms at every opportunity.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHATS ON THE LINE FOR ME. I HATE YOU. THIS ISN’T FAIR. NONE OF THIS IS FAIR" Daisy attempted to trap mouse, however Mouse was too quick to be caught.

"I KNOW ITS NOT FAIR. IT'S ALSO NOT YOUR FAULT!" Mouse said, cutting off another mushroom.

Daisy began to cry, but she tried to hide it, her attacks seemed more and more desperate as she went on. "DON'T ACT LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME! YOU LOVE HER NOW!! EVERYONE LOVES HER!! EVERYONE IS SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME!! SHE NEEDS TO GO BACK IN HER BOX AND STAY THERE!!"

"WHY?" Slash.

"BECAUSE I HATE HER!" Stab.

"WHY?" Slash.

"BECAUSE SHE SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT I WENT THROUGH- SHE SHOULDN'T GET TO ESCAPE- SHE SHOULDN'T GET TO COPY ME AND GET A GOOD LIFE-" Daisy screamed.

"MAYBE NEITHER OF YOU SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH?" Mouse said, quite desperately.

Daisy paused for a second, before attacking her harder. ”IT.. IT.. SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!! SHUT UP!! SHUT UP!! DON'T BE NICE TO ME!! DON'T EMPATHIZE WITH ME”

"YOU ARE LITERALLY A CHILD, I WILL NOT TEAR YOU DOWN TO MAKE MYSELF MORE POWERFUL. THATS THE BARE FUCKING MINIMUM." Mouse cut off another mushroom, Daisy's form slowly began to turn to normal. Though she was still as violent as ever.

”I AM NOT A CHILD ANYMORE, I AM A GOD!" Daisy seemed to not notice how much of the fungus is now gone. She is so tired. She is so tired of all of this. of being a God.

"YOU NEED TO REST." Mouse said, cutting off yet another mushroom. Daisy wobbled a bit, she was using WAY too much of her powers, the world kept distorting in and out, you could practically feel the static.

Daisy stomped her feet, pulling at her hair in distress. "WHY DOESN'T ANYONE SAVE ME- WHY DOESN'T ANYONE HELP ME- I JUST- I NEED HELP- WHY DOES SHE GET WHAT THAT- WHY DOES SHE GET TO BE SAVED BUT I DON'T??"

"I." Slash "AM." Slash "HERE." Slash "TO SAVE" Slash "YOU BOTH!" And with that, the final mushroom fell to the floor.

Daisy shook a little before falling onto the ground, crying, She looked almost wilted, like a flower. ”I-IF.. If I don’t have this.. I’m- I’m nothing- This is the only way I can make everyone stay-“

Mouse dropped to the ground next to her. She is somehow almost entirely unharmed, even after that fight. She pulled Daisy into a hug. "The people who matter will stay anyways. I will stay here as long as I can. And now, I know how to come back."

Daisy began to full on sob, as she hugged Mouse, gripping her fingers into her back. ”I-I’m sorry… I don’t know why I did this… I’m so sorry…”

"This wasn't your fault. This was the Cultivator. and Camilla." Mouse took a deep breath. "I'm going to go. have a confrontation. with those two. Can you and Ana stay with Moira for now? I will come back."

Daisy seemed a bit reluctant but let go of Mouse, sniffling. ”..Mom most likely went to go and warn him.. He’s on the top floor of the staff hallway.. if you take the elevator you will find them..."

Mouse gave Daisy another really tight squeeze, before leaning back slightly and reaching into her pocket to give Daisy a stone with.. a symbol? written on it. "This is my promise that I will come back to you, Okay? It'll take a lot more than some eldritch deity to take me down for the count."

Daisy looked at the stone in awe, before looking back up at Mouse. ”Y..you’re going to come back..?”

Mouse smiled at Daisy. "Definitely. There is a chance I will get pulled from here again.. I am dealing with some bad people of my own and they keep sending me places and pulling me back. But if you have that, I can pull myself here again. Especially if you call me. unless I die or whatever but so far nothing has been able to manage that."

Daisy pulled the stone close to her chest and nodded. ”Okay.. I’ll.. trust you…”

Mouse nodded. "Okay. I will be right back. I'm going to fix this." Mouse stood up, and as she does so something about her seems to change. where she was compassionate and casual before, is now hard lines and harsh eyes. She popped an earbud in and walked towards the door.

Mouse made it down the hallway, entering the elevator and pressing the top button. After several minutes of waiting she produced a wooden flute, making her own elevator music as she waited. Now that she knows the full extent of The Cultivator and Camilla's cruelty, there was a certainty in her movements. When the elevator door opened, Mouse stepped out to what appeared to be a moving train. This place has so many OSHA violations it is insane. The train is filled to the brim with flowers and mushrooms, you couldn’t see out the windows even if you tried.

"This is very reversed from most situations I've been in. Usually people are chasing me into weird situations." Mouse picked her way through the train, her soft-booted feet silent on the petals. She glanced out the windows, half expecting something to burst through a window.

Like most places in The Hospital, the train feels infinite. The further you go in the colder and more dead it feels. The train slowly became more glitchy and with a purple hue to it, until she reaches the end. Inside the conductors chamber a VERY tall figure stands, He is vaguely humanoid but his form is just- wrong there’s so many eyes and so many hands- He appears to be speaking with Camilla before cracking his neck towards Mouse.

"Oh, It's you. Welcome back." The Cultivator, the one and only stands before Mouse. Mouse's poker face is impressive. There seemed to be a spark of something in her eyes, and her lips are quirked into a smirk, there's a complete confidence about her but it feels. Practiced. A mask to hide behind. She picked a set of eyes to meet and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, otherwise saying nothing.

"I.. apologize, for all the inconvenienced my staff has caused you." The Cultivator stretched out an arm and his arm began to move around the room, grabbing a tea set. "Can I offer you some tea?"

"I had a big breakfast- or lunch- it's hard to tell around here." She murmured, not wanting to take food from a weird entity, there are always strings attached to this kind of shit.

"Ah, what a shame." He seemed... disappointed? For a moment before snapping back to pleasantries. The Cultivator handed the tea set to Camilla. Who seemed hesitant to go and put it back up because of needing to go near Mouse. "Well I will send you on your way then. You must have come all this way to go home, right?"

"Actually I wanted to finish the confrontation I was having with Camilla. we were interrupted because she gave her child a panic attack and ran away." Mouse said, casually. Camilla's eyes seemed to dart between the girl and the creature.

The cultivator... smiles..? "Oh now Camilla, why do you always do that? Tsk... Humans and their silly emotions..." He claps his hands together. "Well there is no need to fight. I am sure we can resolve this issue peacefully."

"Oh this is not emotional. You see Camilla has broken most human laws pertaining to child abuse and endangerment and is impersonating a nurse while she holds no medical license so even though child abuse makes me furious, that has no impact on the objective crimes she has committed in her search for power." Mouse said.

The Cultivator chuckled. "Aw cmon now. Let's be serious. That's a bit of an over exaggeration no?"

"It fascinates me how far people are willing to go to gloss over child abuse sometimes." Mouse crossed her arms.

The Cultivator put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I just work here. It's not like I created the rules or anything."

Mouse looked at the creature coldly. "That doesn't really affect the fact that Camilla has dehumanized her child to the fact that her child doesn't know their own goddamn name. Also, nobody has been able to explain to me what your "patients" are sick with."

"They're just..." The Cultivator spun his hands around, seeming to try and find an explanation. "sick"..."

"Mentally or physically?" Mouse questioned. "Is it a contagious disease? if so no one is using the proper equipment. give me a name for the illness or some proof that it exists beyond people not fitting the mold you think they should."

The Cultivator sighed, crossing one of his sets of arms. "Aw cmon, don't be like that."

Mouse shrugged. "It's a simple question, how can you run a 'Hospital" and not know what the name of the illness is?"

The Cultivator paused. "This isn't really a "Hospital", You should already know that by now no?"

"This is a unique realm, I'm simply using the only name i have for it. No one here is actually sick are they? Except whatever that fungus is doing." Mouse said.

The Cultivator shrugged. "Well, no. Not in the human sense anyway. There's no influenza running about or anything."

"I haven't seen any recognizable magical illnesses either. and if it's a mental thing, this is the opposite of how you manage that shit. I'm shocked Camilla's kid hasn't committed suicide or something by now, this is a fucked way to live. I've seen dogs taken from owners that were being treated better than the living people of this realm." Mouse spat.

The Cultivator laughs, though it’s a bit distorted. "Why would Ana do such a thing? She wanted all of this. This is her paradise."

"Which Ana? the one who you were referring to by a number and just had a mental breakdown because she doesn't know who she is anymore? or the one who imprinted on a child dying of hypothermia and has been suffering ever since?" Mouse glances at Camilla "have you ever had Hypothermia? It feels like your bones have turned to ice. your eyelashes freeze and blinking hurts. breathing hurts, touching something warmer than ice feels like touching a hot iron. it's suffering. and if you say my Ana is just mimicking your daughter, then your daughter must have gone through that. How old was she when that happened?"

”It was an accident- I didn’t mean for her to escape like th-“ The Cultivator cut Camilla off. "The Real Ana, is fine. She is just going through some... growing pains... So to speak. It's nothing of concern."

"See if your child has to escape there's already some cause for concern. Did you expect her to stay a child forever? That's a goddamn teenager. she's going to rebel and turn into her own person. you're job is to support that, not force her into a mold. actually, i feel like forcing things into molds to be the way you want them to is a big theme around here, isn't it. and somehow, you think that is what a child wanted years ago." Mouse said.

"Ana begged me to create this place. I don't think she is as unwilling of a participant as you think she is." The Cultivator walks over and plucks up a Rhodotus mushroom. "She came to me when she was dying, and I saved her. I gave her everything she could ever possibly want. I gave her parents, friends, a place to grow up."

"What of everyone else who lives here? Why do the walls scream?" Mouse questioned.

"Eh. Minor side effect. This world is not meant to be controlled. But it makes the child happy." He fidgets with the mushroom in his hands. "She is mine after all, I have to keep her happy."

Mouse eyes the mushroom suspiciously. That fungus stuff hasn't been a positive to anything it's interacted with. "You've got to understand that that sounds really bad. That's supervillain shit to say."

The Cultivator… frowns…? "That's not very nice. I think I am quite helpful."

"You are very helpful, Cultivator. I understand more than I did before." Mouse seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. and then she met the Cultivator's eyes again. ".... You know.... A friend of mine had some pretty shitty parents. They looked happy on the outside, going for ice cream and doing all the family outing stuff... but they really did not like each other. they kept their child around for selfish reasons, and hurt her when no one was looking so she would stay in line... There are a lot of people who hurt for their own reasons, and any bad that happens from it is considered. well. a 'minor side effect'"

"Hm? Is that so?" The Cultivator seemed to be playing with the mushroom now. "You seem to be very passionate about this sort of thing. I can commend you for that."

"I do my research. I dislike watching people suffer." Mouse still had the same casual calculated air about her, but her eyes kept darting around the room, taking in every detail, regularly focusing on the pink Mushroom. A faint sound of Discord by The Living Tombstone playing from the earbuds hanging around her neck.

The air in the room shifts, as The Cultivator seems to drop his mask just a little. "So, What is your plan then little mouse?" The Cultivator plucks another mushroom, this one being an Inkcap, and begins to juggle them. "How do you plan on being the big strong hero hm? Because even though I do commend your efforts in other universes, I am in possession of not only Ana's soul, but your little mimic friends as well."

The Cultivator smirks. "Every living being here, belongs to me. Besides you. So, what is your grand master plan hm?"

"Universes, realms, planes, they all blend together. I can't do much. just human, after all. just two or three little things." Almost absently Mouse plucked a mushroom off of a nearby window frame.

The Cultivators demeanor seemed to darken. "I think you should run back home, Little Mouse. Your friends are fine here."

"They aren't fine. They are surviving. there is a difference." Mouse paced, as if deep in thought. some emotion was showing in her eyes now. is the mask cracking? her pacing brought her nearer to Camilla.

"Hm, well. In my opinion surviving is a lot better than freezing to death." The Cultivator said. Camilla began to look back and forth between her boyfriend and Mouse, she seemed to not want to be here.

"Surviving is okay. it's what you have to do when you're in trouble. Living is even better. it's what people are made to do." Mouse carefully perched the mushroom on one of the weird train levers.

The Cultivator stepped a bit closer to Mouse, attempting to tower over her. "I am not your enemy, you know... All I want to do is protect you from all this mess..."

"I dislike liars. What do you think, Camilla?" While talking and fidgeting with the mushrooms, Mouse had gotten much closer to Camilla.

Camilla stepped back, it seemed like she was almost shaking a bit. ”I- Don’t know what you think you’re doing but you need to step back from me-“

Mouse shifted, as if she was trying to cut Camilla off from The Cultivator. Camilla, in a panic threw the tray she was holding at Mouse, however she missed and the glass shattered all over the floor.

The Cultivator lets out a huge sigh. "Oh my fucking god-" he took a deep breath before placing the mushrooms down and levitating all the broken glass. "This was my favorite tea set you know. It has lead in it so it leeches into the tea."

”But she-“ Camilla was cut off by The Cultivator waving his hand dismissively.

In an instant, Mouse darted forward and grabbed the soul-shrooms, putting them in one of her belt pouches. "Pleasure doin business with ya." Mouse said sarcastically before turning towards the door, as if to leave.

The Cultivator snapped his head back towards Mouse. "YOU BRAT" The Cultivator lunged towards Mouse and grabbed her with his sharp claws, before laughing at her. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD ESCAPE THAT EASILY?"

The belt vanished from her waist, along with the pouches and everything in them. "Oh we're yelling now? Mature. very mature." Mouse summoned her dagger and attempted to slash at his chest, which caused The Cultivator to laugh more. "YOU CANNOT KILL ME IN A WAY THAT MATTERS." When Mouse slashed at him, instead of blood just itty bitty mushrooms started pouring out of him. It seemed that he was the sickness this whole time.

"I'm going to take that as a challenge" She twisted in his grip, bringing an arm up and throwing a knife- at Camilla? Camilla, having been stabbed in the torso, stumbles for a moment before collapsing onto the floor. The Cultivator seemed to be actually stunned, not being able to process what the fuck just happened for a few seconds. Which allows Mouse to break free of the Cultivator's grasp, looking around for. Anything that kills mushrooms, probably.

On the floor, Mouse saw a lighter, if The Cultivator truly is a plant, maybe she can burn this fucker to the ground. Mouse's main role model was Firebird after all. She dived for the Lighter, rolling to her feet and sparking it, with that same poker face. This time it's a real flame that reflects in her eyes. She dropped the lighter in a patch of fungus, that caught and quickly spread to the pile at the Cultivator's feet from his wound. A pyre made from his own 'blood' set him alight.

Mouse paused before realizing what she did. "Wait fuck i just killed a mother-"

However, The Cultivators screams filled the room as he burnt alive. He screams in a language that Mouse didn't seem to understand until he and Camilla were nothing but a pile of ashes as the room went ablaze. When he dies, the room begins to glitch, Mouse could hear hundreds of voices loudly chanting until everything turned into light. When Mouse woke up from the light, she had been transported into a forest.

She looked around the serene forest. She grew up in dirty cities and back-alleys, but always loved the woods. It's very calm and quiet, and she sat in that tranquility for a moment. Before a girl emerging from the flowers broke her distraction. She looked human.. but also familiar.. It's Daisy...

”This.. This is where I died.. how.. How am I back..?” She mumbled to herself not realizing anyone was around. Mouse straightened, focusing on the girl. She took a step forward, purposefully stepping on a stick so her approach will be heard. "Daisy, are you alright?"

Daisy jumps, but then calms down after seeing Mouse. ”Oh.. It’s just you.. I..” Daisy looks down at herself, almost in confusion.. ”I.. don’t know.. I’m…" Daisy begins to laugh and cry at the same time. ”I guess I’m back in the real world now..”

Mouse sat beside Daisy, taking in the scenery. Mouse's belt reappeared at some point, and she reaches back into the pouch, drawing out the pink mushroom. "I think this belongs to you, doesn't it?"

Daisy seemed shocked, looking at the mushroom. "You.. have my soul..?" Daisy seems a bit speechless, staring at it. "I don't.. know if I deserve it back..."

Mouse frowned, holding Daisy's hands gently. "Daisy.. Souls are not something you earn, okay? This is yours, and it always has been. You've done so well in a very bad situation, okay? and anyways. Somebody needs to take care of it, right?"

Daisy thinks for a moment, before hesitantly taking the mushroom. It glows before flying back into her. Daisy puts a hand over her heart. The two of them sitting in the silence for a moment.

Daisy looked up at Mouse. "I don't know where I am going to go... It's not like I can go back home..."

"You can always make a new one." Mouse suggested.

Daisy sniffled, pulling knees up into her chest. ”I tried to make a new one and I made everything worse..”

Mouse sighed a little and nodded. "It's very hard to find a place to belong. sometimes we make everything worse. I think the trick is finding people who feel like home, and then finding a place together. I haven't found a place for me yet. Maybe I never will. but the people make the wandering worth it."

Daisy pondered what Mouse said for a moment. ”You’re really smart.. I wish.. I could be as smart as you..”

Moused laughed half-heartedly. "You've got time. I figured most of this stuff out a little too late. if you notice, my family isn't exactly here with me. Funny enough, it took a lot of alone time in a forest kind of like this for me to understand things this well."

Daisy laughed. "I think I've spent too much time in this forest... I still cannot believe I let myself make a deal with him... I was so stupid..."

Mouse frowned. "I think it's that guys fault for taking a kid- actually i don't have to finish that thought, technically I think you were coerced and kidnapped so none of this can fall on you. Did you know what you were even agreeing to in the moment?"

Daisy pauses... ”I.. don't know.. I remember when I escaped. It was so cold.. I was starving, and I kept wandering around the forest for ages, until I found him.." Daisy paused. "He told me that If I went with him. He would give me paradise."

Mouse paused. "Can I repeat that back to you? it might help you think a bit clearly on what happened." Daisy nodded a little, looking at Mouse intently.

"A strange man approached a ten year old who was about to die, offered her complete safety and everything she wanted, and then took her off to a place no one would be able to find her. Is that right? do you think that would be her fault?" Mouse explained, softly.

Daisy seemed to be a little shocked when Mouse explained it that way. ”…Well when you say It like that it sounds like those stranger danger PSAs I watched on Youtube..”

"Yeah, it does, Doesn't it? and all I did was repeat back what you told me." Mouse seems to be considering adding something else, debating on whether it would be a good idea or not.

Daisy looked down at the ground. ”He’s.. dead now.. right..?”

Mouse, hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. Honestly he was kind of. not strong. Dude had noodle arms. Really good at manipulation though."

Daisy chuckled, before a few more tears fell. ”Haha.. yea…” Daisy fidgeted with her sweater. ”Is.. my mom.." She paused. "Dead..? She.. always said she would die for him.. and he.. is dead.. so..”

Mouse hesitated. "I.... I did try to leave without fighting them.."

Daisy waved her hand dismissively. ”It’s okay.. She.." A few more tears fell. "That was always going to be the way.. she was probably going to go..” Daisy sniffled. ”She never would die for me.. but.. anyone else.. she would..”

Mouse, slowly pulled Daisy into a hug, comforting her. "I don't think she would have for anyone but him. It's. It's not your fault it was like this. I'm sorry I didn't do anything sooner."

Daisy laughed, solemnly. ”Mm.. it kind of is.. I think everyone was right about me... I am evil...”

"You had to escape your own home.. that implies you weren't safe or comfortable there. then you were picked up by an actual demon and trapped for years. I think you deserve some rebellion, as a treat" Mouse said.

Daisy smiled, snuggling into Mouse. "Maybe..."

There was a rustling coming from the brush, Ana made her way through the trees, batting away the leaves and walking towards the two of them. ”Why are there so many trees-“ Ana looked exactly the same as she did in the hospital, unlike Daisy. Moira, still in dragon form, is behind Ana. despite her large form, it's easy to lose track of her as she moves silently through the woods.

Mouse smiled. "That's what happens when you're in a forest, usually. You okay Ana?"

”I'm fine I think- My head hurts but it's-” Ana seemed to finally notice the girl in Mouse's arms. ”Oh.. It's.. You..”

Daisy seemed to shuffle awkwardly. "Hi..."

"Have you and Daisy formally met?" Mouse is a little shit and was fully aware that the two were on very... awkward terms.

Ana crossed her arms. ”Yes.. we have… met before…”

”She’s the amazing Ana… how could anyone forget her…” Daisy looked away from her. You could cut the tension with a knife.

"I always kind of wanted a sister. Like a real one I could fight with and then be friends again by the end of the day. someone who was actually on the same level as me and lived the same experiences, but i didn't have to raise because we were in the same boat. but that's just me I guess" Mouse said. Ana and Daisy seem to both look at Mouse in confusion.

”I don’t know.. if we could be considered sisters..” Ana said.

"They say that the Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the water of the womb... Those bonds are thicker than any genetic lottery might give you. Someone who's your blood sibling or parent might have less of a bond to you than the people you were really raised with or have a lot of shared experiences with. the people you choose to have bonds with are more important than the ones who are just, there. of course for some people it's one and the same. but not everyone." Mouse said.

The girls stared at each other. Seemingly not wanting to fully accept their similarities. Mouse laughed pulling Ana down with them and hugging the two girls, both of the girls settled in to the hug despite the awkwardness. Now, the girls had to tackle a much bigger challenge than just The Cultivator, the real world.

The three of them spent that night in a turmoil of emotions, excitement at their freedom and fear of what was coming next. The next morning Mouse pulled a laptop from- somewhere? And began looking into how this world worked. She seemed to be forging paperwork in Camilla's name. I suppose everyone has to start somewhere.

After all, every ending is simply the beginning of something new.

[mysmesomefluff]

Believe Again: Chapter 33 (Preview)

Three years later

When Saeran left the apartment this morning, it was clean, pristine and neat. He had left everything in order, having been the last one on cleaning duty over the weekend.

But now… eight hours later, he had returned… only to find that the apartment now looked like it had been completely and utterly ravaged. There was a (thankfully) wrapped diaper lying abandoned in a corner, splotches of milk powder on the floor, and little white footprints mixed with big ones trailing into the hallway. The couch looked like someone had been using it as a trampoline, pillows and cushions had been left on the floor, children’s books and toys were scattered everywhere like leaves in fall, and the dining table was a mess of food stains, some of which looked suspiciously like vomit.

Saeran had come home early, skipping out on dinner with his friends at college because MC wanted him home for dinner today. But he was starting to regret his decision when he surveyed the apartment, a grimace forming on his features when he realized he would almost certainly be dragged into cleaning everything up together with his stupid brother. Said man had one simple job today: to babysit his three-year-old child, while MC went out to do some grocery shopping.

And as expected, he had failed spectacularly at it.

The wind slammed the door shut loudly before Saeran could grab the handle. Not thinking much of it, Saeran shrugged and entered, but was promptly startled by a wail—one that belonged not to his niece, but to his brother.

Saeran sighed, carefully tip-toeing his way past the minefield of dirt to avoid getting his socks dirty. He managed past the living room and was about to approach the hallway that looked equally disastrous, when he heard an adorable, heart-stopping voice.

“Ran? Un-ko?”

Saeran froze in his tracks, wavering slightly as he almost lost his balance in the awkward position he was standing in, with one foot directly in front of the other. He was this close to stepping on a puddle of water, and he refused to get his socks wet.

The voice was followed by the sound of little feet running across the floor, like the soft pitter-patter of rain. Saeran’s eyes darted to the source of the noise, and there he found his little niece, with her wild bedhead and rubbing her big, yellow eyes. It was the most adorable thing to watch—the moment she noticed him, he watched as the sleepiness in her features evaporated in a flash, her lips parting into the brightest beam he had ever seen.

And then she was running towards him, releasing a high-pitched squeal as she went as if she were a train.

Saeran didn’t even have time to register his foot stepping into the water when she practically slammed her face against his calf, her little arms wrapping tightly around his leg like a koala to a tree.

“Unko Ran!” she cried happily, and Saeran didn’t even realise he was smiling until he noticed the slight ache in his cheeks. He bent down and scooped her into his arms easily, listening to the sound of her laugh echoing off the walls.

“Were you a good girl today, Eun-byeol?”

“Yes!” she nodded enthusiastically, cheeks turning a rosy pink as she held his cheek with one tiny hand. “Play, play!”

“I was just about to put her to sleep…” Another voice emerged, and Saeran craned his neck to see his brother slinking out of the bedroom, looking like Death itself. His hair was a complete mess, and he had what looked like marker stains on his arms and face—he must have let her use him as paper again.  

It took a moment for Saeran to realise what had probably happened, his mind going back to the loud sound that the door created when it slammed shut earlier.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch the door handle in time. The wind was too strong.”

Saeyoung merely sighed, but it seemed more exhausted than anything else. Saeran could only guess at what on earth happened in this house today. No doubt, his niece must have been a handful—she had inherited her mischievousness from Saeyoung and her stubbornness from MC. And that made for one very difficult and out-of-control kid.

Saeran remembered Saeyoung retelling how Vanderwood had laughed when he first begged him to help babysit, saying something about how “karma’s a bitch” before hanging up on him altogether.

As terrible as it sounded, Saeran couldn’t help but agree.

The most peculiar thing was that for some reason, his niece had taken an exceptional liking to him, attached to him at the hip and always wanting to play with him. It didn’t help that “Un-ko” were her first words, instead of “Mama” or “Papa”. That had upset MC and Saeyoung both so much that Saeran almost felt guilty for playing with Eun-byeol whenever she so asked.

But it wasn’t like he could refuse her, not when she was so cute. She had big, round yellow eyes, fat cheeks that he loved to poke and pinch, long, wavy red hair that made her look like an angel, and her voice was adorable too. Especially when she called his name. Like she was doing now.

“Yes, yes, I’m here,” he chuckled, patting her on the head.

“She was asking about you all day, you know. Ever since we told her that you were staying for dinner today. She even refused to take her nap until you were back.”

“You were?” Saeran asked, turning his attention back to his niece, who was beaming at him proudly once again, as if she had achieved something huge. Well, he supposed, to a three-year-old, staying up past naptime was a huge feat in itself.

“Play, Unko Ran!”

“But you need to nap first.”

His answer didn’t please the three-year-old. Her lips dropped into a pout, and she shook her head. “No, play play!”

“We’ll play after you nap,” he told her firmly, already walking back to the bedroom where she had emerged from. She started to struggle, and he had to tighten his hold around her lest she fell out of his grasp.

“No! No!”

“If you’re good, I’ll let you crack the eggs later.”  

That was the most effective bribe he had up his sleeve. Saeran smiled to himself when he watched her pause thoughtfully, mentally calculating the pros and cons of his suggestion. She had been obsessed with cracking eggs ever since they made pancakes together in the kitchen, of course while she was seated safely in her high-chair and watched Saeran do all the work. She had pleaded and begged for him to let her try cracking the eggs but he hadn’t allowed it. It took a while to placate her by giving her a slice of lemon to play with instead.

“Okay…”

She was rewarded with a peck on the forehead. “That’s my girl.”

It didn’t take long for him to put her to sleep—since she had been staying up past her naptime she was already exhausted. Within five minutes she was out cold, although it took another minute for him to carefully wrestle his index finger out from her grasp without waking her.

When Saeran left the room, he was greeted by the sight of Saeyoung wiping the floor with a wet cloth. He took a moment to watch his brother do the work, sighing as he went and looking thoroughly drained.

Parenthood was certainly taking its toll on this inexperienced father who couldn’t do anything without his wife.

In an uncommon show of sympathy, Saeran stepped forward, snatched the rag from his brother, who then looked at him, confused.

“Go sleep. You look horrible,” was all he said, before he took over and started wiping the same spot that his brother had earlier.

Saeran hated cleaning already, and his stupid brother just had to make it worse by squealing his name and throwing his arms around him in a hug. It took two kicks before Saeyoung finally let go, rubbing at the sore spots on his thigh but still wearing the silly, idiotic grin on his face.

“Thanks, Saeran. I appreciate it.”

“Just shut up and go to sleep or I’ll knock you out myself.”

***

A/N: I’m so sorry that this took so long, I died during recess week lmao and I actually had this part written out before but then I scrapped everything and re-did it soooooo yeah.

I ended up thinking more about how I can develop the plot to end things on a fluffier and happier note, which is why this probably isn’t the last chapter (AAAAAA I WAS SO READY FOR IT TO END BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WANT FLUFF) 

so yeah i’ll TRY MY BEST. To upload soon. But also finals are in like a moNTH so :D Anyways I’ll definitely have time to work on this after finals so wheeee it’s just a matter of time (I’m SORRY THAT I ALWAYS KEEP PPL WAITING am truly unreliable but :”(((( thx for sticking with this story i rly rly appreciate it) 

okay enough rant from me i’ll try working on this chapter more although my plan is for it to be p r e t t y  l o a d e d so it miiiight not come so soon either. I’ll just try :) 

[goreadabook2102]

What Remains of Elizabeth Clove {chapter 2}

YOU KNOW WHAT screw it. I know y'all are enjoying ch 1 of WROEC so here it is, even though I was like 33 away from my goal enjoy people { @writing-central } ••• ( [= Liz ) [ This town isn't what you think it is. There are secrets, dark secrets, lurking around every alleyway and corner you come across. And an alleyway is where our little adventure begins. First things first, call a friend. More specifically, Max, you call Cam, or Cam, you call Max. Or text, I don't care. You two need to meet in that alleyway. ] I glanced at my phone, which was resting on the bed beside me. Should I really burden Cam with this too? Fuck it. Cam deserved to know as much as I did. "So lemme get this straight," Cam started, his face shining on my phone screen. "Liz left a notebook behind before she died, explaining her death?" Cam sat back in his seat. "I'm sincerely sorry Max, but that doesn't make any sense whatsoever. " I sighed, annoyed with Cam. "I know it doesn't, but why would Liz lie about this?!" I held the notebook in front of the camera. "Since when did Liz ever lie, to any of us?" When Cam sighed, I knew I had him convinced. "Look, after school, you and I are going to this alleyway-together." Cam nodded. "Fine, but if either of us gets arrested, shot, or killed, I'm going to blame you and then murder you Maxine Rudd, murder." Laughing, I hung up on my friend. Well, the only friend who was still left alive anyway. High school. The most horrid place you can drop 1,000 hormonal teenagers in. It didn't help that if you were an outsider like me either. PSA: It also didn't help if your best friend had recently died either My only consolation was my headphones, Cam, and now, Liz's notebook. The Dark hallways reflected my mood as soft indie music played into my ears. My eyes caught the bright pink and yellow sticky notes on Liz's locker, and I sighed. Of course her locker was still decorated. But to tell the truth, I looked past the cliche notes, written with fake consolation and grief. Beyond them, I could still see us laughing together, ignoring the world as a pair. One blink, and it was back to reality. My reality. One where you kept getting shoved every step you took down the hallway. NOTE: It took 15 minutes to get to my locker that day, which was a new record. Homeroom was by far my favorite time of the day, besides lunch. It was the only time where I could get some peace. Still, I continued to get looks whenever people passed me in the hallways, as if I was somehow responsible for Liz's death. Even now, 3 weeks after her death, I still got mumbled apologies for my loss. But praise the Lord, Liz sorta sent me a sign from up above. "Cameron Guchal and Maxine Rudd, please report to the office, Guchal and Rudd, to the office. Thank you." An attendance lady said in monotony voice, like she'd rather be catching up on the latest episode of General Hospital then be at school. I don't blame her. Ignoring the stares I received from my classmates, I grabbed my bag, knowing exactly what this was about. SPOILER ALERT: The meet wasn't exactly what I thought it was about. "Sheriff Glean?!" I cried as I walked into the office, shocked. Principal Myers, my guidance counselor, and Cam I had expected to be there, but definitely not Sheriff Miles Glean. Cam glared at me, while the sheriff just chuckled to himself. "Ms. Rudd." Principal Myers said, looking unhappy with my actions. "Please have a seat." He motioned to the empty chair beside Cam. I swung my bag off of my shoulder, and sat. "Now, I want both of you to know that you aren't in trouble." He started out, assuring us of our fate. Both of us nodded, knowing the drill by now. Just nod and act like everything was fine, that we understood. "Can I speak now?" Sheriff Glean asked our Principal, who nodded. "The station and myself are currently investigating the death of Elizabeth Clove." He began. Cam glanced at me for split second, his eyes wide. "And we're still looking for her body, but we have uncovered nothing." Sheriff Glean sighed. "We were wondering if you two could help us out, give us any information as to what might've caused the accident?" Instinctively, I kicked my bag underneath my chair, hiding the notebook. "Sheriff Glean, we've told you everything we know." Cam said as my heart raced. I swear I could hear it beating, that everyone could. "Yes but is there anything? Anything that you might've known that could've caused Liz to do such a thing?!" He seemed aggravated suddenly, as if Cam's answer wasn't good enough for him. "What're you implying?" I asked him. "That Liz somehow planned this?! That she committed suicide?!" My heart was beating faster and faster now, and I didn't care if anyone heard it. Suddenly, I blinked, and I was now face to face with the Sheriff. "Ms. Rudd!" Principal Myers said, slamming his hands on his desk. "That's quite enough." He said sternly. "I understand that the recent events have been hard on everyone." He said quietly. "But Sheriff Glean is just trying to help." Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my bag. "Whatever." I muttered, my hand now on the office door. "It's not like you care anyway." As I walked out, only one thought played through my head. I was going to prove that Liz didn't kill herself, and that her death wasn't in vain. And I do whatever it took to do so. [ First, a little bit about myself before we start our-which I mean your- adventure. My name is Elizabeth Ann Clove, and I died when I was 16 years old, during the fall of my junior year. But that's what everyone believes right? Nobody wants to believe that my death was much more than a simple accident. No, it's much more than that, and this journal will tell you. ] A hand flew in front of the journal's pages. "Are you serious?!" Cam said, his tone suggesting that he was more than upset. "You can't do things like that!" Closing the journal, I glanced up at him. "It was nothing. " Cam choked on his own breath. "Are you serious?! You totally raised a hell of a lot of suspicion onto the two of us! I don't call that nothing!" I looked up from my carrots, which I had started eating while Cam had ranted. "You done now?" I asked him nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't blown up on me. Sighing, my friend sat across from me. "You're a piece of work." In case you haven't realized it yet, it was now lunch time. No, the meeting in the office hadn't lasted through all the periods in between, but Cam and I don't see each other until the last two periods of the day. Our table was toward the back right corner of the cafeteria, away from the rush of those who actually fit into the social status' of high school. It used to be us three against the world, back in our little corner. Our island, is what Liz called it. As Cam started to talk away about how 5th period had went, I saw the oh so familiar red hair of the biggest bitch in school. Victoria Chernova. She was treated like royalty throughout Ashton Grove High, and that was because her parents practically owned the place. WARNING: Our relationship wasn't so good either. "Make sure you come to the 3rd annual Fall Throw Down at my place on Friday!" She chirped to the table across from ours. "That's in two days, in case you didn't know!" I rolled my eyes. "Does she think we don't know our days of the week? This isn't fucking kindergarten." I muttered to Cam. Victoria's eyes flickered over to our corner, and I suspected she had heard me. Afterall, why would she come over to our table anyway? "Well if it isn't the dead girl's group of misfits." She smirked at the two of us. "Y'know, if she were still here, you might have gotten an invitation... she was pretty cool at parties.." she trailed off, before crossing her arms. "But you two aren't getting a pity invite." Cam laughed. "Why would we want to go anyway?" Victoria cackled. "It's only the biggest party of the fall, loser, not like you'd know." She slammed a party flyer onto our table. "Have fun by yourselves on Friday." With that, the Queen Bee of AGHS sashayed away, her possy following en suite. "Cam I-" the rest of my sentence was drowned out by the bell. "I'll meet you after school, okay?" He smiled softly at me, and walked to 6th period.