In celebration of the officially announced LIS sequel (about time), AND PREQUEL NOW, YAY E3 TRAILER! (I may be a little excited, lol) I'm gonna try my hand at a sequel myself with some OCs (and possibly a few surprises :p) Consider this a preview of what I have in mind. The rest will start to come over the next couple months, I suspect.
Life is Strange: Relay
Prologue: Next in Line
Late October, 2013
Sighing, a girl with dyed teal hair tied into a side plait - the black roots blending seamlessly with the greeny-blue dye - and dark eyes sat at the desk in her room, trying so hard to get her homework finished. It was her own fault she had so much; a procrastinator through and through.
She rolled her shoulders, glancing out of the window. Today was miserable, rain hitting the glass with soft thuds. If it was sunny, she might have a reason to prolong her suffering further. Unfortunately, that avenue of possibility had been firmly closed off. A little annoyed and starting to get a major headache, she tapped her fingertips on the desk, sighing. If only this could do itself...
Too engrossed in her attempts to get started, she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt hands at her eyes, temporarily blinding her, and a voice whispering in her ear. "Guess who?"
The teal-haired girl knew exactly who it was, batting the hands away and turning around in her seat. "Ah, Violet… you almost gave me a heart attack. I swear, you appear out of thin air."
A dark-skinned, slightly chubby - or curvy as she insisted on calling it - short girl grinned back at her. The thick mane of curly hair framing her rounded face held a single red streak in the front, brown eyes full of mischief.
"You know it. I'm like a ninja, engage full stealth mode." She made some over-exaggerated motions with her hands, trying to assimilate stereotypical fighting poses, making the other girl giggle. "So, how's the 'model student gig' going?"
"Very poorly," Tabitha admitted, lamenting her lack of progress.
"I could help, you know," Violet offered, already done with her work for the day.
Tabitha gave her a skeptical look. "I get even less done with you around."
Violet's face crumpled up with feigned hurt. "Ouch, blunt much?"
"Ugh, sorry," she ran her fingers through her hair, sighing, "I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. This stupid homework is officially kicking my ass; not an excuse, I know."
That made the other girl smirk, wrapping her arms around her friend from behind. "I'm used to it by now. Have time for a break? I haven't seen you all day and I miss you."
"You're so needy… and yes, I could seriously do with a break. Right now, I'm just staring at a blank screen: see Exhibit A." Tabitha motioned towards the screen, an open yet blank word document sitting there practically untouched. Giving up for now, she turned her laptop off and went over to the bed, sitting down with her friend. "I'm all yours."
"Hmm, don't tempt me," Violet mentioned with a playful wink.
"Honestly…" Tabitha muttered to herself, feeling her cheeks heat up.
Chuckling, Violet lightly punched her shoulder. "You're just too easy to tease, Tabs."
Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Sadly, yes."
"You know you love it," her friend mocked playfully, expression suddenly turning more serious. "Hey, d'you hear about that killer tornado in Oregon? Happened fairly recently, actually. Got all the hardcore environmentalists in a twist, not that I can blame them."
This was the first Tabitha had heard of it. "No, I haven't."
"Have you been living under a rock?" her friend inquired, shaking her head at how out of the loop she was. "A little coastal town got totally swallowed up, sad stuff."
"No warning?" the teal-haired girl pressed, finding it almost hard to believe.
"Nope. One minute it was clear skies and the next… BOOM, tornado time," Violet explained in her usual animated fashion, arms thrown out to demonstrate the explosive appearance.
Tabitha dodged out of the way of her wildly flailing arm like it was second nature, more than used to it by now. The first few times, she'd got a black eye and busted lip. Needless to say, she'd learned her lesson fast. "That's so scary. Imagine if that happened here…"
Throwing her arm around her best friend, Violet gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Tabs, I'd protect you. I always do."
Eager to see where this conversation would go, Tabitha demanded further explanation. "How, exactly? I doubt you could scare a storm away with your death glare, as formidable as you are."
Shrugging, Violet replied, "I dunno, I can be pretty scary when I want to be."
"Yeah, tell me about it," the other girl muttered. You did not want to cross someone like Violet; many people had learned that the hard way.
"It's rare for you to be on the receiving end, so I don't know what that look was for," she stated, narrowing her eyes. It only took a second or two for them to return to their usual softness. "Oh yeah, keep your calendar free tomorrow."
While it wasn't rare for Violet to call a sudden meeting, Tabitha was curious to know the occasion. "Why's that?"
Her best friend gave her a disbelieving look. "Have you seriously forgotten already? Hint: it's your birthday, dumb dumb." She gave the other girl a tap on the head. "Hellooooo, anyone home in there?"
"Oh, right, yeah…" Between classes and homework, Tabitha had almost forgotten. It had been a background feature for weeks now.
Shaking her head, Violet grinned knowingly. "What would you do without me to remind you of all these important events?"
Tabitha managed an easy smile, answering truthfully. "I'd fall apart."
"Correct answer. Gold star for you." Violet stuck her thumb up in approval. "I have something special planned, and you can't say no."
Both excited and a little nervous - some of Violet's ideas were… questionable - Tabitha allowed her smile to widen. "I wouldn't anyway, you know that."
Bumping shoulders, Violet gave her friend a smug smirk. "Well, duh, who could pass up spending time with me, right?"
"Not me." Tabitha and Violet had been friends for five years now, completely inseparable. Neither girl would have it any other way.
Nodding, Violet rewarded her with an affectionate side hug. "Again, right answer. Man, you are nailing these today. Anyway, I guess I should leave you to your work. Make sure it's all done by tomorrow, or else. If you aren't at the bus stop by ten, I'm leaving you. Oh, that's ten AM by the way, not vampire time."
"I will, promise." Tabitha gave her best friend a quick hug, waving as she left. Suddenly, found the motivation to get her work typed up at lightning speed.
Next Day, Morning
When Tabitha woke the next morning, she had a few birthday messages from her parents and friends. Responding to them, she grabbed a speedy shower and got ready in record time. She was very eager to get this show on the road. Satisfied, she dropped Violet a text.
Tabs: On my way :)
Vi: about time, dude
Vi: was gonna come and drag you out
Vi: kicking and screaming :p
Tabs: sounds brutal
Tabs: no need though
Vi: i knew youd come ;)
Tabs: i'll ignore the thinly veiled innuendo
Vi: such a dirty mine :o
Vi: mind, even
Tabs: 10/10 texting, Vi
Vi: says you
Vi: :( dont make fun
Vi: cuz i got PLENTY of dirt on you!
Vi: anyways
Vi: get that cute little butt of yours over here to meet my big booty
Vi: pronto!
Tabs: okay okay… dont pop a bloodvessel
In no time, Tabitha made it to the bus stop. She could see her friend there, waiting. When their eyes met, Violet waved her down with no shame. Rolling her eyes, Tabitha walked up to her. The other girl had a backpack on, piquing her interest. She was also hiding something behind her back, grinning.
"Tabs, my girl, look what I got…" Violet announced in a coaxing, bubbly tone, holding up two small partially see through bags containing freshly baked croissants and two small cups of coffee. "I had to literally fight through hordes of sleepy students to get these. You're not skipping breakfast on my watch!"
"Your girl, huh?" Tabitha repeated, taking the offering, her stomach rumbling at the delicious scent.
"Yeah, you so are," Violet confirmed. "I'm not letting anyone else get their hands on you, especially not on your eighteenth birthday. Who knows what they'd do to you." Her words were laced with suggestion.
Rolling her eyes, Tabitha took a sip of her coffee. "Oh, and I'm sure you won't do anything."
"Depends, doesn't it?" Violet mentioned between bites of her croissant.
Tabitha was never quite sure whether Violet was joking around just to embarrass her or not. Some days, she was obviously trying to get a reaction. Others, she passed them off as a joke, but they seemed... more serious? Maybe that was just wishful thinking…
Blushing at that stray thought, Tabitha tried her best to make sure it didn't show. Unfortunately, her best friend picked up on it immediately, years of practice coming into play. "Oh, got you thinking, huh? Honestly, such a dirty mind."
"Says you," she muttered, unable to come up with a witty comeback.
"Guess you're rubbing off on me." Violet grinned teasingly, her deep brown eyes flickered with mischief. "Enough about that… for now, I have a surprise with your name on it."
They had enough time to hungrily devour their breakfast and throw away the evidence before the bus pulled up. They both got on, sharing Violet's iPod for the entire journey. They jiggled around, giggling at the playlist made for shared voyages like this - full of feel good tunes. Several other passengers gave them funny looks, but the two girls were totally oblivious to the disapproval. After half an hour, they got off at an all too familiar stop near the local woodlands.
Violet spread her arms out once the bus pulled away. "And here we are, out childhood haunt."
Tabitha knew this forest like the back of her palm, so many fond memories. "I should've known."
Bumping her shoulder, Violet grabbed her hand as she led her deeper in. "Try not to sound too excited."
"I really am, seriously," Tabitha reassured, getting a better hold on her friend's hand. "I can't think of a better place. Or a better person to be with."
It took them a few moments to reach their usual spot, nearby a clearing. They got set up, Violet pulling a blanket from her bag and some snacks.
Tabitha was actually impressed by her forward thinking. "Oh, you have come prepared."
"Someone has to be," she added, pouring some juice for her friend into a plastic cup.
They took a moment to relax, listening to the sounds of nature. Tabitha finally broke the silence. "I almost forget how peaceful it is around here."
"Until we get here," Violet mentioned with a wink.
With a grin, Tabitha decided to tease her friend back. "More you than me."
Sighing, Violet shrugged. "I guess somebody doesn't want her present…"
"No fair. Gimme, gimme." Tabitha reached out towards her, clenching and unclenching her fists, signaling for her to hand over the goods.
Smiling, Violet pulled a wrapped gift from her bag. "I'll let it slide just this once. Only for you."
No patience, Tabitha ripped the paper off the small box and took off the lip. Inside was a thin woven bracelet - three strands of teal, golden yellow, and creme - with a golden 'T' hanging from the teal thread and a silver 'V' from the yellow one.
Tabitha held the bracelet in her hand, staring. "Vi, this is…"
"Great, I know. See, I made one too." She held up her arm to demonstrate, showing a vibrant purple, red and blue matching bracelet, this time with a 'V' dangling down from the purple band, another golden 'T' on the red strand. "I know you're a sentimental sap, so I thought this would hit the spot."
Unable to find the words, Tabitha gave her a huge hug. "Thanks, Vi, these are perfect."
"Here, let me help you get it on." Violet motioned for her to hold out her wrist left wrist - Tabitha's dominant hand - and attached the handmade bracelet. Her fingers lingered a second longer than they needed to, something the younger girl noticed. "There, now it's perfect."
Inspecting the now secure bracelet, Tabitha smiled. "Now you've officially raised the bar on gift giving."
Returning the smile, Violet leaned back on her hands. "Well, you have a while to figure something of equal awesomeness out." Her eyes focused on the bracelet for a moment, looking up to flash her friend a cheeky grin. "Think of all the things you can legally do now you're eighteen."
Knowing what her friend was thinking without even having to ask, Tabitha shook her head. "I wonder which of those you're most fixated on…"
"How dare you imply such a thing!" Violet exclaimed, shoving her best friend's shoulder with playful indignance, "...however true it might be."
Not taking the bait, Tabitha nudged her friend with her foot. "I plan to spend my birthday the same as I do each year… chilling with my best friend."
"You are just too cute sometimes, Tabs. No, make that all the time," Violet corrected, really pushing. It felt a little harder than usual, maybe…
"Aw shucks, you'll make me blush." As much as she tried to pass it off as a joke, Tabitha did find herself blushing despite her best efforts.
Violet motioned for her to get closer, snapping a quick picture of the two of them to commemorate the day; the first of many.
"Maybe that's the point, ever considered that?" Violet posed with a broad, toothy grin, happy with the picture she had taken.
The other girl nodded knowingly. "I figured as much. You always did love teasing me."
"What if… it wasn't just teasing?" the other girl asked softly, her question uncharacteristically hesitant, almost too quiet to hear.
Before Tabitha could press for more information, the pair heard muffled voices coming from just up ahead. Exchanging worried glances, they kept low in the undergrowth and went to inspect. There were two figures, having some kind of heated discussion. Well, more of a one-sided hostile exchange. One person was backed up against a tree, the other approaching them menacingly, something in their hand.
It took a moment for Tabitha to realize she knew the first person, a kid from her class - Eric Lawrence. The poor guy looked terrified, eyes focused on the other person threatening him. It was impossible to tell who it was since she couldn't see the face, covered by a hood. Tabitha's eyes went wide as she noticed what the hooded figure was holding… a gun.
"What the hell is this?" Violet asked in a whisper, tensing.
Before anyone could say or do anything, Tabitha took a deep breath. She couldn't just sit by and watch him get shot, no way no how. There was no time to lose. In that moment, she made an instinctive decision. If she could just talk them down. She had to try, otherwise...
Her heart racing, she stood and called out to the hooded stranger as calmly as she could. "Hey, you don't have to-"
She didn't get to finish her sentence, a gunshot ringing out. The next few seconds happened in bullet time. Birds and woodland animals scarpered from the sound as it reverberated around the otherwise quiet forest. Tabitha opened her eyes, feeling… strange. There was something warm running along the skin of her stomach. She looked down, eyes widening as she noticed the growing red stain. When she glanced up, she noticed the figure pointing the now smoking gun at her, almost seeming as surprised.
Without warning, she stumbled back and collapsed straight into her friend's arms, the familiar voice muffled between sobs. "Tabs… stay with me… please…"
A Few Moments Earlier…
"I figured as much. You always did love teasing me." Tabitha expected her friend to reply with something teasing, to get her blushing. Instead, she received a very solemn look. Violet looked very shaken, like she'd seen a ghost. That made Tabitha pause, frowning. "Vi, what's wrong?"
"Shh, don't you dare move, okay. Let me handle this," Violet demanded, making no sense whatsoever.
Giving her friend a strange look, Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "Handle what?"
Without explaining, Violet grabbed her friend's arm and quietly pulled her behind a tree, staring intently with her hands firmly planted on Tabitha's shoulders. "Wait here and don't say a word or move a single muscle, no matter what. Promise me."
"Okay… I promise," Tabitha agreed as she watched her friend creep forward.
Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she saw what was happening ahead of her. A boy with dark curly hair, brown eyes and olive skin was pinned up against a tree. She recognized him almost immediately as one of her classmates, Eric Lawrence. Another thing she quickly noticed; he was being threatened with a gun. She wanted to call out, tell Violet to get the hell back here… but that would give away her position and maybe get her killed. Instead, she waited with bated breath, ready to run in if need be.
Part of their conversation carried over, the hooded figure speaking first. "...last chance and you blew it."
Eric whimpered, trying to disappear into the tree. "Please, please… I… it wasn't my f-"
The other person cocked their gun, pointing it directly at him. "Don't try and pin this on someone else. I don't like people who shirk their responsibilities."
"I'll… I'll do anything, just please don't hurt me…" Eric begged, sounding so pathetic.
Before they could do anything, the armed figure was tackled to the ground by Violet, the gun spinning off into the undergrowth. They grunted from the unexpected force, collapsing.
"Get the hell out of here!" Violet called to Eric, who was still stunned. It didn't take him long to get the message, running off towards the town once more.
As he fled the scene, she and the unknown assailant tussled for an advantage. After a few seconds, the pair scrambled to their feet. Violet threw a well-timed punch, connecting with the other person's face making them recoil. In that time, she ran back to Tabitha and grabbed her hand, dragging her along as fast as her legs could carry her. Of course, Tabitha didn't protest, scared out of her mind. After running for god knew how long, the pair collapsed into an undignified heap, panting heavily.
"What the-?" Tabitha began, giving her friend a questioning look, eyes widening once more when she saw the state her friend was in.
It wasn't often she saw Violet visibly scared; now was one of those times. In fact, scared was much too weak a word for her friend right now. She was shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks. There was a nasty looking bruise starting to form on her cheek from her fight moments ago, a small cut on her brow that was bleeding.
"Vi? You ok-?" her words were cut off as Violet launched herself forwards, arms clamping around her friend's body as tightly as she could manage. Confused, and finding it hard to breathe, Tabitha choked out, "...need to breathe… Vi…"
Violet's hold loosened just a fraction, not much. "Holy shit…"
Feeling scared and a little angry now as the implications of the past couple of minutes dawn on her, Tabitha gave her friend a disapproving frown. "Why did you do something so dangerous and stupid? You could have been seriously hurt."
Confused, Violet return the look. "That's my line, idiot."
Taken aback by the serious tone, Tabitha stuttered. "What? I don't…"
Seeming extremely frustrated, Violet continued, "Tabs, you did the stupid thing first."
Still not knowing what she was being accused of, the teal-haired girl pressed for further explanation. "What did I do exactly?"
"You tried to talk that asshole down," Violet stated, equal parts scared and angry.
This really wasn't making any sense. "No, I didn't. Violet… what are you talking about?"
The question made her expression soften. "So… you don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Tabitha pressed, not sure what she was going on about.
Exhaling deeply and considering something in great depth, Violet met her gaze. "Right, this is gonna sound crazy, but… you trust me, right?"
"Of course I do," Tabitha replied without hesitation. "You don't even have to ask."
"I… this wasn't the first time that scene played out. It happened before. That time… you tried to stop whoever that was by talking to them and… they shot you," Violet whispered these last few words, tears threatening to fall once more.
Tabitha had never seen her friend like this in all the years they had been together. "Then, shouldn't I be injured or something?"
"Yes, you should be." Something in Violet's eyes shifted, dark realization. Her voice became somber and low. "I panicked, and… then something weird happened and we were back in the bushes, hiding. I knew what was going to happen so I… that's why I did something so stupid."
"You had a vision?" Tabitha asked, thoroughly confused. She desperately wanted to just accept what her friend was saying, but...
"No, it wasn't a vision. It was… real. So real…" Tears began welling up in her dark eyes once more. "I thought…"
"Hey, hey, it's okay…" she cooed, stroking Violet's hair like she always did when her friend needed calming down. It worked wonders, although the poor girl was still shaking something fierce. "I'm here. I don't know what happened, what you saw, but I'm alive and well." She glanced around, worried about coming face to face with the mysterious assailant again. "Come on, we should go before that person finds us."
Both girls got to their feet, retreating from the forest and back to school. The whole way, Violet refused to let go of Tabitha, scared her friend would suddenly disappear. When they finally got back to safety, they made their way to their dorm on campus.
When they got to the girls' floor, Tabitha realized her friend didn't want to part ways. If anything, she clutched on tighter. Instead of forcing her away, the younger girl led them both back to her room. It was a mess, but that was the last of their concerns right now. In all honesty, Tabitha herself was a little rattled and could do with the company.
Not really up to much else, the two girls got snuggled up in the mountain of blankets and pillows on the bed. Today felt… different, both still shaken up. Being together like this helped a hell of a lot.
"Tabs…" a soft voice called out.
"Yeah?"
Violet turned over to face her friend. "I was… really scared today."
"Me too. What a birthday, huh?" Tabitha exhaled deeply, wondering if this morning had been a weird dream.
"Yeah…" Violet whispered, letting the silence hang between them.
"Let's forget that last part happened for now, okay? We had a great picnic, I loved my present and-" Tabitha's voice cut out part way through when Violet gave her an unexpected kiss on the cheek.
"Happy birthday, Tabs," she muttered as she gently played with the bracelet on her friend's wrist.
Not sure how to respond, Tabitha simply snuggled up closer, lightly bumping foreheads. Neither of them spoke, eyes closing gradually for an afternoon nap. They sure as hell needed one after the morning they'd had. Explanations could wait.
Bet you were thinking Tabitha was gonna be the one with powers at the start, huh? ;) Just to clarify, I picture Tabitha as Japanese-American and Violet as African-American in descent (both several generations in). This will draw inspiration from the first season, of course, but there will be a different cast and storyline… well, for the most part ;) but enough of that for now.
Have a great day and see you next time.