Chapter 3: Reminisce in the Past

A stiff, cold wind blows through naked trees, kicking up long dead leaves and small twigs. The wind rips papers out of the hands of a girl walking out of the law firm down the street, and sweeps off the hat of a musician, singing a song for his dinner money. In the cemetery stands a solitary girl, in front of a grave covered – strangely – in what was known as catnip. Usually cats would be all over this grave, but today, it seemed that the felines of the city knew better than to come on a day that was to be in remorse.

Happy birthday, Meulin.

That's right. It's been around 10 years since Meulin died, 2 months before her birthday.

Talk about a shitty early birthday present.

Nepeta smiled at the dry joke. Meulin may be dead, but Nepeta knew she would laugh at that, and since today was her birthday, Nepeta will smile for her, because Meulin had stated herself that:

It's stupid to be sad on a birthday. Birthdays are happy occasions, and to be sad is the equivalent of a federal crime.

Nepeta smiled softly again, remembering the day when Meulin had told her that.

It had been so long ago. It had been her 7th birthday, and one of the kids that their mother had invited had made her upset. Terribly upset. Instead of coming down for cake when her mother called, she stayed up in Meulin's treehouse, crying over her broken tiara that Meulin spent the whole night making for her. Meulin came up and took one look at her crying face and instantly frowned.

She comes over and picks Nepeta up. "It's nyot purroper fur a purrincess to be crying," She scolds gently. "You must hold mewr head high, even in the darkest times! Purrincesses are to be looked up to. And, besides, mew must nefur, efur, efur cry during a birthday. It is the equivalent—

"—of a federal crime. I know, Meu..." Nepeta tilts her head back and peers towards the heavens, letting a single, solitary tear fall down her cheek. "… I know."

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It's been a week since Nepeta's been gone, and Karkat was beginning to think that she got herself in an accident. Each day he fretted over this more and more, his worry increasing by very large amounts of oh-my-fucking-god-she-might-be-dead. It had gotten to the point where he was running to get to Jade's Pet Shop every day because he was freaking out. Every day he returned to his dorm slightly calmed down, but still worried as hell.

Why the fuck am I so worried…?

The thought struck him in the middle of his class. He had been staring at Nepeta's empty seat for a sizeable chunk of the lecture. He scrunched his eyebrows together and thought over the reasons.

'Why am I so worried?' Because she's my friend!

Yes, that was it. Karkat nodded, satisfied. He was worried because she was a very good friend of his. Nothing could possibly have happened to Nepeta. She was the luckiest and happiest person he knew.

She should be perfectly fine.

Oh wow, he was so, so wrong.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Karkat ran through the halls of the hospital. His shoes beat on the white tiles. He stops at a turn, nearly running over a nurse wheeling a mental patient down the hall.

Nepeta

The black line, the black line on the wall, the receptionist said.

Where is the black line?!

Karkat frantically searches the wall for that line that would lead him to Nepeta.

THERE!

He runs to her room, praying to whoever the fuck made this world that she was fine. Just like she should be.

"Nepeta!" He bursts into her room. He was met with silence, and a long, monotonous, beep.

Karkat's knees hit the ground with a strangled gasp. Only one thought reverberated through his mind.

Nepeta is gone.

The tears started like twin rivers down his face before he could try to stop them, and he didn't.


GUESS WHO IS BAAAAAAACK~