Chapter 8 - Floridity
Over the course of summer, I sometimes catch Flynn looking off into the distance. I'm curious about what happened after he ran off, but I know better than to ask. Whatever did happen must've at least not have gone sour, because he's slowly becoming himself again. He still needs time to recover, so I've opted not to irk him with my recent concerns about my stalker problem. Not like he'd show much enthusiasm about it anyway, since he still believes they're just idle, harmless threats I'm getting.
For about the first month and a half of my beloved break from school, Flynn was right to think that way, as my mysterious assailant had seemingly disappeared without a trace. In that period of bliss, I was no longer tormented by the anonymous memos. I thought that my refusal to respond to any of them finally convinced him or her that I was no longer worth the trouble. I found out the hard way that they were just taking a vacation from harassing me, for some reason, and I was greeted with the same eerie penmanship halfway through the month of July. They seemed to have changed their tactics too. While they're still trying to coax me into proving myself, their threats have been getting a lot more terrifying. They even started designating a secluded spot in the forest for us to meet in their notes now, which means they're actually serious about wanting to beat me up. It's like they're trying to destroy my sanity, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't working. Their nonstop antics involving sinister letters pasted onto my fence and windows is driving me up the wall. I don't care if Flynn says I'm being melodramatic, it's not like I have the brawn to back up my past heroics anymore. I'm getting deja vu for the millionth-time over where I haven't gotten a good night's sleep. It's like I've been cursed to never be at peace ever since the day I bought my scarf at the local tailor.
Man has evolved to fear the unknown, and whoever this Pokémon is, they sure know how to keep themselves anonymous, even better than me. They're so good in fact that I'm starting to believe that I might've angered an actual ninja. Were my imitations to be like one so insulting to the real thing that they want to punish me?
In stressful times like these, Mabel said I should be looking at the silver linings in my situation. At face value, it actually sounded like pretty good life advice, but as of right now, the only optimistic thing I could think of is that nobody has called me a geek yet. It was comforting to know that she was trying to offer some solace, even though she doesn't know much of what I'm going through. I've yet to tell Mabel anything specific about my turmoil, nor do I plan to. Even though it is perfectly in her right to know as someone who is just trying to help, I don't want her to get involved, especially when there's the risk that my unknown harasser might begin to target her. Plus, as I've told her before, it just seems cruel and irresponsible to weigh down somebody else with my troubles. Not like anybody would believe me when I say some killer ninja is after me anyway, Flynn's permissiveness is clear evidence of that. I shouldn't have to get help for something like this. This is a road I must walk alone.
It's particularly disheartening to know that it's my favorite season of the year, and I'm stuck with juggling between the stresses of being an involuntarily celebrity and the terrors of being on someone's hit list. Probably the most jarring thing to have happened already is that one of my neighbors came to me one day to ask for my paw in marriage with their daughter. As much as I wanted to commend the parent's guts to ask such a thing, I politely declined. I won't admit it to anybody, but the whole ordeal was kind of funny. It was one of the few moments this summer where I was smiling.
I've also been invited to a ton of college gatherings, now that final exams are done. If I had my way, I would've gone to none of them, but Flynn didn't want to hear it, and he made me to go to more than a handful of them with him. Fortunately, I'm usually able to slip out when he isn't looking, before I'd be surrounded by inebriated young adult women asking if I remembered them when I pulled them out of a bind one time, and that was only their most innocent kind of advance. Society has told me that guys are normally the rowdy and immature ones who seduce girls into bed with them. It's not a completely false statement, but the way college girls act at frat parties made the lewd fantasies that Mabel once described to me seem like childish banter. Speaking of Mabel and her advice, I have at least found a silver lining in all this, which is that I've found some enjoyment in finding out the irony of Flynn's recent behaviors. Even though he's the one who drags me to all those parties where hormones run wild and personal space is constantly being invaded, he's become noticeably more conservative about preserving his chastity, which is kind of redundant since it's already ruined beyond belief. I like to think that it's because his chance encounter with Joy has set him down the right path. It's possible, but it may be too good to be true.
Guys in my age group would dream of having my kind of status, but not a single one of them has probably stopped to think about what they'd do once they're finally at the top of the social hierarchy. Having peers from both sides of the gender spectrum kissing up to you is actually quite horrifying. All I want to do is pass the burden to some attention-hungry kid, maybe then they'll understand what it's like to suddenly be forced into the spotlight. Overall, hanging out with my fellow university students did not help in making me feel better.
The occasional Pokémon coming up to me to say thanks for my past deeds have also yet to stop. It's to a lesser degree than months prior, but my social anxiety hasn't at all gotten used to it, so it's still a problem for me. A certain Eevee with a pink cap isn't being much help either, as she's still on my case about answering questions that I apparently owe her. That's not to say that she hasn't already been bugging me with questions about my private life in the past, because she has, but her persistence has suddenly skyrocketed over the summer, perhaps because she has more free time on her paws. All the other journalists except for her have stopped chasing me. Why is that kid so intent on putting a biography of me on the newspaper anyway?
My publicity sucked, for sure, but it was manageable. The harassment letters, on the other hand, are the final nail in the coffin for me. It has done nothing to push me over the edge. I just wanted it to end. As long as I continued to get pelted with hate letters, the hope for things to go back to the way it used to be will forever remain a pipe dream.
I started taking casual strolls around the woods, since I didn't feel comfortable being at home and near my mailbox anymore. I suspect that my brain has started to give me subliminal messages too, as I've found myself more than once standing at the cliff with the apple tree, where I performed my first ever, gut-wrenching rescue mission. I would always sit right at the edge of the bluff and stare longingly at the vast forest below. Today was no different, and a strong "call to the void" feeling surged through me when I let my legs dangle off the edge. My senses screamed at me to back away, yet at the same time, a small part of me imagined what would happen if I were to dive into the abyss.
No… no! That's the coward's way out!
I feverishly shook my head to erase anymore dark thoughts. I watched the waterfall beside me dump a constant flow of its clear liquid down the cliff before trudging back home.
A couple days later, the author of those creepy letters struck once more, and it was too close for comfort. I was walking back home one night, hauling back some gardening supplies when a twig flew right by me, mere inches away from my neck. It wasn't just any twig either, one end of it was so sharp and pointy that it stuck right onto the oak tree that I was about to pass. I instinctively looked in the direction of where it was thrown, but even with the help of the bright illumination of the moon, I saw no one. I looked back at the wooden sprig that almost pierced my skull and felt my blood run cold when I saw a sticky note punched through it. "I see you" was what it read. Moments later, a second projectile was lasered at me, darting right between my ears. Needless to say, it was more than enough persuasion for me to start running.
I wasn't able to sleep when I got back to the confines of my house. Even by midnight, I was still tossing and turning. I'm exhausted, there's no doubt about that, so the only thing keeping me awake must be how sore my arms and legs felt, which is not just because of me sprinting back home to avoid having the words, "death by stick", be written on my tombstone. Spending most of my day dodging expectations from everybody is nothing short of exasperating. Staying up late isn't even that much of an unusual occurrence for me anymore, because at least by nightfall, I could be alone and not mobbed by the overly friendly residents of Cradle Town.
Desperate for a better mode of entertainment, other than staring at my ceiling, I rolled onto my side to look around my dim bedroom. When my eyes fell upon my nightstand beside me, I slid it open to reveal its contents, the most prominent of which turned out to be my one and only souvenir from my trip to the college mixer - the one that Flynn brought me to at the beginning of fall last year.
Staring at the cover of the ninja comic no longer filled me with excitement, and flipping through its pages left me disillusioned. Did I really think that it was my fate to become savior of the town, and this book flying into my face was supposed to be some kind of calling? If only I knew how wrong everything would turn out.
I slammed the drawer shut suddenly, then opened it once more to see that nothing had changed inside of it. A small hope sparked within me, and I began to open and close the drawer repeatedly. Perhaps the stupid comic would disappear if I did it enough times, and it would materialize itself out of existence. Then maybe this horrible lifestyle I've been enduring will end, like it was all a big dream. My faith in this idea could only last for so long, however, and my belief that I was finding a loophole out of this nightmare turned into frustration. I gave up once I had angrily tossed the graphic novel into my trash bin across the room.
Maybe I really am going insane.
Now out of options on how to tire myself out, I climbed out of bed to go outside for some fresh air. At this point, I've realized that I'm so dissatisfied with my present situation that I didn't care if I was now a sitting duck for this real-life ninja. If he or she wanted to throw another one of their makeshift kunais and have it hit their mark, then so be it. In the meantime, I decided to go someplace to loathe myself into oblivion.
Back at the fated cliff at the end of the river, I let my hind legs hang from the cliffside again. The pull towards the boundary between life and death had never felt so strong before, but I refused to let the temptation overwhelm me. My eyes locked on the waters in the tributary below, glistening in the moonlight. This place had unknowingly become my new sanctuary, more so than my backyard or the clearing that Mabel showed me. All evidence should point to me hating this place, given that this was the very spot that started me down the path of chaos, but thanks to how far this place is from the town, it's one of the only places where I can be by myself. I sighed as I stood back up on all fours and prepared for the long walk back home. I shuddered at the fact that I was only a few centimeters away from falling down, but that didn't stop me from getting the urge to lean forward to get a better look at how far of a drop from this elevation really was.
"No! Stop! D-Don't jump!" A sudden voice screamed, ringing my eardrums and making my fur stand on end. Before I could look back at who made the noise, a pair of pink paws grabbed my shoulders and jerked me backwards. "Don't do it! You have so much to live for!"
"Huh?!" I let out, my legs stumbling due to being lurched back unexpectedly.
I heard a yelp as I lost my balance and fell onto my supposed rescuer. I winced at the pain caused by my back slamming onto the ground, but my head was somehow spared from the impact by landing on something soft and warm. Upon getting ahold of my bearings, I realized my head had found a place on someone's lap.
"Oww…" The feminine voice spoke again. I looked up to see a Sylveon rubbing her back, when our eyes met, her face flared up. My head finally got the blow it deserved when she screamed again and she kicked me off her thighs. "Sorry! That was an accident!" She immediately bowed her head to apologize.
"It's alright." I replied calmly, trying hard to keep myself from getting flustered at the fact that I was just in close proximity to a female. "That was my fault, but uhh… I wasn't actually going to jump."
"Oh, i-it looked like you were about to, so I thought-" The fairy type panicked, but paused when our eyes met again, and for the third time, she screeched. This time she was able to cover her mouth with a paw in time, which instead produced an adorable "Eeep!" to escape from her maw. "Ohmigosh! You're him!"
I've lost count of how many times I've been greeted that way, but I decided to play dumb for her sake. "Uhh… I'm who?"
She started to look squeamish, her face still a bit flushed. "You're the one who saved my life a few months ago! Right here, at this very spot!" She bowed her head again. "I never got to thank you for what you've done for me."
I've heard that countless times too, but it still always gets a blush out of me. "Umm… you don't have to thank me. I was just doing what anyone else would've done."
"No they wouldn't!" The Sylveon stomped with authority, but then turned shy again. "I-I mean… I don't think anyone could've caught me the way you did." She hugged her torso self-consciously.
"I guess." I agreed tiredly. "What are you doing out so late?"
"I-..." The eeveelution paused again. She stammers more than I do. "I like to come here sometimes. This is my special place."
"Your special place?" I repeated, confused. "Aren't you scared? You almost died here."
"Not at all. Actually, I think that's why I'm so attached to this place, y-you know, like... learning from your mistakes and all that." She answered coyly. "And now that I got to meet you here... " When her voice trailed off, another meek squeal came out of her muzzle, probably to indicate that she didn't mean to say that last sentence. She forced a weak laugh and changed the subject. "You're Milo, right?"
"That's my name." I replied cooly.
"Oh, I'm so glad I got to finally meet you! I'm Stella. I've heard a lot about you from one of my close friends. You probably know her."
"Do you mean Mabel?"
"Yep!" She chirped happily, but then her tone went back to a lower volume once more. "But umm… I guess everyone around here has been talking about you."
"You're not wrong." I smiled at her attempt at humor, which mysteriously invoked another blush from her. With all the common decency I could muster, I continued to act friendly toward her by attempting to hold a conversation with her for a few minutes, but she ended it when there were too many awkward silences, mostly on her part.
"Sorry, b-but I really have to go now, I'm usually not up this late." She stood up, her eyes looking to and from me, "T-Thanks again for saving me, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't come when you did."
"No problem, it was great to meet you too, and sorry for giving you a scare at first. I can promise you that I won't be jumping off any cliffs." I added in a reassuring tone. I waved broadly as she disappeared in the direction of the Cradily college campus.
I won't say it to her directly, but I did actually got some enjoyment out of our exchange. There is a certain charm in talking to someone more timid than you. Could it be why Flynn took a liking to me when we first met? It sure might be, as there were so many times where Stella became so delightfully shy that I could've sworn my heart was about to melt. There were so many times where I had to resist the urge to pinch her cheeks.
Back by my lonesome, I was reminded of why I was here in the first place. I sat with my back against the apple tree at the peak of the precipice, contemplating my decisions that have led to the recent difficulties in my life. I felt a little ashamed at having to appear like everything was okay to the Sylveon. She simply wanted to be friends, and given any other circumstances, I would've been happy to oblige, but again, I don't want to drag anyone down with my problems. I stared up at the stars during my revaluation of all my shortcomings. My stomach churned at the thought of having to deal with the public again. I'll never be seen as an ordinary citizen again for the rest of my life, and if I do, I'll probably be old and wrinkly. It sounded easy to swallow when I thought of it like that, but I just couldn't bring myself to accept that new way of life. Tomorrow meant another day of being afraid, which made me unwilling to return back to reality.
If only I could make everyone forget the things I did.
I let my mind wander as I laid prone against the grass and peeked down over the edge again. My eyes shifted towards the protruding rock faces that I used to leap back up with Stella in my arms a long time ago. They were so well camouflaged against the side of the cliff that I wondered how I was able to spot them in time. Squinting through the darkness, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are enough platforms to allow one to safely descend the otherwise fatal height. I leaned back against the coarse bark of the apple tree to analyze my observations. I watched an overripe apple break off one of the branches and plummet hundreds of feet, only to splat once it hit the dirt below.
If it's me that everyone's obsessed with, then what if I just take myself out of the picture?
When I looked up at the thin branches that once fooled Stella, a lightbulb went off.
I jumped onto all fours. I had an idea, and it was so great that it restored my faith in having a future for myself, rather than falling at the hands of some rogue who wants to tan my hide. I was so excited that I was already bounding my way back home.
At first, I thought my life was finally going to take a turn for the better, but my heart began to feel heavy when I realized the obvious aftermath of my plan. It gave me another thing to keep me up as I tried to go to bed.
I'm going to run away.
There's really no way to sugarcoat it, no matter how much I try to tell myself otherwise, the outcome will always be the same. All in the name of safety, not only am I admitting that I'm still a whelp that flees from everything, but I will also be leaving behind everything I've worked so hard to obtain: my home, my schooling…
My friends...
I was racking my brain all of next morning to think of a better way to go about this, but none would be able to reliably produce the results I so desperately needed. If I keep trying to go through the motions, one day I'm going to finally crack. I can't take this anymore. Now that I know that I'm being hunted, there's no chance for me being able to live here peacefully. Either I go mad from how everyone's been treating me, or I go make myself scarce before that happens.
My escape could only be accomplished if I were to fake my own death, lest some Pokémon start to go looking for me. Like my other brilliant solution that brought me into this whole mess, this had to be an absolute secret. I wanted so badly to confide in those I held dear, but I couldn't. It'd be bad for anybody to know, and they would definitely not be on board with the concept of me leaving, neither am I really.
I don't want to leave...
But this has to be done, my fate here would be sealed if I choose to stay here, and it would be a slow and painful ride if I did. The sooner I'm out of here, the better. The thought that I was being driven from my home filled me with so much dread that I had force myself to dull my emotions for at least until I've left. Reinforcing my resolve was only way to make me go through with this.
I arranged to carry out my ploy tonight, since it's imperative that no one sees me. By noon, I finished packing my messenger bag with only my essentials. Taking everything might cause some uncertainty; nobody would bring anything with them if they were going to die. It'd be nice to sell my home for extra cash and leave less of a footprint about my whereabouts, but that too would appear suspicious. I have to make it appear like it was a impulsive decision, so investigators might interpret my "suicide" to be a spontaneous solution to everything that has happened to me. The thought gave me an idea to leave a note, or a will, somewhere in my bedroom. It would confirm any beliefs of my absence to anyone who might decide to break into my house once I'm gone, which they undoubtedly will.
The one risk I was willing to take was to unenroll from my classes at Cradily University, since I thought it may be another indirect hint to my motives that I wanted to disappear. I started my way towards to campus to take my name off the student body, with the reason that I was transferring to another school, which was partially true. Earlier, I set a course to a faraway town that takes around a week to get there on foot, called Floridity. According to the tourist pamphlets I've read, it's a new yet rapidly developing town, and it seemed like a nice place to lie low.
Or settle down.
I tried my best to avoid both of my two closest friends throughout the whole day, seeing them will only make this harder, but fate always likes to work in its own mysterious ways, and I made the mistake of running into Flynn when making my way back to my house. Just the sight of him nonchalantly leaning his back against a tree made a lump appear in my throat.
"There you are Milo, you up for a little hangout?" He smiled warmly.
I gulped. "Umm... sorry, I can't. I'm busy."
"C'mon, it'll only be for an hour." His eyes narrowed at me when I started shaking my head too quickly. "Why are you so jumpy today? Don't you wanna grab a bite to eat, and maybe calm down a bit while you're at it?"
I exhaled deeply to regain my composure. "I'm fine, really. I already ate, and I said I have errands to run."
"Can't it wait? You look a little stressed out."
"I've always been stressed out, thanks to that harmless assassin you keep telling me to ignore." I mimicked the air quotes he always does when he mocks me.
"He's still after you? Geez, you haven't said anything about him for a while, so I thought it was no longer an issue."
"It hasn't, and now I'd rather be at home than stay outside long enough to get jumped by them."
"Well if you put it that way, how about we shoot the breeze at your house? I can grab some Sunkern Café takeout and meet you there. How's that sound?"
My stomach growled loudly at his suggestion, and his ears perked up when he heard it, which meant that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Fine." I grumbled.
I sipped quietly out of a berry soda that Flynn had bought me. He held a bowl of salad in his paws as he inspected my living room. The setting sun outside made the sky an orange hue.
"Seems a lot more empty here than usual, you doing some spring cleaning or something?" He spoke again when I took too long to come up with an excuse. "How come you're still starin' blanks man? A nice cold cola always cheers you up."
I can't lie to you anymore...
"Flynn I-... I need to tell you something." I mumbled, holding the soda can at my lap.
"Did I mess up your order?"
"No but… before I tell you. Please, promise me that you won't tell anyone. Not even Mabel."
His jolly expression went away when I gave him a stern look. He nodded respectfully and placed his salad on the armrest of the sofa.
How come this time it worked?
I bit my lip, knowing that I was going back against my own word to keep this a secret, but I couldn't resist the urge anymore, I wanted to at least say goodbye. "I'm… I'm leaving. I'm leaving Cradle Town, Flynn."
"You mean… like for vacation or...?" He sat up from his lounging position, "You don't mean like, you're gonna be gone for good, right?"
"I am, Flynn - I'm moving. I can't stay here anymore." I fidgeted with the can in my paws.
"What's gotten into you? Don't tell it's because of that guy who's been scaring you."
"It is because of that. I almost got killed last night by those guys, whoever they are. Things are starting to get out of control, and I don't mean just them, everyone's been getting on my nerves."
"Bullshit!" He suddenly shouted, hammering an arm onto my coffee table with a loud thud. "So what if you do leave then? Aren't they just going to follow you?"
"I have a plan for that, but I can't tell you what it is. I trust you, and I know you trust me. Please, whatever happens, promise me that you won't say anything. "
"What the fuck are you-" He caught his rising voice and lowered it by gritting his teeth and clenching his fist tightly. "When… when are you leaving?" He tried to say calmly.
"Tonight." I said quickly, bracing myself for his reaction.
He tensed up as he was about to yell again, but instead just sighed and slid his paws down his face tiredly. "You know what? Fine. Just… fine. I'll keep your lousy promise, so do whatever the hell you want." He got up to leave. "It was nice knowing you, Milo."
"Hey! Don't be like that!" I tried to say to him before he left, "It's not like I'll be gone forever! We could come see eachother after a while and-"
I stopped once I realized he was already gone.
When night came, I made one last inventory check. I didn't have a lot of provisions, so I needed to make sure I reached my destination quickly. When I confirmed that all my preparations were complete, along with my fake suicide note neatly laid out on a table, filled with things I'm fairly certain a depressed Pokémon would say, I took a step outside and locked the door behind me, for the final time. Before I exited out of the clearing, I took a glance back at my garden, then at Flynn's house, and then at my entire neighborhood. I began walking before I had any second thoughts.
I'm sorry…
Back at the fated cliff that was the birthplace of all my recent woes, I looked down until I had a good perspective on where the rocky outcroppings were so I could make a safe descent. Before jumping, however, I still needed to carry out the most crucial part of my plan. Out from my messenger bag, I pulled out the scarf that I had a love and hate relationship with. I hesitated when I held it in front of my face, but I knew I had to do this quickly, anybody who sees a Leafeon with a gray scarf will quickly be identified as… well, me.
I tore it up into two, along a few bits of fabric here and there to make it look more ragged and authentic. Next, I climbed the apple tree right by the river and snapped a relatively thin-looking branch that hung right over the cliffedge. I proceeded to place one half of the scarf on the point where the tree limb broke to make it look like I had fallen down to my demise. I still am going to be taking a plunge down the bluff, but I won't be dead once I'm down there.
When I climbed back down the fruit tree, I took another brief look down the precipice so I had a good idea of where I should land, then leaped down once I was well informed. Taking deep breaths in between each hop to the next protruding platform, I successfully made my way down the fatal height. It actually wasn't that hard, since I was travelling light. It would've been near impossible to do if I had my heavy rucksack on, even with the help of the physique that I still kept somewhat maintained from my training to be a pacifist ninja. It was exhilarating whenever I was in mid air, but I wasn't going to allow myself to get hooked on that feeling ever again.
When my paws touched grass once more, I found myself to be right next to the lake where the waterfall emptied out into. I discovered a tight, yet clearly visible spot between two sturdy rocks along the banks where I could shove the other half of my scarf without worrying that it would be washed away by the river. Now if any of the more adventurous investigators comes to search for me, like that little Eevee reporter, they'll assume that my lifeless body was swept off into god knows where by the current and stop their pursuit.
I pulled out a map to get a better understanding of my surroundings. I doubt many Pokémon have found a way down here like me. Fortunately I had drawn a path to Floridity before I left home. Normally it would take a week to get to the town on foot, but since I took one of the most daring shortcuts possible, I should be there in a few days tops.
When I stuffed the map back into my pack, I heard a blood-curdling scream that sent a shiver down my spine. The sound came from back up the cliffside. It didn't take long for me to figure out who it was from.
Crap, I totally forgot that she comes here a lot at night!
I dashed off into the cover provided by the nearby forest before the Sylveon could peer down the cliff while I was still exposed. I kept up a jogging pace once I was sure I was out of sight, mostly because I wanted to cover as much distance between me and Cradle Town before it blows up from the uproar of my disappearance.
Right when I grew tired from my mini-marathon, it began to rain. It was only a light drizzle, but the weather was sure to get worse. The already dark night started to become pitch-black as rain clouds filled the sky. I took cover under a large, hollowed out tree and put together a small campfire. Someone left some dried grass bedding in here already in here, likely made by a previous traveler, which was good, since I didn't bring a sleeping bag. Alone next to a cozy fire, I ate some of my berry rations as I watched the rain outside grow more intense.
I was finally free, free from all the dangers and attention that I had garnered at Cradle. Coming to terms with the idea invoked a sense of unadulterated joy. For the first time since I had gotten myself into this mess, my body loosened up as I began to relax in the warm interior of the tree.
That would prove to be a mistake, however.
Previously, I had to resort to suppressing a bit of my morality in order to carry out my escapist plot. And now that that was complete, the full realization of the repercussions of my actions hit me like a ton of bricks.
My whole body started shaking uncontrollably. I curled up into a fetal position and squeezed my head to try to remedy the insufferable sensation of my mind being flooded with emotions.
"I really left them… I left everything behind." I murmured to the flames in front of me. My vision blurred as my eyes became watery. "I really did it. I'm all alone now..."
I fell onto my side, but the pain that followed was the least of my problems.
They're going to think I actually killed myself! Oh god, why didn't I tell Flynn that this was all a ruse?
A growl came out as I banged my head against the walls of my shelter.
And Stella! Oh man, I shouldn't have said that I wasn't gonna jump off that cliff.
It felt like my internal organs were being ripped out of me when an involuntary image of Mabel's heart being broken at the news of my death. I failed to keep her content, all because I was too caught up on running way with my tail between my legs.
I promised to give her a chance! And I couldn't even give her that...
I nearly tore open my bag as I hastily fished out my journal. Writing my jumbled thoughts was the best coping mechanism I could think of at the moment.
I wanna go back...
Thanks so much for tuning back in for another update! I'm truly flattered that so many of you guys are reading it!
