5 - A Family of Five or Something
Darkness. Unending and unforgiving. A deep cowl of blackness surrounds me in all directions. Thick and oppressing. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. It finds you. It catches you.
Whispers resound in my head. Where? Where do they come from? I heard them before… I think. They are unsettling and cruel, sounds reverberating all around me. It's trying to tell me something, but they are nothing but random noises.
And then… tentacles, resembling spider legs, crawl around my body, encasing me in a cocoon. I can't move. I can't speak. I can't even breathe. Am I breathing? I don't know.
The whispers intensify exponentially, and I finally managed to hear something. A word, repeated over and over again, pounding in my head, unrelenting and merciless.
One… single… word…
"Mine".
I gasp and shoot in a sitting position, sweating and panting. Did I scream? I hope I didn't scream, I don't really feel like having the tyrant question me first thing in the morning.
Wait, is it even morning?
I briefly check the alarm clock, and sigh dejectedly.
6 am. Way too early for my tastes, but there is no way that I'm going back to sleep after… that. Whatever that was.
A nightmare? My brain being paranoid? Or… maybe a premonition?
Yeah, right, a premonition. Listen to me, no wonder my parents liked to call me a moron.
I massage my eyes to shake off the last remnants of sleep.
It was just a stress induced nightmare, nothing to worry about, me. Calm the fuck down already! You are paranoid because of The Entity, nothing more, nothing less.
I get out of bed, noting in my head that I'm STILL HERE! God damnit, I really feel like the universe's chewing toy right about now. And it's bound to get only worse, I bet.
I yawn and head to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, with the intention of getting a shower. I stink like a pig.
A harsh breath escapes my nose as I strip down my clothes. This should help me relax a bit…
It took me a good half an hour to shower. Lucky that I woke up early, for once in my entire life… or lives, I should say.
That thought gave me pause once more. A second life, right. But not one that belongs to me.
I furrow my brows and push my lips together. I remember yesterday… when I almost broke. It was such a terrible feeling… of guilt and despair at the same time.
I didn't ask for this. I asked for none of what happened in the last 24 hours. But they still happened. The feeling started to come back, mixed with one more sensation.
Powerlessness. All of this shit happened, and there is absolutely fuck all that I could have done to avoid it, bar not being run over by that stupid truck.
Well, you know what universe? Fuck you. I'm not buying into this. There is a way to revert all of this. There it MUST be a way. And I will find it. I will find a way to bring Jason Kostenko back where he belongs and fix this damn mess. Even if it is the last thing that I will do.
Determination fills me and I rise my head up high. Now we play.
After getting dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, I head downstairs to get some breakfast. I learned my lesson from yesterday after all.
Peeking around the corner, I check the kitchen. Julie's not there yet. She must be still asleep. Better this way, I have no idea how I'm going to react to her presence. Not after we basically cried our hearts out to each other.
Choosing some milk and cereal, I sit down with the intention of actually eating something for a change, even if only a bowl. I'm not usually hungry in the morning, but I'd rather not suffer like yesterday, thank you very much.
I'm just about to pour the milk in the bowl, when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. The princess is awake it seems.
And sure enough, there she is, in all her "I just woke up" glory. Her hair are ruffled, her eyes heavy for the sleep and… in a cute pink onesie pajamas.
I snort instinctively, she hears and looks at me.
And I look at her.
The wall breaks and I start laughing up a storm, clutching my stomach desperately.
It takes a second for her brain to catch up, and when it does, her face becomes a tomato
"JASON! WHY ARE YOU AWAKE ALREADY?!"
I start laughing even harder, and I get an idea.
"I can't believe you! I always have to wake you up, and now you decide to be Mr Early Riser and… DID YOU JUST SNAP A FUCKING PICTURE YOU DICK?!"
Oops. Busteeeeeddddd.
"COME HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
Holy mother of…!
She throws herself at me and we started circling around the dinner table, me running away and her chasing me.
Uh. Running around an object while somebody wants to kill you. Where did I heard that before?
Ah, who cares! I have to think about not dying… again!
The chase lasts for about a couple more minutes, until Julie calls for a truce, panting and swearing.
Heh, should have known better than to try and chase ME of all people.
We both take a seat at the table to recover, with my blonde companion still doing her best dog impression.
It takes another couple of minutes until she's good enough to speak.
"I hate you. So goddamn much. What the fuck are you doing already up?!"
I shrug, not knowing what to tell her. Not the truth, that's for sure.
"No reason. I just woke up and didn't feel like going back to sleep, that's all".
She groans and bangs her head on the table.
"Of all the days you could have decided to not be a sloth it just HAD to be today. Just my luck…"
I chuckle and decide to throw her a bone.
"Tell you what, go change and I'll make you some breakfast. Anything you want".
She raises her head, looking at me with a pout.
"Anything? I can ask whatever I want?"
I nod.
"As long as I can make it, obviously".
She makes a noise, turns her head and mumbles something.
I obviously did not catch that, so I ask her to repeat.
"Pancakes. I want pancakes".
Ah, I see. How Canadian of you, Julie dearest.
I get up and head back to the kitchen, to check on the ingredients.
Let's see… butter, sugar, eggs… yup, there's everything. What a lucky girl.
I pop my head back.
"You can go change, I've got this".
She nods and looks to mostly be back to normal. Thanks Christ, meek Julie equals unpredictable Julie.
Before leaving, she turns back to me.
"Oh and, one last thing. The others should swing by later, so be sure to answer the door if I'm not back by then".
"Kay, I'll remember. Now shoo, magic is about to happen".
She rolls her eyes at me and goes back upstairs.
Now then, pancakes. I haven't made them in quite a long time, let's see if I still got it.
I'm in the middle of it, when the doorbell rings. Julie still isn't down yet, so it's up to me to answer, like everything else around here apparently.
I open up the door and there I see Susie, this time properly dressed, thank fuck, looking up at me in surprise.
"Jas? Up already? This is new…"
I sigh, already sick of this story.
"Yeah yeah, big surprise. Wanna come in or not?"
"Ah, right! Sorry!"
I step aside and let scurry in, closing the door behind me.
I start heading back towards the kitchen, addressing the redhead while I go.
"Juls is upstairs getting ready. Also, I'm making pancakes, want some?"
Her eyes light up.
"Your pancakes?! Absolutely yes! I could eat an entire truck of them, they're sooooo good!"
Uh, Jason is famous for his pancakes then? Interesting… I just hope that I manage to replicate them properly.
"Take a seat then, they'll be ready soon. And no drooling on the table".
She groans.
"One time! It happened one time!"
I chuckle and move on in the kitchen to continue. I have no idea how, but the words had just… came out of my mouth, randomly. One more question to add to the list.
I keep on working for another five minutes, before the doorbell rings again.
"Can you get that Suz?! I can't go right now!"
"Sure, right away!"
What a nice girl. We are very lucky to have her as a friend, let me tell you.
I hear the door open and close, followed by a familiar voice.
"Well well well, our resident sleeper up early AND working! What is it, opposite day?"
"Just for that, no pancakes for you Joey".
He gasps, dramatically.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me".
A chuckle.
"Alright, alright, I'll behave, I promise".
I smirk.
"Better. Now, go park your ass at the table, the miracle is about to happen".
"Aye aye cap'n".
Couple of minutes later, Julie decided to grace us with her presence.
"Suz, Joe, good morning. I didn't expect you so early".
They started chattering, while I applied the finishing touches. Breakfast for 5, here we go, because as much as I would like it, I cannot pretend that Frank doesn't exist.
The doorbell rings one last time. Speak of the devil and Frank Morrison shall appear.
He's let in by Julie, and together we sit down and eat.
How are the pancakes? Well, let me tell you something. I am not rusty in the slightest.
Susie especially seems to appreciate, given that she's already at her third serving. Goddamn, both her and Julie are vacuum cleaners in disguise.
Joey is more calm, but offered his compliments, while Frank eats in silence, only offering me a nod to let me know that he appreciates.
The tyrant, in the meantime, is talking to Susie about school. Specifically, we reached the part about The Blight's class.
"I swear Juls, that man is the devil! He constantly has that watch out to time us, he jumps from one topic to another like he has an addiction to coffee and he gave homeworks! On the first day! Granted, we only had to read some pages, but come on, who does that?!"
Ah right, the homeworks. I was in such a disastrous emotional state yesterday that I completely forgot about them. Luckily it's nothing written, so I can just pretend that I read and that's it, but really, Susie's right, that guy sucks. Big time.
On her part, Julie is having the time of her life listening to her best friend bitch about our professor. It's not everyday that our resident cinnamon roll loses her cool after all.
"And if that isn't enough, he seems to have it against Jason in particular! It's like he's actively trying to make things difficult for him!"
True enough, the man seems to have a weird obsession about me. I got called more times in that class than the rest of the day. I have no idea what his problem is, honestly. It's almost like he knows something that I don't.
At this point, I decide to cut in on the conversation.
"Speaking of making things difficult, what the fuck happened yesterday with you two? It looked like you wanted to kill someone".
Both Joey and Frank give me curious glances, and I briefly explained what happened with Kate and Victor.
Julie chuckles awkwardly, diverting her eyes from me.
"Whaaaaat? I have no idea what you're talking about, we didn't do anything, we just… persuaded Deshayes to leave you alone, no biggie…"
"Persuaded… how?"
She gulps. I have no idea why she's so embarrassed, but if I had to take a guess, she's probably afraid to lose her "cool older sister" vibe that she tries to give. Sorry Juls, you failed already some time ago, more or less when you bullied me into giving you a compliment.
"You see, that's a funny story, it went like…"
"We shouted at him a bit, and we told his sister".
Susie is very nonplussed about it, weirdly enough.
Joey blinks.
"So you… snitched on him basically?"
Susie nods.
Frank cackles lightly.
"Poor bastard, I wouldn't want to be in his place. Charlotte is a goddamn monster when she wants to be".
Somehow, I don't struggle to imagine that. I would say poor Victor, but as I said previously, fuck Victor, that's what you get for having the clunkiest hitboxes I have ever seen.
We wrap up breakfast soon after, not really in a hurry, but we can't really afford to waste time anymore.
Susie helps me clean up the dishes, while the others start to get ready to go out. Back to our new routine apparently.
Just like yesterday we move out like a group, once again leaded by Frank, and this time I actually bother to look around and memorize as much as I can of Ormond.
I was too stuck in my own head the day before to notice, but the town is really pretty, especially with all the snow around the streets. It feels… homey, in a weird way. Safe.
Shaking the thought away, I see Julie ahead of me, walking. She's… different from yesterday. She looks lighter, more cheerful. Like a big, heavy weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Probably thanks to our conversation the evening before. Once again, I can't help but ask myself what kind of terrible argument could cause two siblings as close as them to almost break their bond. I have no idea…
Joey is the perfect definition of a stoic bastard. Hands in his pockets, face mostly neutral, the guy appears unfazed by everything that may or may not happen around him. But I can see that glint in his eyes. He's thinking about something. Or more like, plotting something. What is it? No idea, but he is, and the idea kinda scares me to be perfectly honest. I can only hope that I'm not involved, but even I know that's a fool's hope.
Susie is skipping and humming lightly, her hands joined together behind her back and a big smile on her face, like she's in her happy place. Which she probably is, in her point of view. Her friends are probably her main source of happiness. The day started out pretty good for her too, with those pancakes. It's… honestly refreshing to see, someone so effortlessly optimistic and just… glad to be here, with the people that she likes. I can't help but crack a small smile of my own.
Frank… is just Frank, nothing to say about that. He's in charge, and he knows it. You can see it from the way he walks and talks, unbelievably cocky, but somehow in a charming way, rather than annoying. He has charisma in spades, and he uses it well, a true natural born leader. I never liked him, from the moment that I saw him. Cool design and all, but he looked like a massive dick. And reading the lore, he kinda is… but not really. He's the kind of asshole that draws people in rather than push them away. And at the same time, this Frank looks… different from the standard one, but not in a way that I can put my fingers on. I'll just have to wait and see.
I blink lightly and come back to reality, noting that we are standing in front of the school.
I… completely spaced out again, didn't I? Fuck me and my inner monologues, man…
Frank, Julie and Joey once again wave their goodbyes, while Susie and I kill some time before we have to separate to our respective classes.
We are sitting on a bench on our floor, chilling together in silence, when she speaks.
"Julie looked so cheerful today. I hadn't seen her this happy in a very long time… something happened yesterday?"
That's… a loaded question and a half. I have to take a moment to ponder how to answer.
I could just be nonchalant about it. After all, she doesn't strictly have to know that. But… she obviously cares a lot. It would probably give her some peace of mind knowing what happened.
Issue is… I don't know what happened either. I was here for the resolution, not for the problem, so I really wouldn't know how to fully answer her. I just know that there has been an argument so terrible that Julie was afraid that her bond with her brother was beyond saving.
But at the same time… I don't really want to lie, or be nonplussed about it. It's an extremely important matter, after all. Sure, not as big as something like The Entity, but for this comfortable and simple life, it deserves a lot of thought.
Finally, I decide to answer her question in the most literal way possible.
"Julie and I had… a bit of a heart to heart yesterday. I don't… really want to go into details, but some things had happened, and we resolved them. That's all".
Except… not really. Yesterday, the two of us had reaffirmed that we still loved each other. But there was no real resolution. There hadn't been a single peep about what happened specifically. Just a generic "argument".
I frown lightly. Somehow… someway… I have a feeling that this isn't the end of that particular story.
Susie, thankfully, doesn't notice and replies with a smile.
"I'm glad that everything is good again then. You were both so weird yesterday, I was getting worried. Julie was forcing herself to be normal, while you… you were a stone faced wall. It was like you were a completely different person…"
"Ah, yeah? Sorry about that, I didn't mean to worry you…"
I clench my butt. You are getting way too close to the truth woman.
"It's fine, now that you two are fine again…"
Her smile slowly disappears, replaced by a contemplative expression.
"Jason… promise me something. Promise me… that you and Julie will always love each other, no matter what. I… seeing Julie on the verge of a breakdown like that… and you, with that empty look in your eyes… it was terrifying. Promise me that it will never happen again. Please…"
Aaaaaaand the puppy dog eyes. Of course she has the puppy dog eyes. I wasn't going to say no regardless, but this cements it. Damnit Suz, you are lethal for my heart.
"I'll… do my best. That, I promise".
She smiles once again and nods, satisfied with my answer.
"Thank you. Let's start moving now, the bell is about to ring".
I nod and get up.
I look at her, at that big friendly smile, those kind eyes… and my body moved on its own, stepping forward and wrapping my arms around her.
"J-Jas?!"
"Thank you Susie. Thank you… for being here. Julie and I couldn't ask for a better friend".
She hesitates a bit, but ends up wrapping her own arms around me.
We stay in position for around a minute, after that we finally let go, and I couldn't help the small chuckle that escapes me. She's completely red in the face.
"Bye Suz, I'll see you in professor's Richter class!"
I wave goodbye at her and leave for my class, the girl waving back at me with an even bigger smile than usual.
Sitting in professor's Rakoto, I remain in silence for a bit, while David and Feng chat around me. My mind continuously drifting back to this blasted mystery argument. Something this big cannot be left alone. It's obvious that eventually, something is going to give and it will come back to the surface. It's only a matter of when.
And when it does… I'll be completely unprepared.
Damnit… I decide to turn on my phone that I actually brought this time around and check a bit more, and I had to bite back a laugh at the picture of Julie in a onesie.
My thumb hovers above the picture for a second. I shouldn't do it. She probably expected me to have erased the damn thing already. But… it would definitely be funny. What to do, what to do…
"You okay Jas? You are weirdly quiet tod…"
Feng looks over my shoulder at the phone and starts laughing behind her hand.
"Is… is that your sister?! Oh my God she looks so funny!"
Curious, David also takes a look, and he snorts loudly, but offers no comment, weirdly enough.
Looking between my two friends, I look at the picture once more and smirk deviously. Ah what the hell, it would be a waste to keep this all to myself. I cackle to myself as I click on The Legion's group chat.
Everyone is online
You sent a photo!
You: Hey guys
You: Feel like having a laugh today?
Joey: What's going on?
Joey: Oh my fucking God
Joey: I think I'm going to die
Susie: Jason! That's mean!
You: Yes
You: Buuuuuuuutttttttt
Susie: … Yeah okay, it's also really funny *laughing emoji*
Bastard: whats going on
Bastard: holy fucking shit
Bastard: somebody call Julie
Bastard: shes going to be livid
Julie: I'm here
Julie: I can hear both Joey and Frank laughing from the other class
Julie: What happened
Joey: Outburst in 3
Bastard: 2
Susie: 1
Julie: JASON
Julie: YOU LITTLE SHIT
Joey: There she goes
Frank: wow she actually sounds really angry
Julie: I THOUGHT YOU DELETED THAT
You: You didn't tell me to
Julie: I
Julie: YOU
Susie: Technically, he's right Juls.
Julie: NOT YOU TOO SUZ
Joey: You are probably fucked Jas
You: Yeah
You: Probably
You: It was worth it though
Joey: Oh yeah
Bastard: absolutely
Susie: I concur.
Julie: WHY ARE YOU ALL GANGING UP ON ME
Hello? Is this thing on? It is? Noice.
So… been a while uh? What can I say except that I am a lazy bastard. And that I kinda felt like I had no idea how to continue. I ran out of my pre-written script and now I am completely winging it as I go, which is probably obvious from the overall quality.
But, this little story is something that I really wanted to do for a long while, it felt wrong to leave it to rot there, incomplete. And on top of that, some people wanted it to continue, and so here I am, back on it again.
It was a long time coming, and I hope that I managed to somehow deliver, or that there's even some people still reading this thing.
That's all folks, I'll see you next time!
Ta-ta for now.