She had deduced that she was sitting in the middle of what seemed to be a great undulating mass. The darkness was a suffocating presence and it was ravenously playing at her senses; The moment she thought she could make out the wall, or the floor in front of her, perception melted away and left an abysmal pang in her chest.
She held her hands out in front of her and dragged them over the floor where they were met with a densely cold sensation that burned up her arms and ripped at her fingers. She jerked back.
She moved her left leg out from under her and tried to stand, but the right had planted itself firmly on the floor and wouldn't pry itself from the cold embrace.
The mass continued to froth and foam, lapping at the edges of her eyesight and engulfing her throat in this sickly, suffocating feeling.
She licked her lips and tried to speak, "Mmm…?"
With that, the silence was shredded and the writhing room withdrew itself, taking on a more solid form. She felt her leg relax, though she made no attempt to move, instead favoring the same tactic of making whatever sound she could.
"Mmm!" The sound was louder now; She had put more force into it; a familiar authority.
The room shuddered and crawled in slow motions… if she could even call it a room anymore. The walls had dissipated into the darkness and left a broad horizon in its place, the mass now swaying where it met the blackened sky.
"Agh!"
It wasn't her this time. The sound reverberated and echoed off of invisible barriers within the endless space, shuffling its way back into her ears and startling her.
As if the room itself was the one that spoke it back to her…
The room gave way to a series of sickening thuds before a sound that evoked a guttural retch from the girl bounced between her eyes and rattled her ear drums. It was as if every fiber in her being was repulsed by the sickening crunch of… whatever that was.
She gripped at her thigh before breathing in, then out, slowly and deeply, "Who. Are. You?"
The sound was stunted and had a certain clumsiness on her tongue leaving a frustrated lump in her throat.
"Oh no," The room's tone shifted and the waves became uneasy, the words were no louder than an urgent whisper.
Left dissatisfied she tried again, "Who are. You?"
"Oh god, Mari…" The room whispered back.
It must've been the name of whoever was keeping her here… Mari. That seemed right… or maybe it was her name and the room was simply calling on her. Before she had time to ask another question the room began to make another series of thumping noises. These ones seemed to simply calm the waves unlike the previous few. Almost as if there was a stunted gentleness behind it… as if it were the pitch black seemed familiar, lapping at her, soothing her, telling her it would be alright. It felt like the wrong way to word it but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Mari? Mari? Mari, I didn't- T-This- Mari?"
She sat there in silence, the hushed tones of the room becoming more erratic and this voice beginning to rise into panic.
"Mari? Please… Wake up, please!"
More thudding noises; Small and abrupt, her mind wandered in search of a pattern, a solution to the scattered randomness of the noises and yet nothing came to mind.
"Sunny, we- we need to…" More sharp and abrupt breathes, "S-Sunny! H-Here let's take her outs-outside…"
The voices seemed sporadic… certainly not coming from the same person, of that she could be sure of.
"Who are you?" She tried one more time, finally getting the hang of her speech.
"This- This'll do. I need your help, Sunny… Just- Lift her."
She hadn't realized how high the blackness had become; it scratched at her neck; made her feel that the undulating mass shot out of view and the darkness disappeared, replaced by a house.
Her house.
Morning rays glinted off of the sliding door and blinded her for a moment. Two figures together stood, darkened by the bouncing sun in a way that she couldn't make out anything but piercing blue eyes and the black mass that stood next to it, ripping into the silhouette of the other.
That was all she would register before instantaneous pain tore through her neck and cut her conscious loose.
SUNNY
6 Years Later… 2 Days Left…
Sunny's eyes were met with a violent, piercing light. He shut them again and snuggled back under the cover of his blankets.
"Wake up guys!" Kel was an early riser out of discipline, very rarely did he have the chance to make it everyone else's problem but when he did have the opportunity he would exercise it to its fullest. Much to Sunny's dismay, nothing much had changed in the past two years.
"No, five more minutes, please." Aubrey was on the couch and shuffled back into her blankets.
"Guys Sunny leaves on Sunday… We gotta make the most of every day he's here!" Kel jumped onto the couch and began bouncing on it.
Aubrey groaned and got up and off of her makeshift bed, "Fine, fine," Sunny was suddenly hoisted into the air along with his blankets, "Kel's right, Sunny, you're not gonna be here forever."
Sunny made a disgruntled groan before shaking the blankets off, "You people are terrible."
"Love you!" Aubrey said, squeezing him tighter.
"Terrible."
The smell of waffles permeated the air. Hero had been up since six o'clock preparing them and had gone back to sleep, leaving Sunny, Kel, Basil and Aubrey sitting at the table.
"These are some good ass-" Aubrey seemed to stop herself as Polly, all the way from the couch, shot her a sharp glare, "As waffles."
Sunny smiled to himself as he gave her foot a little nudge with his own, which was returned with a similar gesture.
"Yeah! Thanks for having us over last night, Basil and Polly," Kel garbled through mouthfuls of food.
"Our pleasure," Polly said with a curt smile.
Concentrated silence permeated the room, only interrupted by soft chewing and utensils squeaking against plates. Sunny noted that everyone's waffles were shaped slightly differently, though, now that they were thoroughly mangled he really couldn't tell what was what. The only thing telling him that the shapes had meaning was a plate at the head of the table, carved out with a chef's precision to look like the ivory keys of a piano. It was left untouched and would remain that way until breakfast finished.
"All done!" Kel exclaimed, slamming his fork down on the table, "Who's ready to go to the Plaza?"
"Maybe we should wait for Hero…" Basil chided, "And besides, I doubt you wanna go there in your pajamas?"
Kel looked down, realizing he was still in his orange t-shirt and shorts, "Oh that's true."
"Ambitious as always," Aubrey flashed that familiar smirk as she poured more syrup onto her waffles.
"Kel you're so loud," Hero's footsteps dragged as he yawned, seemingly having just woken up from his morning nap, "It's only eight o'clock."
Sunny tilted his head, "Weren't you up earlier?"
"Shh," Hero rubbed his eyes, "Less talking, more chewing."
The three boys sat around the table, fiddling with the edge of their chairs or studying the plants while Hero talked with Polly. Aubrey was getting ready and had left them to their boredom.
"So what did we want to do today?" Basil asked.
"Hmm, well let's chill at the plaza for a bit," Kel said, "I'm pretty sure Aubrey wanted to do something up there anyway. Then we can just go wherever."
"Works for me. How about you, Sunny?"
Sunny nodded, "Sounds good."
Aubrey walked up and out of the doorframe, sporting her typical attire, "Sorry for the wait," She sat next to Sunny on the empty chair, her knee leaning steadily against his, "Ready to go?"
Kel nodded, "Hey Hero! We're ready to go, you in?"
Hero looked over, "Yeah! Thanks again, Polly. We'll have to talk about it a little more later."
Sunny shot him a quizzical look, but Hero waved him off; Not something he had to worry about it seemed... though, if headspace had taught him anything it was to question everything. With that the five thanked Polly one more time and began making their way up to Faraway Plaza.
Sunlight broke through the cold, crisp morning air and was filtered through layers upon layers of bright green leaves. Sunny couldn't help but appreciate the falling of each footsteps, each blow cushioned by a blanket of soft grass.
"Spring's the best!" Kel yelled, jumping up high and slid across the grass, leaving his shoes muddy.
"You say that about every season though," Aubrey muttered, swinging her bat absentmindedly, though Sunny could've sworn she was trying to hit Kel with the sticks she'd bat up every so often.
They continued walking until they finally crossed the road into Faraway Park.
"Wow, the park's empty today," Hero noted, stepping across the field and making his way toward the monkey bars.
"It's school holidays, so everyone's probably out on vacation," Basil said.
"Mm, suppose so." Hero put his hand up on one of the monkey bars and let it rest there, his gaze centered on the swing. Sunny walked up to him and tugged on his shirt, just a little.
"Oh, sorry…" Hero's other hand swung up to his neck as he gave Sunny a sheepish smile, "The Plaza. Right."
Aubrey was now leading the group leaving Kel and Basil in the middle while Sunny and Hero lagged behind, neither really making any moves to talk to each other. A certain tension built in Sunny's jaw.
"Are you feeling alright?" Hero scratched the back of his head in that earnest yet familiar plight of embarrassment.
Sunny nodded, "Nothing new."
Hero sighed and let his hand drop, "It's always her birthday…"
Sunny knew what he meant, that pull deep within his chest that he couldn't get rid of. Lunging out of his eyes and tinting the air nostalgic purples and oranges; made the sun shine warmer and drew the hearts of those around him closer together.
"Thank you, Hero," He looked up at the sun that was covered by clouds now, "For being there when you were, for both of us."
"Nothing to it, Sun… I don't know what I'd do otherwise."
Sunny had always wondered what he meant by that; not the first time he'd heard that answer. What held him to be there for both Basil and himself when they were in hospital?
"Do you think I'll be able to sleep over again soon?"
"I hope so…" Hero nodded, steadily stronger, "No… I know so."
It was Sunny's turn to nod… He bit the inside of his cheek, not convinced, but put at ease at least, "We'll visit her today."
Hero chuckled, "I think it'd be terrible not to on her birthday."
The two looked up as the Plaza came into view. Sunlight glinted off of the roof and jovial spring energy practically radiated from each and every pop of color.
"Well here we are!" Kel exclaimed, "Now you had something to show us, Aubrey?"
"Mhm," Aubrey tied up her hair with her blue ribbon, "Sunny was in on it too actually."
Sunny smirked knowingly, and winked at her. A present for Mari's birthday that Aubrey had some of the hooligans set up. She said she needed some 'Creative input,' and that was where he came in.
"It's on the back wall of Gino's," She bounced the bat to the floor and back into her hand before pointing to the alley, "Right this way."
Sunny couldn't help but feel a slight rush from keeping his friends in anticipation, and if they had used the paint in the way he'd asked them to, the sunlight would bounce off in a way that was just…
The five turned the corner and it was indeed, perfect. The sparkling paint gave rise to an array of purples and whites across the floor, and the fantastical subject matter shone with its addition. Five friends, side by side in the midst of a raging battle against a sprout mole.
Basil gasped and whispered, "It's… amazing, how did you…?" He studied himself in the image. A brilliant array of green set him apart from the other members of the team.
Sunny nudged him with his shoulder and shot him a small smile.
"Aubs this is… It's based on Headspace right?" Hero's eyes seemed to sparkle, unable to hide his amazement, "It's stellar."
Kel laughed and grinned, "Oh come on, that's amazing you two! How long did it take?"
"A lot of time and… more careful effort than I wanna admit," Aubrey smirked, "But everyone pulled through and we got it done in a week or so."
Sunny nodded, after weeks of asking for favors and doing odd jobs for odd ends, he, Aubrey and a few other folks managed to pull enough money together to not just use the back wall, but paint it too. Mincy, who he and Kel had made friends with just over two years ago now also chipped in with the design majorly.
"There's so much in it… I… I can't find it in myself to look away," Basil brushed his hand over the flowers that flowed throughout the mural, a touch he'd inspired himself.
"It's inspired by real memories, and a touch of the fantastical it seems," Hero smiled at Basil, "Proof of our friendship, one could say."
Basil nodded, "Yep!
Aubrey swung her bat up to her shoulder and smirked, "Looks like our job here is done then, Sunny… now," She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back toward the alley, "If the rest of you don't mind I've got a special present for our friend here so… we're gonna scram."
Kel sniffed and raised his eyebrows, "What kinda present…?"
With that, the three boys left couldn't hold in their giggling and were left to their devices.
"So… where are we heading?" Sunny's world was currently contained to Aubrey's blue headband, covering his eyes and being led by the hand.
"Oh c'mon, Sun, for the last time it's a surprise." He loved that tone in her voice. Obviously a little on the sharper end but without any of the aggression and with all of the sweetness she had.
"You're really doing me a disservice here… blinding a half blind man," He sniffed, accidentally tripping on what he assumed was a branch.
She snickered, "Alright, alright, we're already here."
With that the blindfold was lifted off of his head and there it was, built on a tree that's branches stretched past the roofing of a familiar place, and creepers had made their home nestled between the wooden boards that made up its walls.
The Treehouse.
Despite everything, it had remained in good shape, and even looked better than Sunny remembered… Perhaps a bit of Aubrey's doing.
"Let's head up!" Aubrey ran over to the ladder and made her ascent, Sunny stood outside for a moment, taking in its place in the sunlight before climbing up behind her.
The inside had been cleaned up, the rug replaced and the roof had been restructured to perhaps be sturdier. Candles were littered across the room at random and burned away. On the table was a set of plants in different colored pots and another stood alone by the window sill; green, orange, blue, pink, yellow and purple with white indentations across it.
The defining piece however, was the back wall, splotched in lazy firelight and streaked in color. A second mural of their group. Based off of a picture Basil had taken years ago now. Mari sitting at her piano, locked in focus. It was an impressionist style from what Sunny had learnt from Mincy (her current obsession), and a pretty good shot at it at that. Gold highlights interlaced with white streaks flowed throughout the piece and at its focal point, his sister captivated her younger brother…
"I-I…" He tried to form words, but none seemed right in his mouth. His thoughts, his whole body was drawn into the form of his older sister, given second life by the painting.
"Happy Birthday, Mari," Aubrey sat at the table and lit a candle, closing her eyes for a moment. "Mincy did this one. I figured it'd be a good birthday present."
Sunny sat down with her, still looking at the piece, "It's… It's beautiful, Aubs…"
Aubrey smiled, "Not bad, huh? Here." She handed Sunny a match and gave him a candle of his own to light. Aubrey had taught him it was a way to pay respects to the dead - something she'd picked up at church - and that he should pray after. He closed his eyes and found himself in a pitch white room.
Startled, he looked left first, then right and there, where the mural should've been standing was a young girl with an oversized purple summer hat on her head. She was turned away from him but Sunny knew who it was when he saw her. Mari when she was nine years old, at the beach with their parents - a memory he'd found himself clinging to quite a lot when she'd first passed. She turned around, noticing him, and shot him a shining smile.
"Sunny?" His vision restored itself to the treehouse and in front of him, Aubrey putting her headband back on.
"Huh?"
"You zoned out for a second there," She leaned toward him over the table, "Something on your mind?"
He lit the candle and closed his eyes, "No it's nothing… just her."
Aubrey stood up and sat at his side, staring at the mural with him, "I know," She buried her head in his shoulder, "I'm proud of you; for making it all this way," She sighed, looking into the now lit wick, "Seems like just yesterday you struggled to talk even to Basil."
"Yeah… How far we've come, right?" He rested his head on hers, not taking his eyes off of the mural, "It really is beautiful."
He felt her breathing get shallow, "I wonder if she's happy with us… all of us…"
Sunny closed his eyes, still seeing his sister in that floppy, wide brimmed sun hat… "I…" He smiled, "I don't think she's worried," He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer into him, "I think she's right where she wants to be right now."
She pulled away and grabbed his waist, pulling him close while also keeping her head above his, "Well, while we're here what do you say to some romantic activities."
He smirked, though, couldn't stop the heat from rising into his face, "I wouldn't mind that."
7 hours later…
"And that's how Sunny became the Pet Rock Champion of Faraway," Kel grinned.
"Wait so… you beat Curtsey?" Basil's eyes widened in amazement, "I can't believe you took on every single person."
"Well it took a couple tries to best Ayee's 'One Wing Jash,' but once we realized she was just randomly choosing options, we took it a whole lot less seriously and won," Sunny shrugged, "Cathartic for sure though."
"That's our Sunny!" Kel smiled and put his hands on his shoulders, "We're there guys, pick up your feet!"
The cemetery was cloaked in the colors of dusk as the sun sank below the horizon, bathing the earth in its last bit of light.
"Hey, Mari!" Kel sat down just next to the gravestone and dusted it off a little bit, "Everyone's here today!"
Aubrey sat next to him and smiled quietly, "Happy birthday, Mari."
Sunny and Basil both stayed standing at the foot of the grave, while Hero sat down on the other side of the tomb stone.
"What's cooking?" Hero patted the grass and lied down, "Happy birthday, Mari."
Sunny stood next to Basil awkwardly; he never knew how to stand here anymore, especially now that everyone knew the truth. Basil had also developed a newfound interest in his shoes.
"We got you a little something," Basil mumbled, kneeling to the floor and setting down the vase he'd been carrying earlier, along with the flowers contained within; white egret orchids. "I'm sorry," He scoffed, "I know I say it every time I'm here but… The guilt hasn't gone away and I know…" He put a hand to his face, "Happy birthday, Mari."
Aubrey put a hand on Basil's back and lent a knowing smile to him, before giving Sunny a concerned look.
"Happy Birthday, Mar," Sunny sat down in front of the grave, setting down a purple party hat, "I miss you."
The group sat in silence for a long while, each seemed to be lost in their own emotions though, the atmosphere of twilight hues along with a sense of celebration seemed to ensure they were silent together. Not any one alone in their feelings.
Sunny couldn't help but notice that the White Egret Orchids looked a little brighter than they were… in fact, if it wasn't for the glow of the sun he could've sworn they were emitting their own light.
"I think it's time to head back… Polly will have made dinner by now," Basil said, getting up and brushing off his knees.
"Oh man, dinner sounds good," Kel shot up and grinned, "I've been starving all day."
"I know you have been, Kel," Aubrey stood up as well, "Your stomach was grumbling that whole time."
"Yeah, well, guys gotta eat, Aubrey."
"You guys go ahead, I'll stay here a little bit," Hero said, staring up into the sky; stars had begun to litter the air.
"Sounds like a plan," Sunny got up too, walking away with the others, "See you soon, Hero."
Hero didn't respond, though, Sunny could've sworn that the faint sunlight highlighted the tears making their way down his face.
Aubrey and Basil walked slightly ahead of Kel and Sunny, to his pleasure too; he'd always felt that the two had a connection with each other that no other member of the group could be a part of. Nearly familial, though, he felt as though saying it would've been inappropriate.
"Crazy day, dude, just kept getting better and better," Kel smiled and nudged him with his shoulder.
Sunny smiled, "Always does on her birthday."
"You ready to leave on Sunday?"
"Eh, I'll make it work."
"We gotta make sure you get to do everything you wanted to before you go, man…" Kel rubbed his nose, "I also… y'know… miss having you around all the time."
Sunny smiled, "Yeah… we'll have to find some way to make it work, and besides, we're 18 now… we can probably get our licenses and drive to see each other, right?"
Kel brightened up, "Awesome idea, Sunny."
Sunny noticed Aubrey and Basil sharing a laugh, and looked at Kel, who gave him a humored grin back.
"What are you two laughing about?" Kel put his arms around the two as he butt in.
"Oh, nothing really… Aubrey was just telling me about how much she and the hooligans have been through the past few years."
"Stealing candy is a hard habit to kick for some people," She shrugged, and offered a lollipop to the three boys, who happily obliged.
"Y'know, we probably should get those guys to stop stealing…" Kel frowned in thought, "It's probably not doing anyone any favors."
"Aw lighten up, Kel. There's plenty of candy to go around," Basil was giving her a sternish look, to which she looked the other way, "Maybe talking to them wouldn't be such a bad idea."
Sunny smiled softly and put the lollipop on his tongue. How long had it been since it was just the four of them hanging out while Hero and Mari did their own thing he wondered? An impossibility now, and something he wished on every star in the sky to make its return.
"Hey, Sunny!" Kel yelled over his shoulder, "Keep up, dude!"
Sunny noticed that he was lagging behind and moved to catch up to his friends, leaving the thought out of his mind… perhaps one day soon Hero would be able to find his own surety of happiness he thought to himself.
HERO
Loneliness had always been the cold creeping in through the crevices he called spare moments. Laying on the grass next to his deceased loved one; he couldn't help but feel heavy. The heaviness of knowing that you could never, in your own power, get what you've lost back. Loneliness was the icey cold stalking his waking hours and mustering its strength to overwhelm his mind. Loneliness was the fight he was losing every single day.
Tears rolled down, past his cheeks and onto the grass. Time rolled on and so did the dreary twilight he'd long found to bring an oppressive sense of nostalgia. He simply couldn't find it in himself to stand, to walk. His strength had left him and all that remained in the fibres of his bones was that bleeding cold.
He closed his eyes as he'd done at the same spot so many times before and there she was, laughing and smiling all the same. Over notes shared and revision done after dinner at her house on a late friday night, or at the beach with their families on a warm summer holiday. In the darkest of moments that laugh shattered shadows and that smile cut through the cold. It was the sun to that darkness. Burning away the biting cold and now… it lived on in the friends he had left.
Was it selfish to say they could never burn that darkness away like she did?
After all these years of casting blame, being picked up and supported by these people, was it right to say that they weren't the ones he could rely on the most? That they couldn't fight the cold in the same way she did, that they couldn't stop that lonely pang in his heart every time her name was mentioned?
He opened his eyes and read her tombstone, the sky turning a shade of deep purple under the weight of the night sky.
"Maybe I am selfish," He muttered to himself, turning on his side, toward the grave.
He closed his eyes again and saw that smile… and then something more. She was lying on his chest, both of them covered in a blanket while the rest of the kids were sleeping together on a mattress on the couch. He tried to open his eyes, that pang becoming a stabbing sensation, the cold becoming a suffocating chill, but the view of grass and the grave atop it never came. He stayed there, watching as Mari breathed in and out, snuggled between his arm and torso. He couldn't see her face but the memory brought its hand up to stroke her hair, to which she made a small, 'hmm' and brought herself closer toward him.
Basil's birthday party.
The scene changed once more in a smear of color and he sat in the middle of a field of White Egret Orchids, himself atop a white and red checkered picnic blanket.
In the distance a silhouette approached him, features blotted out by the setting sun.
He found himself in control of his body as he stood up, walking through the field. At first the person's features were hard to make out, but the closer he got, the more he was sure of who the person was. The more he ran. The more that frigid feeling was burned away.
The figure held out her arms, that same smile he so longed for finally in front of his face.
Just as he made it to her, embracing her in his arms he felt the frost that had surrounded his heart for so long melt out through his back and dissipate into the twilight air.
"I missed you so much," He breathed out through choked sobs and laden breath.
Mari rubbed his back, before pulling him out of the hug, observing his face and with tears streaming and through similarly choked sobs she managed, "I missed you too."
He closed his eyes once more as they embraced again, skin upon skin and alive and warmth all at once. Undoubtedly real.
He held in a sob, as he said, "I have so much to tell you, so much for you to catch up on, Mari… do you have the time?"
"We'll have plenty… all it'll cost is your love."
And with that he pulled away, heart leaping within his chest, a smile plastered on his face as he opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his friends.
"Hero?" Kel was at his side, worry stretched across his face, before realization took over, "Guys he's awake!"
The shuffle of footsteps filled the room as Basil, Aubrey and Sunny rushed over, followed by his parents holding little Sally.
"She… she was… we…" He felt that frigid cold pour back down his throat and into his organs, leaving them twisting and turning.
"Hold on, Hero." His father stood down to his level and touched his son's forehead with his own, placing his hand on the back of Hero's neck, "Breathe, just breathe, my son."
Hero tried to find the air but his mind was too far past the point of panic. She had been there hadn't she? Right in front of his face, melting away that freezing cold that had now settled back into his heart. She had been there.
"Where? What?" Was all he could manage to get out, his shallow breaths getting shallower. The room had begun to feel claustrophobic.
"Get him some air," His mother said, shooing everyone out, and following after them, nearly in tears herself.
"You were out all day today, Hero." His father said softly, "You were asleep all day."