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Prologue: Part 1

Katharos Psyche is an ordinary girl who has a home in the middle of Fair City. She has black hair, light brown skin, and eyes that are so dark they look black from a distance. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the best life. In fact, she considers it be miserable. Her life as a sophomore is mediocre at best, the best thing about it being her good grades. At home, however, it's a completely different story. Every day after school, she comes home to an empty house with only her white and fluffy bunny, Marshmallow, to keep her company. A few hours later, her dad finally comes home, usually heavily drunk. Her father, Nosos, looks just like her, but with a bigger stomach and a more manly voice. If she gets lucky enough, he'll pass out on the couch or on his bed. When she doesn't, though, things get... touchy... Every time she tries to call for help, her father threatens her by grabbing a broken beer bottle while saying how she'll just be earning herself a permanent injury. She hasn't tried calling for help in 6 months..

One day, or one night to be more specific, everything changed. It was a normal afternoon. Katharos had gotten home from school, finished her homework, and played with Marshmallow. She fed her tiny bits of carrots while giving her tiny pats on the head. Marshmallow let out a small squeak of appreciation, causing Katharos to muster a small, rare smile. This happiness didn't last long, however, as a sudden loud noise caught both of their attention. A noise she knew all too well. A few seconds later, she heard her "father" collapse on the couch with a moan. Upon hearing this, Katharos was immediately filled with fear. Marshmallow, sensing her fear, let out a quiet squeak of concern.

"Shh. It's going to be ok Marshmallow", said Katharos with her shockingly deep voice. "Hopefully..."

Katharos clutches Marshmallow, waiting for the worst to happen. After a few minutes of waiting in silence, nothing happens. After waiting a few more minutes, her father still hasn't broken into her room demanding "attention". Katharos, believing she's in the clear, lets out a sigh of relief and releases her grip on Marshmallow.

"Phew! Looks like we made it.", whispered Katharos. "Now, how about we grab some dinn- Ahh!"

Katharos's sentence is cut short when her bedroom door is suddenly forced open with brute force. Her eyes shrink in fear when she sees the spherical figure of her father slowly walk inside her room. Marshmallow hides behind Katharos, trembling in fear as Nosos walks closer to the both of them. Upon seeing the fearful expression plastered across her daughter's face, he lets out a cackle the gave Katharos a chill up her spine. When cackling, he opens his mouth wide, allowing Katharos to smell the alcohol that took over his breath. She had to restrain herself from gagging at the horrible smell.

"Well, well, well. Look at the scaredy-cat and her little fluff ball.", said Nosos smirking. His words were slurred, another obvious sign that he's been drinking.. a lot...

Katharos tried to fight back with her own words, but she was too scared to even get a letter out. Instead, she shifts her body slightly, completely obscuring Marshmallow from Nosos's view. Marshmallow was too pure.. she didn't deserve to witness what was about to happen, again.

"St-stay back!", cried Katharos.

"Aww! Look who's trying to protect her little friend. Or should I say, her only friend." replied Noses with a bigger smirk than before.

Upon hearing this insult, Katharos let out a growl of anger and suddenly tried to tackle towards her father. Unfortunately for her, Noses caught her mid tackle and threw her on the floor. Katharos let out a cry of pain as she tried to stand back up, only to be shoved back down by her father.

"Nuh-uh. You ain't getting up yet!", exclaimed Noses. "Not until we're finally done with what we started..."

That night, Katharos was still hiding in her room, letting out tears or fright and sadness. She hasn't even bothered to make dinner. She wasn't hungry after.. you know... Thankfully, Noses was knocked out in his bedroom, his snoring louder than a dozen lawn mowers. This meant that Katharos and Marshmallow (yes, they travel together) full range of the house. Speaking of Marshmallow, she was sitting on Katharos's lap, trying to comfort her as by cuddling against her face. While Katharos was grateful for this, it didn't help much in making her feel better. After a few more minutes, Katharos finally stops crying and tries to wipe her tears.

"Th-thanks Marshmallow. I think I'm ok now.", said Katharos with the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

Marshmallow let out a happy squeak in response as if to say "You're welcome! Glad you're feeling better!" Katharos then gives Marshmallow a massive hug, burying her face in her fur,

"Gosh Marshmallow." whispered Katharos quietly. "I don't think I would make it this far in life without you. You're one of the only things keeping me going. That and my grades."

Marshmallow squeaks quietly and buries her head against Katharos's chest. They stayed like this for a while before Katharos finally pulled back, looking out her bedroom window with a gleam in her eyes.

"You know.." stated Katharos. "Sometimes I wish for a shooting star to suddenly zoom past our window. That way, I could make a wish.. a wish that will free us from Noses and give us more freedom. A wish that will make my life at school more eventful. A wish that will-"

Katharos is suddenly cut off when a flash of yellow zips pasts by the window and towards a nearby forest, causing her and Marshmallow to gasp and jump in shock. The yellow flash moved so quickly; the house shook briefly before finally returning to normal. After finding her words, Katharos speaks in a fearful tone.

"Was.. was that what I think it was?", said Katharos as she points at the window with a shaking hand. "Was that a.. shooting star?"

Marshmallow let out a few quiet squeaks in response as if to say "I don't know. Maybe we should check it out?" Katharos looks at Marshmallow with a more curious look in her eyes.

"You want to check it out? What is we get caught?", questioned Katharos.

An extra loud snore from Noses reminded her that her father was still very much asleep. And once her father was asleep, he wasn't getting up until the following afternoon at the earliest.

"Oh, right.", said Katharos. "Well, if that's the case, I guess we can go check it out."

Katharos then stands up, holding Marshmallow in her hands. After grabbing her phone and some pink headphones, she walks outside into the darkness. The only source of light was the full moon shining above them. She looks at the forest near her and, after some brief hesitation, decides to enter it. She looks down at Marshmallow with a fearful expression on her face.

"Alright, Marshmallow. Let's check out.. whatever we just saw."

Marshmallow squeaks in agreement, and they journeyed into the forest, hoping to find what caused such a bright flash.