Small context chapter/special.

A girl slept on a futon, a small dog cuddling her like they'd been doing for a couple of years already. With another, older, woman sleeping on a different futon not too far away from them. That evening, they dined together. And had ordered something, just to have a happier occasion that day. They weren't fully out of the red numbers yet, but they were making it. And they'd celebrate the small mercies in life.

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A guy returned home. Way too tired for his mother's liking. He had gone out to clear his mind from his sister's job. Called a friend, his former teacher. It was supposed to be something that his mother had seen him do since before he started college. And yet, here he was. Almost trying to sneak into his own home. Silent, obviously lost in his own mind like the woman had seen him when he freshly broke up with his first girlfriend. She asked what was happening, he didn't explain much. He did, however, acknowledge that he'd been reminded of his ex-girlfriend. And that had soured his mood significantly.

His mother accepted that that was enough and didn't press further, much to her own chagrin. It was better to show interest and let him come to her at his own pace, than press for answers and have him close off entirely after all.

…

A fox was scared off from a strange burrow, deep in the forest of a faraway town. A strange white-haired girl laid beside a corpse in that burrow. Wearing glasses, a doctor's robe, and comfortable shoes; the corpse had suffered through time but no pieces had been taken away from it. The bigger creatures would desecrate the body, so the girl made sure that only the bugs and fungi took their part in the cycle of life here.

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Two souls moving against the current of reality stayed awake, barely clinging to consciousness against the youthful needs of their new bodies, until the adult woman in charge of their mother came back to the room. Whispering to her husband that "the girl" was safe and sound, and very much fast asleep. The adults argued a little between whispers, but ultimately decided to leave their concerns for the morning. When they could contact their PR people and scour the internet in case someone tried to be funny and showed their idol group in a less than stellar state.

The two souls were glad. But that respite from their worries robbed them of their strength, forcing them to finally surrender to their fatigue.

…

A girl stalked the corridors of the hotel, waiting. She hadn't had the opportunity to see whether the most important person in her life had arrived with a couple of certain somethings that would give the girl a leg up against their bosses. Against sinking and being forgotten forever when she had gone through the exact same journey as the most important person in her life. Her own mother would press her for answers, and the prospect of dealing with that first thing in the morning made her sleepless.

Why did she have to go through this? Put all this extra effort while the most important person in her life just… Coasted through obstacles unperturbed? How did she do it? What made her so different? Still, her body did feel tired. And the conversations she'd had throughout the party made her settle into a cold guilty-ridden sense of purposelessness.

She went back to her room, to pace there instead of being discovered by security or something worse.

…

The sun was just appearing in the sky, but a young woman was already out and about. Checking things on her laptop and phone, going down the family house to meet her mother for breakfast. The father had already left, but that was hardly a concern for either of the women. It happened sometimes.

The young woman had a mug of a hot beverage, and limited herself to answer her mother's questions and indications. According to how she had been raised. However, something seemed to bother the older woman. Sooner, rather than later, the mother asked why the young woman had taken an interest in idol work. Quoting something that she heard from one of the family's associates.

The young woman did not panic, but simply stated that she was fishing for ways to flex her abilities. To see if she could add another thing to her repertoire of businesses she could mingle in.

The mother did not believe her at all, but limited herself to reminding her daughter not to create too much trouble for the family. It did, however, ring a small alarm in her mind when her daughter failed to form an immediate answer. It wasn't like her, even when the conversation flowed normally otherwise. The mother pressed her for answers, but the young woman gracefully evaded the topic. She was too old to be intimidated now, but there were other ways to make her fall in line. So that was the end of it… For now.

The young woman kept on reaching out to people, kept doing her own research.

…

A boy hugged his thick blanket close to his body, restraining his movement but casting a net of safety around him to keep himself from wandering around the apartment. He wasn't trying to protect himself; but rather hold the monster that crawled beneath his skin. Insistent, incoherent… But not actually agitated. It was confused, but relatively deprived of life.

Ignoring its presence in the boy's mind was too much of a struggle now, after what he did. But denying it at least kept the door tightly shut. Separated by a line drawn in the sand that seemed to contain the darkness for long enough that the boy could try to convince himself that it wasn't a part of him. His attempts had grown weaker, but now… Something had changed. Even if he couldn't figure out whether it was a good change or a bad one.

Exposing himself had been stupid, but it hadn't killed him. It hadn't ended the cycle of despair that would no doubt push him to lash out again. His journey hadn't been extinguished. But there was a certain… Slowness now. Like he had lost momentum, perhaps fallen on the way and twisted his ankle. A momentary pain, a momentary pause. Insignificant, random, meaningless. But… Well, any form of peace was welcome.

But, most importantly, it existed. He had seen it with his own eyes. Hope dressed in gallant drapes of despair. Despair that worked in circles to create hope.

He had seen it in other normal people before, since the beginning. But he had never been quite there himself. Never did it feel so… Personal.

The monster scratched slowly against the mental walls. It hadn't been slain; it'd remain for as long as the boy did. But, for now, it felt like should… Ponder.

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A small sigh escaped someone's lips. Pale, with uncombed coming from who knows how many hours on the computer. The pressure of finishing a project meant for three people alone was enough to even take a toll on someone like her. But it was done, and it would be perfect. She had managed to, once again, prove that she could do it. The next logical challenge would be if, for example, she was to delete the file and do it all over again. With less than 24 hours to attempt it but… No. It was enough. She was satisfied with this.

She saved and stretched her arms to loosen up her shoulders and back.

She stood up and dropped on her bed, opening a book that was supposed to be read in-between other two. Which she hadn't, but that she would. Afterward.

Another challenge, another thing to keep her mind from wandering. This time, she'd see if she was able to follow the information to completion in spite of missing the other books. If she couldn't… Well, another quest for later. Even when she had read on the topic before, it might happen. But she doubted it, so she didn't bother setting a penalty beforehand.

Things would go on like this. Since she was there to study, that was what her time was spent on. Nothing more, nothing less. Helping here and there when people needed it, seeing how far she could go with her self-imposed limitations. The university had an ample variety of courses and extracurricular activities, she would not be found lacking for new ways to express and work her talents.

She would do things in awkward, more difficult ways, and she'd grow as a result. In this way, she could cover for her shortcomings. In this way, she would be smart enough, strong enough, prepared enough. She would leave behind the version of herself that was a burden, indecisive, that couldn't make the right choice when she was needed the most.

And she would succeed. This time, she would be enough. She'd do things right for sure this time.

It was a certainty. Just as much as the fact that winter would eventually come back.