Flaws Of Hope/Chapter One

This is Chapter One of Flaws Of Hope, Three Stabs, and You're Dead! written by the cutest person ever and Jayme.. It was released on 10/14/2016.

A petite boy, with brunette hair and dark brown eyes stood alone in the middle of a darkened forest. The cold wind brushed around his body, and he couldn’t stop himself from shivering. He was as cold as one could be, with rips in his light gray shirt and jeans, he could barely protect himself against nature...let alone whatever it was that chased him out here. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him, and, a few feet away the rustling of leaves could be heard -- only scaring the boy more.

“Okay, Reed, calm down. What would Julie do?”

What would Julie do?

The brunette -- Reed -- took a deep breath, and thought to himself, and for a split-second, he thought he had something going for himself. Julie would analyze, then act. She wouldn’t continue to blindly run into the woods with no destination and get herself trapped in somewhere as dark and gloomy as a place like this.

That was, of course, until the rustling of the leaves got louder. Reed couldn’t decipher where bumps on his skin originated from...the cold or the fear?

“I should...I should...oh c’mon, what should I do?!”

Would screaming at whoever was out there scare them away?

Or, would that only draw more attention to him?

Reed closes his eyes and takes another deep breath, before opening his mouth. “I’ve seen one too many horror movies to know that no matter what I do...I’m fucked.”

And, with that small declaration complete, it emerged from the bushes.

A white wolf, with laser red eyes, teeth as sharp as a blade, standing at over eight feet tall, walked forward toward Reed.

Reed’s eyes widened as he stared into the eyes of this beast, and, before he knew it, he was sitting in the grass, his body pressed up against the trunk of a tree. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move. The fear had finally taken Reed over; he was no longer in control of his own body.

He kicked out at the wolf, tears flooded down his cheeks, and the only sound he could attempt to make was a half-assed scream.

The white wolf, as if prideful, wagged it’s tail as it walked closer and closer to the fearful boy. Before Reed could even attempt to calm himself, the wolf was in lunging distance, and as it showed off it’s sharp fangs, the white wolf did exactly that.

It lunged; and, as Reed waited for the pain he knew he’d experience…

...he was hit over the head with the sweet embrace of an ice-cold bucket of water.

His eyes shot open, and he was met by the bright light of what felt like a thousand suns, and, naturally, his body flew forward. He was drenched from his head to his torso in ice cold water, and an almost sinister giggle is heard from his bedside.

He didn’t have to turn to know exactly what the source of that giggling was coming from.

“Good morning, Jules.”

The blue-haired, blue-eyed girl, stands over Reed’s bed, one hand on her hip, the other holding a small pot. “Y’know, you’re a real pain sometimes, Reed.”

Reed nods, and at the same time yawns. “Did you have to use the pot though? Not a glass of water like a normal person?”

She only sighs, before placing the pot down on the floor, and reaching for the pink towel that hangs on his door. “You were having those nightmares again, weren’t you?” Reed doesn’t say anything; instead he let’s her place the towel over his head, and she begins to ruffle his hair with the towel. “Well, in any case, let’s get you ready for school, ‘k?”

Reed slumps down further as Julia continues to dry his hair, and he simply looks to his now-damp sheets. “Okay.”

Sporting a teal long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of denim jeans, Julia Sunray now stood in Reed Trives’ kitchen, fiddling with her hair as she stood in front of the stove -- which, cooked the two’s breakfast every morning; today’s breakfast was the same as always, scrambled eggs with a slice of provolone cheese.

It didn’t take long for Reed -- now sporting a pink dress shirt, and dark blue jeans -- to join her in the kitchen. He yawned to himself, and sat on the lone wooden stool at his counter, and rested his head on the table, so he could only see Julie’s back.

“Julie, why do you do this every morning?”

“Why do you ask me this question every morning?”

Julie spins around, and bends forward so she’s eye-level with Reed. “How many times do I have to say it’s ‘cause I love you, before you get it wrapped around your dense head?”

Reed shrugs his shoulders. “It doesn’t seem to do anything for you, though.”

“What’re you talking about, Reed? I get to wake up and see my best friend every morning, that’s more than enough for me.”

She smiles, and Reed follows suit. “Plus, what would you do without me?”

“I’d fall apart.”

“Which is why I can't and won't leave you alone...besides, I get free food out of it.”

“That reminds me, are we going food shopping after school today?”

Reed lifts his head off the table, and Julie nods, turning back to the stove. “Of course, Reed. But, don't forget, you have to go to that tutoring session after class. We’ll go after that.”

Reed sighs and looks back down to the counter. “But I don't wanna--”

“You don't get a say in this. You're about to fail algebra. Hina knows what she's doing, don't worry.”

“She's scary though…”

“And, she's the smartest kid in the class, and she's offering to tutor you for free. You know how important this is, right?”

Reed shakes his head, and, before he responds to Julie, there's a soft knock on his door.

“I’ll get it,” she sighs, skipping out of the kitchen, and out of Reed’s sight.

“Is it them?”

Julie chuckles from the next room over, and Reed can hear the door creak open. “Why are you trying to make it sound so ominous?”

A light stern voice returns. “What’s ominous?”

“Yeah, why are you using such big words first thing in the morning?” a second, more high-pitched voice rings out.

“Good morning to you two, too.”

Reed turns his head to the doorway, and soon after the front door shuts, Julie returns, but this time with company.

To her left stands Andrea Bree. With short brunette hair and matching eyes, Andrea sports a red sleeveless vest (that expertly shows off her defined biceps) and black sweatpants, too.

Andrea’s counterpart stands on the opposite side of Julie: Marnie Cooper. In contrast to Andrea’s perfect tan, Marnie’s pale skin nearly blinds Reed as she holds her hands behind her back. Marnie wears a bright yellow sweatshirt to match her natural light hair and skinny jeans.

“Yo, Reed!” Andrea greets, her gray backpack draping over her shoulder. “You ready for another fabulous day?!”

Reed gently smiles and nods. “Of course.”

“Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t be late, cuz, if we’re late again, my mom’s totally gonna punish me.”

Marnie sighs and scratches her head, before narrowing her eyes at Andrea. “We were only late last time because someone decided they wanted to stop at a food truck.”

She gasps in return. “Marnie, you can’t blame me for that though...they had ice cream in a literal waffle! I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life!”

“You mean a waffle cone?”

Julie -- who has now returned to the kitchen -- points her spatula at the two girls. “Would you guys like anything?”

“The reg, please!” Andrea exclaims, jumping into the seat next to Reed, who puts his head back on the counter.

“I’m just gonna have a water, if that’s okay, Reed?” Marnie asks, twisting her hair as she looks away from the two.

“Of course, Mars.”

Marnie simultaneously smiles and sighs as she travels to the refrigerator. “What kind of nickname is that anyways?”

“I thought it was cute…” he says, turning his head away from Marnie and toward Andrea, who smiles.

“I thought so too, Shrimp.”

“Don’t call me that, please.”

She chuckles, and Reed closes his eyes, leaving Marnie and Julie trying to suppress their own giggles.

After having breakfast together, Julie, Andrea, Marnie, and Reed gathered their belongings and left Reed’s small, one bedroom apartment, and began their walk to school. Like any other morning in their small town, the streets were empty and filled with silence, the sun only just rising over the small floral shops and cafes. It was a scenery Reed always loved -- one that he could always find peace in.

“--and that’s why I think Ike’s scared of me.”

At the conclusion of her story, Andrea puts her hands on her hips, sighing dramatically. She leads the pack of four through the street, and the three walk together only a few steps behind.

Marnie tilts her head, and rolls her eyes. “Well, I would be too.”

“Yeah, yeah, give the kid a break,” Julie says as Andrea flashes the trio a smile. “He’s a very nice boy.”

“The sweetest,” Andrea confirms.

Marnie glances back at Reed, who rests his head on Julie’s shoulder, and smiles gently to herself. “Maybe not the sweetest…”

“That reminds me, Mars,” Andrea says, putting her hands together. “I’m going to have to bail tonight! My momma needs me to make sure little Mikey and Miley are sound asleep tonight!”

“Really?”

Andrea simultaneously sighs and nods to herself. “Unfortunately.”

“But, what am I supposed to do tonight…? My dad’s gonna have his gross friends over and I’m not hanging around to hear another story from their high school days.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Reed asks. “Julie and I were gonna have dinner and binge that new Netflix show, Danger Stuff, anyway.”

Julie nods her head in response. “It’d be fun.”

Marnie looks away from the duo and smiles to herself. “Well, if it’s fine with you guys, I wouldn’t mind…”

A silence overtakes the foursome -- although, it doesn’t last long as Andrea suddenly snaps her fingers and turns around to face the three. “Oh, by the way Julie, didn’t you say you’d tell us some stories about you and Reed when you were little?!”

Reed gasps to himself, and lifts his head off of Julie’s shoulder. “You did not…”

Julie only smiles to herself and pats Reed on the back. “Oh yes, I did.”

“You’re evil, you know that?”

Julie only giggles sinisterly to herself, and, as she indulged in a story about Reed and herself as children, the four had finally reached their destination: Orange County High School.

With a total population of merely two hundred students, Orange County High School is a school that prides itself on the arts -- with an award winning drama department, and students who actively partake in the drama, the arts, writing.

Everyone knows everyone -- no secret would last a full week in this school.

The path leading up to Orange County High is -- simply put -- beautiful. With flowers sitting every five feet, and with beautiful, well-cut, grass, the attraction that garners the most attention is the fountain. Surrounding a statue of an old man -- who, no one really knows or cares to figure out who he is -- the water is as clear as it could be.

As Reed, Julie, Marnie, and Andrea approaches the front entrance, another group of four is already making their way into the school.

As the four walk through the hallway, they’re led by Dylan Greene. Standing at six-feet, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a small beard, Dylan walks with his hands in his brown sweatshirt pockets, and with his eyes barely open. His whole aura, and laxed body structure, commands the hallway. He’s...intimidating, to say the least.

At his side, struggling to keep up with his long strides, is Ike Levine. With a blue tanktop and sleeveless jacket, Ike -- much like Dylan -- sticks out like a sore thumb. He has pink dyed hair -- and pink contacts, too -- and he’s the shortest boy in the school, despite being a senior.

“Dylan, waiiiit uupppp,” he says, taking a deep breath as he doubles his pacing to stay at the taller boy’s side.

Dylan sighs to himself and clicks his tongue at the boy. “And why should I do that?”

The two were a...strange duo, to say the least. Known for his flamboyant behavior, soon after their junior year of high school began, Ike began sticking close to Dylan -- who, previously, had been notorious for his loner-status and blunt attitude.

As Dylan continues to stride ahead, Ike falls back to the two behind him.

Hollie Westt and Hali Ford walk side-by-side, snuggled up together, with Hali’s head snuggled into the crease of Hollie’s neck. Hollie has auburn hair, green eyes, and freckles scattered across her face -- a quality that Ike has fallen in love with -- while sporting a purple-collared shirt; compared to Hali, who, has brown hair and blue eyes, and sports a brown sweatshirt and sweatpants.

“Just give up, Ike,” Hali says, and Ike only pouts as he looks to her. “He’s too tall, you’ll never catch him.”

“But--”

“He’ll wait up,” Hollie says, shrugging her shoulders. “He always does.”

“And if he doesn’t, I’ll beat him up,” Ike says, putting his arms in the air. “He can’t stop me, y’know.”

Hali’s quick to pull his arm back down, and sigh to herself. “You have about as much muscle as I do -- and, I can barely lift thirty pounds.”

Ike puffs his cheeks out and looks away from the two. “Don’t be rude, Hay.”

She only smiles to herself as Hollie hums a small tune to herself, until she spots out of the corner of her eye, Dylan waiting by his locker. “See, told you.”

“How long are you three nuisances gonna take?”

Ike smiles to himself as he skips ahead to be at Dylan’s side, and, the two girls only take a few moments longer.

“I’m sorry we’re not all giants,” Hali says, as she detaches herself from Hollie. “You almost made Ike cry, y’know, he was scared you were never coming back.”

“Don’t lie!” Ike nearly screams, looking away from her. “I’m emotional but not that emotional.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Dylan says, flipping his hair. “Are y’all ready for class, or do we have to make another stop?”

“Ready, ready!”

“We’re ready, too,” Hollie says, and Dylan nods to the trio.

“Let’s go, then, shall we?”

The walk to their classroom, 4-A, is quick and full of silence. But, once the four got into their old classroom, the whole atmosphere changed.

Aside from them, only four other students had made it into their classroom. Sitting in the back corner of the classroom, chuckling loudly to themselves, time almost stops for them when Dylan, Hali, Hollie, and Ike enter the classroom.

The group look towards the arrivals, almost like their presence shattered their joy. One of the boys stands, he has light green hair, blue eyes and sports a bright green sweatshirt and a blue top underneath it. He stands tall, watching as the group head to their seats...his name: Evan Rance.

“Ignore them,” Hollie says quietly as she takes her seat, quietly placing her bag under her desk. Hali slips into the seat beside Hollie, while Dylan sits alongside Ike, who shifts slightly in his seat, trying to avoid the glares of his peers on the other side of the classroom.

One of the other boys -- with dark green dyed hair, green eyes, and wearing a black tanktop -- looks up at Evan, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s not worth it, bro, sit down.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Evan says, sitting back down on the desk behind him. He quickly leans into the two boys and whispers to them, “Still, it’s a little fun to give ‘em a scare, ain’t it?”

The other green-haired boy is named Shawn Perry -- and, next to him, with auburn hair much like Hollie’s and brown eyes, is Michael Niugnep. As Shawn waves off Evan’s comment, Michael instead embraces it.

“I’m still not over what they did,” Michael says, sighing dramatically and leaning back in his chair.

Shawn uncomfortably shifts in his seat. “I know y’all don’t like to talk about what happened, but I’m lost here.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Evan says, and, as he said that, the classroom door opens and Reed, Marnie, Julie, and Andrea quickly find their way to their seats, in front of the lone girl who has been sitting by her lonesome this entire time.

With bright white hair, brown eyes, and a scar that goes down the middle of her face, this girl moves her hand fast and aggressively against the sketchbook below her. Her name -- Hina Harmony -- is signed in the upper corner of the page.

The sketch itself is done with different tones of black, and displays an abandoned cabin, with ravens surrounding it. In the background sits the dark moon, and on the roof is a stray cat.

“Good morning, Hina,” Julie greets, turning around in her seat to wave.

Hina’s quick to look up from her sketchbook, and face the smiling face of Julie and the more nervous Reed. “Goooooooooood morning, to you two, too!” Hina’s grin is quick to turn into a sneer. “You seem rather happy today, did you two finally shack up together?”

“As crude as ever, I see.”

“Always!”

Despite their dialogue being rather tense, their tone of voice -- at least, to Reed -- only seems like a playful banter of sorts.

“Are you still up to help Reed after class?”

“What are you, his mom?”

“Y’know, at this point, yes.”

“I’m sitting right here, you know?” Reed says, resting his head in his hands.

“Of course I will,” Hina says, turning her attention to Reed -- who, before he knew it, was snapping to attention. “I saw he got a sixteen on our last math test, he could use any and all help, I see.”

Reed’s face goes white -- if only for a split-second. “Oh no.”

“A sixteen?” Julie repeats, turning to Reed. “I thought you said you got a fifty?”

As Reed felt Julie’s eyes staring directly through his skull, he only put his head back into his hands. “Well, you know--”

Reed is cut off by the booming voice of their homeroom teacher however, Mr. Ramon. The three turn their attention to the front of the classroom, and, they hadn’t even noticed but the rest of the classroom filled up with the rest of their classmates.

“Listen up everyone -- it’s time for roll call!”

“Andrea Bree.”

Andrea’s hand shoots up into the air, and Marnie smiles next to her. “Here, sir!”

“Marnie Cooper.”

“Here.”

“Maggie Dillane.”

On the other side of the classroom, a girl with dirty blonde hair and glasses raises her hand. She has brown eyes, and, wears a light blue tanktop and a pink buff. “Yo, teach.”

“Trent Dillane.”

Right next to her, sits a boy who looks almost identical to her. However, he wears a black sweatshirt, has dreadlocks, and doesn’t wear any glasses. “Yo.”

“Lana Elle.”

In front of them sits a girl with black hair, green eyes, and wearing a short similar in color and brand as Maggie’s. “Hereee!”

“Anne Farren.”

Next to Lana, with gray hair, gray eyes, and wearing a green jacket with a blonde shirt underneath, another girl’s hand raises. “Here.”

“Hali Ford.”

Hali quietly raises her hand, and, the teacher is quick to acknowledge her.

“Francis Gee.”

In the back of the classroom, beside Evan, a boy with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and sporting a long-sleeved blue shirt half-assedly raises his hand.

“Braede Gold.”

In the seat next to Anne’s, a girl with blonde pigtails, bright blue eyes, and wearing a bright pink shirt raises her hand. “Here, teach~!”

“Zoey Grassi.”

A green haired & eyed girl wearing a brown collared shirt and blue jeans in the middle of the classroom raises her hand, and, Mr. Ramon is quick to acknowledge here.

“Dylan Greene.”

Dylan shrugs his shoulders in his seat and half-assedly raises his hand. “Here, sir.”

“Hina Harmony.”

Hina puts her pencil down and throws her hand into the air. “Yessir, I’m riiiiight here, sir~!”

“Er, okay...Ike Levine.”

Ike, from beside Dylan, raises his hand. “Heyya~!”

“Britt Monroe.”

On the other side of Braede sits a girl with pink dyed hair, teal eyes, and wears a pink jacket and a puffy blue scarf despite the...warm weather, raises her hand. “Here!”

“Michael Niugnep.”

The boy who sits beside Shawn raises his hand. “Yo.”

“Shawn Perry.”

Then, instantly, Shawn raises his hand.

“Evan Rance.”

Evan, who sits in front of his two friends, leans back in his seat. “Yo, Mr. Ramon.”

“Julie Sunray.”

Julia tilts her head and smiles politely at Mr. Ramon. “Here, sir.”

“Reed Trives.”

Reed picks his head up from off the desk, and, yawns as he speaks. “He~re, sir.”

“Hollie Westt.”

Hollie’s quick to also raise her hand. “Here.”

“And, last but not last, Teresa Wyatt.”

Sitting next to Zoey sits a girl with short brown hair, purple eyes, and wears a long blue-collared shirt, dess pants, and a purple tie. She excitedly sits up in her seat upon hearing her name. “Here, sir!”

As the teacher sets his clipboard down and moves to the white board, he smiles to himself. “Perfect attendance, as always...that’s my class! The other senior classes are all starting to get funny ideas about skipping now that we’ve only got four months left of school, but...I’m happy that you’re all committed.”

He pauses, and surveys the classroom...and, he’s met with the eerie glare of both Evan & Britt’s groups. “Er, anyways, let’s get on with today’s lesson, shall we…?”

Class, at least for Ike, flies by. Despite being an artsy kid by nature, Mr. Ramon, as well as Miss Bishop’s classes piques his interest more than anything else. So, he’s lucky enough to wake up and have a few classes he enjoys, at least until lunch comes.

When the bell rings for lunch and Miss Bishop makes her quick escape, the classmates all go their separate ways. Britt, Braede, Anne, and Lana stay together in the classroom, for example -- as does loners Hina & Flake. The twins Maggie & Trent, as well as drama stars Zoey & Teresa disappear with no real notice, and Evan, Shawn, & Michael too go to their spot on the roof of the school.

Ike doesn’t know where Marnie, Reed, Julie, and Andrea runs off too during this time, but Ike’s -- or, well, Dylan’s group -- sit by themselves on the patio behind the school.

Hollie sits up against the back wall with Hali next to her, and the two share a lunch Hollie made for the two, and, Dylan stands beside them, drinking a coke.

Ike though...he sits in front of the three with his back toward them, a mischievous smile on his face. He was bored...the same routine the four have does get quite old after a while.

“Hollie, your cooking is really, really good…” Hali mumbles to herself. “Even you can make vegan good.”

Hollie gently smiles to herself. “Thanks, I think.”

“Can I have a bite?” Dylan asks. “The pops didn’t make me anything today.”

“Of course, of course,” Hollie says, and as she lifts up to hand him the lunchbox, Dylan as well bends down to grab it.

While this went on though, Ike decides to make his move. He slowly rises to his feet and turns to the other three, who, don’t pay him any mind.

As he approaches Dylan, Hollie, and Hali, his smiles grows wider, and, suddenly more innocent. He stretches his hand out to Dylan, and...smacks his shoulder.

As the three slowly turn their heads toward Ike, he’s already running away, giggling to himself like a five-year old.

“Tag, you’re it, Dylan!”

Once Ike disappears within the school, the three just slowly turn back to each other, and sigh to one another.

“Whose gonna go get him?” Hali asks.

“He’s such a nuisance…” Dylan says, trailing off.

“Remember last time he did this? He almost ran into Andrea and she almost knocked him out,” Hollie says, closing her eyes. “Dylan, this is your job.”

“Why? I don’t care enough.”

“He’ll be disappointed,” Hali says. “What if he starts crying again?”

“Again?”

“Er, sorry, not again.”

Dylan sighs and scratches his chin. “Fine. I’ll go get him.”

As the two girls nod and return to their meal, Dylan jogs off into the direction Ike went, and is quick to enter the desolate hallway. “Ike, where the hell are ya...?” he mumbles to himself, as he begins his conquest.

Dylan walks down the lone hallway for a few moments, before, he hears...a giggle. A giggle coming from down the hall.

Dylan pauses for a moment at the sound, but he’s quick to recover. “He’s so dead when I get him…”

The giggle stops, and, as Dylan wanders the hall...he sees a door out of the corner of his eye close...the Nurse’s Office.

“What the hell are ya doin' in there, Ike?” Dylan asks. “She’s gonna kill ya before I do.”

Dylan continues to walk down the hall until he finds himself in front of the Nurse’s Office. With a giant sigh, he slides the door open, only to find the room empty, and with the lights off.

“Wha--” he stops himself and shakes his head, before taking a few steps in. “Ike, if that’s you, I’m going to strangle ya.”

But...no answer.

Not only is there no answer, as Dylan finds himself in the middle of the Nurse’s Office, the door behind him suddenly swings shut, surrounding him in darkness.

“Wh-What the fuck, I-Ike…?”

But, there is no answer waiting for Dylan. “Ike, this isn’t funny--”

“But...I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

After the voice rings out, the lights return, and Ike stands in front of the door with his hands behind his back. “Pranked!”

Dylan could only roll his eyes at Ike...it’s not like he could get mad, I mean, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to legitimately be mad with the kid, so instead he opts for annoyance.

But, Dylan couldn’t even stay annoyed for long, for as the second Dylan’s lips curl a tiny bit upwards, he finds Ike running at him.

Dylan takes a step backward, and finds himself in front of one of the beds...he’s a perfect target.

Ike leaps forward and tackles Dylan onto the bed, and, Dylan suddenly finds himself in the midst of, what Ike likes to call, a ‘kiss attack’. His lips meet Dylan’s, and Dylan let himself relax as stares into Ike’s mischievous eyes. But, he’s quick to gently push Ike off of him, and look around the room.

As Dylan surveys the coast, Ike frowns, and points himself away from Dylan. “Even after all that effort I went through to make sure we were alone…”

“I-Ike...you know we can’t do this here,” Dylan says. “If anyone saw us...I’d be so fucked.”

“But...you’ve been so busy lately,” Ike pouts. “Always out with your ‘college friends’, going to bars, being handsome...we’ve never had time to play, just us...I just got lonely.”

“I know,” Dylan says, patting Ike’s head. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“Well, fine, I’ll forgive you,” Ike says, standing up on his feet. “Only cuz I love you, though!”

Dylan smiles to himself as Ike jumps ahead to the door. As he touches his lips, he can hear Ike open the door. “Are you gonna buy me lunch as an apology?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dylan says, before standing up as well, and following Ike out of the Nurse’s Office.

In the classroom, Reed, Andrea, Marnie, and Julie sit together, as they were just finishing up their lunches as well. Andrea has her eyes closed as she pets her own stomach, and Marnie only watches her out of the corner of her eyes. Julie and Reed share a drink though, and much like everything else, ate something that Julie had prepared for the two.

Andrea chuckles to herself as she opens her eyes. “I’m stuffed!”

“It always amazes me how much one can eat…” Reed mumbles.

“If you’re as strong as me, you need to eat a lot so you don’t lose any muscle, y’know?! Reed, that’s why you’re so small -- I...gotta be honest. Your physical stature depresses me, sometimes.”

Reed gasps to himself, and Julie can’t help but laugh to herself. “Don’t hurt my son like this, he’s sensitive.”

Reed pulls away from Julie and looks up at her. “Son?”

“It’s your fault, too, Julie! You’re the one who feeds the kid.”

Julie waves Andrea off. “Now, now,...ah, that reminds me!,” she says, turning her head to the two. “Forgive me Reed, forgive me Marnie, but I have to cancel today!”

“Wh--, really?” Reed asks, leaning back toward her. “Why?”

“Yeah, why?” Marnie asks, brushing a long strand of hair away from her eye. “Did something come up?”

Julie nods. “Sorry, yes. My mother texted me earlier saying I needed to be back to take care of dad.”

“Do you want us to come over--?”

“No thank you, Reed,” she says, shaking her head. “I do not wanna put the two of you into an...uncomfortable spot.”

“It’s fine,” Reed says, before turning to Marnie. “Uhm, sorry, I don’t know if you still wanna come over if Julie’s not gonna be there--”

Marnie’s quick to cut off Reed, and leans forward enthusiastically. “Of course I’d still like to come…!” she pauses, and, shrugs her shoulders. “...if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure it is!”

“Oh, you two are ridiculous!”

Hina Harmony, from behind Reed & Julie stares up at the foursome with a wicked smile on her face. “Just kiss already, won’t ya?!”

Marnie’s quick to gasp to herself and put her head back on the table, while Reed only tilts his head in confusion. “Why, though?”

“...dull.”

Reed frowns as he leans backwards over the chair to face her. “Who are you callin’ dull, Hina?”

“You, dull boy.”

“Why is Hina trying to set Reed up with Marnie now?” Andrea asks to herself, tilting her head. “I thought you were hardcore banking on Julie and Reed to hook up?”

Hina shrugs her shoulder. “No idea whatcha mean!”

Andrea only hums to herself. “I dunno ‘bout that~...”

In the front of the classroom, diagonal from the foursome sits another threesome though, and their desks are aligned in a triangle as well.

Braede Gold, Britt Monroe, and Anne Farren whisper to one another, sinisterly giggling and smacking each other’s arms. Braede sucks on a pink lollipop, and she moves back and forth in her seat, while Britt stares down at her desk, avoiding the stare of Anne.

“Okay, so, we’re in agreeance?” Anne asks, resting her chin in her hands. “We’re gonna do it?”

Braede nods her head. “The look on his face is gonna be priceless…”

“Will Lana pull through?”

“Oh, I’m sure of it.”

“Ah, where is she?” Britt timidly asks, raising her hand. “Is she feeling better?”

“Dunno, don’t care,” Braede says, taking the lollipop out of her mouth. “That’s what she gets for bitchin’.”

“Yeah, who cares about her, honestly? She’ll be back from the Nurse’s soon,” Anne says. “But, are you gonna come with us, Britt?”

Britt’s quick to crack under the stares from the girls before her. “G-Guys, are we sure about this? This is, like, really bad.”

Brade slowly lifts her hand, and, runs it through Britt’s hair. “You worry too much, lovely Britt. You know I’d never let anything happen to you~.”

“Nope, I really think we should do it, though,” Anne whispers. “Tonight?”

“Tonight,” Braede finishes, pulling back away from Britt. “You’re sorta close with him though, right?”

Britt bites her lower lip, and for a split-second she looks away from her friend. “Not really.”

Braede brightly smiles. “Perfect~!”

As the three girls sank into conversation again, the door to the classroom slides open, and Lana Elle walks back inside. With her cell phone in one hand, and a water bottle in the other, Lana smiles to herself. As she walks to the threesome, Braede is quick to lean back and pull a chair just on the outskirts of the group, in between herself and Britt.

As Lana takes the seat brought over by Braede, Anne puts her hand up. “Yo, Elle.”

“Hey,” she says, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling. “Sorry I’m a little late.”

Braede dismisses her apology. “It’s fine, it’s fine, the good thing is that we’re all here now.”

Britt nods. “Okay! So, back onto more important matters…”

As class ends for good later that day, the class has moved on to their after school activities and what-not. In the class still though, Marnie, Reed, Hina, Ike, Lana, and Trent Dillane all remain.

Trent and Ike both talk with their teacher, Mr. Ramon, and Lana rests her head in her hands, watching the two.

Meanwhile, Reed and Marnie talk with each other, and Hina sits behind them, packing her stuff up.

“So, I’ll see you tonight then?” Marnie asks, smiling to herself.

“Yeah, Mars,” Reed says, nodding his head. “It’ll be fun...I can make us something for dinner, too.”

“You can cook?”

Reed nervously smiles and scratches the back of his neck. “Well, no...but how hard it could be?”

Marnie shakes her head. “Maybe we should just order out.”

Reed giggles. “S-Sure.”

“Well, I’ll see you then,” Marnie says, picking up her school bag. “Have fun at extra help.”

“I--”

Reed’s quickly cut off by Hina, who uses this opportunity to jump forward and put the smaller boy in a headlock. “Don’t you worry about him--we’re golden!”

Reed only tries to squirm his way out of her grip as Marnie laughs to herself. “Hi-Hina, why--?”

“I’ll talk to you two later,” Marnie says, and with that, she leaves the classroom.

“Hina, please--”

“What’s wrong, Shrimp? Can’t handle it?”

Mr. Ramon’s stern voice is quick to interrupt them. “You two, no rough-housing in the classroom.”

Hina instantly releases Reed, and the two look to the front of the classroom to see the four pairs of eyes on them.

“Sorry, sir!” Hina exclaims, as Reed only massages his throat.

“When did you two get so close?” Ike asks, tilting his head.

Trent chuckles to himself, puffing his chest out. “Reed is always surrounded by girls, is he not? He must have some sorta power that draws them to him!”

“A power?” Reed asks, tilting his head, which only prompts another boisterous laugh from Trent.

“She’s like that with everyone though, right?” Lana asks, turning her head away from them.

Mr. Ramon clicks his tongue. “If you two are so close, Hina will you please make sure Reed doesn’t fail ANOTHER one of my tests?”

“And, there it is…” Ike says, nervously smiling at them.

Hina salutes Mr. Ramon. “Aye, aye, sir!”

At that, Hina and Reed exit the classroom, and start their small journey to the school library. “I’m gonna work you like a horse, shrimp!”

“...I can’t wait.”

As the two walk, they pass the drama club classroom, and inside -- one could have probably guessed -- was the sixteen-person’d drama club.

The sixteen form a circle around the club president and vice president, Teresa Wyatt and Zoey Grassi respectively.

Teresa has her hand on Zoey’s cheek (the other one holds a small water bottle), and she stares into her best friend’s eyes with sincerity and passion; a tear rolls down her face.

“Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! And lips, O you, the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death! Come, bitter conduct, come unsavory guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on, the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark. Here’s to my love,” Teresa pauses her passionate speech, and she takes a sip of her water bottle for effect. “O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.”

She ends her finals words by placing her lips on Zoey’s, and, after the prolonged kiss ends, the two seniors turn back to the onlookers.

Teresa smirks to herself and tilts her head. “Got it?”

As the classroom erupts in cheers, one of the boys in the class raises his hand. “Can’t you two just be the leads? None of us are on your level.”

Teresa shakes her head. “Don’t you dare say that! Richie, why did you first wanna pursue theatre?”

The same boy, tilts his head. “Because I wanna be a stage performer.”

“Exactly! Everyone here is doing this because they love stage, wanna pursue it, or something of the sorts, correct? Doubting yourself is exactly what you shouldn’t do.”

Zoey steps up. “As your seniors, we’re here to help and watch you grow. We’re not here to steal the spotlight.”

Teresa nods. “Richie and Rae, you two are up. Remember what we just showed you, ‘kay? It’s all about passion and diction! You guys can do it!”

As the two sophomores step into the middle of the circle, Zoey and Teresa take their spots on the outside.

With an award-winning drama department and such a small student body, this time of year, only two sports are really active: men’s soccer, and women’s tennis.

The men’s soccer team practices on the field farthest from the school, but, their performance on a competitive level is poor and no one really cares. The scenery by the field is very calm, though. Calm, relaxing, and a perfect place for someone like Francis Gee, or Flake.

Flake isn’t one for sports or for really any human interaction, for starters. He’s perfectly content sitting by his lonesome, reading a cheesy detective novel, or in today’s case, off of his tablet.

Anyone who would casually walk past Flake in this state, would either admire him or be absolutely terrified--there’s no other way around it. Whenever his tablet’s in his hand, his eyes are sharp, as he stares menacingly at it...or, if you were to ask an optimist like Julie, she’d say he looked determined.

If only the soccer team could get as ‘determined’ as those thought Flake was.

However, if you take a look at the women’s tennis team, it’s clear who the star of the show is. Maggie Dillane, dressed in her athletic attire -- a blue jersey, blue shorts, and a pair of sneakers -- has the presence of Lebron James out on a tennis court.

Those younger than her on the team admire her, and there’s no getting around that she also knows she’s the best out here. On a day like today, her scrimmage team -- herself and a freshman named Kyla -- went six and zero against the other teams, and she’s totally cocky about it.

When her coach calls an end for the day, Maggie hangs back with freshmen Kyla and Jenn as they walk to the lockers.

Jenn -- a pasty, short girl -- sighs to herself as she holds her back. “Mags, why can’t you train me?”

“Yeah! Like, you’re sooooo good. How’re we supposed to win anything if you’re the only one who can play?!”

Maggie giggles to herself -- she loves the flattery, though she’d never admit it. “I’d be honored, but why not ask Coach or Nina?”

Kyla puts her hands on top of her head. “Oh, come on, Maggie, no one compares!”

Maggie contemplates this, or, well, she pretends to. She knows she’s too good. “I tell you this, how about tomorrow after practice you meet me back out on the courts?”

Jenn smiles, and Kyla opens her mouth. “Really?”

Maggie shrugs her shoulders. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.”

Kyla wraps her arms around Jenn, and turns back to Maggie. “You’re the best!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waves the freshmen off. “I’ll see you then.”

The three walk back to the women’s locker room, and after changing back into her school attire, Maggie walks off from the freshmen.

With her pink bag hanging over her shoulder, she adjusts her glasses as she strolls through the hallways. She walks with confidence; and it doesn’t go unwarranted.

She’s quick to reach her goal: the library.

The library in Orange County High is quite big; and it’s set up into three sections. The area for group work, the area for computers, and the quiet area.

Maggie takes her turn into the computer-area, where her brother Trent -- with his Dre’s on, swaying back and forth to the music -- awaits her.

“Yo, Trent,” she greets, poking his shoulder. He’s quick to take his headphones off and turn to his sister. “You ready to head home?”

“Is that how you greet your older brother, Maggie?!” Trent asks, his smile bright, his eyes closed.

“It’s only by ten seconds…”

“But don’t you forget it, sis!”

Ironically, the Dillane twins couldn’t be more different. Trent is boisterous, happy-go-lucky, and is almost never seen without a smile; Maggie on the other hands is cocky, calm, collected. Their differences fit together though -- like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.

Trent rises from his seat and logs himself out of the school’s computer. “Ready when you are, sis.”

She nods, and turns back to the library entrance. “Let’s get to it, then.”

As the two begin walking, Trent throws his arm over his sister’s shoulder. “So how was your day? Practice went well?”

“You betcha,” she says, smiling to herself. “Tomorrow should be fun.”

As they walk, they pass the group-work area, and as they do so, pass Reed and Hina, hard at work.

“Have a good day, you two!” Trent exclaims as he passes their desk.

Reed looks up from his work, and waves at the two. “See you tomorrow!”

Maggie waves back, and Hina sporadically nods her head. “Adios!”

As the twins exit the library, Reed and Hina return to their work...which promptly ends when Reed rests his head on the notebook in front of him. “This is hard, Hina. I don’t get it.”

“Listen, dull boy…”

He sighs. “Stop with the nickname, please.”

“Dull boy, listen, all you gotta do is learn the processes,’kay? It really doesn’t matter if you get the question wrong or right, cuz really all your points come from showing your work, right?”

Reed yawns. “I get that but, can we take a break…? My head hurts.”

Hina smirks and cracks her knuckles at Reed’s request. “Wanna take a break? Okay let me ask you something then, dull boy. What do you think about Julie and Marnie?”

Reed lifts his head off his notebook. “What do I think about them…?”

“Ya, dull boy.”

“Well...ever since I can remember Julie’s been there for me. She’s like an older sister, or...I don’t know. She takes care of me, and, she’s just really nice...?” he pauses and takes a breath. “You put me under pressure this is no fair.”

“And, what about Marnie?”

“Mars is just Mars.”

Hina’s devilish smirk grows wider, and she leans closer to him. “That’s not what your face said when Julie hooked the two of you up earlier today.”

Reed looks away from Hina and pouts. “Hooked us up? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Exactly why I’m calling you dull boy,” she says, stretching out her arms. “You. Are. Dull.”

“Am not.”

“Oh, here we go…”

“Well, what about you?” Reed asks, turning back to face Hina. “What do you think of…”

Hina shrugs her shoulders. “Being alone suits me better than whatever you’re about to try and pull on me. I enjoy the quiet, and, people are nuisances.”

“But--”

Hina fake-gasps, and leans back into Reed. “Don’t tell me you’re falling for me?”

Reed’s face drops back into his notebook and Hina cackles to herself. “You’re too easy, dull boy.’

Later that evening, Reed found himself in his small apartment, sitting on his torn brown couch. His small television was nothing but white noise in the background, as he twiddles his thumbs, his guest sitting a few inches next to him. Marnie, sporting a big gray hoodie and sweatpants, sighs to herself.

Reed sighs in response to her sigh. “So…”

“That ending was super shitty,” Marinie says, putting her face in her hands. “Like, really shitty.”

“I know...how could they just end it like that? You tease us all season with this Negan guy and we don’t even get to see who he kills?!”

“All I know is, if it’s Glaggie, I’m gonna be so pissed,” Marnie says, looking to Reed, who only nods. “Please let Abe die.”

Reed smiles. “Please, please.”

There’s a pregnant pause, but Marnie’s quick to bring the noise back. “Is Julie’s dad okay?”

Reed nods his head, pulling the big fluffy blue blanket he has covering the two of them up closer. “Yeah, I think. He’s been getting better, even though Julie still gets nervous.”

“That’s nice,” Marnie says. “Julie seems to be happier than usual, too.”

Reed frowns, and is quick to look away from Marnie. “She’s probably happy to have one less person to take care about, y’know?”

Marnie raises her eyebrows, sitting up on the cushion. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, y’know...I dunno.”

The sudden tense atmosphere throws Marnie off, but, it’s not like she’s not used to this. She doesn’t know much about Reed from before high school, but she’s quite aware that he has his sudden moments of sadness, that seem to appear out of nowhere at the most random comments. She had been pretty good at figuring out what is proper to say in front of Reed, and what to avoid, and it looks like she found another statement to avoid.

As Reed trails off, Marnie scoots closer next to him. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but, you know what always cheers me up?

“And what is that?”

A kiss.

…

Just the thought of that made Marnie giggle to herself, and she quickly drew her phone out from underneath the blanket.

She quickly unlocks her phone and goes to her ‘YouTube’ app. “Cat videos.”

“Cat videos?” Reed repeats.

Marnie nods. “Cat videos.”

Marnie practically shoves her phone in Reed’s face, and with a deep sigh Reed looks over to Marnie. She smirks, and her blonde hair falls in front of her eyes.

Reed can’t help but think she’s...gorgeous.

...

Reed can’t help but think this was Julie’s idea...oh boy, he needs to get revenge now.

“Fine, Mars, I’ll watch your cat videos.”

Andrea’s house is a one-story shack in the neighborhood next to Reed & Julie’s. With white, fading siding, and a gray roof, it’s not much for looks. Andrea didn’t mind though -- it kept her and her siblings dry when it rained, and they had heat. That’s more than a lot of other families can say.

The full moon illuminates the house this arid night though, and smoke flows out the front door. It’s not dangerous smoke (or, well, maybe if you’re Julie it is). Following the smoke, we arrive in the kitchen of this loft, where Andrea -- dressed in her previous school attire -- stands in front of the smoke-filled stove. “Julie, dinner’s almost ready.”

A gentle voice from down the hall calls out. “Really? To me it just smells like you’re burning the house down.”

“It’s all part of a process.”

Julie’s soon to emerge from Andrea’s bedroom, now in her favorite pajamas -- a black tank top and fuzzy blue sweats. As she sits down at the table behind Andrea, she ties her hair back with a scrunchie. “I wonder if Reed is okay.”

Andrea clicks her tongue, and triumphantly turns to Julie. “I mean, he better be. We dropped everything to set Marnie and Reed up, if he doesn’t make a move…” Andrea trails off, shaking her head. “...I’ll fight him.”

“Not every problem can be fixed with your fists.”

“I beg to differ, Julie.”

Julie shakes her head. “Reed’s too soft to make a move, I’m counting on Marnie. She can be forceful when she wants.”

Andrea shrugs her shoulders as the stove alarm rings out. “They’re both hopeless. We need to step our games up.”

A figure walks through the dark, empty streets of the town. Walking on the sidewalk, the only part of them visible through the streetlights was their red hoodie and fluffy pink sweatpants.

It was beautiful; peaceful. The town this time of night was always a sight to behold; especially for Britt.

Britt was on her way home from Braede’s house, and, well, she had somewhere to stop.

She walked among the back roads, passing house by house, taking in the cool wind...it was lovely. She had her hands buried in her hoodie, and, she had her earbuds in, blasting the song “Perfect Illusion” by Lady Gaga.

“It wasn’t love,” she hums to herself, her head hanging down low.

Her walk is cut-short when she reaches her destination; a small apartment complex. But, instead of going inside--she stops.

Her destination is in front of her; a small apartment, with the name ‘Trives’ written upon the door. As she walks to the front door, she takes a deep breath, and looks back down to the ground. “C’mon, Britt, you can do this…”

But she couldn’t. Not because of her nerves or for any other reason than the voice on the other side of the door.

“Reed! I told you I’d make dinner--I don’t trust you!”

“Mars, how hard it could be?”

Britt only smiles to herself as she slowly backed away from the door. “Another time, then. Another time.”

After eating dinner, Julie and Andrea (now dressed in red short-shorts and a white tank top) sit in the latter’s bed. Julie has her head buried in a math textbook, and Andrea rests her head on Julie’s knee, staring up at the ceiling. In the background, “Pillowtalk” by Zayn plays on Andrea’s stereo.

As Julie flips wordlessly through her textbook, Andrea closes her eyes and sighs to herself. “Julie, I’m bored.”

“Well, you invited me over to study. That’s what I intend to do.”

“You’re boring...why didn’t we invite Reed and Marnie?”

Julie sighs, and, closes her textbook. “And, what do you wanna do?”

Andrea opens her eyes, and puckers her lips. “I dunno...truth or dare?”

“That’s only remotely interesting when there’s more than two people.”

Andrea frowns. “Ugh, fineeee.”

The two girls sit in silence for a brief moment, and, as Andrea opens her mouth again to speak -- the sound of a glass shattering is suddenly heard from the kitchen.

Julie gives a little jump as Andrea shoots up from her spot on Julie’s knee. “God fucking damn it.”

“What was that, Drea?” Julie asks.

“It was probably that stupid cat. I probably forgot to let him back out.”

Andrea jumps off the bed and to her feet. “If he broke my lucky mug, he’s not gonna hear the end of it!”

“Maybe it’s just Mikey and Miley?”

Andrea slowly moves toward the door. “Nah, they’re at my aunt’s. I’ll go throw that cat outside and I’ll be right back.”

Julie, too, stands up. “Want me to come with you? It’s getting dark.”

As “Pillowtalk” slowly fades out on the stereo, and “The Scientist” by Coldplay comes in, Andrea shakes her head. “You shouldn’t worry your pretty little booty. I’ll be right back!”

“But…”

“But, nothing! I’m a karate expert! No one can take me down, anywho.”

Julie closes her mouth, and shrugs her shoulders. As she bites her lower lip, she sits back down on Andrea’s bed. “Whatever you say.”

As Andrea disappears into the hallway, and closes the door behind her, Julie stands back up. She’s always been...a scaredy cat. Even if she doesn’t like to admit it, she’s the one who’d have to make sure Reed or Marnie were okay after every horror movie they’d watched.

So, to calm herself, she did what any rational human did. She sang with the stereo.

“You don’t know how lovely you are. I had to find you. Tell you I need you. Tell you I set you apart.”

As Julie sang along to herself, and awaited Andrea’s return...the sound of glass breaking returned.

Julie, again, jumped. “This...is not funny.”

Sighing to herself, she stood back up, and opened Andrea’s bedroom door. Peaking her head out of the dark hallway, she frowned to herself. “Andrea?” she calls out.

“Andrea…? Answer me.”

But, alas, only silence answered.

“...fuck.”

Julie shook her head to herself. “It’s just Andrea being Andrea. She likes to scare us...it’s just who she is.”

Julie then nodded. “I’m gonna kick her ass.”

Julie slowly emerged from Andrea’s bedroom, and, walked in the darkness to the kitchen. Granted, it wasn’t total darkness, she could see the alarm clock and it’s red lighting on the kitchen table, and the smell of chicken from before still clogs her nose.

As she reaches the kitchen, the first thing Julie notices is...Andrea’s favorite Dog mug scattered on the ground. “She’s probably pissed,” Julie says to herself. “I hope Oscar got away from her.”

Julie bends down to the mug remains, and, picks up what glass she can with her hands. It’s not all that bad though, Julie figures. After all, Andrea’s birthday is next week, why not get her a replacement as a present?

After disposing of the glass, Julie turns back to the front door -- which is closed. But, sitting in front of the door, is a fluffy, chubby, black cat.

“Oscar…?”

Julie frowns to herself as she slowly walks over to the green-eyed cat. Oscar stands onto all four paws, and brushes against Julie’s legs. Oscar’s presence is enough to calm Julie’s nerves. “You’re a little cutie, aren’t you?”

Oscar meows as Julie lifts him up, and kisses the top of his head. As Julie opens the front door, Julie puts Oscar back down on the path leading to the street. “Andrea’s still gonna kill you though, you better run.”

Oscar simply meows again, and walks off into the night. Julie closes the door again, and, walks back into the kitchen. “Where is Andrea, though…?”

As if on cue, there’s a knock on the front door...and it was enough to startle Julie again.

“I...I regret coming here tonight,” she says to herself, as she walks to the front door again.

Julie clicks her tongue as she opens the door. “Andrea, you better stop--”

Julie stops talking, and she can only stare, wide-eyed at what was in front of her.

Andrea falls forward into Julie, her eyes wet with tears, clenching her stomach. Andrea buries her head into Julie’s stomach, as the latter tries to keep her hold on her.

“Andrea--what happened? Why are you crying?”

Andrea slowly raises her head, and when her eyes met Julie’s, all she did was…

...cough. It was more than that though, as soon as she coughed, blood flew from her mouth and stained Julie’s neck. The sheer shock of it was enough for Julie to accidentally drop Andrea, and, when Andrea fell backwards--Julie’s shock turned into fear.

A large knife pierced Andrea’s stomach, blood stained her white tank top and dripped onto the floor--her eyes remained wide in fear.

“A-Andrea…?”

Andrea didn’t respond though, instead, someone else did.

A few feet behind Andrea, walked a figure. With a black robe and hood covering their body, and a white mask, with the word ‘Devil’ painted in red on it’s forehead, the figure continued to walk toward Julie.

“W-What did...w-who are…?”

Julie’s words couldn’t form into questions, and all they did was give time for the hooded figure to reach Andrea’s body, and retrieve the knife from her stomach.

“Run.”

All it took was that one word to force Julie into action. Or, she had hoped it would.

Instead, Julie only fell onto her butt in front of Andrea’s house, and she could hear the hooded figure sigh to themselves. “You’re no fun.”

Julie’s eyes widened as the hooded figure jumped over her, and grabbed hold of her neck. “Run.”

As their grip got tighter, Julie’s survival instincts finally decided to kick in. Her right hand flails around, and with her left hand, she winds back, and hits the hooded figure over the head with all her might.

The figure falls off of Julie, and in the time it takes for them to get situated, Julie’s already jumped to her feet.

With one swift motion however, the figure is able to stab Julie in the ankle, and the scream that came next could be hear from three blocks over.

As the hooded figure retracted their knife, Julie tips over, and her head slams back against the concrete. Her visions blurs, and, her eyes start to feel warm. The hooded figure by this time is back on their feet, and in their field of vision.

“R-Ree…?”

The hooded figure brings their knife down into Julie’s body, right into her gut, and, the shock Julie’s body was already going through from the collision with the pavement prevented her from feeling anything happen at all.

As the hooded figure came down again, this time in her chest, her consciousness had faded, and Julie’s eyes closed for what would be the final time, thinking about her best friend--her brother.