In the corner of a hallway sits a thin girl sitting with her head between her knees. Scrunched up in her own misery, heedless to the outside world.
Her left arm is wrapped around her knees, shielding her face. Her right arm is gripped tightly on the trident laid next to her.
Crying echoes through the corridor.
Help
open
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Wham Yubeesling
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Coming down the corridor is a shape. It sees the girl, is about to turn back and go another way, but shakes its head. Walks towards her.
Her left arm is dangling. Her right arm is in her pocket. There’s a backpack hanging off her right shoulder and she shrugs a little bit to get it a bit more secure.
She stands there, for a bit. Stares at you. For a while, it’s silent, and then:
“Um.
“Hi.
“…
“...
“This is… awkward.”
((SS01: Begin))
Her left arm is dangling. Her right arm is in her pocket. There’s a backpack hanging off her right shoulder and she shrugs a little bit to get it a bit more secure.
She stands there, for a bit. Stares at you. For a while, it’s silent, and then:
“Um.
“Hi.
“…
“...
“This is… awkward.”
((SS01: Begin))
The girl flinches at the voice. Her disheveled, tear-stained face shoots up and stares at the intruder. The grip tightens around the trident.
"...
"...
"Who are you?"
((MM09: Alyssa Tibbett - Start))
Alyssa's mind was in a haze. And not the kind of haze she liked, where all her worries and fears were quieted. No, this was more like... her instincts had finally screamed so loud that she had deafened herself. She couldn't think of anything, but at the same time she thought of every torturous possibility. She felt stretched thin and crushed into a ball at the same time.
Alyssa didn't remember waking up. The first thing could recall was the beeping, and her hastily tying the blue-and-green bandanna to her arm. She looked over: it was still there. The stranger had a bandanna, too, tied around her shirt. It was also blue, but... different.
"The first and most important lesson I can give you is this: anyone wearing a different coloured bandana is someone you can not trust."
Her eyes started welling up again. She didn't want to think about it.
"I-I'm Alyssa."
She felt bad that she couldn't remember the other girl's name.
"...
"...
"Who are you?"
((MM09: Alyssa Tibbett - Start))
Alyssa's mind was in a haze. And not the kind of haze she liked, where all her worries and fears were quieted. No, this was more like... her instincts had finally screamed so loud that she had deafened herself. She couldn't think of anything, but at the same time she thought of every torturous possibility. She felt stretched thin and crushed into a ball at the same time.
Alyssa didn't remember waking up. The first thing could recall was the beeping, and her hastily tying the blue-and-green bandanna to her arm. She looked over: it was still there. The stranger had a bandanna, too, tied around her shirt. It was also blue, but... different.
"The first and most important lesson I can give you is this: anyone wearing a different coloured bandana is someone you can not trust."
Her eyes started welling up again. She didn't want to think about it.
"I-I'm Alyssa."
She felt bad that she couldn't remember the other girl's name.
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Wham Yubeesling
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Wakeup scenes were never all that interesting.
Or, at least, that was the take Verity had always heard from her internet friends. And also from her internet non-friends. And also from random people who were passionate about the subject on Reddit. Their main argument as to why the first hour of feeds was never worth watching was that they could basically be compressed into a formula by now. Two (or more) students happen to be the first people they meet while waking up. They say hi — introduce themselves if they need to. They ask each other if they’re playing and regardless of the actual answer they both say no. They talk about the subject of SotF super vaguely and then make the decision to go “ok see u never byeeeeeeeeeeeeee” or travel with each other for no real reason other than that they kinda woke up next to one another. They were allegedly boring. Too ‘normal’ for what was a show about kids stuck in an abnormal situation. They preferred the fights. The deaths. The people who didn’t think things through and went for bloodshed less than minutes after the game began. Things that happened.
Well, whatever. Verity had already given them what they wanted. Now was the time for normal. Boring. What she wanted.
“I’m, um, Verity. Stewart. Class… um, class loser.”
And she was Alyssa — Verity did not actually need to have that said to her. Even if she hadn’t gotten everyone’s names down in year 10 it wasn’t as if Alyssa was someone Verity had never heard about. There were rumours. Things that trickled down hard enough that somehow Verity, of all people, got to hear about it. How you could count on her to be wasted or fucked up or whatever at every party somebody in this school held. How she did her part to connect everybody together in the school’s STI transmission chart. They’d never actually talked, though. Mostly because Verity was pretty sure Alyssa was a jerk. There was nothing really personal that Alyssa had done to her, but, like, she hung out with the people who had done something personal. That stood for something. Anyone who had the stuff Verity had heard passed on about them probably had it coming. It wasn’t really concrete evidence, but… Verity wasn’t going to risk herself on the chance that Alyssa maybe wasn’t a jerk. She was going to keep herself safe. What you didn’t give the chance to hurt you could not hurt you.
Well, no. Maybe that was the wrong way to think of things. Maybe all that past paragraph should’ve been in a different tense than it was. This wasn’t Miami. This was SotF. Maybe that was why Verity’s head had decided to actually try to talk with her. If she was a jerk before all this then maybe now she wouldn’t be a jerk anymore. This game changed people.
Verity knew that firsthand.
“Well, um. I used to be. Don’t… don’t really know who I am right now.”
Or, at least, that was the take Verity had always heard from her internet friends. And also from her internet non-friends. And also from random people who were passionate about the subject on Reddit. Their main argument as to why the first hour of feeds was never worth watching was that they could basically be compressed into a formula by now. Two (or more) students happen to be the first people they meet while waking up. They say hi — introduce themselves if they need to. They ask each other if they’re playing and regardless of the actual answer they both say no. They talk about the subject of SotF super vaguely and then make the decision to go “ok see u never byeeeeeeeeeeeeee” or travel with each other for no real reason other than that they kinda woke up next to one another. They were allegedly boring. Too ‘normal’ for what was a show about kids stuck in an abnormal situation. They preferred the fights. The deaths. The people who didn’t think things through and went for bloodshed less than minutes after the game began. Things that happened.
Well, whatever. Verity had already given them what they wanted. Now was the time for normal. Boring. What she wanted.
“I’m, um, Verity. Stewart. Class… um, class loser.”
And she was Alyssa — Verity did not actually need to have that said to her. Even if she hadn’t gotten everyone’s names down in year 10 it wasn’t as if Alyssa was someone Verity had never heard about. There were rumours. Things that trickled down hard enough that somehow Verity, of all people, got to hear about it. How you could count on her to be wasted or fucked up or whatever at every party somebody in this school held. How she did her part to connect everybody together in the school’s STI transmission chart. They’d never actually talked, though. Mostly because Verity was pretty sure Alyssa was a jerk. There was nothing really personal that Alyssa had done to her, but, like, she hung out with the people who had done something personal. That stood for something. Anyone who had the stuff Verity had heard passed on about them probably had it coming. It wasn’t really concrete evidence, but… Verity wasn’t going to risk herself on the chance that Alyssa maybe wasn’t a jerk. She was going to keep herself safe. What you didn’t give the chance to hurt you could not hurt you.
Well, no. Maybe that was the wrong way to think of things. Maybe all that past paragraph should’ve been in a different tense than it was. This wasn’t Miami. This was SotF. Maybe that was why Verity’s head had decided to actually try to talk with her. If she was a jerk before all this then maybe now she wouldn’t be a jerk anymore. This game changed people.
Verity knew that firsthand.
“Well, um. I used to be. Don’t… don’t really know who I am right now.”
"Oh... Verity."
Alyssa tried really hard to remember, but she still couldn't. It was really starting to make her feel guilty. She'd tried to get to know everyone, even the people she didn't have much in common with. A few people always slipped through the cracks. There were just too many. It was terrible luck for both of them, ending up next to someone they didn't know in a situation like this...
Alyssa took deep breaths. Through the diaphragm; in, out, in, out. A calming technique she'd practiced many times. She couldn't control the messed-up situation they were in, but she could control that one thing. Verity didn't have to be a stranger.
"I... understand." Alyssa said, forcing a smile. "I feel that way a lot."
She wiped her eyes, her hand coming away with an ungainly smudge of tears and makeup. A spike of panic came to her, about how she must have looked horrible on TV. Ugly and weak. Everyone could see what she really was. Putting her face in her palm, she let out another loud sob.
Alyssa tried really hard to remember, but she still couldn't. It was really starting to make her feel guilty. She'd tried to get to know everyone, even the people she didn't have much in common with. A few people always slipped through the cracks. There were just too many. It was terrible luck for both of them, ending up next to someone they didn't know in a situation like this...
Alyssa took deep breaths. Through the diaphragm; in, out, in, out. A calming technique she'd practiced many times. She couldn't control the messed-up situation they were in, but she could control that one thing. Verity didn't have to be a stranger.
"I... understand." Alyssa said, forcing a smile. "I feel that way a lot."
She wiped her eyes, her hand coming away with an ungainly smudge of tears and makeup. A spike of panic came to her, about how she must have looked horrible on TV. Ugly and weak. Everyone could see what she really was. Putting her face in her palm, she let out another loud sob.
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Wham Yubeesling
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“Um.”
She blinked.
“Really?”
Frankly the most shocking part of that response was that there had been a response. In the midst of Verity recounting basically everything about Alyssa other than that she was right in front of her and also didn’t look too great she’d kind of forgotten to actually give her something to respond to. There’d been a real risk of just kinda having the conversation stall out and go to nothing right there and then, which… probably would’ve actually been nice for Verity. It was normalcy. It was what these scenes were supposed to do. Like, fuck the people who would have clicked off of Verity’s feed the moment everything went silent. This was the real Verity. This was the Verity that hadn’t changed. This was the Verity that Verity really wanted to be right now.
Frankly, the actual most shocking part of this was that it was almost working. Verity had just fucking murdered someone less than an hour ago and yet somehow here she was, fucking up her sentences and making the conversation all about herself and making it really clear why nobody actually liked her. Just like usual.
“Sorry. It’s just…”
The words had come out before Verity had actually formed the sentence and by the time the last word she’d prepared had come out she realized that she didn’t really actually have any more words other than the one she’d initially prepared. She thought a bit. Tried to prepare them.
“Um.”
She kinda thought that maybe this would be a little easier if she could sit down and maybe get on Alyssa’s level but it was kinda really clear that Verity was not, in fact, allowed to be on Alyssa’s level. Sitting down would only make her… do what she was doing more.
“Sorry. This is… this is kinda hard for me to, like, deal with too. It’s just, um, God. It’s so much.”
In more ways than one.
She blinked.
“Really?”
Frankly the most shocking part of that response was that there had been a response. In the midst of Verity recounting basically everything about Alyssa other than that she was right in front of her and also didn’t look too great she’d kind of forgotten to actually give her something to respond to. There’d been a real risk of just kinda having the conversation stall out and go to nothing right there and then, which… probably would’ve actually been nice for Verity. It was normalcy. It was what these scenes were supposed to do. Like, fuck the people who would have clicked off of Verity’s feed the moment everything went silent. This was the real Verity. This was the Verity that hadn’t changed. This was the Verity that Verity really wanted to be right now.
Frankly, the actual most shocking part of this was that it was almost working. Verity had just fucking murdered someone less than an hour ago and yet somehow here she was, fucking up her sentences and making the conversation all about herself and making it really clear why nobody actually liked her. Just like usual.
“Sorry. It’s just…”
The words had come out before Verity had actually formed the sentence and by the time the last word she’d prepared had come out she realized that she didn’t really actually have any more words other than the one she’d initially prepared. She thought a bit. Tried to prepare them.
“Um.”
She kinda thought that maybe this would be a little easier if she could sit down and maybe get on Alyssa’s level but it was kinda really clear that Verity was not, in fact, allowed to be on Alyssa’s level. Sitting down would only make her… do what she was doing more.
“Sorry. This is… this is kinda hard for me to, like, deal with too. It’s just, um, God. It’s so much.”
In more ways than one.
God, snot was dribbling from her nose. She wiped with the back of her hand, leaving a sticky streak. She was disgusting.
Alyssa looked up, into Verity's face. She was very tall. She was towering over Alyssa, but she didn't act like it. She looked lost. She was going through the same stuff as Alyssa, and she was clearly upset... but she was handling it much better than her.
"Yeah. Of course." she said, wiping her eye again. "I'm sorry... I don't want to make it seem like I- that I'm going through worse than you, because I'm not, and I..."
She drifted off. She was just speaking nonsense now.
"If you're not... like, playing- which I don't think you are! Um. But, you can stay, if you want. We can talk."
She couldn't deal with this alone. She didn't know what to do.
Alyssa looked up, into Verity's face. She was very tall. She was towering over Alyssa, but she didn't act like it. She looked lost. She was going through the same stuff as Alyssa, and she was clearly upset... but she was handling it much better than her.
"Yeah. Of course." she said, wiping her eye again. "I'm sorry... I don't want to make it seem like I- that I'm going through worse than you, because I'm not, and I..."
She drifted off. She was just speaking nonsense now.
"If you're not... like, playing- which I don't think you are! Um. But, you can stay, if you want. We can talk."
She couldn't deal with this alone. She didn't know what to do.
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Wham Yubeesling
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Verity laughed.
It wasn’t a neck laugh or a belly laugh. It was the mythical third laugh. The nervous laugh. The kind of laugh that you gave when you wanted to kinda die. The kind of laugh that you gave when the other told a joke that was very, very funny. The kind of laugh that you got when you said something you didn’t even realize was funny. When you were currently under the effects of dramatic irony. Verity could stay. So long as she wasn’t playing. So long as she hadn’t killed anyone yet. So long as she wasn’t going to kill anyone in the future.
Haha. Ha.
Ha.
No. No. This was easy. It was a choice. A way to prove herself. Sit down if you’re not going to kill again. Keep standing if you want Alyssa to know what you did. It was easy. The options were right in front of her. There were two paths diverged right in front of her and she knew what one to walk down. She just had to move her legs. Figuratively and literally.
She wasn’t going to do that again.
That wasn’t what was going to happen. Verity would make sure of that. She sweared.
((continued from Death Spiral))
((continued from ★))
“I… okay.”
She stood for a second. Then she sat down, on the wall opposite Alyssa. Slowly. She hadn’t sat down on the floor since middle school. Was this how people usually sat? Did people actually sit down on the floor? It almost felt like a foreign concept. Like the Verities that had sat down before were only Verities that Verity had watched on TV sometime when she was seven.
“Yeah. Don’t. Don’t really think I have it in me to do that, so, um…”
She stared at Alyssa. She stared at the wall. She stared at basically everything trying to think about a conversation topic that wasn’t this so that maybe the two could maybe pretend that this wasn’t actually a thing for a little bit longer.
She couldn’t really think of much that wasn’t this.
She hoped Alyssa was okay with that.
“Who’s, um…” Verity refocused from the wall to Alyssa, from Alyssa to Alyssa’s bandanna. “Who’d… you get? As your mentor.”
It wasn’t a neck laugh or a belly laugh. It was the mythical third laugh. The nervous laugh. The kind of laugh that you gave when you wanted to kinda die. The kind of laugh that you gave when the other told a joke that was very, very funny. The kind of laugh that you got when you said something you didn’t even realize was funny. When you were currently under the effects of dramatic irony. Verity could stay. So long as she wasn’t playing. So long as she hadn’t killed anyone yet. So long as she wasn’t going to kill anyone in the future.
Haha. Ha.
Ha.
No. No. This was easy. It was a choice. A way to prove herself. Sit down if you’re not going to kill again. Keep standing if you want Alyssa to know what you did. It was easy. The options were right in front of her. There were two paths diverged right in front of her and she knew what one to walk down. She just had to move her legs. Figuratively and literally.
She wasn’t going to do that again.
That wasn’t what was going to happen. Verity would make sure of that. She sweared.
((continued from Death Spiral))
((continued from ★))
“I… okay.”
She stood for a second. Then she sat down, on the wall opposite Alyssa. Slowly. She hadn’t sat down on the floor since middle school. Was this how people usually sat? Did people actually sit down on the floor? It almost felt like a foreign concept. Like the Verities that had sat down before were only Verities that Verity had watched on TV sometime when she was seven.
“Yeah. Don’t. Don’t really think I have it in me to do that, so, um…”
She stared at Alyssa. She stared at the wall. She stared at basically everything trying to think about a conversation topic that wasn’t this so that maybe the two could maybe pretend that this wasn’t actually a thing for a little bit longer.
She couldn’t really think of much that wasn’t this.
She hoped Alyssa was okay with that.
“Who’s, um…” Verity refocused from the wall to Alyssa, from Alyssa to Alyssa’s bandanna. “Who’d… you get? As your mentor.”
Verity laughed, and Alyssa didn't know why. She hadn't said anything funny, had she? Maybe Alyssa was being naive. Maybe Verity would say 'Oh, actually I am playing' and take out a hidden gun. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would be deserved.
But no,Verity agreed and sat across from her. Alyssa smiled and looked at the ground.
"Thank you."
The two of them probably looked silly, sitting there in that hallway. There were doors all around them, there were probably better places to sit. But standing up felt like it would take an unusual amount of effort. Alyssa didn't want to do it, not just yet. Just being there with Verity was making her feel a little better. Knowing that Verity had sat down just to be with her, to talk on her level. It relieved her.
"Oh, my mentor..." she said, looking down at her bandanna. "It's some old guy. I think he's one of the producers. I don't remember his name. I... wasn't really paying attention."
It was true. She could only remember a few things he'd said. A few things she'd rather forget.
"Er, what about you?" she said. Before she could stop herself, she quietly added "We're on different teams..."
But no,Verity agreed and sat across from her. Alyssa smiled and looked at the ground.
"Thank you."
The two of them probably looked silly, sitting there in that hallway. There were doors all around them, there were probably better places to sit. But standing up felt like it would take an unusual amount of effort. Alyssa didn't want to do it, not just yet. Just being there with Verity was making her feel a little better. Knowing that Verity had sat down just to be with her, to talk on her level. It relieved her.
"Oh, my mentor..." she said, looking down at her bandanna. "It's some old guy. I think he's one of the producers. I don't remember his name. I... wasn't really paying attention."
It was true. She could only remember a few things he'd said. A few things she'd rather forget.
"Er, what about you?" she said. Before she could stop herself, she quietly added "We're on different teams..."
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Wham Yubeesling
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“Elon Musk.”
She blinked. Thought about her sentence. Reconfigured.
“I mean, like, he’s my mentor. He’s not, actually, like, Elon Musk. He’s like, um, one of the other interchangeable tech bro billionaires. Just as useful as one of them too, like…”
She took a breath out. Let her head lean against the back of the wall. Looked at the ceiling as she kept talking?
“You ever hear people talk where, like, they’re trying to make you feel better about how you think about yourself but they don’t know shit about you and just say a bunch of vague empty platitudes saying that ‘you’re cool!’ and ‘you’re gonna make it!’ and ‘you don’t know how good you actually are’ and it’s really obvious that it’s just, like, copy-pasted from the past person they tried to lipservice?”
Another breath out.
“That’s who I have. He is the man my life depends on.”
A sigh. She hit the back of her head against the wall again.
“I’m… god. I’m fucked already. It’s unreal.”
She blinked. Thought about her sentence. Reconfigured.
“I mean, like, he’s my mentor. He’s not, actually, like, Elon Musk. He’s like, um, one of the other interchangeable tech bro billionaires. Just as useful as one of them too, like…”
She took a breath out. Let her head lean against the back of the wall. Looked at the ceiling as she kept talking?
“You ever hear people talk where, like, they’re trying to make you feel better about how you think about yourself but they don’t know shit about you and just say a bunch of vague empty platitudes saying that ‘you’re cool!’ and ‘you’re gonna make it!’ and ‘you don’t know how good you actually are’ and it’s really obvious that it’s just, like, copy-pasted from the past person they tried to lipservice?”
Another breath out.
“That’s who I have. He is the man my life depends on.”
A sigh. She hit the back of her head against the wall again.
“I’m… god. I’m fucked already. It’s unreal.”
Alyssa was actually able to laugh.
"Oh, I've had people say stuff like that all the time. It just... makes you feel worse than if they'd said nothing, right? At least with me."
She leaned back against the wall, looking Verity in the eye.
"I mean... they can't know us like we know ourselves, right? I know I'm not good."
Another laugh, slightly more forced. She sat silently for a few moments.
"Mine talked about himself for so long I kinda tuned out. Then he went all 'go team!' like we were baseball players or something."
It kept coming back, no matter how much she tried. She didn't want to acknowledge it. But she had to, eventually. Didn't she?
"You..." Alyssa began. She couldn't hold it in. "Do you have friends out here?"
As soon as the question was out there, Alyssa felt embarrassed. Of course Verity must have had friends. She hoped it didn't come off like she doubted it...
"Oh, I've had people say stuff like that all the time. It just... makes you feel worse than if they'd said nothing, right? At least with me."
She leaned back against the wall, looking Verity in the eye.
"I mean... they can't know us like we know ourselves, right? I know I'm not good."
Another laugh, slightly more forced. She sat silently for a few moments.
"Mine talked about himself for so long I kinda tuned out. Then he went all 'go team!' like we were baseball players or something."
It kept coming back, no matter how much she tried. She didn't want to acknowledge it. But she had to, eventually. Didn't she?
"You..." Alyssa began. She couldn't hold it in. "Do you have friends out here?"
As soon as the question was out there, Alyssa felt embarrassed. Of course Verity must have had friends. She hoped it didn't come off like she doubted it...
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Wham Yubeesling
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“Same.”
Verity hadn’t noticed when exactly her head had tilted back down again, but by the time Alyssa had talked about not being good at things and Verity had done her one word let-me-make-you-talking-about-your-insecurities-all-about-me interjection they were looking each other in the eyes again. It felt weird. Verity wanted to break the lock but it felt… weird. There was something low-key telling her that she wasn’t really allowed to look away. Was this, like, what having a conversation which made someone want to actually talk to you feel like? The couple times she’d gotten that before she hadn’t really been listening to what her body was feeling right at that moment so she really had no sample size for what this was. Maybe this meant Alyssa liked her. Maybe this was just something people did. Nobody knew.
(you’re becoming close to someone who you just called a slut less than a minute ago)
(you’re making new friends even though you just murdered one of your previous ones)
(great job!)
(really do not know what you’re doing right now)
“Honestly, you could probably, like, cut the last two words out of your question and it’d still be just as valid, like…”
She did notice Alyssa drop out of the frame for a minute as she put her head down, but it wasn’t for too long. When she hooked back in again the… weird hook locky feeling that you felt whenever you looked at someone who was looking at you was still just as strong as ever.
“I have Keegan, but I always needed him more than he ever needed me. I have… some other people,”
(like Timothy)
“...but I’ve barely even talked to any of them this year. Or last.”
She paused. Was about to wait for Alyssa’s response but then remembered to add something in. So Alyssa had something she could say other than ‘oh wow, poor you, your life must be so sad……………’
“What about you?”
Verity hadn’t noticed when exactly her head had tilted back down again, but by the time Alyssa had talked about not being good at things and Verity had done her one word let-me-make-you-talking-about-your-insecurities-all-about-me interjection they were looking each other in the eyes again. It felt weird. Verity wanted to break the lock but it felt… weird. There was something low-key telling her that she wasn’t really allowed to look away. Was this, like, what having a conversation which made someone want to actually talk to you feel like? The couple times she’d gotten that before she hadn’t really been listening to what her body was feeling right at that moment so she really had no sample size for what this was. Maybe this meant Alyssa liked her. Maybe this was just something people did. Nobody knew.
(you’re becoming close to someone who you just called a slut less than a minute ago)
(you’re making new friends even though you just murdered one of your previous ones)
(great job!)
(really do not know what you’re doing right now)
“Honestly, you could probably, like, cut the last two words out of your question and it’d still be just as valid, like…”
She did notice Alyssa drop out of the frame for a minute as she put her head down, but it wasn’t for too long. When she hooked back in again the… weird hook locky feeling that you felt whenever you looked at someone who was looking at you was still just as strong as ever.
“I have Keegan, but I always needed him more than he ever needed me. I have… some other people,”
(like Timothy)
“...but I’ve barely even talked to any of them this year. Or last.”
She paused. Was about to wait for Alyssa’s response but then remembered to add something in. So Alyssa had something she could say other than ‘oh wow, poor you, your life must be so sad……………’
“What about you?”
The more Verity talked, the more Alyssa felt that they actually had a lot in common. Maybe they could have been friends back at school, if they had only ran in the same circles. Or maybe Alyssa was imagining a connection and just latching onto the only person she had here.
"Oh, I have Ashanti and Marion... and a few others. I know a lot more people, but I don't know how many of them would go out of their way for me.."
She was weak and scared. How many of her friends from back home would be willing to take care of her out here? She'd be a burden. She wouldn't blame them. But yes, the only people she could rely on here were Ashanti and Marion, wherever they were. But would Alyssa even want to find them? What if she had to watch them die?
"I don't think anyone here really needs me, so-"
She looked to the floor. What was left for her?
"What are you going to do?" she said, to herself as much as Verity.
"Oh, I have Ashanti and Marion... and a few others. I know a lot more people, but I don't know how many of them would go out of their way for me.."
She was weak and scared. How many of her friends from back home would be willing to take care of her out here? She'd be a burden. She wouldn't blame them. But yes, the only people she could rely on here were Ashanti and Marion, wherever they were. But would Alyssa even want to find them? What if she had to watch them die?
"I don't think anyone here really needs me, so-"
She looked to the floor. What was left for her?
"What are you going to do?" she said, to herself as much as Verity.
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“I dunno.”
Well, okay, that was a lie. The actual answer was a little more defined than that. Not very, but still. Enough. There was a road that she’d chosen and even though she’d never taken it before the surroundings around her maybe said something about what kind of road this was going to be. There were uphills. There was rain. There were a bunch of snails on the ground and she had to make sure she stepped in the right places so that she didn’t kill any of them. It was hard. It was… not a path she usually took. She’d tried to go against herself before but in the end it just didn’t seem worth it. She’d just turned back. Gone home early.
Now that wasn’t really an option. It was like she’d been picked up by her dad. Dropped off at school. If she wanted to get home then she had to take a path. Staying still would just leave her stuck here.
“But I’m… going to try. Something. I have to try. Be… don’t be the thing they want me to be. I want to try.”
She took a breath. Kept looking at Alyssa, somehow.
“What about you? Do you have a plan?”
Well, okay, that was a lie. The actual answer was a little more defined than that. Not very, but still. Enough. There was a road that she’d chosen and even though she’d never taken it before the surroundings around her maybe said something about what kind of road this was going to be. There were uphills. There was rain. There were a bunch of snails on the ground and she had to make sure she stepped in the right places so that she didn’t kill any of them. It was hard. It was… not a path she usually took. She’d tried to go against herself before but in the end it just didn’t seem worth it. She’d just turned back. Gone home early.
Now that wasn’t really an option. It was like she’d been picked up by her dad. Dropped off at school. If she wanted to get home then she had to take a path. Staying still would just leave her stuck here.
“But I’m… going to try. Something. I have to try. Be… don’t be the thing they want me to be. I want to try.”
She took a breath. Kept looking at Alyssa, somehow.
“What about you? Do you have a plan?”
ES10: AKENO KUDO CONTINUED FROM Violence Breeds Violence; But in the End it Has to be this Way
Akeno had a plan.
It wasn’t much of one, but as she walked the corridors of the cruise ship she had an idea of what she wanted… what she needed to do.
Getting her hands on a better weapon would be her first priority. The one that was assigned to her wasn’t terrible, it had its uses, but it wasn’t the most practical thing in the world; it was for finishing the job, but she’d need something else to help get her to that point.
If need be she could rely on her own body for that. All the work she’d put in, all the training, it was never meant for this but she could rely on it if she had to. Although, to say she didn’t like the idea would be an understatement.
Beating someone with hands and feet and elbows until they were in a vulnerable state and then cutting through their neck with a garrotte was a little too visceral for her liking. Things would be easier with a different weapon; a gun, a knife, a sword, a… god, anything but what she currently had. Anything would be better than that.
She needed another weapon.
As she walked she began to hear voices coming from somewhere further down this way and slowed her pace. There, up ahead of her, two people were sitting at the corner where one corridor joined another facing one another. They hadn’t seen her yet but if either of them looked up they would and even if she turned around there wasn’t a side passage for her to duck into; too late to turn back now and why would see when what she was looking for was potentially right in front of her?
Akeno walked forward, slowly, until she was close enough that she could make out what was being said without having to strain her ears.
“Hey.”
Akeno had a plan.
It wasn’t much of one, but as she walked the corridors of the cruise ship she had an idea of what she wanted… what she needed to do.
Getting her hands on a better weapon would be her first priority. The one that was assigned to her wasn’t terrible, it had its uses, but it wasn’t the most practical thing in the world; it was for finishing the job, but she’d need something else to help get her to that point.
If need be she could rely on her own body for that. All the work she’d put in, all the training, it was never meant for this but she could rely on it if she had to. Although, to say she didn’t like the idea would be an understatement.
Beating someone with hands and feet and elbows until they were in a vulnerable state and then cutting through their neck with a garrotte was a little too visceral for her liking. Things would be easier with a different weapon; a gun, a knife, a sword, a… god, anything but what she currently had. Anything would be better than that.
She needed another weapon.
As she walked she began to hear voices coming from somewhere further down this way and slowed her pace. There, up ahead of her, two people were sitting at the corner where one corridor joined another facing one another. They hadn’t seen her yet but if either of them looked up they would and even if she turned around there wasn’t a side passage for her to duck into; too late to turn back now and why would see when what she was looking for was potentially right in front of her?
Akeno walked forward, slowly, until she was close enough that she could make out what was being said without having to strain her ears.
“Hey.”