Chapter Text
“Hey, Basil! You up? We're gonna be late for school!” He heard Aubrey's voice coming outside of his house.
“Yes, I'm just watering the plants!” Basil yelled back as he put away the watering can. He took his bag, adjusted the flower hairpin and left the house after saying goodbye to his grandma.
He sighed internally. Another day of school. It's already been almost 2 years since he moved to Faraway and 1 year after he met the girl that stood before him. Thanks to her, school was more interesting and fun to be in but he still preferred the afternoons much better; at the lake or at home with Aubrey.
Speaking of… She was looking really ecstatic, almost bursting with energy and excitement. It's not like she usually wasn't but this time it was strange even for her. He rarely could see stars in her eyes shine so bright like they were real. Basil was wondering what was the reason for this… did he forget about something that was about to happen that day or was it special somehow?
“Oh, you're here! Quickly, let's go!” She squeaked and grabbed Basil’s hand. He could barely keep up with her and he was already exhausted halfway.
“A-Aubrey… Wait!” He said between the huffs. “W-We don't have to hurry that much, I'm tired already. Did something happen that you're so excited about going to school?”
“You'll see yourself when we get there!” She replied not being able to be in one place for even a second. “Can we keep going?”
“A-Alright. Yeah, I think so.” He recollected himself and grabbed her hand again.
Basil was getting very curious. What was so nice that Aubrey freaked out that much? Last time he saw her like that was when they met. This surprise had to be really HUGE then.
When they finally got to school, they stopped in the middle of the square in front of the entrance. Students usually grouped there before and after the classes to talk or do some fun stuff like hopscotch or tag. Well, they were not taking part in that rather being in a more peaceful corner. Basil liked that a lot actually, they weren't bothered and it was calming him down.
But this time she stopped in the middle of it and looked around impatiently. She was searching for something. Or someone. He looked at her nervously. Did they have a meeting scheduled that day with someone he forgot about? It was unlikely but possible. Yet, he couldn't brush off the nervousness that started growing inside him.
Suddenly, her head stopped moving as her eyes locked on a group of people who just happened to enter the school area. One of them, in a yellow jersey and tan skin looked somewhat familiar but the rest were totally unknown to Basil. They looked like they were older too…
In a blink of an eye, Aubrey ran towards them, forgetting about the blonde. Basil's sight started to be blurry, sounds merging into a one big clutter of voices. That… was it, right? She finally found new friends and abandoned him as expected. Well, every dream has to end one day.
But someone snapped him out of his misery.
“Sorry, Basil! I thought you were following me.” He heard Aubrey's voice. She grabbed his hand again and looked at him softly. “I know you're shy but they're really cool! They helped me yesterday when it was raining and I lost a shoe of my favourite pair. You're gonna love them too!”
He anxiously peeked at the group behind Aubrey. They were talking about something, not watching them, which surprised Basil. He slowly nodded at his friend and took a deep breath.
When they approached Aubrey's new friends, Basil started to feel really nervous. Why did he have to be such a coward?
After Aubrey introduced him, he could feel everyone's stares at him and a lot of voices saying their names. He lifted his head and tried to remember or even hear them but it was too loud and too sudden it all turned into a cluster. He felt panic raising in him when he heard a voice.
“Hey, guys, turn your enthusiasm down a little, you're probably making him overwhelmed.” Said the girl in the middle with a long, dark brown skirt and black hair. ‘She has to be at least 2 years older’ Basil thought.
“Mari's right, one person at a time should talk.” Said the tall guy in a red hoodie and the most charming smile Basil had ever seen. This guy had to be a celebrity between girls in school, heck, probably boys too.
“Alright, so. Hey Basil, I'm Mari, a big sister of the group!” The older girl smiled at him soothingly and after Basil nodded nervously, she pointed at the seemingly enthusiastic boy who seemed familiar to Basil. “This little devil is Kel, he's usually pretty loud and energetic so you have to get used to it.” Kel made a weird pose and the widest and proudest grin Basil had ever seen.
Kel… this name… He thought he heard it a bunch of times already. He probably attended some of the same classes as Basil. Yeah, that was it. He remembered how once on maths the teacher caught him throwing trash into the bin through the entire classroom during the class. He made it in though…
However, he seemed to be cool but exhausting to be around for too long.
“And this big, handsome man is Hero, big brother of Kel and my beloved cook~” She teased as she pointed at the tall guy, who was now blushing hard and trying to compose himself, failing.
So, he was indeed older. Hero was a… quite unusual name but it felt like it fit for him. Maybe it was a nickname? Basil could recall some girls talking about this really handsome guy called Henry, a 3 years older guy who apparently was constantly getting prizes for his school grades and selflessness for the others. They were talking about how boring his girlfriend was… Well, it looked like it was indeed him.
The only person left was… a boy who was hiding behind Mari’s silhouette. Basil could feel something… weird from him.
“And this is my little brother, Sunny! He's really cute and nice but very shy. He doesn't talk too much but believe me, he's a loving kid. We all love him for that!” She said as she pushed this Sunny guy to the front.
He was rather small for his age, even smaller than Basil! He wore a grey t-shirt, shorts and had black hair just like his sister. They looked almost the same, to be honest, only that Sunny was obviously a boy and younger.
“H-Hey…” Basil said quietly, waving at them. He thought he messed up but they seemingly didn't care that much as they greeted him warmly in the group.
They spent most of the day together, asking Basil and Aubrey some questions from time to time. It was awkward for him in the beginning but it got a lot better soon. Basil was having a lot of fun and couldn't believe that he actually made more friends. It was quite unusual for a kid like him.
Although… One thing bothered him a lot. He could feel Sunny’s glances all day but he barely said any word. Especially not to Basil.
It felt like they were piercing through Basil's body every time. It was causing uneasiness and at the end of the day, he couldn’t help but think about the other boy. What was his problem? Why was he staring? And why did Basil feel like Sunny’s somewhat special?
The feelings and the glances didn’t stop after a couple of weeks and he couldn’t brush it off. He was intrigued. Most of the time he was spending time with them, mainly listening to conversations or taking part in hide'n'seek and other games. He rarely talked, only answering asked questions. Well, Mari was really nice to him, and Kel was just… Kel. He realized Aubrey started spending more time with the older girl, probably doing girly things. She was way better socially wise than him so she should know how to help with his little Sunny problem, right?
But when he asked about it, she told him that it felt very similar to her. Maybe Sunny… didn’t like them? That couldn’t be, Mari said he’s just shy but friendly… What if she was wrong and they were the exceptions?
He didn’t need to wait long for his answer. Only a few days after that, they were going to play at the playground all afternoon as it was finally Friday. Everything seemed to be fine but… Basil realized that Mari wasn’t at school that day. It was a very weird sight especially because Hero was there. Did something happen to her?
He learnt that she had to go to the hospital because of her ‘strain injury’ or something like that causing difficulties again. Apparently, about a year ago, she was an upcoming star of softball, gaining our school a lot of trophies. He, of course, heard about the team and its achievements. At least until it started losing everything when Mari, the core and best player, got injured really badly. After that, her knee was completely devastated, mostly because of overuse and lack of care beforehand from Mari’s side to the smaller hints of it being not in a good condition.
Of course she was the type of a person who prioritized success and being a perfect girl over anything, filling her free time with other activities instead. She went fully into studying and playing the piano that her father owned.
However, her absence didn’t end well… The playground was occupied by the other group of children, more annoying and louder, the leader being a weird girl wearing red glasses. Basil didn’t want to have anything to do with them as they were in most of his classes and didn’t look like they’d leave him alone if they realized his existence in school.
Somehow Hero managed to convince them to share their space. It ended up being a big zone of loud games and arguing over everything. As Basil watched them for a while he realized something.
Sunny wasn’t his usual self today. He seemed more out-of-place, less responsive and expressive. He didn’t even look at Basil! It was… concerning at least. And then at the playground, when there were so many loud and energetic kids, Sunny was standing there, in between everyone, squished by the crushing atmosphere full of people without any way out. He looked miserable, he was trembling and hardly keeping things together. Yet nobody cared. Nobody seemed to even realize what he was feeling.
Basil knew. Basil saw this and knew how it was. He could remember all of the times he felt like this and exploded, overreacting. He came to a sudden realization.
Sunny… was like him. Maybe not exactly, but that’s what he intuitively felt since the beginning. And he had to somehow sense it too taking into account the looks he gave the blonde. Of course he was and of course Mari knew it. She made everything to comfort Sunny and accommodate him when she needed to. The group was quietly led by her little brother’s needs.
But… she was not there on that day. Sunny was left to himself for so long and he reached his limits. He was about to explode and he urgently NEEDED his sister. She was not there though. It was not possible.
Basil reacted instinctively. He ran to Sunny, grabbed his hand and quickly pulled him to the lake spot. Thankfully, nobody even saw that, being too busy arguing. It was the first thing that came to his mind. This place was perfect to calm down and clear out your mind. It was meant to be only Aubrey and Basil’s but the gang started to be an inseparable part of their lives so it could as well be their spot too.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t important back then. What really counted was to help Sunny. They stopped under the tree near the lake. They laid down on the grass and stared into the sky, Basil still holding Sunny’s hand.
He could feel him shaking a bit until he heard deep, slow breaths. Sunny managed to calm down, thankfully. Basil was glad he could help.
“I used to come here with Aubrey. It’s very peaceful. Actually, that’s where I met her.” He started quietly, all the tension between him and Sunny disappearing at the moment. “I like it because there are some unusual flower species, mainly thanks to its isolation. Flowers also need some tranquility, maybe that’s why there is a bond between me and them. Do you want to look around?”
Sunny nodded at him after a few seconds. Basil was relieved. He wasn’t good at comforting people after all but he certainly was at talking about flowers.
They spent the rest of the afternoon there. Sunny seemed to be doing much better and Basil for the first time enjoyed his presence. He knew the other boy was listening to him during his ramblings about the various plants. It was pleasantly surprising.
He was surprised that nobody even realized their absence (maybe except Hero) but he didn’t mind because no one bothered them afterwards. He didn’t know it back then but that’s how he started his next friendship.
He thought that Sunny still didn’t like him but he was apparently wrong as HE approached BASIL first the next time they met. He would remember Aubrey’s shocked face ‘till the end of his life.
It didn’t take much time for them to become best friends. He also got Aubrey’s permission to reveal their lake spot to the rest and it was a really good idea. They loved it and they were hanging around there almost every day. Kel was the most excited as he named it proudly their Secret Hangout Spot. It was a stupid name in his opinion but from the lack of better ideas, it remained like that.
Days flew by really quickly. He barely blinked and it was already more than a year since they all met for the first time. It was the best year of his entire life.
Basil woke up much earlier than usual and he had a good reason. It was the day of the recital, a long awaited moment for the gang. He should feel excitement but instead, uneasiness and anxiousness grew inside him. As an attempt to brush off the uncomfortable feelings, he took the photo album from his night table and opened it.
So many things happened since he met them, so many good memories that he wanted to remember forever. First Christmas together, first birthday, first sleepover and summer. It all felt too good to be true. When he was looking at the photos he already felt nostalgic. It was all so much simpler not so long ago…
Only a month back they looked so happy and cheerful… especially Sunny. They started to be really close and Basil got to know him well. Well enough to recognize his emotions from his appearance. And he saw something was CLEARLY off.
But he never knew how to ask him about it. He wasn’t like Sunny, he didn’t get people’s feelings and he didn’t want to do something weird or ask out of the blue. He wasn’t even sure if he’s right!
Well, he shouldn’t be too worried. It was Sunny after all. He didn’t need help to figure things out, right?
Basil remembered one conversation with Mari not so long ago when he watched them practicing. They sounded great, yet when Sunny made a small mistake that wasn’t even audible for Basil, he rushed out of the room. It was really concerning so he asked Mari about it.
“Is Sunny alright? He doesn't look good lately.”
“Oh, don't worry about it, my little brother tends to use the bathroom more after practicing. He says that his hands sweat too much and he has to wash them every once in a while to not get slip ups.” Mari said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. “I hope he can take care of that for the recital. If it were something else he would tell us, right?”
“I guess so? If you say it’s alright, Mari, I believe you. You’re very perceptive with people’s feelings after all…” He frowned. “Do you think Sunny can take it? The recital is taking a toll on him and I can clearly see it.”
“He’ll be alright, he just has to practice a little bit more to master the high notes. What, do you not believe in him? It was YOU who came up with the idea to get him the violin so he could do recitals with me.”
“It’s not that… I feel like he’s barely keeping it together, he acts like me before my meltdowns. It’s never a good sign Mari. I know that from experience.” He looked at her seriously.
“I-... I know…” Her face turned more gloomy than before. “But our parents don’t understand, Basil. I’m trying my best to help him but they put so much pressure on him, and on me too! They blame ME for him being different, closed off. They’re narrow minded, they almost beat him up because I even SUGGESTED getting him an appointment like you did.”
Basil could see tears in the corners of her eyes. He didn’t know what to say. Mari sighed deeply, composing herself.
“Let’s just somehow keep everything together until the recital. Then, we will think about what to do next. Besides, I really think Sunny can easily take it. He’s so talented in anything he does. He barely touched the violin and already did better than me on piano after half a year!” She exclaimed loudly. “That’s why it all makes me so pissed off lately. He can do anything if he wants to try enough! And when I try, everything goes wrong.”
Well, Mari’s right. Sunny is perfect at anything, Sunny can do anything if he wants to. That’s why Basil is so fascinated by him. He’s like a better, polished version of Basil. Always stoic and VERY perceptive. Even more than his sister! He knows how to comfort others, knows how to respond when needed. Sunny is perfect. If he wants to…
That’s what bothers Basil a lot. Sunny must WANT to be perfect, truly want. He can’t be forced. And if he is… it can’t end up well.
He wanted to point it out when they heard a sound of someone entering the room.
“Oh, Sunny! You’re back! Is everything alright?” Mari asked, putting a gentle smile on her face. He just nodded, not looking at her. “Okay so… Sorry Basil but we have to practice and neither me or Sunny feel comfortable with someone watching.”
…
In hindsight, he should’ve said something back then. He wouldn’t be worrying for them afterwards. But he remembered Mari’s words. Sunny is perfect. They’re going to do this, he didn’t have to worry.
.
.
But he did. And he couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to know if Sunny’s alright before the recital.
He took the album with him and quickly left his house forgetting to tell his grandma he’s leaving. He didn’t care though. Only thought in his mind was to find Sunny. If he showed him some good memories, he’d definitely be alright thinking about his friends for the entire evening. At least that was Basil’s plan. A plan that did work out but not like he wanted it to.
When he was close to the house he heard screams. Was it… Mari? What happened? He entered without knocking, a mixture of anxiousness and fear growing inside him. It didn't sound good.
He couldn't tell what she was saying, her muffled voice coming from the upper floor probably. He could feel Mari's fury and misery from the tone of her voice. It was terrifying.
Then a loud boy's scream got to Basil's ears. He never heard Sunny screaming or even talking loud before. It was really bad, he didn't have time to spare.
When he passed the corner, the first thing he saw were shattered pieces of Sunny's violin at the bottom of the staircase. He froze in place. Sunny… had to destroy it purposefully. Well, it seemed like the recital was about to be cancelled…
Another stream of screams pulled him out of his mind. Right, there were 2 siblings arguing and he was just standing there, caring about the recital. Sometimes he was so stupid…
Just when he wanted to run up the stairs, the most dreadful thing in Basil's life happened. Sunny tried to move past Mari but she stepped on his way grabbing his shoulders. It all felt like a millisecond after that.
He heard Sunny's scream and saw sudden movement up there. He barely blinked and after a lot of thumps and cracking noises he was looking at Mari laying on the broken violin at the bottom.
His body felt numb. What… happened? Was Mari…? Did Sunny…? No, it wasn't possible. Sunny's not a bad person, right? He couldn't have done that. He couldn't. It had to be… Something else. Something behind him.
Basil looked to the top. There stood a boy with a horrified face, not moving even an inch. And right next to him… Something was looking at Basil with a wide grin.
Basil watched away immediately. So it really was Something… Wait, if it pushed Mari, it could also do that to Sunny? No, he couldn't let it happen again.
He wanted to rush to Sunny but he saw him slowly going down the stairs, looking at his sister. Oh right… her lifeless body was between him and Sunny, her limbs were weirdly placed on the floor unnaturally pointing to different directions.
When Sunny approached her, he started calling out her name, crying. She… was alright. She had to be. She just needed to rest.
But Basil knew it was probably not true. He looked at Sunny and saw Something crawling behind and trying to embrace him. Oh no… he couldn't let it get Sunny.
He went to them and said that they should take her to her bed and then think about what to do. Sunny wasn't responsive already looking like his mind wasn't there. But he did what Basil suggested.
Basil was really scared. Something was following them, probably trying to reach Sunny. It killed Mari! But… nobody would believe them. Everyone would blame Sunny and Something would destroy everything they achieved for the entire year. He had to save his best friend.
He came up with an idea. He remembered when he lived in a city a girl in his school that committed suicide. He didn't know her but he saw the images of her body hanging everywhere in the newspaper. They of course moved out again but Basil didn't forget. He was considering doing it to himself a couple of times until he met Aubrey. His life was miserable anyways and he didn't have anyone so nobody would care.
However, how did he learn how to make a noose? Well… as ironic as it is, his grandma taught him. He asked for it saying that he wanted to hang some flower pots. It was true, but the idea behind this was of course different. It was about to be useful again.
“Everything's going to be okay, Sunny. I'll protect you.” He said with a shaking voice. Sunny seemed to hear him but didn't say anything. He had to be so scared of that thing…
What happened after was a big blur for Basil. He couldn't recall any details apart from Something that was smiling approvingly when it saw the hanging body. He took their interest, good. Sunny was safe. Although his terrified face was even scarier. He never liked monsters, he had to be horrified.
Basil went with Sunny to their treehouse in order to calm down a bit and hide from that creature. There was no way it could climb up the ladder right?
When he was trying to comfort the other boy, he remembered the violin. It was covered in blood… He had to take care of that otherwise Something would find them again.
Basil opened the album and took one of the photos. He knew about the old toy box in Sunny's room. There were his most precious toys that he sometimes locked up when he didn't want anyone to break them accidentally (especially Kel).
He went there, found the box and the key, cleaned the violin pieces from the floor and shoved them into the box. Where should he hide it…? Stairway room. It was the only place he knew Sunny was scared of because of how small and dark it usually was. Also there were spiders everywhere.
He hid it there behind the other boxes. He didn't want anyone to find the key so he came up with an idea to take it with himself and hide it in the photo album. Something could never reach it there.
He taped the key into the back of the photo and went back to the treehouse. He saw it on his way again… It was looking at him with a frightening grin. Mari was looking at him too… She asked Basil to protect Sunny. So he did exactly that. Mari had to be proud of him.
When he entered the treehouse, Sunny was sitting in the corner with an emotionless face peeking at the photo album. Basil approached him and grabbed his shoulders.
“I hid it in the toy box, in the stairway room. Don't tell anyone about this. I'll be there with you. I promise. We have to be strong. We're going to be okay together.” Sunny didn't look like he was listening.
Basil took the photo album and… all the photos were blacked out. What happened? His memories… it was all destroyed. Sunny… did he? No, it was not possible. It had to be this monster again. That's why he was so scared. It got to Sunny. It destroyed everything.
He quickly closed the album, forgetting to place the photo there. It was still on the floor somewhere. He couldn't be bothered finding it, they had to leave, fast.
He told Sunny to pretend that he's sleeping and he headed back home. Nobody saw him fortunately. The day of the recital turned into a nightmare… but he succeeded. Sunny was safe again, he didn't have to worry. He wasn't flawed, he was still perfect. Basil did the horrifying things, not him. The only ones guilty were Basil and… Something.
The next months were blurry for Basil. He remembered going to school alone, Sunny never showed up again after that day. And Basil was glad he didn't. Because Something was following him instead of Sunny. As long as he was far away from each other, Sunny was safe. Everyone was as Basil isolated himself. He had to do that for them, for Sunny. He owed it to everyone after what he did.
He remembered the nightmares that followed him in his dreams almost every day. Sunny being pushed down the stairs by Something. Mari waking up on the tree branch. Sunny being hanged by Something… and so many worse Basil wanted to forget.
He remembered his grandmother being worried. She was asking him what was happening, why he acted like that, why he screamed at night. He trusted her but… he couldn't tell anything. He couldn't betray Sunny.
But then… Something got to her too. She was gradually becoming more sick and weak. She couldn't leave him; she was everything he had.
Then his parents came. He didn't see them in years. They wanted to meet his grandma once again. They asked him how he was doing but he couldn't look them in the eyes. He couldn't say anything.
Soon after this, a woman moved in. Polly. She was nice, she was caring about his grandmother and tried to care about Basil but… he had to keep his mouth shut for Sunny. He promised.
He remembered Aubrey making him do the homework with her. He really didn't want to, he was terrified. He saw It every time he looked around, slowly coming closer to Aubrey. And in his room… it was almost embracing her. He had to act.
He ran to the bathroom because he knew it'd follow him. And he was indeed right. After some time he came back to his room only to see Aubrey turning the pages of the photo album with a painful but enraged look on her face. Oh no… How could he explain it?
He didn't have to though. She just took the album, yelled at him, called him a freak and rushed out of his house. Well, she was right. He was a freak. Something was having fun with him again. He could stand this. For Sunny.
Not so long after, he saw Aubrey with this new group of people. He called themselves The Hooligans. Apparently they were a group of delinquents and bullies that everyone avoided. Basil also wanted to do that. But it didn't work.
After he bumped into them once, he became their target. Almost every day he was called names, a freak, a weirdo, a messed up flower child. When they got bored of him not reacting at the verbal bullying, they started to bully him physically more and more. It wasn't that he liked that but it was his punishment. He always saw Something watching it with a content look. As long as it left everyone alone…
He knew why it followed him. The only things it enjoyed were fear, pain and death. And Basil was full of them. It wanted him to die.
He thought about that almost every night. To just die in his sleep, never wake up. Or wake up on the day of the recital to discover that it was all a big, long nightmare. It never happened though.
And he must not die. He promised Sunny to be there for him. He had to stall Something for as long as he could. It was the purpose of his life. The only one.
That’s why when he saw Sunny outside with Kel… He was relieved to see him and to see he’s alright. But at the same time, he was scared, feeling of unavoidable dread growing inside him since they saw each other. He wanted to run away from him but… he couldn’t. He was too happy to see him, he didn’t want to lose him again for years. He shouldn’t have done that.
As soon as he learnt that Sunny was about to move out, he panicked. He saw Something approaching him, its hands moving around Sunny ready to grab him. He couldn’t protect him anymore and he didn’t need him either. He was going to be completely alone.
He knew what he was planning to do. Something won again. He was going to give up. There was no point in living anymore, he would only bring dread and pain into other’s lives. That’s why he went to their old lake spot. He wanted to see this place where it all started for the last time. People told him that life is a cycle. And it finally came to an end for Basil.
Nobody knew this but he could swim. He learnt how to do that when he was 6 after some bullies threw him into the pool. Not exactly the safest way of doing it but, well, it worked.
So when Aubrey pushed him into the lake, he could just resurface and everything would be alright. But he didn’t want to. He wanted to drown, the feeling of water filling his lungs, death embracing him from all of the sides was comforting. He would finally fall asleep without any nightmares. It was supposed to be like that.
But damn him and his luck. He was saved, this time by Hero. Something clearly wanted to have fun a bit more until it decided to finish this act.
His grandmother died. He should be sad about that but he wasn’t. He didn’t feel anything. He couldn’t feel anything but fear. He shut himself in his room, thinking only that Sunny was going to move out and he was going to be completely alone with that. It was the time for him to finally get some peace too. Everyone was there. Mari, his grandmother… he could finally reconnect with them for good.
From the other side, they were waiting for him. Hero, Aubrey, Kel, Sunny… he just had to open the door. They were there for him… but they didn’t know anything. Sunny knew but… he was going to leave so there was no point. They would all be gone anyways after Sunny moved out, Basil knew this. It was all trickery of this monster glancing at him in the corner. Basil knew what it wanted to see. He wanted to see him killing himself. And he didn’t want to fight back anymore.
He was standing in his room, garden shears in his hands. He could feel Something crawling to him, starting to embrace him entirely. He could feel its head on his stomach. That… was where he needed to aim. He needed to stab it along with himself. It was the only way. He lifted his arms and… he heard the door opening behind him. Didn’t he lock it…?
He quickly turned around and saw… Sunny? What was he doing in his room? It was not supposed to be like that. It was supposed to end there, Sunny was going to leave, he was not supposed to be here and see that. Unless…
It had to be Something again. It had to fool him, trick his mind into seeing Sunny. It had to try to convince him that Sunny was guilty of killing his sister. HE COULDN’T BE. It wasn’t him. It was Something behind him. Sunny was perfect. Sunny was innocent. It was all wrong, he knew it was all lies. It was Something again. It was supposed to DIE. diediediediedieDIEDIE!!
…
He stabbed something… He could feel blood… He succeeded. Something was laying in front of him, bleeding out from its head. He could now peacefully finish what he had started. He could finally drop his arms after lifting them up.
The last thing he remembered, after the sensation of soothing pain filling his body, were voices and steps filling the room. He didn’t care. Death was already waiting for him. So he proudly went into its arms…
But he got pulled away at the last second again. He could feel pain… physical pain… a lot of it mainly in his head and his stomach. He could hear voices. Did someone… save him again? Or was that how the afterlife looked like.
But when he opened his eyes he was almost sure he was alive. Brightness of the hospital room blinded him for a few seconds but when he finally could see anything it was… Sunny. He was there, waiting for him.
Sunny was smiling. Sunny was smiling widely at him. Basil hadn’t seen this expression on his face for years. Was it… over? He could feel something dark backing away from his mind. He knew what Sunny’s look meant. He confessed. It was all over. Something… was gone. They did it.
Then he saw an eyepatch on Sunny’s head… And he realized what he had done. His mind suddenly flooded him with memories, before altered by the sight of Something; now he could clearly see his actions. He could see him stabbing Sunny’s eye. He wanted to throw up.
He remembered Sunny pushing his sister down the stairs… He remembered him blacking out the photos. Sunny… was not perfect. He was flawed like Basil was. They were both guilty for the pain they inflicted on their friends and families. They were unforgivable, they were both monsters.
So why… was Aubrey there? Why did Polly come to see him? Why were they all so oblivious to his terrifying behaviour? He wouldn’t forgive himself like they all wanted to. He didn’t deserve this.
But he realized he didn’t want to go back to what he was. He wanted to heal. He NEEDED to for them. He needed to earn their trust again. He had to repair his mistakes.
And he had to start with Polly. She was caring for him, she was there even though she didn’t have to. He was awful for her. Nonetheless she wanted to help. He had to be honest with her for the first time in his life. Sunny already did his part, it was his turn.
.
.
.
.
He opened his eyes. It was difficult, it was unnerving, it was a painful story to tell about. Especially to the person that loved you like her own child. He couldn’t look at Polly while talking. He wouldn’t stand her face changing after each part that was more and more terrifying.
She was crying. He expected to be scolded by her; he expected screams. But what he didn’t expect was… a hug? He could feel Polly hugging him tightly. He was confused but he couldn’t help but start crying with her.
“I’m so sorry Basil you had to live through that… Nobody should be in a situation like this, especially in their childhood… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you before, I should’ve got a therapist, I should’ve done something…” Polly said painfully. “I promise I’ll never leave you alone with anything. And promise me you’ll tell me if anything is wrong again.”
“P-Polly I-... I thought you would abandon me. You don’t have to stay. I don’t deserve this-”
“Basil, I would never do that. I care about you.” She lifted her face and looked at him seriously.
“Okay… I promise I’ll let you know if something bad happens…” He said as they heard the door opening.
“Hi, I’m back!” They saw Kel entering the room. He immediately backed away as he saw them crying. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt anything.”
“No, it’s alright, you can stay, darling.” Said Polly to him. Kel quickly approached them and sat in a chair next to the bed.
“Cool! So, I guess Basil woke up… How are you doing?”
They were talking for a while after that. Kel told him about what happened after Sunny confessed and his conversation with Hero from before. Basil didn’t know what to think about that but he was glad it was already over and maybe things could go back to normal again… well, at least to what ‘normal’ was for them after so many years.
Kel also told him about what he saw after he checked out on Sunny and Aubrey… Oh, these two… He knew them both really well, they were his first best friends after all. And he knew what these glances and blushes meant. Although Aubrey could just feel like that for a moment, Sunny was much more easy to read for Basil. He was still crushing on the pink-haired girl.
Basil never understood these feelings. He never felt like ‘loving’ someone except his friends. Well, maybe he wasn’t meant for that? Not like he complained, he knew the stories about broken hearts etc. Also romantic stuff was weird. Like, why would anyone want to touch someone or kiss? He definitely wasn’t into that gross stuff, thank you very much.
Nonetheless, he could at least make fun of the others. Like Aubrey and Sunny… They were just too fun to tease. And he couldn’t miss the opportunity. He convinced Kel to bring him his camera. He wanted to catch the moment until it wasn’t too late. And he wanted to do it himself.
Kel didn’t want him to walk alone because he was still very weak after that night so they went to Sunny’s room together. When they opened the door they saw… Sunny and Aubrey sleeping in one bed, Sunny leaning on her shoulder… It was perfect. He quickly took a photo and giggling already at the thought of showing it to them, he and Kel headed back to his room.
But before they reached it, Basil bumped into a woman. He froze in place. It was…
“Oh, hello Mrs. Suzuki!” Said Kel cheerfully.
“Basil? Kel? What are you doing here?” She asked, very surprised.
“We… Basil?” Started Kel but stopped as he looked at the blonde.
Basil was pale, his mind started spinning. Sunny’s mother… was there. It meant that… He was about to leave as soon as he recovered. His insecurities flooded him and he felt his legs giving up.
His mind went blank and he fainted.
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