Chapter Text
Mari felt herself falling, it was slow, and yet fast all at once. She was reaching her hand toward something, someone? Their gaze was angry, but it was fearful, guilty. They faded, almost everything turned white, she was still falling. Her hand was still extended, desperately reaching for something that wasn't there, she felt the ground;
and then she was awake.
Mari groaned, lifting herself up from the comfort of her bedsheets. It was that dream again, a dream she's been having for as long as she could remember, which wasn't that far back in all honesty. In recent years, the dream had started popping up more frequently, it was near impossible for her to sleep without her seeing it at least once. It was also one of the few dreams she actually remembered when she woke up instead of forgetting almost immediately.
Mari shook away the thoughts and her drowsiness as she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Today was a special day, after four years of relying on her adoptive Dads after losing most if not all of her memories (she still remembered basic concepts like how to speak or walk), she was going to move out. To say she was anxious was an understatement, she was moving to a town where no one would know her or the fact that she had no recollection of her life past 4 years ago. She hoped she wouldn't be given that same look of pity everyone in her current hometown gave her whenever she brought it up, but it was inevitable.
Mari opened the door to the bathroom and approached the sink. She stared in the mirror, sighing at her mess of hair; she had gotten it cut short, just above her shoulders, to avoid this exact problem, but it seemed to happen anyway with how restlessly she slept. She sighed and brushed through it, humming a little tune until she finished. She ran a hand through it and blinked.
The back of her hair was was dyed purple, but it had begun to fade. She had first dyed it a few years ago, it was a rather spur-of-the-moment decision, and her Dads weren't too happy at first since she did it without telling them, but it had stuck and it felt wrong when her hair was just plain black. She clicked her tongue as she pushed herself away from the sink, Maybe I should dye it again when I'm settled into Faraway, she thought to herself.
After getting prepared for the day, she decided to check her room for any last items she may have forgotten, and then went downstairs with her suitcase. The smell of coffee hung thick in the air, she peeked her head around the corner and saw both of her parents were awake. One was sipping the aforementioned coffee while reading something on his phone, while the other was leaning on the first's shoulders, also reading what was on the phone.
Even after these four years, she didn't know either of their names. She referred to them as "Dad 1" and "Dad 2", and neither seemed to mind (though Dad 2 constantly joked about it not being fair that he was second place). Mari let out a little chuckle at the thought, and both turned their heads to her, their attention suddenly drawn to her. Dad 2 pushed himself off of Dad 1's shoulders, approaching Mari with a big smile.
"Mari!" He said with a booming, cheerful voice, "You're awake!". Mari winced, she was used to him being loud, but some days it felt a bit jarring. Dad 1 stood up from where he was seated, a little disoriented from being pushed like that.
Dad 1 gave her a more soft smile, glancing down at the suitcase she had behind her. His face fell a little, but the smile was still present. "Seems you're all packed up and ready to go," he spoke softly, gently taking his husband's hand. Dad 2 glanced down at him with an almost surprised face, as though he forgot their adopted daughter was moving out.
Mari nodded, "I packed most of everything last night, so it's just this," she gestured to the suitcase, "And then I'll be driving to my new home." "Well..." Dad 2 smirked, squeezing Dad 1's hand and then suddenly bringing them both forward to wrap Mari in a hug. She was a bit startled but reciprocated the hug. Dad 2 bellowed into her shoulder, "We'll miss you a lot." "Yeah.. we will," Dad 1 added with a more distant voice, he was probably a bit in denial over the whole situation. They stayed embraced in the hug for a while, no one saying anything. Mari felt a bit awkward, eventually breaking the silence.
"Thank you for taking care of me for these past four years," she murmured, pulling out of the hug. Her Dads looked at her with soft gazes.
"Be careful out there, okay?" Dad 1 spoke, his voice was gentle, but there was a hint of caution behind it.
Dad 2 gave her a big smile and a pat on the back, "And don't forget to call us every now and again! You don't have to if you don't want to... but we'd appreciate it..." he began with a laugh before his voice became more relaxed. Mari chuckled and simply nodded in response.
She picked up her suitcase, waving goodbye to the both of them before exiting the house and packing it neatly into her car. She gave one last look at the home she had lived in for the past four years, a reminiscing smile on her face as she climbed into the car and pulled out of the driveway.
Mari was stood in front of the house, a box in one hand and her suitcase in the other, newfound anxiety creeping at the back of her mind. She pushed it away and entered the house. It was silent, though most would be comforted by that fact, it just made her feel strangely unwelcome. The sunlight filtered through the windows and lit up the room, yet it still felt oddly dark. It was minorly furnished; she had requested that the moving company moved the larger furniture into their places before she arrived, as she knew her bad knee would not allow her to help (and she always felt strange watching people do things for her); making it feel more empty.
Mari let out a deep sigh and shook away the anxious feeling, she'd have to get used to it if she was going to live here. She set her stuff by the bottom of the staircase, making her way back outside and grabbing as many of the remaining boxes as she could. After a few trips, everything that needed to be inside was inside. She huffed, a bit tired from going back and forth. She sat down on the stairs, leaning back. It was uncomfortable, but it at least let her take a moment to breathe. She would have to eventually start moving things upstairs as well, which she wasn't too excited about.
Mari glanced around the room again, it still felt oddly uncomfortable, maybe it was because it was so barren and she was used to her Dads' home that was filled with all sorts of peculiar items; maybe it was because it was an unfamiliar place... though something irked at the back of her mind, telling her it was too familiar. Mari stood up abruptly, she didn't want to linger on that thought for too long, being an amnesiac and all. Maybe she should take a walk around town, that would take her mind off things. After all, it was pretty easy to excuse it as she wanted to find out what was in Faraway. If she could recall correctly, she passed by a plaza on her way here, maybe she should go find that.
With newfound determination, she left the house without turning back, ready to explore the town. Though she wasn't so sure she was prepared for what was to come in the following days...