Chapter Text
Aubrey sat on her bed alone in a decrepit house with her parents' marriage on the rocks. She could scarcely sleep over the screaming. It had been one year since the death of Mari and the fracturing of her friend group.
Kel had made new friends, he moved on but why didn't he even try to help? He should of been there for her, for Sunny, for Basil. He could've kept arguing and fighting with her for all she cared but instead he just completely exited her life.
Hero scarcely left his house anymore. She knew he would take it hard but to this extent? Where he'd rather see himself rot away then see her... or Basil, or Sunny? What would Mari think.... god what would Mari think of her right now?
Basil.... seemed afraid and lonely but she could not find the time to place herself into his life. Basil was not taking the lack of his best friend easily, nor was she taking the absence of him well at all for that matter.
Sunny... Sunny was probably the most important person she ever met, the only one to listen and to care, but since the funeral he hasn't left his house. He's grieving perhaps, but it's been a full year, her knocks go unanswered and she began to take notice that there was hardly ever a car in the driveway...
She sighed, she was powerless to do anything, Sunny couldn't listen if he was crying to himself all the time... if only he'd open up to her. She could help him, he owed him that much with all he did for her on the swings. If only Mari were still here, she'd know what to do to help him. She was going to have to figure this out on her own though.
The yelling downstairs got even louder, she can barely hear herself think anymore. It's late, but her parents wouldn't recognize their daughter was gone. If they did they'd yell about who was to blame anyways. She opened her trapdoor and began slowly descending the ladder. She could see her parents arguing out of the corner of her eye, her mom with a bottle of beer in her hand and her father with a suitcase. Problems for when she got back. She walked towards Faraway Park and saw the swing set empty. She smiled and sat on the swing, kicking the sand beneath her but feeling an emptiness. Something was missing. No, someone. A year ago this would be the safest, most comfortable place in her life, now it feels hollow.
She travelled further down the road to see the house of Kel and Hero. Dark, without any of the joy and revelry she remembered from that house. Despite the fights with Kel, he was a comforting presence and Hero always managed to resolve any situation. Where was Hero now though?
She looked at the house with spite and trudged on staring at the large white house with the beige door. She knocked on the door, once, twice, even three times. Nobody came. No car was in the driveway nor in the garage as far as she could tell. She began desperately banging on the door, hoping that he'd hear her. Hoping that he'd manage to help her... wait wasn't she here to help him? After one more hard hit to the door she began to sob, and then the waterworks really flooded. She collapsed onto the ground and began crying on the steps.
The tears hit the concrete steps, but the door looked on, uncaring. This door separated her from the one thing that could make everything better, the one person. It separated her from someone who she...
The thought was broken up when she made her decision: she was going in. She didn't know how but she would get in and have him.. talk to him she corrected herself.
The door, hate it as she did, would not budge to her assaults even if she tried. She was strong, like a gorilla she once boasted, but not strong enough to break that wood.
In that instant she remembered the backyard where Mari.... in any case there was a sliding door there. Either that would be open or she'd make it become open. She saw the white picket fence and climbed over it. On the other side she saw something she didn't expect, or the lack of something. The tree was gone. Cut down to the base. Why? That was Mari's favorite tree even if she....
Aubrey sighed and decided it was a question for Sunny when they reunited. She pushed on the door and it began to slide to her astonishment. A stroke of luck perhaps. Maybe even a sign that god approved of this mission of hers. She couldn't turn back now.
She walked into the living room and was taken aback by the lack of change, it was exactly as it was a year ago. The couch was still there, the massive tv still hung on the wall, and even Kel's orange joe stain was on the carpet. She was taken back with Nostalgia for a moment, remembering all that had happened in here. Promising herself that finding Sunny would make more of these times happen.
She walked out of the living room and into the kitchen. Inspecting the room she looked inside the refrigerator to find... nothing. Was Sunny... still alive? She immediately slammed the fridge shut and purged that thought from her head. No way, Sunny was still here. She exited the Kitchen and decided to walk into the room with the staircase. Nothing had changed, all of the paintings were still there, even Mari's piano was still there. She never even got to hear them play together...
Walking up the stairs she heard a faint creaking with every step, was she really going to do this? Was she really going to meet Sunny again after all this time? What would he think? Would he scream? Would he finally open up? Could she finally find it in her to admit...
She reached the top of the stairs. Moving slowly she approached Sunny's room, hearing slow snoring. He was in there alright. Slowly she grabbed the handle to the door and pushed it down. As she slowly pulled the door open it creaked faintly, hopefully not loud enough to wake him up. The space between the door and the wall was finally small enough to just barely sneak through. She set her eyes on his face, not peacefully sleeping but sleeping without emotion... without joy... without sorrow...
She slowly approached his bed striking her heels, going from the ball of her foot to the ends of her feet. Careful to make as little noise as possible. She finally reached his bed. She crouches down next to him and gave him a little shake. His expression began to change, it was working. Another shove, and another and another. This was it. But then Sunny's face returned to its neutral demeanor. No way was she leaving him here, in this house without food, without joy. She decided that if he wasn't going to wake up now she'd be there when he woke up.
She put her hand on the back of his head and her arm under his legs and pulled him up from his bed, revealing a thin perhaps even malnourished boy. She's almost sickened by the site and decides that she has to get him out of here. Slowly she traces her path, through the door, down the stairs and then out through the front door. She looks at his face, "Still perfect." She thought to herself.
She approached her house, there was still shouting but this time from her parents room, she opened the door and quickly dashed to the ladder. She tried to figure out a way to transport Sunny upstairs. First she opened the trapdoor then she tried carrying him in her hands. No dice, she was probably going to fall. Next she thought about tossing him up like a football. Yeah maybe killing him is a bad idea. She managed to wrap his hands around her neck and grab his legs, then she slowly got him up the ladder.
Then she placed him down on her bed. Alright perfect, now she could get some shut eye and- wait Sunny was in her bed. She could sleep downstairs... the couch was alright she guessed. But, her dad was probably gonna need it with the sound of the argument. Was she really going to do this... sleep in the same bed as him? She blushed at the thought, of course she wanted to do this but what about what Sunny thought? Was he going to be pissed off? Would he be... happy? She blushed harder at the thought and decided that whatever happened she was going to sleep in the same bed as him... no matter the consequences. She lies down on the bed, and for the first time in awhile,
She smiles.