Chapter Text
December... the month where it all started, with an innocent gift that gave way to a domino effect of misfortunes, what used to bring warm memories was now just a bitter reminder of the day it all started. It wasn't interested to Sunny... before yes but not anymore, although it's a shame since this was the only month his mother let him go visit Faraway for a day... although not exactly to meet someone again but rather to do something... and also out of nostalgia... as much as it hurt him to remember her, he still wanted to go there, after all, Faraway Town will always be his home.
Although that was more due to the fact that she will be with some of her friends to celebrate a party and it's not like he's forced to go with her… After all, he's not a child who has to be looked after all the time, it's better Give him freedom when he needs it.
After traveling by bus for 40 minutes, he finally arrived at his destination, and as expected in winter, the snow was more than present and it was snowing as it should be, luckily he was warm for the occasion... not much because carrying so much It was uncomfortable but at least he didn't freeze.
"Brrr, it's really cold... [sigh] I still can't believe I'm doing this after so long but I'm not going to take it back now" Sunny has only one mission to do in this town and after finishing he will leave as soon as possible, that's was what he thought until he observed... his old home.
Despite the fact that his mother sold the house, the latter was uninhabited, apparently the idea of living in a house where a girl supposedly committed suicide was not very pleasant... especially if you are superstitious, the person who bought Sunny's old home is it was not long after that because he felt…uncomfortable to say the least about the backstory of that house that he moved to another house.
Sunny couldn't help but feel like going into that old place… he might have a lot of memories (good and bad alike) that are best left behind but he just couldn't help it, a closer look reveals that the paint is somewhat worn and in disrepair. In general, the place looks like an abandoned house.
Sunny approached his old house and stood in front of the door, to his surprise the door did not have a lock... that was already worrying, when he entered he saw that everything was indeed empty... well at least things like furniture and what he would have a house and in its place there was some garbage and the odd sign of vandalism... seeing all this in what was before his home gave him a pang in the chest, the more he explored the place the more it became apparent how decadent it was after his move and eviction from his new owner, the kitchen was the first thing he explored and god... it was a mess... Sunny didn't want to delve into why the whole place was like this, after leaving there he headed to the tree house ... very likely it's in worse condition since the last time he was there.
And indeed he was right, the place looked shabbier than before and he would bet the few bucks he has in his pocket that it might fall apart in the next few months… at least he still has the stairs to climb since the last thing he needs is having to climb like a monkey to get to the top.
When he arrived, he saw that everything was like the last time he was here except that a stuffed toy was missing... MR. PLANTEGG was nowhere to be found which is weird, it really was a pity that this place was falling apart… After all, this tree house was made by his friends, him and… her.
'Forget it already, Sunny... that's behind us,' Sunny thought, going back the way he came and entering the old house again... then he looked at the living room and a quality but bittersweet memory crossed his mind, it was the memory of the day he was given that violin, an idea from Basil who had good intentions but things did not turn out as well as expected... demanding practices, the occasional bad comment for the slightest error in the notes, a stress that if you think about it more carefully... it was unnecessary, All of that reached a breaking point where he just didn't want to play the violin anymore.
And as if his body was on autopilot, he was advancing to the place that marked the end and the beginning of many things... the stairs where Mari fell by his mistake, Sunny could see the whole event as if he were there, Mari upset and arguing with him, then he tried to run away but Mari got in the way and simply passed... the push that sealed her fate, Sunny saw his sister fall down the stairs and in a vain attempt he tried to catch her but the vision of the past ended there and there was nothing anymore… only silence.
Sunny was at the bottom of the stairs in a position to catch something that was never there… what a bad joke of his mind has played on him.
[Grumble] "If only she hadn't stepped in the middle of the way she maybe... ... ... It doesn't matter now, what's done is done and there's nothing I can do about it" Sunny felt frustrated after remembering that incident that marked him for a long time, now it's nothing more than a bad memory of the past.
Really, what was he thinking of coming here in the first place, there is nothing left to return to here, before he was a child who had everything and now things have changed... and not all in a positive way and this house is a clear example, after calming down because of that trick of his mind he left the house and resumed his journey.
Although he did not advance much since he looked again at another house... and that house belonged to Hero and Kel's family, although from what he saw there was no one there, where are they all?, are they shopping or something?.
"Hey, is that you Sunny?" Suddenly he hear the voice of a girl in the distance and when he saw where the voice came from he saw a girl with blue hair wrapped up to her ears, she was Kel's neighbor... Cris.
"Oh hello Cris... err... how are you?"... Are you serious?, of all the questions.
“How i am… how i am!? [chills] I feel like I'm in a fucking refrigerator and even with all these thick clothes I feel like even my bones are made of ice”
It doesn't take an expert eye to notice that Cris didn't like the cold at all, she trembled like a jelly and rubbed her arms constantly to lessen the cold in her body.
"Um... if you really don't like the cold then what are you doing out here?" that was a better question.
“Oh nothing, just paying off a debt in OTHERMART with Mrs. Ayee… … [shudders] my god am I going to turn into ice or what!?” Cris was interrupted by how cold she felt but at least she gave her answer to Sunny.
"Wait, isn't that the fish vendor?"
"Yes indeed... don't ask why I ended up owing her money" Cris didn't want to give more details about it.
"Okay, Cris, sorry for asking another question, but could you tell me where Kel, Hero and his family are?" Sunny was certain that she would know something since she was Kel's neighbor.
"Oh Kel and Hero... well... the whole family went on a trip to visit some relatives and apparently they plan to stay with them to celebrate Christmas and the new year so they won't be here in Faraway Town until next year, that was Kel said before leaving.
"......... Huh?" Sunny was stunned by Cris's response, did everyone really leave Faraway Town for the rest of December?...he really doesn't know what to say or feel about it.
"Yeah, like you heard, pretty crazy isn't it?...I mean...it's nice to be with relatives this time of year and-" Cris stopped when she saw Sunny's wistful expression...did she say something wrong?
"Sunny are you alright? You look a little sad"
"I-It's nothing, I'm fine, don't worry... I was just remembering something, that's all" A little white lie not to worry her, Sunny really didn't want to go into details about why he got like this... it's something too personal to be sharing with people he barely knows.
“Oh okay so… … … [shudders] ugh, you know what? I better go home… at this rate I'll turn into an ice statue, bye Sunny, have a good day” Cris went to her house walking shakily… it's funny that a swimmer like her can't stand the cold so much.
"Bye Cris, I hope you don't melt like ice in your house" Sunny joked about Cris's little resistance to the cold, he didn't want to be mean but he really liked seeing Cris like that.
“Very funny Sunny [Sarcasm], well… goodbye Capt. SpaceSnuuy" [Joking] and finally Cris entered her house leaving Sunny analyzing what she said for a few seconds until he got it… the black patch.
"HEY!" Sunny almost pouted at Cris's joke even though he brought it on himself, but after she entered in her house he went back to look at Kel and Hero's house… a part of him hoped to at least see them one more time if only for a few moments before leaving this town again... but it seems like that will never happen.
And with him now being alone, he got his moment to let out an emotion that he is already used to feeling... sadness, he remembered those days before he moved and all those moments he spent with Kel and Hero... until that day that changed him. Everything and their perspective of Sunny was never the same again... and they stopped being together with him.
Confessing the truth was a point of no return for Sunny, keeping that dark secret for so long and trying (in vain) to forget it only to take him to that moment in his life where he lost everything again, to say how Mari really died and the Basil's insane idea to cover up in order to "protect" him which only caused more damage was perhaps the purest example of opening an old wound with an even deeper one.
The reactions of each of his "friends" were marked in his mind like hot iron, SHOCK, DISGUST... AND BETRAYAL.
[Sigh] "The damage is already done, there is nothing I can do to change that" A mixture of acceptance and resignation formed inside Sunny leading him to that conclusion "I hope all of you have a good time... Hero... Kel" and with That being said, Sunny resumed his journey towards his destination.
Walking along the sidewalks of Faraway Town was like going back in time and again the memories began to emerge like a mist, for Sunny daydreaming was quite normal although he would like to see something of his dream world product of his great imagination than to be seeing painful images of a beautiful past already lost in the past.
Her distraction took its toll when he bumped into someone... and that person was none other than Polly, Basil's caretaker "Oh are you alright-huh?... Is that you Sunny?" She said surprised to see him again.
"H-Hello Polly, it's good to see you" Sunny responded somewhat awkwardly since he didn't expect to meet her... much less like this because of a stumble "Shit I have to be more attentive or next time I'll get in trouble" He thought.
"How have you been, Sunny? You look a little different since the last time I saw you."
“Yeah…I've been improving a bit since i moved in” yeah…just that…a little.
"Oh, I'm glad to know that." Polly was pleased, the last time she saw Sunny she looked a bit scrawny but now she looked somewhat healthier.
"Um, sorry for asking you this but... are you still taking care of Basil?" after finishing that last part of her question Polly's mood quickly changed to a not very cheerful one.
[sighs] "I think I screwed up again... isn't he here too?" Sunny was already starting to feel bad thinking about the fact that quite possibly all of his old friends (if he can still call them that) are not in Faraway.
"It's a bit complicated... do you want the long story or the summary?" Polly was a little uncomfortable on that subject, and that to Sunny was just bad news.
“Tell me everything… I have time” Sunny responded to which Polly got ready to tell what happened.
“After a while of Basil's grandmother's death and also being discharged from the hospital…his parents came one day and talked to me and him, it was a bit of a tense conversation but in the end they…decided to take him away of Faraway”
"...!" Sunny didn't say anything but he was more than surprised that those negligent idiots would take Basil into account, he never met them since they were always busy making business trips during all that time…even long before the incident and for sure after it as well. .
"Although for a moment I thought that Basil would refuse to agree to go with them but...he just agreed bluntly"
Sunny noticed something in Polly's face... it didn't take long for her to notice that there's something more to this, that Basil had agreed to go with his parents knowing that they left him alone for a large part of his life sounds a bit... absurd.
"Polly, can I ask you something?"
"Of course"
"...Did something happen long before Basil's parents talked to you and him?"
Polly didn't say anything for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and answering.
"Actually yes... it was about four days ago before they came, Basil left the house for a while only to come back beaten, I was very scared and I asked him what happened and he only told me that they tried to rob him... but something in me knew that he was lying but I did not insist on asking him more and help him recover but luckily he recovered quickly"
Sunny was stiff in place from Polly's story, hearing that Basil was assaulted only brought to mind a memory and he wished his assumption wasn't true but he felt the dots starting to connect on their own in such an obvious revelation, that it was not necessary to think much about it... perhaps she intimidated him again?
"I... I just hope that he is fine with his parents, I really care about him even though he is no longer in my care"
"Yeah... I hope he's okay too" Sunny had to gather enough nerve to look normal but deep down he was dejected and also upset.
"Well I have to go and I'm sorry for giving you this news Sunny"
"No, it's not good... although it's a shame that now I've come to find out after so long, but what can I do" Sunny had no choice but to accept defeat in this situation... Basil has left Faraway Town for good... not anymore There is no one left from his old group of friends... well... except one maybe.
Polly left but not before saying goodbye to Sunny and it didn't take long for Sunny to think again about that little incident with Basil but that he had a lot behind him and out of sheer courage he walked towards Aubrey's house, a part of him didn't want to believe that Aubrey bullied Basil again after he moved out…not after all they've been through…but then he remembered that day at the hospital that had ruined all that progress and most likely Basil had the bad luck to meet Aubrey.
Oh Aubrey she really hates them now, she was the one who was affected the most by Mari's death and the group's disbandment… he really was a fool to think that he could make up for those 4 years of absence in just one day before leaving Faraway… and then the confession, her reaction was much more volatile than that day at the lake, so much so that Kel had to take her out of Basil's hospital room but even so, Sunny could hear her scandal even though it was muffled by the walls and when it seemed it was more than enough to wake Basil.
She said a lot of hurtful things but compared to what Omori said it wasn't shocking at all rather he expected this from her after all she had the guts to call him a psycho in the church… luckily Basil didn't wake up during that outburst .
She may have her reasons but that doesn't give her the right to continue like this even though it felt silly to go see her just to discuss what she did to Basil months ago and to top it off he's not here anymore to hear some apologies... if that's what It is possible, his walk finally led him to Aubrey's house but to his surprise and horror... he found nothing but a place in ruins, if Sunny's house looked bad due to abandonment, Aubrey's house was worse and to top it off the door had disappeared.
"But what does this mean!?" Sunny couldn't believe what he was seeing once he entered the house… the place was abandoned and a messed, then he went to Aubrey's “room” and it was exactly the same.
Sunny paced in the living room trying to make sense of this, what happened here?, why is this place so bad even more than his old house?...and besides... what happened to Aubrey?.
"I need some air" Sunny left the abandoned house still with his mind full of questions but he quickly stopped when he thought of something that might give him answers.
"Maybe I can ask someone" Sunny went to the house closest to Aubrey's and that was the house of Kim and Vance's father, he hoped he was inside but there is no better way to check than by knocking on the door... "yes Who?" almost instantly the man responded… Sunny was lucky.
"I-It's me Sunny... do you remember me?"
"Oh yes I remember you, wait a moment please" then the door opened for Sunny's relief.
"Wow boy this is a surprise it's been a while since I last saw you...everything good?"
"Y-Yes more or less... sorry for the inconvenience but could you tell me what happened to that house?" as soon as he finished asking that question, that gentleman's look became somewhat somber.
"No, please, not again" Sunny thought desperately, this is the second time it's happened but now it's worse... that look just means that whatever happened in that house wasn't good.
"Do you really want to know what happened there?"
"... Yes"
"Well...something happened in that house, I don't know much about the details but there was a murder case and-"
"WHAT!?" sunny was startled
"Hey calm down kid, that's how you heard... in that house there was a loud argument so much that I could hear the noise in here and then there was silence, all of that happened during the night, the next morning a police officer came to the place and started to knock on the door but it opened by itself... apparently the door didn't have a lock or something like that, the officer went in and after a while he came out and he didn't look very good... and since who didn't look good with what he found?, then an ambulance arrived and the paramedics came out with a body of a woman."
Sunny could feel her blood turn cold, what the hell happened here?... wait... he said a woman was found dead so she isn't Aubrey... that means the body they took was her mother's... but that only provoked more questions… where is she?
"Boy are you fine, hey I know this whole thing is very messy since it's rare for things like this to happen in Faraway but-"
"Didn't they ask about a pink-haired girl?"
"hm?"
“That woman was the mother of an old acquaintance of mine, and that girl was the one who helped you with the plumbing problem…she lived in that house”
"She lived in that house?... i didn't know I'm sorry, well, that girl with pink hair... well... no one has seen her since that day they took that body away"
"What?...has no one seen her again?" Sunny felt bad every second that he spent talking.
"No... look, I don't want to sound bad, but if you want to know more details, you better talk to one of her friends, they might know more"
“O-Okay, thanks for the information… bye”
"Goodbye Sunny"
Sunny left quickly…almost running to Kim's house and trying to keep calm in his head, the whole story from Kim's father that Aubrey's mother's body was found and she was never seen again after that day plus the assumption of Basil's incident before he left Faraway was like a whirlpool.
"Perhaps i can find her at the candy store” he wasn't sure about it but anyway he will go there first and if he doesn't maybe he can meet her at her house
“Sunny?”
He stopped fast when he heard that voice, it may have been months since he last heard that voice but he would recognize it instantly, he slowly turned around and saw the person he was looking for... Kim, she looked at him a little worried about how agitated he was, as much as he wanted to be calm he couldn't because of all the information he's received this day…mainly because of the Aubrey incident that he felt was somehow connected to Basil's but he needed to know more... and now that opportunity is in front of him.
"Sunny, are you alright?... you look very upset"
“Kim… … … where is Aubrey?” direct question, without wasting any more time.
“Ah, so you've seen it… now I understand why you're like this” Kim said with a wistful smile.
That's it, anyone outside of this situation or even Kim wouldn't notice but for Sunny that was more than enough to kill even the smallest spark of hope that all of this wasn't so bad.
"Let me guess, you talked to my father about it and you were looking for me to talk about it too right?"
"Yes"
[sighs] "I guess I have no alternatives, let's go to the park there I'll tell you everything"
Sunny followed Kim to the park and when they arrived they both sat on the park bench... There was some tension in the atmosphere.
"Kim I-"
"Sunny I know what you're thinking but no, Aubrey isn't living with any of us, not me or Angel along with her sister or Charlene… no one."
Sunny was surprised by Kim's quick response, although at first that was not the question he had in mind that she clarified was more than enough.
"So... could you tell me what happened before she disappeared?" for a moment Sunny noticed that Kim tensed at the question.
"Heh ok nerd"
"Tell me everything"
“Okay, after Aubrey came back from the hospital she was angry… VERY angry, so much so that I couldn't even get close to her to ask her about her problem, then one day when we went to the lake we all insisted that she tell us what happened and well… she told us everything.
"...!" Sunny didn't expect that actually Aubrey told the Hooligans the truth... or at least her version, a part of him feared the worst that maybe Kim and the others have a bad image of him and Basil but considering that she agreed to talk to him it is very likely that she does not have it.
"And to be honest, we had a hard time believing that whole story... especially the part where that guy did... that, I mean, I would expect that from someone really deranged but not someone like him."
Sunny could understand Kim, he even had a hard time accepting that Basil was capable of doing such a crazy thing... but in the end he had to accept that truth.
“After that things seemed to get better but then…she ran into him.”
Sunny was afraid that Kim would say that part but in the end his guess was correct.
“Mikhael (The Maverick) was the one who told us everything, apparently his family asked him to leave bread at the grave of a relative… heh… normally one would leave flowers but apparently his relative is something… peculiar.
“...”
"But getting back to the topic, Mikhael saw Basil in the cemetery on his knees in front of one of the tombstones, of course he hid so they wouldn't see him and he noticed that Basil was apologizing"
Sunny felt bad for Basil but that was to be expected, after what he did it was obvious that he was going to apologize to Mari for what he did.
“Then Aubrey came over and damn…I wish you had been there to see Mikhael's scared face, I've never seen someone so scared to describe something, but to make a long story short Aubrey started arguing with Basil and said nasty things to both you and him and well... the argument ended in physical aggression and Basil ran away simply because Aubrey stopped for a moment and then she saw that tombstone for a few seconds and then ran away"
Sunny's fear was true... Aubrey really attacked Basil again and on top of that in front of her sister's grave... why did that have to happen?
"Shit... I... I really don't know how to describe what I felt back then but... I think I felt sorry for that boy, of course we've done bad things but we never took him anymore, much less beat him up, of course we knew what he did but that was too much… so I went to talk to Aubs”
"..." Despite his silence, Sunny really felt bad about all this.
"I tried to convince her to leave him, if she did not want to have anything more with that, it would be better for her to forget about him and about you since it only caused her anger but I did not measure my words well and one thing led to another and we started to argue, i decided to leave that talk for another time until she calms down… but”
"why all this had to happen after I left...it's not fair" Sunny thought bitterly, everything was wrong.
"Aubrey just stopped meeting us for a while, she worried us all and we decided to go to her house but then we saw [sighs]......I guess you already know from what my father said."
"And you talked to him about it"
"Exactly, we were afraid that it was Aubrey but my father confirmed that it wasn't her but a woman who was obviously her mother, but Aubrey was nowhere to be found"
"You looked for her right?"
“You think we didn't do it?, Sunny we searched all over Faraway asking every last inhabitant in this town and going everywhere and we found absolutely nothing. Hell, we even went to the city since we concluded that she was very possibly there and we searched like crazy for hours but in the end it was in vain ”
Sunny felt bad for the Hooligans for they failed attempt to find Aubrey.
"We even tried to open a missing person case but I'm not even going to bother explaining how it all went... since in the end it was the same result, and it pains me to say this but in the end we just gave up on searching... and they're gone months since then"
"I'm really sorry Kim"
"I just still don't get it, what happened before that day Aubrey's mother's body was found?"
Suddenly realization hit Sunny, it all made sense… Aubrey's rage, her unfortunate meeting with Basil, the argument with Kim, the death of her mother and her sudden disappearance… no strings attached he spoke his thoughts.
"she ran away"
"Well that's obvious-"
“No Kim…it's more than that”
"... … What do you mean?"
"I... I think Aubrey killed her own mother."
"WHAT!?... WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT SUNNY!?"
"I don't want to be right either Kim but there are no more explanations... just think about it for a moment, it couldn't have been a thief since he would have fled if he was found out, Aubrey was too angry after that day in the hospital and between the meeting with Basil and the argument she had with you could have fueled her anger more and then there is what your father said about those noises coming from Aubrey's house, she surely had an outburst against her mother and things got worse until Aubrey killed her …and call me crazy if you want but I don't think it was intentional and if is the case then that patrol wouldn't have go to her house, I think Aubrey called for help but she was terrified by what she did…I mean…she killed her mother by mistake in a fit of anger… that is the reason why she fled from Faraway”
Kim wanted to headbutt Sunny so he would stop saying all that but she couldn't, instead she just analyzed everything Sunny said and she hated to admit it…he was right about everything.
“Shit, that never crossed my mind all this time…it sounds crazy but it makes sense but still… fuck.”
“...”
"I wish I had insisted more on the search for her back then but...... [sighs] it is more than certain that there are no clues to her whereabouts, I just hope that wherever she is she is fine"
"... I hope she found a place where she can be happy" A wishful but pious wish from Sunny , it was better to think than to have multiple scenarios in his head where she is having a hard time.
Sunny got up from the bench, he had had enough of all this…he just wants to go where he plans to go but he was stopped when Kim grabbed his forearm and stared at him.
"I don't like to ask people personal questions but... was all of that true?... was that incident how it happened?"
"... yes unfortunately"
"It was just an accident right?"
"Do you seriously think that I would kill my own sister on purpose?... her death was more than enough to leave me locked up for 4 years rotting in my house in denial of what happened... I never hurt her but in the end because of my mistake she is not here anymore"
"And what about what Basil did?"
"To be honest I still don't know what he was thinking back then, although who the hell would think sanely in that situation... and that tormented him in those 4 years, in the end I wasn't the only one who screwed up in a big way"
“...”
"Tell me how did Aubrey tell you the truth?"
“Heh, no offense to you Sunny… but she portrayed you as a murderer for taking the life of Mari whom she admired as a sister and being the cause of her miserable life, and Basil as a sick man for hanging her up and making her believe a lie for 4 years. And if she were to see you two again, she would personally make you two pay for ruining everything."
"Oh... I see"
Sunny couldn't hide his annoyance, it was very unfair as all the progress she showed before the night he stopped Basil from committing suicide went to hell after telling the truth and relapsed again and worse than before, it was really necessary demonize him and Basil like that?... did she want to motivate the hooligans to support her in a personal vendetta?.
"Damnit Aubrey" was the only response in Sunny's mind to how she took herself after the hospital.
"I think I've said it before but I'll say it again to be very clear between you and me, I never took how she told all that very seriously and I only attributed it to the fact that she was simply too angry to speak correctly for not saying that she was just exaggerating… and now that I look at you again… I just see the same nerd I saw back then who caused trouble for me and my brother at the candy store and also the one who sprayed me and my gang with pepper spray ”
Oh right… that fight at the lake.
"And also... the same nerd who managed to get my friend out of her house and prevent her from locking herself... just like you"
Sunny wanted to object on that part, it was actually Hero who managed to convince her to come out... if he and Kel had gone to her house alone, it's more than certain that she would have thrown them out by force, but he decided it was better not to say anything.
"Seeing you and Basil as the monsters that she made us believe is really stupid... shit, I'm not even able to imagine that could happen to me too, I don't think I can stand it, much less for the same time that you did"
"You... don't you hate me?"
"OBVIOUSLY NO, NERD"
Sunny could feel a wave of relief and in turn… happiness, he really feared that if anyone else knew the truth other than his friends or family he would end up being hated… but Kim of all people is telling him to his face that she doesn't hate him for taking someone's life (knowing it was accidental) and also showing some understanding for what he dealt with. And he naturally began to form a smile on his face that radiated the same aura of relief as the one he formed upon seeing Basil wake up after finally getting that dark secret off his chest.
"Thank you, Kim."
Kim dropped Sunny's forearm ipso facto, she wasn't ready for this…that face…god, she's seen many people smile in her life but this was the first time she'd seen such a pure smile outlined by the boy she thought he had no emotions… now he's smiling at her.
"Emm Kim are you okay?... you haven't said anything for a while"
"Eh?... oh sorry it's just that you surprised me, I didn't expect you to be so happy because of what I said"
Sunny didn't know what to say about it so he just scratched the back of his head and then saw Kim get up from the bench as well.
"Well I really liked chatting with you for a while but I have to go, today I plan to take home a nice batch of sweets"
"I think it's become a habit of yours to steal candy from that store Kim."
"Well, I'm not afraid of being on Santa's naughty list... since I've been on that list all my life"
Sunny chuckled slightly at Kim's response.
"Bye Sunny, have a good day" Kim finally went straight to OTHERMART and on the way she let out a sigh, she thought things over more carefully it was just unfortunate... how could Aubrey think so badly of someone like him? ..and thinking back to what she did just added a nasty touch of irony, in retrospect what she did to her mother that also makes her a murderer and wouldn't make her any better than Sunny or Basil… life sure does it has very cruel setbacks.
"Forget it Kim, you did what you could but there's nothing more that can be done" With that thought she entered OTHERMART, maybe doing this habit of hers as Sunny says will help her forget the past.
Sunny was alone in the park again, immersed in his thoughts about the talk with Kim, it was sad that not even her with the help of the other Hooligans could find Aubrey and he also felt sorry for her for going through something similar to what he faced... but much worse and with such a tragic outcome.
Then he saw those swings, in them he always hung out with Aubrey listening to her for long moments talking about whatever... especially about her problems, then he remembered the day before he moved in when he hung out again on those same swings with her but she was no longer the same Aubrey that he knew in the past... really, the incident and time made her change a lot.
"I hope you're okay... wherever you are" the last sentence Sunny said before leaving the park without looking back at those old swings.
Sunny was finally free to resume his way to the place he wanted to go and that was the Faraway cemetery, no need to delve into why he wanted to go there, the last time he was there he had a last picnic with his ex-friends in tribute to Mari... but now he had time to be with her.
When he got to the church he noticed that it was still open and when he entered he noticed that the place was empty, it was something strange considering the month they were in, he went to the door that led to the cemetery and it was also open.
“Maybe the preacher went out for a while and that's why the church is open but at the same time alone... if it should be that” Sunny thought before opening the door and going to the cemetery.
When he arrived he noticed that the caretaker of the cemetery was not there either, all this was already strange. First the preacher is not there, nor is the caretaker of the cemetery, and even so, the church is open.
"Isn't the old man here either?... maybe he isn't working with the cold weather and is taking a break" One attempt at a logical explanation after another for this situation but it didn't take long for Sunny to pay no more attention to detail and continued his way quickly.
He finally arrived, he's back standing in front of her after being absent for so long… Mari… or at least her tombstone.
"Hello sister... long time no see" Sunny sat on the ground with his legs crossed and near the tombstone
“...”
“Really this place is quiet and lonely now that I realize it”
“...”
[Sigh] “I… I'm really sorry for what I did, I know it's been a while since then and I've accepted it and I'm trying to move on with my life but I still can't just forget it and pretend everything's alright… either that things will go back to the way they were before… it is simply impossible”
“...”
“I've been improving my physical health and well…I don't look like a 'pale wraith' anymore, I've also been getting out a bit more even though the city is huge and much more active than Faraway to explore…sometimes I feel like I'm safer in lockdown ”
“...”
"I haven't made any new friends yet...it's...complicated since well..."
“...”
Sunny's hands trembled and not because of the cold... but because of the repressed courage that he had for saying what he really felt to Mari, he just wanted to say that everything is fine... but some things said the opposite.
[grunt] “Tch who am I kidding? I really miss you all even now"
“...”
“I feel lonely all the time like in the past but the difference is that that dark secret that I kept and Basil was also confessed… and of course things didn't turn out as well as expected”
“...”
[chuckle] “It's like a sick joke, I don't see my friends for 4 years after the incident and then we started meeting in 3 days only to break up again… and it all started and ended because of me”
“...”
"Although I thought that this was what I deserved for not having told the truth much earlier, if only I had been stronger, maybe things would not have ended like this... but it's done"
“...”
“When I was about to leave Faraway no one came to say goodbye to me, obviously who would after releasing that revelation in their faces?… not even Basil, when my mother found out what Basil did to me she just got mad at him and I tried to explain what happened but Basil just accepted the scolding… it was obvious he felt bad for stabbing me in the eye and then my mother said she didn't want him near me and Basil listened to the warning, I guess that was it too his form of punishment for what he did but it's still very unfair."
“...”
“And like I said, I spent the next few months trying to recover but not a day has gone by that I don't think about others thinking that maybe they would do better since they wouldn't have to blame themselves for your death… I don't care if they blamed me, even though it was an accident… although that was my fault since accidents don't happen by themselves”
“...”
"Then I tried to convince my mother to let me go back to Faraway at least for a day and well here I am"
“...”
"And it wasn't long before i arrived in this town only to receive the news from Cris that Kel and Hero left Faraway for the remainder of this month until next year."
“...”
"Look, I don't have a problem with that and it's also Hero and Kel… I'm sure they'll be fine even if we're not together like in the past"
“...”
“And…then I talked to Polly about Basil and…I don't know what to think about that, I don't trust Basil's parents since they were never there for him even before the incident, I haven't even seen them in person and just shortly after i'm leaving they come and take him away from here?... hmph, how convenient of them of those two, I just hope he's okay”
“...”
"Aubrey... god where to start, her reaction to the confession was so much more volatile that Kel had to force her out as it looked like she was about to jump on me or Basil and beat us to shreds, all the progress that we had done went to the trash that day”
“...”
"And then I find out from Kim and his father that not only did she intimidate Basil again to the point that she physically assaulted him in front of you, but she also made the same mistake that I made by taking someone's life and who else than her own mother and then fled from Faraway to who knows where”
“...”
“I STILL HARD TO BELIEVE IT YOU KNOW, this is just horrible, how could that have happened to her? And all of this happened not long after i moved…just…why?
“...”
“… …I really was a delusional in thinking that things would start to go well after confessing the truth but it seems that it is not so. I never wanted this and it still happened and there's nothing I can do to change it... and I hate feeling this way."
“...”
“I know that all you wanted for me is to forgive myself for what I did and move on but it's not easy with all this and…it feels absurd, is that all? I forgive only myself and leave everyone behind like I did before but now they know the truth that everything was ruined because of me and like a fool I think everyone is better now just to know that and again I was wrong and now we are further apart than before? What a story of mine”
“...”
“…It hurts to say this but…I just want you all back, I want Kel being Kel and having fun going to HOBBEEZ, I want Basil back talking about plants and making those flower crowns, I want Hero back cooking your delicious dishes to all of us, I want Aubrey back and to hear her talk on the swings like we used to and help her properly and…I want you back…I really miss you.”
"..."
There was only silence during all the talk that Sunny had with Mari, he wanted an answer like that time he saw her at the piano… or at least her “ghost” or like that time in his dreams with her leaving in a bit of a way angelic. But all he got was the unchanging silence of her tombstone, no visions of her or her ghost to give him a reassuring answer… really what was he thinking? after all.
Dead people do not speak.
"Heh, I'm really sorry to be so pessimistic with you, originally I was thinking of just saying hello and apologizing to you but... I really needed to tell you all of this."
Then Sunny noticed that it was a bit dark and looked at the sky to notice that it was starting to darken, how much time passed between the talks he had before coming to the cemetery and how long since he got here?
"I have to go Mari, maybe i can visit you next time if i manages to convince my mother like I did before... I love you sister"
Sunny got up from the ground and began to walk, but not before taking a last look at his sister's tombstone and then he saw something that he had seen before... that monument, the symbol of Faraway Town.
He couldn't quite remember the details about this monument except for what it represented.
"A gateway to a better life" Sunny remembered it, then he felt that memories came to him about that same monument but in the lake where he almost drowned twice, if it weren't for Mari and some time later Hero, he might not be here... not be here here.
The darkest part of his mind began to play with him along with the most sensitive part of his psyche, "A gateway to a better life" for Sunny the only better life he could wish for would be one where nothing he went through would ever be nothing happened, no harrowing violin practice trying to be "perfect", no argument with his sister that ended in tragedy, all together as it should have been... but then the darkest part of his mind reminded him of the day when he was close to dying if it weren't for his sister and it made him think "What if I had died that day?"
Thinking that was terrible but he didn't stop to delve a little deeper into that hideous scenario, of course Mari's death hurt everyone significantly but what if he had died instead would it really have the same impact? Obviously his sister would be devastated but still she would be alive and have Hero who would do anything to help her move on after his death, then he thought of the others… Kel, Basil and Aubrey.
If Kel was able to move on after Mari's death it's likely that he could do the same if he had died, Aubrey probably wouldn't have degraded herself so much since Mari would still be alive and to be honest she was one of the main reasons of why she was happy since Mari was like an older sister figure who offered that affection that her family never gave her… and what did he have to offer? just being her listener when she wants to talk about her problems and nothing more, now that he thinks about it she never returned the favor and that was better reflected when she never bothered to knock on his door during those four years and apparently she was able to carry on without him... maybe it's the same case if he had died, only this time she would try to help Mari in any way she can, then there's Basil... it really was a troublesome case, out of everyone in the gang he just got together with Sunny because they both shared the same traits of being shy and not very sociable... of course Basil met with the others but not to the same degree as with Sunny which made it clear that if he died it is more than likely that Basil will suffer a great shock ... but he would have the others to help him, it's impossible for Sunny to be worth more than 4 people like Kel, Aubrey, Hero and Mari in terms of friendships... it's just ridiculous at best It stands to reason that Basil will be able to move on without him sooner rather than later.
All together again like before… his sister alive instead of him, it was strange to think of these two things in front of this monument… it's like having two wishes that are opposed to each other and him standing in a wishing fountain in the shape of a monument waiting for one of the two to be fulfilled... or both, as silly as it sounded, that was the way he felt now.
Little by little, he felt an urge to go back to that lake and the more he looked at the monument, the stronger that feeling became and turning his gaze away didn't help at all, he couldn't take it anymore so he left there quickly but the feeling did not go His attention was such that he felt that he didn't notice that he was already outside the church and that the preacher had already returned but he couldn't say anything to Sunny as he left quickly.
Sunny felt that her body was on automatic pilot as he took the route back to the park and went towards the path that leads to the lake, night was close to reaching Faraway Town and Sunny was in the place where he used to go with his friends... and also the place where he almost died.
The place was the same as the last time he was here… except that there was something strange about the monument in the middle of the lake, its center was dark as if the light was being absorbed and for some reason it felt like it was inviting him in. Over there.
Sunny thought at first that maybe his mind is playing tricks on him again so he resorted to his old routine of CALM DOWN, FOCUS and PERSIST but nothing changed, then he thought of going around the place to see the monument from different angles and it was all the same... that strange darkness did not disappear.
"This is real?" Sunny said with an air of fear, the cold would not be able to cause the chills that he felt in this situation... his obsession with passing through that monument did not help either.
How would he get there anyway? he may have gotten over his fear of drowning but that didn't mean he could swim well to where the statue is... he was more than sure he would sink halfway, luckily for him the lake was frozen but it wasn't reason enough to Trust, if the ice were to break apart from running the risk of sinking, he would suffer the mother of hypothermia and more than sure he will not be able to move due to the cold and this time there will be no Marí or Hero to save his skin.
But his desire won over his common sense, so in a reckless act he slowly got off the bridge stepping on the frozen lake and luckily the ice did not break, Sunny was standing on a frozen lake that although it was not big it was not It needed to be safe, so he began to walk slowly, paying attention if any cracks formed... but he couldn't be very patient and it would soon be night.
CRACK
Sunny heard the ice breaking under his shoe and saw a hole the same size as his foot form, his fear was true this lake was not as frozen as it appeared to be.
Quickly and carefully he resumed his slow walk.
CRACK
Another tear but this time it's a small one
CRACK
It went like that for a while, one break after another and avoiding the biggest ones but he kept going and was only a few steps away from reaching the monument.
"I've finally arrived" Sunny was relieved to finally reach the monument, that was perhaps the stupidest action he had ever done after the incident but he was finally here.
Being face to face with the strange darkness of the monument was chilling but at the same time… intriguing, Sunny no longer wanted to ignore this event but rather wanted to see what happened next, one step after another and he began to pass through the statue and Sunny disappeared into the darkness.
No one, not even Sunny himself, noticed that that darkness disappeared as soon as he left and the old monument began to collapse in on itself, leaving only a pile of rubble.
Sunny kept walking in the middle of a darkness that seemed to have no end until he finally saw something… is it… the cemetery?
"But what-" before he could finish that sentence in his mind Sunny fell to the ground and quickly got up and indeed... he was now in the cemetery and it was night.
"But what was all that?" Sunny was confused like never before in his life, then he looked around and saw something different, his sister's tombstone had a different design and it was also a little smaller... that caught his attention quickly and he went straight there but the more he got As I got closer I noticed a message on the tombstone and also… a name.
Our dear Sunny
The sky was always clear when he was here
"... … What?" Sunny fell to his knees at what he was seeing... this... this is his tombstone, but how is this possible when Mari's tombstone should be here? Was this some kind of cruel joke against him?... not that is no possible since none of his ex-friends would be rude enough to do this, then he remembered the monument and connected the dots as absurd as it sounded.
"All of that really happened" Sunny said looking at the ground holding back a maniacal laugh at such an absurd situation in which he is now involved, it felt like a dream... more like a nightmare but it wasn't like that, all this is real and if he is the one that is buried in the same place where Mari should be… that means that she is alive.
His wish... came true.
"What are you doing here?" Sunny got up quickly and just as quickly he turned to look at where that voice came from, that voice was Aubrey's there was no doubt about it, during that period of time Aubrey's memories before and after the confession invaded his mind... but all of that came to an abrupt stop when he saw her.
Obviously she was wearing clothes for the cold but other than that he saw something else, she wasn't wearing her contact lenses nor was she wearing the spiked bat, her hair was pink, and her expression instead of anger at him... was more of an expression of confusion and bewilderment.
"Aubrey?" Sunny asked to which the pink haired girl stiffened upon hearing it.
"W-Who are you and how do you know my name?"
"Aubrey...it's me Sunny"
The pink-haired girl laughed at Sunny's answer but her nervousness was evident in her laughter.
"Nice try asshole but just so you know that's the name of a dear friend of mine who's been dead a long time"
"... ... Do you really think I'm not that friend of yours?"
"Unless the dead can come back from the grave I don't believe shit unless you prove to me you're the one"
The pink haired girl was gathering all the mettle she had but deep down she felt like she was about to lose her mind, a boy who looks exactly like Sunny except for his age and eyepatch was standing in front of her in the cemetery, what was once an attempted nocturnal visit to his tombstone now became something out of a movie, a part of her wanted to punch this asshole for using the name of what was once a dear person to her… it doesn't matter if his resemblance to him is the same, but another part of her wished that what this boy said was true and that he really is Sunny in the flesh… all that was left was for this stranger to speak.
Sunny knew what he had to say... although he ran the risk that this Aubrey might not believe him but well here we go.
"Do you remember the first time we met? Me and my sister Mari, Hero and Kel helped you find a lost shoe... I was the one who found it and gave it to you... you were very happy at that moment"
Sunny saw the pink-haired girl staring at him with a stunned face…maybe this is working.
"Also the day you introduced us to Basil?, thanks to you I got my best friend who loves plants and the one who always took photos of us for an album... it was full of good memories"
"..." The pink-haired girl simply fell silent listening to the stranger.
"Also in this same month when it was Christmas, you and the others worked hard to get that violin as a gift for me... you remember right?"
“...”
"Oh, do you also remember the day you said that you and Mari were planning to dye your hair? Kel made fun of you when you said you were planning to dye your hair pink and then you called him 'gross color'...before that you asked me if That color suited you well and I said yes… heh I was right, pink really suits you perfectly”
“...”
Sunny was holding his nerves seeing that Aubrey didn't say anything but he didn't plan on stopping… there was still something else left.
"Do you remember when you and I used to hang out on the swings? You always talked to me for hours while I listened to you... you also talked to me about your problems at home and-"
"Enough"
The pink-haired girl interrupted, Sunny tensed in response... was it too much? Will she believe everything he said?... everything he said were the memories he had with everyone and her, it can't be possible that she doesn't believe anything he said.
Then he saw Aubrey begin to walk slowly towards him, the gaze of her without those contacts much more intimidating than with them on, when she was only a step away from him she began to raise her arms.
"Well I guess that's it" Sunny thought Aubrey was about to hurt him but instead she just put both hands on his face and looked to him.
Neither of them said anything, they only held eye contact for a few seconds when Aubrey finally spoke.
"Sunny?...is it really you?"
"... Yes, it's me"
Sunny noticed that Aubrey wouldn't stop looking at him closely…or so he thought when suddenly she began to fall in on herself as if she were a rag doll, Sunny quickly grabbed her before she hit the ground.
"Aubrey?...Aubrey are you alright!?...answer me"
She didn't answer and instead he noticed that her eyes were closed, then he began to understand what happened to her.
"She just passed out?" Sunny thought, well, it was to be expected since... it was official... he's dead and he's been dead for a long time and now he appears out of nowhere in front of her... who wouldn't end up like this?, but then he quickly realized a detail... she thinks he's the Sunny who died here who came back from the dead, still he couldn't explain the whole story to her and maybe won't at the moment.
"I just hope you still live in that house, Aubrey" Sunny picked her up and carried her on his back... he may have recovered from his malnutrition but that didn't mean he had all his strength, he was still weak but that wasn't going to stop him from leaving with her… either that or staying here freezing to death next to an Aubrey passed out in a graveyard.
"Okay here we go." Sunny was ready to get out of this place and hoped Aubrey would come to her senses soon.
This is going to be a long night.