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Aubrey stood right in front of her locker, bare feet neatly planted in the ground, right next to each other. She stood tall, keeping her shoulders up, making sure not to slouch. In her hands was a letter, tightly sealed in a cute pink envelope, with an even cuter heart sticker being what kept that letter closed up. She held the letter against her chest, doing her best not to accidentally crumple it up a little with how excited she was. It took her all to keep herself from bursting.
She was waiting for someone.
Waiting for that special someone she could finally confess her feelings towards.
She didn’t know how long she was waiting here for. A long while, at the least. Actually, it’s all she could remember doing. She’d been waiting all day…Not that it was a problem or anything; she liked waiting. The more waiting she did, the more excited she got. She knew for sure that her crush would accept her feelings, after all. Why wouldn’t he? She’s adorable, she’s spunky, she’s his best friend—
She thinks she’s his best friend. She is, if knowing who he was when it looked like he didn’t have any other friends counts as being his friend. Being someone’s only friend means you’re immediately that someone’s best friend, right? Right.
Who is this special someone of hers, anyway? It’s Omori, of course! She always loved him, right from the start. His cute face, his cuter shy demeanor, his awesome bravery…What else was there to him, again? Ah, who cares? Omori’s the coolest person Aubrey knew, and that’s what mattered!
There were plenty of reasons to like him. If Aubrey couldn’t think of many, then that’s just because there’s too many reasons to count.
Aubrey just had to confess to him at some point. She’d probably explode if she didn’t.
All she had to do was wait, and soon enough, she’ll get them all out.
Just gotta wait…
…
And wait…
…
And wait…
…
Gee, what’s taking Omori so long? He can’t keep her waiting forever! Was his class going to last all day or something?
Or…Or was he actually absent today? Oh, no, maybe he didn’t want to come to school that day! Maybe he was cutting class, or worse, he left early. And if he did either of those things, then there’s no way Aubrey would get to see him, and if Aubrey wouldn’t get to see him, then she wouldn’t be able to confess, and if she wouldn’t get to confess, then—
This would be a most horrendous disaster.
She couldn’t let this happen! She had to tell him one way or another, and if he’s not here…she’d have to find him herself! That’s all!
Right, all she had to do was take a step out of her spot and get moving. Just…one…step…
Aubrey tried lifting her foot off the ground. It didn’t move. She tried with the other foot. No dice.
She tried hopping. Nothing.
She couldn’t move from her spot. She was frozen, stuck to the ground.
Why didn’t that weird her out as much as it should?
She should be panicking; if she’s stuck, she couldn’t go home at the end of the day. Did she even have a home? Whatever, home didn’t matter that much, Omori did. She couldn’t find Omori if she was stuck!
(But she had to wait.)
She had to find him one way or another.
(Waiting was her role.)
How else would she be able to confess?
(She couldn’t leave that role.)
Why couldn’t she move?
(It’s what she was made to do.)
…
…
…
Oh, well.
She could wait all day and night for him. As long as he’d eventually arrive. She held onto hope that he would.
All she had to do was wait.
…
And wait…
…
And wait…
…
Tap, tap, tap.
Aubrey heard the sound of footsteps coming from nearby. Small, light, quiet footsteps, with not a word coming out of who they belonged to.
Just like Omori’s.
It was him! He did come over, just like she hoped!
Strangely, there was some commotion coming from nearby. Not from the owner of those footsteps, but rather Aubrey’s classmates. Namely Aubrey, who was making a huge fuss out of Omori coming by. And there was also Aubrey, who complained a whole lot for no reason. Aubrey, too; she was really riled up for some reason.
Huh, she had a lot of classmates named Aubrey—
(Stick to your role.)
Why were they making so much noise? Was Omori coming by that big a deal? He was wonderful, yeah, but that’s no reason to cause a fuss.
Wait.
Did Aubrey and the others want to confess to him, too? Oh, no, did they want Omori to go out with one of them!? That can’t be; Aubrey was going to be the one to confess to him that day!
The quiet footsteps picked up their pace, Aubrey noticed.
He’ll get to her, at this rate.
Ha! Of course he’d ignore the others, she thought to herself with a smirk. I’m the best option out of us here, after all!
She stood there, growing more excited with every step she heard…
Tap…
Oh, gosh, what should she say?
Tap…
Maybe she should just shove the letter in front of him and hope he’d read it in front of her. That’ll work, right?
Tap…
Or maybe she could read the letter out to him herself.
Tap…
Actually, she should just ask him out!
Tap.
“Aubrey…?”
There he is—!
“Omori!” Aubrey shouted, shoving her love letter into the chest of the boy in front of her, her gaze fixated on the floor. “Um—Please go out with me—No, wait—Accept my love letter—No, um—Let’s hang out today!”
“...Um…”
She could feel her face going red with embarrassment. Way to go, Aubrey. Totally didn’t blow it there. How’s he gonna accept her feelings now, with a display like that? Geez, with the composure she had, she wouldn’t have had any chances with Omori in the first place, especially with his feet right in front of her…
…Wait a minute.
Those aren’t Omori’s black socks.
Those are bare feet.
…
That’s not Omori.
Not at all.
Aubrey’s head shot back up, practically retracting her unaccepted love letter back to her own chest. Her expression contorted into that of confusion, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the unfamiliar face in front of her.
He was still a boy, yes, but nothing like old monochrome Omori. Instead, who Aubrey was staring in the face was a boy just as colorful as she was, with green hair to match his equally as green eyes. He wore a smile, albeit a crooked one, as he stared back at her with an equal amount of confusion.
“Who…” she murmured, narrowing her eyes. “Who are you?”
The boy blinked, waiting a moment before answering, as if she’d remember his face within that moment.
“...So you don’t recognize me either, huh…” he said, his smile faltering. “Just my luck…”
He did look familiar—
(No, he didn’t.)
No, he didn’t.
Aubrey had not once seen this boy’s face in her life. Nope.
No wonder her classmates caused such a ruckus. They were waiting for Omori and ended up with whoever this guy is. She did feel pretty bad for him, though. He looked like he was lost. Maybe he was looking for someone or something?
“Um…My name is Basil,” the boy spoke, his smile returning as he put a hand out for her to shake. “It’s…nice to meet you.”
Aubrey reluctantly shook Basil’s hand, her suspicious expression remaining the same. “Aubrey..”
“I know…”
He knew her name!? Already? How? Why?
“You’re pretty nice compared to those other Aubreys here, hehe…”
Other Aubreys? As in, her classmates? Oh, yeah, it was pretty weird that they’re all named Aubrey…
…But that’s not something for Aubrey to worry about. Of course she’s nice compared to them! She’s actually not making noise like the rest of them are. Aubrey has standards.
“Hey, do you know Omori?”
Aubrey perked up, hearing the name of her friend.
“He’s my best friend. I’ve been looking for him. I got pretty lost and ended up here, though…” Basil explained. So Basil was actually Omori’s best friend, and Aubrey wasn’t? Ouch. “Have you seen him?”
Surely she’d have known about Basil if he was so close to Omori. So why didn’t she?
“He shouldn’t be hard to miss. Black hair, white skin, striped shorts…”
Unless he’s lying.
“Prove it.”
“Huh?”
Aubrey pointed a finger at the boy in front of her. “Prove to me that you’re Omori’s best friend!”
If this Basil really was so close to the Omori she loved so much, then surely he’d have proof of it. Otherwise, he’s just some liar who doesn’t know a thing!
“O-Oh! Um…” Basil stammered, his hands fumbling around, reaching into his overalls’ pockets. “I should have something…”
Aubrey watched as he pulled a photo out of his pocket, showing it to her.
“Here!”
Sure enough, Omori was front and center—At least, close to front and center. The photo was blurry, accidentally taken with a shaky camera. Right beside Omori was Aubrey herself, which didn’t surprise her. What did surprise her, however, were the other two children in the shot: Two other boys she didn’t recognize.
No, wait, they did look familiar—
(No, they didn’t.)
No, they didn’t.
“I-I took this photo,” Basil said. “That’s proof enough, right…?”
“Hmm…” Aubrey hummed, staring at the photo for a second before looking back at Basil.
He didn’t look like the type of person who’d lie. Too meek. Too kind. Too…Basil. Whatever that means.
“Alright, fine,” she said with a huff. “I trust you.”
“Great!” Basil smiled. “So, have you seen Omori anywhere—?”
“Not really.”
That smile faded away as quickly as it appeared.
“Oh…”
He looked so sad…
…
He was looking for Omori. She was waiting for Omori. They both needed Omori for whatever reason.
…
“But if you want, we could look for him together!”
“R-Really!?”
(But she had to wait—)
Aubrey didn’t need to wait anymore.
“Yeah, really! I was waiting for him here, so…If he’s not here, we can both go find him!”
She could find Omori herself. She was sure of it.
(But she had a role—)
She took a step forward, approaching Basil with her own determined smile.
(She had to—)
“What do you say?” she asked, dropping her love letter onto the floor beneath her.
(She had—)
“I…I’d love to!” Basil returned her smile with his own, far less crooked and genuinely more joyful this time.
“Well, what are you waiting for, then?” Aubrey grabbed his wrist, dashing towards the hallway’s exit, her feet no longer frozen to the floor. “Let’s go!”
Aubrey took a liking to Basil surprisingly quickly.
At first, she was shocked to see what the outside of her school looked like, while Basil wasn’t nearly as surprised, being used to the sight. She didn’t remember the way home looking pitch black and drab. Wasn’t outside supposed to be more colorful, more lush? There’s supposed to be roads, neighborhoods, buildings, a park…
Instead, there was a mock-up of her classroom—Or what she thought was her classroom. It was a classroom, that was obvious, but was it hers? Yes, it was, what else would it be? No, it wasn’t, why would her classroom look like that?
The only thing she expected to be outside that was actually there were trees—A load of them. Too many of them. Wayyyy too many of them.
What was outside was not a town Aubrey’s school was surrounded by.
It was a forest. A dark and scary one, at that.
Basil was able to keep Aubrey mostly calm as they tread through it, though. His positive attitude and surprising amount of familiarity with the area helped to lift her spirits. He often pointed out the things he’d seen before in the forest; a mirror, for example.
“I’ve been lost here for a while now,” he explained. “So I kind of know my way around.”
Only kind of, though, since he couldn’t figure out how he wandered into Aubrey’s school for the life of him.
There were many twists and turns in the forest; Basil had to keep Aubrey from entering a door or two that led to something terrifying.
“How do you know that?” she asked him.
“I’ve seen it…” he answered.
And somehow he still kept optimistic, despite the horrors. That must’ve rubbed off on Aubrey at some point, as she started to act fairly similar after a certain point. If anything terrifying was to cross their path, she’d smash it to bits with her bat, she’d tell him. Basil laughed at her declaration, reassuring her that nothing’s going to hurt them, though he appreciated the sentiment.
Aubrey wondered, just who exactly is this Basil? Sure, she already knew that he’s apparently a friend of Omori…Not even just a friend; he was Omori’s best friend…but surely there’s other things to know about him, right? Like what he liked to do, what his likes and dislikes are, why Aubrey was in his photo—
(That wasn’t important.)
That wasn’t important.
Actually, what Aubrey really wanted to know was what Basil was doing there. How’d he end up so lost, and in this forest in the first place? His photo made it look like he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere close to there.
So she asked, as the two of them sat down in a random spot. They had been walking and running around for who knows how long. They deserved a break.
“I’m honestly not sure…” Basil spoke, with a weak smile. “One moment I was at home, the next moment I woke up here.”
“Really?” Aubrey tilted her head. “Do you remember what you were doing before that?”
“Sort of. I picked up a photo…But I don’t remember what it looked like.” Basil frowned. “I don’t think I ever took it, though.”
“That’s weird…”
“I’ll say...”
Their conversation ran quiet for a moment before Aubrey spoke up again.
“So…you like taking photos?” she asked out of curiosity.
“Mhm,” Basil nodded. “Back when I had my camera, I did. I mostly took photos of my friends…Especially when they didn't notice me there.”
He sadly smiled.
“Capturing a moment where everyone is living their own lives…It’s special, don’t you think?”
Aubrey couldn’t form a response for a moment. That’s…awfully sweet. Shoot, Basil’s just awfully sweet in general.
Something special about everyone living their own lives…Had she heard something like that before?
(No—)
There was that photo of Basil’s friends together, including Omori…and Aubrey was there, too. It looked as familiar as Basil did. What Basil just said sounded familiar, too.
(That wasn’t—)
It was important.
Something was off.
Something was wrong.
Basil had the answers.
Aubrey just had to get them out of him.
“Um…About that photo you took…” she murmured. “What was I doing in it?”
“Oh! Um…It’s a bit hard to explain…” Basil stammered, nervously tugging at some of his hair. “But…One of my friends—and Omori’s friends, too—is a girl who looks and acts just like you.”
Another Aubrey.
Separate from her.
“...What.”
There were others.
She shouldn’t have been surprised.
“...And she has your name, too…”
So why was she?
She had enough clues about it right at the start.
“You know another me!?” Aubrey exclaimed, swiftly standing back up and staring down at a now shocked Basil.
(It’s not that big a deal.)
But it was.
“I—Uhm—”
Her head hurt. It ached. It pounded. It was like a heartbeat; pounding so much she couldn’t think straight. She felt like her eyes could roll so far back into her head she could see her own brain pulsing, like her own heart.
If she even had one.
“Don’t lie to me! She’s another me, isn’t she?” she shouted, her hands at her side balling into fists, her face contorting into a nasty glare. There were other Aubreys. She wasn’t the only one. She should’ve known this from the start; why didn’t she!? “Just like all my classmates! And—And there are even more, aren’t there!?”
She could feel her knuckles turning more white than they already were. Maybe if she held her fists tight enough, a vein could pop open.
“Aubrey—” Basil stood up, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Please, calm down…”
“How!? How am I supposed to do that!?” Tears welled up in her eyes. Were they even real? “I—I don’t even know if I’m…if I’m the real me…”
She sobbed.
No, her tears didn’t feel real.
She should’ve stuck to her role.
They’re as fake as she was.
(She should’ve stuck to her role.)
Then she wouldn’t be in this mess.
“I don’t know what I am anymore…My classmates…Your friend…” Aubrey tried wiping her tears away, Basil pulling her in for a hug. “I don’t know…I don’t know…”
She cried into Basil’s shoulder, Basil running a hand over her back to comfort her. She shivered in his arms, not from the cold, but her own emotions.
Were her emotions real?
“Even if you’re not the Aubrey I knew…” he spoke in a whisper. “You’re still my friend.”
Friend?
How could she be his friend? She wasn’t his Aubrey. She was just some girl he happened to run into and stick with because she acted nicer than girls who might as well have been clones of her. She was nothing.
And she barely knew him. How long had they been “friends” for? A day? Less? How much time had passed by since they left her school, if it was one? Did time pass by in that forest they were in?
…
Basil really was too nice for his own good.
“You…Are you sure?” Aubrey asked between sobs.
“Mhm,” Basil said, pulling back from his hug to look her in the eye. “I’ll even prove it to you.”
“And how are you going to do that?” Aubrey pouted, choking back a sob.
“We’ll play a game. Just one little game of hide-and-seek. Omori played it with us all the time.” Basil wiped a tear from Aubrey’s eye. “If I don’t find you, let’s say I gave up. If I do, then that means I care enough to look for you, just like how we care enough to look for Omori!”
“And that means…?” Aubrey sniffled.
“And that means I care enough to think you’re my friend.”
But she didn’t deserve to be his friend.
She wasn’t the Aubrey he knew.
So she paused for a second, quietly sniffling, waiting for her tears to stop.
And they did.
And she nodded.
“Okay.”
Aubrey found the best hiding spot she could as Basil counted to a whole hundred. She stood right behind a tree far off from where her school hallway was. Shaking a little, she steadied herself to stop her anticipation from giving herself away.
She didn’t think she’d end up waiting for someone all over again, but she didn’t really mind it. This was a test of her and Basil’s friendship.
…Would that mean the first time she waited was a test of her and Omori’s relationship. She’s waiting on Basil to find her so he could prove his feelings of friendship to her, and she used to wait on Omori to find her so she could prove her own feelings to him…although those feelings were romantic.
Were those feelings real?
Her feelings of despair over what she just learned felt real. Her feelings of friendship toward Basil felt real, as much as she doubted it.
But her feelings of love toward Omori…Those felt more artificial than her own self.
She didn’t have a reason to like him. She barely knew him. Heck, Basil seemed to know him more than she did. The Aubrey he and Omori knew would’ve had more of a chance. Aubrey didn’t feel bothered by that, though. Not at all.
In fact, it was a bit refreshing to know the love she felt for Omori wasn't real at all.
(But she had a—)
No, she didn’t have a role to play anymore.
She had Basil.
Basil was kind. He was sweet. He was caring. He was helpful. He was considerate. He helped her cheer up upon visiting the black forest around them. He kindly told her everything she wanted to know as best he could, even though the truth hurt her. His smile was heart-melting. Those eyes of his silently told her everything was going to be okay.
He was her friend.
…
Her heart pounded thinking about him.
She hoped and prayed he’d find her.
All she had to do was wait, and for good reason this time.
Just wait…
…
And wait…
…
And wait…
…Now that she thought about it, it was really weird that she liked Omori in the first place. She probably never actually met him. Only that other Aubrey did…Omori’s just an enigma.
Speaking of, was that other Aubrey really just like her, as Basil said? Would they get along, if she and Basil found a way out of the forest? Would it be a good idea for them to meet? She didn’t want to replace that Aubrey, but she didn’t want Basil to leave her for that Aubrey, either…
Hmm….She could figure something out later. What mattered at the moment was Basil.
Aubrey believed in him. She was sure he’d find her. Basil wouldn’t give up...He was her friend. Her only friend. Friends don’t leave each other behind. He wouldn’t leave her…
She just had to wait.
And wait she did, for a time. She wasn’t sure how long she stood in the same spot for, but she stood. And waited. Waited for so, so long. She might as well have been frozen to the ground again, with how long she stood for. Just for Basil.
Just for Basil, who wouldn’t show up. Aubrey didn’t hear the sound of his footsteps, nor did she pick up the sound of his soft voice. Surely he’d call out for her, right…?
…Maybe the spot she hid in was just too good. Yeah, that should be it—Aubrey picked such a good hiding spot, Basil wouldn’t be able to find her no matter how hard he tried. It was a huge forest they were in, and there were all sorts of spots he could find her in. She just happened to pick the most obscure one, that’s all.
So Aubrey stepped away from her spot, dashing through the part of the forest she was in to find another one, behind a more visible tree. That should do better, she thought. Basil should be able to find her a whole lot more easily.
She began to wait again.
…
…
…
Still no sign of Basil. Not a sight, not a sound.
Aubrey was starting to get impatient. What was taking him so long? It’s rude to keep a lady waiting, isn’t it? Did he get lost again?
…Did he give up on her?
Was he lying about being her friend?
…
No. He wasn’t. She’s sure of it. Maybe something just happened to him. But if something happened to him, then…
…Then…
…Then Aubrey would just have to find him herself.
She’ll be the seeker this time.
She stepped away from her spot once more, going off in a random direction. Her short repeated steps soon turned into a steady stride, going faster and faster until she began to run. She ran like the wind, scouring every corner of the forest she could, looking through every passage she came across, still making sure to avoid the things Basil told her to avoid.
A corner here, nothing. An open spot there, nothing.
Nothing, nothing nothing.
No sign of Basil.
Geez, where is he!? Aubrey thought, stomping around a circle before sitting herself down.
Did he just up and disappear, or something? Where could Basil have gone…?
She sighed, frustrated. Maybe Basil gave up on her after all. Maybe he was a liar. Maybe he really didn’t care about her. Maybe he actually ditched her.
(Maybe she should go back.)
Maybe…
…No. No, Basil wouldn’t do that!
She shook her head, as if that would clear it.
Get a hold of yourself, Aubrey!
She believed in him. She had to believe in him. Basil’s a good person. She knew they’d eventually find each other. It’s just a game—
Tap.
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of a footstep.
Basil.
It had to be!
Aubrey got up, running toward the sound. It’s him; there’s no way it couldn’t be. The only way it’d be anyone else other than Basil would be if—
“Omori?”
Huh—!?
That voice didn’t lie.
From afar, Aubrey saw them: Basil, standing by a pond, and Omori, approaching him, knife in hand.
She hid behind a nearby tree, peeking out from behind it. Just what was Omori doing here, now of all times? She and Basil were in the middle of a game; why’d he have to interrupt?
“Wow…It really is you!” Basil said, with a smile. “You actually came back for me…”
Omori didn’t respond. His stone-cold expression didn’t change. He only stepped forward.
“Y’know, I didn’t think you’d come by…I’m so relieved…It’s been a long time!”
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“I tried to find my own way out, but this forest is massive. Pretty scary, too!” the flower boy remarked. “And you’re not scared at all…Heh, I wouldn’t expect any less of you!”
She should step in.
Something was stopping her.
“Well…No time to waste. Let’s get goi—”
Before Basil could finish his sentence, Omori pushed him away with his open hand, causing him to stumble back.
“Omori—!?”
And before Aubrey could react, he ran over and shoved him again…
…sending poor Basil into the pond behind him with a splash.
He was gone in an instant.
Aubrey went wide-eyed at the sight of it, a sudden chill going down her spine. She felt sick. Her stomach churned. She wanted to throw up. She wanted to stop Omori. She wanted to run.
But she couldn’t move.
She was frozen again.
She could only watch as Omori casually walked away from the spot, without bothering to look in her direction.
She didn’t move.
She only watched.
Omori disappeared.
...
It’s okay… she thought, trying to comfort herself. It’s a shock that she could even think straight. Maybe Basil could swim out of there.
…
But he didn’t.
No bubbles rose to the surface of the pond’s water.
Basil wasn’t going to get out of there any time soon. Aubrey…Aubrey had to go get him herself.
So she did.
She forced herself to move away from a hiding spot she didn’t have any use for anymore, dragging her feet across the ground, taking long step after long step toward the pond. Once she made it to the edge, she dropped her knees onto said ground at an instant, as if she were exhausted from running earlier. Maybe she was.
It’ll be fine, she thought, dipping her hand into the pitch-black water.
She could save him, she thought, holding in a breath and throwing herself into the pond.
He’ll be okay, she thought, grabbing a limp hand from the bottom of it.
Everything’s going to be okay, she thought, pulling her friend to the surface.
She looked down upon his frozen body, laying it onto the ground beside the pond. His eyes were still open, no life or emotion behind them. It looked like the color completely drained from him. He didn’t make a sound.
It’s…
It’s fine.
(It wasn’t fine.)
She wasn’t tearing up.
(Her throat felt dry.)
She wasn’t going to cry.
(Her lungs burned.)
Her friend was okay.
(She wouldn’t accept it.)
Omori…Omori just made a mistake.
(But that’s okay.)
…Omori…
(She had a role to play, after all.)
…Oh, that’s right!
She was going to write a love letter for Omori that day, wasn’t she?
She should get to that.
And then, when the time comes…she’ll confess to him.
All she’d have to do is wait.