Chapter Text
Mari had been a perfectionist for as long as she could remember. Ever since young childhood, she had always aspired to be the best at everything she did. It made her feel adequate. As long as she could please her parents, everything would be okay.
Get straight A’s. Be a good older sister. Do every extracurricular activity you can. Those pressures plagued her mind. If she wasn’t as good as she could be, her parents would be disappointed. She would be alienated. She could not let that happen.
So Mari worked herself. She would cram overnight, spending hours upon hours in that piano room. It doubled as a study area. If she made too much noise, it could wake Sunny. That wouldn’t be okay. Her parents would be disappointed. So, she continued throughout the nights, working herself to the point of complete exhaustion in that room.
It would all be worth it. It would all be okay. She just had to keep pulling through. Her little brother would be happy. Her parents would be proud. Her cat, Mewo, would be her emotional support buddy.
And it stayed like that. To keep a front around Sunny, to pretend not to be on the verge of passing out. The summers were easier, though, and she got better quality sleep during them. Living up to the expectations, however, still wasn’t easy. She grew into a habit of opening the family piano and quietly fingering some of the keys. Maybe it would become a hobby she could enjoy. It eventually did, going from fingering some notes to playing them. Nobody else was using the piano, so Mari could use it as her own. Sometimes, even Sunny would start to watch. She wanted to become as talented as possible at it.
She got used to it. Wake up, have breakfast, play piano, spend a bit of time playing with Sunny, have lunch, spend time outside, have dinner, study, and try to get some sleep. That was her summer schedule. During school years, Mari had much less time to get things done, mostly focused on school studies.
The monotony of everyday life continued for several years, until she met a person named Hero one day. She hadn’t had any friends but Sunny and Mewo beforehand, and was surprised when greeted.
Mari and Hero became good friends, and she eventually met his younger brother, Kel. Next, she would introduce Sunny to the two, Then they would find Aubrey crying on a sidewalk. They comforted her, and she became part of the group. Finally, they met Basil. Before Mari knew it, she was in a group of six friends.
Eventually, Mari started to like Hero in secret. He seemed to like her, too. Being able to finally talk about her stresses felt amazing, as if a gigantic weight was lifted off of her shoulders. It gave her a sense of solace, finally feeling like maybe, just maybe, her work had been worth it.
Mari, Sunny and her friends convinced her father to build a treehouse for them to hang out in over the summer. Everything was finally okay. She would continue to improve at piano, and she was even offered to play in recitals. Her parents were proud at last.
One day she noticed that Sunny was playing with his old violin, which was too small for him. That gave Mari an idea: What if she got Sunny a new violin for Christmas? It would be difficult, but possible! For months, she and her friends saved up to buy a high quality violin for him.
By Christmas, they had it ordered and ready. It was time at last. As Sunny opened his present, they all anticipated his reaction. What if he didn’t like it? Sunny played a signature note. He, surprisingly, seemed to look the most nervous out of them all. To their relief, he liked the gift. And in that moment, Mari felt like everything would be okay. Like it would all work out. For the first time in years… She felt at peace. But… all good things must come to an end.
When Mari was offered a recital part about a month after Christmas, she didn’t think much of it. Just another recital she could impress others with. How naive she was. This was, in fact, not another simple, easy recital. No matter what, she couldn’t get the song right. But she wouldn’t give up. That would disappoint her parents. She had to keep going with it.
Unconsciously, Mari started putting less and less time into Sunny and her friends, focusing hours and hours every day to get it right. The callouses in her hands got worse and worse. And then, one day, Sunny walked into the piano room. He begged her to let him play with her. She agreed to let him into the recital with her, yet in her mind, she worried that they wouldn’t get it in time as a duet.
She began to teach him the song, trying to put in even more hours to make it work out. It would be worth it. They would make it perfect. It had to be PERFECT. Days turned into weeks which turned into months until the recital was just a day away.
They were so close, but Sunny just wouldn’t cease to mess up this one part. They needed a bit more time… Maybe if they just pulled an all-nighter to get it done… But no, that’s too far. It wouldn’t be fair to him.
She didn’t get sleep that night, worrying about the following day’s recital. If they only had a bit more time… It’s okay. They would get it. Everything would be okay.
Then, it was the day of the recital. Everyone had been out of the house, getting haircuts, buying clothes, and hanging out- everyone except for Sunny and Mari.
For hours, they practiced, but Sunny wouldn’t get it. What was wrong? Why was he being held back from perfection? They were so close. So very close. So why-
Sunny gave up. They were mere hours away from the recital, and Sunny gave up. What was he doing? They had put so much effort into this! She chased him out of the room and up the stairs, where a heated arguement took place. And… Sunny threw his own violin down the stairs, shattering it into pieces.
…
…
…
Mari was blinded by rage. Every bit of her was filled with unwaverable fury. She wasn’t thinking when she jumped in front of him and slapped him right across the face.
What… No, she didn’t mean to do that. Why had she… Why? But, before she could apologize, he had already pushed her away. Down the steps of the stairs. A sharp pain in her neck… and then blackness. Void. Everything around her fades from view. But… she was conscious. Kind of. Like a lucid dream. But you can control lucid dreams. She felt trapped and alone. Unable to escape from the darkness. For what felt like hours, or days, or weeks… Maybe years. Until… she felt an unfamiliar sensation. Indescribable.
The next thing she knew, she was awake. Staring at the ceiling, like she would waking up from just another night’s sleep. However, instead of it being dawn, like when she usually wakes… It looked to be late afternoon. She would be rushing to get up, usually, but wasn’t it too late?
Sunny threw his violin down the stairs… And pushed her down the stairs. It must have knocked her out. He did have a good reason to push her, though. She slapped him. Why did she slap him? Because of a violin? What was wrong with her? She felt horrible.
She needed to get up and apologize. “Sunny?” Mari called out to him. No response was given. She stood up and observed her surroundings, then looked down. Sunny was on the floor, curled up into a ball. In front of him, Basil sat. What was he doing here? “Basil? Sunny?” They couldn’t hear her. Were they just focused? No, that couldn’t be it. So, what’s going on? Why… can’t they hear her?
Then, she looked back onto her bed. What the… Mari was staring at her own body. No. This can’t be real. It’s not. It’s just a dream. Yeah, today was just a dream. I’ll wake up soon, and it will all be okay.
But she didn’t wake up. This wasn’t a dream. She was dead. And she would never be able to apologize for her actions. Never.
Mari had been a perfectionist for as long as she could remember,
and that trait led to her very demise.