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Chapter Text

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The man falls with a distinct heavy thud to the floor, writhing from the past attack of pain, which felt like it could be described as a vat of magma that was pumped directly into his ruptured veins. His trembling bloody hands find the parquet under them, scratching it, thereby finding a way out in the question of how to move around. His hands are too tired and weak to hold an elderly man in the air, which is why the man has to immediately fall to the ground, landing there with his torn bleeding stomach, from which a dark mixture of blood with fragments of damaged internal tissues flowed in liters.

His stomach, like his chest, was burning. He hadn't eaten for three full days, but that didn't stop him from spewing stomach acid under himself.

Thanks for all these gifts to one person who so good-naturedly helps him get closer to the long-awaited death.

In any case, as soon as his face met the hard surface, the elderly man began to sob uncontrollably, almost screaming in hellish pain, covering the monstrous screams with a numb hand. His blind right eye could no longer see what mincemeat his limb had turned into, with which he held a new urge for a desperate cry. He allowed himself to blink three times. His healthy eye shone with the fire of dry joy when he caught the ear of quick steps from the kitchen that were moving towards the basement, where the man actually stopped.

He managed to catch her attention. She's running here.

Everything is going exactly according to his plan.

He tried to sit up. The first attempt was a failure. As soon as the man tried to stand up, he was crushed by an inexplicable pull, causing him to fall into his own pool of blood. His body was simply bathed in this liquid, soaking it into a dirty light yellow shirt. It was torn in several places, especially where you could see the scratches from the nails, which he drew daily, regardless of his mental state. Every day. Every day he felt like something inside him was being distorted, some vital string was rotting; he has long recognized himself as a mentally unstable person, whose emotions replaced each other like a tornado. However, to all this, it happened when the girl, his captor, his abuser, mocked him, inflicted countless wounds and bruises on him, but this happened at most once or twice in three days, when the man unconsciously brought her to nervous breakdowns.

His indifference.

His pathetic sight.

By his bad behavior.

He had to get to the basement urgently, otherwise the whole plan to which he devoted the last years of his tortured life would go to waste. But there is only one small problem… He cannot stand on his feet and then he manages to crawl through unbearable force. It is even painfully difficult for him to make a movement with one hand, not to mention his legs.
The man fell into despair, mixed with a wild fear that everything could end at one moment, his life could simply end, as his wife's life once ended. He was obliged to finish the job, to end what had happened in this damned house; he wanted to bury forever the horror and fear that had already soaked into the old gray walls of the building, every corner told the incoming guest about the terrible things that were happening here.

This is where it all started, and this is where it all will ends...

With an insidious smile, he continued to move his hands, moving as if he was floating on water. Fortunately for him, the basement door was wide open, which is why the man only has to worry about another question: how will he manage to get down the stairs? His legs still felt broken, and there was no area of skin clean from violence on them! An ugly scar passed through his right knee, which was given to him by a girl who was currently running to him through the long living room to the basement door. She was two minutes away from the man.

It was only a matter of time before she would reach him and, as in the past, punish him, perhaps even beat him half to death, until she heard a convincing apology from him.
But not today. This is his last day, in particular, as well as for the distraught girl that will come running here, leaning on lifeless walls. It's good that before implementing his plan, the man took care to buy himself time in case of anything.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his palm on the flimsy step of the ladder, and then pulled up his other hand. It continued to shake feverishly, either because of the pain, or because of the weight of the guy's entire body. His lips curled into a malicious smile when he overcame one step, and then which, according to his calculations, will be easier for him than the first! In fact, there were not so many of it, which only played into his hands. He began to drag his body forward, redirecting the weight to the support, in our case, to his arms, which he bent in half.

The second stage has been passed, it remains to pass the others.

Making another jerk with his body, he did not notice how a heavy foot fell on his back, hitting him on the very spine.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

His back, like his arms, bends in half when the blow passes through all the neurons of the spinal cord that seemed to burst from a rough kick. Most likely, the girl managed to break some important bone. Or at least brоke it. The man's body rushed headlong to the very bottom of the basement, overcoming all the higher steps that he could not pass for so long.

"HEY, MAN!" shouted the familiar voice of the brunette, who had to stand in the same place from where she hit the guy, to the pain in her back "IT'S RUDE TO LEAVE ME LIKE THIS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Her voice shook the eardrums of an elderly man who continued to bleed already on the cold stone floor. A trickle of blood spurted from his lip, staining his toothy grin, which was impossible not to see "GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW! COME ON, DUDE," the girl began to approach cautiously with small steps, raising two hands in the air. In her hands were traces of a bitter alcoholic drink that had spilled in the kitchen, which a man threw at her, thereby giving himself a head start on escape "STAND UP. NOW. I promise not to touch your insides if you go to your room right now. In a bad case, I'll count to three... One-"

The guy turns over with his back to the damp ground, looking from there sitting, leaning on half-bent arms. As soon as his good eye caught the girl's movement in his direction, the man himself began to crawl back, looking over his shoulder at the closet. Somewhere near him there should be a cross that he chalked… A week ago? His grin faded when he stumbled, something blocked his way. Body. Turning around 180 degrees, the elderly man began to climb over the lifeless body of a young Asian girl, redirecting to the foot of the closet, sitting directly on the outlined cross in time so that the brunette could not see it.

"Two"

"THR-"

The girl stumbles in mid-sentence when she sees that an old revolver is aimed at her, which the guy from below held with trembling hands. She descends from the last step, making the boards creak as she does so, and carefully examines the gun aimed at her.

"Be a good boy, give it back to me. Just give it back, and I give you my word, I won't hurt you. I won't hit you, I won't kill you with it. Just give it back. And I'll forgive you everything. Come on. I know you're not a murderer," The girl freezes with her hands raised, presenting herself to the guy as a defenseless beast who is threatened with reprisal. "Give. It. To. Me"

There was a drop of growing anger in her tone.

He's pissing her off again.

The girl took a step forward, stepping over the corpse and standing in front of the guy a couple of inches from his exposed legs. If at the beginning there was fear and uncertainty dancing in the guy's eyes, now he looked up at her with a smile, slowly pushing the revolver away, rotating it in his hand. He begins to settle down on the floor in a comfortable position for his body, casually throwing one leg over the other.

The young girl in front of him fell into disbelief when she saw how he was looking at her. His dead eyes held her in place, pressed on her psyche with a new flame that only a fearless person has.

He wasn't afraid of death.

He wasn't afraid of her.

She should be afraid of him.

HE HAS THE ADVANTAGE.

Unlike her, he holds a gun in his hand. A loaded revolver that could be pointed at her again at any second, and then just a shot and BANG! A deep hole in her skull.

The man burst into hysterical laughter that hit anyone's ears. An unknown flame of madness and pride shone in his eyes.

"It's too late, my Master..." His voice trailed off as a stream of blood immediately poured out of his mouth, trickling down his chin. For a moment his heart stopped beating, his chest stopped bulging, as it happens when inhaling, but still after a painful couple of seconds he jerked his body again, inhaling the dampness of the basement with a full chest "You miscalculated… You don't have any more samples of my DNA..."

After a long minute of silence, the girl, with a smile stretched from ear to ear, begins to giggle slightly, and then she laughs at the top of her lungs, not sparing her neck ligaments. She throws her head back and holds onto her stomach. Her body was twitching unnaturally from a new wave of laughter, as if the person sitting in front of her had said something stupid.

But it didn't bother him. On the contrary, I'll tell you, it only made him smile wider, exposing his broken fangs.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MORE SAMPLES OF MY DNA?' HA-HA-HA-HA!!!"

She got down on her knees, still choking with laughter, clutching her stomach. "You say no... and what do we have here?"

The girl directs him with her gaze to the cabinet behind him, from which shelves stuck out, crammed from bottom to top with jars with copies of cloudy liquid. It seemed that the boards were already cracking under the weight of the glass, but it was not there - the bottles were standing quietly in a row, and there were no signs that these shelves were about to collapse. The clear water shone in each jar, reflecting the basement light bulb hanging from above on a rope.

The girl was just going to move to a new house today, already in which she would have moved these cans to the refrigerator in order to preserve these valuable juices.

But her plans were thwarted by a rebellious puppy who fancied himself the main one.

It's strange, because there have been no such attempts of mutinies before.

This was the first (and last) time a man behaved like this: he ran away, attacked his master, and besides, openly threatens to shoot her, without asking what she would do to him in such a case

"LOOK HERE MY FRIEND!" If it weren't for subtle fear, she would have grabbed his cheekbones and twisted his head to show off her collection, but still she preferred to spread one hand in the air. "See? I have a whole closet full of them, not to mention a walking tank!"

While she was saying this, her sticky fingers held the giggles that began to fall from her lips in large numbers, remembering again the stupid words of the guy. She was still sitting on her knees, her dark head bent over it.

Despite the risk of being shot, she continued to mock the elderly man, wiping away tears of laughter.

He just sat there in silence until he spoke.

"Really?" The man innocently asked, while twisting his lips into a tube, putting a strong hand to his torn cheek. "You can show it to me, otherwise I... DON'T SEE IT!!!" He shoots a revolver directly into a nearby standing fuel tank, which ignites at the same second, drawing a path of fire running through the liquid poured on the floor, straight to the closet and through it. Each shelf bursts into hellfire, the boards crack and groan, and the jars begin to explode uncontrollably, pouring all those juices into the fire.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The brunette screams and already wants to rush to the fire, but she is stopped by a cannon that was looking at her again. Under the sound of breaking glass, the man begins to giggle, bowing his head, being now in the role of a hunter. He was bursting with laughter.

The whole closet was on fire.

The fire reached other hotbeds of ignition.

Flames blazed everywhere.

The whole basement was flooded with fire.

Soon there was no oxygen in the lungs, thereby knocking down the train of thoughts. The girl sits flat on the floor, propping her wadded legs under her, and tries to put together all those pieces of the mind broken by the fire, but all in vain: a veil of black smoke presses into her eyes. Instead of any salvation, she sees the sad smile of a man who hesitantly pointed the gun at himself. It was also problematic for him to breathe, and even more so to see… He doesn't need excellent eyesight to see a frightened brunette choking on the mist. His eyes fill with water when they attract and hold the gaze opposite, the same hopeless, slightly scared and not understanding anything of what is happening. With a new gulp of dusty air, the girl shrinks into a ball from the sobbing mess. This is closely watched by the guy who continued to sit stubbornly near the blazing cabinet with a gun in his hand.

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO!!!" The girl raises tearful eyes at the man when he put a revolver to his temple, thereby pulling her out of self-pity.

To her loss.

"P-Please… Please spend your best days in a rehabilitation center... J-just for me," The man pulls the trigger without taking her out of sight. "L-Love you, dear-"

Shot.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Her scream can only compete with the crackling of wood that came from different corners of the hot basement. The man's body, which has already begun to cool down, falls back, right on the cracked cabinet, knocking him to the floor with energy, namely on the girl. The heavy frame presses her to the ground, forcing her to scream uncontrollably already among the debris burning on her. Pieces of fire immediately jumped on the girl's alcohol-soaked hands, climbing up to her face.

Alcohol undoubtedly turned out to be an excellent conductor of fire.

Flames burned everywhere you looked.

It threatened to move to a residential area, destroy other people's homes and lives.

And the screams were heard from the basement until the special service arrived.

But then a rare fine rain began to fall, it seemed that the sky itself sympathized with what had happened. Strips of water began to block the clouds of fire, thereby helping the approaching fire truck, which immediately began to save the pitiful remains of a burning house. Sad clouds gathered over the city that night, especially there were many of them over the very house where the life of a carefree family once flowed like a river…

______

Three months later

Marcy Wu, the girl who was running around her already old room right now in search of a stylus, which she cleaned before going to wash dirty dishes. According to her calculations, it should be lying somewhere… Here it is! Now it was the turn of her clothes, which, thanks to her mother, rested in heavy leather suitcases. She had to make sure she also took her underwear.

When the checking and collecting of extra clothes was done, Marcy stood in the center of her nursery, looking back at the things that would stay here with her parents. For example, such as wall posters with the Chronicles of Vagabondia that she collected when she was still a frivolous teenager who could sit all day at a multi-colored console in order to break a world record; soft toys of some game characters that she once loved; and, finally, her books and magazines, which in no way they will be useful to her in a new place. All these native things will stay in her young heart for a long time until new years, other interests and worries come.

She timidly puts her hand on the handle of the suitcase, dragging it to the exit. All the other bags collected by the mother were already waiting there, which were just waiting for to embark on a free voyage with her. The once pleasant emerald walls now look as if some mysterious ghost has taken away those variegated contrasting colors from them, so that it belongs to only one girl, Marcy. Without her, there will be no happiness and love that greeted the family with the sunrise, from the very first rays, until sunset, until the first lights in the sky were lit and until the family fell asleep.

The days spent at first in an unusual, alien city for a girl will forever be one of the best ever experienced.

I will deceive you if I say that she was not afraid of new streets and people, but over time she was able to accept that variability, let go of that old and familiar to move on.

She had to forget those school years with Sasha and Anne, with her best friends, who now probably live their own independent lives from each other.

Marcy wouldn't be surprised at all if she found out that one of those two has already been called parental duties and now has a loving person and a precious child, or even two. Has fun playing with them, teaching them intelligence and intelligence, while the second parent disappears at a 12-hour job...

Grinning to herself, Marcy turned to face the kitchen, where her inconsolable parents were sitting. The father even asked for a day off at work for such an important event today, risking losing it. Fortunately, the boss understood the situation and let him go, asking him to tell him that he wished his daughter good luck. How nice of him.

Marcy's mom looks sadly at the pages of the newspaper. Her eyes watered, but she restrained this pitiful impulse with an effort of will when she noticed her daughter's dark head in the doorway. The father followed his wife's example, looking puzzled at their daughter who had already entered. There were heavy tears on the edges of Marcy's eyes that threatened to splash onto her rosy cheeks.

She also didn't want to leave behind the comfort she feels around her parents.

If at first, as a 13-year-old teenager, she did not appreciate them, considered them overprotective, but now she finally realized that then they did it only for her own good. A new home, new friends — it's all just so that their daughter can have an ideal life where she will be better off.

Without whom she would be better off.

Marcy reaches out to her mom to hug her, to which she willingly agrees. Mrs. Wu gently hugs her daughter until her father joins them.

"M-Marcy..." the mother's voice whispers softly, almost merging with the noise of the restless town's weekdays, "Dear, are you sure that Los Angeles is a great place to earn money?"

The father looks at her attentively, waiting as well as his wife for a weighty answer. Marcy squints to the side, thoughtlessly tucking her hands into both pockets.

"Mom, you know that my comics bring me enough money. This is my job, I don't need another one." She takes a step away from her parents, starting to feel that they will again start a long rant on the topic of why it is important to have at least an additional second job.

But this is not happening.

They look at their daughter with understanding, putting one hand to their heart.

"Have you found a place to live yet, dear?" father joined in the conversation.

"Yes, Dad, I will live in the same apartment with Sasha. The rent is halved according to our contract. Well, in order to avoid further difficulties with this, I will pay my half, and Sasha will pay his. This way we will definitely be able to stay afloat"

Both parents look at each other and nod imperceptibly to each other until Mrs. Wu asks again.

"Marcy, dear, I know you've already planned everything, but can this trip wait? I don't think today is the day to-"

"Mom, you've been telling me this for a week! I know you're worried about me, but I'm not the helpless little girl who stumbles at every step! Maybe I'm afraid of change too? Maybe I also have doubts about the correctness of my decision? MAYBE I'M AFRAID TO LEAVE THE TWO OF YOU AND GO TO A PLACE WHERE I'M NO LONGER EXPECTED? WHAT?! I-I... I-I don't know..."

Mr. and Mrs. Wu sit in silence, holding hands, waiting for the speech to continue. 

"I'm already used to being dependent on someone… Living at the expense of others… But now I have a chance to leave you and return to my friend. N-now I'm going to live with her… I promise I won't be lost."

Marcy sits down noiselessly, her knees hitting the kitchen floor, but she just sits there, pulling her parents to her, hugging tightly.

"Marcy, we love you very much," her mother begins to comfort her, stroking her black locks lovingly and crying, "We're just worried, that's all."

They sit quietly for some time, remembering how the three of them had fun, how they experienced ups and downs. Her parents, especially Marcy's father, were not greedy for her tears, giving her a quiet whisper of blessings, words of their eternal love for her and just warm words of support. Marcy squeezed her eyes shut the same way, burying herself in her mother's native shoulder, which so comfortably covered her tear-stained face, over which lay bunches of dark strands.

It seemed that time itself had stopped for the sake of this, had flowed into something else, which even today is not given the usual explanations, just to re-glue this friendly family, which at any moment had to say goodbye to everyone who was part of it. Specks of dust on the golden rays of the sun coming from the window, as if it also saw such a sad picture, frozen in space, sometimes swaying as if on waves at high tide. And the noise of the streets is so completely extinguished, as if it never existed. All this harmony, the aesthetics of beauty sparkled in the air enveloping the family, immersing them mentally in all the good, until someone's phone rang.

Marcy took a cursory glance at the pocket of her jeans, from where such unpleasant beeps were coming. Reaching in, Marcy quickly found her phone.

It was Sasha.

She called her.

"I'm sorry," Marcy mannerly raised her index finger, signaling to her parents to give her a minute.

"Hey, Sash" Marcy soon found herself free from hugs, which gave her a full opportunity for action. "Yes, yes, I've already collected almost everything. Yeah, I don't think there will be any problems with that. ...What? No, don't worry, it shouldn't take long, especially since my flight is at 12 am. ...Hmm, it's okay! In any case, we can get to the place in your car. Understood. Okay, that's settled. We're not saying goodbye yet! Yes, and the same to you..."

The brunette exhaled with relief when she finished the conversation with her friend, as if she was saying all this in one breath, which, of course, is not true. To be honest, she took a lot of breaks between sentences, emphasizing some words. All this time her parents were standing nearby, nervously looking at each other, pretending that they were not trying to listen to the words on the other end of the phone.

They certainly trusted Waybright, but some fear that their words, which foreshadowed something bad would happen, could come true. They were very worried about it.

What if their daughter really shouldn't go somewhere today? Maybe some kind of storm or hurricane is coming?

Or is it just that their daughter's friend has her hands full and she can't meet Marcy at the airport?

There are still a considerable number of reasons why suddenly Marcy will not be obliged to leave them, their home.

Maybe there is still a small hope that she herself will change her mind, will not want to return to where something bad is waiting for her?

But as parents did not hope, they could not persuade their daughter to abandon this stupid idea or at least postpone it until a future conversation.

Marcy will leave them today. While they were standing in deep perplexity and past reflection, they did not even notice how Marcy was already standing at the exit, with her hands full of suitcases and bags.

"Mom, Dad, it's time..." There is complete determination in her gaze, her voice is gentle and confident. "I will miss you very much. I-I love you very much."

Both parents finally came out of their stupor and headed for Marcy, not expressing any emotion while they walked this way from the kitchen to the hallway. Only when Marcy wrapped her arms around both of them did they shed a tear again, tightly closing their eyes at the same time.

"Oh-I promise to call and write to you! I-I can even spend a whole day on it if I have to, I-I swear! Also I can try-"

She feels her mother's gaze on her, so kind, filled with pride and tears. Soon, her mother's trembling hand was laid on Marcy's cheek. She carefully began to run her thumb over her rosy cheeks, thereby pulling Marcy out of what she was trying to tell them.

"Hush, dear, you don't have to do this."

The father came closer, catching up with his wife.

"We love you. That's why we know that it would be better for you if we gave you some time to be alone. This is your life, and you can dispose of it as you please. It's painful for your mom and me to let you go, really, but... if this path is your final answer, then we won't stop you from following it in any way anymore."

"We will continue to communicate with you, only sometimes when it's convenient for you." Marcy's mother quickly wipes the shine of tears from her daughter's skin, continuing. "No matter what happens, we will in any case call and correspond with you during the holidays! And no buts! Of course, I can try separately and agree with you that I will call every Saturday, but again it depends only on you. If it's inconvenient for y-"

"Mom! Of course you can! I will be very happy to talk to both of you!"

Marcy is already pulling them to her for the last time for another hug. Her eyes are already shining from the moisture that did not think to end. It seemed much more, but what was happening now was just amazing. These were real tears of sadness and joy that ran like a river from the girl's face. It was soiling their clothes, their hands, which at some time tried to hide it, but everyone present didn't care about it, they just couldn't finish saying goodbye.

"Mom, Dad, you are the best thing I've ever had in my life. I couldn't have done it without you. I love you very much. I do not know how I will live there without you..."

While Marcy was whispering these words that rolled into one porridge, her mother began to soothingly stroke her resinous hair, burying her hand in them, pulling her to herself.

"You can handle it. We sincerely believe in you. If you feel that you are not coping, you can always just contact us, and we will definitely support you. But I know you are strong in spirit, you will never be afraid and look all adversity in the face. You can do anything. That's why we are proud of you, because you are who you are. Since then, a lot has changed in you, dear, and it can not but rejoice! You have learned to cope with mistakes and move on, learning from old ones and gaining fresh experience. So it was, is and will always be. You just need to be able to deal with it, as you already do."

Marcy's eyes simply could not contain all this heat anymore, so they were bursting with uncontrollable tears, to which Marcy gave full rein. With sobs, she buried her face in their shoulders, thereby restoring that closed cozy circle of the family.

"I am so grateful to you…"

The brunette muttered to herself, not wanting to distance herself from her parents for even a second.

"Dear, we are grateful to you."

And again, silence covered everyone. She wasn't awkward or anything, no, there was just no need to continue that conversation. Everyone was pleased to be next to each other and enjoy literally a few minutes, which, unfortunately, can no longer be returned.

The first person who had to return to reality was Marcy, because the wall clock reminded her with knocks of what hour the time was approaching. As soon as her eyes came across the dial, she immediately pounced on the suitcases with awkward apologies, instantly breaking off the embrace. Marcy started to say something in a hurry, but the words were so incoherent and made no sense that her parents had to just stand in considerable tension, sometimes handing over bags, without which Marcy was ready to leave.

This was followed by a long and heartbreaking farewell of the Wu's family, whose members were already morally ready to part forever. Everyone experienced this moment for resilience in their own way, but we will not cancel the fact that they were all impressed; fresh tracks of tears continued to flash over and over again, emphasizing their experiences. But that moment was quickly blown away by the wind as soon as the front door was swished shut, leaving behind sad faces that twisted into a grimace of anxiety and despair.

Marcy could have sworn that while she was standing outside the door for a while, not daring to leave, she heard her father's quiet whisper that he was talking to her mother. This was followed by the clatter of boots and the indistinguishable crunch of joints, meaning that they rose from the ground and headed deeper into the kitchen. Marcy continued to listen to the faded noises from walking, which rattled in her ears for a long time.

And it became quiet again, as if nothing had happened. All the sounds disappeared into the corners, leaving Marcy. In the end, the feelings themselves left the girl's body, leaving her only to the will of fate. It seemed that the colors slowly and carefully flowed down her face, reaching the tips of her toes and washing away all those tears of parting and the weight of sadness, bringing instead something of their own, more unrecognizable and pleasant.

Now Marcy felt inside herself a share of pride, relief, euphoria that swept through all her veins, rising up her back, reaching her sanity, where it was already dissolving there, leaving small fragments to flow on.

Now Marcy was waiting for a new frightening life, to which she had personally come. And yet it was nothing compared to what she would have to go through, what she would have to face and who she would have to overcome.

A flurry of thoughts, both bad and good, cut through space, driving Marcy's mind into an endless cycle of events that could happen to her. She knew that her, Sasha's and Anne's friendship would not be the same, that perhaps they would not be able to communicate as before. Probably this meeting with Sasha will end only with empty short conversations, after which they will begin their cohabitation in silence, occasionally exchanging greetings and small discussions of some boring events that have happened.

Marcy was afraid of this most of all.

She was afraid that those mistakes of her past would resurface, that her friends would remind her of it again. They will hate her, blame her. During these ten years, she only corresponded with Sasha a couple of times in their general chat, where they usually just sent each other congratulations and various uncomplicated jokes, nothing more. Marcy had the impression that Sasha was deliberately trying to continue their dialogue somehow, she, when she managed to write between breaks, tried to answer some inconsequential questions with which Marcy tried to dilute their conversation. But it looked so strained from the outside that it could not seem otherwise.

From this thought, Marcy wanted to run away somewhere, hide and whisper words under her breath to refute it.

Since Marcy left Anne alone near the Boonchuy's house, she no longer communicated with her in any way. Even in the general chat, Anne did not add anything from herself. When Marcy went to check her friend's activity, she noticed that she hadn't been online for a very long time. It's been like that for a while.

Then Anne appeared online again for a few days, after which she also suddenly disappeared again.

But now Anne is not there at all. The last time she entered their shared chat was more than three years ago.

Marcy talked to Sasha about this, but she waved it off, saying that Anne was just busy and couldn't answer. She used to say that in the first years, when Marcy was just starting to live in a new state, away from them. And then their conversation just didn't touch on this topic. That's how their years passed.

Marcy initially tried to somehow monitor the activities in the networks of her friends, but after a couple of years she simply abandoned this business, finding herself a more useful occupation suitable for her.

At first it was simple, slightly careless art, then Marcy discovered something new. Then she had already started drawing small comics, which began to gain popularity well. Many people found out about it, their comments and response became the motivation for Marcy to continue drawing in the same spirit. And she continued.

How easily can something simple and seemingly small change a person so much? I think Marcy is the answer.

Of course, she continues to gain new experience and correct her mistakes in this creative direction, but there is still something she should learn from. Marcy's gaze finally leveled off, and she was ready to move on, throwing back everything old and go back to where she was destined to be.

_______

The time was fast approaching evening. It did not spare even our main character, who was already sitting at the Los Angeles airport.

The flight was not attractive in any way, because almost all the time Marcy was stupidly sitting in her phone, exposing their correspondence with Sasha. After several attempts, she just decided to sleep for a while. As it turned out, she slept the rest of the way, and when the plane had already landed and leveled off, she certainly woke up and went out with the rest of the passengers like her.

Some pieces of the dream Marcy vaguely remembered, at a time when she was still flying with other people. She remembers seeing huge black-purple clouds in a dream, the thunderous scream of which rolled for hundreds of thousands of miles in all directions. It was as if Marcy had tried on the skin of a small migratory bird that was trying to get through this layer of thunderstorms and rain. She felt the sharp gusts of wind pushing her in different directions, as large almost black raindrops hit her on the head and back. But despite this, she continued her flight, resolutely skirting what she could. But, for no reason, a painfully bright yellow flash of lightning flashed before her eyes, causing Marcy to immediately lose her balance and fall down, fall straight into the stormy ocean.

It was only after a long, high-pitched hum that she was able to open her eyes and notice that many passengers were packing their suitcases and getting ready to get off the plane. Looking out the window, Marcy then saw a pure blue sky and the sun that was rolling to the north-west, foreshadowing the onset of evening.

But she's here now. Sitting and waiting at the airport.

She knew for sure that Sasha was going to come here any minute and pick her up in her car. And while she's gone, Marcy waits patiently, casually dangling her legs from the bench where she was sitting now. According to her observation, a little more than an hour has passed since she arrived in Los Angeles. Maybe even a little more.

But it doesn't matter now.

Marcy quietly, without attracting too much attention, sat in the same position, with her sketchbook open wide, while she drew some bizarre shapes there. Her idea was to draw one of the heroes of her comic book, or to be precise, an amphibian, the best faithful friend of the main character. It was probably the most obvious that a large number of people would like this cute funny character, but there was also a percentage of those who liked his human friend more. Marcy could actually sit and draw here all day, and that wouldn't be an exaggeration in this context. If, for example, she knew that she would be sitting at the airport for another 2 hours, then Marcy would undoubtedly start making a continuation of her comic book, and not waste time on useless handwriting in her sketchbook.

But in any case, she will be content with what she has right now.

The minutes were in full swing, flying past Marcy and rushing away somewhere in the past. Soon Marcy got tired of drawing, as well as waiting, so she decided to check her phone for new incoming messages. Besides, she hoped that maybe Sasha would write to her and tell her that she would not come alone. That Anne would also come to visit Marcy, and then they would drive Sasha's car home together. To the new house where Marcy and Sasha will live.

Marcy's gaze has been running around the smartphone screen for a long time, not finding the right words that she expected to see. The last message was hers.

The brunette almost drops the phone with a wild scream, even though she is putting it back in her pocket when it starts buzzing loudly and showing an icon with a new message from the general conversation. She immediately starts opening the chat, where a new message from Sasha catches her eye, where she says:

"Good afternoon, Mar-Mar! How was the flight? Everything is fine? I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry, unfortunately, Anne won't be able to pick you up with me today:("

Something deep inside Marcy went out like a candle. If earlier, before this news, her eyes shone with curiosity and a share of joy, now only sadness is read in them. Marcy hoped to the last that Anne would finally be able to come, freed from some of her important affairs for her.

But Marcy was wrong.

She only hoped in vain.

Apparently, her friendship with Anne had come to an end.

It's strange, because it was Anne who was the person who don't tried to be on anyone's side, to be someone who always brought them together and did not let anyone be thrown into the shadows.

At least that was the case 10 years ago.

While Marcy was on the phone, she didn't immediately notice someone's figure sitting next to her.

"Do you mind...?" an elderly man timidly asked, sitting down next to Marcy, pointing with a trembling thin finger at the bench where he was already sitting.

"Oh, of course not. Please, sit for your health" She manages to discern the features of an unexpected guest in a short period of time.

At first glance, an ordinary old man with a funny cap on his gray head, from which his hair stuck out in different directions, carelessly tucked behind his ear. On his face were small glasses that were held on his hooked up nose. Also of the things that stood out on his body was his dark brown fur coat with a fur collar, which was distinguished by its ochre hue. Dark, almost black trousers, with barely visible patches on the sides. Marcy could even assume that this man had previously worked for the FBI, but these were just her guesses.

In his left hand he held an old dusty newspaper, with some important news, judging by the large letters and exclamation sentences.

The old man moved closer to Marcy for some reason, flipping through the pages of the newspaper. Marcy continued to keep the distance between them, so she moved away as much as the guy moved. Her phone had been tucked away in the pocket of her swamp-green jeans for a long time, so she was the least worried about it.

"What an attractive appearance you have!" a wheeze was heard from the side where the old man was now sitting. He said it. "I didn't think I'd see the last girl with a similar appearance here in Los Angeles"

Stop.

What...?

Small drops of cold sweat flowed from Marcy's face by themselves. She couldn't explain why she couldn't control her own body right now. Maybe that's how the old man's words affected her?

Why was she suddenly afraid to look in his direction? What is she afraid of?

After an agonizing minute, Marcy's head turns to the side, to the old man's malicious grin, which spread out on his face.

"E-Excuse me, w-what...? I don't think I fully understood y-"

Marcy notices on one of the pages five photos of different quality, each of which looks at her girl, similar to her appearance. Their sickly smile, soulless black eyes eat into her mind and slowly destroy her sanity. After quickly running her eyes through the article, she constantly comes across large letters saying about the unexplained murder of five girls in Los Angeles. It is written that the killer's appearance has not been established to this day and that he is wanted.

...THE BODIES HAVE NOT YET BEEN FOUND...

...IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE KILLER IS LOOKING FOR A NEW VICTIM...

...THE IDENTITY OF THE KILLER IS UNKNOWN...

Marcy's head began to ache terribly, the world began to spin around her and mix into one illegible mixture of colored spots.

She thought she was going to lose consciousness.

Everything throbbed terribly and pressed on her with such a weight that she felt like she was about to break.

It was as if she began to see invisible walls rushing at her at the speed of a truck, intending to smear her on the floor.

Her legs and arms were shaking feverishly. The eyes could not concentrate on something specific.

Marcy didn't even have time to notice how someone ran up to her and started shaking her gently by the shoulders.

She didn't feel anything anymore.

Marcy's eyes stared blankly at one point for some time, and her mind kept scrolling through fragments of sentences and faces in that article.

"Marcy! What happened? Did this guy threaten you? Has he offended you in some way?"

What.

Marcy looked at the one who kept trying to bring her to her senses.

Sasha.

It was Sasha Waybright.

"MARCY! SAY SOMETHING! ARE YOU OKAY? HOW ARE YOU?"

Sasha's gaze was more than concerned. She looked plausible.

"W-What...? No, no! I-I don't know what happened to me. Probably just a spontaneous panic, nothing terrible. It's not his fault. I-I just felt bad."

"Hey, let's get out of here, okay?"

Marcy turns back and sees that the old man has long since left and is going somewhere in the opposite direction with the same newspaper.

"Yes, I think it would be better. Let's go…"

Chapter Text

_______

"How are you?"

Sasha, who is walking to Marcy's right, is timidly interested, excited by her friend's behavior. They walked slowly but surely along a narrow, slightly uneven path, skirting the poles near the entrance to the airport, which they had just left.

"Maybe we should stop and wait a few minutes until you feel better."

Through the invisible force, the dark-haired girl managed to get out of the shackles of the panic that had already passed and, holding her breath, pay attention to the question concerning her state of mind.

To be honest, she was still under the influence of what had happened, barely able to distinguish the speech of the blonde girl, who carefully continued to hold her hand if necessary.

But it was important for Marcy to answer her, despite the obvious problems with controlling her inner feelings, that at any moment they were ready to burst into a cloud and spill on someone nearby, in our case, Sasha.

Her breathing hadn't completely steadied and was slightly ragged, but now, when, after a minute's pause, she caught Sasha's worried and clearest look, which she could only see at their last meeting, before the Wu family left the state, Marcy took a deep breath and focused on what she wanted to say, after that, she smiled just as warmly, as if nothing had happened.

"I'm fine! It's just... You know, it's a w-worry... It comes so out of time." The girl whined, exaggerating her unstable emotional situation in which she had to find herself then, as if saying that at such moments she was not under her own control. "I'm still silent about the panic attacks that happen, I won't lie, I've been getting more and more often lately... As always, they make things worse and put me in front of people in a bad light..."

Marcy slows down slightly, but only in order to throw back a small bluish-tinged pebble with the very toe of her sneakers, which flies forward with quite good force after a kick, ricocheting off the asphalt several times, eventually stopping and getting lost somewhere among the same tiny stones on the road.

Sasha was slightly annoyed by the girl's similar behavior, but she did not dare to reproach her in any way, much less taunt her. Having chosen suitable and not too banal words, Sasha is inspired again to cheer up Marcy and somehow calm her down.

"Oh, damn it, Mar-Mar, you shouldn't worry so much about this! It's okay, just don't be nervous! This is the problem of those people if they see you as a closed poor thing with a lot of problems behind your back! Your little panic attacks have no effect on who you really are. Knowing you, I can say that they just exist, but no matter how much they try to ruin your day, they can't do it. Listen, Marcy, you are the strongest-minded person I've ever known, and I will never believe that they cause you any severe inconvenience in public places, such as this airport."

Sasha's warm hand falls on Marcy's shoulder in the most gentle way, pulling her gently to herself, thereby showing the share of care that Waybright is capable of, if you know her slightly arrogant and defiant character.

"So... How is your treatment? The pills help, don't they?"

Marcy raises her timid gaze at her, in which a superficially small light burned, requiring care and support, as well as understanding on the part of the interlocutor.

"As you could see, no. Apparently, I need to contact a specialist, in case he advises me to replace them with something else, more effective..."

There was an awkward silence. Marcy and Sasha were already heading towards Waybright's car, resuming their dialogue there.

"Um, anyway, I can help you, if you don't mind, of course. Together we can come up with something! It's not for nothing that I studied to be a psychologist! I know something about this business," Sasha twirls a bunch of keys in his hand, beaming with his friendly smile, leaning against the hood. - There was a time when our Anne ran to me for advice! Heh, I've helped her out so many times. She used to listen to me five times a day, and then she rushed to instantly put my advice into practice...!

The brunette looked at her friend in a different way, as she saw that she had changed in her gaze. One of Marcy's eyebrows arched, as if expressing her confusion.

Sasha lowered her eyes the color of a clear blue sky to the paved ground, also stopping twirling the keys in one hand, clutching them tightly in her fist.

"I still remember how she turned away from me with a stony face after we hadn't spoken for a long time... I already understood that we were estranged from each other, but I couldn't..."

"...What?"

"I-I couldn't believe that she would leave and not come back."

Sasha's eyes began to water treacherously, involuntarily making her feel weak, disgusted with herself for showing such emotions.

"So what happened to Anne, Sasha? Tell me, where is she now?"

The people passing by them were not enough to force the girls to finish the topic they had started on the spot. The number of masses around them seemed to increase on purpose: high-speed cars passing along the road recreated an artificial strong wind around them, as well as motorcyclists who were in a hurry to go somewhere urgently; just groups of several people who happened to be at this intersection were already throwing some sidelong glances at two girlfriends, but still forced to run on business, they soon disappeared from the place.

"How can I tell you, she's..."

The blonde's gaze involuntarily turned to her friend's eyes, still worried and scared that she was about to spill the beans and give away the secret that she had sworn never to tell her.

Sasha can't do it.

She can't break Marcie's heart.

After all, Marcy will suffer.

She is afraid of hurting Marcie, because of which she will suffer for the rest of her life.

Better a sweet lie than that ruinous truth.

After all, Sasha herself would rather believe in this lie created by her mind than know everything.

"Sasha...?"

"You're shaking all over.."

"And..?"

Sasha didn't understand what Marcy meant until she fixed her eyes on her own body, especially her hands.

They were shaking as if the girl had previously had to carry heavy bags with some things in them for several kilometers, not giving herself time for a break, which her poor hands so desperately demanded.

Because of this shaking, Sasha had to drop the car keys, which she was about to use, but never did.

"Sasha...! Are you feeling ill?"

Sasha tried to answer the question in her mind. She was looking for the right words to tell Marcy what the reason for this behavior was, to tell her what happened to Anne, who Sasha believed was no longer in this world.

No.

Sasha vowed never to tell Marcy about it, no matter what happened, she wouldn't do it.

Let there be a meteor shower, but at least the end of the world! Sasha would never tell.

To avoid disaster, the blonde girl seemed to have created an illusion around herself, where they were not surrounded by people and where everything was calm.

She was on the verge of breaking down, she could fall to her knees at any minute, asking her friend's forgiveness for not being able to save their friendship with Anne.

Couldn't save Anne....

But instead, the girl just abruptly rushes at Marcy, wrapping her in a tight embrace, as if Wu remained the only family person for her.

"Marcy..."

Sasha's fingers on the black top of the other girl's head involuntarily began to bend, even causing Marcy discomfort.

"Ouch, Sasha, it hurts me! Wh-what happened? Can you let me go??"

Oxygen was running out in Wu's lungs by the second, forcing her to try to swallow air.

It seemed that Sasha wanted to strangle her on the spot, kill her with a painful death until she broke off her embrace, outlining her best friend with a beaming smile.

She's fine.

"Well, we'd better see home sweet home soon, don't you think so?"

Marcy looks around, not understanding if the girl in front of her is standing and if she is being asked a question at all.

Without noticing it, a faint cold sweat appeared on Wu's face - a sign of incipient panic.

"Mar-Mar, is something wrong? We wanted to get to our apartment as soon as possible, didn't you forget?"

Sasha was already standing almost close to the girl, slowly guiding her to get into the car.

Sasha's thoughts were foggy, she knew perfectly well that she had scared her friend, but in her soul she was already so broken that her mind did not allow her to realize her mistake.

It was as if he was blocking all her deep emotions, forcing her to act instinctively and offer help without any special feelings.

"I .... Yes, yes, we need to get this over with as soon as possible... Just.."

"Great!"

The girl's body is easily lifted into the air, Sasha's hands grabbed her and gently sat her down behind the passenger seat. It happened so fast that Marcy didn't have time to feel the pain in her shoulders from the blonde girl's nails.

"Well, girlfriend, come on, tell me how you spent your time while you were in another city?"

Is this really her?

It's too absurd, how can Sasha behave like this after Marcy almost fell unconscious at the airport? She was willing to go out of her way to take care of Wu, so why is she acting so relaxed and cheerful now?

Marcy herself also seemed to have tried on several masks at once.

In just a few minutes, she felt fear, confusion, misunderstanding and... No, these were just momentary warm feelings that Marcy almost immediately suppressed.

There was a storm of misunderstanding raging in her right now, that was all.

Even when Sasha was vigorously waving her hand in front of her eyes, Marcy did not immediately pay attention to it. She digs into her thoughts again, she worries in vain again.

This is her best friend whom she hasn't seen for ten years, so why should she be afraid and shy away from her?

"Everything was ..... Good. Y-yes, I had a great time there. I met... I met nice people, I saw new landscapes, I got..."

Sasha had already started the car a long time ago and was taxiing onto the road until Marcy abruptly stopped her mumbling, thereby forcing Sasha to turn her attention to herself. Sasha stared at her questioningly with her eyes, thinking about pushing Marcy to complete her thought.

"So what? What did you got?"

"Wha...?"

Wu's eyes missed the flashing urban landscapes, while the car accelerated enough and flew along the roads, successfully catching the flashing green light.

"Oh, yes, yes... I got.... New sensations? I can't put it into words, it was like I saw a new world completely different from this one. It's like this city is a fresh breath of air, you know? Apparently, during the time spent in my second home, in that city, I managed to get used to it and make new acquaintances, hehe..."

Having completed a more or less speech on some topic, the girl stared out of the corner of her eye at her friend, who was already looking straight at the road, not noticing the obvious movement to her side. Her expression showed no emotion, it was just cold and lifeless, with a hint of thoughtfulness, nothing more. Sasha's golden hair fluttered in the wind, slightly brushing her sunlit stone face. Looking down a little lower, Marcy notes for herself the tense hands of another girl, the way she squeezes the steering wheel of the car with force.

Swallowing nervously, Wu does not dare to continue this topic, which is obviously painful for Sasha. Marcy can only wrap her arms around herself and lower her head, plunging into gloomy and sad thoughts.

She needed support, but unfortunately she couldn't get it from the person she needed.

If only Anne were here..

She would definitely find new topics for conversation, cheer up everyone sitting in the car with a stupid joke or a funny face.

But no matter how much Marcy wants to, she can't miraculously get Anne to be here with them right now.

Moreover, she has not known for a long time how their good old Anne Boonchuy is doing there.

It would be funny to know that she has a family of her own..

Well, in the meantime, the road does not portend to be long, very soon Marcy will enter their shared apartment with Sasha, where they will be able to cook themselves something to eat in the kitchen.

Turning the corner, the car jumped slightly along with the girls who were surprised by this, forcing them to briefly wake up from their thoughts and return to reality. At that moment, when Marcy was rubbing her bruised side against the car door, she inadvertently saw one strange passerby near a small pet food store selling balloons. By chance or not, Sasha's car stopped at the traffic light closest to the shop, where this man was clearly visible.
After looking closely, Marcy notices with interest that the strange man is wearing a costume of either a newt or a red lizard. Most likely it was newt's costume, because they immediately reminded the girl of General Yunan. Approximately the same color, except for any hair on the head of the suit.
Eye holes were cut out on the mask, which allowed the person inside to perfectly see the objects and people around them. There were a couple of children and adults standing around them, who apparently decided to come over to buy balloons.
Marcy began to study this guy more closely, finding also on them a badge and a sign to some oceanarium in one paw. With her eyes, she could walk over them body and on, until the eyes of the man and the girl met.

They were clearly looking at her.

They stare in her direction while some family slowly moves away from them, allowing them to be alone.

The toothy smile of the suit sent shivers all over the slightly frightened Marcy's body. She hoped he wouldn't notice her sitting in the car. But no, literally a second later, they drop the sign and slowly wave them hand at her, as if greeting her.

"Sasha...."

The car starts moving and almost immediately picks up high speed.
Marcy gives a little cry of surprise, clutching at the belt tightly fastened to her in despair.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy!"

Sasha slams on the brakes when they reaches them destination, it turned out that it is not so far from that intersection with the shop and that strange guy.

"Huh? Are you okay?"

Sasha says even when she turned off the engine, parking without incident in one of the empty seats. She sits in a half-turn and looks at her friend, waiting to hear the answer, and also checking if she is all right, if she is injured.

Wu's trembling hands finally release the belt, while the girl herself looks blankly at Sasha. In the eyes opposite, she sees concern, but not the kind she expected to see.

"I'm fine! R-really I-I..."

Marcy mumbles incoherently, calmly getting out of the car, followed by Sasha.

"It's just..."

“what? Is something wrong? I'm sorry if I scared you, I shouldn't have accelerated like that! I'm so..."

The black-haired girl rushes to her friend and takes her hands in her own, as if saying that everything is fine and there is no need to worry about her.

"Sasha, I'm fine. More or less.. Just... "

She looks away, remembering that creepy guy in a newt costume at the store. An image of them waving at her popped up in her head, dooming her to wonder if she should even tell Sasha about them? Maybe it's just one of those freaks who can only seem crazy and creepy from the outside. Suddenly, this person is actually a nice guy who just wanted to get acquainted after seeing a pretty girl. And maybe they wasn't waving at her at all?

Nevertheless, shaking off the surging streams of thoughts, Marcy rises from her seat, opens the car door and goes outside to the parking lot. The fresh air played with her hair and gently stroked her face as her eyes adjusted to the scorching afternoon sun overhead. Small clouds had accumulated near it, but they were in no hurry to cover it with their massive size.

These two were in no hurry to unload the car, although they had to get a lot out of the trunk and drag all these collected bags and suitcases to their newfound apartment on their own, not without the help of an elevator, of course.

Sasha calmly got out of the car, thinking a little about their last dialogue, but soon all her attention turned to the amazingly beautiful environment in front of them.

Marcy, like Sasha, peered into the features of their new home, analyzing every subtle detail in her head.

A small three-storey building appeared in front of them, artfully made of strong red brick, and silver stone was also present in some parts. It looked like it had just been made, the bricks were in excellent condition, at most Marcy would have given this house two years, no more. Against the background of others, behind the skyscrapers, this one looked like a small flower with a thin stem in the middle of graceful and such mighty oaks that spread out a huge, impregnable wall.

"So, Marbles, here's Home sweet home. Oh, I almost forgot."

The girl lets her friend carefully inspect the architectural structure closer, while she begins to rummage diligently in her bag, which Marcy was interested in a minute later. After rummaging through all the pockets and compartments of the handbag, Sasha triumphantly pulls out a bunch with a special key that, apparently, opened the main entrance.

"Our apartment is located on the third floor, right down the hall."

Turning her eyes to the color of heavenly glaze, Waybright notices that the other girl is already standing with her back to her, pressing both hands to herself, as if she is embarrassed or afraid of something.

"Is something wrong?" Sasha asks abruptly with enthusiasm, rounding Marcy and putting her surprisingly light hand on her shoulders, which still held the keys.

"No, it's all right..."

"Oh, girl, I almost forgot! Here-"

As if by command, the black-haired girl's head rushes to the side, meeting the keys flying into it.
The reaction was quick, like a predator, she clings to the flying keys with her hand, managing to catch them even before they manage to fall right under her feet on the hot asphalt.

"And these are your personal keys to this house and our new apartment. As I know, some information is important to you. Heh, this building is much safer than you think. There is little chance that someone not from the tenants will be able to get into this house, except for a visit."

"This is.... Ok? I'm glad to hear it."

"That's not the word! Let's go."

A pale hand falls on Wu's shoulder, as if embracing him. Sasha herself takes big steps straight to the entrance of the building, before that, of course, unloading her car and making sure that the other free hand will carry everything she needs, while with the other she kept her friend imprisoned from her own, actually, hand and body, to which Marcy clung, or rather Sasha's hand pressed the girl so that she would not have the opportunity to resist.

Despite her small strength, Marcy couldn't unclench her hands and somehow push the girl away, of course, if she wanted to.

Wow, has Sasha always been so cozy and hot?

"Great."

Their confident and fast pace soon turned into a leisurely pace, because in front of their faces there was already an entrance with a ruby-colored metal door, near which there was a device where you need to attach a special key.

Continuing their conversation, they slowly open the door and go inside amid the noise of laughter, until suddenly a strange, rough and deathly cold hand falls on Sasha's hand.

"Don't move, Sash. For a long time you thought it was so easy to hide from the inevitable truth. The time has come!"

Marcy's thoughts seemed to have a life of their own, they reacted to the course of events much faster than her native body, which at that moment was beyond her control.

Everything seemed to go into the background.

She did not immediately make the decision to turn around in the direction of a male voice that sounded somehow ... broken?

And only when she did this, Marcy saw a young pale guy with dark brown hair, in a black long coat that reached almost to his feet, and dark trousers with bulging large pockets, the guy who held her friend tightly by the hand with his big hand, on which you can It was possible to notice scars glistening in the light or fresh cuts left behind.

There were a lot of them, they spread all over his body, there were traces of sleepless nights on his face, large bags under his eyes and sunken, lifeless dark brown eyes that looked as if he had recently allowed his tears to flow freely down his face.

Shifting her gaze slightly to the right, Marcy is surprised to notice that Sasha's expression did not waver, it remained unchanged, namely with a slight smile and eyes burning like hawks.

"Sasha..."

If at the first moment the guy's attention was focused exclusively on the named girl, then now, when Marcy made herself felt, his eyes looked straight at her, without taking his gaze off.

"Oh, look who we have."

An unknown guy purred, shifting slightly from one foot to the other, looking at his new victim for bullying.

Sasha quickly realized her mistake, which is why she had to retreat in order to avoid the fact that this guy would drag Marcy into her guilt.…

"Marcy, grab the keys right now and go to our apartment."

"What.."

Everything was turning around so fast, which is why Marcy didn't even understand when it started happening at all.

How it started. And what it led to.

She remembers how recently she caught these very keys, how she wanted to have fun with her friend in their new shared apartment, which they agreed to pay for together with their capabilities, perhaps even Marcy would have told a little about plans for her own webcomic. How will they watch some horror movie with a primitive plot under loud laughter or quiet horror on their faces?

And now... some strange, creepy person wants to involve Sasha in a conflict or worse.

He could hurt her.

Like right now.

Just ruthlessly twist and break her arm, breaking the bone in two.

A cursory glance was enough to understand with what force the guy was holding Sasha's hand.

But Sasha's lips did not twist in a grimace of pain or despair. She continued to smile through the glistening sweat.

"Marbles, now. Go inside.."

She began to back away, like a prey caught off guard by a hunter. Her eyes darted from Sasha to this young man.

His expression said that she shouldn't stay here, otherwise she would be in trouble.

"So, is this really Marcy Wu in person? I've heard a lot about you, and frankly, I'm impressed with the way Anne painted you."

Wait…Anne?

Is he talking about that Anne Boonchuy?

"Wait a minute…Anne? Do you mean Anne Boonchuy?"

"Bingo, girlfriend! Anne could talk for hours about your exploits and honest achievements in another world called Amphibia, filled with intelligent toads, frogs and newts."

It seemed as if all the color had slipped off Marcy's face, leaving in its place only the purest fear mixed with bewilderment.

Anne Boonchuy…

How could this seemingly unkind person know her?

...

Oh no, no, no, no!

Marcy feels a new wave of panic.

DAMN, NOT NOW!

She's suffocating again. Cold sweat flows down her face like a river, while her eyes are lowered somewhere under her feet.

The heart makes such sharp jerks, as if it longed more than all its life to break free, to pierce all the girl's ribs and lungs standing in the way, leaving her after escape to slowly bleed out in a pool of her own blood.

Sasha's deft and sensitive eyes flicker over her friend's face, after which she brutally snaps at the young guy, pulling her hand out of his vile and crooked paws.

"You don't seem to be poking around this part of town anymore, do you?"

Sasha said through her teeth.

All the attention from Marcy goes to Sasha's menacing appearance, to which she made it perfectly clear that she was ready to take the full brunt.

And she also didn't want him to tell Marcy things she shouldn't know. At least not right now.…

"Unlike you, I can still think straight and I don't look weak. I came for you, and you know it."

Marcy is no longer in the same place, she disappeared and, apparently, followed Sasha's advice and hid in the house, in their apartment. Or she went to call for help.

Sasha really hoped for this, otherwise she would not be able to avoid a long conversation with apologies and explanations, what does she have to do with it and who this person is.

"So come on, what are you waiting for. If this is your stupid and senseless condemnation of me again, then go ahead, I'm all yours!"

A tenacious hand grabs her cheekbones and pulls her towards him. She does not try to resist, only twists her face into a grin and viciously clenches her teeth when she is doused with hot and unpleasant breath.

"Excellent, I hope my presence didn't scare off your girlfriend and make her want to return to her beloved mom and dad, who are so protective of her."

After that, his loud, smug laugh was heard, as if the whole situation reminded him of a show, if not even an outright circus, in which Sasha is an invited clown known all over the world for his stupid jokes and performances.

He jerked his hand, forcing Sasha to look directly into his lifeless eyeballs, making it clear that this might be the last time she would so defy him with her supposedly arrogant appearance.

What could not have been expected was Wu's clenched fist, which came from nowhere, which went straight through the stranger's frowning face, especially the nose, which crunched deep into the skull, took the whole blow.

The guy staggered and bent down a little, assessing the blow left by Marcy, who towered over him, blocking her friend. She continued to hold her hand in the air, looking menacingly at the surprised and broken face of the guy.

Her eyes seemed to burn with a green flame that had awakened from the very depths of her heart.

A trickle of scarlet liquid ran from the guy's purple nose, staining his jaw, disfiguring his appearance.

She managed to break his nose.

However, it seemed that Marcy herself was shocked by her own heroic act, she missed the already surprised faces of both Sasha and this stranger. Fear, wild anger and despair spoke for her.

Something inside her told her to stand up for Sasha.

To help her before the guy himself did not dare to strike first.

She still couldn't believe she'd been able to save Waybright, much less give up, despite another panic attack.

"What the..."

This guy rises up and tries to touch his bleeding nose with his fingers, but a sharp pain makes itself felt, which is why he pulls his hand away in fear and does not take any more action to make sure how serious everything is.

"So be it, Sasha, you've got it. But take my word for it, next time I won't come alone."

Marcy's harsh appearance is starting to gain momentum, which made her seem much scarier to everyone around her than when she decided to take a swing at the poor guy.

Slowly heading in his direction, the guy quickly retreats and runs away from the scene of the brawl, nervously looking back at the still sternly standing girl.

If we had asked Marcy what prompted her to take this desperate step, she would have answered more likely that it was all a burst of pure adrenaline. She couldn't know for sure.

She only understood that if not her, then no one else would stand up for Sasha.

As soon as there is no trace of this creepy guy left, and his figure has disappeared over the horizon, Marcy helps Sasha, grabs her gently by the hands and begins to chirp something very quickly, which, of course, a slightly frightened girl cannot make out.

"SASHA! Sasha, my God, are you okay?"

"I'm ....yes, I am... of course."

Waybright's eyes are still glued to the already disappeared figure of the guy, her pupils stand in place unable to believe that her Marbles is capable of such a thing.

"Who is this man, and what did he want from you? Can you explain everything to me, what the hell was going on here a minute ago?"

Unable to find another, more suitable way, Marcy begins to shake Sasha, as if bringing her to consciousness from shock.
It took a while, but she was able to get at least something out of the blonde.

"This is…Don't take it into account, it's just a sick person. But thanks anyway. If it wasn't for you, God knows what he would have done to me."

Sasha began to tidy herself up, straightening her biker jacket.

"At least he wouldn't have left without giving you a couple of scratches on your face."

Marcy noticed, awkwardly throwing her hands behind her head, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"Oh, speaking of scratches, it seems he left something behind."

After running her thin and pale fingers, Sasha tried to feel the place where this guy's hand was, feeling that some unpleasant residue remained after his claws.

"Don't worry, Sasha. You can only be bothered by the red stripes after his hands, there is nothing on your cheeks except the above."

"If that's the case, then you can't imagine how glad I am that my face won't be decorated with another scar."

To emphasize her words, she points with her finger at the barely noticeable stripe on her right cheek, safely left by Anne once, when they were still teenagers and stupidly fought for the old frog Hop-pop on the Toad Tower.

"Huh, thank you for this souvenir too."

The cheerful and perky dark-haired girl winked again, sweetly putting her fingers to both her cheeks, but highlighting the bottom of her left cheek, where the imprint of the Waybright blade was also emblazoned when she, fighting with the Core, tried to save her from the hall of reason and return to her body.

If you judge it like that, they were even, because, in addition to the scar on her face, Sasha had a deep cut on her back, rather it was something between a burn and a wound that eventually began to fade and not be as noticeable at the edges as when it was put on the skin.

And, it's worth noting, quite recently, before Marcy's return, Sasha had the idea to get a tattoo on her back, just using this cut as a pattern.

Now, this cut resembled the shape of a red heron, a symbol that Sasha could associate herself with.

This tattoo clearly suited her, she did not regret her choice.

Just like Marcy, she also had several tattoos, which were well covered by her outerwear.

"I hope this was the last "gift" for us today. And it's worth starting the pleasant part of this day, what do you say?"

Finally opening the iron door and bringing the bags into the mix with the suitcases, they go inside, continuing their dialogue there.

"Yes, I think we deserve a normal rest for once… At least for today."

Marcy whispered in one breath, lowering her head and just walking in silence along the corridor with Sasha to the room with the elevator.

The ride took place in silence, it was not something superfluous or awkward, not at all, they just enjoyed the moment when none of them could find the right words to describe how much their reunion was dear to them.

It's a pity that they have to share this moment just the two of them, without Anne…

Marcy thought to herself, suppressing the urge to bring up the subject of Anne in front of her friend.

But what couldn't be denied or somehow postponed was that this guy knew both Sasha and Anne from somewhere.

Even more than that, he had once talked to Anne.

They were talking about Marcy.

Since Anne brought up Marcy's case, does that mean that this person was actually a close friend to Boonchuy?

Or did she just casually blab about her friends, and it so happened that she mentioned Wu through their conversation?

These thoughts will remain in the dark-haired girl's head for a long time, even when they entered their shared new apartment, she was not left by the repeated words that sounded from the mouth of that guy.

Word for word, Marcy replayed that moment in her head in order to figure out if it had anything to do with her and busy Anne.

Maybe she will be able to find this young man again and talk to him, what does he know about Anne and where can they find her?

Yes, I think it will be the right decision.

The main thing is that Sasha does not follow her, otherwise the whole surprise with Anne's return will go down the drain.

Stepping on smooth and shining tiles, they walked with sure steps straight to the new apartment, leaving the elevator, a ride on which would be one of the most tedious things, probably, that would be an integral part of every day.

Behind them rode fully packed suitcases with wheels, the handles of which were held by the girls, and in their other hand they also had a couple of bags that did not particularly impede their pace and caught the rhythm.

Approaching the destination, one could hear an impending thunderstorm and thunderclaps, which most likely came from the apartment's open balcony in the kitchen.

Sasha had already walked around and looked at the apartment itself, until she didn't know what to do with herself before Marcy arrived, so it was not surprising that some windows and a balcony were wide open.

"Don't hesitate to contact me if anything happens, your room is just opposite mine."

Waybright admitted casually, opening the door to the apartment with a key, inviting her friend to enter first, who was already willing to cast quick glances at the room equipped for the two of them.

Not to say that it was perfect, but it was definitely not bad. The wallpaper was an unremarkable ochre shade that absorbed the last rays of the sun. Sasha's hand was visible somewhere: neatly cleaned bookcases, tidied corners of rooms, neat appearance of the entire apartment.

Marcy couldn't help but squeak with delight when she noticed that an appetizing-smelling lunch was already waiting for her in the kitchen, which carried its pleasant aroma to the tip of her nose.

"Sasha... It smells so good... Tell me, you prepared all this for my return, didn't you? "

With an insidious, but not evil smile, the black-haired girl whispered, squinting at Sasha standing next to her, who carefully helped her take off her outer clothes.

"Yeah, it's all for you, my lady."

Jokingly she said, hanging her clothes on a hook in the living room like a gentleman, following Marcy with my eyes to their shared kitchen.

Wu had no words to describe how hungry she was, and how much the sight of hot homemade pizza made her mouth water.

It was just a sight to see.

"So what about horror night?"

Marcy's head shot sideways, looking straight at the kitchen doorway where Sasha was standing, leaning on one shoulder.

The blonde approached her with a remote control from the TV, which did not immediately catch the eye of another girl.

"I'm all for it, just give me a minute."

Marcy said this, and then ran to her new room, which still had to be searched for some time.

Sasha was right, this room was located opposite her friend's room in such a way that it was convenient for both of them to go out at the same time.

"Huh, I hope I won't need Sasha's help again."

The dark-haired girl thought to herself, heading to her room in order to actually look at everything and get used to her new home. Oh, she also wanted to put the keys Sasha gave her somewhere in a drawer in her desk, if, of course, there was one there.

The door of the room easily gives in, allowing the girl to inspect the interior space, which was also tidied up, although there was definitely not enough of the things they brought.

Of interest, Marcy noticed a small wardrobe in the corner, the doors of which were slightly ajar, letting streaks of rays onto the inner walls of the closet.

It was noticeable that it was completely empty, although the shadow did not allow you to determine it the first time.

Ha, it would be funny to hide there sometimes from tasteless or burnt Sasha's food.

Marcy laughed to herself, continuing to step towards the open window, from where a strong wind was blowing.

A sign of an incipient thunderstorm.

Approaching the windowsill, Marcy puts both hands on it and begins to look at the beauty of Los Angeles from the window, especially at the park, part of which was barely visible because of the overlapping tops of buildings and antennas.

Once upon a time, Marcy was there, then she talked to Sasha for the last time, after which they did not see each other in person for ten years.

But she was lucky enough to cross paths with Anne after their trio meeting together in this park.

But... These were not the best moments of her life.

So many adventures happened to her and Anne after that.

There are so many terrible things that Marcy is afraid to remember to this day.

For example, that terrible episode when she was thirteen years old, when she spent time with Anne at the Wu family home. Then nothing foreshadowed trouble.

Oh, how wrong Marcy was then, because very soon the fun was replaced by fear and risk.

This incident, when a dangerous criminal broke into the house..

Marcy's hand tightened, remembering the horror she had experienced. There were so many tears and screams back then.

Unable to overcome her emotions, she buries her face in the windowsill, placing her hands so that her head is comfortable.

The wind continued to caress her long black hair, lifting it into the air every now and then.

The sun was no longer visible, and it was going to rain heavily soon.

One can only hope that no lightning will not strike the wires on the roof at the most inopportune moment.

Just stopping at the thought of lightning, Marcy jumps up from her seat and screams soundlessly when a large black raven that was sitting on the windowsill cawed in her ear.

"WHAT... WHO'S HERE?! WHO WOULD... OH..."

The raised shaggy black-haired head looks in surprise at the silent bird standing alone, which a second ago woke Marcy with its shrill cry, which could be confused with a human one to some extent.

"Oh... Hello?"

The bird's head changes position, its eyes focus on the girl's clenched fist, which contained the spare keys to the building.

"You... Oh, do you want this?"

Marcy shows the raven a bunch of keys from a safe distance so that he can raise its head and outline the object raised up with its eyes.

The raven seemed unusual, as if there was a riddle in its that hypnotized, knocked off her thoughts.

This is what happened to Marcy, she stared at the animal, which continued, without moving, to stand stubbornly in place, occasionally turning its head in different directions to better fix the key in Wu's hand.

CAAAAAAAAAAAW

The raven's cry rang out again, with which he knocked down Marcy's table, which closed her eyes in surprise and recoiled from the window.

A second passed, but it was enough for the raven to fly into the room and grab Marcy's hand with its claws, grabbing a bunch of keys in its paws.

When the girl opened her eyes, it was too late.

The bird was already flying out, all through the same window.

"Damn it!"

Terrified, Marcy tries with the last of her strength to grab any of the feathers with her hands in order to grab the harmful raven in her hands, but, unfortunately, it immediately flies away, leaving behind only a bunch of battered feathers, stained with something, which scattered in all directions, including some of which hit and into the girl's room itself.

Silently watching and staring at the bird, Marcy sees how its outlines dissolve into the sky as black as it is.

It was all in vain, it flew away with her keys.

The ones that Sasha handed over, it would seem, recently.

"FUCK"

Maybe... she would be lucky and it would throw them away somewhere in the forest so that no outsiders would have access to them in the future?

What if someone finds these keys and uses them?

"Marbles, how are you-"

"SASHA!"

Marcy jumps up from her seat, meeting her friend with an innocent look. She looked suspicious and strange.

A single drop of sweat fell from her forehead.

"Uh... yeah? How are you. I came to ask about your well-being."

"How am I? Weeeell, of course, of course, ...I'm fine"

Marcy's eyes look sideways, as if remembering that she just let some bird steal the keys that Waybright gave her.

Her arms were positioned at her sides, reminiscent of that funny kiwi bird from the memes.

Her body position was very revealing, so Sasha could suspect something was wrong and, in the end, climb to Marcy with questions.

Which the girl was extremely afraid of.

"You're acting creepy... is something wrong?"

"Pffff, Sasha, what nonsense. Of course nothing happened, no crow stole my keys, the ones that you gave me with confidence that I would not lose them. And I'm perfectly fine myself. Really, what could have gone wrong?"

As it happens in comedy shows, there was a tense and awkward silence between them, and against their background, if it were a comedy, the tumbleweed itself could roll.

"Let's say… Will you have something for tea?"

"Um..."

Marcy still wasn't sure if her excuse had worked or how convincing it was. Maybe when they sit down at the table, Sasha will bring up this topic again?

Most likely.

But why be nervous in advance when you can go and eat delicious iced cupcakes with a cup of hot green tea.

And the story of this strange raven, who for some reason needed the keys to their house, can be saved for later.

________

The raven's wings carried its as fast as they could.

Although it was clumsy in flight, it continued to hold his course smoothly, flying towards the dark forest, the edge of which was lost somewhere in the distance.

Its loud screams seemed to come from outside the beak and spread over a long distance, intimidating those who were with its at a height in the air.

Its eyes did not move from their place as an unidentified force continued to push its to fly on, despite the strong wind.

It was as if its instincts had been completely turned off.

The key continued to dangle in its sharp claws, with which it firmly grasped the object, not wanting to let go for a minute and under no pretext.

To relax its claws for him meant to lose the cherished key, which the bird clearly did not want.

It was carried away by the wind straight down into the very gloomy thicket of the forest, where an old wooden house, small in size, spread out, which contained a lot.

Flapping its wings, he swooped down, descending to the right height to fly through the half-open window in the hut, where an old moss-covered window sill was waiting for its.

Once the raven was in place, it circled the desolate unlit room several times before landing on the surface near the window.

And as soon as this happened, the bird jumped up several times before it began to choke and spit out something very thick and black like resin.

It poured in liters, as if the raven simply physically could not contain all this substance that continued to climb out of his already bleeding throat.

It was tearing at its tissues and organs.

An incomprehensible resin seemed to be coming out along with his internal organs. It feels like it's mixed with its blood.

And finally, when everything was over, the black liquid began to form into something unified and resembling a human, but far from resembling something alive and friendly.

It grabbed the unfortunate awakened blood bird in slippery dark paws, from which scalding steam was coming, roughly squeezing and pressing on the lungs, which were ready to come out, leaving the creature helplessly to die.

Of course, this made the raven gulp air and croak with all his might, trying to fend off the enemy and his tenacious hands.

After several attempts, the key he brought is taken away from its, the bird is thrown into a hinged cage and locked there.

Its pleas continue already in a dirty and dusty prison, a prison from which it will never get out on its own.

A few blows against the bars were enough to damage some of the raven's feathers, which continued to caw frantically and break free.

If it knew that it was just a vessel and a pathetic pawn who would not willingly defend the queen in this chess game, believe me, no one would want to sacrifice themselves and take its place.