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Mizi's fingers tickled Till's ribs through his shirt. Watching him get redder with each attack from her hands. She giggled at every stupid cry her friend made. He didn't dare defend himself for fear of touching her. She didn't know why, but Till had never dared to look at her for more than 6 seconds without looking away, She knew he loved her, but to the point of refusing physical contact would have made her upset if she hadn't figured him out yet.
Although... She preferred to know he wouldn't touch her. The thought of one of the girls from Anakt Garden touching her already repulsed her, so feeling someone of the opposite gender do it was truly disgusting. Only Sua's and Ivan's touches was bearable to her.
She had guessed from the boy's hundreds of furtive glances and unnecessary physical contact with Till that Ivan felt the same way she felt about Sua. Love for someone of the same gender. Which didn't necessarily please the alien since it separated her a lot from her beloved Sua.
That's why she felt good with him. She knew her body or beauty wasn't the reason Ivan was interacting with her. But for who and how she was. As for Sua, does she really need to explain herself? She was her other half. The one she belongs next to, until death takes Sua away from her...
The light on her collar changed from green, to orange, to red, indicating her heartbeat was accelerating. Just the image of the day before, seeing the love of her life torture her neck while watching former participants die from a bullet in the neck, made her so sick. She couldn't do anything to stop it. Only run to hug her like she did and pretend to not know, watching Sua slowly destroying herself.
"Are you okay, Mizi?" A hesitant tone brought her out of her dark thoughts. Till held his hand out to her, inches away, ready to make contact if needed. She hid the red of her necklace with her long pink hair, making it cross her facial features to hide her fear and disgust. "Yup I'm fine!" In not even a second her darkened eyes regained their original brightness. Her face lit up again, as did her cheerful and friendly demeanor.
He didn't pay any more attention to it, He lowered his hand which reassured the young girl. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Then he blushed before looking away. Mizi sighed quiet enough for him to not hear.
From afar behind a tree, Sua was watching them an unhealthy and unpleasant feeling rose within her. Her fingers gripped the smooth trunk of the fake tree. Rage made her tremble as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't understand why Mizi preferred spending time with weird kids like Till instead of her.
"What are you looking at?" Sua jumps when she hears a voice behind her. She turns around, annoyed and ashamed of having been caught red-handed. "What do you want?!" she says louder than she wanted to to Ivan. "I'm looking at you looking at Mizi and Till" he responds calmly which pissed Sua off even more. Why the hell was he always so expressionless?
"I'm not looking at them." She responds As she moved away from the tree, Ivan automatically followed her. "I'm not stupid Sua" She remains silent, leaving her Mizi with the guitar boy behind. "Do you think she'll leave you to stay with him?" Ivan dated to say. Sua's necklace instantly turned red and she spun violently.
"Of course not! Mizi loves me!" She said as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. Ivan didn't answer, just observing the pitiful state she was in. Sua wiped her eyes and continued on her way, Ivan still following her. "You really are stupid sometimes." He let go without any shame.
Sua turned around once more with the same expression. "Excuse me?" She said, offended. "What's your problem, Ivan?" She screamed. She couldn't take it anymore; she felt betrayed by both Mizi and Ivan. "Till is nothing to her compared to you." He says with that calm expression he always had. Sua's tense facial features relaxed slightly. She said nothing, just waiting for Ivan to finish.
"She'll be back with you in ten minutes." He continued, adding nothing more. Simply waiting for Sua's reaction. She thought for a moment. She felt stupid for getting so angry. She felt stupid for yelling at Ivan like that. "You're probably right..." She says reassured.
Ivan smiled at her, she hated that stupid smile of his. She never knew what to do or says while he does that, it was so awkward. So she simply pouted a little before scampering off across the garden looking for a little hiding place, fortunately Ivan didn't followed her this time.
***
Ivan was sitting under a tree observing the interaction between Mizi and Till. He had no right to judge Sua about how she felt, because he feels the same. He closes his eyes imagining Till blushing at him like he does to Mizi. He suddenly opens his eyes when he heard someone calling his name."IVAN!!" mizi joins him and sits along under the tree.
"Have you seen Sua? She was around a few moments ago before leaving with you" so she knew Sua was watching... Ivan though. He watched Till watch them from afar, still shaken by his interactions with Mizi. "I don't know, we argued like everytime we talk." Mizi let a little sigh. "Guess I'll have to search for her..."
She jumped up and ran to find her love. "SUA I'M COMING!" She rushed everywhere Sua could be, asking everyone if they had seen her. After about ten minutes of searching, she found her, sitting with her feets in the river. "There you are!" She grabs her and hugs her from the back. "I missed you so much!". She rubs her face on the other girl's back.
Sua doesn't says anything, pouting like she always do when Mizi spend time with someone else's, but the color on her collar that was slightly turning orange proved that she appreciated Mizi's closeness. "What's wrong Sua..." She grabbed the girl by the shoulders and turned her so that their eyes met.
"Nothing." Sua simply responds without looking at her beloved Mizi. The pink haired girl face's changed, giving way to sadness and slight panic instead of her usual smile. "What did I do this time?" She almost whines. Sua didn't answer and simply laid her head on her own knees tuck her head in.
"Fine! Be mad at me Sua." Mizi dashed into the river determinedly. Sua raised her head curiously when she heard Mizi jump into the water. She watched her walk towards the mechanical fish, Mizi knew Sua always laughed when she try to catch the fish.
Just the thought of Mizi trying to catch it made her let out a snort which did not escape the fisher's ear, who turned around and gave Sua a triumphant look as she immediately looked away, pretending it wasn't working. She then turned around to hide her big smile from Mizi.
She still listened to the noises Mizi made each time she failed to catch the fish. This lasted for a few moments before the sound of the engine suddenly stopped accompanied by a gasp from Mizi. Sua wondered if she had finally caught him, she quickly got her answer when she heard muffled cries from her beloved.
She turned around in a panic, her collar immediately turning red. Mizi struggled to get out of the river with the fish in her hands, her collar the same color as her. Mizi sat down on the edge of the bank, curled up on the fish, crying her eyes out. Sua approached quietly and hugged her from behind.
"It died Sua..." She declared, feeling her embrace. Sua's eyes suddenly widened. How was that possible? She took Mizi in her arms the fish between their bodies crying into each other's necks.
***
Later they were both lying on the grass holding each other's in the arms, their arms between the ground and the other's haed, holding their free hand. Their face, a hair's breadth away. The mecanic fish lying in the sun behind them.
"Maybe he just drowned" Sua says sniffing. "Didn't the book said fish can breath underwater?" Mizi asks. "What if it lied" Sua responded, she then continues "but don't worry, he can breath now" she says take a look at the machine laying in the grass.
Mizi nods, holding Sua the closest as possible. "If they lied about that, do you think they lied about love too?" Mizi's heartbeat intensifies as she waits for Sua's response. The other girl noticed her collar turning to a redder color. "What do you mean?" She asks after thinking for a moment even if she knew what she meant.
"Do you think two people of the same gender can fall in love?" She asks apprehensively. It was Sua's necklace's turn to turn red. "I don't know..." She answered sadly. "I don't want to kiss a boy... Or anyone else! I want to kiss you." Mizi says while sitting up abruptly, dissatisfied with the answer she received.
Sua seems to hesitate for a moment. "I don't know Mizi... I'm scared. Last time the alien saw us being too close they told my mom. Her punishment was rudder than the last time, Mizi." She answered softly, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes. She sat next to Mizi and rest her head on the girls shoulder.
Mizi was in the verge of crying. Why was everything so unfair, why can't she be happy and forever with Sua. If she could stop time she would do it. Because in a few years Sua would be dead. Gone forever. Only Mizi was strong enough to bear her death.
"I love you Mizi. Even if it's forbidden." Sua grabs Mizi's shoulder for them to face each other. Automatically their bodies moved closer along with their face until their lips press softly against each other.
It was soft, their lips were caressing each other's with softness, showing their love, it was innocent and pleasant. They were holding each other's really close, afraid to see the other back off. Their collars had turned purple from the powerful beat their heart were making.
Who cares if it was forbidden, because for the two girls it was the right things to do.
Then a familiar, regular mechanical noise began to be heard, They separate, afraid of having been caught red-handed. But it was only the fish who came back to life. The two girls' faces lit up and they ran towards the fish, shouting with joy, and carried it to the river.
"It's alive!" Mizi yelled after throwing the fish in the water. She turn around to look at Sua. But she disappeared. "Sua?" Mizi asks her heart started to beat quickly. She looked everywhere around. "Sua?" Mizi call louder than before. "Sua!" This time she yelled even louder.
Panicked, she ran into the garden shouting her name. That's when she realized she was alone, there were no one in the garden with her. "Ivan!" "Till!" She scream. "Where are you hiding!!" She continued to run yelling the loudest she could. Tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please anyone! Answer me!"
She fall on her knees breathing heavily, she cried for help. "Sua!" She yelled the girl's name she loved multiple time "SUA!!" She curled up on the floor crying her friends name. Her whole body trembling.
***
The Witch woke up from this memory camouflaged as a dream. She was all alone just as she deserved, everyone died because of her. Sua because of her selfishness, Ivan because she couldn't make it in time, Hyuna because she ran to the stage to met Till, plus she didn't knew if he was alive right now.
Mizi was tracked by both humans and aliens, Dozens of people wanted him dead more than anything for preventing Hyuna's plan from being carried out. But what's the point? His plan wouldn't bring everyone back to life, let alone save future participants. It was a futile illusion that Hyuna had created for herself like Mizi had created about Sua's sacrifice.
She had though of killing herself multiple times, but it would be too easy, she deserved to suffer, to be alone, to be hated by both aliens and humans. With she stand up from where she was resting, a hiding place between two ventilation. She continued on her journey. Waiting for the day she had suffered enough as redemption to join everyone.