Sunny is Away

A fanfiction inspired by the game series “Emily is Away”.

It was only a few days ago when Sunny’s mother bought Sunny a new PC. It was an early birthday gift- and today was his birthday, after all. After moving away from Faraway Town, Sunny had begun to focus more on academics. He never finished all of school, and was trying his best to keep up. After years of homeschooling, it was difficult to adjust back to high school. The city was nothing like Faraway Town. Not even close.

But Sunny’s mother was right about one thing.

After everything the past three days before moving, a change of scenery was desperately needed. The confession of the truth was four years in the making. Sunny had many mistakes, but he had run from this one for a long time. When he confessed, it felt like the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders.

“I have to tell you something.”

He never forgot his friend’s reactions.

After minutes of tears and contemplation, Sunny stood before Basil. He never forgot Basil’s smile as their SOMETHINGS faded away.

He never forgot how the nurses slowly walked him back to his hospital bed.

Right now, Sunny’s thoughts weren’t on that fateful day. His eyes looked at the screen. The news couldn’t stop talking about this website that was blowing up. Facehook. The age of instant messengers was dead, and the news couldn’t stop talking about it. Fellow classmates in Sunny’s classes shared usernames. It was all the rage. Sunny found it curious- and wanted to try it for himself.

The old PC couldn’t run it. Not even close. All it ran was Blackjack. Sunny had asked his mother for a new PC- but he never got anything just for free nowadays. He put in the good grades necessary to get the PC he so desired. Brand-new, cutting-edge for the time. When he opened his gift, he had this beaming smile across his face. The internet had changed from what Sunny knew as a kid. Websites to share videos and photos were becoming mainstays.

He thought about how Mari and Hero used to message each other their old PCs. Those messengers they used were probably on the decline by now. Even after a year of confessing the truth, on some days, it was still hard to think about her.

“What…? Relationship status?”

Sunny mumbled to himself as he registered his account, joining Facehook around 3:30 PM. Today was a Saturday, but Sunny’s mom made sure to keep the birthday gift of a new PC as much of a surprise as she could. Sunny began to fill out the personal information tab, more confused than anything. He also uploaded a photo of himself as a profile. His picture day photo from the previous year.

He didn’t like that photo much.

That was simple enough. Sunny’s eyes motioned to the individuals in his network: people from his high school that he didn’t speak much to. He saw photos- classmates partying, spending summer vacations with friends and family. The old, worn photo album that belonged to Basil still lay on Sunny’s desk. Ever since he moved, he hadn’t opened it much. But seeing people post photos of themselves- digitally, for all the world to see.

Something in his heart felt conflicted about that. Basil’s photos were capsules of time: Sunny could hold, touch, and feel the Polaroid in each page.

It’s not the same.

While he friend requested classmates he sometimes spoke to, Sunny didn’t see what the buzz was all about. The whole website- white and blue. It just seemed kind of boring-looking. When he remembered Mari’s old profiles on instant messengers, it was colorful and vibrant. Old-school, yes, but Sunny had a fondness for it. His mind was then distracted by the red notification at the bottom of his page.

A friend request. It was only a few minutes, and he already got one.

The profile picture was all too familiar. It made Sunny wince- not from any malice, but tension. Ever since that fateful day, he expected to never see any of his old friends again. Not even online. But the world has a way of connecting people together. The picture was someone familiar. Brown hair, tan skin- a basketball jersey. Kel Montoya. Fate had a strange way of bringing the two together.

Even after everything, Kel always wanted to talk. He tried- many times, calls that Sunny didn’t get- or didn’t want to pick up. Sunny thought that the memories of Faraway Town, and everyone there, was wholly separate from the here and now. But, fate always proved that never was true.

Without hesitation, Sunny accepted it. He looked at the photos, the profile- all of it. It was all Kel. His status was about Orange Joe. His photos showed himself, Hero, and the rest of the Montoyas. It was all Kel. Soon, Kel sent a message over.

After everything?

The thought made Sunny’s hands tense up a little on the keyboard. He didn’t know how to answer this. He didn’t know if he should answer it. Sunny tried to think about it for a moment. It’d be a nice birthday gift for himself- time to spend with the people that he needed to reconcile with the most. The truth is, was he even ready to come back?

Would any of them really accept him anymore?

After one year removed from spilling out the honest truth, could his friends ever truly forgive him now? It took Sunny a while to figure out how to answer. He turned to the photo album for guidance. But all of those photos, and Basil’s words- were from a different time.

Everything changed- and everyone grew up. When Mari was there, it was like the sun shined brighter. And, in one moment, that light was snuffed out. Replaced by the bitter cold of unspoken words and bitter resolve. And the cause of her death as everyone believed- a cover-up of an accident.

When a boy wanted to stop playing the violin.

When his best friend, at age twelve, knew how to tie a noose.

When Mari swung along Sunny’s favorite tree.

Sunny stared emptily at the message logs. Was he ready to go back? The thought sat in his mind like an elephant in the room. After Sunny confessed the truth, it was hard for anyone to think about wanting to contact him again. There wasn’t much camaraderie when Sunny left. He remembered the silence as his mother took him to her car. Sunny remembered the morning sky, shining on his face as the hospital got distant from the window.

BE-BEE-BEEP! BE-BEE-BEEP!

Sunny’s home phone began to beep: as he picked it up without hesitation. He knew that his mom was at the bank, trying to withdraw some money from their account. After the hospital funds, things had been a little bit rough. Sunny, once again, had taken up small jobs in order to make ends meet. Pizza delivery once again, although this time, the store owner didn’t have god awful handwriting. He also took up other jobs around the nearby grocery stores: nothing too physically taxing, Sunny’s body was still healing. Cashier, grocer- someone that did their job and got the check for it. It was nothing full-time, but a part-time job was always one that Sunny’s mom always encouraged her son to take up.

Susanne Suzuki already had a lot on her mind already.

“Hey, Sunny, it’s Mommy. I hope you enjoy your birthday gift, honey! It was a bit pricey but we both made sure to save enough money to buy it. Just be sure to stay safe, okay? And, don’t overuse the PC too much, okay? Your eyes need all the rest they can get. That’s it for now! Mommy loves you. Bye, honey!”

She always said that last part in every call with Sunny.

“...I love you too, mom.”

Even if she wouldn’t hear it from the phone, Sunny, after moving from Faraway Town, tried to start taking classes more seriously. It’s how he got this PC, after all. Working hard like Mari did- not to her level. No one ever had as much dedication to anything as her. Whether it was cooking or that recital that would never come to be. Sunny attempted to emulate it- and while he wasn’t always successful, his mother was elated to see his report card at the end of the year. A’s and B’s across the board.

Mommy’s so proud of you, honey!

Sunny allowed himself a small smile after hearing her praise from a few weeks ago.

Usually, the only A’s that Sunny ever earned in school were the art and music classes. The rest of his grades were usually mediocre in comparison.

Sunny continued to scroll through Facehook, as time passed. Susanne had finally walked in, as Sunny opened his bedroom door to make sure that she could see him. After doing so, Sunny continued to scroll, seeing all the news and posts that filled his page. He recognized a few names from Kel’s friend list- Daphne, Mikhael (who stopped calling himself “The Maverick” a while ago), Angel- all the people from Faraway Town. There was a reason people in the town still knew of Sunny. All of those potted plants in his hospital room spoke for itself.

One stood out like a sore thumb. A photo of a blonde boy with a flower pinned within his chin-length, somewhat spiky hair. Sunny immediately knew who it was: Basil Fern. He hovered on the icon cautiously. Sunny smiled a bit, seeing all the photos of Basil’s flowers that decorated his profile page. A menagerie of green and a variety of colors that told a story.

Somewhere, in Faraway Town, Basil’s eyes widened with recognition at a profile he didn’t immediately notice at first. He then saw the name. His breath became hitched. A smile began to form on the boy’s face.

“Sunny…is that really you?”

Without hesitation, Basil offered up a friend request. His best friend- a year removed, and yet, Basil’s heart soared. It skipped a flurry of beats just seeing Sunny’s name. It had to be him- the photo, all of it. He still looked the same, now with a glass eye where once Basil had made his cut.

Something lodged itself in Sunny’s throat. Anxiety, worry? He didn’t know.

Sunny winced at that last message.

Something stirred in his stomach. A sinking feeling punched directly at his abdomens. There was so much left unsaid after the truth was revealed. His thoughts ran wild, as he clung to his five senses. He didn’t want their forgiveness- that’s what he always told himself. But a part of it yearned for it. A deep sigh escaped Sunny as he grabbed a pencil- sharpening it. That calculus homework wasn’t going to finish itself.

When Sunny found himself asleep after completing his homework, the Suzuki household was quiet. The evening night rose over their household, as the moon gleamed with its beautiful reflection. While Susanne Suzuki prepared for the next day, Sunny was already fast asleep. His mother always insisted that a good night sleep leads to good grades.

It was good to finally rest easy.

But the dream Sunny had was odd. The dead of night: the computer, open to Facehook. A blurred portrait of someone messaged Sunny. He didn’t remember friend requesting this person. He was tempted to click exit and block, but then- a message.