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The wood panels of the boardwalk are stiff under her feet, rough to the touch.
Small waves crash beneath her, and they spray bits of water into the air.
The sun shines brightly overhead, bathing everything in a pleasant glow; its presence would usually put her in a good mood.
And yet,
Book stands right behind her, presence foreboding as she waits for a response. Expecting an answer from her.
And Leafy's… thinking.
Would she give it back?
In her hands is the deed to Dream Island, her name boldly scrawled on top. The paper is thick and sturdy, and a giant gold stamp is secured on its front, showing off its authenticity.
Looking at it now, it fills her with an emotion she can't put her finger on.
…She remembers the day she received it, the details seared into her head.
Firey, his ferris wheel, getting runner up, being so happy her best friend won, then-
Betrayal. Rejection. Banishment from Dream Island, all because she didn't want to die on his ferris wheel. He even let Evil Flower and Coiny in. COINY.
She had been angry.
So, so angry.
She deserved to be on that island. She deserved it more than anyone else, for that matter. She was Firey's best friend, the runner up, the nicest person ever. Why wouldn't she be allowed in?
Except, Firey banned her. He shut the door right in her face. He called her a mean person, like he wasn't the one throwing her away from paradise over something so, SO, UGH.
She debated screaming in that moment.
Yelling until her lungs gave out and Firey let her in.
Shouting until he realizes the huge mistake he made.
The soundproof walls stopped her, though.
No matter how hard she could try, they would never hear her through the stone. And a small part of her doubts they even would if they were able to, probably too busy lounging in their five-star hotel to even care about a “mean person” like her.
So she decided to do what she could, what she knew would get their attention…
Leafy looks down again, not realizing she looked away in the first place. The deed was still as rigid and cold as she left it in her palms.
…And now they all hated her.
They wanted her dead. Permanently. They’d all wanted her scraped from the Earth to where she could never return.
And it was all because of this island. This stupid, stupid, STUPID island no one really cares about!
…
She wondered, for a moment: If she never stole it, if she never took it away from Firey, would she still be in this position? Everyone out to get her for simply existing near them? Where her name was only ever whispered with horror and bitterness?
Or would she still be outside that wall, waiting for an answer, a knock, anything to show they still knew she was there? Still hoping she wouldn't be forgotten? That Firey could change his mind?
Would that be better than this? Abandonment instead of constant hatred?
Hah, well, it's too late for what-ifs now.
But Book thought that could change. Book thinks that if she gives it back, they could all put this behind them, giving everyone a fresh start and letting them leave all the Dream Island drama in the past.
However, putting this as nicely as she could, Book didn't know crap.
Book wasn't there when all the recovery centers were destroyed. Book wasn't there when she was isolated in Yoyleland. Book wasn't there when, every time she tried to talk with them again, she was always rewarded with disdain and fear no matter what she did.
Book wasn't there when Firey pretended not to know her. She hopes he was just pretending.
Firey was her best friend. IS her best friend. He saved her life, and this is how he was acting now that they’re back together again? Like she wasn't important enough to remember? As if everything they’ve been through meant nothing to him?
She could feel her stomach boiling at the thought, hurt and pain and sadness and fury and sorrow all mixing together into something she couldn't control. She knew this wave of emotions all too well. This was the exact feeling she had when the island gates were shut in her face.
It was the feeling that ruined everything.
Leafy could be so much worse, you know. She could let these feelings run rampant, truly be a mean person and let everyone know it.
But she didn't want that. She was a nice person. She kept those feelings in check, put on her best smile and tried her darnedest to become friends with everyone. This is why she's the nicest; it's because she puts the most effort into being so.
If only everyone else could see that.
…
Leafy's brow creased, and she squinted out toward the horizon, letting her arms fall to her sides. Book stays still behind her.
…If they hate her now, what would they do if she gives back Dream Island?
These feelings won't go away. As much as she tries to deny it, they're always there no matter what. They drive her to do mean things, even if they feel so right in the moment, and she doesn't know what they might do if she lets it happen again.
They could all start hating her once more, now for something she can't just give back. It would be worse; she wouldn't have anything to fall back on. No map to jump through, no friends to help her, no Firey to save her this time.
And that's if they even accept her to begin with. Just as her feelings wouldn't vanish, theirs could still rage on despite her niceness.
Their thirst for her death could be so heavy that it couldn't be quelled with the return of Dream Island. They could all go on the Island without her and lock her out, repeating exactly what they did before to teach her a lesson.
Both would leave her alone. Both leave her for dead.
Leafy doesn't like those odds.
And Book can't comprehend that: the fact that everything could get worse.
If they can't like her now, over a single bad reaction, she can't guarantee that everyone would stay if it happens again.
If they can't stay or even like her when she's trying so hard, then they don't get to have that chance: the opportunity to ruin her after showing she's sorry.
…Though, she's not sure if that's the right word. Remorseful, more like, for how it affected her relationship with everyone. A bit of regret for letting an outburst like this explode in the first place.
But the details don't matter much. It's not like they're sorry, either.
No apologies, no guilty conscience. They're trying to get her killed for good, and the others never even hesitate to join in on the witch hunt.
It's funny, almost.
That’s one of the only things that's stayed consistent through this horrible time in her life.
That, and, well…
The deed in Leafy's hands. It never left. It never shunned. It never gossiped. It never hated her.
It was the only thing that stayed. The only thing that stuck by her these past few years despite her constant urge to rip it to shreds. To throw it into the ocean. To let it burn until it was unrecognizable in her campfires.
And what would she do when even that is gone, after everyone leaves her behind again?
She doesn't know, and she won't have to know.
Her mind is made. They’ll have to accept her now, learn to return her niceness and welcome her despite their grievances.
They will have to try first, so she will be sure they won't leave as soon as she gives Dream Island up. They will have to be nice for once, so she can be sure they’ll stay.
Leafy turns back to Book, taking a deep breath as she opens her mouth.
“I’ve made my decision.”