RE:WRITTEN

025: Falling Apart

"What are you talking about?"

My eyes are locked within Ikimono's glare. I feel myself shaking. I can't look away from her. I'm trapped without an escape.

"I'm talking about how you physically attacked your sister!" The Knight sharply states. "Why did you think that was a good idea? More importantly, why did you think all of us going after her when we're clearly not ready was a good idea?!"

I blink a few times as Ikimono fires her questions at me. She doesn't hold back. She continues to glare, silently demanding that I comply with all of her questions.

Saisho reaches out to Ikimono. He tries to put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Iki, maybe we should calm down before we have this-"

"No." She spats out. She doesn't even glance at Saisho. She rolls her shoulder away from his touch as she continues to give me an icy stare. "I want my answers. Right now."

I purse my lips for a moment. "Listen. I was trying to get her to calm down. I don't know what I was thinking. I just needed her to stop without all the violence that was going on!"

"Violence?" The girl's dark hair follows her as she tilts her head mockingly. "Did you really think there wasn't going to be any violence? None whatsoever? That this would be an easy mission where your sister happily comes along with us, we figure out how to get Corruption out of her, and we bring her home?"

"That was the plan."

"The plan?" Ikimono spats. "You mean your plan, right? Because as far as I was aware, that little hope of yours wasn't confirmed as our mission."

"We came here to bring her back to the Normal," I state. "Why wouldn't that be our mission?"

"Have you not been listening to any of us? Your sister was subject to torment and bullying at school. Your mother lied to both of you, and in Violet's point of view, you were always above her. Did you really think your sister was going to just magically trust us as if the trauma she's endured is nothing?!"

"I had hoped that since I'm her sister, she'd listen to me and come home!" I raise my voice.

"You think it's that easy."

"Well what do you know?!" I ask. "Violet claimed you tried to help her and then you didn't. So how is this not your fault?!"

"I didn't harass her! Nor am I part of a cheerleading squad that parades around as if they're Gods and they can treat people however they wish." Ikimono narrows her eyes as she speaks. "This isn't my fault."

Saisho moves to my right side and Ikimono's left. He puts his hands out as his Written Form disappears. His gray eyes shake a little.

"Okay, we should really calm down. Come on-"

"Saisho." Ikimono finally looks over at the blue-haired boy. "This is a serious situation. May I remind you that Nova almost got killed because Miss Trapped in a Fairytale is stuck in a narrative where we all go home happily ever after."

I start to glare at the dark-haired girl. I stare up at her as I clench my hands into fists.

"Take that back."

"What? The fact that you constantly lie to yourself about everything being okay at the end? Some things can never go back to how they were. Some people don't get second chances. Sometimes you have to give into reality that a happy ending is never meant to be."

"It's only never meant to be when you think like that. You're always so negative!"

"I look at reality, sweetheart." Ikimono mocks me again. "Like an actual adult."