ʚMy Strange Friendɞ

6○𓂅Lyra .

︎☁︎

Toby's eyes raked the woods defiantly, making sure no other odd characters would show up, but no one else seemed to be around. Toby secretly hoped to see them again, yet knew it was wrong, they kidnapped Tim after all.
Toby sighed, he wasn't ready to go home so he decided to find the old moss garden that was hidden well in the woods, He found it with Lyra back when he was 10, It was pretty.

Toby turned away from the border, heading to the well before making a sharp turn to the left and continuing in that direction, He recognised the red and brown mushrooms that coated the floor of the woods, the trees slowly parted and Toby padded into the clearing, the moss grew on the parted trees and the undergrowth, it was soft and lichen grew from the trees. Toby sat down, a pond sat in the middle of the clearing, and memories played as if the present never existed. Toby smiled, breathing in the scent of Lyra's old perfume, well, it was their mother's but Lyra loved it.

Toby leaned back on the moss staring up at the sky, the clouds slowly parting from each other, the stars of silverpelt were already peeking through, 'It's already getting late.' Toby thought.

Toby paused, Jumping up onto his knees as a faint whisper came from behind. "Hey, Uhm-" The voice was scratchy and most definitely a girl. Toby glanced behind to be met with a girl, she had long blonde hair that was pulled up in a ponytail, A pink hoodie, Light pink stripes that travelled up the sleeves and her hood, white. She was star sunglasses that sat on her head, They were a dark shade of pink, and her face was the disturbing part: Blood travelled in all kinds of directions from her head to the corner of her mouth, both eyes missing yet she seemed to see fine, Utterly confusing.
Toby gasped and stared for a few minutes, He knew exactly who she was, just a hallucination; Lyra, his sister.
"Just fuck off," Toby grunted. "Your just a hallucination." Lyra gasped, moving closer to Toby, she was different from the other hallucinations he'd usually seen, she was younger, usually around 10, the age she passed away at. Now she looked around 14; The age she'd be right now If she was alive.
Lyra sat beside him. "Toby, I'm real.." Lyra cried out, "I'm real!" She looked down to the floor, Toby took a good look at her, tilting his head, thinking.

"You- You're real!" Toby yelped, grabbing Lyra and pulling her into a tight hug, tears poured out of both teens. "I missed you." Toby cried out. "I missed you too, Toby." Lyra sobbed, "You can always stay." She trailed off. "I-I can?" Toby's eyes grew wide, "You-- You just have to wait." Toby grew impatient. "How long?" Toby hissed, painfully. "Only a few years Toby."
"Years?" Toby sighed, pulling away from the hug. "He says he wants you when your nineteen, he said that's when you hit your potential."
Lyra spoke, Clearly not happy with the time wait either, "Plus!" She chirped, "You'll meet so many new friends!" Toby zoned out, "Who sees potential in me?" She smiled at the question. "The operator, or slender." she sighed. "I can't be here for long, Okay?" Toby hugged his knees, "Don't leave me! " Toby choked out. "We just got reunited." Toby yelped, more tears falling from the older sibling.

________________

The birds chirped in the distance, Drowning out the cries of Toby and the footsteps of Lyra who was now hidden by the trees of the forest away from the clearing. Toby felt as if he couldn't breathe, his heart pounding from his chest giving him a mass amount of mental pain he only felt when the only two people who accepted him for he left him, only to leave him again. And then there's Tim, whose now apparently working with the people he had met today; Lyra, Jeff and Ben. He sighed, Maybe it was time to go home, he needed to get changed. Toby trotted through the woods, his body silhouetted by the shining circle of the full moon.

Toby's village came into view, the more it grew closer the more tired he got, his eyelids half-shut. "Gah!" Toby called out, now fully awake as he fell back but was pulled back up by a darkened figure, he wore a yellow hoodie and had light brown hair that was brushed neatly, the complete opposite of Toby's.
Toby looked down, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry," Toby mumbled, hiding his tear-stained face. "Hey, what's up?" The figure asked. "I-" Toby paused. "It's nothing." Toby sighed. Looking back at the figure, he was fairly attractive. Toby stared for a bit before his voice jolted him from his thoughts.

"Hey, Are those your pyjamas?" He chuckled, and Toby turned a dark shade of red, "Maybe? So what?" Toby hissed. The hooded figure let out a growl of laughter, "Don't worry, it's cute." Toby's squeaked. "Don't say that!" Toby spoke, his voice fairly high with embarrassment. "Hey," He spoke, Toby looked up at him, "I'm Brian, You?" Brian smirked. "Toby." The shorter male whispered. "I've never seen you before," Toby mumbled, "Are you new here?" Brian smiled. "I'm looking for my friend, Tim." Toby's eyes widened, "I can't find him, either." Toby mumbled under his breath. "But I think I know where he is." Brian stared at Toby, His eyes widening, "You know Tim!" Brian smiled, but slowly faded into a frown. "Where do you think he is?" Brian mumbled, "The Uplands."
"The what?" Brain quirked an eyebrow at Toby, "The woods." Brian's eyes widened, "Tim said he had dreams of that place.." He mumbled, "He did?" Toby asked. "Yeah."

"What makes you think he's there?" Brain asked, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, This morning I found a note that said I 'shouldn't have left him.' With the same symbol that was on the tree up ahead in the woods." Toby muttered, Half sounding crazy. "And you didn't bother to check past the tree?" Brian groaned, sounding disappointed. "Well, I saw some weird people up there, They had blood on them." Toby groaned in tiredness, Wiping his eyes. "Tired, Shorty," Brian smirked. "Yeah." Toby didn't bother to say more than that. "Hey, I'll let you head home then." Brain stepped aside, Waiting for Toby to walk ahead but Toby remained still. "I'm not going home, I'm just going to keep walking," Toby whispered. "I get that, stay with me then." Brain smiled, and Toby shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

Toby trailed behind the yellow hooded teen.

'Would his parents even allow me to stay?'

Toby sighed, making sure to keep up.