Her Forgiveness

Blockade

Yo! It has been a hot minute since I've updated, super sorry about that. I've been working on a few other projects, as well as finishing up school and stuff. It's not like I haven't been writing (or if you are from youtube, recording videos), it's just the old curse of "I love doing it, but not perfecting it." Like, I do write and play scary games because I enjoy it, but editing (for writing as well) has been a bit draining. But that's the past, I promise I'm going to finish this story, so stay tuned!

One new feature I want to start doing is uploading my artwork for the posts from now on. So yes, that Lil drawing up there was made by me! LMK in the comments if you want the jpg, I'll send it to you. 

If you're still around though, you are a real OG. Like always, if you make it to the end, please consider clicking the VOTE button and leave a comment. Can't wait to read your comments, they've been awesome to read (and yes, I read all of them).

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Sunny awoke to the brightness of the sun from his bedroom window. The alarm clock read 0900, and the morning noise of birds and bustling from the neighbors signified the day had already started. He sat up and rested on his bed, perking up his nose to the aromas of the room. Bacon. He grappled with himself to leave his comfort and slowly opened the bathroom door. Brush, brush, brush. He stared at his reflection for a minute, thinking 'you see a reflection of yourself in the mirror'. What a useless thought, he thought to himself. Of course, you see yourself in the mirror, it would be most alarming if you did not. Going down the stairs, he turned the corner to see a familiar cute pink-haired girl in her pajamas flipping over an omelet. She turned to him.

"Oh. Morning."

The boy smiled sheepishly, waved, and took his seat at the table. It was the first morning of his new living arrangement, which resulted from a leap of faith in preventing Aubrey from deserting her hometown, and Sunny was unsure about how to approach the situation. Mari always told him that a boy and a girl end up living together after they get married. So much for that fickle tradition. But what was he supposed to do, let her leave after being abused by the only family she had left? It was not the first time she was faced with abandonment, but it could be the last. It will not be like last time, Sunny assured himself. This time he would be here for her.

"Thanks for making breakfast," Sunny began. "I had no idea you could cook, and it tastes great." And great it did taste. Maybe it was just the quality of the ingredients, but the bacon was cooked perfectly, unlike the shriveled fatty pieces that he was accustomed to. The egg whites were somewhat equally spaced in radius from the yolk and rested undisturbed on the white plate.

"I would cook meals for my mom from time to time. This is the least I can do while I'm here... In your house," Aubrey said, looking down and poking at an unbroken egg yolk. A sudden awkwardness swept the room. Given the circumstances, it was Sunny's turn to break the silence.

"A-are you ok, now? Last night was a bit crazy. I'm sure the others are worried about you." Sunny said.

The girl frowned. "I don't know. Just hours ago I was determined to leave it all behind and start a new life in some distant city. Thinking about everything that's happened, with my friends, with Hero and Kel, and with us... everything is just so confusing right now. I just don't know." Aubrey bit her lip, and the sun-like yolk flooded down the whites like a pathetic volcano.

"I see. J-just know I meant what I said. You are welcome to stay here as long as you want. The others would be really sad if you suddenly vanished. And I would be, too," Sunny said.

At that moment, her expression changed and she smiled slightly, but her head remained tilted. A defeated smile, a confused and empty smile by a soul who had lost everything: forsaken by her old friends, abandoned by her father, condemned by her mother. It was another first for Sunny, for he saw an Aubrey that seemed like she would break down in tears at any moment. Out of the window, two bluebirds grappled over a digged-out worm.

"Maybe I can get everyone to come and visit you here-"

"No!" Aubrey interrupted. "S-sorry, but I feel like I need some time for myself. To think about things. And... you know. And a guy and a girl staying at the same house... We're not kids anymore."

"Oh... Ah-haha. You're right." Sunny rubbed the back of his head.

Aubrey sighed and looked back down. "But... it might be fine. I just need a few days to figure everything out. Could you try and buy me some time? Tell them that I'm at my mom's house or something."

"Sure, I'll do my best." Sunny thought back to the last time she locked herself in her room. The hooligans were quick to pester her, but she still refused to leave her attic. "There's not much to do here, but I got a bunch of books and stuff in my room. And you're welcome to use anything in the house. Do you remember how to use the washer and dryer?"

"Oh, yeah. You need to hold down the button and slap the top to start it, right? It's been so long since I've been here... So, do you have much to do today?"

"I was going to visit Basil and give him this get-better-soon gift that Kel prepared. Also, The gang was out pretty late last night searching for you, so I'm going to check in on them as well."

"Okay, you don't have to worry about me. I'll probably hang out in the living room and watch some TV while you're gone. Maybe I'll finally catch up with that "Captain Spaceboy" show you and Kel used to obsess over," Aubrey said.

The two sat together for a while longer as the sun stretched against the tan-painted planks of Sunny's home. Aubrey left her seat first, diligently washing the dishes and drying them with a rugged rag hanging from the faucet. Up and down, left and right the glassware rotated. Sunny was entranced by the young girl's technique. She then migrated towards the couch and wrapped herself in a blanket, snuggling into a ball. The remote was assumingly absorbed by the Aubrey ball, or maybe it was lost in the crevices of the couch as many other things had been. Click. The television turned on to static and Aubrey flipped through channels until she landed on the news. Sunny stood still bewildered at the strange situation he had created for himself. He wondered if this would lead to even more problems for himself in the future. Aubrey turned to look at him.

"Oh, uh... I'll be going now!" he stated as if he was talking to himself in the mirror, walking towards the door.

Rushing out of the house, Sunny walked along the grey crosswalk as he did many times before. He planned to visit Basil and have that dreaded talk. It was a moment he could not have prepared for, any amount of deliberation could not train his mind for the verbal abuse that he feared. Many years had passed while they both bottled up their feelings and sorrows. He hid away from confrontation, hopeless and afraid, and Basil suffered alone. How many lies must Basil have told to everyone to cover up for his actions? His crime with no punishment knew no bounds, for not only did he kill his beloved sister, but also rob away the lost precious memories and relationships of those friends he cared about. Reality collided with fantasy occasionally as he stumbled across the street towards the house of flowers. Although the sun was not nearly as oppressive, he seemed feverish and considered returning to the dream world once again. Before he knew it, the door to Basil's house stood blocking him from his worst nightmare. He trembled, staring at the ground like an endless void. His trance was abruptly ended by a tap on the shoulder.

"Sunny?" A woman's voice. He turned to look who it was, nearly dropping his gift. It was Polly.

"Sunny! What a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen you since... well you know. That whole commotion gave me quite the scare. I had never imagined that Basil was capable of such a thing. But no matter what, I'm happy that he's fine and you're fine. You know, his grandmother's state has taken a turn for the worst recently, but my god, when Basil returned and took her hand, she smiled. Smiled, I say. I could hardly keep myself from tearing up, it was almost like a scene from a movie. Basil's been in a better mood since then. Are you here to see him?"

Sunny stared blankly into the woman's eyes. Somehow the story only piled on more mysteries for his deliberation. When she spoke of Basil's reunion with his grandmother, her smile produced a realization in Sunny that he did not consider. Here was a woman that was none the wiser to anything going on, not in the context of their old friend group, nor Basil's suppression of the truth, or to his strained communication with Aubrey or the hooligans, and with Sunny. Yet her smile shined genuinely, even so, she had no part in any of the events. She had not tried to pry into the situation unfolding. Everything fell into place, and for a moment she may have suffered, but now she was able to smile without a second thought of her place in the story. She did not want a shred of control. Sunny felt as though a weight had been lifted off him. He nodded and followed Polly into the house.