We Will and That's Okay (Elder Mark x Reader)

Breach

Your eyes snap open, the muffled squeals of children urging you back to reality.

"Come on, Bobby!"

"J-Just a second!"

The scratch of shoes against pavement tugs at your ears, and the throw pillows mushed against your face finally come into focus. You lift your head, wondering who you are and how you got here. With wrinkles lining skin, your lips, tongue, teeth, and gums seem to peel apart with a film of glue. You aren't sure how long that nap was. Hell, you don't even remember taking it in the first place.

"My candy..."

The couch cushions fold beneath you as you turn, and lengths of curtain greet your rustling with a soft wave. You slide them apart, squinting at the blinding sidewalk to find a small boy. He frantically scoops a bright colored bag into his arms before running off like the rest of his friends. You smile warmly, seeing him and a couple other kids scattered along the neighborhood in polos and jeans. Oh, the glory days of having to wear the same collared shirt and pants for five days a week.

A mechanical hiss interrupts your thoughts, and the bus speeds out of view. You watch as all the kids scramble off, hopping fences and laughing beneath the blazing sun, no doubt to the creek.

This has been your typical afternoon for a couple days or so, lazily watching the world from the comfort of your old home. You haven't ventured out much besides family errands and outings, but why else would you be visiting? Surely, not to splash around in creek water, much to your family's dismay when you came home sopping wet that evening. Regardless, you'd never gone past that little stream—the rest of the creek standing as a complete mystery, shrouded by deciduous shade. A lot can change in four years after all, but just the thought has your sense of curiosity running wild.

Suddenly, a sharp pain invades your side, and you wriggle amongst the sofa to find its source. A piece of silver glints in the daylight, and you quickly unsheath your laptop from the depths of plush cushions. You tilt it in your hands, not a clue as to what you were doing on it before conking out, but there's only one way to know once you open up your personal Pandora's box.

You blink, effectively losing the rather brief staring contest with the screen before you. You expected many things: a WeTube video, maybe a story you were reading... Okay, maybe there weren't many things to expect, but it sure as hell wasn't this.

"HERKLETON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS" lines the top left of the screen, and a confused hum escapes you. You straighten your back against the mess of pillows before doing some more investigating.

Scrolling down, you see that you were apparently looking through the school calendar. Man, how good these kids must have it. You wish you had such a neat website layout when you'd gone to school here. Instead, you cruised through the days, focusing more on the moment that bell would ring rather than if you even had school to begin with. You chuckle to yourself, reminiscing the few mornings you stood outside for a bus that would never come.

Only one thing catches your eye:

"LAST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS; EARLY RELEASE DAY (ALL SCHOOLS)"

You smile, the nostalgia of the coming summer washing over you. You suppose you're lucky that you'd gotten an early start, but as you're turning into this new chapter of your life, it feels like quite the opposite. A gentle knot in your stomach begins to form, and you sigh in hopes it'll be carried away with your breath. Your attention returns to the window, specifically to the forest grounding those pristine houses. Something pokes at the back of your mind, deep in your heart. The slip and crinkle of papers falling into bins, laughing through fields, dazzling lights.