ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕢𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥 ★ A MCYT School AU

★ 18 ★

ONLY READ THIS IF YOU ARE ON WATTPAD. TEENFIC.NET HAS STOLEN THIS BOOK ILLEGALLY. THE ORIGINAL CREATOR IS I_am_a_Frog_ ON WATTPAD.

TWs: crying, mentions of death, etc.

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"How long has he been out?" Lizzie murmured to her brother.

"A week." Skizz overheard and answered for Jimmy, not looking up.

He's been counting?  Lizzie wondered, surprised. Of course, she realized, Impulse is his best friend.

Lizzie felt Jimmy's grip on her hand suddenly tighten. She turned to him and noticed his horrified eyes.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked. Jimmy stared at Impulse. He took a moment to reply,

"I don't think he's breathing."

Impulse sat up quickly.

Where- what- the black tendrils-

"Do not worry, young one." A tall figure cloaked in white fabrics lifted Impulse's chin with a pale finger.
They had a mask covering their eyes, a purple symbol engraved on it.

Impulse's stomach twisted with a mix of fear and ashtonishment when he realized there were others like this one, some of them with a different green symbol instead, all surrounding him in a circle.

"W-Where am I? Who are you?" Impulse shuffled away a few inches.

"We are Watchers and Listeners, and this is the In-Between place."

"In-Between? In between what?"

"Life and death, my dear." The Watcher in front of him gave a soft smile, "You must make a choice."

Impulse struggled to his feet. He felt an odd sense of calm wash over him.

"Come. See your desicions." The Watcher guided him with a soft, feathery wing to a kind of table with a large window on it.
Impulse looked down and saw... himself. Himself, Skizz, Jimmy and someone with pink hair. Skizz seemed to be panicking, tears streaming from his face.

"This is happening now," The Watcher spoke kindly.

"Why is Skizz crying?" Impulse asked, curious.

"You are between life and death," The Watcher reminded him gently, "Your body is breathing shallowly."

Impulse nodded, understanding. "You said I have choices?" He looked up at the Watcher.

"Yes. Two choices," They began, "You can either go back down to your body, or you can become one of us. A spirit."

Below him, Impulse watched as Skizz hopelessly wailed, being held back by Jimmy.

"Keep in mind that being alive, you will feel pain. Mental, physical, and verbal pain. You will remember only glimpses of this interaction, more as a dream than a memory. You will be alive, but your time will come.
If you stay with us, however... you will feel no pain, no harsh feelings, and you will be able to watch your friends from above. You can go down every once in a while, if you'd like, but they will not be able to see nor hear you."

Impulse hummed thoughtfully. His mind was crystal clear, and he thought over the desicions quickly.

"I've made my choice."

"NO! HE HAS TO BE ALIVE!" Skizz strained against Jimmy's grip, struggling to free himself. Hot tears ran down his cheeks. Skizz suddenly was let go and he fell on the hard ground. With a grumble, he lifted himself up again.

Impulse was awake, coughing as he tried to sit up.
Skizz stared at him like he was a rabbit, careful not to make any sudden movements.

"Skizz-" Impulse's eyes latched onto Skizz's, wide with confusion. "Are you okay?"

"Impy!" Skizz sobbed, running up and giving his friend a big hug. "O-oh my g- Impy, it's-s been a whole week-"

As Impulse hugged back, Skizz noticed he was shivering. He pulled away with his hand on Impulse's shoulders.
"Are you cold?" He asked softly, jumping up onto the bed beside him.

"Yeah... a little bit." Within five seconds, a hospital blanket was around Impulse's shoulders. "Skizz... can we talk?"

"Sure." Skizz gave a short wave to Jimmy and Lizzie, who nodded and left.

"What's up?" Impulse looked down at his hands, hesitating.

"In the forest, I... I kept looking for you, and you weren't there..." He began. Skizz put an arm around his shoulder.

"I'm here now."

"I know... but... in the forest, something... it... told me you were dead. It told me I was going to die and join you. It... it convinced me."

"The black roots?" Skizz tilted his head, confused.

Impulse shuddered at the memories. "It's... called sculk."

Skizz hummed softly, pulling his friend closer until Impulse was leaning on him.

"I won't force you to face it again. We're safe here. Everything will be alright." Skizz's voice was soft with sympathy.

"Thanks, Skizzle."

"Anytime, Impy."

"H-hh-"

...

"H-help me-"