౨ৎ Endless epiphanies - a rewrite.

chapter one ౨ৎ

You'd be a liar to say that you expected the heat.

You hold the front of your shirt away from your chest, flapping it away. Rays of sun shine down on you and it's enough to bring a small tiredness into your eyes, making you hang your head backwards. You fold your collar down, adjusting your shirt, trying to keep yourself presentable as the students around you start to chatter. You're on the beach now.

You weren't too surprised when you woke up, though there were a few people concerned on why you'd been unconscious. It turned out you weren't the only one though, and the panic soon subdued as the students started to talk amongst themselves, as though setting a contest on how long it'd take them to discover the truth of the island, as a collective. Part of you admired their cooperation. You pick at your nails, letting your thoughts wander. It's amazing how.. real this how thing feels.

Part of you can't help but ponder on a world in which you stay here, never needing to worry about the truth of the chaos and mayhem that still lingers at home. You can't lie, things are getting better. But this place, it feels like an escape, a way of living without the call of death ringing your name, without the fear of people who you were meant to grow and be leaders with.

"Y-you're okay n-now aren't you? I didn't w-want to overwhelm you when y-you're just w-waking up, but I t-thought giving m-my ultimate and all it'd be m-my duty to check up on you. N-not that I mean to imply you c-can't take care of yourself o-or anything! I just..."

The girl rambles on as you're snapped away from your thoughts. You stare towards her, her arms shaking as she rushes to defend herself. You wonder if her stuttering has something to do with you, or if it's just an anxiety problem she has. You never got around to finding out in the past. You place a hand lightly onto her shoulder, drawing her out of her speech.

"You're fine. I appreciate the gesture... I'm okay now albeit a little shaken up."

She looks less frantic now it seems, giving you a quick nod.

"Right! W-well in that case... I'm Mikan. Mikan Tsumiki, t-the ultimate nurse. U-usami told us all we should b-be trying to collect hope f-fragments." She starts to twirl her fingers around the choppy ends of her hair, and you can't help but notice how bitten down her fingernails are. The ends of her fingers are red and scratched, slightly twitching. You give her a gentle smile.

"Cool. I'm [Name] [Last Name] and I'm the ultimate dreamer. It's great to be meeting you, Mikan."

She spared a moment to stare at you, seemingly more composed. You supposed you were glad that though she still seemed the slightest bit apprehensive, she was considerably less nervous now. She held her hands in front of her in clenched fists, nodding her head.

"T-the pleasure's all mine! I'm happy to be meeting you... a-and I'm glad that you're okay now! W-would you wanna explore the island with me?"

And there it was again, the slight there she had. Her eyes drifted away from yours, though you thought it to be likely that she could see you nod in response. Despite this, you still offered her a verbal response.

"Sure! I was getting a bit worried wondering what to do from now. Lead the way."

And as she stared at you again, you gave her a soft smile. You noticed the small touch of red that began to bloom onto her cheeks, ignoring it in favour of walking besides her. There was a light conversation as the two of you made your way around the island, and you couldn't help the small thought that nudged itself inside your brain.

Had she always been this nice? You thought back to the meek girl you had known for what felt like a second before becoming shrouded in despair. With how well this was going, your hopes were high, and you could feel a slight joy blossoming inside your chest as she continued to ramble.