❝but friends don't look at each
other the way we do...❞
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𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 Clementine Jones discovers
a lifelong partner in crime amidst a
world of chaos...
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𝑻 𝑬 𝑬 𝑵 𝑾 𝑶 𝑳 𝑭 . . .
fem!oc x stiles stili...
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CHAPTER ONE, hold your breath
The feeling was intoxicating—an all-consuming darkness that enslaved her, lurking like a shadow. It followed her relentlessly, a constant reminder of that fateful day that nearly claimed her life, now drowning her in an ocean of despair.
Since that day, she hadn't been the same. She should've been dead. Yet, each passing moment was a tormenting reminder of her survival, a survival that felt more like a curse. Clementine wished daily for the release of death, longing to escape the burden of existence that felt undeserved.
The professionals attempted to analyze her pain, their minds baffled by the enigma of a little girl who had defied death. They called it a miracle, a divine intervention. But Clementine felt anything but miraculous; she was trapped in a hell of her own making, her heart a constant reminder of her sister's absence.
"Be grateful," they insisted, "not everyone is as lucky. It's selfish to wallow." Over and over, she heard it—her sister hadn't shared this so-called luck. How could she ever feel comfortable in her own skin when Frankie had perished in her arms? Selfishness felt like a sin when the weight of her sister's death crushed her soul.
"Attention seeker," they whispered, their disdain palpable. Some even accused her of fabricating the accident. So, she withdrew from the world, enveloping herself in darkness and guilt, endlessly replaying the moment she couldn't save Frankie.
Her parents were oblivious, lost in their own world of denial. They numbed their pain with beer cans, wine bottles, and white powder, desperately seeking solace for a loss they could not face. They searched for someone who could never fill the void in their hearts, drowning in grief that transcended mere substance.
Clementine was the black sheep, always feeling out of place even before tragedy struck. Ellie, the youngest, tried to understand, but her innocence shielded her from the weight of their sorrow. In this sunken ship of despair, Ellie was the sole light, illuminating the dark corners of their shattered lives.
Clementine yearned for a day when the suffocating guilt would lift, when she could breathe freely again. She longed for forgiveness, for the chance to lay her burdens down and find peace within herself. But that day felt like an eternity away, an elusive dream fading with each passing moment.
***
Sunlight crept through the window, and Clementine's eyes snapped shut against its harsh glow. Teardrops threatened to spill as she buried her head deeper into the safety of her blankets. Morning arrived with agonizing slowness, but sleep eluded her; her thoughts haunted her, refusing to grant her a moment's respite.
The warmth of her bed enveloped her, a stark contrast to the emotional chill that her parents' grief cast upon their home. Her mother's attempts to help were marred by her own sorrow, while her father had succumbed to a darker escape, gambling away their lives. Everything familiar had crumbled, leaving only emptiness in its wake. Now, even her father was lost to them.
