The End of Everything

The Beginning

TW: mentions of s***ide

Thia's POV

The end of the world seems like it would be a living hell. A time when people were struggling to survive while the universe was in chaos and panic. A time when people screamed, fires raged, and car accidents clogged the streets. Heck, maybe there were even zombies. But that wasn't the case at all because there's something peaceful about it.

Before we get there though. Before we get to the part where I was the only person unaffected by the freezing of time. Where everyone was stuck in the middle of whatever action they were performing or how the colors of the universe changed. Where shadows grew darker and seemed to throb with energy or the way grays and reds bathed the sky. We're going way back. Back to the beginning of it all. To the night I met Andy, and the night Marianna made the decision that would set a course of events in a downward spiral. The night Marianna no longer...well you'll see.
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Marianna was a very sweet girl. She was pretty and kind and wouldn't hurt a fly at all. She was deaf and had been since birth but that didn't stop her at all. Truthfully, I wasn't very good friends with her but we talked when we had afternoon classes together and I'd managed to learn a small amount of sign language to make it easier on her.

She was a very good speaker all things considered and was able to read people's lips when they talked so she coped well with it all. The only problem was it made her a prime target for jerks who I honestly couldn't stand.

I was walking home with her that night and I wasn't sure why other than the fact that we were having a pretty good conversation. We were talking about the history lesson we'd learned that day.

"Yeah it's pretty cool," I laughed, tucking my hands in my pockets. She smiled brightly which made me happy. Marianna didn't smile a lot and I felt rather accomplished whenever I managed to make her grin.

"When are we learning about the second titan war?" She asked, hands flying in familiar patterns despite her nearly perfect speech.

"I'm not sure but I know a lot about it.  Modern history is a lot cooler," I shrugged.

"Modern history is influenced by past history," Marianna explained.

"Sometimes I forget how wise you are. You're gonna be like the next Churchill or something," I teased, nudging her with my elbow.

"Thanks." She rubbed her arm lightly. "Um...you know you didn't have to walk me home right?"

"Yeah I know. Just wanted to I guess," I shrugged.

"Can I ask you something?" Marianna sounded timid.

"Shoot for it. I'll most likely answer." I jokingly made finger guns earning another smile.

"Are we...friends?" To be completely honest I hadn't expected the question and my first instinct was to say no. I mean, we didn't hang out much but when we did it was always pleasant. And there were times I truly liked her company- we were both outsiders with the kids our age.

"Yeah. I think we are," I nodded. Marianna seemed to relax a bit as we turned her street corner but immediately tensed up. It didn't take me long to figure out why. "Why is she always lurking around?"

Marianna didn't say anything and took a step closer to me. Jenna was the queen bitch if I'd ever seen one and hot according to everyone else. Guys flocked around her desperately. Frankly, it was embarrassing.

But if there was one thing I hated in the entire universe it was her and her gang of friends. There was Ricky who was built for combat. She wasn't the smartest but she made up for it in brute force. Mary who was the brains of everything but she could hold her own in almost any situation.