Petrified | Dr. Stone

01.

This story will follow the manga and will contain spoilers.

I do not own anything except for my oc. Enjoy! :)

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It was supposed to be a normal day. Inoko woke up early in the morning, did her morning routine, and is spending half of her day at school. She's supposed to go home at exactly 6 o'clock or else her parents would get mad. She would then do her homework and get ready to sleep. This cycle would then continue for the rest of her life- or at least, until she graduates.

It was supposed to be like that. She's supposed to be living a life that is planned out from the very beginning. A life that is controlled by her peers and the expectations set by the adults around her.

But then, a light came, as if telling her to rest, and so she did just that.

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Inoko remained seated even after lunch break already started. As soon as the bell indicating the break stopped ringing, her classmates all excitedly went out on their own to do things normal students do during their break. They went on their own circle of friends and started to chatter about their day.

Inoko, with her hair tied into a clean ponytail with a headband to keep her baby hairs out of her face, quietly took out the lunchbox prepared by her mother.

Plain white rice and a roll of egg as usual. It is the same everyday. Same food, same setting. It is quite lonely, but Inoko is already used to it.

As she started eating, Inoko subconsciously listened to her classmates' conversations, a habit that began due to the need to communicate with other people.

"...You see that girl over there? Gosh she's so annoying.."

"...that new movie is really dope! Too bad your favorite character died-ah shit. My bad."

"You totally spoiled it!"

"...So... you guys up for Karaoke later?"

Inoko perked up at the question. A karaoke? She's never been to one! She only knew it from the movies her cousins forced her to watch. Feeling excited, she whipped her head towards the one who asked.

"Oh yeah, sure. Why not? Your treat though."

"Eh? Why?"

"'cause you're the one who asked!"

Inoko, despite the intense want to ask them if she can also go, still remained seated. She gripped her chopsticks so hard, trying to keep herself from standing up.

She would love to go to karaoke later, however, she knows that she can't because one, she has a curfew. Two, they have homework for two subjects and exam week is just around the corner, and lastly, she's too shy to ask them. Besides, Inoko only knew them because they are classmates. They barely talked to each other. She will only ruin the mood if she joined them.

She sighed. Inoko continued eating her lunch, albeit slower. The rolled egg and the plain rice suddenly tastes too bland for her. Her mother probably forgot to add salt in it. Losing her appetite, Inoko decided to save it for later. "I'll just eat it at home, with ketchup."

Securely wrapping her lunchbox back into her bag, Inoko is left with nothing else to do. There is still a lot of time left before the end of their break. Inoko sighed, having nothing to do is a bit unusual for her. She's normally doing something and she rarely have free time, and if she ever have one, all she does is sleep.

Seeing that she will only be wasting time sitting on her proper seat while waiting for their lunch break to be over, Inoko finally decided to go out and take a walk. Might as well take a light exercise.

She is quite curious of the people around her. How can they be so carefree to their studies when even a single mistake can cause them their future? While she admits that she does have urges to just throw her notebooks somewhere around the corner of her room and then just do whatever she pleases, she tried her best to refrain from doing it because she knew that if she failed, she's going to pay for it big time.

The sound of laughter causes Inoko to stop her walking. What she saw next made her feel something that she always feel yet she couldn't quite grasp the right word to describe it.

It was a small group of friends, sitting on a blanket under the tree, as if having a picnic.

"It must be nice to have someone."

Jealousy, was it? Perhaps she really is jealous of everyone around her. They can laugh and hang together, enjoying the time of their lives. Unlike her... they are free.

Ever since she started going to school, Inoko's attention has always been to her studies. She did everything to excel at everything. She made sure to stay at the top even if she is mentally and physically exhausted. She just can't afford to lose, not ever. It is her parent's wish after all.

Neither of her parents graduated. They were still in their high school when they had Inoko. Yes, Inoko is one of the unplanned children that are perceived because of a split second of happiness. An unplanned child that totally ruined their dreams. Due to the lack of sustenance, this forced them to stop their studies and to start work earlier.

Inoko is aware that her parents still want to continue studying, but due to their status in life, they put everything to Inoko. This is also the reason why her parents are really strict to her every move. Inoko never once complained though. She's just thankful that they didn't choose to have an abortion.

But yet, she sometimes wish that she shouldn't have been...

"What the heck is that!?"

The scream made Inoko turned back to see what it was all about. It is one of the guys near the tree, now standing up and pointing at something in the sky. Curious, Inoko looked at what he is getting antsy about.

There was a discoloration in the horizon. The sky turning bright green and it seems to be coming towards them.

"What... is that?" She thought, gripping her arms. Goosebumps spread throughout her whole body. The scene is eerie, yet at the same time fascinating.

Not even a second passed after seeing the green light, Inoko felt her whole body stiff. Then, she felt something that made her really panic.

Everything happened so fast that Inoko barely had time to react. She can't see anything, can't feel anything. Yet, she is conscious. She's got no idea on what's happening, all she knows is that her whole body is petrified.

"What... just happened? What's happening? What's happening to me? Am I... going to die?"