BERNIE.
Bernie deeply missed her best friends the past several months, and the time without them was hard on her mental health. Every time sheโd remember the pain that Anya and Millie werenโt around anymore, she knew there were two people on this earth whom she would want to talk about these feelings, which made it hurt even more. Seeing Millie tonight, and now embracing Anya, it felt like a cruel dream. Any moment sheโd wake up and she would have to go on living without them. She tried to shake these feelings aside, and laughed despite the darkness in Anyaโs humor. โHow did they catch you? It must have been so fastโฆโ she was the one Anya was supposed to meet, and Bernie had always partially blamed herself. If Bernie hadnโt wanted to see her friend, then she wouldnโt have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. โWorried? About me?โ She blinked, confused. โIโm okay, An. Iโve just been..a little depressed, is all. Iโฆwhat about you? Are you okay?โ
โI canโt even remember how it happened. One minute I was on the phone, then the next...โย Anya shook her head at the recollection. After the fuss she caused, she pitied the Nyx child who was tasked with snatching her. It was a rollercoaster of emotions she never wanted to relive. โOf course I was worried about you. We were all lounging about on an extended vacation when everyone here was assuming the worst.โ Anya couldnโt help but feel guilty for all the grief she had caused because of a thoughtless decision. An impulse which turned a ten-minute journey to Bernieโs into a six-month long stint in Asphodel. โI had Millie with me the whole time so... I canโt really complain. You had Kali and Theo to deal with.โ And that was on top of losing her two best friends.ย โI donโt know how you did it, Bern. Honestly.โ
















