#acci writes

Isn’t it pretty?” she suddenly asks. It breaks his trance of admiration, but he’s a little lost on what she could be referring to. It probably isn’t herself, as much as he’d love to have an excuse to tell her how lovely she looks. “Huh?” “The sky. It’s beautiful, right?” He looks up again, quiet for a few seconds. The sky is beautiful. Truthfully, though, there’s only one thing— one person— he can consider even prettier than this. But of course, it’d be a weird time to tell her that. (Joe convinces his best friend to sneak out of her house with him—a rebellious act for someone such as Sara Chidouin, known rule stickler—and she agrees without a second thought. They spend time together under the sunset and the stars.)

Today, Joe Tazuna turns twenty-five. He's going to spend it with the best girl in the world, Sara, like he always does. But there's something different about today. A terrible, creeping feeling that he can't shake, no matter how hard he tries—and after knowing him for about ten years at this point, it's only expected that his girlfriend would notice, much to his dismay.

Sara Chidouin is known for being something of a star student; the top of her class, a high-achieving learner that strives for perfection—Miss Perfect, as they'd say, for better or for worse. Her parents want the best for her, as does she for herself, so she always ensures that she'll excel in her classes.

So, when that paper is placed on her desk—a passing grade, but not good enough—she crumbles.

“Hey, Joe?” The boy hums, drumming his fingers on his lap in response. Had it not been for what she’d heard last night, it’d be impossible for Sara to tell if anything was wrong at all. Or, well—not really. There were a few tell-tale signs; for instance, he said he didn’t want to go foraging today, but only after Reko, Kai, and Professor Mishima gave him a look this morning when they were delegating the day’s jobs. Beyond that, however, even just here, while they were simply tending to the shelter, he’s been refraining from moving excessively. Sara also noticed how often he was leaning against anything sturdy, or shifting his weight to left leg. There was definitely something wrong, but he didn’t bother mentioning it to her. Instead, his energy makes her almost doubt what she recalled from last night. Had she imagined it this whole time? “Yeees?” Joe asks, a second prompt for her to continue talking. In that moment, she’s unsure of asking straightforwardly. Maybe she could build up to it later, and ask then… So, she opts for something else on her mind. “You speak Tagalog fluently, right?”

“Mrs. Tazuna?” …That was not his father. He saw his mother’s expression of glee disperse. In front of her, there was a man in a police uniform. He wasn’t anyone Joe recognized, not even one of his father’s officer friends who occasionally came over for special occasions when it was the Tazuna family’s turn to prepare dinner for them. The man stood up straight, but his face had a somber look to it, like the face his mother wore when she had to tell Joe they didn’t even have enough money to buy the offbrand candy he always liked. The only difference? This was worse. Before he could even hear anything, Joe’s aunt came out from the bathroom, drying her hands with a towel and spotting the officer at the door. In that moment, he saw the look in her eyes change, too, and she ushered him out of the front entrance and told him to stay in his room for a little while. (On July 12th of the year Joe was turning twelve, devastating news hit the Tazuna family.)

The sun warms her skin, welcoming her into the life she once knew. Behind her, the blood of people she called allies soaks into the ground. In front of her, a boy drags her along rapidly. She can't even hear the sound of her own screaming and sobbing. Sara Chidouin escapes the death game with her best friend, Joe Tazuna. They weren't gone for longer than a day, and yet, nothing will ever be the same again.

Winter sucks. It always took Ranmaru hours to find the courage to brave the freezing house with a heater that only worked half of the time. Some days, he’d be so hungry he could feel his stomach panging, but he hated dealing with cramps because he wasn't warm enough. Bzzt bzzt. He groans. Who on Earth is texting him? (On a cold morning, Ranmaru wakes up to his phone incessantly going off—and his two partners waiting for him to open the door.)

The passage of time was not a stranger to Sara. Like every year, July came around eventually. Once the month started, everything was always just a little bit harder. Even the simple things—like rolling out of bed in the morning and looking at her appearance in the mirror to ensure she looked presentable—was difficult. ...Today, however, was July 26th. Joe was turning twenty this year.