Bubbles floated up beneath the surface.
"YOU KNOW HE CAN'T SWIM WHY DID U PUSH HIM IN?"
Leto's struggle in the water stopped and the bubbles stopped coming up to the surface.
Abby backed up a few steps finally realizing what she had done.
"Crap."
Without hesitation, Jecca leapt into the water and carried Leto back up to the surface. With one arm around her shoulders, Jecca pulled him upshore and checked his vitals. Luckily he wasn't under the water for too long. After Jecca did a few chess compressions he spat water and started to cough.
Orei and Jecca quickly left the scene with Leto on their shoulders. There alone in a place where all her old friends used to be, Abby knelt on the ground scraping her knees.
Her fists dirtied as she slammed them against the moist soil. Frustration built up inside of her as she couldn't understand why everyone was coming back.
She was ready to move on and now they had to come back into her life. All she could do was ask why.
Jecca and Orei gave a barely awake Leto back to his grandma. Jecca quickly explained that he had fallen into a lake and needed to be warmed up.
After a quick thank-you from Leto's grandma, they headed back home.
"Jeez, I can't believe Abby would do something like that."
"Maybe something happened between her and Leto?"
Before their conversation could continue, Orei had reached home. Jecca bid her farewell and went into her house which was right next to hers.
Orei laid down on her bed wondering how Jecca knew where they were. Was she tailing her? Nevertheless, she saved the day. The night slumber warmly waited for Orei to fall asleep. Like a dedicated soldier, she stayed awake as long as possible, she wanted Oreiha to be to Oreiha, not her.
She dreaded the next act, the dream that would tear Oreiha into pieces.
To quell her thoughts she went into the bathroom. Still in the mirror, she saw the monster with eyes behind her. She unclothed herself and turned on the warm water.
Floating in the waters of the morning sun, her skin reddened as her body warmed. Darkening like the evening sky her mind clouded. The sensation slowly pulled her consciousness into this deep lake.
Oreiha was drowning in an endless sea. There was nothing but darkness. No matter what direction Oreiha turned, all that followed was the deep dark. Her lungs had completely filled with water and she felt how she was slowly being sucked into darkness. She accepted the invitation of the sea but when she reached out. The one to grab her wasn't the darkness but a purifying light. Maro was in the depths with her, his hand extended out and grabbed her arm. She felt how air suddenly filled her lungs again as the darkness left.
Orei opened her eyes and saw that she was still in the bath. She had fallen asleep whilst bathing. She coughed up some water before stepping out. Taking another glance in the mirror, Orei was surprised to see the monster had vanished and was replaced with the image of Maro. As she blinked it regressed back into the hideous monster that always followed her.
Orei didn't bother to put on clothes to sleep. Her body was so fatigued that she collapsed onto the bed. Her eyes periodically closed themselves, but Orei kept on fighting. Avoiding the dream to come. But no matter how strong her willpower was, time took control of the night and her eyes eventually fell.
Unexpectedly she awoke in the very same room she had fallen asleep in. Oreiha explored the house whilst calling out her brother. She opened her brother's door, but he wasn't there. Running outside she knocked on Jecca's door but no one was there to answer.
The neighborhood was the same there wasn't a single soul to be seen. She ran past Leto's house not realizing that it was completely gone. Oreiha was all alone in her ideal world.
There was one last spot she hadn't checked yet. She went through the thick forest and arrived at the old hangout spot. Sitting there by the docks was Maro. He had his back turned and was admiring the beauty of the lake.
As Oreiha approached her brother he noticed her presence and called her over. He then tapped on the wooden docks signaling her to sit down.
Oreiha sat down next to her brother and rested her head against his shoulders.
"Where is everyone?"
"They moved on. It is just you and me."
Oreiha took a moment to analyze those words Maro just said. But no matter how much Oreiha's brain racked, not a single thought could come to mind.
"Oreiha listen carefully, what you do next is really important. I don't want to force you to do anything but there is one thing you need to do."
"What?"
"Let's go for a little walk, shall we? I will explain while we walk."
Maro stood up from the docks and started to walk away. Not wanting to be left behind, Oreiha quickly chased after her brother.
She couldn't catch up with her brother, he was too fast. No, she was the slow one. She didn't want to move on. She didn't want this ideal world to end. Everything that she had built here.
"No! NO! NOOO!"
Oreiha grappled her hair almost tearing it from her scalp.
"I DON'T WANT THIS!"
Hopelessness filled Oreiha but as she was about to break she felt a warm hand on her hand.
"If you do decide to stay here, I will take care of you, but it isn't what you are meant to do. There is more you are meant to explore and see."
Maro proudly stood in front of her and said:
"As your older brother, I have the responsibility of guiding you towards the right path. Now let's go!"
He grabbed her hand held it tight and dragged her along. Hand in hand they walked through town.
"This is all that you hold dear. Everything in this world is your cherished memories. Treasure in your heart."
He picked up a burger conveniently placed on the table of the restaurant.
"As you can see, this world is built to please you. Serving as an escape from your reality."
Still hand in hand they made it back home.
"But no matter how much you try to cover it, bad memories will take hold of your heart."
Maro started to bleed from his wrists. But he continued to smile.
"You will remember things that hurt you."
Maro's face went pale. But he continued to smile.
"No matter how long you avoid your memories they will always come back to haunt you."
Maro's eyes closed. But he continued to smile.
"But you gotta remember no matter the memories, new ones will come and soothe the past."
His hand finally slid away from Oreiha's tight grip.
Her brother joyfully walked through the house and opened the glass door leading outside.
"But most importantly, no matter where you go, I will always go with you."
He was slowly vanishing. But he continued to smile.
"Maro… please, I can't. I can't. I can't."
"Please move on, not for me, but yourself."
His body started to dissipate, turning transparent.
"I will always love you Oreiha."
He walked over to Oreiha and laid those warm gentle arms around her body. In one final embrace, he hugged her tightly before leaving her behind in her world.
Oreiha fell forward. She couldn't help herself, the emotions that had been suppressed in the dream world were mixing with the emotions of the real world. Her perfect world became tainted with guilt. Sins. Pain. With a blood-curdling scream, she tried to hug what was left of her brother. She tried to grab onto what wasn't there anymore. But as she realized that her dream world had shattered, her tears from the real world came and tainted everything.
Her empty eyes stared up into the sky without any thought. Conveniently a knife lay next to her. The words of her brother repeated inside of her numb mind. She didn't want to live in this world anymore. She was only here because all of her friends were there. She was here to enjoy the time they once had with each other. She wanted to replay these memories for eternity without making any new ones.
But each of Maro's words tore down the iron curtain placed inside her heart. Finally corroding the wall Oreiha had built over these past 3 years.
On the grass bleeding out, Oreiha finally accepted that everyone had moved on and Maro wasn't coming back. The memories that came next were genuine. Memories she had wished to forget. Her perfect world shifted to a dark room.
She heard Jecca snoring and felt the pain. Gel was on top of her. The buttons of her pyjamas were scattered across her floor. His hand was on her chest massaging it. Oreiha used her own hands to cover her mouth after realizing that it was futile to resist, all she had to do was get it over quickly.
The movement on the bed made Jecca move and groan. Using this opportunity Oreiha threw Gel off her body using the blanket she and Jecca were using as a barrier between them.
Breathing heavily she stared at the one who had betrayed her trust.
Without thinking about it, she made a dash towards the door. Hoping to reach her brother to help her.
But as she was about to exit her room, Gel grabbed her by the wrist and pinned her up against the wall.
As Oreiha's small fragile body was slammed against the wall a loud thud almost woke Jecca up.
With one hand on her head and one hand holding her hand behind her back. He continued to go against her volition. After a painstaking 2 minutes, his grip over her slowly loosened as he finished. She then tried to push him away and planned on running into Maro's room.
"Please don't tell any…"
At that moment the door to her room opened and she saw a light entering. Gel's eyes widened and filled with horror as he saw his best friend standing before him.
Oreiha made eye contact with her brother. The grip on her head finally released. The tears in her eyes streamed down like a river as she silently cried whilst shaking her head.
Still frozen in time, Gel couldn't move.
His best friend seeing the frightened and pained expression on his sister's face strained his face with disgust. Not for Oreiha but for Gel. Oreiha ran up towards her brother and collapsed onto him. With all the evidence of what Gel did to flowing out of her.
Maro stood quietly in the hallway not knowing what to say. He gently rubbed Oreiha's head and told her that he was here now.
But then his eyes filled up with anger as he looked back at Gel who was trying to get his pants back up. Once Gel had put on his pants Maro ordered him outside of the room.
He then slammed the door, he told Oreiha to back up a bit.
Maro took a deep breath before looking at both Oreiha and Gel.
Seeing Maro's intense stare, Gel instantly blurted out that Oreiha consented to it.
"Oreiha, this question is really important. Did you consent?"
With tears strolling down her cheeks and her legs shaking she shook her head. That was all her brother needed to see.
"Wait listen, dude!!"
A fist flew right into Gel's face. Maro continued to slug him with this face filled with rage. Something both Oreiha and Gel had never seen. Maro was so out of control beating his best friend senseless.
Seeing how bad Gel was being beat up Oreiha tried to pull her brother away. Being distracted for only a slight moment, Gel managed to land a right hook on Maro.
Gel countered and started to beat Maro who was now on the floor.
Whilst punching his face, Gel's hand came too close to Maro's mouth and his teeth chomped down on Gel's hand.
Leading him to hop off giving time for Maro to stand up again.
With blood running down his face Maro told Gel that he would never forgive him for what he did. Maro then declared the friendship between them to be officially over.
Seeing all the relationships Gel spent so long on, made him even more frustrated. His heart burned with anger as he had lost everything. His best friend, his relationship with Oreiha and everything he had in this town.
If this were to become public, his career would be over. His social life would be ruined and his life would fall into ruins.
He couldn't bear that fact. He didn't want everything to end here.
"Get out of my house. You are no longer welcome."
Gel wiped the blood off his nose and slowly walked towards the stairs. He took another look at his former friend and girlfriend. The moment he set foot on those stairs, his life would experience ruination.
Blood dripped from Maro's fists as he waited for Gel to leave their house. But in that moment, everything for Oreiha would be flipped upside down. A sight worse than to be raped. She saw how Gel unexpectedly grabbed Maro by the shirt before throwing him down the stairs.
Maro's eyes widened as he levitated in the air, he looked at Gel's blood-hungry eyes and Oreiha's shell-shocked eyes.
Breathing heavily, Gel stood there holding onto the railing almost falling down the stairs himself. At the bottom of the stairs was Oreiha's brother. He wasn't responding or moving. Gel ran immediately down the stairs passing Maro's lifeless body and made his escape through the front door.
"Maro?"
With fear and concern in her voice, Oreiha called out for her brother hoping for an answer.
She shook her brother's body but there was still no reaction.