It's not real.

If you can't see it, it isn't real.
But if you can't see it yet feel it, is it real?
What about hearing, smelling, tasting? Are they all real if the eyes refuse to work?

I don't know what to think.

I felt one of my brothers, adopted or not, pull me into a hug.
I felt his tears and my own fall onto the scarf and shirt.
I could hear his bones rattle as he sobbed harder.
I felt giant, furry hands scoop us up.
I felt soft fabric underneath us.

"I am truly sorry. Out of all the people in the world, why her?"
I grabbed onto the fabric, fur caught in my grasp.

Why?
That's alway seems to be the question.

Why us?
Why her?
Why now?

The world has a cruel way of hurting you. It's never you yourself, it's always those closest to you.
You suffer.
You gain scars.
You either find a reason to keep fighting, or you give in.
But that's how the world shapes you.

It destroys.

It builds.

It remolds.

"Rewind it."
The voice sounded like one of the shorter ones. Tones of grief plagued at his sentence.

Plague.
Is our life plagued by hints of darkness in a happy world?
Or plagued by happiness in a dark world?

Guess that depends on what cards are dealt to you.

"Pause it."
"Here?"
I heard the furry monster above me ask.
"Little more."
"This far?"
"There! That man has a tattoo on his wrist."
"The insect?"
"Yes. The people that had us before we met Jana. They all had that mark tattooed on their wrist. I saw that stupid scorpion every time they came near us.

They planned this.

They planned ALL OF THIS!!"

The silence was so dense I could cut it with a knife.

I felt as Lady Sil moved to pick up my outspoken brother.
My eyes were still screwed shut, no longer wanting to see the truth of the real world.
I felt as the fabric beneath me move as the skeleton was settling near me.
I heard as he held back a sob while he clenched his teeth.
"They did this. They are still after us. They took everything that we ever had."
Another choked sob.
"We need to show them to leave us alone!
We need to fight back!
We need to make them pay!
We need to force them to BURN FOR WHAT THEY DID TO JANA!"

Lady Sil tried to take a hold of the situation.
"I don't think your thinking clearly. Any person could have gotten a tattoo, and the camera was a bit fuzzy when they showed it. It can be just a coincidence."
The voice of the other was rising fast now.
"BUT YOU DON'T GET IT!! THOSE PEOPLE WOULD DO ANYTHING TO MAKE US MISERABLE! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!
His volume rose to a yell.

"YOU COULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!"

The small stiffen in Lady Sil's body informed me that the arrow struck home. Stuttered breathes were heard up above me.

A humph was followed by the loudest stomps a bitty could make which steadily became softer until they were out of ear shot.

Something large and wet fell onto my skull.
I looked up at Lady Sil's face. The dark brown fur around her beautiful pale blue eyes was damp with tears. The waterfall had begun to fill up its reservoir and was overflowing the walls.
"I-i-i-i-i ' mmmm-mm s-s o-."
Her left hand left the other Bitty's behind in order to help calm herself. Using her right, she scooped us both up.
Staggered steps led to a beanbag, which we were then placed.

Still weeping, the dog-like monster went into the kitchen.

I sat there for who knows how long.

«» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «» «»

Lady Sil dropped us off at Jana's place. Walking into the main room, I cried at the still messy living room where we watched Coco and sang to all of Jana's stupidly hilarious songs. I peered down the hall, where we all witnessed the 'Bitty Godzilla'. Eyeing the walls and roof were those stupid pancakes and butter stains.

I noticed a small flower by the base of the stairs, always having been forgotten. Its 10 petals were a brilliant sky blue with a pumpkin orange center. The stalk was a true pine green. I wasn't sure what type of flower it was. The flora reminded me of the park when we all watched fireworks and ate junk food, besides a potato. I remembered that Jana had spent the entire day rounding up every stray Bitty, leaving no one behind.

I know it has only been a few days, but it feels like I've been with Jana for at least half a year, maybe more. (wink wink nudge nudge to all of ya loyal readers- thanks for sticking around so long, it meant a lot)

I headed up the mini stairs to her bedroom. The others were already in their rooms. Brown carpet turned to tan as I entered the room. The walls were an odd teal, a detail I continuously overlooked after the first day in here. The queen bed was still a mess, orange sheets nearly on the floor. I climbed the ladder that hung from the top of the dresser. Coming into my room, I plopped onto my bed.

———————————————————————————
Sans

I stared at the ceiling. Wooden planks the shade of oak riddled with small black knots and darker fibers made up the bottom of the next floor. The three blended together into a unique painting that only nature and varnish could make. A small lightbulb the size of a Christmas tree strand's made the light source in the room. I started into the plastic cap. Manufacture dates and polymer information was too close to the wire to make out. Of the wires, one of four was lit. The remaining three were blue, green, and red.
Eyes becoming burned by after-images, I studied the knot above it.

It was circular and a near spiral. A dark center was followed by an encircled tail.

If you squint, it almost looks like a

Scorpion.

The tattoo that brands anyone that joins him.

Mister Scorpiod.

That criminal mastermind would find a way to squeeze into any situation he can take advantage of.

. . .

With Jana out of the picture, we are presumably defenseless in the political and economic world. Before long our group would be out on the streets.

Easy pickings.

The chances were slim, but not impossible. He could have easily sent a low goon to drive a truck. He most likely did his research. From his first goon, the one that got us to Jana, probably had a camera that recorded what Mom and her van looked like.
That or he raided the gas-station's camera feed.

It was not impossible, and now more than likely.

Well. If that's how you want to play.

Then judgement will be passed.

———————————————————————————
Papyrus

Slouched on my bed, I stared at the floor. My right hand rested on my car-bed's rim. The smoothness of the weld was the mark of homemade.

She can't be dead.

She can't be.

I spied my brother Sans laying on his messy sheets. Eye sockets carrying enough baggage to go to the other end of the world, he stared blankly at the ceiling. His eye lights went out as he strolled farther inside his thoughts.

I got up and sat on Sans's bed. The bounce brought him back.
Poorly putting on a fake smile, he turned to look at me.
"Hey. . . How are you holding?"

I barely heard the rattle in my bones as I thought of my approach.

"Do you believe that Jana is truly dead?"

This caused him to sit upright and look me dead in the eye.
"Pap, my whole soul wishes she was alive. But my head, it- . .*sigh* It just doesn't make any sense."
"Well. I believe fully with both my head and my soul that Mom is alive."

I- I can't believe.

Hot tears began to form. Sans leaned into me, subtly giving me the ok to break. Almost scooping the midget up, the tears fell.

My bones rattle with each inhale and exhale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm not sure how long it took me to calm down, but eventually I did. Sobs turned to sniffles which turned to stutters.
I looked down at Sans. His hood was soaking wet as well as my scarf.

We were still holding onto each other, each one trying to be strong for the other.

That is was family does.

———————————————————————————
Blue

I paced back and forth, hot tears spilling down my face.

No
No
NoNoNo!
This is all just a bad dream.
She can't be dead!
Not Jana.
Not the person that took us in.
Not the woman that fought off predators and roamed an entire park looking for us.
Not the mother so giving to let us join her family.

A small wear in the floor was beginning to appear in the tan carpet. But I didn't care.
The floor had no feelings. It was just dead wood and plastic.

Everything else was tuned out. Only my thoughts remained.

Sans told us that there was a person in the living room when the storm struck. He also said that he saw a man outside in the woods. If I know Jana, that was her in the living room that fought off the stranger. No. He's still here. It was someone under that wretched human.

The normal ones are often caught by the police, but the picked-out ones are rarely seen by anyone.
The picked ones are skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and Jana was able to scare him off. No wounds, no aches; talk about Mama bear.

But the truck?

Surely that couldn't have been enough to-. To-.

———————————————————————————
Carrot

I was still in shock from what had happened.
I replayed the tape over and over like a broken record in my head.

The stoplight turning green, prompting the teal van forward.
The van entering the street while the cars in the other lanes hesitated.
The 18-wheeler truck running through a red light.
The impact sending the van tumbling sharply right.
The truck's brake failing to catch, leading to the rolling crush of the van.

The shrapnel flying off the vehicle, severely reducing the volume and cushion inside it.

And that was all.

That was as far as the footage went.

No normal human could have survived that.

———————————————————————————
Dream

I had missed the bed entirely, now laying on the floor in a curled ball.

Surely this isn't where our story ends. Doesn't every grey cloud have a silver lining? If that's the case then where is ours's?

These thoughts and several more ran through my skull, my body not wanting to move from the floor. It wasn't until I felt a tap on my shoulder that I came out of my ball.

There was Nightmare, an actual concerned expression painted on his skull.

"What you say we try and fix this?"

". . . Let's do it."

———————————————————————————
Nightmare

I was laying like a dead rabbit flung onto the table to be carved. I didn't care if my arm was going to be sore afterwards, I just didn't want to move. I didn't want this endless cycle to keep going. Time and time again, something always kept me from actually being happy. Well, for a long period of time that is.

I was ready to just go live in the park or back out to the streets, but then I was welcomed into their lives with open arms. And not only that, I got reunited with Dream. Not just any Dream, mine.

And that was just ereyesterday.

I looked over at to find my roommate laying on the floor.

You know what, no more of letting life push me around.

This time, I'll be the one choosing the outcome of my story.

———————————————————————————
Spud

I looked out from my cut-out of the room into the larger bedroom, pondering all the things in my head.

This place was a paradise.

But then some drunk overgrown potato had to come by and throw it all in the sh*tter. But, we can still make this work. We still have the garden, and we still have a few animals. We'll. We'll be alright.

Just, just need to get a grip on it all.

Whining isn't going to fix anything.

———————————————————————————
Wild

It's happening again.

Another incident to tear the family apart again.

I laid on the floor, not caring about the hardness of it.

First the siblings, and now this.

Only now I don't have anyone to take me in.

Take that back- We don't have anyone to take us in.

Living out on my own was difficult at first due to my size, but I made it through.
I know that Spud and Geno also knew what the park was like, but no one else. All the brothers and Cross, they've never been out for that long.

When I found Dream, he had no clue the dangers the park held. It's all fun and games until you get separated.

Grasping what stray carpet I could, I nearly tore out a few fibers of the fabric.

If it's the last thing I'll do, I'll make sure that we get through this. I'll make sure that Jana is avenged and that we all stay together.

Even if it takes all I got.

———————————————————————————

R: wooooooooooooooh boy! So much stuff to write! Isn't this fun?!

C: I can see why my spark for this died for a while. I'm not good at depressing scenes.

P: Well now you have me to help with this. Plus we've tended to darken our light-hearted stories.

K: That's because you kept stealing the keyboard.

P: Well I want a turn! It's no fair you three get to hog it all the time!

K: Fine. Then you take the keyboard, and finish up some of these scenes. Besides, we need to give Raina and Carter a break. We both know they've had too many drugs.

P: For the last time, medication. But I can hear ya on the break part. I'm the only one not really affected by the infection.

K: You sure? You seem a lot more milder than what you usually are.

C: YO! Let's get this written already!

K: Cut the tape. I can sense someone's joining us up here.

R: Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to enjoy my shellfish-safe sushi in peace.

K: STOP WRITING THEM SO SHORT!!!

P: You wanted me to finish this, well I'm finishing it. I'm sorry I can't come up with different ways of grief for 18 different beings. Besides, we only know of a few ways a person can grieve, the rest we don't know, alright? After all, we are already at 2100+ words.

R: W-what, what are you doing?

P: Change of plans. Those I cut will get more screen time. And relax. I got something planned.

Something big.

C: I don't like where this is heading.