SQUELCH.

I'm not sure where it went wrong.

"P-PLEASE-"

CRUNCH.

I was sure that I'd make it longer.

"N-NO! PLEASE!-"

SPLAT.

I promised I'd wait a little longer.

RRRRRRRIP.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Silence.

Heaving, I stare at the purple candy pieces in my hands. The blood, alongside the flesh fragments, were glued to the surface of my arms. Teeth and broken skull shards laid scattered amongst the floor, and I could only gaze up towards her twitching body before flinching away.

I don't remember how long it's been- the sun is still up in the sky, and I can hear the arguing from the lab from miles away- but...

'What gives.'

Her voice makes me flinch. Y-You made me-

'I DIDN'T MAKE YOU DO ANYTHING. This was simply your doing.'

SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!

'You said it yourself- she was bothering you. I thought you claimed to be stronger than the words everyone throws at you, hm..?'

I....

'Perhaps I shouldn't be too angered here... need I remind you of how powerful I've become? Why- the more objects, the better! I'm finally able to get some real work done around here.'

What are you talking about?!

...

'Come on... why don't we try and remember what REALLY happened here...'

EARLIER THAT DAY....

Tossing.

Turning.

Whispers clawing their way into the slumbering mind of the hidden one.

After she had spoken to both Fries and Coiny mere days ago, Pin finally felt the crushing weight of guilt being lifted from her soul. Sure, she wasn't able to completely open up about the terrors she had to endure- but the two people she cared quite deeply for gave her the time of day.

They listened to her. And in the end, that was what mattered.

Of course, once Fries left, Pin had the time to bawl in Coiny's arms out of the terror of being forced back into the city. She knew that whatever awaited her there wasn't pretty- plus.. she had gotten used to life in the forest.

It wasn't all perfect. But it was peaceful. Quiet. Never a moment where the serenity of nature couldn't lull her into a peaceful slumber.

....

Until now.

The whispering grew frantic, beads of ooze dripping down Pin's forehead as she desperately twitched, attempting to return from her dream. It was incomprehensible, yet so..

Familiar..?

Pin....

She whined, her fingernails digging into the soil below.

Don't think I've forgotten about you..

Her heart raced, cold blood racing through her veins.

You truly thought it was over, haven't you..?

"N-No.. no.."

Well, don't you worry dear...

This is just the beginning.

"NO!" The scream escaped Pin's mouth, her body shooting up with the adrenaline racing through her petrified veins. Tears didn't hesitate to spill down her face, as her fists were poised over her head, ready to attack whatever- or whoever- was-

"PIN!"

Oh.

Shivering, her bloodshot pupil's slowly took in the familiar sight of her boyfriend, her racing breaths steadily coming to an easing pace.

Coiny- who was cradling a fresh bag of food and water- immediately let the products slip free from his hold, as he rushed to Pin's side, frantically checking on her well-being.

He cradled her face with such care, that for a moment, the voices she had previously heard vanished with the quiet winds of the season.

"I-..I only wanted to drop off some food for you," Coiny whispered, "...but I heard you crying in your sleep- are you-"

"I-it was just a stupid nightmare," Pin murmured.

For a moment, she could feel the spiking anxiety in the coin creature's bones- so she immediately sighed, giving his hands a reassuring squeeze.

"Not like last time."

"Oh- phew! I-I got scared there, haha..."

"How comforting, Coiny."

"Sorry."

A blanket of silence draped over the two. Sighing, Pin carefully picked up the food, gently storing them in the plastic bag as she handed it back to Coiny.

"I think these were yours..?"

He shook his head, a soft smile growing on his face. "They're meant for you- captain.."

"C'mon- we can share here-"

"I wish I could.." Coiny replied, glancing back towards the path that led him home. "...But I have something to get back to."

"Oh?"

"It's something GB wants us to help out with.. she didn't explain it at all- you know how she can be."

"Classic Golfball.." Pin chuckled, gently taking his hand. "I guess that means I'll be seeing you later..?"

Perhaps for the last time dear.

Pin clenched her teeth into a forced smile, as Coiny placed a kiss on the back of her hands.

"Once that's over with- you bet I'll be back."

We've got quite the plan for you...

"Please..." Pin's face grew gaunt, the plea escaping her mouth as a trembling whisper.

"What was that, Pin..?"

Shhh...

Not a word, now.

...

"...Be... Be careful when you get back, ok..? I love you."

And he loves you not.

She found letting him go much harder than it ever has been.

It took a good second or two- but as her hand slipped free from the comforting hold of her lover, she swore she felt the damning eyes of that familiar red leaf, watching.

Waiting.

Observing her every move.

Perfect.

Now that she is getting farther... it seems like we can't risk having you around.

If only...

...

Meanwhile...

T-R-E-E.

ERROR! ERROR! TREE IS STILL ALIVE.

G-R-A-S-S-Y.

ERROR! ERROR! GRASSY IS STILL ALIVE.

B-L-O-C-K-Y.

ERROR! ERROR! BLOCKY IS STILL ALIVE.

Shivering, Basketball slammed her head against the recovery center with a saddened grunt. How could she be so ridiculous? Putting his name into the machine as many times as she'd like wouldn't change a thing.

Just when she thought things couldn't have gotten any worse, Pandora's Box was lit ablaze after she discovered what remained inside Blocky's home- well.. More like his now abandoned home. With blood, flesh, and glass spread amongst the kitchen floor like confetti, reality was set free- and before she knew it, Basketball's world was on fire.

Fire. She flinched, shakily stepping away- couldn't there have been a better comparison? What more was there to do?

Noticing that the orange sportsball was backing away, Eraser reached for her shoulder, confusion painting over his exhausted expression. "Hey- what the hell are you doing?!" he asked.

No answer.

Ok. Now his patience was running thin. Whirling her around, he slammed her against the wall, anger steadily boiling in his heart.

"ANSWER ME," he yelled. "DON'T JUST WALK AWAY!"

"I wasn't," Basketball uttered.

"Fine then. What. Were. You. Doing."

The poor scientist let the question dangle in the atmosphere; thankfully, it was just enough for Golfball to catch onto the scene, practically doing a double take at the sight of her prima being cornered.

"Can you get your disgusting claws OFF OF HER?!" she snapped, headbutting against the pink parallelogram. "I'M the only one here that's allowed to hit her!"

Eraser rolled his eyes. "Wow, how loving of you, GB."

"She's... ugh, forget it. Just leave her be and help me get everyone settled here. Her illness- or... whatever she has- is getting worse, and she's already got enough on her mind at the moment."

"Like what? That stupid robot she can't get over?" Eraser scoffed.

"No," Basketball mumbled under her breath, "Suicide."

"BASKETBALL!"

Amongst Eraser's cackles and Golfball's lecturing, the exhausted scientist found her eyes slowly trailing back to the recovery center, the green message blinking on the pitch black screen. Taunting her. Reminding her of what she had failed to do.

Yet, there was something soothing about seeing her lost friend's name blink on the screen. Still alive. He was still out there. Somewhere. And knowing him- he was putting up one hell of a fight to stay in the realm of the living.

But on the other hand, it filled her with dread. The "STILL ALIVE" message felt like an arrow of the damned had struck her through her very core, filling her with the nightmarish scenarios of what the missing objects were enduring. She fought against the urge to picture what was taking place, yet a part of her- the tiniest, morbidly curious part of her- just wanted to know.

What good would that do?

Drawing in a breath, she quickly stepped away from the two, brushing past the growing crowd that bloomed inside of her cousin's partner's laboratory. There was a growing rumor that Golfball had something planned for everybody- after all, having some sense of guidance in this mess was better than nothing, so how could anybody refuse?

As Basketball roamed through the halls, she brushed past Bottle, not noticing the disgruntled look she was giving her. Basketball knew what she was thinking- she had nothing here to mope about. In fact- if she had wanted to do something about this- she'd have to finally accept that this was a result of HER wrongdoing.

Hell, months ago, Bottle warned her about the first disappearance that took place. And here they were- eleven others vanishing alongside him... including those of her own blood.

...

Well. If anything was going to be done- she might as well start by giving GB's plan a chance.

When she approached the main room of the laboratory, she was surprised to see the amount of chairs that were now in place. A podium- followed by two, smaller makeshift ones- stood before them, one being held up by a tower of Golfball's own textbooks. Thankfully, there was no need to bring out the microphones- with the room being small enough to need only one's own projection.

The seats were being filled left and right, with old faces and new ones. She stepped by an anxious Leafy, who was being consoled by Firey as he offered the poor thing a cup of water, taking extra precaution as to not spill any onto himself.

"Easy," he said in a gentle tone, "It's going to be okay.."

At his words, a crooked smile wobbled onto her face. "I'll make sure it is. I-..I'm not letting anything happen."

"...Please tell me you left the knives at home."

"Well.."

From the looks of it, the majority of the slaughtered objects were shaken up by what was coming. Bomby sat beside Nickel and Naily, a crooked smile painted on his face as the judging eyes of the hotel residents stared at his very presence.

If Basketball had anymore anger left to share- she would've been one of them. But he wasn't worth a passing glance.

She then walked by an anxious Marker, who entered the room anxiously. Firey Jr. trailed behind him, yet as he tried to step in front, both Stapy and Foldy cut him off, dragging the art utensil away.

"Come on Marker," Stapy gritted through his teeth, "You don't want to be around Liy."

Words that caught Basketball's attention, she turned, spotting the lightswitch from a few feet away. Being immediately greeted by Liy's angered scowl, the sportsball didn't hesitate to step aside as she stomped towards the group, yanking Marker back by the arm. Bell trailed after the lightswitch, carefully hovering over the two.

"Seriously?! Why be around those two jerks?!" Liy snapped, rolling her eyes at Foldy's offended scoff. "Marker- you're better off with us here."

"No he ISN'T! He wants to hang out with US!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"NO!!!!"

"Are your friends always this batshit?" Firey Jr. squinted, watching the three tug at the taller object like a ragdoll.

If it weren't for the tug-of-war currently unfolding with his arms, Marker would have reprimanded the smaller object for his words- but he flinched, as the arguing only spiked. Firey Jr. (or Junior, for short), let this pan out for a second or two, before angrily slapping their arms away, skittering onto the top of Marker's cap.

This caught Marker by surprise. "Wh- hey! What are you-"

"ONWARDS, IDIOT. We don't have all day here." The smaller flame uttered, quickly holding on as Marker rushed away from the group, bumping into Basketball and frantically apologizing.

Well. That was certainly... a scene, Basketball thought to herself.

Having no idea where to go, the sports ball trudged towards her cousin, who was organizing a group of chairs that were separated from the crowd.

Tennis Ball didn't need to hear a word to know she was near. "Hey.. I thought you said you were gonna rest for the day," he observed, his gaze gliding up to meet hers.

Basketball shook her head. "I wanted to help out."

"If this is about GB going off on you again, please, don't worry- I already spoke to her, and she said-"

"Tennis Ball, I don't really care about what she has to say anymore. I need to do something- and I'm not gonna sit out while you guys handle everything here."

"We really don't mind... I think we'd much rather have you getting proper rest while we-"

"Don't try to talk me out of this," Basketball snapped, nudging the chair out of his hold. "You two are scared- and if you work like that, where will it get you?"

Letting a few seconds pass, the orange sportsball let a tiny smile grow on her face as she caught onto Tennis Ball's silence. "You are a terrible liar, TB."

"I just-... we didn't want to have you overwork here. You already took over when we were-" He paused, shutting his eyes to maintain his composure, "...And now..? Grassy's missing, Robot Flower is dead, a-and Blocky- he-"

"I didn't need the reminders here, thanks." Basketball's eyes darkened, weakly pushing the chair to the side as she looked back at the crowd.

She spotted Rocky from the distance; the little guy nudging the chairs into a neat line. Basketball was sure he'd be put to do something else by Golfball- yet, she walked over, smiling through the waves of dizziness that struck.

"Helping out here?" She asked. Rocky gave her a nod.

"Did GB go against that?"

Another nod. The two giggled under their breaths, yet Basketball stumbled on her feet. Rocky's smile dropped into a frown, and he quickly helped his 'aunt' regain her balance, quietly leading her back to Tennis Ball.

He was ready to greet the little one at the sight, but seeing his cousins state immediately cut him off. He hesitantly reached to her side- only to be interrupted by Golfball, who butted herself in between the two.

"Alright- are we here to run a trial, or were we all invited to some sort of pity party?!" she snapped, quickly pushing the chairs into an organized row. Rocky quickly skittered after her movements, much to her dismay.

"And what are you doing here young man?!"

"Helping," he squeaked.

"I wanted you to leave this trial to us! Growing rocks shouldn't be-"

"I deserve to be here too." Rocky pouted, glancing up at the scar on his head. The scientists eyes followed suit- and the disgruntled glare softened into that of pity, as she stepped back.

She couldn't. She's already been too hard on them all. The least she could do was try and show a crumb of kindness to the objects who taught her how to love.

....

No.

No- this nightmare was starting all over again. And if she succumbed to the love- then...

Huffing, Golfball turned towards the other two scientists. "I thought we were aiming to get this done ASAP!"

"Sorry GB," Tennis Ball sighed, ensuring that the chairs were in order, "I-I was just confused here- I thought we agreed that Basketball would be-"

"-Helping us get things ready?! Boy, what a fantastic idea TB! Maybe she can make herself useful and go back to sobbing next to that pile of rubble- that way, she can let us handle things PROPERLY." At her exclamation, Golfball shoved a chair in her prima's direction- only for the taller scientist to step aside, avoiding its path.

"Dodge," she murmured. "Thanks for the chair though- I'll leave it here for... whatever section this is."

Golfball squinted at her words. "You think you're so funny, don't you."

"I guess so. My existence is a joke, after all."

For putts sake- could she be any more miserable here?! Golfball thought to herself, her eye twitching rapidly as she took in a sharp breath. She let her anger simmer down, steadying her temper as she marched past the two to lean against the main podium.

"Listen, Basketball," she began, "I know you're upset here- but I promise. We're going to find out who did this- and we're going to bring them back." She shot a quick glance at, what used to be, Robot Flower's room. "...All of them."

No response.

"I... know how much this pain is hindering your abilities to function- yet, it's important to remind yourself that it's temporary."

"...You wanna know what else is temporary, GB."

"Hm?"

"Life."

"WOULD YOU GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, BASKETBALL?!"

That was Tennis Ball's cue to intervene. Quickly, he pulled the angered scientist away, letting Basketball take a seat in the smaller section they had organized.

There was no need to correct her on where she was supposed to sit- she was going to be one of the first to give a testimony about everything that occurred.

As Tennis Ball guided Golfball to a different room, the Freesmarters couldn't help but notice the anger radiating from the small scientist.

Ice Cube pouted. "I can't believe we have to catch a murderer again.." she uttered under her breath.

"YOU GUYS ALREADY HAVE!!" Bracelety smiled, gently patting the objects back. "I'M SURE YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN- WE'VE GOT YOUR BACK, ALL THE WAY ICY!"

Despite the pain that quaked through Icy's body, the girl couldn't help but smile at her reassurance. She leaned into Bracelety's arms, stepping aside as the others in the group stepped ahead of them.

Squinting, Pencil led the group towards the podiums, ignoring the angered glares from the others.

"Ugh- I thought that bozo would never leave," she huffed, rushing to the back of the podium. "Now that they're out of the way, we can take matters into our own hands."

From the crowd, Firey Jr. climbed over Marker's cap, angrily pointing towards the group. "Hey! Aren't we supposed to be waiting for-"

"SHUT IT, PIPSQUEAK."

And just like that, Firey Jr.'s mouth clamped shut. His arms crossed angrily, even as Marker worriedly got him down to his seat. He was ready to console the smaller object, but he felt Pencil's eyes piercing through his soul, and all his consolement sank into the abyss of silence.

"Ok. Before I was SO rudely interrupted- I was GOING to say that we're going to be the ones taking care of this trial. Unlike bozo brain and her lame boyfriend there- we have actual experience with interrogations like these."

Following her words, confusion and defiance flooded the atmosphere of the lab. They knew that this was meant to be a way to pinpoint the object that was behind these disappearances- but, trusting objects like the Freesmarters to handle such a serious matter?

"As if!" Coiny yelled, no longer standing for this mess. "Pencil, you locked someone in your BASEMENT the last time you did so!"

"And was the person innocent, Coiny?"

Gasps. Quiet ones, at least- as a faint "oh no, she didn't..." echoed amongst the crowd. Although Coiny kept his defiance, he felt the judging eyes burning the remaining anger he had, followed by a hand grabbing his shoulder.

He didn't need to look to know it was Fries.

Coiny sunk back into his chair, embarrassment burning at the surface of his face. Heads turned away as Fries carefully whispered to him.

"Get it together. You're sweating like a damned pig out here."

Coiny shook his head, keeping his hands slapped over his own head. "I-I don't think I can sit through this," he stuttered, "Can't I just go-"

"No." The urgency in Fries's low tone yanked the coin creature from his panicked judgement. "Everybody's already on edge here- they'll suspect somethings up if you leave this lab."

"It's not like I'm guilty!"

"-of murdering." Fries's eyes narrowed, grabbing Coiny's wrist. "You're already in deep trouble by bringing it back."

"She's not an it."

"To everybody else, she's practically DEAD."

"W-WELL-"

"AHEM." The two's heads turned as Pencil cleared her throat, snapping her fingers in the vicinity of their faces. "Sorry to interrupt your little therapy session here- but unless you two have an accusation up those grease sticks of yours, I suggest you keep your mouths shut. Got it?"

Ignoring the disgruntled glare Fries gave her, the two boys nodded, leaving Pencil to shake her head at their sudden interruption. She could care less about what they were yapping about, but she wasn't going to let it get in the way of something as dire as this.

She took a few steps behind the podium, grabbing GB's notepad from its desk and tossing it behind her. "No need for this!" she hummed.

"Uh.. Pencil? We could've used that for-"

"Nothing. Like I said, Ruby- no use in something so time consuming like that!"

"Oh.. f-fine by me..." Ruby uttered, cowering away from her friend.

"You seem a little too confident in this," Donut spoke from the crowd, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh please," Match scoffed, shakily brushing the faint burns on the side of her arms, "If it weren't for coin-creature over there- we would've, like, resolved this a long time ago."

A long time ago.

What could have been if they had stopped her a long time ago.

Bubble never found herself reminiscing on the days of the past. What seemed like a hopeful beginning for a brand new chapter in their lives, twisted itself into a never-ending nightmare that kept everybody in the palm of its blood-soaked claws.

She shivered. There was never a waking moment where the others steered clear from her mind.

Especially-

"PENCIL!!!"

Great.

Flinching at Golfball's enraged scream, Bubble clutches Fanny's tail tightly as she cowered behind her girlfriend. Seems like she wasn't the only one; in the corner of her eye, she noticed Ice Cube flinching, gritting her teeth at the grading voice of the scientist. Bracelety didn't hesitate to comfort her girlfriend, noticing the irked stare that Fanny was giving Golfball. She shook her head, and mimicked the look, their eyes following the scientist as she stomped towards the podium.

"Nerd alert," Match mumbled, sighing as she shoved Golfball to the side. "Watch where you're going, bossy-bot."

"How's about you watch where you're STANDING, you walking fireplace."

That wiped the peeved look off of Match's face. Aggravated, Pencil gently pulled her partner to her side, making sure they cut the scientist's path to the main podium.

"I hope you ladies know that this isn't a game we're playing here," Golfball hissed through gritted teeth, "I already told you that WE we're going to be handling this-"

"GB, WE caught Pin MONTHS before we were killed. I think we'd be better off taking this into our own hands, here," Flower interjected, angrily placing her hands onto her hips. "This isn't an issue that's going to be solved with your little calculations!"

"Well, EXCUSE ME. I think TB and I are perfectly capable of handling an investigation revolving around missing-"

"Oh for THREADS SAKE- WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" Needle's yell sliced through the atmosphere like a switchblade, immediately shutting down the tensions between the women up front. She had stood up from her seat, carefully walking around Teardrop and Eggy before clapping her hands together.

"If you two aren't going to figure this stupid trial out- then I will."

"Oh yeah?!" Golfball's eyes narrowed through her glasses as she asked Needle, "How are you gonna do THAT?!"

~

"Alright- let's run through this once more. How is this Trial gonna pan out?"

"Simple," Golfball muttered to TB, holding an ice pack on the side of her face. "We'll begin by letting the others speak- let them give us any tips or suspicious sightings that they've noticed in the past few months. With this, we'll be able to get a sort of roll call on the accused, and we'll then follow up with the testimonies from-"

"THE JURY?" Bracelety asked, causing Golfball to jump.

"Ugh- NO, you little-"

"No- I think it's actually the eye-watcher... things..?" Ruby stated with a shrug.

"NO NO- THOSE ARE EYEWITNESSES!"

"That's dumb. I like Eye watchers more! It makes this cooler!"

Before the two could get another word out, Tennis Ball anxiously intervened. "W-Well- we aren't trying to make this... entertaining.."

"It'd make it worth our time here, at least," Naily scoffed, kicking at the ground as she swung her legs from the seat. "I had things to do today!"

"I'm sure all of us do, Naily. But we've got a lot of missing objects here! Might as well TRY and do something about it unless you want to be on that list too." Eggy uttered the last sentence under her breath.

Golfball's eye twitched. The more the others spoke out, the closer she was getting to throwing the chairs she had organized oh so neatly. Yet, before she could draw closer to snapping, she felt Tennis Ball's reassuring hold- enough to keep her anger at bay.

"I know these circumstances aren't... ideal... for a majority of you," she began, "...but I need you all to understand that we don't have much time here. Whoever this person is- they're moving quick. And I don't think any of us would appreciate it if more objects started slipping away here, hm?"

The silence was deafening. Yet the weight of what was taking place quickly fell into the air like grains of sand, and everybody was quieting down, not wanting to interrupt them anymore.

"Thank you." Sighing, Golfball exchanged a glance with Pencil, who nodded as their eyes met. She too, held an ice pack on a freshly gained bruise that stung at the side of her face- but she shook off the pain, pointing towards the chairs on the left.

"I know Bubble already spoke to those who had someone vanish here- so when it's time, we'll have you all sit over there and give your testimonies once it's your turn to speak."

"And please," Flower chimed in, "...For anybody who has any idea as to who this person could be- have your defenses hot and ready to go. We aren't in the mood for any more fights to break out here in the lab."

"We also aren't in the mood to deal with anything BROKEN in the lab." Golfball sighed. "Or anyone to-"

"Uh- ok. We get it."

A hush fell over the two.

"...Well. Let's begin- shall we?"

~

"So, you're telling me that Blocky was nowhere to be found on the scene?"

Pen's hands wrung together at Tennis Ball's question. As much as he didn't want to recall the previous hours, the images of Blocky's bloodied kitchen sparked in his aching mind.

The blood. Oh.

All the blood.

It made Pen's stomach twist into knots.

His arms quivered, and it immediately caught Eraser's attention.

"Yes," The pink parallelogram murmured. "And we'd appreciate it if we didn't get any reminders here."

"That's fine- we're sorry about-"

"I don't think we're here to pander to your emotions," Golfball snapped, pacing around the podium as she raised an eyebrow at the two. "Tell us- what did you see at the scene of the crime?"

Pen flinched. Shivering, he'd cling onto Eraser's hand as he tried to ease his voice into speaking. "W-..We we're only with Basketball.. But when we walked inside, we-"

"Basketball?! Ugh- I knew she was too sad for her own good. But.. murder?!" Golfball whispered, giving a dirty look towards the orange sports ball. It took the scientist a moment to process her words, but she was cut off by Eraser, who slammed his hand on the counter of the podium.

"WE AREN'T SAYING IT WAS HER, GENIUS!" he yelled. "If you want someone to blame- then look at Bottle!"

"Why her?!"

"Oh jeez, I dunno! Is it normal for someone to walk around with a list?!"

The mere word set off alarm bells in the minds of the others, as all heads immediately swiveled to stare at the glass bottle that sat in silence. Next to her, Pie worriedly took a hold of her arm, and Woody was the first to shake his head at the accusation.

"Huh. Already denying the claims, huh?" GB tutted, approaching the three. "Any reason as to why you all look so tense?"

"Do you hear yourself, GB? You're jumping to conclusions, here," Pie reprimanded.

"I AM NOT! The fact that she has a list is already suspicious ENOUGH!"

"She also has a shovel!" Junior shouted from the top of Marker's head. "I've seen it before- every day, she'd leave the hotel and stay gone for HOOOUUURS."

"Firey Jr.- that CAN'T be the case! I thought we already talked about it- the murderer could be some sort of..." Marker shuddered, "...vampire!"

"Eh. Not as realistic as the crazy girl with the list in her hands."

Pie frowned at the little flame. "That's real nice of you, Firey Jr."

"Thank you! I'm here to help, after all."

Even as the accusation was being thrown left and right, Pie couldn't help but notice the way Bottle's eyes twitched, narrowing at every object surrounding her. She did her best to ease the tension she had, but blinked in confusion as Golfball leaned closer towards her, her eyes narrowing at Bottle.

"HELLOOO?" she shouted. "Care to give a DEFENSE, here?"

Bottle shrugged halfheartedly. "There's no need for me to do so."

"SEE?! SUSPICIOUS!!"

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT, FIREY JR- BUT ZIP IT." Golfball snapped- goodness, how many times was she going to SNAP at these fools?!

There was no way she was gonna let these guys back out there. It'd be nothing more than a death sentence- and, as much as she hated to admit it...

She was scared. In fact- it was fear that led her to where she stood now. And she'd be damned if she'd let it take control over her life once more.

Seeing that the scientist was recollecting her thoughts, Pencil walked over, her arms folding over her chest. "Well, Bottle? Got anything to say?"

Silence.

The clock ticked, and Bottle stood up with ease, making her way to the podium. She didn't hesitate to unfold the little piece of paper she carried with her- holding it out for the crowd to see.

"I hope at least somebody in this room remembers," said Bottle, glaring at the orange sports ball that sat nearby, "but ever since Tree first disappeared- I've been looking for him everywhere. Day and night- I kept a list of the places I've searched on hand."

She watched everybody take a better look at the scribbled notes on the paper. Many were quick to ease off the poor woman, yet Eraser didn't seem too convinced at the proof.

"Yeah right. That could also be a list of the places you'd bury a BODY. Now TELL US- WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR FRIEND?!"

"Nothing!" The serenity in Bottle's voice wavered with stress. "I-I only got to know Blocky in the TLC- we were never close! Why would I try and hurt someone- let alone someone I was trapped in the TLC with! That includes all of you, too!"

"She's not in the wrong, there," Barf Bag spoke, "...even if your point was true, Eraser- wouldn't someone try and shatter her before she even attacked?"

Hums of agreement waved throughout the crowd. Following her statement, Eraser's eyes blazed with frustration- for he was convinced that she wasn't telling the truth.

He knew too well how much of a nuisance she was in the TLC! She practically got in the way of every soul around her- how could anyone believe that SHE was innocent here?!

Slamming his fist down, he spoke. "That does make sense- I'll give you that," he began. "But how do you explain the shovel?!"

"A part of me wanted to have it on hand in case he was trapped somewhere..? But with everything happening, I dunno.. I.." Bottle's eyes lowered, a small, red hue flashing before it dissipated, "I guess I held onto it as a way to defend myself.

~

"SEE?! THOSE are my reasons as to why Teardrop's behind all of this!"

Perhaps, in another timeline, these idiots could see the brilliance behind Golfball's accusation. Unfortunately, here she was! Being met with puzzled expressions that spoke a thousand words.

As for Teardrop, she had an all-familiar glare that cracked through Golfball's glasses, her foot tapping on the ground in disbelief. It took her a moment to snap the confidence out of her, as she turned towards Eggy, signing her defense with sharp movements.

"...She's telling me that she was at Needle's yesterday. Nowhere near Blocky's house, and-"

Suddenly, Eggy's words fell silent. She blinked, processing what Teardrop had told her, her words soon following her bewildered look.

"..Are you sure you want me to... say that?"

With a nod, Eggy hesitantly looked back up, clearing her throat. "...She told me that even though it wasn't her... he, uh... had it coming."

"I'm sorry- Blocky had it COMING?!"

"You heard that correctly."

Whispers and rumors flowed amongst the objects in the crowd, dubious glances sliding towards the water droplet. Even with this, she showed no regret or remorse- simply continuing to sign her message.

"She says: countless objects here have had to put up with that idiot's nonsense for ages. Not just that- LOTS of us were either hurt or killed by that prank show of his. Please- somebody tell me- how many of us were affected by one of Blocky's 'harmless' pranks?"

Hands. Lots of hands bloomed into the atmosphere, fingers swaying like the freshly risen petals of a new flower in the spring. Teardrop gave it a second, and a smile eased on her face as she watched Golfball lift her leg (this counts as a hand raise give me a break).

"W-Well," Junior cleared his throat, quickly lowering his hand from the air. "That's still real suspicious of you to say, Teardrop. Just because he played out his pranks, doesn't mean he deserved to vanish into thin air!"

"Or die," Basketball murmured quietly.

"Well, Teardrop?! What do YOU have to say about the night of Blocky's disappearance?" Golf Ball squinted, watching Teardrop's hand flick with every sign she gave.

Eggy blinked, looking back towards the scientist with a presumptuous smirk, much to the scientist's dismay.

"I'M WAITING!"

"There's no other way I can put this, Golfball- but she's telling you to fuck off."

~

Before Pencil could speak, Junior leaped onto Marker's head, pompously pointing a finger towards  the stand. "Come on Liy. You SHOVED HER DOWN THE STAIRS- you're OBVIOUSLY the murderer!"

"As annoying as that little flame has gotten... He does have a point," Lollipop tutted softly. "I remember overhearing that stupid catfight down the hall."

"What- did you hear that BEFORE or AFTER your face melted off."

Liy's remark made the candystick sigh. "Defensive, aren't you? That isn't a good look for you, Lightswitch-y."

"I'm not being defensive here! I- ugh, that was a completely separate incident. As of now, we're talking about Blocky- and everyone else who vanished from the city. And to that, I keep my innocence."

"Really?!" Foldy yelled. "Just cut the act, Liy- unless you'd like everyone here to learn about your little sobfest of an origin story."

"More like the history of a ongoing serial killer." Stapy chimed in with a snicker.

Angered, Liy spoke through gritted teeth, clawing at the edge of the podium. "That is NOBODIES business but mine. I trusted you with that- and if you were anything of a decent object, you'd keep my business out of your MOUTH."

"But Liy- this is about a murder! That'd be vital to a case like this, wouldn't it?" Foldy hummed, tossing a glance towards Golfball, who nodded in response. With this confirmation, she'd smirk, as Junior hopped on the top of a chair, squinting.

"YEAH! What do you have to say to THAT, HUH?!" He yelled.

"..I only wanted to try and get to safety. Not even for myself.. I wanted to get her out because I knew she was in danger. But I couldn't. I lost her that night. And when Foldy said what she had said to me that night.." She paused, tears flooding her vision. "..I.. I dunno. Maybe it was grief.. or anger. I never want to hurt anyone again. That goes for Blocky; I may not have gotten to know him... but I'd never hurt someone like that."

She collected herself, keeping her voice from warbling. "But you know what.." Carefully taking a deep breath, Liy's pupils trailed towards Foldy. "... She deserved it."

"Hah! You're really setting yourself up here, Liy," Bell sneered. "For all we know, you could be lying about this! You were the last one seen in Saw's garden- and from the looks of it, you were about to KILL someone."

"Wouldn't be surprised. After all, she already killed me," Foldy uttered under her breath. "She must've gotten all the others, too-"

With an angered glare, Pencil slammed her hands against the counter. "AND WHO'S RUNNING THIS ENTIRE THING?!"

Silence. Stunned, the three cowered back at Pencil's exclamation, her hands stinging from the impact on the table. "...Ugh. Please- let's just handle this in an orderly fashion."

Says you, Bubble thought to herself as her eyes followed the writing utensil. She watched as Pencil made her way towards Liy, keeping her stern posture to avoid any more tension between the group.

"Alright, let me ask this a little more nicely here," she began. "Why were you at Saw's garden so late, with the tools that belonged to them?"

There was a moment of silence, and Pencil swore that the lightswitch was swimming through words that wandered aimlessly in her mind. It took a few tries, and as the tears slowly welled up in those eyes of hers, she spoke.

"It was Remote's birthday," she whispered. "Not-.. really her birthday, but I remember her telling me it was the day she gained her own consciousness. Now that everyone's afraid of using the garden again, I.. I didn't want to leave the flowers I had for her there. I didn't want them to die- so I had to go back and get them from the ground so I could plant them in my backyard."

"But why the flowers?! Couldn't you start over with them?!"

When Foldy's words broke past her mouth, Liy buried her face in her own hands, unable to keep her voice from the grief that cracked through it.

"Those were her flowers. Hers... I.. I didn't want to fail at something like that again- I already lost something of her... I didn't want to lose this.."

"..Liy.."

"I miss her so much.."

~

'Are you getting any familiarity here, darling?~'

...

'Hey. I'm talking to you, Bubble.'

...How much of this did I forget...

She sighed. '...I guess we'll have to continue down memory lane, sproutling~'

~

The voices.

I didn't remember hearing them at first.

But the fighting. There was a lot of it.

One by one, the sound of overlapping arguments flooded the back of Bubble's mind- and there she was, standing beside her friends, and staring out at the havoc that unraveled before them.

Well- havoc was too much to describe it. In reality, Junior was the first who caught her gaze, as he was now stomping around and pointing fingers at every object he could see.

"Ok ok- I've got it this time. Blocky's murderer is... uh- NAILY!" he shouted, much to Naily's dismay.

"I may have my instincts here- but I don't have arms, genius!" She scoffed. "Why don't you try and accuse someone your OWN size?!"

"WE'RE LITERALLY THE SAME SIZE, SMARTASS!"

Incomprehensible, anger-fueled gibberish sparked from Junior's tongue. It was almost comedic- at least, until he flailed his arms in the air, stomping around the courtroom with his pupils lurking for the next "criminal" he caught sight of.

As much as this was drifting away from the issue at the table, Marker was hesitant on interfering with his effort to find the suspect. He felt the others giving him looks, trying to push him to get the kid back to his seat.

He especially felt this from Pencil and Pen. Whilst the alliance leader was struggling to contain her own exasperation, the other- who had looked as if he had seen a ghost- was now staring at his cousin, his eyes haunted by a damning sight that Marker couldn't possibly comprehend.

He knew what they were trying to get to him. Get Junior to quiet down, or else they'll deal with it themselves.

This was a family matter- and Junior throwing damaging accusations was striving them farther and farther away from ending this neverending nightmare.

Family.

With sweaty hands, and a slight unease that dug into the center of his spine, Marker began to approach the little flame, just as the latter threw a pointed finger towards-

"AHA! How could I have missed it- the suspect is OBVIOUSLY Bell!"

"Bell?" Tennis Ball yawned, holding a remark back. Junior nodded feverishly, hopping onto an empty seat and guiding the eyes of the others up the object's string.

"YEAH! She's a SNEAK! I mean- Does anyone know where her string goes? She could be hiding everyone up there! Like Tree- or Snowball!!"

"...Get him out."

And just like that, the fire in Junior's soul flickered out. Confused, he looked back towards the others, not noticing Marker approaching with his cap in his arms. One swing- and the object caught the little flame inside of it, nervously holding him up in the air.

"I... think we should get some fresh air, Junior!" He laughed nervously, careful as to not burn himself. "We gotta let them handle this!"

"What the- MARKER! PUT ME DOWN!"

"We'll sit this one out, and then we can come back later!"

"NO WAY!" exclaimed Junior. Frustrated, he peeked over the edge of the purple cap, angrily scanning through the souls around him. "I know who the murderer is, AND I'M GONNA FIND OUT!"

"I'm sure you will!"

"Wait- you're taking me away here- MARKER, YOU'RE THE MURDERER! That explains why you were off doing- SOMETHING, last weekend!"

"Oh Junior- you're too funny!" The taller object laughed, swinging the doors open as they made their way up the steps. "I was just eating the dirt like any other Sunday!"

"SUUURE YOU WERE!"

With that, a small draft waved from the closing doors, leaving the citizens in a hesitant silence once more. There may have been some sort of ease with the ridiculousness that Firey Jr. had carried out mere moments ago, yet their comedic moment was slammed back into a reality in which they so desperately wished to escape. Faint smiles dropped into frigid lines, eyes returning to study the attitudes of the people they had come to know over a period of time.

Trust rotted like the final flower at the cusp of winter. And now, everyone was plummeting into the bitter cold of what awaited them.

Staring at the doors that swung like the bait at the end of a fish hook, Bubble clawed at the idea of an escape. To run off, following the distractions that kept the world off of her shoulders. It became a craving that felt like needles stabbing into the deepest layers of her flesh. Similarly, she cursed herself for the thought of running away from the consequences of her own actions, because that was something she had done, so long ago.

Pin's moments of despair and endless rivers of crocodile tears may have been a way for her to avoid the blame- but Bubble couldn't play by those rules.

Not if she just wanted to get through this. If she did this- her loved ones stayed clear from her own hands.

Holding back, Bubble watched as Pencil clamped her hands together, giving a slight nod towards the scientists. It was a casual drift back into the flow of the trial, but as she looked away, she was met with the familiar, blue hue of Ice Cube's eyes.

She jumped. "Oh- Oicey... Oi didn't see you there.."

"Sorry," the smaller cube sighed, kicking at the ground, "The trial's been getting to me."

'Getting to her? Oh please. There's still so much these idiots have yet to uncover...~'

Bubble clenched her seat, keeping herself grounded to the sound of the conversation. "Y-You too, huh?"

"It's stupid... and to think- I finally started feeling like our lives- no, my life- was getting back to some sense of normal, something I haven't really remembered for ages- just for the corpses to fall back into my dreams."

'Aw! How tragic... she thinks we're here to care for her pointless little banter.'

"O-Oi know how you feel.." Bubble whispered. "The nightmares foinally stopped bothering me too... Oi felt safe enough to look back and realize that it.."

'Would all come back to you?~'

"..Wouldn't happen again.."

Ice Cube frowned at her words. She stood up, carefully approaching the metallic soap bubble and giving her a reassuring 'hug'. The immediate touch made Bubble flinch, yet...

When was the last time the two had a proper chance to talk like this? The two were burdened with the history of the previous massacre, and following their recovery, both had no choice but to haul the memories alongside them wherever they went.

It felt like their last moment together was back at the garden, staring up into-

'The sky...? Right after you interfered with my previous garden..? Don't worry, Bubble- I've gone through plenty of vessels before you and Pin.'

'Yet your little act of heroism will be something you and I will NEVER let go of.'

Silently, Bubble prayed that Icy didn't feel the fear that was now prying at her own skin, keeping her so tense that it felt like she'd shatter at any moment. She returned the hug, holding Ice Cube carefully.

"Oi still can't believe this is happening.." she whispered, tears beginning to sting at her eyes. "Oi know everyone is making promises to keep us safe.. But what if they can't..?"

"Bubble..-"

"You and I both remember how Pin was loike- how close she got to killing US before oi killed her- w-what if, whoever's doing this is stronger than she was..?"

The hug grew tighter. "I-I don't think-"

"They oilready took eight objects away, without oinyone noticing!"

"B-Bubble-"

"Whoit if they're after us?! Oifter me?! Oi killed Pin, oi-" She drew in a trembling breath. "...Whoit oif that makes me... just as bad as her...?"

"There's no need to worry about that, Bubble. You're already a monster in our eyes."

Bubble froze.

"Whoit did you say..?" The words fell from her tongue in the form of a frightened whisper. She stared at Ice Cube, who's face was staring away from her own, simply leaning into the hug in the deafening silence.

Was that even her..? It sounded like Ice Cube- hell, it may have been a mere whisper, but the soft tone of the object's voice was something Bubble couldn't find herself forgetting.Hesitant, she cleared her throat once more, hoping she sounded as normal as possible. "Oicey...?"

"We know it was you... Bubble."

Bubble screamed before she realized it was of her own. She fell back, feeling her body slam against the ground before frantically skittering away from the seat. The adrenaline seared through her veins, her legs kicking at the air in terror.

It wasn't until a few seconds had passed when she realized that there was nobody standing in front of the chair. No- it was impossible.

It couldn't have been-

She was RIGHT THERE!

Was she..?

One frightening breath after another, Bubble blinked away the tears that now flooded her vision. The familiar sight of her friends all stood around her- from Match, to Ruby, to...

Book..?

Her racing heart spilled into Bubble's shoes. A hurricane of panicked thoughts raged in her mind, but the terror drowned her into silence, as a pathetic wisp of air broke past her throat.

There she stood. Amongst the panicked Freesmarters who tried to get her up, Book stayed frozen, blood trickling down her open wound and splashing against the floor.

I know.

Her damning glare crushed Bubble with the weight of her sins. Was it the burning tears that painted her dead friend into her sight? The cursed truth that emerged from Ice Cube?

"N-No- No, this isn't real-" The object whispered, slapping her hands over her head as her body curled up as tightly as it could. "None of this is real- you're not-"

Sounds familiar.

Don't think I didn't know, Bubble.

Being stuck there... I got to learn a lot about what you've done.

It was there that the room slowly fell into a haunting darkness. Freesmart dissipated from her own view- and a few more figures emerged behind Book, staggering to her side as their glowing eyes all found their way to hers. With every movement, bones cracked free from their fleshy prisons, protruding from bleeding wounds as every one of them struggled to keep balance.

Guts trailed behind their agonizing footsteps. Chunks of Tree's brain splat beneath his feet, with his skull caving in with a wet crunch. Dirt and maggots wriggled out of Gaty's open mouth, with bloody tears staining her ghostly-pale cheeks.

Wounds upon wounds, every breath brought them nothing but eternal torment.

Not like it would stop them, though.

As a piece of Grassy's ribs crunched with a slight stumble, a horrified wail managed to free itself from Bubble's throat. She pressed her back against the wall, her shaking hands covering her mouth in a desperate attempt to-

You can't run away from us, Bubble.

Bubble flinched at Book's bitter tone. "Y-You're dead- o-oi'll of you are dead, oi-"

And whose fault is that.

Book's voice felt like sandpaper scraping against her raw, beating heart.

"OI THOUGHT YOU'D UNDERSTAND!"

I thought you were a friend.

I tried to help you all. I was so close to fixing that recovery center- I did it for everyone... for you. Because I knew the fear that lived, deep down in your heart.

I never hurt you. I never wanted to.

I only wanted to do my best.

I wanted.. to be worth something.

Chills trickled down Bubble's soul like raindrops on a window, as the bitter cold of the objects began to brush against her.

Do you think any of us 'understand'? After everything you've done...

You could have made it quick. A stab to the chest would've done better- an arrow to the skull... But look at what you've done.

We cannot sleep.

We cannot cry.

"Oi just need-"

NO.

A haunting mixture of lost voices pierced through Bubble's ears. She flinched, her terror spiking as she noticed the ghosts approaching her, one by one.

Do you think we want to hear your excuses?! You were my FRIEND.

Book.

I only wanted to help your friends. Was it because I couldn't help you..?

Tree.

Was it because we tried to help..?

Saw and Gaty, thorny vines entangling them as one.

Or was it because I had it coming.

A faint trace of Blocky's voice- drowning and choking in the endless pool of blood that dripped down his throat. All it took was one glance at what remained of his face, and all the color in Bubble's face drained.

No matter what excuse you have... it won't save our souls. Nothing can save us now.

Balloony.

One by one, the gardened inched closer to the source of their suffering, ignoring the cries of guilt that surrounded them. Each of them had gotten far used to the sounds of their own suffering...

What made this any different?

It was only until a tiny figure stumbled up to Bubble, his head slowly lifting to meet her gaze. She made an effort to keep her eyes closed, but when the tiny hand brushed against her own, they peeled open to meet the one, petrified eye that stared right through her soul.

Unlike the others, there was no malice in Grassy's aura. Instead, he shakily tugged at her hand, forcing himself to speak through the blood that clogged his throat.

Grassy just wants to go home.

Yet, we don't know what home is anymore. Book stepped forwards. Our minds, twisted beyond recognition... and you sit in this room with a cracking halo over your head.

When will this end for us..?

They spoke as one.

Forced to bleed for eternity- with no chance of freedom in sight.

Inching closer, and closer.

Wasn't freedom what you wanted... Bubble...?

BUBBLE?!

"BUBBLE?!"

Bubble jolted at the sound of her name, her limbs flailing for a split second before the familiar chord tail soothed them to her side. She shot up, breathing heavily, her 'nostrils' taking in the cold air, her ears tuning back in and welcoming the terrified voices of the crowd.

Rather than being greeted with the dead, Bubble's eyes focused and took in the sight of GB, TB, Fanny, Bracelety, and Freesmart standing around her.

"Can we give her space to breathe, please?!" GB snapped, forcing the girls to back away as TB helped the object back to her feet.

But even with this help, Bubble forced the larger sports ball off of her, desperately turning left and right, only to find that she was standing behind the chair she had been seated at- which was neatly in its place.

Confused, her words spill out in an alphabet soup. "Wh- h-how- oi thought- Oicey-"

"Breathe," Tennis Ball uttered, checking on a fresh bruise that she had on the back of her head, "You hit your head pretty hard.."

"We had no idea how," Ruby avowed, taking a hold of Bubble's hand, "W-We were in the middle of Firey Jr.'s ranting- and all of a sudden, you started mumbling..?"

Bubble's pupils tightened. "Mumbling..? Oi was talking to Oicy..?"

With the conversation being directed towards the smaller object, Ice Cube looked up, confusion dawning over her face.

"Bubble... I-I was with Bracelety...? We were on the other side with Match..?"

"Oi saw you- y-you were sitting roight next to me!" Bubble stuttered, shaking as she looked towards Fanny. "Didn't you see?!"

A hush. Eyes shifted towards one another, and Fanny nervously took Bubble's hand, caressing it as gently as she could. Bubble never gave herself up to self-pity- after all, she's so used to her entire life disappearing in an instant, that it didn't really affect her anymore- but now, the pity threatened to drag her down into its deepest abyss, and not even the comforting touch of her girlfriend could stop it.

Fanny began speaking. "Bubble, are you-"

"Oi'm fine."

"No- ugh, I hate it when you lie! You just fainted in the middle of the lab- w-was it because of-"

"Oi just haven't been sleeping well."

"Bubble..."

Meanwhile, the objects in the lab stared with a mixture of emotions- confusion, boredom, unease- all aimed towards the scene that bloomed before them.

Careful to avoid Gelatin (who was snoring in his seat), Lollipop took a gentle hold of Taco's arm, leaning in for a whisper.

"Doesn't that seem off to you?"

Taco blinked. "I mean- everything feels off when you see someone faint in the middle of something."

"I don't mean that, Taco- just take a look here. Don't you think it's a bit... strange...? Bubble hasn't said a word for the entirety of the trial."

"It could be because she's traumatized here."

"And if she's not..? Seeing things? Eyeing Firey Jr. as he pointed fingers at everybody?" Lollipop uttered, her eyes narrowing as she watched the group get Bubble situated. "I don't know about you- but something seems fishy about her.."

"You sure it isn't the fish I have here?" Taco smiled, giggling at the glare from the taller object. Lollipop didn't hesitant to give her a nudge, yet before she could say a word, a familiar pillow popped in between the two.

"What's this about being fishy?"

"ACK- Pillow! At least give us a heads up here!"

"No thanks! It's more fun this way." Pillow giggled, ignoring Taco's words as she gave her fish a playful 'boop' on its forehead. "I don't assume that this is the kinda fishy you're talking about, hm?"

Lollipop pouted, gently pushing the other object aside. "Even if it was, why would you care, feather-brain?"

"Because I'm just as suspicious as you!"

"I-... what."

"Come on- I've overheard what's gone down a while back. Hanging around the scientists always comes with a plus.." Pillow hummed. "And turns out- Bubble's really going hand in hand with how Pin was acting!"

Both Taco and Lollipop watched, as Pillow tapped her chin in thought, pacing around the seat where Gelatin sat fast asleep. "It makes you wonder- not a single person who was revived from the last massacre got accused. Us TLC-ers got the rough end of things- but don't you think it'd be easier to do this sorta thing after already living through it?"

"I dunno... Can it?"

The woman turned, surprised to see that Match was approaching their seats. Her eyebrow was tilted upwards, unsure of what to make of the topic at hand.

It was her friend- one of her closest friends- that they were talking about here! Someone who managed to end Pin's massacre before she could do more harm!

But even with that- her brain quietly nagged at her soul, begging her to take a closer look at the claims.

....

Was it possible to separate the brain and the heart to see what was at stake..?

"Can we help you?" Pillow asked, blinking innocently as she gave the matchstick a friendly wave. Her eyebrows furled together at the sentence.

"I was gonna tell you three to stop the talking here, since GB was gonna make an announcement.. but.."

"But?" Lollipop asked.

"...We need to talk to you three."

"Talk, indeed." Golfball interrupted, stepping onto Tennis Ball as he approached the center of the podium. "If any of you have any tips you'd like to discuss- please meet with me OR Pencil up here on our stage. As for the rest of you- take this as a recess. We meet back here in thirty minutes."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

edit: I scheduled this at 5 am instead of pm so please forgive me for that, I've been sick as hell for the past few days now

wtf was that elimination yesterday.

anyways hi, its been a while. sorry about that! don't really know where to start in terms of what happened to me- the whole stalker situation was rough but with certain. political events happening. Me and my family have had to lay low due to us being a family of immigrants! so the past few months have been, to put it in simple terms: laying low.

I can't say confidently if the guy is gone for good- previously he'd stay silent for months and then i'd get a notif from him on some random tuesday or whatever, but I kinda miss being able to post and stuff.

but yeah! uh, i hope you guys liked this? its really been a while, with everything going on it took me a lot to get to writing again (thank you to those who helped me w motivation!! yall r real ones).

AND ONE SMALL UPDATE: rather than releasing the next two chapters daily, I'll be releasing those weekly to let everything settle in! next week's chapter is simply "Recess"- same day, same time.

I... think thats about it? So sorry for the wait. Lots of things going on in my personal life and I come back to y'all with something leading up to quite the change.

see you guys next week :)

-ice