AT FIRST, IT WAS ALL A LIE. An innocent lie that was designed to stay hidden behind Joel Miller's reasons. Nicole was only expected to guard that lie, to keep it away from spreading, unaware that it was almost contagious, like a virus. It gradually corrupted her inner being, pervading her mind, becoming more profound in her thoughts, and slowly releasing that great flood of guilt into Nicole's consciousness.

     As Ellie Williams entered her home, Nicole sensed something had gone awry; the slam of the door, the clattering of her Converse sneakers hitting the floor, the thuds of her feet climbing the stairs only seemed to further verify her theory. These signs foreshadowed the repercussions of the lie that had now become Nicole's most pressing concern. 

     It only made her remember the moment the fungus had conquered the world, when people were teetering on the brink of an epidemic, spiralling Nicole back to square one, dreading this day for what felt like forever.

     Drawing a deep breath to steel her nerves, she stood there in tense anticipation until the sound of Ellie's fist banged against the wooden door, prompting her to open it slowly, her body filled with apprehension and tension. Ellie stormed in without any notice, vigorously scratching the back of her neck. Incoherent muttering flowed from the auburn-haired girl's mouth, leaving Nicole unable to understand her, the blonde girl's demeanour exuding dread and uneasiness, with her seemingly avoiding any sudden movement.

          "Hi," Nicole said softly, her voice laced with fear. She could see that Ellie had been crying, her cheeks stained with salty tears, her eyes swollen. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked as she gathered the remaining strength inside her. Nicole stood there, her arms hanging at her sides, feeling helpless in the face of Ellie's distress. She easily recognized the girl's far-off stare and saw that she hadn't registered Nicole's presence, not yet. As Ellie rocked back and forth around the room, Nicole realized she had drifted off into her own twisted world. 

     Ellie could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes as their eyes met for the first time since she had entered the room. "Joel...," her words trailed off. "He lied to me. He told me there were dozens of immune patients at the hospital and that all of the tests had resulted in nothing," her head tossed her gaze this way and that, like she had plenty to say but not enough time to. Ellie's voice quavered with rage, a sharp silence downing between them, "I was about to matter, my fucking life was about to matter! He wasn't supposed to that—"

          "Ellie, stop. There's something you should really know," Nicole said carefully, her voice still low but a little more demanding. She slinked over to her friend with caution, not wanting to stir up any more emotions inside of her.

           "What? What is there so important that I have to know other than—," Ellie's eyes clouded with realization as her eyes registered Nicole's face. She could see the fear radiating from her best friend's body, but it was the guilt that spanned her face which gave it away. She took the opportunity to actually look at Nicole and grasp the truth of the situation. In only a matter of seconds, Ellie Williams figured it out.  

          "You fucking knew," her heart stuttered and there was this falling, spinning-down feeling, "Oh my God, Nicky, you fucking asshole!" the corners of Ellie's mouth turned upwards, a nervous smile plastering on her face. 

      Panic coursed through her veins, anger blazing in Ellie's gaze, her vexation deepening with every passing second. Nicole opened her mouth to answer, but terror froze her. Summoning her courage, the girl murmured, "I did," she finally owned up, "but Ellie, trust me, this isn't what happened—," before being abruptly cut off. Ellie's face twisted in rage as she realized what her best friend was pointing out, sending electric shocks to every inch of Nicole's skin, "You knew and you didn't tell me, that's what happened, Nicky," she shouted and crept forward, her index finger pointed directly towards her chest, few inches away of touching it.

     Nicole's voice wavered as she apologized, "I was scared as hell, alright? I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do! I am not even supposed to know these things, " Nicole gave her a quizzical look. "I overheard my mother talking with Tommy, and..." Ellie's stabbing glare burned, cutting through Nicole's skin like sharp arrows. It all felt as if the relationship they had forged was shredding apart.

          "When did you find out?" Ellie felt her fists clench as she fought to restrain her anger towards her best friend. She questioned in a tone that showed she was struggling to contain her ire. Her knuckles had turned white from her tense grip as she endeavoured to hold back her frustration and not take it out on Nicole. Ultimately, despite her simmering emotions, it was the feeling of betrayal that descended upon the Williams girl, the thought that her best friend had chosen to keep such monumental information from her. How could someone she trusted so implicitly do such a thing? "Please, Nicky. When did you find out?" Ellie asked quietly once again, barely containing her feelings. It wasn't Nicole's fault that she'd overheard her family. If only she had told her sooner, Nicky would have had a real chance to free Ellie from her disappointment that stemmed from Joel not revealing the news to her himself. She deserved to know the truth. 

          "Two weeks ago."

     Ellie looked like she had just been slapped across the face, eyes widening in shock as she lost her balance and stumbled backwards, "two weeks, Nick? Fucking two weeks?" The tension in the room was almost unbearable. The auburn-haired girl could sense the guilt overflowing from Nicole's soul. Despite the blazing summer sunlight pouring into the room, a chill ran down Ellie's spine as she stood there, almost frozen, every inch of her body rigid and cold. Nicole's eyes were fixated on the floor, and her shoulders were shrugged and tense. She was avoiding her gaze, guilt and fear radiating from the blonde every moment. 

     The words started forming in Ellie's mouth, but before she could even say them, Nicky had already been trying to justify herself. "It was hard for me too, but I couldn't just come up to you and—" 

          "It was hard for you?" Ellie interrupted, her voice tight with tension. "Nicky, the fact that you knew something, something so damn important to me and yet chose to hide it even further is not hard. It's selfish."

     Gazing into Ellie's eyes, Nicole noticed that they were no longer a lively green, but instead had taken on a much darker, more troubled shade, dulled by fear and anguish. As she watched Ellie's body quiver and tremble, Nicole realized Ellie's muscles went stiff as she struggled to keep her composure. No matter how hard the Williams girl wished to put on a tough facade, they were all destined to stumble down at the slightest mistake.

     Ellie gritted her teeth as she uttered, "I appreciate your honesty. But we're done, Nicky." Nicky apologized profusely in an effort to mend the damage, but it was all for nought. An emotional overload of wrath and treachery had consumed her. Ellie pushed past her best friend, eager to leave the room. She could sense Nicky's piercing gaze upon her as she walked out, but Ellie knew that her friend would never truly grasp the depths of the betrayal she and Joel had caused. 

TESSA'S THOUGHTS . . . 

hello, my babies !! here is the prologue to the story i'm excitedly sharing ! i will be posting each sunday at 8:00pm gmt+2, although if i'm available, i may be able to share chapters on fridays or saturdays too. do keep in mind, i'll let you know if there are any changes to the schedule. this prologue takes place right after joel reveals the truth to ellie and she returns to jackson. nicky had already been in jackson since september 2033 — several months before ellie and joel show up. throughout the following chapters, i'll be including some insights into nicky's past and her relationship with maria, ellie, tommy and joel. until then, please take your time to enjoy this prologue, and i would love to hear your thoughts on it so far <33