TW: mentions of s***ide

Thia's POV

The end of the world seems like it would be a living hell. A time when people were struggling to survive while the universe was in chaos and panic. A time when people screamed, fires raged, and car accidents clogged the streets. Heck, maybe there were even zombies. But that wasn't the case at all because there's something peaceful about it.

Before we get there though. Before we get to the part where I was the only person unaffected by the freezing of time. Where everyone was stuck in the middle of whatever action they were performing or how the colors of the universe changed. Where shadows grew darker and seemed to throb with energy or the way grays and reds bathed the sky. We're going way back. Back to the beginning of it all. To the night I met Andy, and the night Marianna made the decision that would set a course of events in a downward spiral. The night Marianna no longer...well you'll see.
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Marianna was a very sweet girl. She was pretty and kind and wouldn't hurt a fly at all. She was deaf and had been since birth but that didn't stop her at all. Truthfully, I wasn't very good friends with her but we talked when we had afternoon classes together and I'd managed to learn a small amount of sign language to make it easier on her.

She was a very good speaker all things considered and was able to read people's lips when they talked so she coped well with it all. The only problem was it made her a prime target for jerks who I honestly couldn't stand.

I was walking home with her that night and I wasn't sure why other than the fact that we were having a pretty good conversation. We were talking about the history lesson we'd learned that day.

"Yeah it's pretty cool," I laughed, tucking my hands in my pockets. She smiled brightly which made me happy. Marianna didn't smile a lot and I felt rather accomplished whenever I managed to make her grin.

"When are we learning about the second titan war?" She asked, hands flying in familiar patterns despite her nearly perfect speech.

"I'm not sure but I know a lot about it.  Modern history is a lot cooler," I shrugged.

"Modern history is influenced by past history," Marianna explained.

"Sometimes I forget how wise you are. You're gonna be like the next Churchill or something," I teased, nudging her with my elbow.

"Thanks." She rubbed her arm lightly. "Um...you know you didn't have to walk me home right?"

"Yeah I know. Just wanted to I guess," I shrugged.

"Can I ask you something?" Marianna sounded timid.

"Shoot for it. I'll most likely answer." I jokingly made finger guns earning another smile.

"Are we...friends?" To be completely honest I hadn't expected the question and my first instinct was to say no. I mean, we didn't hang out much but when we did it was always pleasant. And there were times I truly liked her company- we were both outsiders with the kids our age.

"Yeah. I think we are," I nodded. Marianna seemed to relax a bit as we turned her street corner but immediately tensed up. It didn't take me long to figure out why. "Why is she always lurking around?"

Marianna didn't say anything and took a step closer to me. Jenna was the queen bitch if I'd ever seen one and hot according to everyone else. Guys flocked around her desperately. Frankly, it was embarrassing.

But if there was one thing I hated in the entire universe it was her and her gang of friends. There was Ricky who was built for combat. She wasn't the smartest but she made up for it in brute force. Mary who was the brains of everything but she could hold her own in almost any situation.

The three practically had all the teenage horny boys bowing to them. It was like a pathetic cliché high school situation and I hated it.

"What do you want Jenna?" I sighed pausing in the street.

"Since when did you have body guards Dumbo?" Jenna asked looking at Marianna. They'd given her the nick name because she loved elephants. They used to call her the disabled effelant. It morphed into Dumbo after a while. "Or friends?"

"Shut up. We were just talking. Besides, this isn't even where you live. You live two blocks that way. " I pointed towards the east.

"Doesn't matter. Dumbo did something she has to pay for," Jenna insisted. I glanced at Marianna giving her a questioning look.

"I-I didn't. It wasn't me. I'm telling you it was Sam. He told your boyfriend you were cheating," Marianna looked like a deer in headlights and more importantly like she was going to cry.

"Right, and pigs can fly," Jenna sneered.

"You heard her. She didn't do it. Come on Mar." I grabbed her arm and guided her to the side making a move to pass around them.  I didn't succeed.

Jenna made a move and the next thing I knew Marianna was on the ground curled up in a protective ball.

"Hey! Knock it off," I growled, tugging Jenna off of her and shoving her away. I helped Marianna to her feet. "Run and get home."

She didn't hesitate to scramble to her feet and run off.

"Big mistake, Grace," Jenna frowned, quick to retaliate as she tackled me to the ground only this time her friends joined in. I guess the way they saw it they needed to keep me down but I wasn't interested in fighting them.

It wasn't that I couldn't take them, but they needed to get their anger out or they were going to go after Marianna again. So I curled up in a ball and did my best to protect my head. The screech of tires on pavement and the scent of burning rubber greeted my nose.

"Get on kid." Glancing up I saw someone perched on a motorcycle nearby. Shoving Jenna off I scrambled to my feet and ran to whoever had intervened.

Hopping onto the back I barely touched the seat when the bike lurched forward and I latched on to the unknown hero to keep from falling off. Making a sharp turn, tires screeching, we raced past the group of girls and sped off.

"Who are you?" I yelled over the sound of the wind.

"Doesn't matter. You shouldn't mess with them." The person replied, clearly male.

"I can handle myself," I argued.

"Didn't look like it kid," he replied, slowing down slightly.

"They either hit me or Marianna I'd rather it be me," I mumbled.

"So, you're the praetor's kid right?" He asked glancing over his shoulder; his helmet obstructing his identity.

"Yep. That's me. Just the Praetor's kid."  I couldn't help but be sarcastic. A lot of people knew me as 'the Praetor's kid'. But when your parents were both bad ass and well known what could you do?

"Don't get blood on my jacket," he warned, turning back to stare at the street. He had a dark leather jacket similar to my own. The only difference was that the shoulders were studded on his.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your nose is bleeding, kid," he replied, taking a familiar path back to my place.

"I'm not a kid," I huffed. He didn't reply as we turned onto my street corner and slowed pulling up to my house.

"This is your place," he noted, putting the kick stand down and slipping off the bike.

"You don't have to walk me to the door I have two legs." I rolled my eyes following him.

"Just cause I may be a punk doesn't mean I don't have manners, kid." He knocked lightly on the door.

"Call me kid one more time and I swear I will rip your balls off and feed them to my dogs." Just my luck the door would open as I growled my sentence.

"I have never been more proud of you," mama grinned. "Wait a minute, what happened to your face? Who do I need to kill?"

"I'm fine. Now whoever you are thanks for the ride but go away." I turned shooing the boy off the front steps.

"Sure thing. See you around, kid." He waved jogging back over to his bike and riding off. I turned back to mama who raised her eyebrows still expecting an answer.

"I was walking Marianna home and Jenna got involved," I explained, seeing her features darken. "I handled it."

"With your face?" She asked, her blue eyes smarting. "Good job."

"Thanks." I smiled slightly at her sarcasm.

"Come on let's get you fixed up before mom gets home or she's gonna kill both of us." Laughing I walked inside and shut the door.

"She's not that scary when she's angry," I argued.

"Really? You have no idea how terrifying it can be." Mama gave me a serious look. "Did you at least leave a good bruise on the other girls? Break a tooth or jaw or something?"

"No, I didn't because that's mean," I replied.

"Bummer. I would have," she shrugged, grabbing what first aid materials we had from the bathroom.

"And Mom says that's why you got kicked out of a lot of schools," I countered.

"Touché now come here and don't pull away like when you were little." She gestured to the counter and I took a seat.

"Fix me up doc," I smiled.

"You of all people should know that I am the least qualified to be doing this." Still, she set to work and patched me up with the gentleness that only a mother could have.

"Thank you." I sighed once she was done. I'd already started feeling a bit better.

"No problem. It's kind of my job." She ruffled my hair like usual.While I looked much more like Mom with the same complexion and hair, I did have freckles and Mama's personality to even it out. I guess you could say I was a perfect mix.

"I'm gonna go to my room for a bit. I'll be down for dinner," I promised, hopping off the counter and giving her a quick hug before heading to my room.

I opened the window to let a breeze in and flopped onto my bed looking to just relax for a bit. I heard the familiar sound of fluttering wings and looked up to see a crow resting on my window sill.

"Hey Bastian," I smiled, getting up and walking over. He'd started visiting me ever since I could remember. He came back every now and then to check on me. "You will not believe the day I had."

He crowed and tilted his head as if curious almost like he actually wanted to listen. I ran a thumb over his feathered little head and told him everything that had happened.

"I hope Marianna is okay. I think I did good. Well I hope I did good," I sighed, watching the air ruffle my curtains.

Little did I know that Marianna was not okay. Marianna had never been okay. I used to be told that the sweetest people suffered the most. I guess the saying was right. That night Marianna committed suicide. No one saw it coming. I didn't. But that was the last straw.

It was the event that started the downward spiral. The first link to a chain. The first piece to a puzzle. The beginning.