Recommended Topic: [Karaoke for One] 

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• André   -

    The day after everything happened was a very quiet one. Even André himself, who was always the annoying guy who didn’t know when to shut up, didn’t speak. Vincent was still there, but he was separated from everybody except for his roommate Michael, and Dr. Fitzgerald was planning to move him out. Too bad, that guy was actually kinda fun, if hazardous. Even the doctor felt awkward on such a quiet day. So awkward, he actually offered something later that same day.

      Dr. Fitzgerald cleared his throat, the sound awkward in the thick silence. “Hello everyone. After everything that…happened, I thought it might be a good idea to reward you guy’s good behavior! Unfortunately, um, only three spots are available.” That doesn’t sound like a very good reward to me if there’s only three spots. Shoving down the bursting urge to retort, he listened on. “So four of you will have to volunteer to abstain. Think of it as helping out a friend!” André rolled his eyes, for he knew this was Dr. Fitzgerald’s of turning this into one of the “exercises” that were meant to “help them” and make them into obedient little normal children. Honestly they weren’t doing a very good job. 

      Despite André internal judgment, hope fluttered into his heart at the thought of escaping this hellscape and having fun for a while. Pranks with Ariel and AJ could only go so far, and while everybody else was fun to chat with, nothing was there to do. Opportunity had arisen, and god be damned if André wasn’t going to try and snatch it. Mason, basically Vincent’s best friend and supervisor, obviously raised his hand first. André held his breath. Michael gently raised his hand next. Or rather, his bandaged hand. André didn’t mind the boy’s eccentricities though, focused on the hard to read yet kind face he was giving him. André smiled back, grateful. Two more to go…don’t give in yet, AJ! Blackish blue eyes flickered back and forth at the remaining kids, and André hoped that wasn’t AJ’s guilty look he was seeing. Too far to elbow him, André instead shot him a death glare. For a miserable breath, he watched AJ’s hand twitch. 

     Michael, with his horrifyingly accurate ability to understand the situation, went over to Cal and Char. Somehow with a bit of pointing and inferring, they understood what was going on. Char easily lifted her hand and volunteered, but Cal was the tricky one. Her stern face twisted in thought, looking between André, Jeremiah and Ariel. Predatory, those eyes were. André shivered. Cal bit a protest back at Michael and pointed at Ariel. Not Ariel dammit! Ariel saw this and jolted, almost instinctively raising his hand no doubt. Cal was a rather intimidating figure. Michael was obviously not intimidated though, because he was not having it, because he pulled out the big guns. 

       Michael wandered unassumingly over to Ariel. André followed him tensely. Ariel’s sky blue eyes and freckles were dark and sad as he slowly began to raise his hand. But Michael stopped it before it could go high enough for Dr. Fitzgerald—who was currently talking with the staff—to notice. Michael looked at him calmly and used his ultimate superpower, making people say everything. One time André too had been sad and right when AJ had come to comfort him, Michael had guided him out and then used it on him. He swore it was supernatural. Michael didn’t even say a word, and then suddenly you were talking. 

       Ariel suddenly began spilling his guts, gushing out everything in a blur of words only Michael was close enough to hear. Michael hugged him, his height even shorter than that of Ariel’s. André wondered how Michael was an eight year old. Tears welled in the sensitive boy’s eyes, and André watched in awe as the magic worked itself. Cal, who had a huge soft spot for Ariel and was secretly a big softie, raised her hand while complaining a little too loudly to Char. Her complaints sounded a little too much like doting on her friends, so it wasn’t very convincing. Char just smiled and listened, and André was elated and shocked to see Michael wink at him. So he isn’t a statue! 

-

     AJ rushed up to him with Ariel. “We’re here!” Ariel cheered with them. Dr. Fitzgerald had explained that they were free to surf to the city and do whatever they wanted as long as they followed a budget. Of course, André knew how to get a whole lot more for a whole lot less. 

     André grinned at the two and held up a twenty he had already managed to snatch before the other two had even got off the bus. “I know! They are such easy marks here.” AJ smirked. Ariel gasped.

     “André! You stole!” Ariel exclaimed, trying to yank the money out of his hands. André held it up out of Ariel’s reach. Like a frustrated little chihuahua, Ariel yelped and jumped after it, swiping his hand around. Suddenly André felt both the paper being lifted out of his hands and the sting of betrayal. AJ rolled his eyes and handed back the money.

     “I’m just joking André, of course stealing is okay. Ariel, you see, stealing is like pranks. Except you just don’t get caught, and the other person doesn’t like it very much.” AJ explained in that perfectly arrogant grown-up voice of his as they began walking. 

     Ariel frowned. “So it’s not a prank?”

     “It’s an even better form of prank.”

     “Yay!” Ariel squealed and followed the other two into the city. 

     The city was bright in the light of the sunny day. The buildings were tall and covered with colorful billboards and banners, the reflective walls hidden underneath. Ariel pointed to things and Jeremiah would explain while André secretly listened in because he still didn’t really know what everything was, despite having mastered English. He even saw something in Portuguese at a local cafe, so he insisted they go in. Much to his secret chagrin, they did not speak the language, it was just the name of their business. Ariel consoled him, and AJ mocked him. Maybe that made him a little sad. He let it go. A long time of wandering and browsing happened before they eventually decided to do something.

     “Well, our options are bowling, arcade, laser tag, archery range, or karaoke.” Jeremiah listed, spinning around to read all the boards and banners. Ooh, I’m definitely going for the arcade or laser tag. Jeremiah inspected the list.

     “Unless Ariel particularly enjoys bowling or archery, I’m pretty sure it’s easy to say those two are off the choices.” Ariel nodded, squeezing his little red and brown fox friend with excitement. André smiled and brushed his blond-brown hair out of his eyes. 

     “My vote’s on arcade or laser tag, personally,” André said, crossing his hands behind his head. Jeremiah grinned.

     “Laser tag would be fun, but I’m pretty sure I’d kill you.”

     “No way!”

     “Yes, way.”

     “No

    “Yes, and I’ll spare you your pride by saying arcade.” AJ declared smugly, crossing his arms. 

    “Whatever you say,” André mumbled. “Coward.”

    AJ sent him a glare but excitement quickly took over his face, tugging a smile on. Anticipation and happiness may or may not have shaken the serious face off of André too. 

    AJ clapped. “Alright then, I think we’re all up for the arcade then, right Ariel?” André faced Ariel. Ariel was staring off dreamily at the karaoke sign.

    “Ariel?”

    “Oh! Sorry what?”

    “We’re going to the arcade!”

    “But I…”

    “Shit! If we don’t go now we’re gonna miss it!” André shouted, pointing to the poster. “It’s gonna close!” AJ's eyes widened into saucers and he waved at Ariel.

    “Come on, talk while we’re playing! We have got to go!” André nodded, also waving on Ariel. Ariel hesitated, then stopped.

    “I…no,” Ariel said, a hardness entering his voice. They both stopped and turned.

    “What?” They demanded simultaneously. 

    “No,” Ariel whispered stubbornly, clutching his stuffed animal. André felt an immediate, irrational frustration strike.

    “Fine! Then go, we’re going to the arcade without you!” André snapped back, snagging AJ’s hand and pulling them along. They didn’t need Ariel if he wanted to go off and do something else. Bitterness consumed his heart. 

• Ariel   -

     Ariel stomped off to karaoke feeling upset. His white uniform sneakers thumped against the pavement to the beat of his angry heart. Angry at them for not even asking him what he wanted. Sure, maybe he could have spoken up better, but André and Jeremiah had been rude by just ignoring him and going to the arcade anyway. Bitterness crashed against him in waves of fire as angry thoughts about everything bad about them, feeding the fire. Jeremiah was just a stupid know it all, always acting smug. André was arrogant and inconsiderate. And you overreact. You’re too sensitive, His thoughts whispered to him. His frustrated footsteps began to slow down a bit.

     Slowly his thoughts took on a new light as what he had also done wrong began to appear again. I overreacted. Yes, a reaction had for sure been warranted, but maybe not that big of a reaction. André and Jeremiah had still been rude and mean, but Ariel realized it was, to some degree, both of their faults. The anger was gone now, he just felt sad.

      Ariel’s steps had long since turned slow and unsure by the time he reached the karaoke building. His numbly reached for the door and pulled it open, ignoring the looks he got from parents wondering what a lone child was doing out here. Ariel didn’t spare a thought for them as he sullenly trudged into the building. The interior was all cool and retro, black tile floor speckled with white triangles. Walls had bright neon paint with polygraphic designs plastered onto it, making for an inviting, dark yet bright interior. None of the attractive features of the room excited or cheered Ariel up. He placed his hand onto the tall desk, his eyes just barely able to see over it at the black haired person. The desk attendant turned to the solitary kid in confusion, concern furrowing their eyebrows. 

      “What is a little kid doing here all alone? Are you lost?” The woman asked, dark brown eyes cast downward to see the short Ariel. Ariel kept a straight face

      “I’m here for karaoke.”

      “But your…”

      “Karaoke for one,” Ariel said, slamming the conversation closed with his final tone. The desk attendant chose to not argue and scrambled about to get the wristband. 

      “Actually, make that three.” A familiar voice called out. A pale hand ruffled Ariel’s hair and Jeremiah smiled down at him as he came up next to him. André skidded right up next to Ariel too, a hand on his hip and a grin on his face. The desk attendant, even more confused, quickly got them their wristbands and out of her sight as soon as possible. Ariel giggled when she shut the door loudly. André and Jeremiah shared a guilty look before bowing their heads.

     “Sorry Ariel. We didn’t even stop to consider what you wanted to do. And when we went to the arcade…we got lonely pretty fast, so we decided to come back and apologize.” Jeremiah said, scratching the back of his head. 

      André nodded. “And because of our ultimate lame behavior, we decided we’re only going to do karaoke, and it’s gonna be the most awesome karaoke experience you’ve ever had!” André cheered and pumped his fist in the air. Ariel smiled shyly, tucking a piece of brown hair behind his ear nervously as they walked to the room. 

      “Actually…I’ve never done karaoke, I just wanted to try it.” He explained. André gasped, and Jeremiah mimicked fainting. Ariel laughed and sat down on the couch, excitement brimming in his gut. Jeremiah snatched the tablet and waved Ariel over. 

      “You haven’t tried the karaoke of a dying business in a country where it isn’t popular?! Imagine.” André joked, rolling his eyes. 

      Jeremiah chuckled and turned to Ariel.

      “Whad’ya want first?” 

      Ariel grinned. He hadn’t expected to try it ever, but he still knew exactly what song he would sing first.

      “I want–“

End Report?

Concluded.

Recommended Topic: [Too Much, Too Little]

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• Michael   -

Michael sat quietly as Cal rambled on, half hearted complaints pouring from her mouth thoughtlessly.

“I should have gone! Unlike those three, I know everything in the area. The airport, the hotel, the restaurants, the food trucks, the cafes, the bowling lane, the good arcade, the bad arcade, the movie theater, the karaoke place, the archery…”

 “Alright I’ve let this go on long enough Cal. We get it. You totally regret letting them go instead.” Sarcasm dripped from Char’s voice as she spoke, waving her hand dismissively and rolling her eyes. 

 “Don’t sarcasm me!” Cal retorted, crossing her arms. Michael stifled a sigh as he sat quietly between the two, sitting on his comfy bed while the other two stood bickering. He purposefully fell on his side, turning his vision sideways as he lay in a fetal position on the sheets. The aforementioned girls turned to him, their senseless banter finally finished. After Char got the last laugh in, of course.

 Char plopped down on the bed next to Michael, swinging her legs. Michael’s eyes flicked to her, watching as her natural beauty mark stretched up as she smiled. Cal stuck her tongue out and left the room, calling out that she was getting some food.

 Michael pushed himself up back into a sitting position, hugging his knees tight to his chest. Char twirled around with her hair as she suddenly began talking to fill the void of sound.

 “Do you ever miss your family here?” Michael tilted his head, thinking carefully. His father was one he didn’t miss. He didn’t miss the house either, ever since Terry. 

 Like he had listed, father was the con and Mama was the pro. Mixed feelings surrounded coming home, but ever since dying they felt so distant. Even having friends, something he hadn’t really had much of before, was different. He didn’t feel superior, just different. Strange. The odd one out. He shook his head. I mostly just tag along, anyway.

 “Hm. I’m not really sure how I feel. My dad—his name’s Heinrick—always tried to make me something I’m not. He wants that perfect son playing baseball with his dad in the backyard, and I just can’t give him it.” Char said, staring at her hands. “He does all these things with me and constantly asks me if I want to hang out, and it makes me exhausted.” Michael frowned. That sounds like all I’ve ever wanted.

• Char   -

      As unreadable as Michael’s face could be, Char could tell he was confused. She sighed.

     “I know. It sounds great, doesn’t it?” Michael nodded. “It’s not all good though. It’s like…having too much chocolate. If you have too much chocolate, you get sick. If you have none, all you want is chocolate. Does that make sense?” She asked, cringing at the analogy. Michael paused for a second and Char waited. Then he nodded solemnly, the confusion gone from his expression, understanding having replaced it.

    Char sighed, then shook her head. “Enough about me, what about you? Do you get an overwhelming amount of attention from your dad?” Char said, phrasing the question so Michael could nod or shake his head. Michael shook his head, his face unreadable. Char felt sad for him, unable to understand her trying so hard. 

      “What about your mom? Does she?”

      Nod. Char felt a little less bad at hearing at least one parent was nice.

      “Any siblings?” Michael hesitated, confusing Char. It was a yes or no question after all. Michael moved his hand in a slicing motion across his bandaged neck. Killed.

      “They died?” Nod, then a gesture of his hands around his neck. Killed…themself? 

     Char immediately apologized for asking and fumbled around trying to comfort him. Her hands kept moving back and forth between the urge to physically comfort him and the knowledge that Michael didn’t always like that. She quickly realized he felt very uncomfortable with touch currently, so she just sat awkwardly with her hands in her lap, watching Michael with concern. His expression was empty. 

      “Let’s, erm…talk about something else. Sarah’s family sounds nice?” Michael pepped up and nodded curtly as if nothing had happened. Strange. 

      “You know, at first when they came today, I was jealous. I actually followed them and all, even eavesdropped. Yes, I’m that type of jealous girl. Anywho, when I was listening to the parents talk to the doctor, I overheard something I shouldn’t have, but it made me no longer feel jealous.” Char said remorsefully, then continued in a hushed voice. “She has a disease. Cystic-something. They think she’ll die, soon enough. I know she coughs sometimes..but I never…” She took a deep breath. “I was ashamed and ran away.” Michael blinked in his form of shock. Char scratched her head embarrassedly. “I know everybody kinda thinks of me as the mature one, but I have my moments.” Michael nodded and gave her a little smile to reassure her. 

       “DON’T TOUCH MY GODDAMN YOGURT, YOU SON OF A-“ A familiar feeling swept over Char, and she smiled. Classic Cal.

       She turned to Michael and hopped off the bed. “I should probably go, thanks for the talk.” She gave him a final wink in her best Cal impression and hurried over to the kitchen. 

       “Cal, what’s going on and why are you yelling about your ‘goddamn yogurt’?” Char began, turning the corner to witness an absolute disaster. Purple, blueberry yogurt was splattered all across the pristine white tile and the two culprits, Vincent and Cal, stood bickering in the midst. A groan surfaced, and she massaged her temples in exasperation. Truly though, she enjoyed the hassle. 

     Cal, seizing the opportunity to be defended, pleaded her case to Char. “I was just going to get the yogurt I had picked out earlier,” Who picks out their yogurt an hour before they eat it? Char shook her head. Cal, that’s who. “When I saw this shithead grab it for himself! It was my yogurt!” She complained, glaring at Vincent. 

     Vincent mock gasped. “Oh no, I stole your yogurt! Does that warrant tearing it open and getting yogurt all over my favorite tie? I think not!” He declared, crossing his arms. Char sighed. 

     “You guys, I think-“ Char stopped as Michael came into the room, waving his arm.

     “What?” Cal demanded, waving her arms exaggeratedly at the crime scene. “We’re kinda in the middle of something.” Michael didn’t bother to answer, pointing vigorously down the hall and then running off. Everybody looked at Char, and she just shrugged. They stood there for a second before Cal dashed off. Char sent her a look.

     “Well, what’re you waiting for? You saw the man, let’s move!” Cal exclaimed, shooting back off down the hall. 

     “Guess what?!” A familiar Brazilian accent shouted. “WERE BACK, BABY!!” Now three voices shouted, all in unison. Char laughed. 

     I hope this never ends.

• Caleb    -

     Caleb sat silently with his legs folded underneath him by the door. He could hear sounds. The happy chattering of three boys. But it was only one Caleb was focused on. He couldn’t forget him. Couldn’t forgive him. He had begun his revenge before being moved here, but now this opportunity had fallen from the heavens, and he would snatch it. For Kaila’s sake, I need this to end.

Recommended Topic: [Guess Who’s Back?]

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• Jeremiah    -

       Jeremiah looked out the sole window in his dorm, knees pressing against the bed cushion. It fell again. Two short months had passed, and now here they were. School was about to begin—or maybe it already had,  and Jeremiah wasn’t sure how much longer they would be here. The staff “taught” them stuff, but they did a horrible job and weren’t very good teachers. Oh well, he wasn’t going to complain about less work. Not a lot had changed in the end, everybody was still close to the same. 

      The time where Vincent seemed destined to be kicked out had long since passed, and nothing had happened. Vincent didn’t go. All Jeremiah knew was blackmail had to do with it, and Vincent was not the one who sent it. He had no interest in asking though, he didn’t want to be threatened. After all that drama though, not much had commenced in the following month. Michael had one day started wearing a strange clasp around his face, but nobody bothered to ask about it. He had been taking a little longer to process things, even for his usual slower time. Michael, himself, and Char had a few dark moments these days where it would get a little…sad. One of those times was the first time Jeremiah had Michael talking, when he ominously started mumbling something. He shivered. Not his favorite memory. 

      But that wasn’t even uncommon. They all tended to have some version of those unsettling moments, especially Ariel with his recurring eye bags implying an unhealthy lack of sleep. Even Cal had moments, though she hid them as best she could. It just set him off more with Michael because Michael was kind of weird, and rarely showed visible expression of his feelings.

However, those moments were probably still second to the time he saw Cal throw up her dinner. Nothing he had yet seen could compare. Disgusting. Even Char had hesitated to be around her after that. Cal reluctantly took a shower and the problem dissolved, thankfully.

     Currently Ariel and André were in prank wars against each other to lighten the mood, Jeremiah helping out André and surprisingly Michael helping out Ariel. Ariel was currently the one to worry about. Sarah, Ariel’s roommate, had recently been asked to move to another room by Ariel’s request. After that, the bags that had long since disappeared had returned, worse than before. In a convenient moment, Jeremiah overhead Ariel talking to Michael about some kind of monster. Whether it was real or not, Jeremiah was worried. He, Cal, and Char had all used their next trip outside to get him some new stuffed animals. Ariel was a little less downcast after that. But life went on, and these sadder moments were mostly few and far between. Even if they were becoming more frequent. Even if they were even scraping at Jeremiah’s optimism.

     He looked down at his hands. 

     Why does it feel like calm before the storm?

• Michael     -

       An awful noise rang out into the abandoned office as Michael entered Caleb’s room. It was abnormal for him to be coming in at this hour, and it was for a reason. Michael had reason to believe that Caleb was haunting Ariel. 

       Caleb whipped around, his foot claws clanking against the damp concrete floor. 

      “You're here? What are you here for?”

      Michael’s neutral face curved downward, and he stomped up to Caleb and poked him in the chest. Caleb frowned.

      “What? I didn’t do anything.” Michael gave him a look. Caleb hesitated, his guard weakening. Michael made his face look as mad as possible, and Caleb finally cracked.

      “Fine! Yes, I’ve been going out of the room. And you know why? BECAUSE THAT GODDAMN ASSHOLE IS BACK!” He shouted, ears flattening against his head. “He hurt me. He hurt us.” Caleb whispered, claws clutching his elbows. “Everything was going fine with the escape when he came.”

     Michael flinched backward, fear consuming him as he scrambled back. His heart beat a little faster, his eyes watched a little wider, and he struggled to keep up with the situation. Michael shook uncontrollably as his mind kept replacing Caleb’s face with Thomas’s. 

     “IT'S ALL HIS FAULT I-I…” Caleb roared, then trailed off as confusion entered his expression. All six eyes scattered around the room as if it held the answer, frantically searching for the end of his sentence. Michael didn’t speak, cold sweat and tears dripping across his body and face, and his hands tugged at his hair. I can’t do this. How do I deal with him? He rocked on his feet, struggling with his emotions. Michael had obviously avoided the problem for too long. He now recognized that he needed to get Caleb out of here as fast as possible. I need a plan. That was all his mind could produce, and it soon ceased functioning. Caleb was pacing across the room, scatterbrained. Michael was pressed as close to the wall as atoms would allow, hands clutching tile to stop shaking. 

        “Kaila. I need Kaila.” Caleb froze, turning to face Michael slowly in a freaky manner. Shivers crawled down his spine, and Michael could only try to listen as he was frozen in motion. Caleb stalked over to Michael, his face mere inches away from the terrified boy. “Get me Kaila. No more excuses. Get them here before the end of the month.” Twenty-five days, his formerly malfunctioning brain supplied helpfully. Too short. Michael wanted to plead for more time, but there was clearly nothing that could convince Caleb. He needed to get out of here before then. He nodded numbly, body working on the barest of thoughts. Caleb relented with narrowed eyes, stalking back to the dark corner of the room. Michael dashed out of the room as fast as possible, desperate to find escape in MMT. 

-

      Michael wordlessly came out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him quietly. 

     “You know…” Vincent trailed off as he looked to see Michael’s face. He sighed. “Dammit. Come ‘ere, kid.” Michael rushed over to hug his Uncle. 

-

       Michael peeked around the corner, looking around the main room. Spotting Ariel, he sped over to him and gently sat down beside him. Ariel was slowly nodding off, his head swaying every few moments before lifting back up in surprise. Tired eyes turned to face Michael, the sleepiness sucking out all former curiosity. Michael worried for him. 

       “Did you…” Michael nodded. 

       “Do you think…” Michael shook his head. It was going to take time to fix the Caleb problem. For now his solution was to help Ariel. He gathered up his courage and fought past the barrier of fear, determined to help Ariel.

       “I help. I roommate.” 

     Ariel’s eyes widening, hope dawning in them for a wondrous second. It soon came crashing down as fear filled his eyes.

       “No! It’s okay! I can deal with it myself.” Ariel lied desperately, waving his hands about and shaking his head furiously. Michael stopped him.

       “Help.” 

       Ariel groaned. “Please don’t! It’ll just make you lose sleep too.” Michael shook his head, trying to make him understand something he couldn’t. Michael didn’t need sleep. And everytime he tried these days, thoughts of Terry and Thomas would cloud his mind. Nights were lonely and inevitable, so at least he could help Ariel while he was at it. Even if it’s dangerous and Caleb recognizes me, Ariel can’t continue like this. Michael still wasn’t sure what to do about Caleb recognizing him. Maybe he could just say he had to do it. That didn’t matter right now though, helping Ariel with his sleepless nights came first. The poor kid was probably developing insomnia. 

      Michael couldn’t get himself to talk further, but he was persistent enough that he eventually got Ariel to agree, albeit reluctantly. He had to compromise that he would accept Ariel’s help until ten o’clock. Still not an ideal amount of sleep, but it was better than before. But night would only come after day, and the sun was still high in the sky. 

      Mason came into the room followed by Sarah and Jeremiah, dispersing. Ariel mumbled something about trying to catch up on sleep before the staff caught him, and stumbled back to his room. Sarah and Jeremiah shared a concerned glance, but didn’t say a word and went to the kitchen. Mason wandered over to Michael and plopped down a short distance away from him. He turned to Michael.

       “I think that it’s time we talk,” Mason said. Michael turned curiously toward him, a little worn out, but not enough to turn Mason down. “You were afraid of me, and I think we need to discuss why.” Michael suppressed an exasperated look. “You were afraid of my brother, Thomas. I just wanted to talk to you because…honestly I’m not sure. Maybe I’m trying to defend him, or maybe this explains exactly why he scares you. I don’t know. I just…I feel like you need to know this, do you get that?” Michael did not understand it, but he nodded anyway. He wanted to know more about Thomas, after all, he did have a strong urge to torture the murderer. Pain, fear, and sadness rose at the thought of the man, but he pushed it back down. 

       “Thomas was a little good brother, he cared about me, loved to talk and play with me, fought with me. He always tended to hold a nasty grudge, which made for some long fights, but he made up for it with how much he loved his family. Later on when me and him naturally grew apart, he became right friends with two boys, Liam and Heinrick, and a girl named Rose. Liam especially was like a brother to him, they shared many interests and dreams. They only grew closer because they both wanted to become CEO’s of the next big tech company. Disney and Microsoft were idols to them, and they would consistently meet up to discuss the topic. Promises were made, and they agreed to create a company together and be the, and I quote, “Best TV company the world has ever seen.”. Pretty sure they copied off of a line from Pokémon.” Mason chuckled, his tone sentimental. “Eventually they were adults leading their very own company to stardom. Their tight friend group was no more, Liam and Rose married, Heinrick jealously leaving, and Thomas slowly growing restless. He felt like it was always Liam’s ideas getting used, so Thomas confronted Liam. For a long time Liam refused, and in response Thomas went behind his back for months.” Mason paused, frowning. “Then Liam agreed, a month passed, and then Thomas got murdered.” Mason abruptly ended. 

       A frown barely managed to crawl its way onto Michael’s face, but he felt it far more. That was…random. Thomas just got killed, and then suddenly decided to become a murderer himself. Michae glanced up at Mason curiously, and Mason sighed. 

       “Obviously everybody’s first guess was Liam. I know it got resolved in the end for some reason, but the first part was all I heard before I…made some mistakes. I may or may not have had a dark period and tried to harm Liam. Then I ended up here.” Mason said, shrugging. “I found V, Liam’s brother, and at first it was a rocky relationship, but once I saw his side of things, I warmed up to him and before I knew it we were best friends.” Mason shrugged. “Maybe I just wanted to do what he did for me, for you.” 

        Michael nodded. That made enough sense to him. As the information processed, he realized Mason was a whole different person. It was an obvious fact, but everytime Michael had seen Mason all he could think about was Thomas’s haunting yellow eyes. Michael felt a little more fresh. Bravery was not his strong suit, but this was the closest Michael could get to facing his fears. It was enough for him. If only I could set my fears on fire.

      “Well, that’s my piece. I’ll stop bothering you now.” Mason announced, bringing Michael out of his thoughts. Mason noticed. “Same airhead as ever.” He muttered, then left for his room. The undertone of boiling acid in Michael’s stomach eased away, and he relaxed. He loosened the buckle around his head and pulled his knees further against his chest, preparing to rest for a long while. 

       “‘Chael!” André shouted. A warm body tackled Michael, thrusting him out of his moment of peace. His loosened buckle skewed and he shoved it back into place, retightening it. He propped himself back up into a sitting position and scooted away from André for personal space. Not noticing, André continued. “I’ve got this awesome prank idea, but I need you to do me a favor. I promise it’s not against Ariel, so you're not betraying him.” André leaned in to whisper. “It’s against the staff.” Michael nodded softly. No rest for the dead. André grinned and settled down on the couch, crossing his legs and putting his hands on his knees. He leaned close and relayed his request. “You know Madeline? The staff manager? Ellie has to write a report to her tomorrow and next week, and I’m gonna convince him to let me and Jeremiah take it both times.” He snickered. “Then, I’m going to ruin the manager's office.” André finished, like it was some grand evil plan. 

      Michael had to admit that simple as it was, it really wasn’t a bad plan. If they both got kicked out of this place it was actually a rather good ending. Maybe that’s how I should get everybody else out of here. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to start thinking about how to get them all out of here. Michael frowned. Getting them kicked out may not be the best plan though, that would only make parent relationships worse. A staged accident?

      “Uh, ‘Chael? Earth to ‘Chael?” After a second, the shaking was processed and Michael turned to André blankly. “Anyway, that was my plan, but I realized it would be a good idea to take you too, then we’ll be far more convincing. I think Ellie likes you.” André said. Michael had a better idea. Ripping a paper out of a book and sneakily grabbing a pen from MMT, he began to write. André followed along, his head occasionally nodding and making little “oh” noises. “Hmm. Well for one, your right, this place is an absolute bore and I think we can all agree it’d be nice to get out. But how?” André inquired, disbelieving. It took a minute for Michael’s mind to effortfully wade through the swamp that was thinking, but he eventually found some ideas and jotted them down. 

       André picked up the paper and looked it over, eyebrows slowly climbing his forehead. “Didn’t take you for such a violent person, ‘Chael,” André muttered. “Alright,” He said, clearing his throat. I don’t think we can do any of the more…morbid stuff you put on here. But, I have done plenty of illegal stuff like arson in my time, so you are talking to the right person” André said delicately, sending an uneasy glance at Michael. “As intense as some of these options are though, there is one we could pull off. It’s very unsafe, mind you, but if we can’t do anything safer, it’s a good option.” André said, shockingly cautious. André noticed the hint of confusion that crawled onto Michael’s face. “Well I want to, that’s just the inner Jeremiah in me. I think he’s rubbing off on me a bit too much.” André frowned. “Screw it. Let’s do it. Jeremiah can deal with the details, my job is to be reckless. Besides, I’ve blown up a building before.” He said ominously, a smirk on his face. Just who the hell was André? André scrambled off the couch and ran down toward his room, presumably to further brainstorm Michael’s suggestion. 

     Michael didn’t even bother sighing, he just sank back into the couch and loosened his buckle once again. He shimmied a bit to get as comfortably sunken into the couch as he could, and closed his eyes, his face vacant and peaceful. 

     Michael had just begun to drift off when somebody called out. “‘Chael!” How many more times will this happen? Sarah wandered over to Michael and sat down beside him. “I wanted to…erm…talk to you about something.” Sarah rubbed her elbow nervously, suddenly seeming gloomy. Michael once again sat up and retightened his buckle. The motion was becoming too repetitive, too fast. But Michael cared about his friends, so he did not complain. “My parents came to visit earlier, and I realized there’s something I should probably tell you,” Sarah said softly. Michael inspected Sarah’s features, getting a better read at what was going on there than in her words. Her parents helped her “realize” this, I bet. 

     Reluctance clinging to her features, Sarah opened her mouth to speak. “It was rude of me to keep this from you for so long. I-“ Michael pressed a bandaged finger to his lips, stopping her from continuing. She looked confused, but every part of her looked relieved. It was obvious she didn’t want to share it. Michael abruptly felt bad for having so easily let Char tell him something Sarah herself wasn’t ready to say, but there was nothing he could do now. She’s not ready. The confused look persisted as Sarah walked away, but the tension also left her.

      Michael curled up on the couch, loosening his buckle for comfort. At least that was quick. He closed his eyes.

      “‘Chael?” A vein quickly swelled up on Michael’s forehead. “I wanted your advice on something.” Michael sat up, glancing up to see Cal approaching him with an unfamiliar uncertainty. I’m not qualified. He wanted to say. His flickers fidgeted, but he discarded the rebellious thought. Pushing aside his exhaustion, he repeated the actions of before and turned to Cal, who settled down beside him. Cal but her lip and avoided Michael’s gaze. 

       “I think I have a minor…tiny…crush on Char, but I don’t think she likes me back,” Cal mumbled, wincing. Michael nodded solemnly, unsurprised. Picking up the paper and pen from before and flipping it over to the blank side, he wrote something at the top. 

       “How to get Char to like me?” Cal muttered in awe like they were the most enlightening words she had ever read. She looked up at Michael expectantly. Michael’s pen flew across the page once more. “Giving her things she likes…hmm, alright,” Cal said approvingly. “Don’t take jokes too far, don’t always try to act so tough, don’t be embarrassed because you’re a total softie…I’m feeling very targeted.” Michael gave her his best reassuring look, and she sighed. 

        “You're right,” Cal admitted. “But I’m only gonna admit that because you're ‘Chael, so don’t you dare tell anybody this.” She threatened, shaking her finger at Michael. Michael’s face remained unchanged and unbothered at the threat. Cal was all bark and no bite.

     Cal let out a breath. “At least it felt good to get out. Been keepin’ that one since bloody kindergarten.” She laughed darkly. Curiosity crept into Michael’s slow thoughts, and he wrote on the paper. Blush managed to inch up on Cal’s dark face, curious as she read the newly added message. 

     “Um, well, having a crush feels like a bunch of things. You feel confused and it’s like you keep thinking about them all the time…it’s a horrible experience. But Char’s just so amazing, it makes it all worth it.” She spoke distantly in a reverent voice. Michael sat with his mouth slightly parted, spiraling into his thoughts. 

      Could I ever feel that? The factor of death weighed heavily on his mind. To love somebody but never be able to pursue it was his fate if he ever fell in love. He was dead, and only poor fortune and strife awaited anybody who deigned to love him.

      Do I deserve to feel that?

     Michael was swamped in these thoughts long after Cal decided to leave him to his mind. Suddenly feeling insecure and upset, Michael curled into a fetal position on the couch and tried to forget about his thoughts.  

     Suddenly he felt the couch cushion depress as somebody sat down. Michael’s eyes stayed closed for another moment as he avoided reality, but eventually he opened them. The world around him was crystal clear through his dead eyes, making the fact of his dead body all too clear. Of course, the boy he was looking at had no idea. Jeremiah was looking off silently into the distance. Michael felt rather unnerved by the look in Jeremiah’s eyes. All too mature for somebody who was still so innocent. Michael pushed himself back up and rotated to give Jeremiah a slight smile. The daydreaming boy didn’t notice, so Michael tapped him on the shoulder and raised an eyebrow. 

      “Oh, hey.” Jeremiah greeted, still sounding distracted. Michael tilted his head to the side curiously. “I was just kinda wondering about the future, you know? It just feels weird to think that once we leave we might never see each other again. And then school will go on and I’ll make new friends…eventually high school will end and…” Jeremiah paused, mouth open and eyes seeming almost scared. “And then André will leave, and I’ll be sad. But then I’ll get over it, and I don’t ever wanna get over it. Rotting for the rest of my life in a job my dad forced me into.” Jeremiah’s hands fisted his white pants, which quickly gained wet spots as tears streamed down his face. 

       Feeling somber, Michael scooted over to Jeremiah and gave him a hug. He wasn’t too comfortable with touch, but a hug would always be the exception. As long as it was on his terms, that was. The future was indeed a frightening and painful concept. He would always be dead, so exactly how long could he cling to life? How long before he couldn’t? How long before he was too tired? Where do I go from here? Michael gripped Jeremiah’s white jacket tight as if it could make him stay a little longer. Make him live a little longer. 

       “Come on, ‘Chael, stay in the moment! If you keep worrying about then and not now, you’ll be done before you even get there!” 

      Sadness swept up at the thought of Terry. He felt his mind start to go blank, but in a miraculous fluke he held out. You're holding onto it, just like how Jeremiah said he wanted to do. Even if it’s bad, you have to move on. Those were happy moments, not sad. Don’t twist them just because he’s dead. Michael chided himself, loosening his death grip on Jeremiah’s cloth. 

      “Worry about now,” Michael whispered softly for both of them. Jeremiah let out a shaky deep breath and relaxed. 

      Releasing himself from Michael, Jeremiah eventually left with a last wave goodbye and a solemn but less worried expression. 

Sighing, Michael watched Jeremiah walk away. He loved Jeremiah, but he absolutely hated deep thinking, even if he was forced to do it more often these days.

      Michael was still sitting when Char meandered over, not surprised in the least. The faster he finished up this whole process was the faster he could escape. Impatient at Char’s slow pace, he motioned her over. Surprised but pleased, Char sped over to Michael.

       “Hey ‘Chael, how’s it going?” Michael nodded curtly, not currently into the polite small talk. Char took the hint and got down to business. “I was wondering, do you know how to get a piercing? Ellie was showing me his the other day, and I really want one.” Char asked. Michael blinked. Not disappointed by any means, just caught off guard after all the more sensitive inquiries. Piercings…Michael imagined Char with wicked jewels all over her ears and face. It was slightly comical as Cal was the more naturally intimidating one, but the picture in Michael’s head of Char with piercings was a rather nice one. Unfortunately, despite how good of an image, it would be a while before it came true. He snatched the already used paper and wrote. Char picked it up and scowled. 

       “Teenage years! I have to wait that long…?” Char sighed. “Should’ve known. My dad probably wouldn’t let me get one anyway.” Michael nodded sullenly. Char, frustration clearly popping up on her face, continued. “Neither will he let me wear anything nice without getting overly worried. ‘That skirt is too short’. Then, if I manage to get past him, it turns out he’s right and I just get dress coded at school. I’m so damn sick of it.” Char’s hands strained against the couch, anger scratching the surface. “I can’t just do what I want for once.” She spitted, annoyance twisting her calm features. Michael watched. It was hard to sympathize when it sounded so much better than what he dealt with at home, but he knew that he shouldn’t judge when he had no idea how Char felt. Two things can be hard, I suppose. 

       Even understanding that, Michael felt there was nothing for him to say. He had never experienced anything like that, so he just listened as Char continued to vent her anger. When she ran out of things to say and air to breathe, Char stopped, heaving. 

      “Sorry, I’m just whining, aren’t I?” Michael didn’t say anything. Char groaned. “Thanks for letting me complain, that was rude of me.” Michael pushed his face into a smile, and Char laughed. 

      Once she left, all bets were off, and Michael dashed out of there before anybody could come for another round. He yanked the door open and rammed through the room, not bothering to notice if Vincent was there or not. He slipped into the bathroom and shut the door, flicking on the lock and disappearing into black nothingness as fast as possible. 

        Thank fuck. Michael slumped down to the floor of MMT, leaning against one of the many random objects lying around. Everybody coming around with their wants and needs had tired him out. While he wasn’t bothered by doing what other people wanted because he struggled deciding what he himself wanted and didn’t like thinking, he had a line. And when that line was crossed, his mother’s attitude reared its head. But a lot of those moments had been some of the most vulnerable, so he deemed it worth the sacrifice. Who knew how many more of those there would be before they died. Pleas don’t die on me. It was too late for Michael, but he could at least make sure Caleb didn’t ever get to them. Right, that ticking time bomb. Michael hoped André was good at working out that problem, because besides the simple solution of violence, Michael had no idea what to do. 

        Alas, there were better things he had escaped to practice. Flying! Without a speck of effort, Michael was smiling at the thought. Time to himself.