Chapter Text
TUESDAY 2PM - FARAWAY CEMETERY
Sunny, Aubrey, Kel, and Hero decided to give the cemetery a visit. A first visit in Hero’s case; he never felt ready to meet eyes with the burial site of the person that meant everything to him, until this day… The first step of healing is to tackle the wound. It was inevitably painful, but as Kel suggested prior, it was clear this visit was going to be beneficial in the long run.
Mari was there. They couldn’t see, hear or feel her, but from her perspective, she was simply enjoying their company, like how it was long ago. There were little times over the years that Mari wasn’t looking over her friends. It was like that during most of her time as a spirit.
Seeing Hero finally visit her and attempt to say his peace… And furthermore, getting to hang out with everyone. Picnic basket present, just like when they were kids. It’s a wonderful memory that Mari was sure to cherish.
And yet, she couldn’t fully enjoy herself in the moment.
She’s been feeling terribly uneasy all day. Her, and all the other spirits in the cemetery. Some were visibly upset, some were very shaken up, some felt a horrible event on the horizon.
Few of them knew what this meant, but many speculated that it was time for Basil’s grandma to join them. Her health has only been deteriorating as of recent, and as sad as it is, her departure from the mortal realm seemed like the most likely cause of this ethereal commotion.
With a commotion so large, it wouldn’t take long for that man to take notice of it… The man that has an inexplicable connection to those that have passed on. He caught wind of this event, and realized.
Old Beardy: “The spirits have been howling all day… I pray for this neighborhood.”
“Someone will be grieving tonight.”
…Just as suspected… He must be talking about Basil’s grandma. Who else could it be?
Who else?
TUESDAY 6:30 PM - BASIL’S HOUSE
Basil has returned home from visiting his grandma, who was rushed to the hospital yesterday evening. Polly, his caretaker, was there to greet him upon his return, but he was unresponsive. He went straight to his room and locked the door.
Polly was unable to get a word out of him. She wanted to tell herself that he just needed some time alone, but she was unsure. With the behavior he was exhibiting, it wasn’t hard to guess what took place at the hospital while Basil was there.
He has always cared deeply about his grandma. Going long stretches of time without his parents being there, she was the closest thing to a mom for him. As her state worsened, she was there for him, like always, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to care for Basil, as well as caring for herself.
Polly was enlisted with caring for them both. She took on the role of a mother, but it’s hard to say she formed the bond of one. She knew few things about Basil, and while he showed clear behaviors that warranted concern on her part… Basil’s struggles, more often than not, only reached the ears of one person…
…And tomorrow, he’s moving away.
TUESDAY 7PM - BASIL’S HOUSE
Basil has remained closed off. Alone with his thoughts.
He’d say he wanted to be like a sunflower, and always look at the bright side of things. However… such way of thinking has proven to be difficult. It’s safe to say life has not been kind to him.
But his mental fortitude, considering his circumstances, was nothing short of remarkable. Bottled up trauma of this caliber would easily break most people… But he pressed on. Few would understand why or how, as even Basil stopped fully understanding.
All this pain sustained… For the sake of the person who was once the brightest sun in his life. A comfortable sun that was always there to keep him company, listen to him, and make him feel okay… Until that one day.
Six children were getting ready for a recital.
Five children were scarred.
Four children were 12 when it happened.
Three children were lied to.
Two children were faced with a challenge neither of them deserved.
One child begged.
Basil: “No matter what happens… promise me that we’ll always be there for each other.”
“Promise me…”
Weeks passed.
Months.
Years.
Basil waited so long for him to come back… And he did. Three days before he’d leave again.
What was he supposed to feel? What was he supposed to think? Did he deserve this?
His emotions were erratic and uncontrollable at this point… but soon, it won’t matter.
Years of guilt, trauma, bullying… He had made it this far, but even someone as sturdy as him had his mental worn and torn. He has been nearing his breaking point for a while now. It felt like his grandma was the only remaining source of a genuine smile on his face. It was something Polly also caught onto.
But his grandma was no longer here.
The events of tonight have been premeditated.
Basil made this choice long ago-
TUESDAY 7:15 PM - BASIL’S HOUSE
*Knock Knock Knock*
Hero: “Hi Basil, It’s Hero. I’m here with Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny. We’re all here to see you!”
…
Basil: (W-what…?)
Hero: “Is there anything we can do to help?”
Basil can’t bring himself to say anything. He doesn’t know the answer to that.
Hero: “We just wanted to let you know that we’re here. Let us know if you need anything, okay?”
Basil: (…We’re here… for you…)
A step towards normality… Basil remembers that fondly, but ever since losing Mari, the grief and guilt made him develop a growing sentiment that nothing would ever feel “normal” again… And for the past 4 years, “normal” has been forever out of reach.
Basil: (I… i don’t…)
This step is too little. Too late. There’s no way out of this.
…
Aubrey: “Hey, Basil… This is Aubrey.”
Basil: (…)
Aubrey: “I just wanted to say that… i’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you.”
“Will you please say something? We just want to know that you’re okay.”
Basil: (… …Aubrey…)
One of his first friends. The reason he found the closest thing to a second family. The reason all these people mean as much as they mean to him… And yet, one of the reasons his fate is sealed. “sorry” is too little. Too late.
Aubrey: “…”
“I think we should stay here for him.”
Basil’s train of thought grows even more jumbled. All his friends will be here. They’ll all be two rooms away when he removes himself from this world. He starts feeling like even in his last moments, he’ll weigh everyone down.
But does that matter? Sunny left him for four years, didn’t he? Aubrey has tormented him for ages, hasn’t she? Why does it matter how they feel? Basil should be furious at the world… And the cards life has dealt him.
And he is furious. And he is sad. And he is confused. And he… he doesn’t know anymore.
Tears are all he knows anymore.
TUESDAY 10PM - BASIL’S LIVING ROOM
All the friends were sleeping soundly… until Sunny jolted awake. Seems like he recovered a memory he’s been avoiding for a long time. An important memory. An uncomfortable memory. He felt the strong urge to take action, but such an act requires incredible willpower, especially from someone in a situation like himself.
He wasn’t strong enough on this day. At this moment. He ultimately decided that getting some proper rest was most important, and went back to sleep.
…
TUESDAY 11:30 PM - BASIL’S BEDROOM
Basil is breathing steadily.
His eyes are red from crying. His mind still a mess, his thoughts still a train-wreck. He can’t stop thinking about… anything, and everything.
Part of him can’t believe today is real. That it’s just a bad dream. Part of him doesn’t want this. Part of him wants to keep fighting… but those parts have been battered and weakened.
He opens the window and sticks his head out. Feeling the wind on his skin, his hair moving with the flow, smelling the crisp breeze of midnight. He takes this moment in. For as long as he feels is right.
Basil is breathing deeply.
He brings his head back in and closes the window. He’s nervous. He can’t help but feel tense. As fuzzy as his mind is, he knows the task at hand. There is no other way. This is the only way that everything will be okay again.
His right hand starts to reach for the garden shears.
His hand and the handles make contact, and his heartbeat immediately starts to accelerate.
Both hands begin to tremble. More than they already were. Just looking at the shears in his hands makes his head clear up. All he can think about is what comes next. All he can think about is the point of no return.
Basil is breathing rapidly.
His heart feels like it’ll combust from the pressure at any moment. No harm has been self-inflicted yet. The choice to not go through with this is still a possibility.
…
He puts the shears down. His heartbeat slows, if only slightly.
He can feel… Something surrounding him.
…Recital day… The guilt is eating him alive. He fabricated a lie. A lie that 3 of his best friends have believed for years. A good person wouldn’t do something like that.
Was this his punishment? All this time, was life being intentionally hard on him as a form of justice? No matter. His only desire now was for the pain to end, and he had to take matters into his own hands.
He picks the shears back up. The longer he stares at them in his hand, the fuzzier his vision of everything else gets. He can’t decipher the things he’s seeing. He’s not focused on that.
4 years.
Life changes a lot in 4 years.
And you are only in control of your reaction to those changes.
He decided this wasn’t a life worth living.
He took a quick deep breath.
*TH-SHNG!*
He pierced his abdomen. Immediately, he covers his mouth with his right hand, barely able to muffle the initial screaming. He then holds it in long enough to reach for a pillow on his bed, then pressed it hard against his face.
He’s exerting as much force as he can to make sure the pillow reduces the volume of his shrieking and sobbing. Still, he tries to not yell to his full extent. He loses the strength to stand. He falls to the ground, his back against the wall.
Basil is breathing sharply.
He can’t stop screaming. He can’t stop wailing. It quickly exhausts his lungs, and every breath he takes feels like being stabbed another time.
The sooner this ends, the better. His left hand takes ahold of the shears again, then yanks them out.
*SH-LGHF!*
The blood loss intensifies, and so does the pain. The wounds on his organs are fully exposed now. He tries to keep his yelling leveled, but it’s getting increasingly difficult.
He stops holding back, and lets out a blood curdling scream into the pillow, desperately attempting to alleviate the tension inside of him, even if just a little. He cannot bring himself to scream like that again. Unsure on how he’d feel if he saw the look on his friend’s faces when they saw him. Unsure on why he even continues to care.
He can’t stop sobbing, and yet, there were days where he cried more. There were days where he was hurt more. He, and only he, had a full grasp of what his life has been like since he was 12. If he had known what awaited him in the future years… who’s to say he wouldn’t have chosen this path sooner.
He’s pressing the pillow even harder than what he thought was possible. He has to remove it from his face for air, though he worries even his inhale will be too loud.
Basil is breathing erratically.
There’s blood on his hands. On his stomach. On his legs. On the floor. How long has this gone on for? How long since he stabbed himself? He’s lost track of time. The pain only persists.
…
Time has passed. It is unclear as to how much.
…
The pain diminishes. He can feel himself getting weaker. He’s lost the strength to scream and cry. With what little force he can exert, he throws the pillow back on the bed.
…
More time passes. He can barely move any part of his body. He can barely understand what’s going on. It’s like his ability to feel pain was going away. Like his ability to feel anything was going away.
…
Basil is breathing faintly.
His vision starts to drift. He starts seeing things again. Memories… Friends… Words… Promises… Something…
…Sunny?
Was Sunny really here? Was it just an illusion? He had lost the ability to tell.
His mind still pushed on, for just a bit longer.
Basil: (…Sunny… i… This…)
(There’s… so many things i want to say to you. But the words… won’t come out.)
(I’m so… happy to see you. I’m so angry. I’m so sad. I’m so afraid.)
(I never said anything. I… i didn’t want people to think it was you, Sunny.)
(My troubles, my insecurities, my secrets… my problems, my hopes, my dreams…)
(You knew them all. There was a time… where you were always there for me.)
(I know you’re a good person, Sunny. I didn’t want people… to think a good person would…)
(…)
(I know you never accepted that promise… But… I waited for you. I waited for you because you were everything to me… I waited for you because… I thought… Once you came back… That everything was going to be okay.)
(…Am i selfish for doing that? …Do you still care about me?)
(…)
(…I don’t know anymore. It’s… it’s too late for me, Sunny. But maybe it’s not too late for you.)
(I hope you don’t end up like me. I hope the sun shines bright on your life, Sunny. You, and all of our friends.)
(Kel. Hero. …Aubrey… Despite everything, they deserve to be happy.)
(I know “sorry” isn’t enough, but… I truly am sorry for everything, Sunny.)
(It’s hard for me to admit, but i often feel like i deserve an apology. I often feel like i should’ve been honest about my feelings. I often feel like… The friends who hurt me should know what i truly think.)
(…But they don’t… And now, they never will.)
(…So the one thing i ask of you, Sunny… Be honest with others. Be honest with yourself. You’re a good person… A good person deserves a good life.)
(…)
(Thank you for the memories, Sunny… please… come closer… one more time.)
…
The Sunny in his vision starts to blur.
His throat is ruined from screaming. He can barely manage to form words.
Basil: “…Sunny… … Please…”
“… …I’m cold…”
…
Basil is not breathing.