Chapter Text
She died Monday, June 15
Agott is now standing at her funeral, Coco's funeral, a day after, there's a framed portrait of her smiling, right next to a portrait of Custas, but Agott didn't care about him. She wouldn't look at anything but Coco.
She can feel Tetia, and hear her crying on her shoulder as she's hugging her, but she doesn't hug her back, she can barely move, she can also feel Richeh next to her probably crying as well, so calmly, but too loud for someone like Richeh
There's one loud voice she recognizes and it's Tartah's, she can hear his cry from across the room
It took her a whole minute to start crying, she can hardly breath now, she doesn't think she's ever cried in front of people, let alone cry this hard, Tetia tries to comfort her, Tetia always does even when she's hurting as well, even Richeh joins the hug now.
After the funeral, she gets back home and straight up to her room, she still hasn't processed the idea of never seeing Coco again, she can't handle it , she can't imagine a world without her, She sat curled up on her bed still wearing black, eyes burned from crying, but the tears kept coming anyway, slow at first, then all at once.
She couldn't understand how.
How was the world still spinning when she was gone?
Right when she started understanding how she felt, too... Crushes aren't supposed to end in funerals, right? She can't accept it. It can't end this way. What about the new planetarium that just opened she has been meaning to take her to??
She has to save her...
She has to find a way, maybe one of her mother's books has a way, her mother is a witch, after all.
And so, in the middle of the night, she stood up and snuck out of her room into their mother's library, the one she had stayed away from because according to her mother, she had no talent when it came to magic, she didn't... Can she really save Coco? She can't have doubts now! She can atleast try!
She started searching, maybe she could find a book with a spell that could bring her back?
she dragged book after book down with shaking hands, barely caring when dust exploded into the air around her.
She pushed trembling fingers through her hair and yanked another heavy book free hard enough to nearly tear the cover.
“There has to be something,” she muttered under her breath.
She climbed the rolling ladder with unsteady movements, scanning faded titles so quickly they barely registered in her mind.
Please.
Please let it be here.
The thought repeated in her head like a prayer as she tore through the shelves with the desperation of someone trying to fight death bare-handed.
The book almost didn't stand out.
Wedged crookedly between taller volumes on the highest shelf, its cover was plain, dark, and worn smooth with age. No title. No markings.
She nearly passed it by.
But something made her stop.
Her breath caught as she pulled it free, dust cascading from the cover in thick clouds. The spine cracked sharply when she opened it, like the book hadn't been touched in years.
Her exhausted eyes skimmed page after page of symbols and cramped writing until suddenly
She froze
A spell, that can go back in time, that's exactly what she needs!
She immediately grabs the book and quietly goes to her room, locks the door, The book nearly slipped from her trembling hands as she stumbled to her desk, breathing hard like she'd run the entire way home.
Her mind felt feverish, overwhelmed by one thought repeating louder and louder in her head:
She can come back.
She yanked open the desk’s pull-out shelf so roughly it rattled in its tracks and grabbed the small bottle of the special black ink used for magic, which she hasn't touched in years
Pulled out the pen, grabbed a paper, put it over the spell drawn and the book so she can trace over it, just as any talentless witch would do.
In the page, it is mentioned that she has to be thinking of the day she would like to go back to while drawing the spell, it is also mentioned that you can only go back to days from the same year
She thought, Monday, June 15, she remembered exactly how it went, it started normally
She walked to school with Tetia in the morning, who was complaining non-stop about the principle's creepy son who always followed her around, and always wanted to sit next to her, walk next to her, partner with her during class activities.
"and now I'm stuck with Eoleo for the school project! He's scary!" Tetia complains
When they get there, Richeh and Euini, who are her partners for the school project, approach them
"Euini says he can't help with the presentation" Richeh says
Euini looks down, his face all red.
"oh! Morning, Coco!!" Tetia who was standing next to her shouts, waving at Coco who was walking up to them
Coco.
In the end of the day, when they were packing up their stuff, Custas talked from behind her
"I forgot some of my stuff in the art room, I'll go first to get them"
"I'll come with you!" Coco said, and then waved at Agott as she walked to Custas "see you tomorrow, Agott!"
Custas started pushing his wheelchair, and Coco began walking as they talked with each other
That's probably when they died, something must've happened at the art room or on the way there if they both died at the same time.
She just has to keep her away from him the next time
And so, she dipped the pen into the black ink, and began drawing, slowly, carefully, it has to be perfect, not a single mistake is acceptable.
For her.
The moment the ring was closed, she passed out
When she woke up, she woke up on her bed, she wasn't in the black funeral dress she was in last night, she wore her usual white Nightgown
She immediately checked her phone
Monday, June 15
She... Did it??
Quickly, she got out of bed and wore her school uniform.
Ran out of the house, and met up with Tetia
It was all the same
Tetia complains about Eoleo being creepy
When they get there she's approached by Richeh and Euini
And then, Coco's there
The moment she saw her, the world stopped.
Alive.
Standing right there in the morning sunlight like nothing had ever happened.
Her crush laughed at something Tetia said, shifting her bag higher on her shoulder, completely unaware that someone had once buried her.
For one horrible second, she almost ran to her.
Her body moved instinctively, half a step forward, fingers twitching
But she forced herself still.
Because this version of her didn't know.
To her, this was just another normal day.
Meanwhile the girl standing across from her felt like she'd crawled out of hell just to see this moment again.
Tears immediately burned at her eyes. She had to look down, biting hard against the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying right there.
Don't scare her.
Don't ruin this.
Act normal.
The thoughts repeated frantically in her head while her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.
God, she was alive.
Alive enough to smile. Alive enough to breathe. Alive enough to brush loose hair behind her ear exactly the same way she always used to.
It was too much.
Grief crashed into relief so violently she thought she might collapse.
Coco finally noticed her staring.
“...You okay?” she asked, confused.
Such a simple question.
But hearing her voice again after mourning it nearly destroyed her.
The girl clenched her hands so tightly her nails dug into her palms, desperately holding herself together instead of throwing her arms around her and sobbing into her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she managed weakly. “I just…”
Her voice cracked.
“morning, Coco”
The entire day practically flashed before her eyes, and it stopped the moment their classes ended, when the sun started setting
Before Custas could let a word out, Agott quickly grabs Coco's hand and runs with her outside
"woah! Agott!?" Coco calls, confused
"there's a place I wanted to show you!" Agott replies “It's a surprise.”
She held on her hand the entire way there like she was afraid that if she let go for even a second, this version of her would disappear too.
They reached the planetarium, The building glowed softly against the darkening sky, its huge dome lit pale blue from below.
Coco looked up immediately, eyes widening.
“woaah, this is what you wanted to show me?”
Agott, suddenly nervous despite everything she'd already survived.
“You said once you wanted to see the stars properly.”
For a second, Coco just stared at her with surprised softness before smiling, and the sight nearly made her chest ache again.
Inside, the planetarium was dim and cool, filled with murmured voices and low ambient music.
Artificial constellations drifted slowly across the curved ceiling above them while galaxies bloomed in deep blues and silver light.
They sat side by side beneath the dome, shoulders brushing.
Agott barely looked at the stars.
She kept glancing at Coco instead, at the reflection of nebula-light in her eyes, at the relaxed curve of her smile, at the way she tilted her head upward in quiet wonder.
Every tiny movement felt painfully precious now.
“Pretty, right?” Coco whispered.
Agott looked at her immediately.
“Yeah...” she answered softly, before realizing too late that she hadn't been looking at the ceiling at all.
Coco blinked, flustered for just a second, then laughed under her breath and leaned back in her seat again.
The sound echoed warmly inside the dark dome.
And for the first time since the funeral, the girl felt like she could finally breathe.
By the time she got home, she's heard the news of Custas dying, but did not care.
She closed her bedroom door carefully behind her and just stood there for a moment, staring into the dark with her hand still curled loosely at her side.
Alive.
She was alive.
Somewhere out there, Coco was asleep. Breathing. Dreaming. Alive enough to wake up tomorrow.
And that alone felt enough to make her cry all over again.
She cried, until she fell asleep
She woke with a strange feeling lodged in her chest.
For a few seconds, she just lay there staring at the ceiling, half-awake and peaceful in a way she hadn't felt in weeks. Then she reached for her phone beside the bed.
The screen lit up.
Her breath stopped.
Monday, June 15
No.
No, she had gone through yesterday already.
The planetarium. The walk home. Her crying on the bed afterward
all of it had happened. She remembered it happening.
Her pulse hammered painfully hard as she hurried through getting dressed, thoughts spiraling faster and faster.
Had the spell broken time itself?
Was she trapped?
It went the same. Tetia complains about Eoleo, she's approached by Richeh and a nervous Euini, Tetia greets Coco and they talk and laugh
But...
When she reaches her class, something is different
Tartah...
He stood near the classroom windows with his arms wrapped tightly around another boy.
Custas.
Too tightly.
Custas laughed awkwardly, trying to push him back a little.
“Dude, what's wrong with you today?”
But Tartah didn't let go. His shoulders shook once before he quickly hid it, burying his face briefly against his friend's shoulder like he needed to prove he was real.
Agott froze where she stood.
Because she recognized that look.
That desperate relief.
That terrified disbelief.
Tartah...
The only other kid she knew who knows about magic, and has access to the special ink
After all, her mother gets it from his grandfather who raised him his entire life.
oh no
He had gone back for someone he couldn't bear to lose.