Chapter Text
An expanse of white emptiness sprawled out before him. It extended endlessly in all directions, and though you couldn't tell by looking at it, walking too far in any direction would lead you right back to where you started. The only distinct features of this white void were an empty photo album, a stand for sheet music, and a black handheld mirror. The mirror never reflected anything, the album never had any photos, and the stand never had any music. The entire place felt... Empty, deserted, hollow.
Sunny had been here many times throughout the past two years, but never received any answers as to why. Sometimes he'd hear voices in the distance, and see strange silhouettes, just out of reach. Other times he'd see a monochrome double of himself, who always stabbed him, prompting him to wake up. Today though, it was just him. Alone. Maybe that was a result of events in the waking world, he could never tell when that was the case.
There was never anything to do in these dreams, so he did what he always did. He lay down on the floor, and stared at the ceiling. Was there a ceiling? Sunny didn't know. If there was, he couldn't see it. But even so, he had nothing better to do than stare at the void above him, so stare he did.
He stared for longer than was probably healthy. Whatever, it was his dream, he could stare if he felt like it. Over time, a faint rumbling began to spread through the white surrounding him. Oh, he recognized this sound. It was distinctly a car's engine. Accompanying the engine noise, cracks began to form in the floor, converging directly below Sunny. Guess it's time to wake up. The floor beneath him broke away, and he found himself submerged in deep, cold water, continuing to sink deeper as the engine grew louder.
With a slight start, the lone passenger of a late night bus awoke. A quick check of the time revealed that it was 11:43 PM. He was coming up on his stop soon, and though he would never admit it, he was nervous. I mean it was understandable, considering his situation. Two years, and now he finally knew where he was from. He could still barely believe it, but here he was, on a bus, driving to the middle of nowhere.
Sunny's eyes peered out the window, into the foggy landscape beyond. The cloud that was blanketing the land was beginning to fade, but was still clinging the the earth, to the trees. If he had his sketchbook accessible, Sunny would've drawn the scene. It was breathtaking, with the light of the full moon dancing amongst the pale gray fog.
The bus turned off of the highway, slowing as it rolled along the smaller road, eventually coming to a stop at the only station for miles. Sunny's heart leapt. He was close now, he could feel it. Throwing his duffel bag over his shoulder, he stepped off of the bus, taking a deep breath of the cool night air. A few stretches later, and he had started walking. It was still a little ways to Faraway town. The name sent a familiar tingle throughout Sunny's body, like looking at an old photo album after a long time. Sunny wasn't sure where that analogy came from, but it seemed fitting, and he liked it.
More of the fog had cleared now, and the moonlight fell upon the young teens hair, colored a deep navy blue, with two streaks, one purple and one pink. He had picked blue because it was his favorite color, and the other two seemed important somehow. A black beanie, matching his jacket, sat atop his hair.
The further he walked, the more familiar his surroundings grew, and he took in every single moonlit object with his artificially golden eyes. A sign stood on the side of the road, a greeting written upon it:
Welcome to Faraway
Where dreams come true
Sunny had to suppress a chuckle when he read that. Faraway town was the definition of the middle of nowhere, making it entirely possible that the sign was accurate, considering how few people actually fullfilled their dreams. Passing the welcome sign, he entered into the town itself, eventually coming to a park. The moonlight cast the park in a ghostly light, giving it an ethereal feeling.
He couldn't help but stare. The park was so familiar, and he was certain it was an integral part of his past. The swings in particular felt important, but he couldn't place why. Letting his feet guide him, he wandered through the park, stumbling across a sight that brought tears of nostalgia to the stoic boys eyes. A lake, shimmering in the moonlight, in the middle of a clearing. Snapshots of memories shot through his mind. Looking around the mystical clearing, he could make out a picnic basket, sitting atop a checkered blanket. Staring at this beautiful nostalgic sight, a yawn escaped his mouth, and he was hit with a wave of tiredness.
One brief survey later, and he'd found a suitable sleeping place: the foot of a tree, where the roots created a sort of sheltered hollow, big enough for him to lay down. And so Sunny set down his bag, and using it as a pillow, fell fast asleep.
The last note of a violin rang out through the recital hall. A young violinist stood next to his partner in this duet. The song was over, and both players briefly waited with baited breath. For a moment, silence hung over the hall, shattered moments later by the sound of thunderous applause. The pianist stood up, and taking the violinist's hand, bowed. The two walked off stage as the curtain fell. Their friends met them backstage, and congratulated the two for their performance. Photos were taken, one being placed in the violinist's hands. As he looked at the photo, the world around him faded to white, and he felt his consciousness grow faint.
Sunny, once more awoke with a start, not just from a dream, but a memory. The people in his dream, they were his friends, and the photo... He reached into his duffel bag, and after a bit of rumaging, extracted the same photo from his dream. Himself, dressed in formal wear, alongside a girl in a beautiful dress. They both held between them a certificate of excellence for the violin and piano. The photo was the only thing he had that linked him to his past. The only thing he'd had when he woke up alone, two years ago. And the girl... Though he'd always known she was important, he'd never been able to place why... Until today. The memory had triggered something within him.
She was Mari, his sister.
Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, until sounds of an argument caught his attention. The argument in question was happening by the lake, and Sunny could make out three figures. A girl, about his height, with bright pink hair tied back in a high ponytail, arguing with a blonde boy, the tips of his hair colored black, while a tall tanned boy was putting himself between them, trying to get them to stop fighting.
"He's dead Basil! He has been for two years damnit!" The girl cried out in a pained voice. "I don't know why you can't accept that!"
"Why I can't accept it?" The blonde boy, apparently named Basil, asked, his voice ride with anger. "What about you? How can you accept it so easily? You... All of you... None of you ever really care, did you? Did you?! You were perfectly happy to accept his death and move on, as if he was never there to begin with!"
"You think I don't care? You think... That I'm happy?" The pink haired girl pushed past the taller boy and grabbed Basil by his shirt collar. Her voice shook as she spoke. "You think it was easy to move on?! Everyday Basil, I wish he was here. I wish it weren't true, but he's dead, and nothing you say will change that!"
In response, Basil pushed the girl off of him, and ran off. In response to this action, the girl had fallen to the ground, and the tall boy helped her to her feet.
"Are you alright Aubrey?" The tall boy asked, concern evident in his voice. The name Aubrey stirred something in Sunny.
"... No, and I'm not..." Aubrey said, her voice still shaking. "Why? Why did any of this have to happen? Why can't Basil accept it? Why... Why did I move on so quickly...?"
"Aubrey..." The boy sighed. "I don't think you've moved on, and I don't think Basil really thinks that either. I don't know why any of this happened, but... We can't let it tear us apart. I can't force you to make up with Basil, but I think you should. I get that it's difficult, but... Sunny wouldn't want to see us split apart like this."
At the mention of his name, Sunny's eyes widened. And he almost gasped, before remembering he was spying on these people from the bushes.
"I'm... I'm gonna go try and talk to Basil," the tall boy said. "I'll see you around, Aubrey."
He jogged in the direction Basil had gone, leaving Aubrey standing alone in the clearing. Sunny stared at her, faint images drifting through his mind. He had to have known her, especially considering what the tall boy had said.
Looking at her- Aubrey- Sunny could see her shoulders were shaking, and pretty soon she dropped to her knees, a yell of frustration and anguish tearing itself from her mouth. Sunny felt the urge to comfort her, but a slight shift of his body and a stick snapping rather loudly caused him to abandon that idea, as a quick glance at Aubrey told Sunny that she was more than likely pretty angry.
"Who's there?!" Yep, definitely angry. Although, there was also something else, probably the remaining emotions from before. Aubrey was now standing, and brandishing a baseball bat Sunny hadn't seen before. Now, in a situation where your two options are either running away and possibly escaping with your life, and facing an angry girl with a baseball bat, only people with a death wish would pick the latter option. Sunny did not have a death wish, and so he found himself tearing through the woods at mach three, or rather, as close to mach three as he could possibly go.
So far, today was off to a great start.
Aubrey stared at the small piece of paper in her hand. A photo. Two people who she was once very close two. The last time she had seen this photo was two years ago, just after... The recital. It was in near perfect condition... Which shouldn't be possible. Sunny had this photo last, didn't he? He would've had it when...
No, don't think about that.
Stuffing the impossible photograph in her pocket, Aubrey stood up. She needed to think about this, and she needed something in her stomach while doing so.